Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Woodward Manilla Matter (EP0877)

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Woodward Manilla Matter (EP0877) · 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, email it
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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. Today's episode is brought to you by the financial support of
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our wonderful listeners. Thanks so much for all your support. Here now is
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today's episode of Yours True Leave Johnny Dollar, the Woodward Manila manner. Well,
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y'all listening, enjoyment, John lund As Johnny Dollar, Rob waiting again,
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Johnny, I'm glad I caught you before you left. There's almost two
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hours before my plane leaves. What's on your mind? Not the cable came
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in from Manila just now. I'm out taking them the burg Louise roughly seventy
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five thousand dollars. That's dollars and not passions dollars. And they mentioned that
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a clerk has dropped out of side. Oh a Native An American name is
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Blake, Daniel Blake. Blake. All right, that's all so far.
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What's your hotel of Manilla? Do you know yet? Yeah, the hotel
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condo. Condo. Good I'll get working there by learning anything you can use.
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Good luck on the trip, all right, Phillis kared to joined me
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in a quick look at the past. Okay, here goes back. Around
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eighteen ninety, Charles Dudley Warner, who was editor of the Hartford Current,
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wrote in an editorial, everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything
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about it. Well, maybe no one did at eighteen ninety, but someone
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definitely has since then. Our United States weatherman, he's quite a busy gentleman
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who works for the Department of Commerce. His job is who reads thermometers,
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barometers, anemometers, and other assorted meters which forecast weather conditions so the rest
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of us will know what to plan or what not to plan, like hanging
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out the water going to a baseball game. Information about weather conditions is also
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given to aircraft pilots and ship captain. Though they can plan their flights or
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cruises accordingly. Of course, they need more than just weather data, and
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the Commerce Department gives them what they need. For the pilot, the department
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issues aviation charts and maps and sees to it that air markers are laid out
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so that the pilots can find their way easily and safely. For the ship
3:10
captain, the Commerce Department issues nautical charts and tide tables to indicate when and
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where it will be safe to navigate their ships. The department also inspects the
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ships to see that they're in perfect operating conditions and issues licenses for the operating
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of the ships. So the next time you look up at the sky and
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wonder what kind of a day it's going to be, the thought might also
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cross your mind that many lives and valuable cargo carried by American planes and ships
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are depending on the United States weatherman who is also looking at the sky.
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Expense accounts committed by a special investigator, Johnny Dollar to Home Office Columbia,
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a risk insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut. The following is an accounting of
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expenditures during my investigation of the Woodward Manila matter. Expense to count at one
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eleven hundred and eighty eight dollars and seventy five cents. Air affair and interdeals
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between Hartford and Manillam American Black number one all three. Will you book the
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sec Office? I think you up I'm intelling Bunn American Night number one,
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all three. Will you go to the ticket office? Yes, sir,
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my name is Dollar. I was being paid. Oh yes, yes,
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the gentlemen are waiting for you. This is mister Dollar, says, Oh
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yes, I'm Floyd McDonald, mister Dollar, local manager for the Woodward company.
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Oh are you? And this is Irving Morgan, my assistant, mister
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Morgan. That mature to have your luck at sim On the Girl Hotel.
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If you'd like to do it that way and Irving Night, I can guide
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you right in. Oh fine, it's very nice of you. Well,
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I know how it is. I don't want to bother with detail that for
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a long flight like that. If you will give me your luggage checks,
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Oh oh yeah, I have might here, thank you, that's all I
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think. The cars right outside. We can give you the details of the
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burglar around the way in. McDonald told me very little that I didn't already
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know the story. Manage, one of Manilla's largest hardware stores, was part
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of the American owned Woodward chain. He discovered the loss of the seventy five
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thousand dollars himself on Monday morning when he'd entered his office and found it safe
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open. That's really feel very badly about it. But everything that can be
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done is being done. Oh. I don't know who the main office is
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blaming on, but I think you'll find that Floyd and I or anything with
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careless only got five years without a loss behind to prove that were you in
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the habit of keeping that much money in your office safe? Well, it
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wasn't my idea, not to my liking. It was because of a company
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rule. They were worried about conditions on the set of specific and ordered us
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to stop thanking our cash here. Instead of the usual yearly transfer, our
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money has been going to the States once a month. I didn't say much
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this. Then what about this clerk, Dan Blake. We don't get me
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started on him. Now now there's nothing food yet? I was it going
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to take open your eyes? Lloyd? We don't agree. I'm just want
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to think about Dan, mister Dollar. In spite of the second dances,
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I find it almost impossible to believe that Dan would do this to me,
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or could he have done it? Of course they could. He had access
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to the office. He yes, that's true. But I can't forget that
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he was a very good friend of mine. He was like a son to
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me. Was he in any trouble that you know of? Owe any money?
