 Johnny dollar dollar this is her but Lynn state unity life Denver, Colorado Mr. Lynn I wonder if you're free to come out here and see me right away well now Let me see you hope so what's more I can promise you a handsome fee in addition to your expense account of course Whether my fears are justified or not fears of what Mr. Lynn what seems to be the trouble a murder mr. Dollar Oh that has not yet been committed. I see but you think will be I must confess that I alone Anticipated or at least an attempt at it. I hope that you can somehow forestall any such attempt well I can certainly try fine. I'll grab the first plane The CVS radio network brings you Mandel Kramer and the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by a special investigator Johnny dollar to the state unity life insurance company Denver, Colorado office Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the old-fashioned murder matter Expense account item one hundred and eleven dollars and forty five cents airfare The first plane to make the right connections didn't pull out of heart for until late in the afternoon So it was close to midnight by the time we sat down at Stapleton Field on the outskirts of the mile-high city of Denver In spite of the time a year the mountain here was cold crisp and clear Was well after midnight by the time of cab and that's item two six hours even dropped me off at the famous old brown palace hotel I Got myself a comfortable room and hit the sack then first thing in the morning I dropped in on mr. Herbert Lynn at the state unity office in one of the big new buildings and mile-high Center. I Suggest you rent a car mr. Dollar because this client of ours lives in Green Mountain Falls That's a small settlement down just west of Colorado Springs Manitou Springs. That's it. Oh, I know the place Well, Mr. Lin old do you know back in the summer of 58. I spent a couple of weeks fishing out of lucky for range with my old pal Ray Schmissner Ray. What did you say Schmissner leaving out their names a lot easier to say than the spell? I'm sure it is now this client's name is Howard Hartzell. Yes He's 73 years old mr. Dollar and at one time was quite wealthy Which explains his insurance policy for nearly a quarter of a million dollars and you think somebody wants to murder him Yes, I could almost say I'm certain of it Who mr. Lin and why one or all three of his beneficiaries or at least two of them one tell me who they are Well to begin with Clara Johnson and niece Food heater in Colorado Springs 45 I'd say and about as mean selfish and grasping an old maid as I've ever seen When she found out about our uncle's insurance policy She immediately wanted to know why she wasn't made the sole beneficiary Mr. Hartzell had quite a time with her What does Clara teach high school chemistry And then there's another niece Bonnie. She's young smart good-looking married to a plumber by the name of Harry Briggs Also lives in Colorado Springs They have no children and Managed to make a living of sort now you have the addresses of these people. Yes right here I've listed them on a slip of paper for you Here you are. Thank you. And finally as you see there's Tony Johnson and nephew in Manitou Springs it says him yes Tony inherited quite a bit of money from his own family went through it in less than a year You know big parties expensive cars and girls and so on And he's now working as a bartender in some cheap saloon there in Manitou Springs Lazy no good waste old dollar. In other words if something does happen in your book He'll be number one suspect. Yes, and I pride myself in having a sort of instinct in such matters Which of the two girls the nieces Would you put next? Well, if there were any reason to suspect anyone else, I should say Clara I'm sure that when you see Bonnie and talk to her you will realize that she couldn't even think in terms of murder Oh, what's that? Oh, excuse the chocolate I suppose if all the stuff you read in detective stories means anything then Bonnie is the one I should suspect didn't you hear me? If only because she apparently is above suspicion he'll see for yourself But suspect of what has there been any actual attempts and murder mr. Hartzell twice? Mr. Hartzell was narrowly missed by a car that bore down on him as he was crossing the highway in front of his place Mr. Lynn you're talking about route 24 that cuts through youth pass there a green mountain falls I am good grief as I remember the traffic on that mean highway Howard Hartzell is Absolutely certain that each time the car tried to run down and it was the same car each time Well Then early one morning a small caliber bullet plunged through the window of his living room Missed him by only a couple of feet might be a careless hunter Then there was a mysterious fire at his home in the middle of the night dollar If a passing motorist hadn't seen it even so and mr. Hartzell was confined with bed at the time We wouldn't have stood a chance Incidentally, there's another thing what's that sir his health recently After all I believe you did say it was 73 But up until recently as healthy a specimen as you could Why if I'm in his good shape when I reach that age as he is or rather was what's been the trouble I tell you dollar that whatever's a limb has been too all fired mysterious hasn't he had a doctor That's another thing that ancient family doctor of his doctor east today. What about him? Well, if you ask me his name ought to be yesterday He should have quit practice 20 years ago But he's the only one that Hartzell will have matter of fact Duck east today is living there with him now to protect Hartzell. He says oh Yes, and I suppose I must give the old pill pusher credit for that anyway How do you mean? Well, I'm not the only one who feels that Hartzell's life is in danger But those things that have happened weren't accidental Now that fire didn't come from any greasy rags. Is that what the fire department said? Yes, but I don't believe it Tell me mr. Hartzell sick right now right now. He's on the mend from this last attack of well, whatever it is Liberailman says old east today I think he was poisoned Have these nieces and the nephew been to see him recently not since the duck moved in never leave me And that's been a couple of months now. He's allowed them absolutely no contact. Whatever with his uncle Well, if I've had no contact with him I'll give it poison him. That's what you've got to find out dollar And find out which one and bring him to justice Him you say of course it has to be that no account nephew tony That's just because there's no reason to suspect her. I suppose you'll go to work on bonnie Mr. Lin I think you're making a couple of mountains or two out of a molehill. Oh you do that as long as I'm here I'll um look in on these folks. You've mentioned I remember one thing dollar if I'm right if and I'm sure I am well Whoever would plan to the murder of the uncle would be only too glad to get you out of the way Mr. Lin had given me a good idea possibly a dangerous one It was simply to make no bones about who I was why I'd come out here Why I wanted to see and talk with them the nieces and nephew I mean Then if one of them did try to make a fast move get me out of the picture I'd be on guard Was a pretty sure way of knowing who was up to something Item three a dollar 95 with a phone calls to tell the relatives and the old man that I was on my way to item four 50 bucks deposit on a rental car I'd like to have stopped off at the u.s. Mint there in Denver one of the largest in the country to see if they were handing out Me free samples, but instead I headed south on 87 past the big new Air Force Academy into Colorado Springs Clara Johnson me old anise lived in a tiny three or four loom house badly in need of repair on the side street Or cascade annual fortunately for pretty obvious reasons the interview was a short one That's all utterly ridiculous. Now miss Johnson. I mean that uncle Howard the old fool should have included those other two in his will In his insurance Positively indecent and tell me does your uncle have much of an estate besides the insurance? No, not any more But do you know how much that insurance is have pretty good idea nearly $250,000 And do you know what that would mean to me To me who's worked and struggled along all these years alone I could give up this miserable teaching of those nasty and appreciative brats of the high school I could travel go abroad enjoy myself for a change the way I deserve to after all these years Now don't you think that Tony and Bonnie look at Bonnie? She had that young husband to take care of her give her everything she wants or at least most everything And she's pretty she has a nice figure and And and do you think that that Tony deserves anything after the way he went through the fortune that his father left him He does not well number one keeper That's what he is and always getting into scrapes for those Those gangsters that hang around that dive what he works Disgusting miss jumps. I know one deserves that money all of it Clara If only the whole nicer would die before it's too late before I get too old But he keeps on living just to spite me too bad you can't help him along then, isn't it? I don't think I don't wish I could mr. Dollar Believe me if I could find some way to to oh, no, no, no, I I didn't mean that didn't you No, no, I shouldn't have said such a well. I'm afraid you did. Thanks very much. Mr. Johnson Now wait, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Bye