Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Mad Hatter Matter (EP1303)

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Mad Hatter Matter (EP1303) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
0:38
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
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slash Radio Detectives. Well, before we do get started, I want to
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remind you to go to Johnny Dollar Air dot com and when you're making travel
1:00
plans, check Johnny Dollar air dot com first. It's a Proseline affiliate.
1:03
I just had a listener email me Alan who has been regularly scheduling his monthly
1:11
flights and it definitely helps to support the show. Plus, you get all
1:15
the benefits of going through prosseline dot com by being able to name your own
1:21
price or choose from great published specials. And thanks to everyone who's utilized it.
1:25
It's truly appreciated. And remember, when making your travel plans, check
1:29
Johnny Dollar Air dot com first. Well, it's time now for us to
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get into today's episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. It's the Mad Hatter Matter
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from Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny Dellar. Johnny I've been trying to
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reach you for two days. How is that? George Reed? Oh?
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I like took go off for a couple of days, George, what's on
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your mind? A riddle? Yeah? And a blond photographer's models? Are
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you with? Riddle? Johnny? Not as good as am with? But
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go ahead try me all right? A year ago this model married Webster Preen.
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Green Hat Company was green Hat Company. He sold it when he retired.
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Go on last week, Green reported his wife and disappeared. And according
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to him, when she left home, she didn't bother taking any of her
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clothes or car or jewelry. And she forgot to tell her friends she was
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leaving, right, not even him. You think Preen told the truth,
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Johnny? That's the riddle, Bob Bailey in the Exciting Adventures of the Man
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with the Action Packed Expense account America's Fabulous Freelance Insurance Investigator, Yours truly,
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Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by Special Investigator Johnny Dollar the Floyd's of England,
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American Branch Office four four three North fifteen Street, Hartford, Connecticut.
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The following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the Mad Hatter
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met her expense ac count out of one eighty five cents carefare from my apartment.
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At George Read's office, he was seated behind his desk. Is lily
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white nose buried in a copy of Playmate magazine. He didn't look up until
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I was halfway across the road. Oh, Johnny, come in, come
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in, Hi, had George what you're reading? I was just taking a
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look at Bridget Randall or missus Preane. I suppose I should come in.
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Yeah, let's see. Very nice. She looked familiar to Oh, George,
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you're flattering me. No, really she should? Oh why Well,
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Up until she married Prene she was a very popular model. Figures is that
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a pun any hour picture was in everything from the police because that to the
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Ladies Home journal. And after she married him she retired. Hey, this
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is a new man you're seeing, George this month's issue. And the picture
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must have been taken before she was married. Well, what do you know
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about Preene? Not too much. He's over twice a rage and from all
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reports, has a lot of money. I bet on it their marriage cons
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quite a stir in our real winter in spring stuff. The newspapers played it
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up big where were they married New York. She's done some mad work for
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Prine's head company. He liked her look and she liked his bank roll synec.
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Yeah. Anyway, since then they've been living at his place near Los
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Angeles. Here's the address. All right, thanks. I called mister Preen
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long distance day before yesterday. He knows you're coming out. What about the
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police, George, You know who's handling their end of it? According to
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Preen, it's a man named Steiner, detective lieutenant. I got the feeling
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Preen doesn't much care for Steiner, George. How much life insurance does he
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carry on his wife? None? None, nope't, Or if he does,
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it's not with us, then would you mind explaining why you sent for
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me? Not at all. We're not interested in her life. Obviously,
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that's a pretty callous attitude. Let me finish. We're not interested in her
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life, but we are in her face. And now what the fine print
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reads from a point two inches below her chin to the hairline. Come on,
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break it down, George. Of course, last year, a couple
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of months before she married Prene, she took out a special coverage policy in
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case something happened to her face that would finish your modeling career, you know,
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like a permanent scar, bad burn, anything like that. Ahhah.
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She received quite a bit of publicity at the time, and it didn't exactly
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hurt us either. Why does this policy lapse? That's why we were so
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concerned, Johnny. When she married Prine, she announced that she had given
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up muddling for good. So we quite naturally thought she wouldn't renew the policy.
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But she did, yes, and just ten days before she disappeared.
