Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Forbes Matter, Part Five and the Widow is Willing (EP0985)

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Forbes Matter, Part Five and the Widow is Willing (EP0985) · 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
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com slash Radio Detectives. Today's episode is brought to you by the financial support
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of our listeners, and I want to especially thank Gretchen for sending along a
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donation. I will send access to our premum side, which is available for
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all altnations of seven dollars or more. You can support the program and support
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dot Great Detectives dot net. Well, now it's time for us to conclude
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the Forbes Matter. So here is The Forbes Matter, Part five from Hollywood.
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It's time now for Johnny Doller. This is Betty. Welcome in to
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Dollar I'm up and around. Yes, thanks for calling. Have any time
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this morning? I think so, if possible, I'd like to come over
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to your apartment again and take an inventory of the gifts the Sheldon Forbes sn't
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you that'll be all right? Sure about an hour? Sure? I couldn't
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sleep much last night thinking about all this I mean, he stole that money
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because of me. You mustn't feel that way, miss Walker. He knew
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what he was doing. You had no part in the theft. I have
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the gift. Well, we may have to take those away from you.
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I don't mind that you said he tried to side. How is he this
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morning? I just talked to the hospital. He's going to be all right,
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but he has to go to prison. Yes, funny world, mister
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Dollar. Yeah, tonight and every weekday night, Bob Bailey in the Transcribed
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Adventures of the Man with the Action Pact. Expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance
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investigator, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. Expense accounts submitted by Special Investigator Johnny
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Dollar to the Continental Adjustment Bureau for eighteen Elizabeth Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut.
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The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Forbes Matter.
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More expenses items eleven to sixteen seventy eight dollars and forty cents, cab fairs,
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meals, accounting services, legal services, cab fairs, and more cab
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fairs. I made a comprehensive inventory at Betsy Walker's apartment and spent the rest
3:06
of the day tracking down the places where the items had been purchased and ascertaining
3:08
their retail values. Total two thousand, seven hundred and eighty dollars worth of
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gifts fought with stolen money. Betsy Walker also told me that Sheldon Forbes had
3:22
made appointments to meet her at various times at very expensive restaurants in New York.
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She had never once kept any of these appointments, but a check with
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the Waldorf, twenty one, the Stork, and several other places revealed that
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Forbes had always made elaborate arrangements to entertainer. His restaurant bills came to eight
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hundred and thirty five dollars, the forest bills six hundred and seventy dollars.
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Total amounts spent four thousand, two hundred and eighty five dollars, total amounts
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stolen four thousand, two hundred and eighty five dollars. Century Styles Incorporated footed
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the bill and his unsuccessful courtship of Betsy Walker. Hello, all right,
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remember me Forbes? Sure insurance man? Well what now, how do you
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feel? Okay? You saved me, didn't you? I suppose so?
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Why the same reason you'd save a man? Who was dying. You know
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what I've been doing? What answering the questions you wouldn't answer? I met
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Betsy Walker? What my job? Forbes? I had? How did you
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know about her? I followed junight before last when you got out on bail.
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I saw you go to the theater and you wouldn't know right to go
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to her. You have no right to involve her in anything. Why didn't
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you think of that a month or so ago? It's the company's money you've
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been spending on her. I had every right, as unpleasant as it is,
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I suppose she knows all about me. No, that's right, all
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boy. I should must look like the prize sucker of all times the head
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of her a laugh. She didn't think it was one bit funny, And
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Forbes, I don't think it's funny either. And what are you standing here
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for? Lording it over? And I'm not doing that at all. I'm
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just here to let you know how things are at the moment. All right,
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How are things well? First off, we took back all the gifts
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you gave her. Duty Scott, don't get mad at me, Forbes,
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get mad at yourself. I didn't steal the money and try to impress her.
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You did. Why don't you leave it alone? What difference does the
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money make to you? Nothing to me, but it means something to my
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insurance company. They still want it back, and they'll get as much back
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as they can. Well, fell good for that. What do you want
5:30
now your signature? I think I trace most of it down. You want
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to look this over? Go ahead? Those figures about right? I suppose
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so I didn't keep tracking approximately. I suppose you're pretty thorough launch we have
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to be when you sign this. No, it'll help to clear up our
5:55
bookwork a little. What difference does it make now we've got your cold?
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Okay? What difference does it make? Okay? Nice? That's all it
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means to you is dollars and cents. Dollars and cents that were stolen forbes.
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Remember that you wouldn't let me forget it. No, I wouldn't.
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You did the dumbest thing in the world. You're stole nearly five thousand dollars
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trying to make an impression on a girl who didn't want to have a thing
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to do with you. You went about it wrong from top to bottom.
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You've acted like the great Stone Face ever since. You've been found out.
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You wouldn't bother telling me about it. I had to go out and find
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out myself off the record forms. What'd you do? See her on the
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stage one night? No, at the office office, your office? No,
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not exactly. Ellie was having a showing for some bias from the West
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Coast one day a few weeks ago. But those kind of showings he hires
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models from the agency. Betsy's listed with one of the agencies. You know
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she acts and sings and model. Oh sure, Well, I happen to
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be upstairs when the showing was going on, a lot of publicity people,
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they are taking pictures and so on, and I saw she was wearing a
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black black dress and her her hair was soft. She's got a smile like
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all the sunrisings. Sounds silly, not at all, just dida. I
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never, in all my life, saw anyone like it before. Yeah.
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I don't know how it is with other guys, but she was for me.
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From then on, I couldn't get her out of my mind. I
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found out her name, and then I found out she worked in that show
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at the Empress. Thet all I had was her name. I didn't know
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how to go about meeting her. I, I just didn't know you're freaking
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a little money you might attracted to you. I've heard that's the best way
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to do it. It's one way, not the best way, kid,
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probably not the best way I could think of. What did you think about
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taking the money? I thought I'd be able to stick it back. I
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guess I really didn't think much beyond just meeting her, having her look at
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me the way I I wanted her to look at me. What it was
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a wrong way to go about it, shower? But then, did you
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ever think of my alternative? I've thought of it. I pictured myself knocking
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on a door one night, and I could see you're answering it. I'm
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Shelley Forbes. Betsy. I'd say, clothes don't make the man. I'd
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say, while she sort of took in my tweet suit and the only coat
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I've got to my name. Listen, I'd say eight by ten apartment over
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on fifty ninth Street. The halls always smell like cabbage. But I'm a
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heck of a fine guy. And I'd drive a nineteen forty six four That
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miss is a little, but it's good enough for us. And then I'd
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say, why don't you toss on your mink and we'll go over to my
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dump and we'll have a bottle of beer, and I'll tell you how much
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I love you. How about that? It's some alternative, Huh. She
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makes more money in an hour than I'm making a week. I couldn't even
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afford to keep her in cigarettes love. I wanted her like nothing in my
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whole life. She might have taken you up on it, Forbes, if
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you'd put it that way. Yeah, what makes you think so? She
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wasn't impressed by any money or any gifts more than that I met her.
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She's a pretty nice girl. Yeah. Up until the time I talked with
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Sheldon Forbes in the hospital, I'd always had my doubts about love happening at
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first sight. After my talk with him, I was convinced that it caught
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and did happen to him. I was sorry that he didn't know quite how
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to handle it. I was also wondering, if I'd been in his shoes,
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what I have done the same thing? Expense account item seventeen four dollars
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and ninety cents. I sent a wire to my home office telling them that
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the recovery would be in the amount of something like twenty five hundred dollars obtainable
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on the redeemable gift items recovered. After then, I went back to my
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hotel. I was surprised to find Betsy Walker waiting in the lobby. Miss
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Why hello. I was afraid you might leave town. I wanted to talk
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to you. Sure you just caught me. I was going upstairs and Hi,
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what is it? Could we have a drink of sounding expense account out
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of eighteen two dollars two drinks or Betsy Walker and myself at the hotel bar.
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It was midday and there wasn't much action. She sat across from me.
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He ordered an old Fashioned and asked for a cigarette. Thank you?
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Sure? What will happen to him? Forms? Yes? Oh, he'll
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be sentence Monday. They canceled the Friday scheduling because he was in the hospital.
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You'll go to prison? Yes? Have you seen him? Since he
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tried to kill himself? Just left him. I guess he feels awful.
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I told you, I haven't able to sleep thinking about all of this.
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Well about him, I guess would he have to go to prison? Even
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if all the money was returned, only half of its redeemable and the rest
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florist Bill's Restaurants that's on just gone. How much does it come to mister
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dollar short? About two thousand roughly? If well, if you had that
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money, what would happen to him? It'd be up to the court.
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I'd say you'd have a good chance of getting off if you changed this plea.
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Could I get him to change his plea? I think you could get
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him to do anything. I want to pay it. You want, I
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want to pay that other two thousand for him and get him to change his
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plea. I'll make it the whole thing. Look, miss Walker, I
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know your motives might be the best, but you want responsible in any way
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for this man's act Simms. He stole money because of me, he tried
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suicide because of me, and now he's going to prison because of me.
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But you had nothing to do with it, no part of it. You
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may think I'm twenty two years old. I'll be twenty nine next month.
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I'm not much of an actress or a singer or anything else. But I've
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been around this town and I know my way around, and I met all
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kinds. Whoever he is, whatever he's done, he's the first man I've
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ever known who actually went out on a limb for a girl he loved.
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I'm the girl and he's the man. You're serious. I probably won't remember
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his name a year from now, but that poor, stupid, wonderful dune
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bell he doesn't belong in any prison. He ought to get married to some
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nice girls somewhere. I want to help him get out of this trouble.
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Can I actual? He's given me something? Call it faith in mankind again?
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If you like, what's the kiss for what you just gave me?
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Missy faith? Expense account item nineteen forty eight dollars, Hotel item twenty thirty
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seven dollars, meals twenty one fifteen dollars miscellaneous twenty two same as Item one
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twenty eight dollars sixty three cents fair back to Hartford. Total cost of investigation
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three hundred and sixty three dollars and fifty one cents. Remarks She got Forbes
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to change his plea. She paid back the additional money. He comes to
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trial next week, he might get a suspended sentence. Yes, Julie Johnny
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Dollar, Remember there'll be another intriguing story for you beginning next Monday night.
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Next week. It trips south of the border with the flashing eyes of a
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dark haired Senorita spells plenty of well believe me, romance and trouble can go
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hand in hand. Join us, Want You Yours Trully Johnny Dollar. Yours
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Truly Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey, is transcribed in Hollywood. Written by
14:35
John Dawson, It is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard in this
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week's cast where Lillian Bayeff Sandragoul, Jack Edwards, her Beelis, James mcellean,
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Parley Bear, John Stephenson, Howard McNair, Bob Bruce, and Junius
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Matthews. Musical supervision by Amigo Marino. Be sure to join us on Monday
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night, same time and station for another exciting story of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar.
15:01
Roy Rowan speaking, welcome back. Well, I'm expectedly for the most
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part of possible ending for a character who had definitely made a pretty serious error,
16:11
and you know, just a fascinating story that comes in. I think
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we'll be in something very different next week. But when I first listened to
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that, you know, I kind of you know, my position was,
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you know, I listened to part for and it's like, Okay, well,
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what's the point of you know the next part, is there anything to
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tell because because we know how this is going to turn out. But they
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made this twist feel I think somewhat believable, so I thought it was a
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good episode. It was a remake of the episode The Lester Jeames Matter,
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which was originally broadcast March thirty feet of nineteen fifty three. All right,
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well, now it's time for us to take a listen to The Widow Is
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Willing Part three Carter Brown Mister is Adventures in Excitement and Suspense, based on
17:30
the best selling novels by the slick storytelling sensation Carter Brown. Have you ever
17:53
said in the living room with a group of people after an announcement that one
17:56
of them was a murderer? It's not the most sensation. To reassure myself,
18:03
I reminded me that I was Mark Hunt, insurance investigator, and what
18:07
else could I expect if I insisted on investigating insurance? But it didn't help
18:11
much. The rest of them, Lila Girl Bright, Roger Beavers and his
18:15
wife Mavis, the remaining in the grass scoop, and the hunk of beefcake
18:19
John Cross sat in a silence that was louder than screaming. Finally the Grasscoop
18:26
got to his feet. It's no use sitting here like dummies. The police
18:29
must be fetched. I shall get the launch and go. Wait a minute,
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Wait for what, mister, Hunt? I thought we decided the butler
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should fetch the police. We did not decide. You did. Make sense?
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Doesn't it one of us goes, he or she might not come back.
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Do you insinuate that? I'm insinuating nothing. I just think it's better
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that all of us stay on the island. I think he's right to grasscoup,
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but I do not cross. Who is he to order anyone around?
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Never mind that the butler goes and you stay. I shall be back in
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about an hour. I'm sorry, pal, you won't be because you're not
19:00
leaving. Take your hand from my arm. I was expecting that. All
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If you want to fight, I'm happy to oblige. Stop them rogers don't
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need maybe's just for good luck, nah babus. Would you like to get
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the butler and send him for the police. All right, Hunt, but
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I don't think you should have hit him. What else was I supposed to
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do? Stand still and make like a punching bag. Go on Roger do
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as he says, very well, we'd better get the police here before and
19:36
everything degenerates into our whole sale brawl. Well, I suppose you and maybe
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do something about coffee. That's a good idea. Come on, Lyla,
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all right, but what are you going to do about Michael? Let him
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sleep it off on the floor. It was quite a nice piece of work,
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Hunt, Would you learn to fight like that Special Service Division? Yes?
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So was I in ninth European I was with the twelfth in the Pacific
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all the time. Yeah, the grad school headed coming or Clem was right
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ed. Will was a direct invite to murder. And the thing that worries
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me is Lila because of what she said. You mean about being suspected of
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him? No, because she'll be next on the list, next one.
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Of course, she inherits and that makes the Grascoos suspect number one. Oh
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he's coming through. What I I will remember that, Hunt, Well,
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it's okay. Added to your other treasures. The coffee is just about ready.
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Lila's bringing it in great. I left my cigarettes in my room,
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keep a coffee hot for me, and the turmoil intention I'd forgotten about the
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mysterious voice and the equally mysterious vision of Henry Goldbright back from the dead.
20:59
I made the excuse about my cigarettes because I realized here was my chance to
21:03
do a little looking around. I went upstairs and tried the door next to
21:07
my room. It wasn't locked. I stepped inside and shut it quietly.
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The first thing I looked for was there a ventilator in the wall separating this
21:19
room from mine. Then I started on the drawers and the wardrobe, and
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finally the suitcases. In the third suit case, I struck it, Lucky,
21:30
find what you were looking for? Yeah, yeah, maybus. I
21:34
did a throat microphone, an amplifier, gray wig, gray mustache, spirit
21:41
gum, and phosphorescent paint. The real little detective, aren't you? Because
21:45
when you told me it worked in burlesque and once worked with a magician nifty
21:51
gadgets. These throat mikes fit them out of the throat. They amplify the
21:55
vocal cords and produced that horrible whisper, and the wig and mustache suit treated
22:00
with a luminous paint, provided quite an effective ghost. I thought, so.
22:04
Of course, it was your husband Roger who did the talking and the
22:07
appearance. The amplifier and the ventilator. Oh, you must have been downstairs
22:11
turning on the musical effects that Beethoven record. That's right. Yeah. Well
22:17
I don't get was why why the elaborates set up to give me the idea
22:22
of a photo of Henry's murder? What'd you expect me to do? I
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hope you'd mention it. I still don't get it. I was out there
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on the jetty when Henry came over the balcony. I had the camera with
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me. It was terrible. You got a photograph? No I didn't.
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I was so scared I didn't even look up. But afterwards it occurred to
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me that if Henry had been murdered, and if I had a photograph,
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it'd be worth a lot of money to the murderer. So that's all I
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talked. I dropped hints to everyone about the camera and about Henry, figuring
22:59
that the murder would know what you were talking about because he'd have seen you
23:02
from the balcony. He or she I wouldn't know. Then the next morning
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there was a note under our door addressed to me. It said, if
23:12
I left the negative in an envelope in the second drawer of the bureau.
23:15
I'd be paid twenty thousand dollars. What did you do? I left a
23:21
note there saying that I wanted the cash first in the morning. The note
23:25
was gone, but there was no answer. Then when you arrived, you
23:30
hit on this weird and wonderful way of giving me the idea that a photo
23:33
existed. Yes, I wanted you to talk about it, but you didn't,
23:38
So then you dreamed up the gag of Roger playing ghosts, taking the
23:42
precaution of removing the clip from my gun first. Yes, neither Roger nor
23:48
I figured on Lallah being with you. Fortunately he had the throat mic used
23:53
it to distract your attention and get away. But why go to all that
23:57
trouble in the first place. I invent a photograph that doesn't exist. Who
24:03
could have got yourself murdered? You know, we needed the money. Henry
24:07
withdrew his back in garageous factory, and we've got a big project under way.
24:11
It won't be ready for market for another three months. We got bankrupt.
24:15
If we don't get some money to see us through, seems a heck
24:18
of a risky way of getting it shut this case, everybody, get downstairs
24:25
back to the others, you're going to tell them no. I don't think
24:30
so. You've been a big enough dope to deserve it. But I don't
24:33
see how it's going to help anybody. Besides, that gag about the photograph
24:38
might prove useful. Yet, there was a gray dawn breaking outside, and
24:53
the rain had come back. I figured that the police had brought it with
24:57
him. The local tenant, a short, stocky guy named Wilder, who
25:03
obviously considered me an amateur in a nuisance, started asking questions. He didn't
25:07
stop for two hours, getting nowhere and covering the same ground so many times
25:11
that everybody was sick and tired of it. Everybody except Wilder, that is,
25:17
he was the original persevering kid. It's a conspiracy. Here's Clem Goldbright
25:22
lying dead on the jetty, just like his brother. What do I get?
25:26
Nothing but dumb looks and even dumb our answers. Some of you must
25:30
know something about it, one of you at least as a murderer, maybe
25:36
more than one. Maybe all of you are in a conspiracy. Why don't
25:41
you talk some sense, lieutenant. I'm fed up to here with all the
25:45
yak of a yak. I want to get to bed. Don't you talk
25:47
to me like that, Hunt, or I'll toss you in a cell and
25:49
I'll break you with that insurance came on nuts. Much as I dislike to
25:53
agree with Hunt, he's quite right. You have asked all your questions,
25:57
Lieutenant many times. I suggest you let us get some rest. Now.
26:02
We shall all be here. There is no way to leave the island except
26:04
by lunch, so you can question us later if you will, all right,
26:08
But don't think you're gonna get away with us, any of you.
26:11
I haven't started on you yet, Lieutenant. You kill me with repetition,
26:17
We'll take Clem Goldbright's body back to the mainland and we'll take your lunch to
26:21
him, missus Golbright. But Lieutenant, all right, ma'am. That way
26:25
I can make sure you all stay here. It wasn't Groom plays some dreams?
26:33
Is he kidding? Here's a guy with a gruesome sense of humor.
26:36
You'll be leaving one of his men on guard here. Surely he didn't mention
26:40
it. But we're marooned on the island now, and there's a murderer among
26:42
us. It's Roger. Don't keep seeing that I haven't said it before.
26:47
My dear, Well, everybody else has, and I don't like it.
26:49
I agree. It is not a cheerful fault. It's about as cheerful as
26:53
a whit sunday in any glue. Personally, I think we all ought to
26:56
hit the Hey, get some sleep, sleep, I don't think i'll ever
27:00
sleep again. Now take it easy, Lillah, honey, come on,
27:04
Roger and I'll take you upstairs. Yes, of course, Why, my
27:08
dear, you'll see that. You're all right. Thank you, Roger,
27:12
you're too you're sweet. Cross. You're not letting her go with them?
27:17
Why not? What if one of them is the killer? Why they's in
27:19
danger? I will go after them. They will not try anything if I
27:22
am there. Hey, now let him go across. How are you crazy?
27:26
I'm not supposed to have any brains, but the identity of the murderers
27:30
sticks out a mile to me. The grass sure he's got the collector's kink.
27:34
He wants those paintings, and he doesn't care how he gets them.
27:38
Clem dead. There's only Lilah standing in his way. Not come on,
27:41
bust your blood whissels. The grascers the killer, he won't dare try anything
27:47
with Roger and Mavis there. If it's either of them, he's there one.
27:51
If the beavers Is are in it together, well you can stay if
27:53
you're like. But if I catch that the Gras scool anywhere Nearlilah's room,
27:57
I won't be responsible for well. I was left alone in the living room.
28:03
I had a last cigarette and a last drink and listened from the uproar
28:07
from upstairs. There wasn't a sound. I figured everyone's nerves had probably calmed
28:14
down and they were all safely in bed. I finished my drink and decided
28:18
to follow their example. It was pretty comfortable under the blankets with a weather
28:26
winding outside. I was just dropping off to sleep when a stray thought slid
28:30
into my mind. I thought so obvious that I could have kicked myself for
28:34
not remembering it before. It concerned the non existent photograph that the beavers As
28:40
had dreamed up. Only Roger and Mavis and I really knew that the photograph
28:44
didn't exist. As far as the others were concerned, it could be real.
28:48
I turned over in my back and reached for a cigarette and started to
28:51
think of what use I could make of that. Something was added to the
28:55
music of the weather was the Beethoven using I left out of bed, grabbed
29:03
my gun, and I just reached the door when the sounds came, I
29:08
yanked the door open, charged into the corridor, and cannon in the cross.
29:14
Lyla. That was Lyla. He was the next time I listened to
29:15
colors Cutter, welcome back. Well, some uh, some would be blackmailers
29:38
have a lot more dumption than they do common sense. Pretending to have a
29:45
picture of someone committing an act who is a murderer, showed themselves willing to
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h to commit the crime is a good way to get your self killed,
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and that may have been what happened. We don't actually at this point know
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who was shot, who the victim was. We'll have to find out in
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the climax. They've definitely left a lot of questions for us to have answered
30:14
in part four, and I'm from what I'm excited to see how this is
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going to turn out. So join us back there next week for that,
30:19
and join us on Monday as we begin another Johnny Dollars serial in the meantimes,
30:26
and your commons to Box thirteen at Great Detectors dot net. Follow us
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on Twitter Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook,
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dot com. Slash Radio detectives from Boise, Idaho. This is your
30:37
host, Adam Grahamson and off