 From Hollywood it's time now for Sonny dollar Who I am in bed and I take it you the doctor will bandage me up this way put on this splint After I tangle with a propeller a Captain Morgan's fishing boat this morning fall Doctor I was pushed And every week day night Bob Bailey and the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar I'm special investigator Johnny dollar location cod Harbor, Massachusetts to the intercoastal maritime and life insurance company Boston Assignment the Meg's palace matter report an expense account continued as soon as I hung up on Dr. Champion I again checked the splint on my right leg and confirmed the suspicion that I couldn't possibly walk on it Then a few minutes later Meg McCarthy came into my room She carried a tray filled with enough food to choke a horse and while I piled into it She brought me up to date It's in Barnesboro the doctor champion has his office and lucky it was for you He happened to be here in card Harbor on his weekly visit Oh, you were a sorry-looking mess when the men brought you in yesterday the doctor said you've been out as cold as a codfish ever since But they can tell you by the looks that the rest has done a lot for you How do you feel matter of fact make I feel pretty Well, I'm pretty good there You see you've got to take it easy like the doctor said just lay there and rest and sleep and eat all the good food I bring you yeah, except and unless I get up and going on this case You'll try that and I'll lash you to the bed post Doctor's orders is doctor's orders. So don't you try nothing different? Yes, ma'am Oh, it's a miracle praise be that that propeller on the lily and didn't cut your two ribbons Captain Billy and his crew brought me back here. Who else where they now fishing out on the banks of cars What did you expect? Don't you know they have to earn a living the same as me and you and what about keeping up the payments on that Seago and bathtub precious little time. They had for fishing yesterday after that fool trick you pulled falling off of her Is that what they told you happened? Of course. What else? Meg which of the men told you I'd fallen off the boat All of them only the first mate young Charlie Montgomery the engineer and of course my willy by his self Captain Morgan to you and they all told it the same way what why not should there be after making up fairly tales How do they tell it? You're sure that screw didn't hit you on the head too. You lost your memory. How do they tell it make it's important? Well, once they went about their chores. You were standing alone up in the boughs. Then they heard you yeah Despite of the darkness they seen you splash in the phosphorescent wake and there you were being sucked under by the prop That's all and they all told it the same Exactly the same even young Charlie buttons kept saying it over and over. I saw it I saw it all like Well, you know like he was still struck with the fear of what might have happened to you I wonder well stop wondering and get yourself some more sleep or the doctor will have me head And if he does I'll take it out on you and believe me Johnny boy That will be a lot worse than the fool accident of yours ever was make listen to me It was no accident. What I was thrown overboard Johnny boy you're raving delirious out of your head I was leaning over the rail watching the water and a powerful pair of arms belonging to somebody aboard that boat pick me up and Toss me over Holy Jensen young Charlie buttons Montgomery or Captain Billy himself. Yes, that rave in Johnny You must have got hit on the head and I'll bet my last buck that whoever did it is the same one who slugged me in the alley The same one who's threatened to burn you out of this place No minute I get up out of this bed. I tell me something. Yes, Tim Beasley your police chief and mayor and so on Has he been up here to see you that good for nothing brother sky to know and what's more if he shows his ugly face in my Establishment, I'll toss him out on his beam in between you ask because I told him to get the threatening notes from you Check them against the handwriting of several people here in Cod Harbor Oh like that snivelling cousin of his Clem Harris that runs the silver plate cafe Yeah, among others well he ain't been here and I won't have him here I take it you and he don't get along of course We don't why because ever since his cousin Clem has been in business Tim has threatened to close me up for what reason for breaking town ordinances on restaurants The kind in forces of it to Barnesboro Well, have you been breaking them no more than no less than dear cousin Clem or Tony 14 or Ernie Turner does after their harsh joints But me he always is picking on and why because I get most of the business from the fishermen So you want a suspect in this case Johnny boy? You've name them for me make the other cafe owners. All right So I'll give you one Tim Beasley and Clem Harris working in cahoots And if it wasn't one of them way lady and the other whoa, wait a minute Neither of them could have been aboard the lily and then you must have fell. Oh Megan when is the doctor coming to see me should be here by now if he doesn't come pretty soon I'm getting up and going orderers and orders Johnny Motives suspects Why make McCarthy yourself could have rigged this whole thing Called me in as a cover-up while she burned up her place to collect 15,000 insurance Even her intended Captain Billy Morgan who'd collect her life insurance if she were to die in a fire Tim Beasley lazy slob of a general fact totem and cod harbor to put Meg's palace out of business on behalf of his cousin Clem Harris or Clem himself a one of Captain Billy's crew for some reason I hadn't yet fathomed Half an hour