 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar Tom Bates, mr. Dollar Tom. I'm hacked in County Attorney since Dan Parker's death Oh, yes, I was looking for you earlier. So Sheriff Peterson said What was it you want to see me about? Didn't Peterson tell you why I'm a ton. Yes, of course you're an insurance investigator You're here in connection with Parker's accident accident. Did you say I? Thought the sheriff straightened you out on that he tried his best Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you mr. Bates are you in your office at the moment. Yes, I stay there then I'll be right over 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 From special investigator Johnny dollar location Green Pass, Virginia to the home office shorty mutual insurance limited Hartford, Connecticut Assignment the quibono matter Expense account continued item four five cents for a copy of the Green Pass weekly sentinel I Glanced through it as I walked across the square from the hotel of the courthouse The big news of course was the tragic death of longtime County Attorney Dan Parker and Two columns of the editorial page were devoted to eulogy and sympathy for the dead man's adopted daughter Luanne who had mistaken her father for a prowler and shot him to death with his own gun But neither the editorial nor the front page mentioned the fact that Luanne because of her mistake Stood to collect a hundred thousand dollars worth of insurance Are you Tom Bates? That's right? My name is dollar. I just talked to you on the phone and I told you I had nothing to say Mind if I sit on now look here you look mr. Bates I've been in the business of insurance investigation for quite a while and I probably know the legal rules and Responsibilities of your office about as well as you do get out dollar for two cents That's exactly what I do and if I did you'd find yourself in a real tight spot What are you talking about the company would have a battery of high-powered legal Eagles in town by 8 o'clock tomorrow morning And they'd have a subpoena restraining order an order to show cause so quick it'd make your eyes bug out And that's where it would start to get embarrassing mr. Bates When you tried to explain to the court why you were withholding evidence and refusing to cooperate What do you mean refusing to cooperate? I haven't refused a thing. It sounded that way to me. I don't care how it sounded I Look, I know what you're up to Peterson told me why you're here. Oh You're out to muddy this thing up You're trying to pin something on miss Parker so you can get out of pay any insurance claim and Serpino no Serpina you'll get no help from my office on a crookedly like that Any reason for you to think something could be pinned on her mr. Bates? Of course There's no reason you saw the transcript of the coroner's inquiry. Didn't you I did well Did you find one single hint of suspicion anywhere in it? No, no Not much of anything else for that matter Are you always as gentle with your witnesses as you were with miss Parker? The girl was half out of her mind with grief on the verge of a breakdown We got the facts what more do you want? Maybe we should have thrown her in jail beat up with a rubber hole starved her till she thought of something to confess Is that the way you'd have done it? Oh relax mr. Bates You're not in a courtroom known by heaven. I'm not going to be not on this case because there's no reason How long have you been in love with the Parker girl ever since I? What difference that make it might help to account for your attitude about this What is it you're thinking that I'm helping her get away with something covering something up for or that all of us Are maybe everybody at the inquest Well, I wouldn't surprise me too much the way this whole town gets up on its high horse The minute you ask a simple question about the girl Well, what do you expect when you go around insinuating insinuating nothing mr. Bates I have an accused miss Parker of a thing I have no reason to and Regardless of what you think or sure of Peterson thinks I didn't come here to frame her to pin something on her I want just one thing the complete detailed story of Dan Parker's death, and I'm going to get it one way or another Well, nobody's trying to prevent you. I'm glad to hear it and how about some cooperation? What do you want to know How long have you been mr. Parker's assistant almost three years, and now you automatically become county attorney Is that it yes until the next general election you intend to run for the office at that time possibly I don't see How did you and Parker get along? Why well did he approve of your interest in his daughter? Well, he certainly preferred me to Well anybody else in the running who else is in the running nobody actually Are you engaged to her not officially she doesn't think she's quite ready to settle down But if she had been ready you you think mr. Parker would have welcomed you as a son-in-law. I think so I Didn't kill him mr. Dollar Ever have any arguments with him no none of any importance Who are his enemies mr. Bates he didn't have any a county attorney without a single enemy That's a little remarkable don't you think that was the type of man he was he'd usually let sleep and dogs lie easy going Too much so maybe that was half the Half the reason the two of you argued is that what you started to say There were times when he should have gotten tough or at least let me do it Well, you'll have your chance now and I'm gonna take advantage of it in one case at least oh what case is that? The happy hollow Roadhouse that place should have been closed two years ago Mr. Parker wouldn't hear of it when the sheriff wouldn't touch it without Parker's okay who runs it a dirty little His name Sammy Drake Cheap 30 cent crook. Why should the place be closed mr. Bates because it's a menace to the community Drake's got everything going out there wide open. He ought to be run out of town And before the months up he will be Was Drake a friend of mr. Parker's? Hardly is miss Parker acquainted with him. She knows him, of course The town is small everybody knows everybody else Doesn't mean anything. I see You see what? What are you driving at anyway the complete detailed story? That's all fine But what Baron does this stuff have on the story? Oh, non-probably The sheriff tells me miss Parker is a dead shot with a pistol. Do you know if that's true? Absolutely. She can out shoot me any day of the week along with most the other men in the county That's one of the tragic One of the ironies of the thing It was her own father who taught her to shoot was she given a paraffin test the night of the accident to determine whether she'd fired a gun Of course not in the first place were not set up for it And in the second place there was no doubt with what she had The housekeeper heard the shots and ran out in the hall and saw her standing there with a gun in her hand And she admits she fired him What more do you want? I guess that ought to satisfy any reasonable person Well, thanks a lot for your cooperation, mr. Bates. You're welcome Now frankly admit I don't have the slightest idea what line of thought it is you're trying to follow It's the same one. I've been following ever since I left Hartford Do you know the Latin phrase qui bono? Sure Means who benefits to as an old principle of roman law and it's still a good one Who benefits here? Well Lou Ann Parker of course to the tune of a hundred thousand dollars But maybe she's not the only one There are different ways of benefiting, you know It still comes back to the same thing She's the one who mistook her father for prowler that night She's the one who pulled the trigger and fired the shots that killed him apparently so But it's possible that somebody might have used her mr. Bates Expense account item five six dollars even flat rate payment to jake deagle for a couple of hours use of his battered old taxi I stopped at the telephone office and I talked with the supervisor I talked with the editor of the local paper and with a waitress who'd gone to school with louis and parker With a boy in a service station who dated her in high school And all of their remarks fit the same picture a sweet fresh all-american girl With an adored father who'd showered her with gifts and attention And now her own personal tragedy was the town's public one and they all wept for her Not a fact out of line So finally I decided I'd filled in the background enough for the moment and it was high time. I met the little princess face to face Yes, sir. Good afternoon. I'd like to see miss parker, please. I'm sorry sir, but she ain't here Oh, she's been staying in with dr. Prailey in his wife seems like she just couldn't face this place after what happened here Are you the housekeeper mary jackson? That's right, sir. Well, I'd like to talk to you too mary if you don't mind What about sir just a routine question at two? I'm with the insurance company that carries the policy on mr. Parker's life Well, I don't think I ought to go around that's quite all right Sheriff peterson and tom baits are both cooperating with me. So you can be sure there's nothing wrong about it Well, if them two say it's all right, they do Then I reckon it is won't you come in sir? In a few minutes conversation, I learned that mary jackson had practically raised the parker girl and worship both her and her father She showed me the terrace where dan parker had bumped into the chair and wakened both his daughter and mary The back door where he'd entered the house that night and then finally the main stairway where the shooting had taken place When I heard the shots all I could think was oh my poor baby and I come running out in the hall Hmm Your room is the third door there is that right? Yes, sir Well, just then miss lou and turned on the lights that switch right there beside you And I saw a stand in here at the top of the stairs with a gun in a hand Then we both looked so it was mr. Parker. We'd run down there Miss lou and tore off his tie and pulled his shirt open But he'd already passed on Yeah, it must have been a terrible thing for both of you Yes, sir. He was Mr. Parker seems to have been a very generous man, especially with his daughter Oh, we always give her anything. She wanted bought another new car just last month. Yeah, I saw it in the driveway Well, this is a very attractive house must be worth 25 30 000 dollars mr. Parker bought and it just two years ago He thought with miss lou and growing up. She ought to have a better place to live What's your salary here mary? 95 a month sir and my keeper course I wonder how he did it sir Well dan parker made five thousand dollars a year as county attorney There's less than 600 in his bank account. The manager said it's never been much higher And yet this house new cars those clothes are miss parkers that you showed me a 50 000 life insurance policy How about that mary? I don't know nothing about it, sir. And still with all this they were always quarreling How'd you find that? Why mary? What did they quarrel about? Well, it's only been the last six months and it wasn't her fault. It wasn't like her It was that sammy that put those ideas in her head sammy drake the fellow who owns the happy hollow And she was a restless one with nothing to do and he took advantage of it Filled a head full of crazy notions. I know it was him. What crazy notions mary going off to new york Getting on the stage or dancing in some nightclub. It's the only thing mr. Parker ever refused her But he sure put his foot down on that He said the only way she'd do it would be over Over his dead body Oh, sir Thanks, mary You've been a lot of help Now here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of this week's story tomorrow the net titans A rap runs for cover then the whole thing blows wide open Join us won't you yours truly? Johnny dollar Johnny dollar starring bob bailey is transcribed in hollywood Written by less crutchfield. It is produced and directed by jack john stone Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time in station for the next exciting episode of yours truly johnny dollar roi roan speaking