 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar this is the desk mr. Dollar your number is ringing now good Hello, I want to talk to dr. McLean. Who's calling, please? I'm not a patient. I just want to talk to him This is dr. McLean. I'm Johnny dollar. I'm from Hartford, Connecticut. I want to see you What about about life and death dr? Do I come to your office, or do I meet you come to my office? I'll call the police get busy then I'm on my way Tonight and every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to tri-state insurance underwriters international building Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditure is during my investigation of the McLean matter Expense account item ten four dollars gasoline for my rented car I was in the filling station at the Stadler Hotel having it filled up when George Riley stepped out from the lobby entrance Hey, dollar, huh Riley. I came down here to see you. What about? What do you think what about? All right get in got to thinking after you left me today But my girl Terry Then you know what happened no The police came to see me They told me practically the same thing you did They said they were getting up a court order to exhume the body Her body they don't know for sure yet They'll have a job making the identification My girl don't yeah, you mentioned that We both know it'll be her don't we? Sure we do They have to go through with all this legal stuff, huh? This has to be right That has to be right before they can do anything. That's right. They were you driving around the block dollar. You know what I'd like to do I'd like to get my hands on the bird or put it down on the ground that way with somebody else's name It was a doctor wasn't he? That's what it looks like Doctor who you'll find out soon enough Let me ask you something How would you feel if you got the kind of news I got today, huh? You'd feel pretty lousy I feel pretty lousy. I was gonna marry Theresa Corbett a couple of years ago. I Built her a nice house on a hill and she disappeared Just walked out Yesterday you come in you say she didn't walk out She walked into a doctor's office one night and had a heart attack He say this doctor gave her another name his wife's name Buried her and collected some insurance And that's how she disappeared Now what about me, huh? They came around to see me after she disappeared. They came around a lot asking questions And now they think they found her You and me know they found her don't we yeah, I guess we do I Spent two years waiting to find her now. She's dead Why is she dead? I can't answer that shit This doctor he can't answer it candy He took her in buried her under another name just took her like she was some sort of clay dial something used in something No one wanted anymore Took her in buried her and that was supposed to be that now. What's his name? Really you better go home for a while Yeah, sure. I'll phone you later. She wasn't any clay doll She wasn't something you'd give a phony name to and put in the ground She was what I loved and wanted and needed Did she walk into his office and die with her heart trouble or did it happen another way? I don't know you got ideas I don't know. I don't know you're gonna find out. Yes If you don't find out I will I Stayed right there and watched George rally lurch across the street in Haley Cab Then I turned back and found the freeway road it out to Sunset and all the way to the Pacific Palisades In the office of David E. McLean MD Come in mr. Dalla sit down sit up. It was a tall broad-shouldered man in his early 30s I shook hands with him and sat down. It was a pretty startling telephone call mr. Dalla I confess I was intrigued by it. You said you'd call the police. Well, I didn't I Don't know why I said that really you tell me what is on your mind. I'm an insurance investigator doctor or Didn't a woman named Pauline Henderson called you and tell you I was in town Pauline Henderson Pauline Henderson I don't believe a friend of your wife's doctor an old friend who worked with her once The kind of a woman who'd recognize a picture if she saw it. I don't believe I remember then she didn't call you and tell you I was in town Well, that's all right, too. She said she might do that though Don't you want to know why doctor? No, I suppose oh Yes, why? Because I went over to see this Pauline Henderson the night I got in She was one on a list of names of people who might know your wife on site She got kind of upset about my going there and asking her questions. I don't blame her. I'm a stranger to her She finally said she'd tell you about it. I said go ahead and tell you and so Are you just don't have any questions about anything do you? I'm completely baffled by this whole thing. What's your point? Don't you really know why I'm here dr. McLean? I haven't the least idea, but I can't tell you we're wasting a lot of time This is a nice office doctor. How long have you been here? You're a song one Starting out it costs quite a bit of money for equipment like this rental in a billing like this doesn't I don't think that's any Concern of yours mr. Dollar I do wish that you'd say what you have to say or do what you have to do and get it over with I don't know whether you're so anxious at that try me I've been pretty patient with you You come here and talk about a lot of vague things that I have no connection with at all You make a strange phone call you appear as though you're trying to intimidate me. You mentioned