 From Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny dollar Yes Hello Yes This is Dick Porter, I'd like to hire you Porter? Dick Porter, I'm an insurance broker here Bert Masterson at United Adjustment Bureau suggested I contact you Oh, what's the trouble Mr. Porter? Darned if I know exactly I just have a client who's taking out all the insurance he can get I may be wrong but it looks to me like he's getting ready to die Oh Can you help me out? I can try Mr. Porter Tonight, and every weekday 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 Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar To Richard Porter, 480 Webster Boulevard, Providence, Rhode Island The following is an accounting of expenditure during my investigation of the shepherd matter Expense account item one, $15, airfare and incidentals, Hartford to Providence I arrived at 2.30 in the afternoon and was in my hotel room by 3.15 At five o'clock I was having a quiet drink with Porter Who turned out to be a 24 year man in the insurance brokerage business And seemed to know what he was about I've never had anything like this happen to me And I didn't quite know what to do about it I'm glad I can get some expert advice from you Well, I don't know how expert the advice will be But I'll do what I can for you, Mr. Porter One another one of these? No, I'm fine for now, thank you I'll try to explain this matter as far as I know Two days ago, Dr. Shepherd called me up And inquired about rates on straight life insurance He's carried about $20,000 worth of policies Ten years are better I have the figures in my office I gave him the prices for coverage And he said he'd take $80,000 Which would bring him up to an even $100,000 Now, Shepherd's a single man The beneficiary on his other policies is his mother Claire Shepherd, she lives over in Pawtucket He is only dependent He wants to name her beneficiary again I see Now, where do matters stand with Dr. Shepherd right now? I told him it'd take a few days to draw the policies up He sent me a check for the first payment And told me to do what had to be done I don't want to act on his application Until I know it's okay Sure, well, what can you tell me about Dr. Shepherd? Very little He seems to have a good practice here in town Does his share of charity work and so on As far as I know, he's above question Would have to be, of course, to practice medicine here He has an apartment above his offices Owns a building, all of his equipment Do you know anything about his friends? No Now, let me understand this about Dr. Shepherd He called you, you didn't call him He wanted to buy the insurance You didn't try to sell it That's why I'm worried Give me 100 people and I'll show you 99 out of that 100 Who will never, never call up an insurance broker And say, I want to buy some life insurance People have to be sold life insurance They'll go out and shop around for Fire, theft coverage, automobile insurance Hell, almost any kind But straight life insurance That has to be sold On the other hand, suppose Shepherd Is that one in 100 Yeah, yeah It may be a perfectly legitimate situation Yeah, Shepherd may have looked into his mirror one night And said to himself, I gotta have $100,000 Worth of insurance or I won't sleep a wink Oh yeah, that could have happened that way, Mr. Porter But I have to think Of those 99 people in that 100 Sure Sure, so do I Well, here's to caution Cheers Expense account item 2, $25 Deposit on a rented car Which I use the following day driving from place to place Collecting data on Dr. Child Shepherd MD At his bank I was able to learn That he enjoyed what might be called a lucrative practice And that, like most people He spent slightly more than he made He belonged to a golf club Where he was seldom seen He belonged to a tennis club Which he managed to make three or four times a week Questioning the pharmacist Who had the prescription counter A half block from Dr. Shepherd's building And the manager of a cafeteria across the street from same I was unable to learn who Dr. Shepherd's Steady companions were Or gain any information that would justify His puzzling application for life insurance Oh, good morning Dr. Shepherd, please Do you have an appointment? No, I don't Well, may I have your name, please? Johnny Dollar Dollar, are you a regular patient Of Dr. Shepherd's, Mr. Dollar? No, no, I'm not I didn't think I recalled your name I've been with Dr. Shepherd almost five years Who recommended Dr. Shepherd? No one Well, Mr. Dollar, I'm afraid Doctors out now Were standing out in front of you three minutes ago And I thought I saw Dr. Shepherd walk in Please, Mr. Dollar, he is not in To anyone What's your name? Why, I'm a streeter I'd like to see Dr. Shepherd, Mr. Streeter Here Oh Insurance investigators? Yes Will you tell the doctor that? Please Yes, I'm sorry The doctor was out He asked me to say that to everyone who came in I'm afraid the doctor's been acting Strangely all day I'm very much concerned over him Excuse me The tall, pale, brunette girl In the crisply starch uniform Was certainly concerned about something She bit her lip forced on a one Unprofessional smile and looked like she wanted to cry Just before she disappeared beyond the reception room To seek out Dr. Shepherd I pretended not to notice that part Two minutes, three minutes No one reappeared So I pushed the door open And I looked down the corridor Leading to the examination rooms and laboratory I had to notice Dr. Shepherd standing At the end of the corridor Most of his costume was medically correct White coat, stethoscope in one hand But on the other hand he brandished a 32 automatic And the safety was off Stay where you are, Mr. And get your hands up Pocket, do you keep your credentials in? Left inside I'll get an insurance investigator For whom? At the moment for Mr. Porter Dick? Here, I'm sorry, Mr. Dollar I guess I'm very nervous These days Mr. Dollar, I'd like to get your address And phone number before you That's all right, Corinne Don't you think this might be a good time To go out and get a bite? It's a little early, Doctor I have some lab tests I'll go to the hospital And get you a new girl And lock up, huh? Yes Goodbye, Mr. Dollar Yeah, goodbye Very fine girl, Corinne She's been with me for... Five years, you tell me Oh I don't know how I'm going to explain Meeting you in the hallway with this In my hand I'm not foolish, I guess You want to come in my office? Sure You say Mr. Porter sent you... Mr. Porter told me you made an application For $80,000 worth of life insurance We, uh... We look into things like that, Doctor Investigate me because I want to buy life insurance? Yeah, yeah You're a single man with few responsibilities Well, I don't know whether to be irritated Or not, am I going to get my insurance? I wouldn't be irritated, Doctor You're yourself in the insurance company's position They're just not used to this kind of application Oh, you may get it, I don't know But obviously you're in some kind of trouble Gun and all Well, I... The whole thing is a ridiculous mess Mr. Dollar, my life has been threatened By a man who has definite homicidal tendencies I suppose I've been acting very strangely Like, I don't know whether to leave town Or give up my practice All you have to do is pick up their telephone And call the police and tell them about it Your life comes under police business, Doctor I know that, and I would go to the police only Well, it's a very delicate matter I have a patient's welfare to think of You can't very well treat any patient if you're dead I suppose you sit down and tell me all about it All right Several months ago, I treated a woman named Forbes A thorough examination and consultation disclosed That her poor physical condition was not based On any organic disorder But rather upon her own emotional instability And an uncommon diagnosis this hectic day and age You've heard of things like this, Mr. Dollar Well, I've heard of semantics and neurotics And psychotics, but I'm not a doctor Well, let me tell you the psychotherapeutic side of medicine Is by far the most challenging And one in which I've had considerable experience Consequently, I undertook to treat Mrs. Forbes Hoping to effect a cure Are you a psychiatrist, Doctor? No, I am not Don't misunderstand me, Mr. Dollar In the process of treating Mrs. Forbes physical ailments I urged her to recount a variety of experiences Talk to her from day to day Probing all the while for the source of her trouble It has been my intention from the first To place her in the hands of a competent neurologist I suspected her trouble early in the treatment She's married to an erratic, ruthless, ill-tempered man Paul Forbes I made a grave error When Mrs. Forbes pressed me last week to... Well, I could only tell her to move out And divorce him immediately That's pretty extreme advice, Doctor I know, but I also know the advice was right Oh, you aren't in sympathy with me, I can see But let me tell you that any competent psychiatrist Would have advised you the same I approached her husband on the matter a few days ago What? I explained to him that Mrs. Forbes' health Her very life is in jeopardy That more is involved here than just keeping intact A union which has nothing but... Legality as a binding force And Mr. Forbes doesn't care for semantics He doesn't care for Mrs. Forbes, Mr. Dollar My client didn't rave and accused me of trying to break up his home And finally he attacked me, I managed to get away Did he threaten you then? Yes, he said he'd kill me Who else was there? What do you mean? Who heard him say these things? Mrs. Forbes was there and a servant in their home Yes, a servant, Upton's his name, I believe You should have called the police I should have done a lot of things differently in my lifetime But I didn't call the police My primary concern is for Mrs. Forbes Further shock and guilt complex could be totally disastrous to her Are you going to creep around here with a gun in your hand? I don't know whether I'd even know how to use it Now why the application for all the insurance? I wondered if Forbes might get me I wanted to be sure my mother was taken care of I don't know whether anyone's ever threatened your life And you knew for certain he'd try to carry out the threat But that is the position I am in What are you going to do? I don't know I'll think of something That's up to Mr. Porter If what you say is true, I wouldn't ensure you What do you mean if it's true? Of course it's true Doctor, I don't believe it I left him standing there in the corridor, staring after me A lonely man Somehow not as frightened a man as he tried to let me believe I wondered about that I was still wondering about it when I went to sleep that night Now here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of This Week's Story Tomorrow, the shepherd matter becomes a matter even the police can't handle Join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar 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