 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar Mr. Dollar at Eastern liability and trust. Oh, yes, sir got your message. I was just about to call you back mr. Scottman, would it be possible for you to drop in see me today? I think so say in an hour that would be excellent What's it about mr. Scottman? David pearling pearling? I understand he was killed in a boating accident a couple of days ago read something about it in the papers Borrowed freeze mr. Dollar that report was somewhat exaggerated mr. pearling is still very much alive 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 the Eastern liability and trust company Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditure is during my investigation of the pearling matter Mr. Scottman, you're a pretty good guy, and I'll say this right at the top since you were the one who called me in You're reading about the pearling matter and your newspaper right now, but they haven't got the story right None of them will ever have it quite right Just remember that as you go through your newspaper in this report mr. Scottman You look pretty worried when I met you that afternoon about five o'clock, and you led me into the top drawer offices of Eastern liability and trust I Tagged you as a meticulous sort of man who knew when his laundry was coming back I wasn't a bit surprised to learn that you were vice president and chairman of the board Why don't you sit down there mr. Dollar the best chair in place? Thanks cigar cigarette. No, I have these thanks Lighter right there to write thanks You can run along for tonight Evelyn no more to do thank you sir. Good night. Good night Evelyn. I I Understand you've handled several matters for our company mr. Dollar. Yes, sir. I was just going over it in my mind I believe the last one was the San Antonio case. Yes Mark San Antonio here Yes, you handled that very well mr. Dollar. I want you to know I appreciate your reputation in the field nice of you to mention it I'm curious mr. Scottman. I rarely work directly with an insurance company usually I'm hired by the adjusting agency and let's say this is little idea on my own Only one person knows about it so far. You will be the second Board of directors might not exactly prove what I'm about to propose But I feel some action should be taken. I have some good whiskey in that cabinet. No, thanks. No, no Yes Well, this case involves David Perling who despite what the newspapers reported yesterday is still very much alive You say you saw the item in the papers. Yes something about him being killed in a boating accident in Florida I think the story was erroneous will be retracted. Oh That the matter is mr. Perling was already on his way back to New York safe and sound when that report came out The boat that he'd been fishing from did have a boiler explosion, but no one was killed Yeah, these things sometimes happen. I guess I'll show that however was printed all over the country You know David Perling is highly regarded in financial circles and that is the reason I asked you to come in talk to me Did you see the stock exchange figures yesterday? Well, I don't pay too much attention to the mr. Scott I do if we do as an insurance company that report of Perling's death affected several commodities listed on a New York exchange Companies in which he holds varying positions positions that would if say the report of his death were engineered for that specific purpose Allow certain people to risk very little money and make a great deal of money just a minute sir certain people Are you talking about Perling? I don't know who I'm talking about really I'd like you to find that out find out among other things if the situation has been taken advantage of in any way This isn't exactly in my line mr. Scott man. I think it is mr. Dollar. I'll come right out with it Eastern liability has considerable investment in some of the commodities that could be affected We are let's put it this way. I want to know where we stand I want to know if we've been cheated or are about to be cheated. I Had dinner with Morton Scott man at his club He acquainted me with the several companies involved in the matter and supplied me with stock exchange information That would be valuable and making comparisons in case the action. He anticipated ever happen an hour later I was at the airport expense account item one one hundred and twenty three dollars and sixty nine cents airfare and Incidentals from Hartford to Key West, Florida. I Arrived at four o'clock in the morning found a hotel and had six hours sleep At eleven thirty I was standing in the office of a bluff red-faced man named Peyton He happened to be the managing editor of a newspaper Yeah, all the all the way from Hartford, Connecticut and now welcome to Key West. What can I do for you? Tell me about this story. Ah a Perlin story, huh? Yeah, you're a lawyer. No, you're here to make trouble Just find out something about how that story got into print. That's all we're retracting today What do you want us to do? We're sackcloth and nations I'm not here to file a suit. I just want some information about the story. You can sit down if you want to Find Gracie Edward will you right? Well, I like the newspaper store except for the mistake that was a pretty good sized mistake mr. Peyton Perlin was here for a week to ten days Had an idea he'd catch him tarp on her sail face. He chartered a boat called the Yacht Watcher Day before yesterday just heading in for the landing somehow the fuel ignited and she blew up Everybody thought Perlin was still aboard it. Who was aboard her mr. Skipper. He came out of her all right Harbour patrol boat picked him up. Mm-hmm. Go on. Everybody thought Perlin had been aboard as usual and was lost Skipper wasn't in any shape tell it differently then after all Perlin had been going out on her every day We all knew