an old friend of my wife's only in Henderson Yes What is she gonna do with nothing really except possibly as a witness. Oh? Witness to what to an identification She said she might call you she was worried about an investigation I'm handling What investigation is that I understand you once treated a patient named Teresa Corbett Teresa Corbett last treatment two years ago February 1954. I had offices over in Hollywood 1954 You're quite sure that you have the right doctor. I am I don't remember a patient by that name What did I treat her for a heart condition? Well, so we find out Corbett a Teresa Corbett when was this now February 1954 I don't have anyone by that name in my files mr. Dollar But it must be important if you came all the way to Hartford to ask about it. It's pretty important Well, she might have come in for some little thing in that case. I wouldn't necessarily have a history on her I understand she came to see you quite a few times could it have been another doctor McLean. It was you That's funny Well, no minute two years ago My wife was my receptionist then she wasn't too good at keeping records You suppose I could talk to her and ask her my wife is dead mr. Dollar. Oh Sorry, I can't be of more help. I thought every doctor kept a record of all this patience if they just came in with a nosebleed Well, now you see that you're wrong Now that we've gone through all this let's get down to business. What do you mean by that? I'll come right out and say it doctor You should have kept a file on Teresa Corbett. You should have kept that one above all things The fact that you don't have one is going to make me believe a lot of things I haven't really believed up until now what things what are you talking? I'm talking to you about your wife who isn't dead at all What four days ago? She came to me in Hartford, Connecticut She said that Teresa Corbett died in your office one night and that you identified the body as your wife's And what's more you collected $10,000 worth of life insurance on her Is a picture of the woman who gave me that statement is this your wife? well I'll tell you it is your wife Doris McLean and she's still very much alive and the story she told me in Hartford is pretty much the truth I've never seen the woman in that picture in my life. I ran into one person here in Los Angeles who recognized her right away I've got a list of eight more people who'd probably recognize her I can go to every one of them and get their statements to that effect, but I don't think I need to I've got a pretty long statement from Doris McLean herself. It tells the whole story Would you like to read it? No Then maybe you'd like to make a statement yourself. I have nothing to say mr. Della. I Didn't think you would doctor On the strength of the evidence already assembled. I preferred charges against dr. David McLean He was taken into custody and arraigned for defrauding an insurance company He refused to talk at the arraignment and afterwards when he was held in the city jail Expense account item 11 $2.20 telegram. I wired Hartford advising Don Taylor of the events in Los Angeles The following morning I received an answer from him to the effect that he was bringing Doris McLean to Los Angeles That should have made the case complete That and the fact that the coroner's office had exhumed the body and it had been identified as Teresa Corbett Hello McLean What now? Oh, I thought we could talk we can't so that's that we have your wife's statement How the whole thing worked the coroner's man identified the body of Teresa Corbett So your wife will be here tomorrow sometime her testimony will cinch it Will it you know it will I want a statement from you Look we aren't in a courtroom now McLean, but we will be it'll be a tough case from top to bottom But we'll get you and we'll get you good a Statement from you right now might save you some trouble save you two years in your sentence. Oh You're here to give me a break. I'm here because my job says I'm supposed to be here I wouldn't want to save you anything brother the longer they send you up there better I'm gonna like it, but I'm not gonna push too hard for a statement from you I'm just giving you the chance to have your say so right now and suggest that you go into court with a guilty play It's up to you. You know something You'll never get me in or courtroom Expense account item 12 10 cents one morning newspaper Which carried a complete story of the McLean case as well as the information that dr. McLean had denied all charges was freed on bail Then along with his remark about not appearing in court worried me an hour later I was out in the palisades looking for a San Vincent home address It happened to be a two-story building, but I didn't get up to his apartment soon enough Hold it stop you don't have to worry about your doctor friend anymore You're fooled you're crazy fool the court would have taken care of him. No, I Wanted to do it personally Riley girl Johnny Oh, here's our star to tell you about the final intriguing episode of this week's story tomorrow a Brand-new or rather startling statement from mrs. McLean without lies Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar or is truly Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is Transcribed in Hollywood written by John Dawson. It is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time and station for the next exciting episode of Yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking