 Johnny dollar Johnny. This is Don Regal at Worldwide Mutual. Oh sure Don. I'm Chicago. Oh, no. Guess again. You've been moved Yeah, where I hope it's been a promotion. Well, Johnny I'm sitting here looking out the window of my office at the vast blue expanse of the mighty Pacific Or at least I would be at the fog where it's a doctor this afternoon San Francisco Right one of my favorite town. Go on. I'll bet you say that to every city in the United States No, I mean it. I have some real fond memories. Oh, yeah, I mean memories of nice big fat fees You know Don every case I've handled in that fair city of yours over the years has paid me very nicely How about this one Don? Let's wait and see. What's the problem man missing anybody? I might know Well, I doubt it. His name is Harvey layman and Johnny I find we have the gentleman insured to the tune of exactly one quarter of a million dollars Wow Okay, Don I'm on my way Yes radio network brings you Mandel Kramer and the exciting adventures of the man with the action-pact expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar submitted by a special investigator Johnny dollar to the worldwide mutual insurance company San Francisco office Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of The buyer and the seller matter I don't want after a quick early dinner is six dollars for a cab out to Bradley Field and item 275 70 plane fare It was quite late by the time we set down at San Francisco international airport So item three is another six bucks for a taxi into the Huntington hotel high on famous Nav Hill Where from my window I could look out over Telegraph Hill in Chinatown Fisherman's Wharf the Embarcadero and other familiar spots of this wonderful colorful city First thing in the morning. I dropped in on Don Regal at his office right in your station KCBS That carries these reports of mine on CBS radio every week You know come to think of it the last time I was in San Francisco or a couple of a minute KCBS helping you solve an important arson case Yeah, I remember that one Johnny. Well, you stay in this trip over at the Huntington as usual Well, I hope you didn't bother to unpack your bag. Oh, why well, you may have a little more traveling to do What do you think I did to get out here have my way at pick around enjoy this time Well, no reason why you shouldn't you can come back after you've cleared up this case for us and believe me I hope you can Johnny. What's it all about down? Well, as I told you on the phone the man's name is Harvey Lehman as I also told you he's disappeared And if somebody's knocked him off, you'll have to pay a nice hunk of insurance. Exactly two hundred and fifty thousand dollars But if that man ever had an enemy, I'm crazy as a bedbug. I've always suspected that Who's the beneficiary? His wife, Dara, is blaming me. They've been getting along, Lauren No, to be honest with you. Oh, here we go again. Oh, no, wait a minute, Johnny Don't start jumping to any fancy conclusions. Why not? That's a lot of money there. Sure it is But Harvey Lehman is only forty eight forty nine. All right So why wait around for him to grow old and die before No, no, no, no, no, Johnny What I mean is that he has a good business going and will be worth a lot more over the years than any hunk of Insurance is now even two hundred and fifty G's even that Even if it means putting up with him Over the years? Well, any putting up with it, Johnny, I'd say is on his part How do you mean? Well, Lehman's a real solid hard-working citizen who's so well, so completely straight and decent, but Well, he's the sort that other folks often take advantage of especially his wife. Yeah domineering She's overpowering and while he's working she's spending and not on him or his house anything like that mind you But on her own selfish self. Well, then you've just opened up possibility number two that he's disappeared deliberately to get away from her Yeah, no, why not? Well, he's simply not the type and there's a well as a stubborn streak in him, Johnny And I'm sure he'd keep trying to make it go but in the hope that she'd get over this extravagance and nagging one day and Well, I just don't think he'd give up. I know he wouldn't run away. Maybe maybe not. I'm sure of it How long would he disappear? And by the way, what sort of business is he in? Well, he's a buyer, Johnny I guess you'd call him a commission buyer. No, buyer of what? Well Antiques that sort of thing. You want a giant ruby from some ancient Persian idol? Lehman would get it for you if anyone could or the suit of armor that King Arthur wore or Or even a whole room from some Scottish castle, you know that sort of down Well, anyhow, he left here just a week ago a week ago. Well, that means a pretty cold trail And I know he told his wife he was going down to Los Angeles to Beverly Hills to be exact to see a man Told her he'd be back the following day But he wasn't. Any reason why he couldn't have just stayed over for a while? I think Johnny, if Lehman said he'd show up at 9.16 on Tuesday morning He'd be there at 9.16 on Tuesday morning on the nose. Not a minute sooner, not a minute later. That kind. Yeah, that kind. Anyhow, Johnny, I've checked every hotel and apartment down there So the police has been a sign of them What about this man that he went to see? Well, his name is John Arthur Whittington Maynard. I've been on the phone with him The police have been on the phone with him half a dozen times. Lehman never showed up John Arthur Whitting... Yeah, you remember him. Johnny, big produced snake of a lot of big movies some 30 years ago Well, at least they made a lot of money. All of them horror films, Edgar Allan Poe and Vampire and Were, Wolfs, all the stuff Before all the science fiction type of stuff came along The old screwball made himself millions Why did Lehman say it was going on? Well, like I said, Lehman was a buyer of some pretty unusual stuff on commission And I understand Maynard has a house full of it. Wait a minute now Don isn't he the one who had an old movie set, an old capsule moved onto some property to use for a home? Yeah, that's the one. You've probably seen it in one of the picture magazines But now to get back to Lehman, you better give me a description Well, let's see. Here's the dope on him. Johnny, you all scribbled out for you. Thanks And if you want a picture without having to go to the police, his wife has promised to have one for good Because she's the one person that I want to talk to about this. Now, have you got a car I can use? No, sure you can have mine. But listen, Johnny, so far as Mrs. Lehman is concerned I thought I made it clear a couple of minutes ago Oh, okay. Let's just wait and see I'm counting over the Golden Gate Bridge and it was quite a match From the minute I stepped inside, it was plain who dominated this household The rug was every piece of furniture, every bit of decoration Everything was in the unmistakable taste of a woman Even Lehman's so-called study would have done much better as a snowman There was certainly no place where a man could open his collar, take off his shoes, put up his feet and relax And the more I talked with Doris Lehman, the more I became convinced that one of two things had happened Either he, in spite of what Donna told me, either he'd skipped out sent her to get away from her Or she had done him in for that insurance He did garages Don't ask the trouble and ask for DuPont ZX antifreeze Wintertime is trouble time for many of us who leave our cars out at night or in unheated garages So don't ask for trouble. Ask for DuPont ZX antifreeze ZX outlasts winter. It protects your car against sudden drops in temperature all winter long It won't boil away even during a warm spell And ZX has an exclusive rust inhibitor, MR8, that protects all engine metals including aluminum against rust and corrosion So for safe dependable protection, do as millions of motorists have done for over 20 years Ask for ZX antifreeze. It's made by DuPont Remember for cars left out at night or in unheated garages Don't ask for trouble. Ask for DuPont ZX antifreeze Now just a minute young man If you came out here to insult me I'm sorry Mrs. Lehman You very well should be But in my job we have to consider all the possibilities Ridiculous Do you think for one minute I'd dirty my hands with such a low-acted smooter? It's ridiculous Even for a quarter of a million? Make no mistake about it Mr. Dollar Harvey is worth a great deal more to me alive than he might ever be dead He's done very well for me and will continue to If you can find him and bring him back to me I'm sure he will Of course he will Have you considered that he might have just wanted to get away from you for a while? I beg your pardon Harvey just run off and leave me Well He wouldn't dare I wonder Well you can stop wondering right here and now Harvey would no more He wouldn't no more Yes Go on Mrs. Lehman or about he does so spot Mr. Dollar If I thought for one minute If it were possible that you were right No I refuse to believe it And if you have no better theory I suggest you get out of here and forget the whole thing If he's to be found the police can do it Have they accomplished anything yet? No They talking do nothing then They haven't accomplished a thing And those bumbling movie struck police down there in Beverly Hills are just as bad Now just a minute it just happens that Beverly Hills is a mighty fine police department I know I've worked with them Then why haven't they found him? That's where Harvey went Well how do you know? How do you know that he ever got there? Because he telephoned me from Mr. Lehman's home If you can call that a trot city a home He said that's where he was calling from? The night of the morning he left here Harvey always calls me when he gets to a destination Wherever it is I insist on it And naturally Harvey obeys I'm sure he does Did you tell that to the police? Of course I Yeah No No I guess stupid police ignore me so With their endless questions and insinuations they're even worse than you are Thank you very much Well? Don't you realize they're only trying to do a job for you? Well then why don't they? Why don't they know that Harvey got there? Because you didn't tell them Why did he go to see Mr. Maynard? To collect the money due for a lot of junk he bought for him Ten thousand dollars Junk? Oh chunks from some ancient Roman ruin Artifacts out of the temple of some old pagan god And a lot of other nonsense that castle is stuffed with Maynard simply refused pay He told Harvey He should feel honored for having been able to contribute to the decoration of that Silly place And that if he didn't stop donening him he'd He'd be He'd what Mrs. Laminard? Oh I don't know All I know is that he threatened Harvey And more than once They're simply trying to collect a bill? Well you don't know that crazy old Maynard Oh I guess I don't Anyhow I got set up with it I told Harvey to go down there and collect that money or else I mean why should I tell you this? I don't like you It's none of your business So just leave and forget about it Goodbye Mr. Dollar I'm afraid if I lingered any longer she'd literally throw me out So I got the next bit of information and telephone number from the phone book in my room at the Huntington Then I put through a call not to her but to an old palamine But under the circumstances it wouldn't be diplomatic to give his right name So we'll just call him Brady Sergeant Brady of the Beverly Hills Police Department And 15 minutes later he called me back Johnny Dollar Brady Johnny Yeah Well as you suggested I snooped the phone company And yes there was a call to that Marin County number The same night Lamin should have arrived down here All right then Brady So maybe old Maynard called to see why he hadn't He must have known Lamin was planning to come I don't think so I don't think Maynard would have called Because I don't believe he did know Lamin was heading your way Oh you don't huh What's more was Lamin himself who made that call No way Mendy you're sure of that Yes at least that's what I was told by Yeah Johnny Well maybe I'm not sure Well if you're thinking that maybe Lamin did get here And that maybe they had a fight or something Well Johnny we thought of that too You see we know that wacky old Maynard pretty well He's a real nut And if you don't believe me just dig up some of those old horror pictures he used to make Wow I know what you mean Made a lot of the props for him too with his own little hands Anyhow just in case some of the boys and I went through that joint of his from stem to stern And Nothing zero no sign of Lamin or anybody else We even tapped on walls and took measurements looking for hidden rooms or secret panels That sort of thing nothing But you didn't suspect him Did? Yeah But only because that crazy old man just to be dramatic might try most anything just for kicks Even murder Murder so what's a murder to him I mean after all those he put on film But you know something No If that ham ever did kill somebody why Johnny he'd be the first one to ask us over He'd probably lead us right to where he'd hidden the stiff after fixing it so we wouldn't see it Just as sure was Yeah sure that's why we went over the place so carefully Even poked around in all the old suits of armor that he kept pointing out to us Brady how long you gonna be on duty Well I'm often half an hour but now listen Johnny if you think you have some idea Well I'm not sure but maybe I'll run on down there if so I'll holler Yeah you do that $83 even for a cab to the airport a jet to Los Angeles under deposit on a rental car I drove into Beverly Hills to police headquarters as I suspected Brady wasn't there nor did a phone call raise him at his home However the officer on the desk promised to keep trying gave me some direction so I took off After leaving a pleasant residential section I took a narrow third road high up the side of a mountain I could see all of Beverly Hills and most of Los Angeles spread out below me and Catalina Island over 20 miles out of the blue Pacific like a jewel fairly sparkling in the late afternoon sun I could also see the crummy castle where John Arthur Whittington Leonard lived alone among the tattered glories of his past in the film business and suddenly that wee small voice in the back of my brain spoke out loud and clear Yeah watch it dollar you may be getting into more than you bargained for so watch it dollar watch it in thousands of communities throughout the nation this is the time of year when we strive to help our less fortunate neighbors not that we don't try to help all year round it's just that now many health recreation and welfare agencies band together in a common fundraising campaign when you give just once to your united fond or community chest you help many people in your city the sick the needy the aged the serviceman and veteran so give the united way and please give generously cheer for yourself this castle wants a movie set built up among the rocks and boulders at the top of a mountain complete with gray stone walls and battlements a gallery between the towers and believe it or not even a moat with a heavy wooden drawbridge I almost expected to see the bridge thumped down and a half a dozen fully armored knights come galloping out to challenge me with lances at the ready instead as I drew up in front of it the bridge was lowered slowly there was something almost ominous about the creaking and clanking of its iron tune and then standing there the man or rather the caricature of a man the short heavy set in a way almost grotesque the ugly face the eyes of a the long black straggly hair and three or four day growth of beard the heavy beefy shoulders crunched forward I thought of course a motor with a horrible hunchback I know today welcome sir welcome to my pack rule oh how do you do uh mr. Maynard is it that's right surely you heard of me as a matter of fact come in come in it's it's not often I have visitors someone to show my place too and so few people even know of my beautiful castle my name is dollar mr. Maynard I'm an insurance investigator insurance another salesman I'll have none of it get out leave my eyes but I was an investigator mr. Maynard I'm trying to find out what happened to a mr harvey layman harvey oh yes yes of course I'm very old and very dear friend of mine come let me show you some of the wonderful things he has brought me over the year well I would like to make magnificent suits of armor regal pendants and banners beautiful atlastries pinning him down to talk about harvey layman was almost impossible but I must confess that the trip around that castle was interesting to say the least much of what he showed me deserved a place in a museum real collectors items and some of the prompts and old horror pictures that he's made were which is fascinating especially down to one of the dank dark dirty dungeons ancient instruments of torture a rack the wheel the iron maiden a metal boot to be filled with boiling oil from my pictures dollar from my pictures realism that's what I had in all of them because I was the greatest plotter of them all when it came to mystery and torture and murder get back to the layman and can you think of a better place to keep them than down here in this dusty old dungeon there yes very fitting now now I'm in here and I must show you my wine cellar there are still a couple of questions though that I went in nine years ago I laid down the wines in here that's all all that time they've been aging in here cases and cases of them rack after rack do you see them under the dust and cobwebs finest vintages of all yes all sure now mr. menard yes 29 years ago when I retired and moved into this place and I put these wines down here so you said you can tell how long by the dust in the cobwebs yes I know spider you're undisturbed for 29 years one thing more though about mr. layman though I told you mr. dollar I I know nothing nothing whatsoever about him when did you see him last oh oh most a year ago you sure about that yes yes I'm sure oh look look here this case of port but the the the finest vintage port and now mr. menard over here here and do you do you see them the cherries magnificent cherries and and the longer they lie there oh undisturbed the finer they'll be you never drink them drink them such treasure drink them indeed look at this one the color of this ancient cherry oh you're up to the light there you see Megan yes I'm afraid I do now what I see realism you said didn't you mean what looks like realism at the time we were shown on a movie screen I don't understand mr. dollar tell me the truth mr. menard these torture machines for instance in the other room and some of that armor upstairs some of that armor cost me a fortune because it's it's genuine maybe so some of it but how about the rest you mean you mean you could tell that it's only imitation stuff that was made up for some of your old movies but I made it myself I have a skill in such things I thought it was perfect it would have fooled me all right well then I don't understand even as the dust down here and the cobwebs fooled the police too didn't they huh what what when they came around here a few days ago for a look well just a minute now that's the way of showing off you dragged them down to this wine cellar too you were so sure of yourself and dollar phony cobwebs they're almost like the real thing phony all the dust what is a minute full of earth that you've scattered around you don't know what you're talking about setup would have fooled me royally if you hadn't picked up that bottle of wine and held it up the light I'm going to take a look under some of these cases no why because they cover up something you don't want me to see what was the name of that group of old pictures in which you had a man buried under a cellar floor oh I see yeah that wild silly guess the mine paid off that's right Harvey layman is just buried under your feet and you will join in there put down that gun mr. Maynard 10 back dollar you heard him Maynard put it down the police are you watching ready it was a pleasure Johnny I'm sure glad you left word for me at headquarters oh I believe me so my and he certainly fooled us when the boys and I went through here a couple of days ago but how did you ever guess the bottle of wine when he held it up to the line well he said it was final sherry my ground down here for 29 years so sherry we should have been a sediment in that bottle this thick so the age and dust and cobwebs were a fake huh and he must have moved the bottles over this spot only recently right I just took a wild guess pretty good little red pretty smart Johnny pretty smart say wild is the whole thing they seem they found layman's body buried there in the cellar expense count total including the trip back to Hartford by way of San Francisco to pick up my clothes 477 30 yours truly Johnny dollar star star to tell you about next week's story next week Savannah Georgia after one of the cleverest crooks I've ever had to tangle with join us won't you yours truly Johnny dollar written by Jack Johnstone produced and directed by Bruno Serato Jr music supervision by Ethel Huber Johnny dollar is played by Mandel Kramer also featured in our cast where Leon Jenny as Maynard Gryfford Warner as Doris layman William Redfield as Brady and Carl Frank as Don Regal be sure to join us next week same time same station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar this is our tennis speaking don't just stand there enjoy the Gary Moore show weekdays on the cds radio network