ANNOUNCER:
From Hollywood, it's time now for--
SOUND:
PHONE RING ... RECEIVER UP ... BARLOW'S VOICE ON FILTER
JOHNNY:
Johnny Dollar.
BARLOW:
Lud Barlow, Johnny. I'm in a spot.
JOHNNY:
What's the matter?
BARLOW:
The Templeton House in Boston was knocked over sometime during the night. We have a hundred thousand dollar loss on our hands. Can you go over there right away?
JOHNNY:
Well, I'll see what the plane situation is, Lud, and if I--
BARLOW:
(INTERRUPTS) Never mind the plane situation. Just pack up and get out to the airport. I'll meet you at Hangar Twelve.
JOHNNY:
What?
BARLOW:
I'm chartering a plane for you.
MUSIC:
THEME AND BEHIND ANNOUNCER--
ANNOUNCER:
Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator--
JOHNNY:
Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
MUSIC:
THEME AND UNDER
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar. To the Mid-Eastern Indemnity Corporation, Home Office, Hartford, Connecticut. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the Templeton Matter.
MUSIC:
UP ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item one: five dollars even, cab fare from my apartment to Hangar Twelve at the airport.
SOUND:
AIRPORT BACKGROUND ... PROP ENGINE, ET CETERA ... JOHNNY'S STEPS IN BEHIND--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) A twin-engine Bonanza had been rolled out and a fueling truck was pulled up alongside. A man in a sheepskin seemed to be supervising things. The man who seemed to be supervising him was Lud Barlow. When he saw me, he waved his briefcase.
BARLOW:
Hey, Johnny!
JOHNNY:
Hi!
BARLOW:
Are y'all set?
JOHNNY:
Well, I'm here, if that's what you mean, Lud.
BARLOW:
That all your luggage?
JOHNNY:
Yeah, this is it.
BARLOW:
This is Tommy Clark, Johnny -- your pilot.
PILOT:
How are ya?
JOHNNY:
Hi, Tom.
SOUND:
LUGGAGE LIFTED AND STOWED BEHIND--
PILOT:
(WITH EFFORT) I'll stow this gear for you.
JOHNNY:
Oh, thanks.
BARLOW:
The faster we move on this, the better off we are -- you know that.
JOHNNY:
I know.
SOUND:
RATTLE OF DOCUMENTS, IN AGREEMENT WITH--
BARLOW:
Er, this is the blanket policy. This is the itemized list. This is the itemized list broken down; you'll have to check the itemized against the sales. Your authorization procedure. And a description of stock records, including shipments received by Templeton House up to and including the first day of last week. Okay?
JOHNNY:
Swell. Now maybe you'll tell me what this is all about.
BARLOW:
And when you get there-- (DOUBLE TAKE) What?
JOHNNY:
What it's all about. Let's start with Templeton House, huh?
BARLOW:
It's the biggest jewelry firm in Boston.
JOHNNY:
You said they were robbed last night.
BARLOW:
Burglarized. Broken into somewhere between five and seven o'clock in the morning.
SOUND:
DURING ABOVE, FUEL TRUCK DRIVES OFF
PILOT:
(OFF) All set, Mr. Dollar.
JOHNNY:
(TO BARLOW) What did they get away with?
BARLOW:
Well, that's for you to find out, Johnny. We carry a blanket policy on all their stock. Anything in the store in the way of merchandise is covered.
JOHNNY:
On the phone you said something about a hundred thousand dollars.
BARLOW:
It may be two hundred thousand, Johnny.
JOHNNY:
I take it you talked to somebody in Boston.
BARLOW:
Yeah.
JOHNNY:
Did you talk to the police?
BARLOW:
Yes, for a minute. I told them I was sending a man; they're expecting you.
PILOT:
Give you a hand, Mr. Dollar?
JOHNNY:
(WITH EFFORT) Oh, thanks, Tom.
SOUND:
JOHNNY CLIMBS INTO PLANE
PILOT:
Okay?
JOHNNY:
Yeah. Thanks. (TO BARLOW) Who's in charge, Lud?
BARLOW:
(OFF) Lieutenant Roebuck.
JOHNNY:
Roebuck?
BARLOW:
(OFF) Yeah.
PILOT:
Get your seat belt, Mr. Dollar.
JOHNNY:
Oh, sure.
SOUND:
JOHNNY BUCKLES UP
BARLOW:
(OFF) He'll want to see those contents records. You be sure and tell him they're up to date.
SOUND:
PLANE ENGINES START ... NOISY, IN BG ... MEN SHOUT TO BE HEARD
JOHNNY:
Who's the man with the company?
BARLOW:
(OFF, CAN'T HEAR) What?
JOHNNY:
The man at the company!
BARLOW:
(OFF) Templeton!
PILOT:
Stand clear, Mr. Barlow!
BARLOW:
(OFF) Remember, Johnny, a client can face a thing like this a lot better if a man from the insurance company's standing by him!
JOHNNY:
I'll try to remember that!
BARLOW:
(OFF) Good luck and keep me informed on--
SOUND:
ENGINES ROAR, DROWNING OUT BARLOW ... PLANE ZOOMS DOWN RUNWAY AND TAKES OFF
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) By the time we arrived at the Boston airport I'd read over the policy and had a fair idea of the coverage involved. Expense account, item two, ten dollars, more cab fare. I dropped my bags off at the Independence Hotel and had the driver take me over to Templeton House.
SOUND:
CITY TRAFFIC BACKGROUND ... JOHNNY'S STEPS APPROACH BEHIND--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Two police cars were parked in front of the building and two uniformed police officers were parked in the doorway.
COP:
Yeah, I'm sorry, mister, the store's not open today.
JOHNNY:
Well, I'm from the insurance company.
COP:
Oh. Lieutenant Roebuck's in the back. Go ahead.
SOUND:
JOHNNY'S STEPS INTO STORE ... CITY TRAFFIC FADES OUT ... STORE BACKGROUND FADES IN ... POLICE AND OTHERS CHAT AND MILL AROUND
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) At the back of the store, a white-coated intern and an ambulance attendant were working over a blanket-wrapped figure laid out on a stretcher. One of them was operating a plasma tube, the other was checking the pulse. A group of men, some in uniform, were watching closely. A tall thin one seemed to be in charge of things.
SOUND:
JOHNNY'S STEPS TO ROEBUCK
JOHNNY:
Roebuck?
ROEBUCK:
Uh, yeah?
JOHNNY:
Johnny Dollar, Mid-Eastern Indemnity.
ROEBUCK:
Oh, that didn't take you long. This is Sergeant Younger, Sergeant Tooey. This is Mr. Dollar from the insurance company.
JOHNNY:
Hi, men.
SERGEANT:
How do.
JOHNNY:
(TO ROEBUCK) What's this?
ROEBUCK:
Oh, this man was a special patrolman working here. He must have walked right into the middle of it and got himself shot. They've been givin' him transfusions ever since they found him.
JOHNNY:
Uh-huh. Said anything yet?
ROEBUCK:
No, he hasn't been conscious. (CALLS) Doc, how 'bout it?
DOC:
(OFF) Well, we can't do any more here, lieutenant. We'll have to risk a trip to the hospital and try to operate. (CALLS) Okay, boys, load up!
SOUND:
BOYS START LOADING UP, IN BG
ROEBUCK:
Doc, this is Mr. Dollar, insurance company.
JOHNNY:
How are ya, doctor?
DOC:
Okay.
ROEBUCK:
Doc, we're gonna want to talk to him the minute he comes around.
DOC:
I'm not gonna promise you anything, lieutenant.
SOUND:
BOYS FINISH LOADING UP ... AMBULANCE DOORS CLOSE
DOC:
Well, see ya.
ROEBUCK:
All right. (TO JOHNNY) Well, Mr. Dollar, you didn't waste much time.
JOHNNY:
I brought a contents list that might help you, lieutenant.
ROEBUCK:
Good. But the best help we're gonna get's from that patrolman. Come on, I'll show you around.
SOUND:
DURING ABOVE, AMBULANCE STARTS UP ... SIREN WAILS ... AMBULANCE ROARS OFF AS JOHNNY AND ROEBUCK'S STEPS WALK THROUGH STORE TO DOOR
ROEBUCK:
This is where they got in.
JOHNNY:
Jimmy, huh?
ROEBUCK:
Yeah, most likely. There's marks there on the doorjamb. Near as we can tell right now, they only took important stuff. Easy to move.
JOHNNY:
Easy to break down and unload, you mean.
ROEBUCK:
Yeah.
SOUND:
JOHNNY AND ROEBUCK TAKE A FEW MORE STEPS
ROEBUCK:
Here, you can see where they snipped the alarms, grounded the wires.
JOHNNY:
(YES) Mm hm. Showcases aren't touched.
ROEBUCK:
No, they went straight for the safe, Dollar.
SOUND:
JOHNNY AND ROEBUCK TAKE A FEW MORE STEPS INTO THE GIANT SAFE VAULT ... SLIGHT VAULT ECHO ON THEIR VOICES
ROEBUCK:
(EXHALES) Well, we really got something on our hands, huh? You don't just break into a store and open one of these things very easy.
JOHNNY:
Someone did.
MUSIC:
DISCOURAGING TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) The neighborhood was canvassed for possible witnesses. I spent the rest of the morning with Dorian Templeton, the owner of the company. By noon we had taken an inventory of the missing stock and drawn up a tentative list.
TEMPLETON:
Well, as far as I know, that about does it, Mr. Dollar. So what's the next step?
JOHNNY:
I'll check this against the merchandise received reports, Mr. Templeton. It'll take a while. As soon as I have that finished, you can check it over again and file a formal claim.
TEMPLETON:
And then?
JOHNNY:
The company will reimburse you in cash.
TEMPLETON:
Well, what are the chances for recovery in a case like this?
JOHNNY:
Well, I could quote the actuaries, Mr. Templeton, but I won't.
TEMPLETON:
Why not?
JOHNNY:
Whoever broke in here last night knew what they were about. They opened your vault the way you'd open your front door. They took what they wanted and got out very quickly -- no alarm, no witnesses. The chances are they planned the rest of it just as well. They've probably scattered. The police aren't sure how many men were involved. They know it was at least two men, possibly three.
TEMPLETON:
How do they arrive at that?
JOHNNY:
One man working on the safe, another man looking out, possibly two. The point is, the more men who were involved, the harder it'll be for them to take the jewelry, break it down, sell it, and stay out of sight.
TEMPLETON:
They're going to get away with it?
JOHNNY:
I didn't say that.
TEMPLETON:
Well, nothing seems to have gone wrong with their plan so far.
JOHNNY:
One thing went wrong. That special patrolman surprised them. True, he didn't have time to draw his gun or sound the alarm, but they had to shoot him. And if something hadn't gone wrong, they'd have been satisfied to knock him on the head.
TEMPLETON:
(UNHAPPY) Yes. Well, what happens now?
JOHNNY:
Well, that's up to the police. I can tell you their investigation will take some time. Burglary's the toughest kind of thing to work on.
TEMPLETON:
Why?
JOHNNY:
No witnesses.
TEMPLETON:
Ah, I never thought of that.
SOUND:
ROEBUCK'S STEPS APPROACH
ROEBUCK:
Dollar, you all cleaned up?
JOHNNY:
Well, we've got a tentative list. As soon as I check it, I'll give it to ya.
ROEBUCK:
Okay. Mr. Templeton, I'd like to have you come with me now.
TEMPLETON:
Now?
ROEBUCK:
Yes, we'll want your statement, sir, and there's quite a bit of work to do with the employees.
TEMPLETON:
(RELUCTANT) Erm, all right.
ROEBUCK:
Dollar, as soon as you get the list up, give me a ring, will ya?
JOHNNY:
Yeah, okay. Uh, any news about the policeman?
ROEBUCK:
Yeah. It's a murder case now.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item three, twenty-five dollars, stenographic fees. The public stenographer at the hotel helped me make a comprehensive list of the stolen items, which was verified by Templeton. The amount of loss was set at a hundred thousand dollars. By late afternoon, clerks, stenographers, accountants, designers, salespeople, stonecutters -- all in Templeton's employ -- had made statements to Lieutenant Roebuck. The statements were in the process of being checked. A general roundup of known safecrackers and burglary suspects had begun. Expense account, item four, three dollars and seventy-five cents, dinner, Lieutenant Roebuck and myself.
SOUND:
DINER BACKGROUND ... CROWD, UTENSILS, ET CETERA
ROEBUCK:
Well, it's gonna be a long night.
JOHNNY:
Yeah. Any luck on the employees?
ROEBUCK:
Oh, it's hard to say yet. One of them has a record.
JOHNNY:
Hmm?
ROEBUCK:
Yeah. Fellow named Tabor, one of the janitors there. He's a two-time loser. I had him tucked away in a cell until we clear some of this other stuff away.
JOHNNY:
Has he said anything yet?
ROEBUCK:
Oh, he denies all knowledge. As far as time incident goes, he was home sleeping when all this happened, but that doesn't rule him out of somehow getting that safe combination and passing it on to a friend.
JOHNNY:
Yeah.
ROEBUCK:
Man with a record's apt to have that kind of friends who'd be interested in just that kind of thing.
JOHNNY:
Hey, er, how much do you want me around?
ROEBUCK:
You're a free agent, Dollar. If you have any ideas, I'll listen. It's a tough baby any way you look at it.
JOHNNY:
Let me talk to Tabor. There might be a shortcut.
ROEBUCK:
Why not?
MUSIC:
TRANSITION
SOUND:
JAIL DOOR SLAMS ... JOHNNY'S STEPS IN ... QUIET JAIL BACKGROUND (SLIGHT ECHO ... PRISONERS OCCASIONALLY COUGH, OFF)
TABOR:
Well?
JOHNNY:
John Tabor?
TABOR:
That's right. Who are you?
JOHNNY:
Johnny Dollar. Like to talk to you a minute.
TABOR:
Okay, talk.
JOHNNY:
You might be in a lot of trouble, Tabor. That'd be too bad. They tell me you're a two-time loser.
TABOR:
If you don't believe what they tell you, you just go look it up for yourself. It's right down there in the books.
JOHNNY:
How did you get that job at Templeton's?
TABOR:
I asked for it.
JOHNNY:
They know about your record?
TABOR:
No.
JOHNNY:
You keep it from them?
TABOR:
I didn't broadcast it. Would you?
JOHNNY:
No.
TABOR:
Okay. What other dumb questions have you got?
JOHNNY:
Do you have any ideas about this job?
TABOR:
I've got a lot o' ideas.
JOHNNY:
Do you know anything about it?
TABOR:
No.
JOHNNY:
(CHANGES TONE) Need anything?
TABOR:
What?
JOHNNY:
Cigarettes, anything?
TABOR:
I'm all set.
JOHNNY:
Okay. My company faces a big loss in this case. We'd like to avoid that loss. There's a standard offer I'm authorized to make in some instances. I'm gonna make it to you. (MECHANICALLY) If you have any knowledge of this crime and can furnish any information that will lead to the arrest of the persons involved and recovery of the merchandise, my company will guarantee you the best possible legal assistance in the event that information should incriminate you.
TABOR:
That's pretty generous.
JOHNNY:
Well, I have to say it to you. You can use your own judgment. (CALLS) Hey, guard?
SOUND:
DURING FOLLOWING, GUARD'S STEPS APPROACH JAIL DOOR, WHICH UNLOCKS AND OPENS
JOHNNY:
(TO TABOR) It's a pretty good offer when you think about it, Tabor. You have a record; the police can't pass you up without a lot of scrutiny, you know that.
TABOR:
That record makes me a real hot one. I swiped a couple of cars and now they think I might have opened that vault.
JOHNNY:
No, they don't think that. But they have to find out if you might have contact with somebody who did open it.
TABOR:
I don't know anything about it!
JOHNNY:
In that case, you'll be released.
TABOR:
(BITTER SARCASM) Oh, sure. Sure, I'll be released when every cop in town had a go at me twice. I'll be released when the guys who did the job walk into the station and say we didn't mean it, we want to give it back! (DISGUSTED) They've always got to have somebody to throw to the newspapers!
JOHNNY:
Maybe.
TABOR:
You know it and I know it! Nothin' better than to throw some old ex-con in the can and hold him for questioning!
SOUND:
JAIL DOOR CLOSES ... GUARD (WITH JANGLING KEYS) AND JOHNNY'S STEPS TO ROEBUCK
ROEBUCK:
Well, Dollar? He go for it?
JOHNNY:
No.
ROEBUCK:
(EXHALES) Any more ideas?
JOHNNY:
Turn him loose, lieutenant. See whom he talks to, and whom he meets.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) John Tabor was released without bail and a 24-hour watch was put on his residence. By ten o'clock the next morning the police had located three witnesses to the shots that had killed the special patrolman. However, none of them had seen the burglars or the car that was used. The district attorney's office issued an order impounding the financial records of Templeton House. A complete audit revealed that its affairs were in excellent shape. It also revealed that Templeton himself was the only man in the jewelry firm who had the combination to the vault. His statements emphatically denied giving the combination to anyone. As far as the police were able to determine, he was telling the truth. The search for all known safecrackers extended into New York and Philadelphia and Chicago. On the morning of the third day, a claims adjuster arrived from Hartford with a check for one hundred thousand dollars, full payment on the claim. Two hours later we had the first break on the case.
SOUND:
CITY TRAFFIC BACKGROUND ... JOHNNY'S STEPS ON SIDEWALK ... CAR HORN HONKS THRICE
ROEBUCK:
Hey! Dollar, hey!
JOHNNY:
What? Oh! Hello, lieutenant.
SOUND:
JOHNNY'S STEPS TO CAR
ROEBUCK:
Come on, get in!
SOUND:
CAR DOOR OPENS
JOHNNY:
'Sup?
SOUND:
CAR DOOR CLOSES
ROEBUCK:
Well, the harbor division found a body down by the docks early this morning, all weighted down with .38 slugs. They were fired from the same gun that killed that special patrolman.
JOHNNY:
They match, huh?
ROEBUCK:
Like the dimples on your knees.
SOUND:
CAR ENGINES REVS AND ROARS AWAY
MUSIC:
FIRST ACT CURTAIN
ANNOUNCER:
Act II of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR in just a moment.
[COMMERCIAL OMITTED]
ANNOUNCER:
Now Act II of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR and "The Templeton Matter."
MUSIC:
THEME ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) I spent the rest of the day with Lieutenant Roebuck at the morgue. The body that had been found in the harbor was a man about thirty-five to forty years old, slim build, dark hair. The labels had been cut out of his clothes and the laundry marks torn off. His fingerprints didn't check with anything in the local files. Roebuck put them on the wire to Washington and requested an urgent identification.
SOUND:
PHONE RINGS TWICE ... JOHNNY'S STEPS TO PHONE ... RECEIVER UP ... BARLOW'S VOICE ON FILTER
JOHNNY:
Johnny Dollar.
BARLOW:
Lud Barlow, Johnny. What's this in the paper?
JOHNNY:
Well, the special patrolman and the unidentified man were killed by the same gun. As soon as we get an identification, we can go to work.
BARLOW:
Well, how about that ex-con that turned up working at Templeton's?
JOHNNY:
Tabor? Well, they're still watching him. He might have been the case man. So far, it's just an idea.
BARLOW:
I'd like a recovery on this one, Johnny.
JOHNNY:
So would I.
BARLOW:
Well, do you think it's possible?
JOHNNY:
Well, two days ago I would have said no. Today things look better. For one thing, none of the merchandise has shown up on the market. For another thing, there has to be some kind of connection with this unidentified man.
BARLOW:
I just read your report on Templeton himself. He's out of the question as a suspect?
JOHNNY:
So far, yeah.
BARLOW:
(EXPLODES) He's the only one who had the combination to the safe!
JOHNNY:
There's no apparent motive for him to rob himself.
BARLOW:
But he's the only one who had--!
JOHNNY:
(INTERRUPTS) Don't start yelling at me, Lud. I know what you're thinking: find a motive. (SOOTHING) Well, give us time, boy. Give us time on everything. (NO RESPONSE) Lud?
BARLOW:
(HALF APOLOGETIC) Oh, I guess I hate to pay off big claims.
JOHNNY:
(CHUCKLES) You may get it back. Keep your pants on.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN UNDER--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item five, fifty dollars, deposit for rented car. That afternoon I drove from Boston to Creeksdale, the home of the Grantland Safe Company, where I met a man who looked as formidable as the product he manufactured.
GRANTLAND:
(IMPRESSIVE) I am Grantland, sir.
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) I found him standing inside a shiny new vault ready for shipment.
MUSIC:
OUT
SOUND:
VAULT ECHO ON JOHNNY AND GRANTLAND'S VOICES
GRANTLAND:
Beautiful thing, hm? It's on its way to South America tonight.
JOHNNY:
Well, I - I never thought of a safe exactly that way, Mr. Grantland.
GRANTLAND:
Ah! Beauty, strength. Think for a moment, sir, the treasures it will someday hold. But I bore you, sir, with my enthusiasm. Now then, you say you are here on a matter of vaults?
JOHNNY:
One vault, Mr. Grantland.
GRANTLAND:
Oh?
JOHNNY:
The one your company sold and installed at the Templeton House in Boston seventeen years ago.
GRANTLAND:
Yes?
JOHNNY:
Have you read about the burglary?
GRANTLAND:
No, sir, I have not. (THOUGHTFUL) Hmm. Templeton House?
JOHNNY:
Yes. The vault was opened.
GRANTLAND:
Blasted?
JOHNNY:
Opened. Someone had a combination.
GRANTLAND:
I am bewildered, sir. Indeed I am. You'll want a thorough accounting from my organization, of course.
JOHNNY:
Well, that's up to the police, Mr. Grantland. Right now, for my own information, I wonder if you could tell me who might have the combination to that vault?
GRANTLAND:
Well, in answer to your question, I would first have to inspect our records.
JOHNNY:
I brought the serial numbers.
SOUND:
RUSTLE OF PAPER ... THEN IN AGREEMENT WITH--
GRANTLAND:
Oh? Oh, well, let me see. (EXAMINES PAPER, MUSES) Um-- Mm hm. That's as good as-- Huh. (DEFINITE) The K-series. Mr. Keating set the final combination.
JOHNNY:
Mr. Keating?
GRANTLAND:
Yes, my chief engineer -- for years.
JOHNNY:
And who else?
GRANTLAND:
(CLEARS THROAT) Myself, sir. I'd have a record of the combination in my own files.
JOHNNY:
And who are those available to?
GRANTLAND:
Myself, sir. I keep them in my own vault.
JOHNNY:
I see. Anyone else?
GRANTLAND:
No one here. The people in proper authority at Templeton's.
JOHNNY:
I'd like to meet Mr. Keating if I could.
GRANTLAND:
Impossible, Mr. Dollar.
JOHNNY:
Why?
GRANTLAND:
Mr. Keating - has been dead these six years.
MUSIC:
SOMBER TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) I drove back to Boston, phoned Roebuck, and told him about my interview with Grantland. He said he'd already started looking into Grantland's background and expected to have a report within thirty-six hours. I was a little surprised when Dorian Templeton called half an hour later and asked me to have lunch with him.
SOUND:
CLASSY RESTAURANT BACKGROUND
TEMPLETON:
Would you like a drink?
JOHNNY:
No, not now, thanks, no.
TEMPLETON:
I didn't know whether to call you or the police, Mr. Dollar. I finally decided on you.
JOHNNY:
Uh-huh. What's the matter?
TEMPLETON:
It's one of those strange things. I - I'm not a particularly observant man, and I don't know why I observed this.
JOHNNY:
Go on.
TEMPLETON:
Last night, Mrs. Templeton and I went to a dinner dance at the country club. We thought with all this business a little relaxation should do me some good.
JOHNNY:
Yeah, sure.
TEMPLETON:
There was a young girl at the table next to ours, a very pretty girl whom I'd never seen before. I happened to notice her handbag -- jeweled affair, quite expensive. (CONFIDENTIALLY) One of our items.
JOHNNY:
Yeah?
TEMPLETON:
It didn't occur to me until we were leaving that it had been sample stock, not for sale.
JOHNNY:
What do you mean?
TEMPLETON:
It was stolen, Mr. Dollar.
JOHNNY:
(BEAT, PUZZLED) Why not the police, Mr. Templeton?
TEMPLETON:
I was going to call them first thing this morning and report it. And then I got a package in the mail. It was the handbag -- intact. Crazy?
JOHNNY:
You said it. Did you happen to get the name of the girl?
TEMPLETON:
I asked the maître d'. He said her name was Helen Tabor.
JOHNNY:
That's not so crazy.
MUSIC:
GRIM TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item six, ten cents, one phone call -- to Lieutenant Roebuck to see if John Tabor was still being watched. Roebuck said that two men were on duty watching his house at all times. I saw them when I drove up an hour later. They were parked across the street.
SOUND:
CITY TRAFFIC BACKGROUND ... JOHNNY'S BRISK STEPS ON SIDEWALK, UP STAIRS, TO HOUSE DOOR ... DOORBELL RINGS ... BEAT ... DOORBELL RINGS AGAIN ... HELEN'S STEPS APPROACH ... HOUSE DOOR OPENS
HELEN:
Yes?
JOHNNY:
Miss Tabor?
HELEN:
Yes, who are you?
JOHNNY:
Johnny Dollar. Is your father in?
SOUND:
DURING ABOVE, JOHNNY FORCES HIS WAY IN AND CLOSES THE HOUSE DOOR, SHUTTING OUT TRAFFIC
HELEN:
(TAKEN ABACK) He's - sleeping right now. May I help you?
JOHNNY:
I don't know. Didn't I see you at the country club last night?
HELEN:
Why, yes. Were you there?
JOHNNY:
Couldn't keep my eyes off of you. Or your handbag.
HELEN:
(UNHAPPY) Oh.
SOUND:
DURING ABOVE, TABOR'S STEPS APPROACH
TABOR:
I'll talk to him, honey.
HELEN:
(UNEASY) Dad? Is anything wrong?
TABOR:
Nothing I can't handle. Go ahead, fix up a pot of coffee.
HELEN:
All right, dad.
SOUND:
HELEN'S STEPS AWAY
JOHNNY:
Nice girl, Tabor.
TABOR:
Yeah.
JOHNNY:
Templeton was at the country club last night; he saw her. You can talk to me or you can talk to the police.
TABOR:
I don't have to talk to anybody.
JOHNNY:
The way it looks is that you cased the job. You might even have killed the special patrolman. He was shot close range; could have been someone he knew and trusted. You've got your share of things. That handbag was part of it; a little part of it.
TABOR:
The way it looks, huh?
JOHNNY:
That's about it. Of course, I don't understand why you sent the handbag back, but then you've probably got a good story for that.
TABOR:
Oh, I've got a good story. Nobody'll believe it, but I've got a good one. It starts off by me sayin' I didn't help in that heist. I had nothin' to do with it. I didn't case the place for anybody. I didn't even know it was comin' off.
JOHNNY:
Let's get to the handbag, huh?
TABOR:
I took that two days ago. I borrowed it. I've been borrowing stuff right along whenever my kid needed anything. They always come back in good shape. I told her they - they let me do it. She don't know anything.
JOHNNY:
Borrowed, huh? That's kind of a strange philosophy.
TABOR:
I don't even know how to spell the word. I do know my kid's got a life ahead of her. I gotta give her every chance to look good, act good, use her brains, meet the right people. Not just because the right people have money, but because they know more right people. It takes a-- It takes a little extra to let her do things like that.
JOHNNY:
(SKEPTICAL) You let her use the handbag because she had a date to go to a dance?
TABOR:
Aw, you guys are all the same. I didn't expect you to believe it.
JOHNNY:
(SYMPATHETIC) Ohhh, relax. Maybe I do believe you.
TABOR:
(SURPRISED) What?
JOHNNY:
It sounds nutty enough to be the truth.
TABOR:
It is the truth.
JOHNNY:
All right.
TABOR:
You takin' me in?
JOHNNY:
I'm gonna tell Roebuck about this. He'll probably want to talk to ya. He can check it better than I can. No, I haven't any authority to take you in. I wouldn't take you in anyhow. I'm interested in guys who walk into vaults. See ya around.
SOUND:
JOHNNY'S STEPS TO DOOR, WHICH OPENS
TABOR:
(OFF) Hey, wait a minute.
JOHNNY:
What?
SOUND:
TABOR'S STEPS TO JOHNNY
TABOR:
(APPROACHES) I never thought I'd see the day when I tried to help a cop -- or anybody like a cop. Maybe this is the day. I, er-- I saw the paper last night.
JOHNNY:
Oh?
TABOR:
The picture of that guy they found floating in the harbor? They tagged him yet?
JOHNNY:
He's a John Doe until we hear from Washington.
TABOR:
His name's Kylie. Billy Kylie.
JOHNNY:
How do you know?
TABOR:
I used to know him a long time ago.
JOHNNY:
Billy Kylie?
TABOR:
Yeah. From Philadelphia.
JOHNNY:
(BEAT) Thanks.
SOUND:
DOOR CLOSES AS JOHNNY EXITS
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) A check with the Philadelphia police and a comparison of fingerprints identified the man as William H. Kylie. His Boston address was on Parker Street. I drove out there with Lieutenant Roebuck. It was an ordinary, undistinguished apartment house. No one answered at Apartment 12-A, so we let ourselves in. The room had nothing to offer in the way of evidence.
