 John Lund as Johnny dollar. Hi, Johnny. Shelly Thomas in federal. You're up early today. I've already been at my desk for two hours. How'd you like to work on one for me? What's it about? In cold hard claim cash it comes to exactly twelve thousand four hundred and eighty two dollars and sixteen cents. That's interesting. What's it mean? Somebody's been filtering a lot of merchandise over in Toledo and it's beginning to hurt. Could you get over there and have a look around? Sure. Well it sounds like a police job to me. Well I don't expect any miracles Johnny. I just want a good factual report on the whole business for my clients. See you in an hour. John Lund in the transcribed adventure of the man with the action packed expense account. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Here's truly Johnny dollar. Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the federal insurance and claims adjusters 2044 Appalachian drive Hartford Connecticut. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the costane matter. Expense account item one forty nine dollars fifteen cents. Plain fare and incidentals Hartford to Toledo. On route I read over the details concerning the case. Thirty seven stolen merchandise claims have been filed and paid off in what looked like a first class shoplifting epidemic in Toledo. I parked my two bags at the Commodore Perry Hotel and went over to the main police station. Lieutenant Sturgis was in charge. Sit down sit down. Thanks. Federal insurance and claims adjusters. That's right. You're here to find out what we've been doing about all the shoplifting is that it. Well we represent the insurance companies who've had to pay off on these theft claims. Yeah sure I see. Well what do you want to start. Let me see. How about this Marmee dress shop OK. That's the February 10th. Proprietor Mrs. Bancroft registered a complaint with us that addressing the coach we're missing from the store X. Well we went over there and talked to her about it made out the report is another shoplifting job and put a description of the code in the dress Marchie. Dress hold sailed at one hundred thirteen dollars code had a fair trim one at three hundred ninety five dollars. Yeah looked a little better than most shoplifting jobs to us. We had in mind when we got another complaint three days later from a place over on Oak Avenue. That would be my lady's shoppy. A negligent soap robe. Yeah we covered that one too. Both of them came to two hundred eighty six dollars. Yeah same thing as a Marmee clerks hadn't seen anyone didn't know anything. The week of the 15th we had two more complaints on the twenty third three complaints have been coming in regular ever since the last one three days ago. Always best stores always expensive merchandise. We rounded up every known shoplifter in our files and we've had our store personnel at all of our lineups. No one's been able to make an identification so far. First we thought it was a plain expert shoplifting done by a well organized gang looks that way. Not so much anymore. Do you notice on your list there that all of these items are for a woman. Yeah dresses coats blouses cosmetics military costume jewelry and so on. Now what we didn't pick up until about a month ago is that all of the articles of clothing that have been taken are for a woman who wears a size ten dress. That is a funny one and it rules out a gang right away. This pattern to it but I'm going to have someone else tell you about that. Yes Lieutenant I see if Sergeant Bidler is in right. Ninety nine times out of a hundred a shoplifter will take anything he or she can get her hands on regardless of cost size color or anything else so we don't think this is the work of an old timer either. You mean somebody's just gathering up a nice wardrobe at my insurance company's expense. Something like that if any of these stolen articles have been sold or disposed of we'd have a lead by now. The stuff has been on the hot sheet for months covered point shot second hand sir. Yes Sergeant Bidler on to right. Hello Sergeant how's it going. Thanks Lieutenant. There's a man in my office named dollar I'm sending him down to see you. Women in the department reacted a little differently than the man to all this. How's that. Well when they went over the stolen property sheets they were first impressed of course by the fact that all of the clothing was for someone who wore a size 10. The other thing though was the good taste. Well a lot of thieves have good taste I suppose. This one seems to have not only good taste but a pretty exclusive taste. You mean the expensive places that have been robbed. Well that but even more. You see here. On March 4th one green suede coat missing from tolls apparel shop and here on the 13th. Brown organ be dressed in the Commodore in here. Cocoa colored sports coat. Yeah hats and gloves in green and brown beige sometimes yellow no other colors. Well what does it mean. Any woman who restricts herself to these particular colors in dressing green brown beige cocoa yellow must have a very definite coloring of her own. We think a redhead with green eyes. Well you know best about that. But why green eyes could maybe blue or brown. They could be. But there's been a particular emphasis on green in the coats and dresses that have been stolen. Besides that there's the cosmetics. Did you cover Yeagers. No Yeagers is a very plush cosmetic store here. Nothing but perfume makeup. They reported March 2nd a whole box of