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I hadn't heard of anything. He's gone out of sight four days now.
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What kind of a search has to make for him? I understand the
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police have been working very hard. They expect time as the chief suspect too.
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But you got to realize that the Philippines aren't like the stage dollar.
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It's not hard to drop out of side here. It's a big world.
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Yeah, I know, I just watched a lot of it pass by.
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Well. As soon as my luggage arrives and I can get into a fresh
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tuno, contact the police and see what they've got. Expensive count atom two
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three fifty including tips, A picture of gimlets delivered to my room. While
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I waited for my baggage to arrive, I relaxed in front of a window.
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My hotel was two blocks backs from Manilla's Great Bay, in a section
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called El Puerto, and from my room I could see enough of the arience
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in the native craft working in the harbor to give even a hardware store a
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burglary an atmosphere of intrigue. Expensive count atom three eighty cents cab fare to
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police headquarters, but I was shut it into a side office to wait for
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the sergeant in charge of the cakes. He finally showed up. Judge,
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is malvad you wait for me? Yes, my name is Dollar. I
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know you've come to talk of my burglary. You're a flickman. No,
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that's quite I've been hired by an insurance company to learn what I can about
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it. Have you got any place with you to search for them? Blake,
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Dan Blake, No, I don't look for him now, you don't.
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No, I have captured the teeth. Oh, oh, who is
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it? You've recovered the money? He will not to say where it is
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yet, but he will say tomorrow maybe, or whatever is Do you have
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darget? You cannot say where he was that the night of the burglary?
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Is that all? He is? By profession? A t It was arrested
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while he was rubbing another store that night? Uh huh? Does he speak
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English? So? Yeah? I wonder if I could see him, maybe
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I could get him to talk. All right, you'll come with me,
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Yeah, don't stay long, only five minutes. That's good enough. Maguel?
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Who you? Why do you come here? How old are you?
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Miguel? Where do you work? No work? I get hurt in?
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No bombing? No work. Do you have any children? See who daughter?
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Where do they work? Does either one work at the Woodward hardware store?
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Work in printing? Both work in Printon? Dogs of mouth virus?
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Does that you stole some money from the Woodward Stone? You make it easier
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for yourself if you tell the truth, can give up the money. I
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don't got money. If I got money, then why I feel five pacos
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from a place? Why you tell police? Whine? If I got lots
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of money, why I feel a little more? Why because I don't got
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lots of money. Well that's good enough for me. Make well, sorry
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I took up your times. You don't stay alone. I think he wants
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to sleep, and what would he say to you? But he didn't do
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it. And if he has, you wouldn't have caught him feeling five pacos
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because he wouldn't have needed it. He need a kick in the head.
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But he's like, do you have any connection between him and the Woodward place?
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He tell you he got two daughters in pison, Yeah it is he
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lied. They come out, but they don't go back to him because he
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steens their money. Oh, the daughters have connection with Woodward connections. If
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we in this's connection with friend one on night tomorrow, maybe I had an
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idea Sergeant Malvar's philosophy, reason that it was a lot easier to grill the
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prisoner than I would be to continue in the search for Blake. But I
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left him to his own devices and cab to the Woodward store. I was
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told that either Floyd McDonald nor Morgan were in, but that a secretary would
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help me. Oh, how do you do, mister dollar? I knew
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that you were coming out. My name is Searotte Page, Floyd McDonald's uncle.
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He had to go out to AIRMDA. But can I help him?
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Well? I wanted to look at the office to find out where the safe
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was. Oh, I can show you, mister Dollar. I know you've
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been here only a little harder. But have you learned anything? Well,
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not much, but all of it looked bad for Dan Blake. I believe
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I can't believe that Dan would do with him right there? How well did
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you know him? The definitely not well at all. If he's still the
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money with the same made and found something in common working here together. I've
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had dinner with an occasion in going to the beach. Do you know if
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he was in any kind of trouble best or anything? Well? No,
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I thought he was very happy and something here seemed to be. Where does
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this face? Oh he's under the rud in the desk. He had to
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lift the corner of the run. He knew where it was. Oh,
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yes, everybody trusted him. It's been here for years. Did he know
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the combination? I don't think so. Uncle's Floyd handled the cash. Could
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he have memorized it? I don't know that either. If I can give
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him this thought, oh, I guess we can put the rug back.
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I forgot to get his address from the police. Do you happen to know
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what it is? Well, I've forgotten. It's done some Pollocks. Well
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I can find it on the payroll. Be right here. Too easy to
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find him, there, wouldn't it, mister dollar? Yeah? Much too
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easy? Well I might pick up a crumber too. Oh here it is
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three oh seven some Pollock Street three or seven, Thanks Thomas to McDonald,
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I was here, would you please and that I'll be in touch tomorrow.
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There was a fair biography of Dan Blake in his room. I learned that
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he was born into Luce, Minnesota, twenty six years ago that his father
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wrote him occasionally that he'd sailed with the Merchant Marine during the war and had
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made a few inner island trips. After that, I made a list of
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the places he'd visited, but that was all I could do for that day.
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It wasn't until the next morning when I went to police headquarters and waited
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again for sergeant's malbars. Oh you come, buffy in, We do very
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good without your help. Well, pardon me, I don't want to butt
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in. I just wondered if you knew that Dan Blake spent a lot of
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time learning these islands all Did you know that he spent some time in San
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Jose. I'm Mindoro, and I'm Marin Duquet, and in Polo I'm lazy.
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He need not know. I might pay you to check those places.
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They're more too, from here clear down to Minnan. Now he's finished.
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What do you mean, dum Blake has been found. It was a drifting
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he dog out in Tayabas day, it was taken aboard the ship and then
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he died. Killed him. It was shocked many times. Or what about
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the money? There's not been found, not yet yeah, sure, but
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maybe tomorrow. You know, many great men have attained the highest office in
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our land, the presidency of the United States. Can you guess the name
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of this man? As a boy, his general health was bad, but
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as a man he was a dynamo of energy. He was only forty two
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when he became president, the youngest man ever to hold that position. His
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administration was a fairly untroubled one. There was still no income tax, other
14:58
taxes were comparatively low, and the United States was an a peaceful era.
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Conservation of our natural resources was one of his greatest concerns as president, and
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in nineteen hundred two he signed a bill putting the Reclamation Act into action.
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If you don't have his name by now, here's one more important clue.
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During his administration, work was begun on the Panama Canal. Who was he?
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Theodoros? Though? What? He's sixth President of the United States.
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His life is part of your American heritage. And now with our star John
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Lund, we bring you the second act of your kule Johnny Dollar. Gargeant
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Malvar Manilla Police was again taking his inimitable approach to a subjet, believing what
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he wanted to believe. When I asked him how he knew the body was
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better Van Blake, He told me the ship captain who had picked him up
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said so, And how did he know from the man had mentioned the name
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before he died? That was all, and it wasn't enough for me.
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I put in a call for Floyd McDonald, the Woodward company managers, and
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asked him to meet me at police headquarters for identification. Went to this travelp
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Dollar And why I wasn't I notified? Nobody was notified? Miss McDonald's sergeant
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Malvar was playing it close to his chest. Where is the sergeant Malvar?
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He didn't tell me where he was going. He left word that we could
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look at the body, and then left. My name is Dollar, corprom
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you go eat? Thanks. I know this is unpleasant, but we have
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to find out. Is it Dan Blake? Yes? Get good stand cover
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your mom? Please? Where did they find in? In a dugout canoe?
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Someplace called tie about Bay? I think, yes, tie about Bay?
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Something here? Who found me? A man by the name of Covid.
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He's the captain of an Inner Island schooner. Could we leave here?
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Sure? What's happened? Do you know? Well? That first time he's
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been shot in the back four times. He was alive for a short time
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after Captain Colvid I picked him up, and the money hasn't been found.
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I see then, there's no explanation here. I don't know that I know
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of. The schooner is anchored off shore just south of the Pasig River.
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You know where that is? Yes, you're going out to the ship.
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Yeah, I'd like to talk to this covid. I guess I can hire
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a boat to take me out there. Well, I'll drive you down to
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the docks. As a matter of fact, I'd like to go with you.
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Oh, it's a good idea. If you have the time, I'll
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take the time. That's my car there. Have I seen the boast?
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The seen him? Does? That's the name? Yeah? That's it?
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Give her kip her that's the one there. See Now, it's a little
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precious for a wreck like that, is it? Some are even worse.
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I don't know how they're tail afloat. There's somebody on deck. Where do
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you want are you? Captain Cova? That's right, I want to talk
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to you about that body you brought in. Give the police now, this
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man is mister mcdonaldy Dan Blake worked for him. Hey, cover, get
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a line on the shore hold. Okay, come on the board. Hop
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at the ladder, man, watch it gets by the pitch today. My
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name is Darba Captain. I'm working on the burglary for an insurance company.
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Come on the captain. I'd like to learn about that burglary. All that
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police didn't tell me is that I got the money, and I bet I
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give it to him, and it'll take something doing, and I'll take the
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chairs. You do, I'll take the bunk. Nah, what about all
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this? Well, I was a little over seventy five thousand dollars listening.
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He didn't have anything. When I picked him up. He was in a
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dugout canoe I'm not trying. Looked like a Moro craft to me. Oh,
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I see what you mean, man, it was empty. I looked
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it over. How long did he live? Fifteen twenty minutes? Maybe not
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that long. I don't think taking him aboard in any good. But I
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didn't know the shapey with him? Did he say anything about the shooting?
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Nothing? I could understand. What did he say? I told you I
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couldn't understand, just annoying, But you were able to understand his name.
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You were beginning to sound like that police sergeant. Miss here, I don't
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like that. I thought I was doing right when I brought that boy.
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Wait a minute, Spata and we sho had left him there? Police right
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now getting papers to fetch my ship. Now, you, sir, I'm
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not making any accusations. You were the last person to see him alive.
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I'm interested in what he said. He said, Blake, Blake, that's
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all I could understand. I tell you the truth. I always had left
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him there. But you know, when I what if he went from Manila
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to some place on tire Bus Bay where he had his jugout, plenty could
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happen. That's about sixty miles. It's still a lot of tuble at the
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huts. These ads, they don't think twice. When I get the chance
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to kill an American seventy five thousand dollars, so much for better. What
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do you think, miss McDonald's, well, certainly a possibility. I didn't
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bother questioning. It's true. I knew the Sergeant Malvar, if he hadn't
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already, would take care of that when he returned to search the schooner.
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I spent the rest of the morning in part of the afternoon and routine leg
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work on the case, and at four o'clock I got the sergeant's report.
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He hadn't found the money. However, my leg work had uncovered an interesting
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point. Floyd McDonald was up to his neck in personal debts. I didn't
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think the point, so I waited it until his assistant, Irving Morgan,
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had gotten to his home. Think with Morgan, Oh, hello, I've
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been thinking about you. The money in thanks. How's it going? Oh?
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It's hard to tell him? What I hear? That money is gone
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for good? Did McDonald tell you that? Yeah? Isn't that right?
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Maybe? But it's occurred to me that these hucks could be pretty handy people
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to have around. I don't get you. I want a killing outside the
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city can't be explained any other ways. It's marked off to the Hucks.
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You don't think they shot Blake? Well, I'm not as sure of it
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as everybody else seems to be. But just what do you mean, mister
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dollar? How much did you know about McDonald's personal life? Why I see
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him socially, If that's what you mean, we're good friends? Does he
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owe you any money? That seems to me that's the very personal question,
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And I have to ask that kind once in a while. I've learned that
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McDonald owes a lot of money to a lot of people, A thousand here,
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fifteen hundred there, lone gambling that he'd be ruined if this became common
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knowledge, mister dollar, he'd lose his position everything. How far do you
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think McDonald would go to save himself? Are you telling me you think Floyd
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arranged this set I had something to think about and killed Blake. Oh no,
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no he didn't. You're sure why he couldn't. But he's not that
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kind of man. He's desperate yet, but he'd never do a thing like
23:26
that. But he'd be at home now, No, I don't think so.
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It's only only seven. He usually has dinner at the club. What
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club for the merchants, club for mister Dollard. Don't question him down there.
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Wait till he gets home, all right? And I can count on
23:41
you not to tell him I'm waiting for him. He certainly can. I
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want to stay as far away from this as possible. An hour and a
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half later, a cab dropped me in front of Floyd McDonald's home. The
23:56
residents at least was a picture of propriety. I followed the sidewalks across the
24:02
neatly hedged lawn and half a day to the house. I stopped to watch
24:06
a man come out the front door. Wow, Captain Cova Who what do
24:15
you want? What are you doing here? Forget it? Oh? I
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can't. What's your part in this? Cover my mind? Forget? You
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saw me come here? Coldback? Get off? Oh? How are you?
24:52
Wow? I didn't expect this, do you who live here? I
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came to talk to your uncle? Is he here? And Captain Covid I
25:02
was with you. Yes, Captain Covid would rist me here hurt? What
25:10
did he do to you? He hit me? Why? Because he's insane?
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He thought he had to hit me. He wanted the money, and
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I gave it to him. You gave him the money, all of it,
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ever opinion, I didn't want it anymore. I found what I mean.
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You were holding the money for Dan Blake, for us. We looked
25:26
together. Covid ndered from Dan before he died. Yes, Dan hit calling
25:32
for me when he was dying, and Captain Covid thought he was blackmailing me.
25:34
I thought I gave him the money to keep him quiet, But I
25:37
didn't Dad and I tried to get away from this place and rid of our
25:41
own We tried, and I don't care what happens to me. Where is
25:49
the telephone? Do that? But you don't have to. I'm got the
25:52
police by myself. I just wanted to wait until Uncle Floyd at home.
25:56
I'm not worried about your personal problem, Charlotte, that's not my job.
26:00
Cove on that seventy five thousand dollars is all I want. I tried not
26:10
to waste a minute, but time slipped by fifteen minutes on the phone,
26:12
twenty five minutes to get back into another. But when Sergeant's mouth her finally
26:18
arrived at the Harvard Police tact I both was ready for him. I cannot
26:22
squish as I can he ship. He's not a tank. I checked it.
26:26
He moved out about twenty minutes ago. We're going in some of police
26:30
cos he's not nice. But if we don't find him, but he don't
26:37
get out his day, what's what if he got right now waiting? She
26:42
wants accomplished, so she held the money so if he was picked up,
26:45
you couldn't prove possession. She was going to meet him later. Yeah,
26:48
who shook him. That's what Kovac told him. Oh, but they don't
26:53
kill them, but that the police doctors. He said, Bollege don't kill
26:59
black chalk today, call I kill him to learn click I think we can
27:03
prove that Cargan and we got any more speed out of the thing. The
27:11
twenty minute start isn't much when a schooner with auxiliary power is matched against the
27:17
police vote. With our speeds and the beams from poor starch lights fanning out
27:21
around us, we covered every possible course that Cob could have set. It
27:25
took us last on thirty minutes. Why s yeah, there's ship, you
27:30
know, he said, each man we are so. He didn't want us
27:34
to let the lens. We fay any st that's plowing him down. He
27:44
starts me, that's man when I searched the ship. Now cousin, nobody
27:48
hip put such. Why stops fully, Clicky said one of I'd like,
28:00
he's getty, but keep them get away. We're moving sightner and going for
28:06
Como couplet Hal He's shouting something everything cover let her, let's come all come,
28:18
can't stop for he's gonna be top started havident swave off expense account ATOM
28:45
for two hundred and thirty dollars blanket item covering hotel transportation, et cetera.
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Item five same as item one expense a count total twenty six hundred and eleven
28:55
dollars and eighty cents. Here's truly Johnny dollars. Welcome back. Well,
29:18
if you've been listening to the show for quite a while, you will note
29:22
that this was actually a originally in Edmund O'Brien's script. It was originally broadcast
29:30
in November of nineteen fifty This episode was broadcast June twenty nine, nineteen fifty
29:38
four. We had a missing episode in the Arthur Baldrick matter which aired between
29:45
last week's episode and this one definitely had the earmarks of those Edmund O'Brien's scripts,
29:55
which tended to almost come out of nowhere with the solution which sometimes felt
30:00
like they were trying to be like they were trying to be very clever,
30:07
but didn't necessarily work out that way. And for our purposes, this the
30:12
Edmund O'Brien episode. Actually we played that back in January twenty eleven, so
30:21
it's been a couple of years since we even played it. All right,
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well, that we'll do it for today. We'll be back tomorrow with the
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lineup, and join us next Friday for another episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dowler
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in the meantimes and your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives, not net,
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follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and be sure and rate the
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show on iTunes. Iannah, this is your host, Adam Grahamson and off