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How much did you people bet that she wouldn't ruin her face? The amount
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she earned a year before last twenty five thousand dollars expense account item two eighty
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five cents cabfare back to my apartment. On the way, I had the
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cabby stop at a newstand where I spent half a dollar of my heart earned
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cash for a copy of Playmate magazine. Yeah, there was no doubt about
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it. Missus Webster Preen was the kind of woman in he red blooded American
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boy over thirty would be eager to locate. I had him three one hundred
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and ninety dollars plane fair Hartford, the Los Angeles, then a cab at
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the Stafford Hotel. I checked in, made arrangements to rent a car,
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then put in a call to police headquarters. Lieutenant Steiner was out, so
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I left word for him to call me. Had lunch, and then drove
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out to the San Fernando Valley. The prene home was one of those Spanish
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stuck on adobe jobs, two stories, probably thirty forty years old. It's
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sat in the middle of some two acres of orange trees, with a plaster
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wall around all the property, separating her from the subdivision on one side and
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a main thoroughfare on the other. I walked up to the front door and
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rang the bell. In a moment, it was opened by a beautiful blonde.
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If she hadn't been wearing a nurse's uniform, I might have mistaken her
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for rigid PREMI yes, afternoon, is mister Preen in? You have an
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apportment? Dollar, Johnny Dollar? No, I don't have an appointment,
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but I'm sure you'll see me. Really, yeah, really, I'm investigating
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his wife's disappearance. You're from the police, no insurance investigating. I see.
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I'm sorry, mister Dollar, but mister Preen can possibly see you.
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You're sure of that, Miss Richards, and I am sure mister Preen has
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suffered a severe shock. The doctor left strict orders, but he's not to
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be disturbed unnecessarily. And you feel qualified to say what is necessary and what
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isn't. I've been with him for nearly five years. Well answer me this,
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miss Richards. Do you think mister Prean's health would improve if somebody happened
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to find his wife? What I mean? They haven't found her, have
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they? You haven't answered my question. You at my honest opinion, mister
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Dollar, who's out there with you? Excuse me, mister Breen, Have
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him come to the yes, sir, Well, I hope you enjoy steam
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bads, mister Dollar, steam bath? What do you mean? Follow me,
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you'll find out a pretty girl in spite of her abruptly and there was
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a lot going on behind those clear blue eyes. She led me enter the
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house, through a couple of large rooms and up a winding staircase, down
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the hall to a door. At the end of it. Miss Green's waiting
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for you, and they're Johnny, thanks aush. That doorknobs hottest, Oh,
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very funny. I warned you here like this, I'll see your lady.
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It close it on. I don't want it to cool off in here.
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Well, you look surprised. Well, I didn't expect to meet you
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in a hothouse, mister brain blind. Sorry if you're uncomfortable, but our
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kids must have plenty of heat and moisture. Now for me, I love
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it. I didn't use too, but since i've well, since I am
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at the age where a man is nothing but a stick and drive documentine,
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if you can take off your jacket if you like. Do you know anything
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about rocket only that they're expensive? Aren't all beautiful things? Sit down,
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sir, any place it's clean. We can talk while I do this.
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You know what I'm doing. I haven't the least idea what the bees would
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normally do, that is, if these plants were in their native environment pollination?
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Yes? Would you mind handing me those preachers? Yes? Yes,
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thank you? Hey? How many plants do you have here? More than
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two hundreds to dollar thirtish? Six different varieties? Ah? Beautiful? Oh
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yes, lovely delicate creatures. Mister Donald. Do you think you'll be able
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to find her? I'd appreciate it. I have so very few things left
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these days. Did you notice the orange trees when you drove in? Well?
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Yes, when I bought this house. The land on both sides was
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nothing but orange growns, beautiful orange trees, re growing things as far as
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the eye could see. And now it's a housing project. Yes, well,
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I was a train. I understand you aren't entirely satisfied with the efforts
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the police are making to find your wife, and you understand correctly they have
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done nothing. That asked me the same ass in nine questions, over and
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over again. Have you talked with them? Oh, sir, I felt
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that I should see you first, get all the information you have. I
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will cooperate with you all the way. Mister Donnard, all right, what
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exactly did she disappear? Just just ten days ago, she'd come down from
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our place up at Lake Arrowhead, where she'd spend Saturday and suner. We
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had planned on going up together that weekend, but I developed a cold or
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the evening she returned. I retired earlier than usual, and then when I
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awoke about eleven thirty that night, she wasn't in her room. I called
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to her and searched the ground and then waited up, but she never came
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home. I see was anyone else in the building that evening? You know,
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we were alone, Robert, I was any sign of injury to her
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face, blood, anything like that. Nothing you remember she made any remark
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earlier, anything that have given you some indication as to whether she planned to
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go out. She had no plans. She was tired from the drive home,
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had already put cream on her face and her hair up in curlss.
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But yes, well she did say something about wanting to go back to Rahead
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the next day, and you're positive she didn't that night, Mister Dollan,
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My wife is a very beautiful woman and an extremely vain woman. She would
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never leave this house with her hair in such a street ah, and even
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if it were brushed, she wouldn't leave on an overnight trip without taking along
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a complete wardrobe. All right, what do you think has happened to her?
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I don't know what to think. If I did, I wouldn't have
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gone to the police. A few minutes later, I left the lonely old
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man with his orchards and started toward the stairs. I was about halfway down
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when I suddenly felt as though I had forgotten something. Only I was sure
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I hadn't. Still, something was wrong about this setup. I was trying
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to figure out what it was when Miss Richards called me, Johnny, Yeah,
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I'm in here. I better put your jacket on and catch cold.
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Yeah, well, you better let me worry about that, han Nurse Helen,
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Johnny, I'm sorry I was so rude and I thought you were just
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It's another detective who was going to upset mister Preme. No, what makes
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you think I didn't because he didn't shout at you? Does he usually shout
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at the tucker he ripped into Lieutenant's diner yesterday morning? Oh you know why?
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Well, the police have a crazy idea that missus Prean's body could be
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buried somewhere on the grounds of upstairs in the hothouse bed. How do you
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know that we've been after him trying to get his permission to dig. If
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they were really serious about it, they wouldn't need his permission, they'd get
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a warrant. Johnny. You don't believe mister Prean killed his wife, do
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you? At this moment? I have no reason to. Everyone knows what
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a kind and gentle person he is. What about missus Sprain, Helen?
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Well, I hate it why you care for him? I don't like that,
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all right? Sorry, He's a fine man, a gentleman. There
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aren't many left. No, I guess not. He called missus Preen extremely
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vain? Would you go along with that? Description was made for her?
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Supose something had happened to her that night. Suppose well, something that scarred
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had burned her face. What do you think she'd do if she lost her
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beauty? She'd kill herself, even if she threw away twenty five thousand dollars
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by doing it. I know about that policy, but even if it was
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doubled, she'd still do it. Why because she wouldn't have the nerve to
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face her friends friends. Ridgard Pree never had any friends. But that isn't
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what happened to her. What? I don't know, but I'm sure she's
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dead. Why why Helen john Johnny please tell me? Now, come on,
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I know you have a good reason for saying that. Now, let's
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have it. Why come over here? I put them away in this drawer.
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See what are they? Caps? What? Plastic dental caps? Actresses?
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Models wear them over their teeth to give a perfect appearance. Bridge wouldn't
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leave a bed room without them. Where did you get them? I found
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them on the floor of the garage two days after she disappears. Act two
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of yours truly, Johnny Dollar, In just a moment democracy, What does
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it mean to the farmer? How can democracy benefit the farmer better than any
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other form of government. These are easy questions to answer because the facts are
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there. Only in a democracy can the farmer get the most aid from his
15:33
government, own his own land, produce and equipment, and still are in
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a standard of living that is comparable to workers in the manufacturing industries. That's
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because the people in the democracy tell their elected representatives they want it that way.
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Government, subsidy, free enterprise, open markets, and the will to
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work and better himself enables the farmer in a democracy such as the United States
15:56
of America to produce one of the world those finest diets. Scientific agricultural advancement
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and democratic government are the reasons why this can happen. This is a part
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of democracy, But whether it functions in agriculture or some other form of endeavor,
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democracy gives mankind its finest legacy of freedom. Now act too, of
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yours truly, Johnny Dollar and the Mad Hatter matter well. And mister Prame's
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nurse gave me the sentimental cabs at bridgid Prene that used to beautify our teeth,
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and after telling me not to mention them twenty one, I drove back
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to my hotel in Los Angeles. Along the way, I racked my brain
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about whatever it was, something that had bothered me at Prene's home. Then,
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as I passed the new stand on the hotel lobby at hit me hard.
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I had been in almost every downstairs room of Prine's house, and not
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once had I seen a single picture of the beautiful and vain bridges in my
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room. I was about to call Prene and ask why when somebody began pounting
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on my door. Well, dollar, we seem to have had a hard
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time making connections, didn't we. I'm Steiner, Oh fine, just fine,
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and I think I've got our little case all showed up. That's all.
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Yep? Yeah, you mind if I rest no, I'll go right
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ahead, thank you. Yeah. See, we've been checking back on miss
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Preen's activities for the past few weeks, been making quite a few weekend trips.
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Ain't she? I wouldn't know. We figure she found herself a new
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man, a young man, and took off for parts unknown. What about
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her clothes? Why didn't she take them? She didn't want to take what
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old Preen had given her. She's too proud, a little too proud to
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be true. She had enough things paid for out of her own money to
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last so many years. Oh now, Dollar, you guys let your imagination
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run away with you. Now you look at this realistic. Here's a girl
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in her twenties married to a man who's content to sit home and wait for
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the golden cheeriot. And maybe she's content to sit there with him at first,
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buddy, at ain't normal she should for long? Yeah, you locate
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anyone who's seen hero ount with another man, No, try to. That's
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the thing that's still stuck in my crawl. Well, I don't think you
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will. Why not because she was smart, a smart woman if she had
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had a boyfriend, and I'm not disagreeing with you on that score. She
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was very discreet about it, mister Dollar. I'm not sure you were aware
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of it, but each time you mentioned missus Preen you referred to it in
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the past ten spy, Oh no, no, no, don't tell me.
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I fell for the oldest tricken. This is gone. Dollar, Stop
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playing games and answering. Oh you should talk about playing games, Steiner,
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all right, but I wanted to throw you off. Guy, Oh you
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did? You did? Why didn't you learn bird dogging around today? Dollar?
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Nothing, Steiner, nothing, really, You either let me have all
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the information you've received today or tonight you'll be on your way back to Hartford.
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Now, which is it? Okay? Okay? Crane's nurse, Missus
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Richards, found these on the four of the garage two days after Missus Prain
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disappeared. You know what they are? I suppose they don't have to be
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Missus Prime. Take a look at this chart, Dollar, We got it
19:07
from a dentist last week. Now look at the caps. Okay, what
19:15
are you gonna do? What do you think? Arrest Webster Prean for the
19:18
murder of his wife? I told Steyner he could never get an indictment.
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The teeth camps definitely belonged to Bridget, but they were found in her own
19:30
garage, and she could have dropped them anytime during that evening she came home
19:33
from Mary Yet and I reminded him of Preme's position in the community is money,
19:38
how well he was liked everything, hoping I could still stole him long
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enough for me to try something that They've been in the back of my mind
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since I left Hartford, I opened a copy of Playmate magazine the Bridges picture
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that I placed a long distance phone called in New York City. Were you
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ready? What you're called? Mister dollars? Okay, thank you operating?
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Hello. Oh, mister Howard, this is Johnny Donner, insurance investigator.
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Yes, don a client of ours has her picture in the current issue of
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your Playmate magazine. Oh yes, yes, lovely, lovely girls, mister
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Howard. Her name is Bridget Preme, ridgid Pre or Randall, Ridget Randall.
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Oh yes, yes, I know her very well. Where is she?
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We aren't sure yet, mister Howard. I've got to know when that
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picture was made and the address of the photographer who shot it. Have you
20:27
got that? Yeah? Yes, you just hold on and I remember now.
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I was surprised to see Bridget after all that talk about retire. Yeah,
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yeah, is here it is photographers is a new one. As far
20:38
as what's his name? Tracy Russell? Tracy address box one seven, got
20:45
it? Box one seven, Lake Arrowhead, California? What Lake Arrowhead?
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You want to know where that is? Yeah? Yeah, I do.
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It took me a little less than two hours to drive up to Lake Arrowhead.
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When I reached the village, I stopped in at the post office.
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Yes, sir, what can I do for you? When I'm looking for
21:11
an old friend of mine. He's got a place up here somewhere. And
21:12
what's his name? Tracy Russell? Tracy, Oh yeah, sure, A
21:17
nice little cabin on the lake, about a half a mile down toward the
21:18
left. You just follow the road, okay, thanks. Now, the
21:22
cabin just before you get to Russell's has a big mailbox out in front with
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the name prene On It got it green? Yeah, I sure have.
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I was there in five minutes. It was small, two rooms at the
21:45
most. A dog came from the direction of Preane's cabin to Parker men,
21:51
then went back into the woods again. Russell Tracy. Yeah. Who are
22:07
you? Name's Dollar Insurance Investigating. Yeah, I come in, Yeah,
22:14
yeah, come on, thanks call mister Dollar. What's this all about?
22:19
Richard Freme? Oh wait a minute, I'm n that's a very good picture
22:23
of her in Playmate. You tell her you sold it? Yes, I
22:27
did, when the day you decided to submit it, or after it was
22:33
sold and too late to stop publication, or not until some other photographers started
22:37
calling her home to see if she'd come out of retirement. I look,
22:38
mister dollar, I haven't done it in the row. I didn't say you
22:41
had I mean a dollar. All I did was take some pictures of her.
22:45
I didn't have any reason to kill her. Who said she was dead?
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All right, tell us sat down. I'll give you the whole story,
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at least all I know of it. Ahead bridget light modeling. She
23:07
liked it better than anything else, I guess. And when she found out
23:11
I was a photographer, Well, she was over here most of the time.
23:14
What about the day she disappeared. I'm getting to it. I'd needed
23:18
some money a few weeks before that. I needed it bad. I had
23:22
a run into the law in Texas a couple of years back. I have
23:25
been able to hold on a good job since going Well. I had this
23:29
one shot of her, and I knew it was right, so I sent
23:32
it in without her knowing about it. Why did she find out? Now?
23:34
Like you said, photographers called her house or husband? Answered one of
23:38
them. You ever meet her husband? Yeah? A couple of times when
23:41
he was up here. He knew you were a photographer. He's been trying
23:45
hard to get back at me for taking that shot of his wife. How
23:48
do you mean there's a dry well out in the back about twenty yards from
23:52
the fence line after he killed Bridget? Kill me? Yeah? Yeah,
24:03
because the next morning I was out with my dog and we found her face
24:07
down in the well. I guess she figured the sheriff would find her before.
24:11
I didn't figure I did it. How do I know you didn't?
24:15
If I had, I wouldn't have dropped her my own, well, would
24:17
I? Besides? Why, all right? She's still there? No,
24:26
and no. I took her out the same morning, and it's a good
24:30
thing I did to the sheriff. And some detectives from LA were up here
24:33
and nosing around the next day. Why would Prane want to kill her?
24:37
Tracy? All right? And I don't ask why Bridget was in love with
24:44
me night she went back to LA, she was going to tell him.
24:47
I guess that, on top of the picture was just too much one to
24:49
take. Dolly, you believe me, don't you? Why didn't you report
24:55
this to the sheriff. I've got a wreck ad dollar in Prene's got more
24:57
money than he knows what to do with the science. There's no proof of
25:02
what I've just said it'd be his word against mine, and you know who
25:06
would come out on top. Where's everybody now, we'll take it. Yeah,
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bring your camera, Camra have plenty of film. You don't ask me
25:19
why I trust him. I couldn't answer, except like he said, he
25:22
didn't have any reason for killing Bridget. He led me deep into the woods.
25:27
They were clearing him and there. Well, he'd done his best to
25:32
make her comfortable. We removed the rocks and Bridget was She was very dead.
25:40
Expense account at a four or five dollars and twenty cents. The sort
25:41
of phone calls there, I head Springs to Los Angeles. I've been helping
25:45
you call mister preen there. Yes, right now, he's with you.
25:48
Have you seen Steiner? Oh? Yes, he was here this afternoon.
25:51
He took mister Preene away with him, but in about an hour. Mister
25:53
preen I love Calen. You stay there, but keep out of his way.
25:56
Do you understand it, Johnny? Really, you're talking like he's a
25:59
criminal, just as I say, I'll be there as soon as I can.
26:07
After seeing that Russell Tracy was safe in the custody of Steiner, I
26:10
took the freeway out of the San Fernando Valley. There was a little lapter
26:12
nine thirty when I pulled another Preme driveway. The Porscheys were on and hell
26:17
an open door, Johnny, you look awful. You had dinner? Well,
26:22
let me fix yoursel? No please? What's Neandlo? Nothing important?
26:26
Where's mister Preme uptairs with his door? Kids? What do you mind if
26:30
I went not telling you? Go ahead? When your dinner's ready, I'll
26:33
call. Yeah, your thanks? Careful going on? Yeah, I remember,
26:42
mister. I didn't expect to see you back doing. Hello, mister
26:47
Freme, it is desperate again. I see take off your jackie, mister
26:52
dollar afraid I'm not going to stay long enough to bother. Well, now
26:56
that's too bad, beauty said, is this isn't doesn't seen? Mister lawer?
27:03
I disagree with you, sir. I think I have something here that's
27:08
every bit as beautiful as any flower in this hothouse. Over. I was
27:15
nice, sporting instance done, and also my curiosity. What have you here?
27:23
Oh no, oh, no, she was beautiful, wasn't she,
27:30
mister Prene. Yeah, she's very beautiful. Yeah, look at this picture
27:37
taken just a couple of hours ago. Yeah, what about this one.
27:41
What about a mister premier, What do you think of your handiwork proud of
27:45
what you've done, mister Preen, No no, please, no more?
27:53
Why did you do it? I had to, I had to thank everybody
28:04
else and then everything does. She was going and I couldn't let her.
28:14
Hi, I just couldn't let her go. Well, hunch eve been right
28:22
after he'd killed Bridget Green and not been able to face the many photographs of
28:26
her about the house or any pictures of Bridget As we were, one photograph
28:32
had caused it death, the others we took later what Bridget's husband away for
28:36
the few remaining years of his life. Expense account total including car rental,
28:41
hotelents and medals, and transportation back to Harford eight hundred and seventy dollars and
28:45
forty cents. Yours, truly, Shohnny Dollar. Now here is our star
29:00
to tell you about next week's story. Next week a fishing trip that could
29:04
be very pleasant, except that one of the fishermen is death. Join us,
29:11
won't you, yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Johnny Dollar has come to
29:34
you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces, Radio and Television
29:38
service Welcome Back. The story was written according to the Who is Johnny Dollar
31:03
Matter? By John Abbott, Volume two. This episode was written by Charles
31:10
Smith, and mister Smith really did seem to be influenced by Raymond Chandler.
31:17
The scene at the beginning with the orchids reminded me very much of the first
31:23
chapter of The Big Sleep, which also used the same device talking with a
31:32
neighbor near a cabin that the mad had her own. That kind of called
31:37
to mind Lady in the Lake. But that's probably a bit of a stretch
31:42
on my part. I have to confess overall a very solid episode, and
31:51
other than that, you did have an idea by the title as to who
31:55
did it, though only an idea. I will never forget the episode of
32:00
Neural Wolf that was entitled The Malevolent Medic, which implied that the doctor and
32:07
the story did it, and it turned out he was completely uninvolved, though
32:09
I suppose there could have been some other interpretation. Listener Alan I ask that
32:15
he was listening to episode twelve forty one Murder last week. This morning,
32:20
Philip Marlow is played by Dick Powell. I've been thinking it was William Palell,
32:23
so maybe they sound similar to each other. Same thing with Richard Dimond,
32:29
private detective. There's a little confusion. I had that at first because
32:34
you had two great actors in the Golden Age, both of whom were named
32:38
Powell. But yeah, I think they're very different actors and a little bit
32:45
of part in terms of their prime eras in dramatic roles. It's an easy
32:53
mistake to make. All right, Well, join us back here next Saturday,
33:00
or Saturday for police headquarters next Friday. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
33:05
In the meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net.
33:08
But from Boiseidaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off