green eye shadow had been stolen from one of their counters and green eye shadow only goes with green eyes. Yes. Whereas blue eye shadow would fit a person with either blue or brown eyes. Now at the same time the eye shadow was taken several tubes of lipstick and rouge were also stolen. Both of those items contained orange tinting. That gives us another reason for thinking the eyes are green. I'm convinced a redhead with green eyes. Oh and it's a short hairdo. It is. Look at my hair. I am Sergeant. With a short hairdo like mine I'd look rather ridiculous and a big picture hat that requires a hair frame. But a small hat one with a tight contour would be all right. Hey I'm coming around. The case millinery story. Yes. Four hats total value of one hundred eighty five dollars. Yes those hats that were taken in cases were small especially designed for a woman with a short hairdo. We think that some of the costume jewelry that's been stolen ties in with the clothes too. Well how does it stand right now. We've had our troubles on this one. It's impossible to tie up the manpower it would require to cover every dress in the pearl shop in town not to mention the department store. Sure. We're doing the next best thing. No stores been taken a second time so we've spotted a dozen police women from my department and as many stores around town that still hasn't been hit and they're posing clerks. How long has this been going on since Monday. Maybe we'll get a lead this way. Yeah Sergeant. This is just a wild one but suppose a redheaded woman with green eyes isn't doing it after all. Suppose somebody's doing it for me thought of that and it looks like a possibility. None of the personnel we've questioned in any of these stores has been able to say definitely whether or not they saw anyone with red hair on the premises or around the shop to fit the time incident to the particular robbery. I see. There's another thing we're working on to beauty shops. She's a redhead and she's got all of these expensive clothes. It's a good bet she keeps herself up you know has her hair and nails done regularly. Yeah. We've covered about 50 different beauty salons in town the best ones. So then the kind of woman we're looking for and giving them an idea of what she'll be wearing. Well if she's still in town something should break pretty soon. I'd like to go over the original complaints if it's possible. Main filings on the second floor. Ask for Sergeant Kelly and he'll give you what you want. I'll do that. Thanks a lot. After a full day and a half of studying the crime reports I whole heartedly agreed with Lieutenant Sturgis and Sergeant Bidler. Since none of the stolen articles had appeared in any of the usual places for disposal I was convinced it was not the work of an organized gang or of a previous offender. All clothing that had been taken was the same size and a small variety of colors and as Sergeant Bidler had pointed out suited only to a certain type of woman with definite physical characteristics. Red hair, green eyes. Johnny Dallin. I think we've got something here. What? I met Lieutenant Sturgis in the police garage and we drove over to Toll's apparel shop on West Oak Street one of the clerks there had phoned in and reported she'd seen a woman wearing a green suede coat that had been stolen from the store a month before. The clerk's name was Alice Emerson. I'm sure it was the coat. Well how can you be sure of that Mrs. Emerson? Well it was the only one like it in the entire store and as far as I know in Toledo it had a gathering at the back and gold buttons. I just knew that coat the minute I saw it on her. I just knew it. Oh this was about a half an hour ago you say? Yes I was on my lunch hour and I was eating at the Westgate. The cafeteria? Yes. She was about three people ahead of me in the line. I didn't remember at first that the coat had been from us but when I sat down to lunch I recalled it. I really didn't know what to do exactly then I thought well I better make sure it is the coat you know I wouldn't want to make trouble for anyone. What did you do? Well she had a table over by the wall eating her lunch alone so I finished my lunch and I walked over near her and I took a good look at the coat. It was our coat all right the one that was taken from that rack over there. I was going right out on the street and called a policeman but I guess she got a little suspicious of me looking at her the way I did and she got up and left. What did she look like Mrs. Emerson? Oh she was nice looking woman but my size 30 or so very nice. What color was her hair? Dark very dark. Dark? Blacky me? Or dark brown? I don't know which. Did you happen to notice the color of her eyes? No no I didn't but she wore glasses, horn rimmed. Are you certain it's the same coat? I'm positive. Have you ever seen the woman before? No never. At least I don't think I have. Nothing familiar about her at all? No. Did you happen to notice which direction she went in when she left the cafeteria? No I don't know where she went she just got into a taxi cab. I went with Lieutenant Sturges to the offices of the taxi cab company that covered Metropolitan Toledo. There we began checking the way bills as they came in. Since less than an hour had elapsed from the time Mrs. Emerson called in we didn't have to go through too many of them. At the intersection of Oak and Westgate which was right in front of the cafeteria cab number 418 had carried a fare to a hotel apartment house called the Colonial on the east side of town, Yandota Street. We spoke with the driver of the cab on the phone when he checked into the office. He remembered the fare. A woman in a green suede coat. Try that. Yeah. Hello can I help you? Police. Oh? Now sometime in the last hour a cab brought a woman to this address we'd like to talk to her. She's about 5'4", about 30, dark air wearing a green suede coat. You know? Well let's see. Four horn rim glasses? Well I've got 175 apartments here. Wait, a green suede coat? Yeah. Well Miss Jones. Jones huh? Yes, Lily and Jones. She just checked in two days ago. Alone? Yes. What apartments she in? 1429. Shall I ring her? No no, never mind. We'll just go on up. From the description we gave the desk clerk at the Colonial apartments he identified our suspect is Lillian Jones, apartment 1429. She'd come in approximately 20 minutes before we'd arrived. As far as the clerk knew she was still in her apartment. We took the self-service elevator up to the 14th floor. It'll be down this way. Hey wait 1410 then it goes to 21. Yeah. All the corridor. Oh yeah. Lillian Jones, police like to talk to you. May we come in? We can talk here. It'll be easier inside. Here's all right for me. Let's go inside Miss Jones. Okay. What's this all about? A woman who works at tolls apparel shop saw you in the Westgate cafeteria at lunchtime today. She said you were wearing a coat that was stolen from them. She's a liar. I don't even know where tolls apparel shop is. She was pretty certain about it. I've been here all day. I had my lunch here. Anybody with you? What do you mean? Did you eat alone? Sure I ate alone. Miss Jones, we can get the woman from tolls to come over here and identify you. Say listen. We can get the cab driver who brought you here to identify you too. It all be lying. I've been here all day. You prove it? Sure I can prove it. Clerk downstairs said you just came in about 20 minutes ago. He's lying too. It's a green suede coat. You have a green suede coat? No. Listen, you just get out of there. Where's the coat Miss Jones? I don't know what coat you're talking about. A green suede coat. How would you do with it? I don't have a green suede coat. You have any objection to our looking around? You bet I have. All right. We'll get a search warrant. I'm afraid you'll have to come with us Miss Jones. I'm not going anywhere with anybody. Get out of here. Get out of my apartment. I'll make plenty of trouble for the both of you. Come on Miss Jones. William Jones had a record of one previous arrest two years before. The charge grand theft. She'd been released for lack of evidence. Her profession was listed as a domestic. The sales lady from tolls apparel shop appeared and positively identified her as the woman she had spotted in the Westgate cafeteria wearing the stolen coat. The cab driver who'd driven her from the intersection of Westgate and Oak to the Colonial Apartments was called in. He also identified her. She still refused to admit anything. Maintaining that she hadn't left her apartment all day. Lieutenant Sturgis took a detail of men to her place to search the premises. I stayed with Sergeant Bidler while she questioned William Jones. Why won't you tell us what you did with the coat, Lillian? I don't know what coat you're talking about. Honest, I don't. Mrs. Emerson, are you wearing it at the cafeteria today? The cab driver, are you wearing it? The clerk at your apartment desk, are you wearing it? They're all liars. I don't own a green suede coat. You people have no right to hold me like this and ask me all these questions. I haven't done anything. What did you do with the coat? There isn't any coat. Where'd you hide it? I want a lawyer. Can I call a lawyer? Tell us about the coat. You stole it from Toll's Apparel Shop on March 4th. Isn't that right? I don't know anything about Toll's Apparel Shop. I told you. It's on Oak Street. I'll drop in and say hello sometime. What about the other thing? What other thing? You know what we're talking about, Lillian. Why don't you get it off your chest? We'll find out sooner or later. Who are you working with? I want a lawyer. Where's it hidden? I want a lawyer. Can make a statement now and save yourself a lot of trouble. I want a lawyer. We continue to question Lillian Jones regarding the green suede coat. She denied ever having such a coat in her possession. However, at 3.45 that afternoon, Lieutenant Sturges returned with his detail of men. They had found the coat stuffed into a clothes happer. I took it over to the shop and the people there positively identified it as the one stolen on March 4th. Yeah? They had had their label and one of their stock tags in the pocket. Well, that should do it. I don't know what we've uncovered here, though. There wasn't anything else in the apartment that fit any of the other thefts. Yeah? Well, you can hold her on this. Oh, sure. I'll have her booked in right away. Lillian Jones was charged with grand theft. Before she was taken to the main jail, she admitted that she had stolen the coat. But not from the apparel shop. From the home of her family by the name of Custaine. She said she'd been employed there for two weeks as a domestic servant. Mr. Custaine was a civil engineer with offices in downtown Toledo. They informed us that he'd already left for his home. So we drove out there to interview him. It was a large 12 room place on the edge of town. A servant took us into the living room. A few moments later, a