later. Dr. Champion arrived looked me over and then went to work with a pair of bandage shoes So now we'll take off that splint. Oh, but if something's broken doc Not a thing broken. Mr. Dollar. Just an old trick of mine. Huh? You needed absolute rest until I could see you again And from what I've heard about you you wouldn't have taken it unless I fooled you into it And that was the sole reason for the splint Talk hero one day There we are And in view of your surprisingly good condition I'd say you may be up and around as soon as you honestly feel able say even tomorrow perhaps I don't make ten dollars for medical services all the doctor champion would accept Needless to say as soon as he left I planned to get up and get to work But as he walked out the door or make broad captain Billy and a visit and sympathize So in hope of keeping him off guard. I played real sick Then only a Montgomery came in too But I needed to get these men alone and I must admit being feeling better than I did Then I realized that young Charlie hadn't gone. I asked about him He said as long as the doctor was keeping in bed two or three days He could see you when he gets back But wait a minute he went to pick up some supplies for Meg here like he always does It gives him a chance to drop in on his sister where he keeps his Sunday clothes and things He wasn't out on the boat with you today Make spoils allowed that way always has him going in for supplies when I need him the most You talk like I was the one picked today And don't you tell me Johnny boy, I'm sorry Shut up, Bill It's okay and tell me that I'm sorry if I seem to be raising me voice at you Oh, bless you Meg. It's that fiery spirit that keeps me loving you But now why don't we leave the poor man alone to recover, huh? Come on boys. Yes. Come on. I love you out. You're born after you Montgomery wait, I'm Mr. Donner Don't know and do for you to ease your bed of pain a little drink of something I've a bottle aboard the lily and no, no, thanks. I want to talk to you about charm real fine laddie is No, I'm sure he'd be wanting to see you when it gets back from his visit in town. No, no wait Captain Morgan said he has a sister in Barnesboro Do you know the address? Oh that I do Many's a fine meal we've had from our time off. Well, I want to see you You know just a little personal thing. Oh, then you're right down the address for you She lives in a pretty little ass Maybe Montgomery was the wrong one to ask I don't know But I had to gamble somewhere along the line and if my suspicions about Charlie buttons was right I hoped I wouldn't be too late When Montgomery had left I sneaked out the back door to avoid Meg and hurried over to Tim Beasley's office in the shack that function His car Harbor City Hall He wasn't there a woman who lived next door informed me he'd taken off in a hurry to Barnesboro So Beasley had gone to town after Charlie or had he $25 that's item 9 I rented a creaky old truck and headed for Barnesboro Charlie's sister's house was on a gravel road out on the edge of town There was no other car there. So I stopped in front of the bus got out and walked up to the front door Sorry, mr. But my sister Mr. Don hello Charlie Yeah, I meant to say why did you come in? Sure glad to see you're all right, mr. Don. I am That sure was awful. Yeah, you're falling off the boat that way What's matter Charlie? Aren't you feeling good? Yeah, sure sure. I am you look a little pale and say Where where Packing up to leave huh? Yeah, I Well, I'm tired of the fishing business. Mr. Dollar gonna give it up cause somewhere else during a living tired, yeah Why did you do it Charlie, huh? I don't know what you mean it took somebody who knew that boat pretty well to sneak up on me in the dark and push me overboard Took a strong young pair of arms to do a tool Yours weren't they Well, I Didn't want to do it mr. Don so help me. I didn't want but he made yeah Who made you he found out he found out about me about my record one record that I'd kill the man once accidentally when I was just a kid and I'd run out and escape from the Reformator yet, but now I'm grown it if they ever catch me They'll hang me or the electric chair up for life and he knew that Charlie if I didn't do anything He said like slugging you were trying to start the fires or anything. He'd give me away So I had to don't you see I couldn't help myself. He made me do everything Charlie whole Charlie whole It's all right. You don't need to rough me up darling. I knew I'd get caught up with someday I'll go quiet with you and maybe maybe you'll help to try and get things easy for me Charlie Who made you try to kill me? Yeah Yeah, I'll tell you It was so he could get you out of the way and burn up Meg's palace and her with it. I'll tell you mr. Dollar it was Oh Huh There at the window behind you that old trick. Oh, no you The boy fell against me pinning me to the floor and as I pushed him away I saw the patch of red slowly spreading on the front of his shirt directly above the heart By the time I got to the window a car had taken off down the old gravel road and was completely obscured by a thick cloud of dust And I wanted I Wanted for home the shot that killed Charlie had really been intended Now here's our star to tell you about the final episode of this week's story tomorrow a killer strikes again But one of his victims rises from the grave to strike back Join us. Won't you yours truly? Johnny dollar fully Johnny dollars starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood It is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone who also wrote this week's story Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time in station for the next exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking