 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar Yes, you're Miss Crane's fiance. What's on your mind mr. Sellers? Well, I was just on the point of leaving for the police station Yes, as a matter of fact chief Durham arrested her here in my room. What I said she was arrested Oh, but what was she doing there? I had the gun that was used to murder Smiley Prell. She wanted it back Why all the interest in this girl mr. Sellers? Is it just because you happen to be engaged to the woman she works for? All right, I'll meet you in the hotel bar in five minutes and every week day night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action Pact expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator is truly Johnny dollar from special investigator Johnny dollar location Cranesburg, Ohio To the home office tri-state guarantee company Hartford Connecticut assignment the Cranesburg matter expense account continued Item ten two dollars and seventy five cents for three brandy straight one for me and two for Dean Sellers New comer to Cranesburg man about town and fiance of local socialite Melba Crane The man who'd given her the pearl necklace that had been stolen from the safe in her home It had supposedly been an engagement gift yet now Sellers was flipping his lid because Melba's maid was in a jam I Remembered the scene in the crane's son room earlier in the afternoon and Dean Sellers remembered it too When you walked up in the porch at the crane estate and saw Betty and me and each other's arms you Well, I thought the obvious naturally. I figured as much That's why I tried to cover up when I talked to you after it didn't have to mr. Sellers I kind of wrote it off as just another bachelor having a fling before he settled down. Yeah, that's the way I looked at it At first so So didn't work out that way. How did it work? And I finally realized I was in love with Benny. I See, I know it may sound corny, but it happens to be true. Does Melba Crane know about it? No Well, at least I don't think she does. Well, what did she think when you broke off your engagement? Oh, I haven't actually broken it off. I just Postponed it. I told her I was loaded with work and we'd have to wait a while and she accepted that she seemed to Can't be sure about Melba though. She's a cool one plays her cards close Yeah, well most women are pretty cool when they suspect somebody is poaching on their own private preserve She may have suspected, but I don't think she could have known anything for sure Betty and I haven't always been as careless as we were this afternoon What about the pearls? Were you intending to ask Melba to give them back? I didn't really know what to do, Mr. Dollar $20,000 is a lot of money. On the other hand, I gave them to her as an engagement gift It seemed kind of rough to ask for them back after breaking the engagement on her Do you think she'd have returned them if you had asked her? Well, I suppose so. Of course it didn't go that far before I could make up my mind what to do The necklace was stolen and this afternoon the man who claimed he stole it was murdered Betty had nothing to do with that You could be prejudiced mr. Sellers. I know her I tell you how well well enough that I'm planning to marry her That's what I mean. All right But that doesn't mean I'm completely blind about her Somebody's trying to frame that girl who for instance. I don't know and for what reason I don't know that either But I do know one thing when she says she knows nothing about it She's telling the truth. I admire loyalty myself mr. Sellers But there are a lot of facts against her What facts as you probably know when I caught her with that gun out of the crane place and took it away from her She was trying to hide it in the incinerator. All right What's that proof? She found it hidden in her room and she was trying to get rid of it Well, a lot of people if they were innocent might have gone to the police with it. She got scared That's all she she lost her head. Maybe But that's not all that's against her there are other things a kind of pattern what things That's safe at the crane house was open during the one hour of the day that everybody was out somewhere Including Betty if you remember so she claims and she probably was I'm not saying she actually committed the theft She couldn't have No one except Melbur and her uncle Phineas knows the combination to that no no I think Smiley Prell actually did the job an old-fashioned safe like that would be a cinch for a pro of his talents Then how do you figure Betty is being involved? Smiley had to know when to do it and he had to get into the house There were no locks forced so he must have had a key so of course the maid must have helped him not necessarily But it sure does add up and then Smiley Prell was murdered shot Are you claiming she did that too? She was in possession of the gun that killed him. She was caught trying to get rid of it But why? Why would she kill him if they were in on it together? Well, as you mentioned a couple of minutes ago $20,000 is a lot of money Maybe she wanted a whole necklace not a half of one. You don't know that's all no now you're right But I do know what the facts seem to point to Circumstantial evidence nothing else true and not only that but it leaves you hanging right up in the air What do you mean that pearl necklace now? There's a fact for you to swallow As I understand it the police haven't found that's right It wasn't on Prell's body and they didn't find it on Betty If she killed him to get it where is it? I don't know well if she's a rain for this the prosecuting attorney had better know Because without it. He won't even have a case I'm quite aware of that mr. Sellers. I Left him standing there belligerent and despondent and drove across town to the police station It was late by then and Cranesburg had pretty well folded up for the night. Well, that was fine with me The fewer people I saw at the moment are better. I Felt about as low as Sellers did Because I was starting to get a hunch that this one might turn out messy that no matter how it might end some average decent people were bound to get hurt It's like that sometimes when there's been a murder Chief of police Durham looked like he was expecting me sit down mr. Dollar. Thanks chief You are planning to spend the night here. Nope. I'm about to give up going home in a few minutes I've been trying to get a statement from that girl any luck depends on how you mean it She's willing to talk all right answers anything we ask her but not the way you want her to answer is that in She won't budge an inch away from that same story Says she found the gun hidden in her room was scared because of the robbery last week and tried to get rid of it What about smiley pro claims the first you heard her him was that bulletin on the radio telling about his murder That's when she got panicky and came to the hotel to get the gun back and that's all she knows about it So she claims he couldn't budger on it. Uh-huh. You still haven't found any trace of the necklace, huh? No, and without it I doubt if the DA will even issue a complaint. Yeah The same possibility was raised by someone else a few minutes ago Who is that Dean Sellers the fellow who gave the pearls to Miss Crane in the first place? How come he's getting into it? Well, it appears that love has reared its head He's fronting at the mouth over this girl's arrest claims. She's being framed. He could be right mr. Dollar No, that beats me Man just don't know where to start with a mess like this one on his hands I think I'm beginning to get some idea of where to start. How do you mean look? I've got a photograph here from the insurance files. Take a look. It's a photo of that necklace. I See I was wondering chief Durham. Do you know of any jeweler here in Cranesburg who could make a duplicate of that a skillful imitation? Oh No No, I'm afraid you'll have to go into Cincinnati for that either closest place at least no no I don't want a duplicate maid. I want to know whether somebody did go into Cincinnati for that purpose some four or five months ago Well, I take a while to find out how much of a while not too long a little luck I could get Jim Markley in here Mark Lee. He's a local jeweler He could take this photograph and give them a technical description over the phone Done things like that for us before good Yeah, I might have something back for you by tomorrow afternoon sooner the better They'll call Jim and ask him to come down one other thing chief Yeah, I've already phone Hartford and started them to work on this But we may get faster results if you move in on it from this end. All right. What is it you want? I want a tracer put on Dean Sellers. I see a complete rundown. He's been here for eight months What did he do before that? Where did he come from? Where'd he get the necklace? Who are his friends? What's his financial status anything you can get I? I don't quite see what you're aiming at mr. Dollar. I'm not quite sure I do It was after midnight And there was nothing more I could do until the next day except drive back to my hotel and sag in for the night It was a good sensible conservative intention And I managed to carry it to the point of taking off my tie and unbuttoning my shirt The night manager had been pretty upset earlier when Betty Jackson came to my room and then left under arrest I don't know what he thought when I had my second female visitor Well, good evening, Miss Crane. Could I have a word with you, mr. Dollar? Sure Come on in. Thank you. I Guess it's a little indiscreet of me to come here like this. Oh Why so well after all this is Cranesburg and When one has to maintain a sort of position in town Well, I'm sure you understand. Oh perfectly. How about a drink? Drink t-r-i-n-k Haven't happened to have two clean glasses. I'm afraid you have the wrong impression mr. Dollar Why so it's good cognac the best in fact won't do a bit of harm to your position Make it a double if you will check May I ask you what has happened to cause you to throw discretion to the winds in this mad fashion, Miss Crane? I felt it was something I ought to make clear to you Concerning Dean my fiance. I see Here you go. Thank you. I Believe you talked to him this evening. Didn't you briefly? Yes, then you know, of course that he's taking up for this girl Trying to defend what she did He did seem to have something like that in mind I also think you may have observed a little tableau in the sunroom when you came to the house this afternoon Oh now look miss Crane. I'm quite aware of the situation. I've observed a few of those scenes myself. I'm Not a complete fool, you know Why are you telling me all this? Reason should be obvious. I'm dense. I can only understand what I actually hear What I mean is it should be rather apparent that any alibi Dean might supply in a noble attempt to save this poor innocent girl Should not be given too much credence because he might be prejudiced in her favor. Is there any doubt of it? Your glass is empty like another one. Oh, I don't believe I should Thanks, aren't you a little prejudiced Miss Crane against the girl very likely under the circumstances Am I to take it then that you're on her side, too? I Am on the side of the tri-state guarantee company and if you remember there are $20,000 on a necklace that was stolen. I'm here to get it back. That's all I think I'd better go I shouldn't have come here at all. Whatever you think. Oh By the way as Uncle Finneas talked to you yet. We passed the time of day. That's all we didn't have much time The circumstances were a little unusual Then you've probably been spared some of his wilder imaginings. I wouldn't count on that. What do you mean? Sit down Miss Crane finish a drink. We haven't even started to talk Now here's our start to tell you about the final episode of this week's story tomorrow a bomb Drops the timid run for cover and all is not as it seems Not even murder Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar or is truly Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is Transcribed in Hollywood written by Les Crutchfield. It is produced and directed by Jack John stone Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time and station for the next exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking