Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Shady Lane Matter, Part Five, and Bella Donna Was Poison (EP1117)

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Shady Lane Matter, Part Five, and Bella Donna Was Poison (EP1117) · 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, please email
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it to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, Follow us on Twitter
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at Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot
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com slash Radio Detectives. Well, before we get started, I want to
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say today's episodes brought to you by the financial support of our list listeners,
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and I want to specifically thank Michael for support. Will soon access to the
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premium sign as we do with all our nations of seven dollars more. Well,
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now it's time for today's episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, and coming
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up after that, we continue on with Bella Donna was Poison. But now
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the conclusion of the Shady Lane matter from Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny
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Dellen. Good morning, mister Dolla. I do hope I didn't weake you
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up. I was already up, missus, preenie, missus pretty How did
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you know I recognized your voice? What can I do for you? Well,
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I know you'll think me terribly forward, but I have to see you,
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mister Dolla right away. All right, I'm in room twenty two.
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Come on up. Oh good heavens, I couldn't possibly do that. After
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all, you're a man and i'm and you're a woman. Missus Preeney.
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I'm sure you haven't come into town this morning to play foot sea. So
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it's both relax and forget about the fact that this is a small town,
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mister Dollar. And you know how people talk here, Yeah, I know.
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And what are they talking about this morning? Well, the murder,
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I suppose. And mister Dolla, I've got to see you right away.
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I've done a horrible thing and I'm ready to confess tonight and every weekday night.
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Bob Bailey in the transcribed Adventures of the Man with the Action packed Expencer
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Count America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. From Special
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Investigator Johnny Dollar, location Shady Lane for months to the home office Star Mutual
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Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut, assignment the Shady Lane matter, expencer Count
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continued. Item ten fifty five cents A cup of coffee for myself and a
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pot of tea for missus Sarah Preney. She considered the hotel lunch room,
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an innocent enough place, and I met her there five minutes after she phoned
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my room. It was missus Preeney who brought me into the case by writing
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the anonymous letter to the insurance company. Ellen Bates, a farm wife with
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no known enemies, had been shot to death. Missus Preeney, her best
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friend, had implied in a letter that Ellen's own husband, Ben, was
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guilty, and I was inclined to agree with her. Ben was the beneficiary
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of Ellen's ten thousand dollars life insurance policy. There seemed to be no other
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motive unless Missus Preeney was about to confess one. She didn't do it,
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mister Bella, who didn't do what? That girl she didn't want on the
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teapot, but two cents, I'd send it back and make her do it
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right. Well, I'm a little pressed for time, Missus parb I'm not
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going to do it. Really. I just said that I wouldn't want to
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attract attention under the circumstance. You mean, the fact that I'm a man
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and you're a woman, and apparently the twain had an automy meeting in Shady
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Lane. At least, well, people will talk, you know, And
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I didn't want Martin to know why not. Well, then he'd want to
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know why. Of course i'd have to tell him. And well, well,
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as a matter of fact, Missus Preeney, I'd kind of like to
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know why. Well, it's oh, this isn't easy for me to say,
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you know, well, let's have a tryad in anyway, it's about
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that letter that I wrote to the insurance company that I didn't sign my name
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to. Yes, it was a terrible thing to do, just terrible in
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what way? Why those things I said about Ben, mister Bates, I
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mean, insinuating he might have had something to do with Ellen's death, her
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murder. I mean, you made some fairly definite statements, Missus Preeney.
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They weren't true, mister Dalla, But I'm telling you the truth now.
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I know Ben didn't have anything to do with Ellen's death, Missus Preeney.
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There was some other things you implied to me too, you know, Yes,
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about him and Aunt Millie Wells that works at the Shady Lane Cafe.
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I said they were carrying on before Ellen was killed. I made that up
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just to hit out at him. Why. I don't know, really,
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Ellen was wonderful and I just loved her, But sometimes I'd get to thinking
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that, not that my Martin isn't a fine man. You understand steady,
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reliable. You know you've met him. Oh, yes, i'd say your
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husband is quite steady and reliable. I didn't want you to think that I
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was saying anything against him. But life on a farm isn't easy for a
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woman at the best, mister Duller. Sometimes she gets silly notions. I
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guess what sort of notions. Oh, a woman's human. She wants a
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little warmth understanding, that's all, nothing more. You understand what I'm saying,
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Yes, I think I do. But then beats Well, he didn't
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even look at me, didn't see me. That's all I wanted, just
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for him to look at me. But he didn't do it, mister Dolla,
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not even once I left her sitting there in the stark, bare wooden
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booth in the lunch room, sipping her prim cup of cold tea and trying
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to hide a red faced confusion behind the shreds of decent dignity. Constable Bramler
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was right. Scratched the surface of shady lane anywhere, and you found a
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human passion just beneath the skin. Good morning costs alone ah money and mister
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Dolla sleep wear. So so Hal's gurdiucks serviously back Daddy sl He admits stealing
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that squirrel gun from Ben Bates mental the week before Allan was shot, and
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claims he sold it to Martin Preney the week after the murder. Yeah so,
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by his own admission, the gun was in Grody's possession the day of
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the killing, but Grody claims the gun is rusty and hasn't been fired in
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years. Yeah, whether it's rusty or not, Rody didn't kill nobody.
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Have you been out to the Preni farm yet to pick up the gun?
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Nope? Figured you might like to do that yourself. You can use my
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car if you want, to cost you another three dollars. Though, How
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did you make a living before I came along? Wasn't easy? Traffic tickets
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mostly new Turnpike's going to stop all that though, misses the town complete along
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with ben Bates farm. Huh, Yeah, too bad. He didn't stick
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to the original survey. Made that place of his worth something maybe, and
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I might have saved his wife's life. Still beating that dead horse, eh
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oh. Ben Bates was up against the wall a worthless farm mortgage for seventy
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five hundred dollars to Martin Preeney, a strong sense of moral obligation to pay
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it off, an invalid wife who would never get well with a ten thousand
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dollars policy on her life murder aindi in Ben's nature? I told you,
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then, whose nature isn't in? Missus preenies. Maybe she came to see
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me at the hotel a little while ago, you don't say so. She
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wanted to explain why she lied about Ben eh Reckon was because he wouldn't pay
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no attention to her? Who told you? Who figured it out? Beck?
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And Martin ain't too easy a man for women to live with, too
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straight lace, tight tisted, and Ben right next door that way, fine
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looking young fella, her running in all the time, taking things to Ellen,
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bound to want to be noticed. Yeah, it's the nature of a
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woman. What about Ellen, mister Bremnler, she was your niece. What
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was her nature? Ain't so easy to figure your own kin, mister dollar
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Reckon. Twas just her nature to be a victim, kind of I drove
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slowly through the early morning countryside, lush and green, still moist from the
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Nightdo were not yet touched by the heat of day. Farm after farm,
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snug and smug and safe. But Ellen Bates, a woman who never harmed
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anyone in her life, had lived on such a farm. Yet a bullet
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had crashed through the window and found her. I left the car parked in
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the yard and walked on up to the porch. The door opened before I
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had a chance to Oh, good morning, missus Breeney. You surprise me,
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mister Dona. Is your husband at home? Yes, he's in there
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working on his account. I was just going to take some strawberry preserves to
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missus Fresher up the road. She hasn't been feeling too well. Sorry to
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hear it. You're you're not going to say anything to Martin about it?
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Well, you know what about I wouldn't think of it, missus s Breeney,
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thank you. I have to take these preserves to missus Thresher. You
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just go right on in, mister Dollah, Yes, thanks, Preenie in
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here, come on in. Sorry to bother you this early in the morning.
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Oh, mister Dolla, just finishing my accounts for the fiscal year.
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What can I do for you, sir? Well, unless I've been misinformed,
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you bought an old squirrel gun from Grody Hawkins a while back. That's
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right, it's hanging me over the fireplace. Buy a bag. And unless
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he still did someplace, as a matter of fact, he did from your
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neighbor, Ben Bates, then I'm out the price. Take it over to
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Ben this afternoon. Mind if I take a look at the gun, mister
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Preeney, I'm trying to check up on Grody's story. No, no,
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go right ahead. I just finished this total while you're at it, then
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would have time for a chat. He went back to the ledges on the
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table in front of him, and I reached up and took down the rifle
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down from its hooks above the mantle. Grody had told the truth. There
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was rust in the barrel and breech. The gun hadn't been cleaned nor fired
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in a long time. The hooks over the fireplace were old and rusted too,
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They'd been there for years. And suddenly I knew mind what you were
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after, mister Dolla. I found more than I was after. I found
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out who killed Alan Bates. Grody Hawkins. No, no, not Grody,
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and not Ben Bates, even though he is named his beneficiary of that
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ten thousand dollars insurance policy. What do you mean it was somebody who stood
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to profit even more than Ben did in that ten thousand dollars woo, somebody
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who made a seventy five hundred dollars loan out of kindness. That Alan should
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have tipped me off, mister Preeney, As Jed Bramler says, it wasn't
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in your nature my nature. But of course it wasn't kindness. At the
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time, it was good business because a turnpike was planned that would make the
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farm worth double alone. But the road fell through. When you were stuck
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with a worthless farm unless Ben could get money to pay you. I imagine
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that's when you started thinking about murder. Are you accusing me of murdered?
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Mister Dolla? Those hooks over the mattle have been there a long time.
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Where's the rifle that hung there before you bought this one from Grody Hawkins?
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There might not have been one the neighbors will remember. Let me just put
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down this planet total. Yeah. I had a good year last year,
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very good year. I doubt it's going to be that good this year,
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he gets, mister Dolla, it's like farming take risks on drought, frost
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insects. Sometimes you make a mistake and lose. I knew i'd made a
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mistake the second I pulled that trigger. After that, it is just a
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matter of time. The gun is buried out behind the barn. I'll get
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my hat Adam twelve ninety four dollars and thirty five cents inc An nettles and
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shady Lane and transportation back to Hartford expense account total one hundred and eighty six
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dollars and sixty cents. Yours, truly, Johnny Dollar. Now here's our
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star to tell you about next week's intriguing story. Next week. A diamond,
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a huge one, the star of Cape Town, a piece of ice
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that should have been kept on ice? Join us, won't you? Yours
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truly, Johnny Dollar? Yours truly? Johnny Dollar is starring Bob Bailey,
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is transcribed in Hollywood. It is written by Les Crutchfield and produced and directed
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by Jack Johnstone. Heard in this week's cast were Jeanette Nolan, Forrest Lewis,
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Shirley Mitchell, will Right, Bert Holland, and John Dayner. Musical
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supervision by A. Marigo Marino and Carl Fortina. Be sure to join us
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on Monday night, same time in station for another exciting story of yours truly
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Johnny Dollar, Roy Rowan speaking welcome back. As I said before, this
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is one of my absolute favorite episodes. I just love the way it turns
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out. It's a very satisfying payoff and clearly even of course, without noticing
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the hook on the wall listeners, we probably should have known who did it
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just by following the good Constable's methods, and we're glad to go ahead and
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play this and salute to Shirley Mitchell. We'll return to our regular order of
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programming, so we'll go back and listen to the Matter of Reasonable Doubt next
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week. Now we turn to Carter Brown and Part three of Belladonna was Poison
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Arthur Brown Mystery Adventures and Excitement and Suspense, based on the best selling novels
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by the slick storytelling sensation Brown. It was a great idea of mine to
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do an impromptu show devoted to the death of Hannah Vogue the next TV presentation
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of There's No Future and Murder. But there'd be no future in TV for
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me if I didn't reveal the murderer on that show because for a million viewers,
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I wasn't rock Stone, the actor. I was Inspector rock Stone,
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the infallible cop who had been put on the spot by a real life cop,
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Inspector Jake's of homicide. What are you doing here, Stall, I'm
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a busy man. Oh I know that, Inspector, but I thought since
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you gave that tale to the papers about me solving the murder, you might
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tell me how things were going. I see nobody could have taken that seriously
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about you having a hot lead. Why not? You're still alive so as
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the murderer. Unless you've arrested it, it's only a matter of time.
18:07
Did you find out how the corps got into Lacey's window? Window were set
18:11
up the night before The window dresses left at nine pm, so wherever substitute
18:15
of the corpse the dummy must have done it. After that, two night
18:19
watchmen claim they heard nothing. One of the metal blinds closing off aloading dark
18:23
at the back of the building shows signs of having been forced, and they
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see. Why did you find out about Hannah Vogue? She was an actress
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and she'd been in miss Town about six months. He hadn't had any work
18:33
since she got here. I don't know how she kept that apartment? No
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hot lead, huh No? Why do you know something? Me, Inspector,
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I'm just a TV cup. How could I know anything? In speaking
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of TV about being in the studio for our next show? Me? Why
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what? We're doing the murder on the next program and we'd like you to
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be there. He works behind us. Why do you walk to a store?
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Nothing, Inspector, just trying to carry out the promise you made to
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the newspaper. Is in my name and all if you know anything it sure,
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dude, you don't follow a point, no one shall, Inspector.
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But I don't want to make you look a lie at the general public.
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R Will you tell the press boys that I would solve the murder? And
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that's what I'm trying to do, So long, Inspector see on the studio.
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I think it's the most ridiculous idea I ever heard. I wouldn't allow
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it for one moment to commercialize murder. It can't. But mister Lacy,
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crazy preposterous idea. I won't hear another word about it. I'm sorry you
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feel that way, mister Lacy. That that means I'll have to scrap the
19:36
idea of you introducing the show, well, of me introduce it. Well,
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that's what I had in mind. I naturally figured that you, as
19:44
a sponsor, would open the program. You wanted me to appear on the
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show, sure with a statement to our audience about how you sed to four
19:51
square for justice and how this program would bring a murderer to justice. Oh
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no, no, no, wait a minute. I hadn't thought of it
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quite like that before. That puts a different complexion on it, Oh does
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it, mister Lacy. Of course, this whole thing will have to be
20:03
properly organized. We can't afford any slip ups. That's right, sir.
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All right, get onto a stone, of course, mister Lacy. Just
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one other thing. We'd like your manager, mister Sheep, to come along
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too. All right, don't say him me more about it, but thank
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you. You know, there's one thing that had me wondering about mister Sheep.
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If he can't sleep at night, what does he count people? When
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I left Lacey's apartment store, I thought I would have a few words with
20:33
Sam Long about the form the presentation or to take. He wasn't to be
20:37
seen at Harry's boss, so I headed for his apartment I've never been there
20:41
before. Man, it was a shabby looking building. I'm surprised Sam was
20:45
making money he could afford something better than that. There's no answer when I
20:56
pressed the buzzer, but a door opposite opened and a woman stuck her head
21:00
out. Law. Yeah, that's right, isn't in? Yeah? That
21:04
probably explains why it doesn't open the door? See aren't you inspected? Rock
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stone? That's right? Gee? I always watch your program. That is
21:15
when the old man isn't working early shift. He gets home around four in
21:18
the afternoon then and we watch another channel. Why he can stand aside of
21:22
you? He says, if you're a cop, he's a belly dancing and
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he's not. I take it he works on the garbage collection. Have you
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any idea where mister long would be? Try Harry's far I have. He's
21:36
there most times, drinks too much. He's changed since he first come here.
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He was different than younger, perhaps happier too. They both were happy.
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Did you say they sure him? Andy's wife wife, I never know
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where's married? How lovely little thing. She was an actress, But then
21:56
they started inquirreling quire something terrible before she left him. This that's why I
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drink so much. You say she was an actress, used to go mad
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at him, yelling it was his fault. She couldn't get the job because
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he wouldn't help her. You don't know the name that she was professionally,
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No, never heard of it. Pretty as a picture she was. But
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the red hair and everything red hair, flaming red, lovely hair way mine
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used to be before it started burning out. I can imagine every time I
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saw I used to say to myself, Holy Hannah, if only my hair.
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Hey, that was her name, Hannah, I left, the talkative
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name of my head railing not only from her gabbling, but from the unexpected,
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astonishing information i'd stumbled on. Sam long married and to a beautiful red
22:55
head actress named Hannah. And it was a beautiful red head actress named Hannah
23:00
who'd been found dead in Lacy's window. It looked as though Sam and I
23:04
should have a long, confidential chat. But I ran into a complication with
23:10
curves, a special set of curves called lower Shore. Oh there you are,
23:15
mister Stone, Well should I be miss sure? This is the door
23:18
to my apartment. I was about to open it and walk in. Not
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yet, We've got to go somewhere else first. The implication is that we
23:26
can come back here afterwards. Why, mister Stone, we hardly know each
23:30
other. A couple of hours of some low lights and lingering music it fixed
23:34
that. I'll think about it, but now we'd better be on our way.
23:40
Where we're going, we'll see when we get there. Beware all a
23:42
mystery, because it's important to me that whoever murdered Hannah Vogue is found,
23:49
and it's important to you too, isn't it for sure? But the trouble
23:53
is that all I've got so far is a lot of questions with no answers.
23:56
Come with me, and I guarantee you one of the answers, maybe
24:00
the most significant one. Laws had a car and slid in behind the wheel.
24:11
After a half hour drive, we stopped outside a sprawling two story house
24:15
with grounds big enough to build an aircraft planned in. You know who lives
24:23
here? Nobody in my income bracket. The name is Tony Sequera. Should
24:29
I know him? Tony Saquera is one of the three top syndicate men in
24:32
the city. Then I shouldn't know him. I think you should let's go
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meet him. She did. The way up to the front door, where
24:42
a butler carefully pattered me in case I was carrying a gun, then led
24:47
us into a large, luxuriously furnished room, and then discreetly retired from a
24:52
spidery looking and expensive chair. Rose a spidery looking, expensive character. This
24:59
is Rock's stone, mister Saguerra, glad to know your stone. Pick up
25:03
your show regular I'm pleased to hear, misters Aguerre here do you like it?
25:07
Sure? Glad? The regular cups aren't as smart as you might'd be
25:10
out of business, but you are, aunt you Tony, sure legitimate business
25:14
I mean now trucking. Tony's a sort of eldest statesman for the syndicate in
25:18
this area. Yeah, you could call me that. He's got some interesting
25:22
information for you. Glad to hear anything that might help me. This will,
25:26
but you got to understand a few things first. Huh, I was
25:30
staying getting yourself knocked out in the store window. That's bad for the syndicate.
25:33
It gets too much publicity. People start talking, say what's doing in
25:36
their city. Next thing you know is a reform party starts up and we
25:38
gotta buy to keep things as there cous too much though I can see that.
25:41
So we got no interest in this thing. You don't concern us until
25:45
it gets publicity, and then it does. I see, Now you're gonna
25:48
do a real life show next tuesday. That's right. You'll find the guy
25:52
who did it on your show and everybody gets happy, says what a fine
25:53
city we got here. Makes sense from your side of the fence. Yeah,
25:56
so we're in your corner on this one. That's fine. Now here's
26:00
the facts. This Vogue Dame is all this Lacey's dam right, right,
26:03
she gets herself murdered. Why maybe because she found out something that Lacy don't
26:07
want anybody else to know. It's something like he's been spending more dough than
26:11
he should have over the last couple of years. Maybe he wants a quick
26:14
investment with a large profit to get it back, so he puts one hundred
26:18
thousand dollars into the rackets when the syndicate can use the dough, and he
26:19
collects twenty percent over twelve months. With due respect to Tony, you could
26:25
say this was right from the horse's mouth. Now, the syndica did the
26:27
right thing by Lacey. We paid him his twenty percent a month ago and
26:30
gave him back his hundred grand. We're clean, but we don't want to
26:33
get mixed up in this thing. Way we see it. The dame found
26:36
out about it some way. Maybe she blackmailed Lacey, or maybe she threatened
26:40
to talk with the cops. But that's why she was killed. Was sure
26:42
of that. Thanks sir, mister Seguire, Thanks a lot any time.
26:47
Naw. I just done you a favor. How about you do me one?
26:49
What is it you mentioned this in your show. That's okay with us,
26:52
but just change it around a little, not very much. Don't say
26:56
invested the door in the rackets. Just see he invested in the to get
27:00
through me. I'm okay, I'm clean. I've paid taxes in the door
27:03
I made on his dough. And make the point that Lacey got his dough
27:07
back. We don't want people we do business with the doubt out honesty.
27:11
Sure it's a sequere, I'll do that fine. I look forward to seeing
27:14
your show. I'm a real fan for your show. It's my second favorite
27:17
TV show, which is First Hop along Cassidy. He's a real nice guy
27:21
and so's he's horse and he keeps the kids on the straight and narrow.
27:25
Lets him know the crime don't pay you approve of that? Sure? I
27:29
think we want the rackets to get overcrowded. I just don't get it.
27:47
How come you found all this out Lois and you know about Kathy Moulden?
27:52
Hey, where do you belong on this setup? I'm just a girl who
27:56
knows a guy, the guy being Tony Saquaer. But right now I'm with
28:02
another guy and the lights alone, the music's lingering. I'm getting languid.
28:08
Didn't you say something about getting to know me better? Uh? Sorry,
28:14
Funny, this isn't my night for concentrating on anything except murder. That is,
28:18
You've just got a one track mind, you know. I thought it
28:23
was a pretty brilliant idea, this live TV show on Mask of Killer with
28:29
me on the spot the whole time. We just occurred to me if anything
28:34
goes wrong, I'm in front of the cameras every minute, an really easy
28:40
target. Who I welcome back? Well, good old Reler, viable Carter
29:00
Brown. Mysteries cynicism regarding hop Along Cassidy I actually double checked. I was
29:07
curious if people in Australia in the nineteen fifties would have been aware of the
29:14
hop Alon cacity and apparently they were. I found that the actor who played
29:22
Hopolon Cassidy came to came to Australia and was welcomed by tens of thousands of
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people according to Radio New Zealand. But that will do it for this week.
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We will be back tomorrow with the lineup and then join us back here
29:42
on Monday for another Johnny Dollar series and on Friday the conclusion of Belladonna was
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poisoned. In the meantime, sendor comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectors dot
29:52
nett, follow us on Twitter or Radio Attactis, and become one of our
29:56
friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com, Slash Radio Attactives from Boys, Idaho.
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This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off