that where was Perlin he's sleeping in his room when all this happened Got up about three o'clock checked out took the train back New York story come out in the evening edition You're reported the one who wrote it up. I'd like to see him. It's a her Well, how did she get the story? He was right there right where what do you mean now? At the sailfish landing when the Yacht Watcher come in that a regular beat Found this size. We don't have beats, but your reporter was there when the boat caught fire. Yeah What's her name? Gracie Edmund. How long she been a reporter a couple of years give her take a month Hope you didn't come down here to run her over the cold. Oh, she's had enough of the dollar for me It's my job. Not sure. Okay. Okay What do you want you're on here? Lufin Barn Grill about a half block down this side of the street dip beef and apple pie if you like that kind of thing Oh, hi Gracie This is Johnny dollar Gracie Edwards. Hello, Mr. Dollar. Hi, mr. Dollars come all the way from Hartford to ask you some question about the Perlin story Gracie, do you want to talk to him? Do I have to up to you Ronnie? Who are you? What do you want to know? I'm an insurance investigator I want to know how the story got into print without being verified. Well, that's a straight enough answer Um, who do you investigate your insurance for? Eastern liability and trust company at the moment. Yeah, you've got business cards and everything Yeah, he looks like he might do that kind of work. Well, if you're gonna talk to him find someplace else I've got work to do. How about some lunch miss Edwards? How about that? Oh get out Expense account item two two dollars two lunches for Gracie Edwards and myself at the bluefin barn grill She was a short stocky woman in early 30s. She had a fresh-looking face and fiery red hair She didn't strike me as the kind of reporter who'd make a bad mistake I did it the way any cub would have only worse. I had a three o'clock deadline I wanted to make it I could have waited till the skipper came to said Perlin wasn't aboard I could have contacted Perlin's hotel found out he was safely there. I didn't do any of that I just phoned in my story. You know the rest every wire service in the country picked it up I guess I was lucky I wasn't fired You want another glass of beer? No, no thanks You've been pretty nice. I'm sure you're not all insurance investigator Notice I haven't asked you exactly what you're investigating. Yeah, I noticed that You're gonna tell me possibly Right now something worries me You were down at the landing when the boat caught fire. Yeah, you go down there often It's more or less my beat. Oh What I didn't think a reporter'd have a beat in a town this size. I said more or less I like to go down there in mid-afternoon when the boats are coming back the water's blue and fresh Usually a good offshore breeze blowing If they caught any big fish the flags are up It's a place to go. I'm romantic. Good. Suppose we go there Hmm 230 now ought to see some of those boats come in Expense account item three one buck one cab transporting myself and Gracie Edwards reporter to sailfish landing or as near as we could get The last 500 yards we had to walk on the planking between the slips Now, uh, tell me where was the outwatcher once she blew up? Uh over there about there. Uh, where were you? Right here. I was sitting right there looking out to see. Uh, how long had you been here? Oh an hour or so that was day before yesterday She blew up there. You phoned in your story before three o'clock. Yeah, right before three Where's the outwatcher now? They raised her this morning told her over the repair docks. That's around the point That's kind of funny What's funny? Well, I I guess I didn't hear it right. You you saw her get in trouble. You were right here Then you went and phoned in your story. That's right Or did you phone it in What last phone I saw was at the tavern before we came in the docks High heels running over these slips take quite a while to get to it. I used a phone in town. How'd you get there? Cab you had one waiting Look, suppose I did suppose you didn't miss edward. Suppose you weren't even here if you were where's the sunburn Every red head on earth burns up in an hour when the sun's like this unless you're an exception I don't think I like this. I don't like it much myself But I have to find out something I'd like to find out from you. I hope I can If I can't I'll have to find out from someone else Maybe the man who owned the boat the man who ran at someone around here. I'm going wait a minute I'm not just throwing words around the boat was probably insured and it'll probably have a claim on it And I'll probably know the adjuster who was sent to work the claim I'll talk to him and tell him what I'm thinking. I'll find out about this one way or another miss edwards But I think you can help me Now you're a good reporter you would have waited to see if purling was aboard You would have checked his hotel you wouldn't have in spite of a three o'clock deadline You would have made sure he was or wasn't aboard that boat All right miss edwards Did somebody pay you to file that story? I just want to know that Somebody paid me Okay, I'll take you back now We don't have to mention this again. Yeah, okay in case it comes up though. Yeah Mr. Purling paid me paid me to print the story. He was dead Now here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of this week's story Tomorrow the affairs of wall street follow the current trend in cheating and ma'am Join us. Won't you yours truly? Johnny doll Lee johnny dollar starring bob bailey is transcribed in hollywood written by john dawson It is produced and directed by jack john stone Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time and station for another exciting episode of yours truly johnny dollar Roy roan speaking