 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar This is an important thing about Dan nothing Mrs. Valentine the police are looking everywhere for him I went to the hospital tonight and they told me he walked out I know Mrs. Valentine if you mean did I mention it to the police? No, but it makes me mad that I didn't Mrs. Valentine I know you don't want anybody to find you're related to him because of your daughter But I also think you could help the police in the situation. You could help them find Dan and put him back in a hospital Tonight in every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigators yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the new Britain mutual insurance company Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Valentine matter Some more expense. I believe this is item five. Yeah four bucks four drinks for myself What a next big shot of the roaring twenties like Dan Valentine carries a fifty thousand dollar life insurance policy and walks down the street one day and gets Himself shot and refuses to disclose who fired the bullets. I have to do the worrying for the insurance company When he decides to leave a hospital bed minus a pint or two of blood I have to worry some more I needed those drinks You can just say I liked what I'd seen of the guy and I didn't want him to walk around New Orleans bleeding to death The wife who hadn't seen or heard from him for 13 years look pale and one It was obvious that the strain was beginning to tell on her although she tried hard not to show it Doesn't it ever cool off in New Orleans? Sometimes but I'm not here to talk about the weather Mrs. Valentine. You know that Well, don't just stand there and give me the tears then if you've got anything to say say it if You know anything that'll help. Let me know about it. You're perfectly right in being angry with me Mr. Dara, I honestly don't know where Dan is Well, do you know why he'd get up out of a hospital bed and endanger his life? I have an idea. He might have wanted to see somebody who I don't know the two men have shot at him Just don't know we aren't getting anywhere. Mrs. Valentine. Look, I'm gonna talk to you frankly Why did he come here to live in New Orleans? well You live in New England with your daughter Teresa Obviously Dan thinks a great deal of you and her He's given you everything provided for you with all of his troubles spent 13 years in prison I can imagine his thoughts about you and her while he was in there and yet he comes out and lives 2,000 miles away from you. He didn't want to interfere with Teresa in any way. Sure But it seems to me he'd want to look at you at her certainly Even if it was a matter of living in Boston and taking a bus to New Salem and standing on a street corner one day to watch The two of you cross the street That sound reasonable to you If you put it that way look there's some reason he picked New Orleans some reason he didn't give himself the little gratification Of just looking at you and Teresa Why? Why here? I'm sure I don't know and why is he running around now? I can't answer that either, but it must have something to do with you and your daughter Obviously, you're the only ones they ever cared about well, I Honestly don't know Well, and I I can't help you and I can't help myself or him You mentioned is having a reason to be in New Orleans Maybe what? There was a man named Webster Conrad Webster He was a member of the Illinois bar once in those days Did a great deal of work for Dan and friends of them? I? Think he lived here. Wait a minute. I've seen that name Yeah on copies of the insurance policy a man named Webster had the power of attorney. He bought the insurance There's a trust in there for your daughter. Yes Conrad Webster was an old friend of Dan's I Don't even know whether he's alive now or not drank a great deal later on I Think he lived here. Was he the kind of friend Dan would go to if he needed help. Yes, I think so All right, what are you going to do? It's just something to look into I'll try and find Webster and maybe I can find your husband. Thank you for coming by I needed somebody to talk to What I hope he stays alive Mrs. Valentine Item seven sixteen dollars the money had cost me to find out the location of Conrad Webster I Started at his last known address followed a series of bars and finally got information from a bartender that led me to the crummy Or half of a decaying duplex on Gentilly Street Everything was quiet for Gentilly Street Young man the drug store delivers what I need most a telegraph office when I dread most obviously you represent Therefore you are no concern of mine. Wait a minute. Are you mr. Webster Conrad Webster? I am he and I am drunk and disheveled and it is three o'clock in the morning. I'd like to talk with you May I come in you may not? This isn't exactly the hour for making calls, but I did stop by and pick up something to take the edge off It's bonded oh it inside inside Now then you were going to apologize. Hey, you are mr. Webster Now then as long as this lasts you will last all right, I'm looking for a man The entire world is looking for a man just one man a man They blindly presume will break off these shackles that bind us and lead us forth into eternal Justice yeah, yeah sure, but that's not an ironic Anticipation I'm talking about Dan Valentine Yes, I'm a friend of his You don't come from that place the power is not with you you lie I didn't say I was in jail and where else would he have made friends these long years. He's out of prison now He's been out for three months, and I'm aware of that. Did you know he was shot at yesterday three hours ago? He left his hospital bed. I thought he might have come to you Is he here? He is not you know where he is. I do not mr. Webster if Valentine isn't back in the hospital pretty soon. He'll die Why is the phenomenon of death so persistently alarming So he will die They all die Usually from a bullet and that's what's going to happen to him two bullets. He stopped yesterday. Do you understand me cute? You clean you've impressed me with the urgency of his situation But Dan Valentine is not here nor has he been here? No, is he contacted me nor do I know where to contact him? All right, mr. Webster all right I Guess I believe you Your concern for him is a distressing irritation Well, what is the reason for it? I'm an insurance investigator, and it's my job to keep him alive More than that. I like him. I told you I was his friend. I Think he deserves to live you his friends. No You are too young to be a friend His friends for the most part are gone like the long years Like Hamburg hats and the Charleston and Lyme Ricky The ones who are left are broken tired and faded With old faces faces like mine like his and We should be gone too Another age is here This is my sadness As for yours Dan Valentine should never have lived in that age all this age He was meant to be an explorer a pioneer who conquered a wilderness Not a racketeer who conquered a west side. Are you sure you're his friend mr. Webster? I once thought so He once thought so Now I haven't strength enough to be anyone's friend What's your name Johnny dollar? Good night, mr. Dollar The look in Conrad Webster's eyes held the same sort of sadness I had seen in Valentine's eyes But they were different too They held a weakness The strong sad eyes were somewhere else in the city walking alone probably looking for two gunmen and the life blood was slowly draining from the Body that sparked them. I went back to my hotel and tried to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come I was still rolling and tossing at 7 30 the next morning when orange juice coffee in the morning paper came up a Nationwide syndicate had picked up the new development in the Valentine shooting and gone to work on it Among other names they mentioned at giving a resume a Valentine's career where his wife and daughter living in New Salem under the name of Ward This is Johnny dollar. I just read the morning paper. Mrs. Valentine. I'm sorry it broke for you this way You're doing pretty well yourself No, no, we still can't find him. Mr. Webster. Did you find him? Yes? He wasn't much help Well, maybe you'd better get another hotel use another name. Yes, all right. I'll wait to hear from you Yes, I put in another call to Inspector debacle and asked him about developments Valentine was still unlocated. They were covering drugstores and doctors offices where he might seek assistance The two unidentified men who had shot him were still unidentified The police weren't able to dig up any more witnesses again any line on the car By 4 in the afternoon Mrs. Valentine had still not called me to report a new address I got worried and went over to the Roosevelt to see what was what I was surprised to see Inspector debacle in the lobby talking to the Bell captain. All right, son. Remember anything else call me here. Yes, sir. I sure will. Hi. Hi, darling Well, you want to talk first. Do you want me to? All right, I'll talk first Mrs. Valentine's been staying here under the name of Anne Ward. You knew that yeah, why didn't you say anything to me? She asked me not to make any difference now anyhow that boy over there called us a little while ago We said that Dan Valentine came in here this afternoon went upstairs came back down 15 minutes later with Mrs. Valentine that both left together. Yeah, he must have seen the story in this morning's paper and guess she was in town That's where I see it Well, we're right back where we started from and I'm about sick of it. We're a little better off Two people are easier to find than one We found them all right at seven o'clock that night and it was easy Three squad cars were already drawn up in front of the little hotel And I noticed with a sinking heart that a hearse was there also Dan Valentine and his wife were dead There'll be another intriguing episode in our story of the Valentine matter tomorrow tomorrow Proof that the murder of Dan Valentine and his wife are the only murders to be solved Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar doors truly Johnny dollars 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 another exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking