 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar hat Cummings in her allied life. Hi Pat. What's new with you Johnny ever hear of Everett Benton? No, I'm afraid not investment firm down in New York real estate oil mining. Isn't that what about him? We're carrying a hundred thousand dollar life policy on him. So the last night he fell out of a 14-story window Oh, that's too bad. Accident Pat or was it suicide? Maybe neither. I think he got pushed I'll be right over Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator is truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by a special investigator Johnny dollar to the inter-allied life insurance company Hartford, Connecticut Following as the account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the killer's list matter Expense account item one a dollar twenty for a taxi from my apartment to the offices of inter-allied Pat Cummings look worried and got straight to the point. I don't know Johnny Maybe a Benton wasn't pushed out that window But there's something about this dealer just doesn't smell right to me What can you tell me about this man Benton Everett Benton 45 years old doing very well in business as far as we know Last night about 10 o'clock. He fell or jumped or was pushed out of his office window this policy on him Who's the beneficiary his wife Claire what's she like about 12 years younger redhead? I see Yeah Well, what do you think? I think I better have a talk with Mrs. Benton Item to $14.40 transportation and incidentals to New York City The Benton's apartment was on a 67th very fashionable very expensive and Claire Benton look right at home in her surroundings Do you mind if I fix us a drink Mr. Dollar not at all Mrs. Benton in a pretty wearing day I imagine it has police questions reporters Yeah, sorry to be throwing more questions at you at a time like this. I'm used to it by now Here's your drink. Thanks. Cheers Yeah, cheers You know you certainly seem to be burying up very well Yes, I suppose so Mr. Dollar, I think it would save time and embarrassment if we had a few things understood such as You've heard of the ideal marriage Well Everett's and mine was not it. Oh Actually, I'm very sorry he did what he did Well, we weren't exactly happy together. I take it you think he committed suicide Mrs. Benton Is there any doubt about that? Apparently not in your mind none at all If it was suicide, why did he do it? I? Wouldn't know Everett hadn't confided in me for some time. We haven't been very close recently. Oh, Mrs. Benton. Just suppose it wasn't suicide Everett had no enemies, but I knew her I see About the insurance policy. Yes about the insurance policy. Mr. Dollar a hundred thousand dollars, isn't it? That's right when you get ready to file a claim I intend to in the morning I See oh and One other thing It just so happens that I have an alibi for last evening. Oh, and it's the nicest kind of alibi There is Mr. Dollar. What do you mean? It's airtight and That was Claire Benton very calm and collected and incidentally anxious to collect I Thought her over all the way to the office of Detective Lieutenant Tovich of homicide. That's item three a dollar sixty care fare Yeah, I talked to her Johnny. She's a hard one to figure out. What do you think Tovich? Did he jump or get pushed you got any ideas? How about financial troubles? He was in the investment business. Have you looked into that according to his lawyers affairs are in good shape Oh, he'd made his share of poor investments over the years while cat oil leases stuff like that, but in general he was doing okay He was worth a lot of dough Johnny Okay, let's assume he was pushed out that window. What was he doing in his office at 10 p.m. I've wondered about that, too Any indication anybody was with him? No The night watchman was in another part of the building when Benton came in let himself in with his own key It could have been somebody else with him all right, but who Claire Benton says she has an alibi Yeah, don't know as I care for it much, but I haven't been able to break it down. Who is her alibi? Larry Santis Santis runs a supper club over in these fifties. Yeah the ace of clubs. He calls Larry Santis Thanks, Tovich So I went calling again But this time it was different from my visit to Claire Benton in the first place Santis didn't offer me a drink and in the second place. He wasn't very friendly Look, doll. I already told the cops that Claire was here in the club last evening all evening Until midnight out in the bar most of the time. What difference does it make? How about the rest of the time? We were talking here in my office just the two of us now look dolly what it boils down to is you've each Alibis for one another huh? That's right. Now look nosy boy Claire didn't kill Benton at the moment I wasn't thinking so much about her Wait a minute. You're trying to pin this on me You and Claire have been pretty friendly Santis. She benefits to the tune of a hundred grand by Benton's death Look dollar dollar you're blowing smoke in the wrong direction. I like the arrangement the way it was Why should I try to change it? Now that's a good question. So just let it drop You get me you got nothing to worry about Santis If you've got nothing to hide I don't want this kind of publicity. It's bad for my business You know what's wrong with you dolly you got nose trouble Occupational disease you better just get over it sometimes it turns out to be fatal Act two of yours truly Johnny dollar in a moment And now act two of yours truly Johnny dollar and the killer's list matters Looks like you didn't get any further with Larry Santis tonight did Johnny look tovich both Santis and Claire Benton had a motive for killing her husband matter of fact two motives money and getting betting out of their way Johnny I'm with you. We're not even sure yet. It was murder We do have something that indicates somebody might have been in Benton's office with him. Oh, yeah What is it the found a cigarette button one of the ashtrays different brand and Benton smoked could have been left there during the Day janitors as he cleans out the ashtrays about seven in the evening, of course he could have overlooked one So I don't know whether it means anything or not Excuse me Homicide tovich Well, where? Okay, I'll be right over Johnny looks like we've done ourselves a little epidemic. What do you mean? You'll be here of a guy named Arthur Mayfield promoter. No, what about he just found him in an alley dead Wait a minute. Don't tell me yeah fell out of a 10th floor hotel room Lieutenant tovich and I went over to the West Side Hotel where Mayfield's party had been discovered There was nothing in this room to indicate anyone had been there with him It's a matter of fact. There was nothing courier Item for a dollar 80 care fair to Claire Benton's apartment To dollar I really don't see the point of this I've told you twice that I did not know this Arthur Mayfield Did you ever hear your husband mention his name? I've never heard the name until now from you Mrs. Benton Mine telling me where you were last night around midnight Take it that's when Mayfield died approximately I I suppose you have an alibi you suppose correctly, you know something I Wouldn't be at all surprised if you were about to tell me you were with Larry Santis again You know something mr. Dollar That's exactly where I was last night. I know tovich I know it could be just a coincidence that two guys fall or jump or get shoved out of windows within 24 hours But I got a hunch of some kind of connection between them could be Johnny But so far we haven't been able to find it well How about their past the armed forces maybe I've already checked that out the answer is no could they have been involved in any Sort of business deal I asked Benton's attorney about that. He's checking through all of his papers He's promised to call me and you haven't been able to find any organization They both belong to any situation in which they could have been thrown together not so far Unless they serve on a jury together something like that Well don't laugh that could be it and they might have convicted somebody who took this way of getting revenge Yeah, I'll check it out and call you if we find a connection, but don't count on it Johnny Don't count on anything I Went back to my hotel room and stretched out on the bed while I rehashed the whole deal in my mind I thought about Claire Benton Larry Santis. I didn't trust either of them Boris Tovich had pointed out it was another thing to prove it Okay, okay coming. Yeah, Mr. Dollar. That's right. You're Investigating the murders of Benton and Mayfield Well, I don't think they've been officially described as murders, but they are mr. Dollar. I'm certain of it Who are you? My name is Alvin Whiting. I have some information that may be of value to you. May I come in? Come in. Thank you. If you don't mind. I'd like to look out the window a minute. You're being followed I don't know But it wouldn't surprise me. What is this information you have mr. Whiting a couple of years ago? Three men got together and bought an oil lease from a man named Tom Nolan. Did you ever hear of it? No He's a very eccentric man hot-tempered violent He needed the money badly so he sold the lease which then was a little better than worthless Benton and Mayfield were in that deal together. I see but I still don't understand what that has to do with their murders I'm convinced their killers Tom Nolan getting revenge on them in his own warped way Revenge for buying a worthless oil lease from him last week oil was discovered on that property a lot of it The property is now worth millions. Oh, I think that Nolan with his twisted way of looking at things Probably feels that he was cheated out of that property. You're suggesting that this Nolan isn't quite all there, huh? Exactly. That's exactly what I mean. What's your connection with all this mr. Whiting? I'll tell you what my connection is mr. Dollar. I was in on the deal with Benton and Mayfield I was the third man. Oh So you see if my suspicions are correct if Nolan is the killer Then I'm the next man on his list three of yours truly Johnny dollar in a moment and Now act three of yours truly Johnny dollar and the killer's list matters. I Took Alvin Whiting down to Lieutenant Tovich's office, and he told his story again I could see that Tovich felt the same way. I did that at last we were getting someplace Matter of fact Johnny I was about to call you Benton's lawyer just turned up the lease agreement linking Benton Mayfield and mr. Whiting here question is where's Tom Nolan? I don't think I'll draw an easy breath until he's been found and arrested We have a bulletin out on a mr. Whiting one thing we found out about a year ago He served time for assault and battery. Oh Mr. Whiting I'd suggest you take every precaution until we pick up Nolan. Don't worry lieutenant I propose to remain in my apartment until you apprehend him. I'll post a man in the building to look after you I'm aside tovich. Oh What's the address? All right, thank you We've located the little hotel where Nolan's been staying come on Johnny That's mr. Nolan's room at the end of the hall lieutenant. Okay quick is he in I don't know I really haven't seen him since he rented the room from me How long ago was that? Oh about a week ago mr. Dollar if he's gone out since then it must have been at night when I was off duty Here we are. I try your past key quietly, right? Gone bag and baggage. Yeah Rooms been used recently though Hey in this ashtray cigarette butt same brand we found in Benton's office Doesn't prove anything but it might tie in yeah Tom Nolan could be our boy But where is he you say he rented the room from you clerk? What do you look like? Oh middle-aged as I remember a bushy hair sort of a wild look to him Fits the general description Alvin Whiting furnished us and the mugshot I pulled out of the files Well, all we can do now is rig a stake out for him here and then wait Lieutenant tovich posted a couple of men in Nolan's room and we went back to headquarters While he was getting out another bulletin. I went through Nolan's record a sultan battery resisting arrest There was no doubt. He was a violent sort of guy And with the indication whiting had given us that Nolan was a little unbalanced the weird revenge motive might fit Then something in the records caught my eye. I went back to the office of Larry Santis at the supper club Looked I told you the last time you were here I got a few things to tell you Santis the two murder victims may feel in Benton went in on a business deal with a man named Alvin Whiting all right So what brought an oil lease from Tom Nolan all of a sudden last week that lease got real valuable Alvin Whiting figures that Nolan's the killer says he's not all there and he was trying to get his own strange kind of event Look dollar. What's all this got to do with me? That's what I want you to tell me Look, I don't know anything about any of them last year. Nolan was arrested for a sultan battery according to the police records The man who put a bail for him was you Okay, okay, so I put a bail for him look Tom. Nolan's my uncle dollar sure He's offbeat, but but he's harmless a sultan battery harmless, so he beat up a guy that doesn't mean he'd kill anybody How'd he get mixed up with Benton may feel in Whiting? Well, he He was broke I asked Benton's wife to get her husband and the others interested in buying Tom's lease to get him some dough I didn't know the lease it turned out to be valuable After Nolan got out of Jolly left town moved to Coopersville. That's upstate. Yeah Well, he's had a room right here in the city for the last week. I Didn't know that believe me. I didn't look I haven't heard from them for six months That's the truth Dollar I've told you all I know I Still didn't trust Santas but decided to follow up the lead. He'd given me about Coopersville Maybe Tom Nolan had gone back there I called to which to tell him and he had a nasty little surprise for me Alvin Whiting had disappeared from his apartment. I Didn't know whether Tom Nolan had gotten to Whiting and not but I didn't know I had to find Nolan in a hurry I high-tailed to Coopersville was a small town with half a dozen hotels and roaming houses I made the rounds flashing Nolan's picture finally. I struck pay dirt Why yes, I recognize that picture. That's Tom. All right, but he told me his last name was Niles You say he roamed here Mrs. Carr. Yes kept himself mostly, but he didn't make no trouble for anybody as far as I could see Who didn't hear about oh six months ago on the end of September. It was Then last week he he left us sure he probably found out they'd struck oil and moved into the city You don't understand mr. Dollar when I say he left us. I mean that last week Tom Niles died There I was But all of a sudden the deal started adding up in my mind It was after dark when I got to the graveyard and my flashlight picked out the simple headstone Tom Niles Yeah, Tom Nolan Resting in peace right where he'd been all through the murders. He was supposed to have committed Shot knock the flashlight out of my hand. I hit the dirt, but the flash had pegged the gun for me Well, well Alvin white Oh Don't worry, I'll get you a doctor whining. I want you to be in good shape to stand trial How'd you work higher some drifter to rent that room back in New York under Nolan's name some character You picked up in the park. No, you've got They've got to understand I Had to have the money. I was in debt. I was desperate. You almost got the money too. Didn't you yeah? Yeah, it almost worked You rigged the story that Nolan was the killer that you were on his list of victims That way you end up in sole possession of the oilies Yeah, never try to frame a guy who was already dead Expense account total $146.50 remarks I turned whiting over to the police and he made a full statement Yeah, his motive was money. He was in the hall gambling debts and bills high cost of living you might say But I guess he knows now. It's still a real bargain Compared to the high cost of dying yours truly Johnny Star will return in just a moment Now here is our star to tell you about next week's story next week Dame nature takes a hand and helps me solve a crime join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey originates in Hollywood and is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone Today's story was written by Robert Wright Herdyn our cast were Virginia Greg, Lillian Bayef, Jack Edwards, Jack Moyles, Tony Barrett, Parley Bear and Carlton G Young Be sure to join us next week same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar This is Dan Cumberley speaking This is the United States armed forces radio and television service