My next stop along the way was at harry briggs punnishaw Bonnie was there holding down the store while her husband was out on the job and she was pretty Although it always kind of stops me a little when I see a girl working in her makeup over a business desk And I was so glad when you phoned to say that you're here to kind of look out for uncle Howard Well, I called Tony and told him you'd be seeing him too Here I look better now. Oh, you look like a million Well, thanks johnny Gee you're cute for a private eye. Well, thank you, ma'am Now derby no cigar in the corner of your mouth. Is there real good-looking guy? Only I shouldn't talk like that should I well, I'm afraid flattery will get you nowhere. Oh, darn um Tell me did you mean that you two have been worried about your uncle? Well, of course after those cars that almost killed him and That fired the posterior of his house and the sicknesses he's been having one after the other Oh, I'm sure that dr. Easterday's doing all he can for him, but Much as harry needs me around here business isn't too good these days and I feel I ought to be out there taking care of uncle Howard nursing him It isn't as if I didn't know how what he have you No No, he wouldn't join I'm afraid he thinks that all claire and toi and I keep hoping is that he'll die and leave us that insurance And isn't that true Should I lie and say no Course we'll be glad to get that money all of us That's the proper time Completely forthright and frank and I must admit I was well impressed. Maybe herbert lin was a good judge of character He was certainly right about toni there in the cheap bar and grill over a manatee springs This was a character. I didn't like immediately Short thin Hair plastered down with nervous hands and shifty eyes set close together As we stood there behind the bar talking with toni claiming only undying affection for poor uncle Howard Another man came in and stood by as though waiting for toni's signal to rough me up Now mr. Lin was right all right. I wouldn't have trusted toni as far as I could throw the empire estate building Sure dollar You can figure some way to knock off your man I know three of us would be glad to cut you in on that nice fat hunk of insurance What's good is he living out the rest of these days sick half the time? Maybe you'd like to help him along, huh? You think I wouldn't wise a guy if I thought I could get away with it. Don't pull any boo boo's toni Don't worry, buddy. I'm too smart Or all talk Hey, look, I got to get ready for the afternoons right now go ahead. Maybe I'll see you later. Sure any old time Usually the important thing now is to see mr. Hartzell and the old family doctor at green mountain falls I walked around on the back of the swing Got into my car then turned on the ignition But in that brief moment before the stouter took hold I heard a buzzing under the hood a sound that I knew only too well that car had been wired I jumped out and ran almost too late Smoke cleared away from the carefully set explosion. I was blocks away at another car rental agency I knew that toni would be even further away if that is he was the one who planted the bomb So item six is another $50 deposit on another rental job I sped up to green mountain falls then to keep the date I promised over the phone An answer to my knock on the small two-story home there on the side of a mountain Mr. Dollar, that's right. Mr. Hartzell. No, I'm uh, I'm dr. S today and thank heaven you've got here Although I'm afraid you're too late. You mean something's happened to him. Howard Hartzell is dead When just a few moments ago would you like to come in? Yes, I think I'd better We can uh, we can sit here in this combination living bedroom of mine Unless you wish to see him But there's really no point in it How did he die dr? It was a severe case of toxic jaundice Oh jaundice. Yes, this uh, hemolytic jaundice A liver condition has been bothering him for quite some time just one moment dr. Yes Well, there's no in spite of your uh, I had a fancy medical terms Something has just lunged a bell I can't quite tie it down You're sure that jaundice is what killed him mr. Dollar after all I've been practicing medicine some 50 years Well, maybe that's good and maybe it's bad. I beg your pardon when I was out here before on a vacation I had an infected finger. Well, I failed see what a doctor who treated me with the young fellow by the name of um Ed Wilson Where's your phone? What young dr. Ed Wilson had to tell me was more than a little interesting Administered repeated intervals even my new quantities of arsenic compounds may produce a subacute type of poisoning Go on in Well, the victim may develop a toxic uh degeneration of the liver It may progress from acute or subacute yellow atrophy. That's accompanied by an intense toxic jaundice I see that in turn can be followed by severe even deadly gastroenteritis And is that sort of poisoning something that might fool an old-time doctor who hasn't kept up with modern developments in medicine Johnny, I wouldn't thank said Thanks a lot Do you mind telling me what that was all about young man? Doctor, I want you to have an autopsy made immediately But there was a position in attendance at his death. I myself it is necessary Doctor, will you please order the autopsy? Very well if you insist The result arsenic poisoning beyond the least shadow of a doubt But then came the real problem how and when was it given to him more important How it was given to him in small doses over a long period of time and by whom I Mr. Darling apparently you're the only one who's been with him all this time. What do you think that I my Oh, it's ridiculous. Well, I hope so doctor. I said yet Yes, well, I suppose I can't blame you for wondering about me Ever since I began to worry about him and he began to suspect his relatives of planning his death I've permitted no one else to see him As you can see I have my Room and bath here on the first floor his are on the second And there is no way anyone could have gotten to him up there without my knowing about it You always ate the same food he didn't always and I prepared it myself The only time during his waking hours when I wasn't with him watching over him was when he was in the Privacy of his little bathroom up there. Mm-hmm. And yet somehow Did Clara ever come here to see him? No, no, no as I told you ever since I've been how about Tony? Well, Tony hasn't been here since the day he And even then I didn't let him in the door since the last time he delivered a bottle of whiskey whiskey Yes, in the beginning. I I had mr. Hartzell take a small quantity of it each night as a as a stimulant Well, all right then. Well, that was stopped months ago. Oh Where's the rest of the whiskey? Oh I'm afraid I drank it myself. Oh, well, then that's um now. How about Bonnie? Well, I told you mr. Dollar Yes, you told me even her husband when he came to fix the plumbing in the basement Oh, that was two months ago. Yeah, even he wasn't permitted inside the house proper. I see Hmm You say you did the cooking. Yes Who brought in the groceries? I did all the shopping myself No one could possibly have contaminated them and I myself ate them And while you were out shopping the house was locked and mr. Hartzell let no one in you're sure of that absolutely Because during the past month or so. He was upstairs unable to come down here yet somehow some but Wait a minute. Oh, yes Posterior a fire in the posterior of this house. Well, that's the way it was told to me and that's what's going to tie up this case I'm afraid I don't not the back of the house doctor, but the posterior That's what you would have said you a doctor So what a nurse and a nurse would know all about arsenic too Well, of course, but I told me that she ought to have been here taking care of him nursing him that she knew how of course She'd been a nurse mr. Dollar and her husband is a plumber Come on, doctor Let's see if we can find the green telltale that arsenic would leave up there in his bathroom Say around the mouth of a water spigot And that's exactly where we found it and downstairs in the cellar Hidden behind a furnace pipe and hooked up to that cold water line Not the line to the kitchen or the bathroom on the first floor But hooked up to the line to the second floor was that ingenious deadly device A small container half full of an arsenic solution with a valve So that only a drop at a time would enter the pipe that gave mr. Hartzell his drinking water The one drop at a time that killed him Funny It wasn't the sweet gentle Bonnie who finally broke down and confessed that little plot But her husband the plumber who'd rigged the device Who'd also rigged my car for that explosion So once more it's up to the courts My only regret is that whittlestony and selfish claire will share that nice hunk of insurance Expense account total including the trip home 347 85 Yo, it's truly Johnny dollar Is written by jack johnstone produced and directed by bruno zirato june musical supervision by apple jupy Johnny dollar is played by mandel cram also heard in our cast where liora thatcher as claire Lawson zerby as dr. East today Patsy cambell as bonnie john seamore as herbert linn richard holland as tony and william lyfton as dr ed wilson Be sure to join us next week same time same station for another exciting story of yours truly johnny dollar This is allen burn speaking Johnny dollar has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the united states armed forces radio and television service