tall gray haired man in his early fifties made an appearance. I'm Mr. Custaine. I'm Lieutenant Sturges, Mr. Custaine. Yes, Mr. Daller. How do you do? Police? That's right. I hate to bother you around dinner time like this. It's quite all right. Sit down, please. Thanks. We're holding a woman dubbed town named Lillian Jones, Mr. Custaine. I understand you employed her at one time. Lillian Jones? Oh, the maid, yes. Is she in trouble? We're just checking her story. I see. She was in possession of a green suede coat at the time we took her in, Mr. Custaine. She insists that she took the coat from your home. Why would she say a thing like that? Well, we don't know. We thought maybe you could clear that up. I have no idea what she's talking about. I fired her last Tuesday, I believe it was. That was the last I saw of the woman. Was she very angry when you fired her? Not particularly. It's just that she didn't work out here very well. I gave her two weeks' pay, told her to go. It's a green suede coat with gold buttons down the front. I don't know where she got it, I'm sure, but I know she didn't get it here. Funny she'd tell us she stole it from here. Yes, it is. I don't know why. Is Mrs. Custaine at home? Mrs. Custaine passed away last February. Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have a daughter? No. We have to check into all these things, you know. Oh, I understand. I wish I could help you. You can, if you will, Mr. Custaine. How's that? Would you mind dropping into my office tomorrow and taking a look at the coat? I don't know what good that would do, but I'd be glad to do it. You just might recognize it, perhaps it belonged to Mrs. Custaine. Possibly. Although I don't remember it. Room 212 in the main building. All right, Lieutenant. I'll be there in the morning. Fine. Sorry to bother you, but I'm not at all. Good night. Good night. Good night. Did you see it? The color printed on the piano? Yeah. A red-headed woman with green eyes. A check in the neighborhood revealed that the Custains had been living in Toledo less than a year. Before that, they'd lived in Detroit. Financially, they were in the upper-income bracket. The house was completely paid for. There were two expensive late-model cars in the garage. The Office of Vital Statistics informed us that Mrs. Custaine had died on February 6th of a heart condition. It also noted that her hair had been red, her eyes green. Lieutenant Sturges, robbery. Oh, yes, of course. I see. What are you going to be home? Fine. I'm with Custaine. Yeah? He just changed his story. He said he did know that William Jones stole that coat when she left the house. You give any reason for not admitting it when we were there? Well, just wants to see us. I'm afraid I've caused you some trouble on this. Oh, we don't quite understand why you didn't tell us about it last night. It's rather simple, probably rather silly. I have a devil of a time keeping servants here for some reason. If a notice got in the paper that I'd accused one of them of theft, well, I'd have a difficult time getting another one there that way. That coat's worth over $600, Mr. Custaine. Yes, I know. It belonged to my wife. And you let it go like that? Oh, I'm insured for personal loss. Did you report this to your insurance broker? Oh, yes. Did you file a claim? Yes. What's your broker's name? Mr. Levant. He has offices in the metropolitan building. When did you report the loss? On Wednesday. You mind if I call him and check this? I don't see why that's necessary. I've just told you what I did about the matter. Oh, we're still puzzled, Mr. Custaine. That coat was reported stolen from Toll's apparel shop last March 4th. That's absurd, of course. Mrs. Custaine bought that coat for herself the week or so before her illness. Did she handle it or did you? What do you mean? Would she pay for it or will you build? I suppose I was billed. I don't recall. Are you insinuating that Mrs. Custaine might have stolen that coat? No, Mr. Custaine. Your wife was already dead when that coat was stolen. Oh, no. You're wrong. What do you mean? Edna's not dead. She'll come back. And when she does, when she does, I'll have all these things for her, the things I denied her before. Denied her? Yes. I always told Edna she was too extravagant that she didn't need all those expensive things. You could have bought them. Why did you steal them? I always denied her the things she loved. When Edna went away, I don't know what came over me. Loneliness seemed too much somehow. I'd go out during the day from my office and wander through the stores, stores that she used to love very much. And whenever I had the opportunity, I stole the things she always wanted. What did you do with them? They're in Edna's bedroom, hanging in her wardrobe. Would you like to see them? Expense account item 2, $75.25, board and room while in Toledo. Item 3, $62, miscellaneous. Item 4, $41.10. Plain fare back to Hartford. Expense account total, $227.50. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, stars John Lund in the title role and was written by E. Jack Newman with music by Milton Charles. Featured in tonight's cast were Hal March, Hi Everback, Edgar Berrier, Virginia Gregg, Mary Lansing and Peggy Weber. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, was transcribed in Hollywood by Jaime Del Valle. This is Charles Lyon, inviting you to join us again next week at this same time when from Hollywood, John Lund returns as yours truly, Johnny Dollar.