SOUND:
DRAWER CLOSED
ROEBUCK:
Well, did you find anything?
JOHNNY:
No.
ROEBUCK:
Well, I'll have some men come by and give it a good going-over. Eh, maybe the manager or the tenants know something that'll help us. Come on, let's go.
JOHNNY:
Yeah.
SOUND:
THEIR STEPS TO DOOR ... PHONE RINGS
ROEBUCK:
(REALIZES THIS COULD BE A LEAD) Oh. Now, be careful, Dollar.
JOHNNY:
Yeah.
SOUND:
PHONE RINGS AGAIN ... JOHNNY'S STEPS TO PHONE ... RECEIVER UP ... GRANTLAND'S VOICE ON FILTER
JOHNNY:
(INTO PHONE, MUFFLED) Yeah?
GRANTLAND:
Tim?
JOHNNY:
(MUMBLES) Yeah, this is Tim.
GRANTLAND:
Any trouble there?
JOHNNY:
(MUMBLES) A little.
GRANTLAND:
(SUSPICIOUS) Say that again.
JOHNNY:
(MUMBLES) A little.
GRANTLAND:
I don't know who you are, but I know you're not Tim.
SOUND:
LINE DISCONNECTS AS GRANTLAND HANGS UP
ROEBUCK:
It sounds like we're getting somewhere. Here, let me have the phone; I'll see if I can trace it.
JOHNNY:
Don't bother.
SOUND:
RECEIVER DOWN
JOHNNY:
I know where we can find him.
ROEBUCK:
What?
JOHNNY:
I'd recognize his voice anywhere.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) It was dark by the time we got to the Grantland Safe Company factory in Creeksdale. There was a single work light spreading a sickly yellow glow over the main floor loading platform. We were expected.
SOUND:
GUNSHOT! ... JOHNNY AND ROEBUCK'S STEPS AS THEY CROUCH
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) It went off somewhere in the darkness of the building.
ROEBUCK:
(LOW) You okay?
JOHNNY:
(LOW) Yeah, I'm okay.
ROEBUCK:
(LOW) All right, let's try for that stair railing.
JOHNNY:
(LOW) Right.
SOUND:
JOHNNY AND ROEBUCK'S STEPS AS THEY RISE FROM A CROUCH AND RUN TO STAIRS ... TWO GUNSHOTS!
ROEBUCK:
(LOW) You see the flashes?
JOHNNY:
(LOW) There.
ROEBUCK:
(LOW) All right, we'll have to try and make--
GRANTLAND:
(OFF) Mr. Dollar?
ROEBUCK:
(WHISPERS, TO JOHNNY) He thinks you're alone. Answer him.
JOHNNY:
(UP, TO GRANTLAND) Yeah?
GRANTLAND:
(OFF) What are you doing here?
JOHNNY:
Looking for a hundred thousand dollars worth of jewelry and the answer to a couple of murders.
GRANTLAND:
(OFF, LAUGHS)
JOHNNY:
Funny?
GRANTLAND:
(OFF, CHUCKLES) You're very foolhardy. But you're courageous. A man of your perception could do well with a part of that money.
JOHNNY:
No, thanks. I'll take it all.
GRANTLAND:
(OFF, GRIM) You will take nothing, sir.
ROEBUCK:
(LOW, TO JOHNNY) Keep him talking. I'll try to get under the stairs.
SOUND:
ROEBUCK'S STEPS QUIETLY AWAY
GRANTLAND:
(OFF) Are you alone?
JOHNNY:
For a little while. But I've got people coming, though.
GRANTLAND:
(OFF, SKEPTICAL) Oh? People, eh?
SOUND:
TWO GUNSHOTS!
GRANTLAND:
(PAUSE, OFF) Mr. Dollar?
JOHNNY:
(BEAT, TAUNTING) Still alive and kicking, Mr. Grantland. You can't shoot around corners.
GRANTLAND:
(OFF) No? (CHUCKLES, APPROACHES) But then I don't have to shoot around the corner.
SOUND:
GRANTLAND'S GUN FIRES! ... THEN ROEBUCK'S GUN FIRES!
GRANTLAND:
(EXCLAMATION AS HE IS HIT)
SOUND:
GRANTLAND COLLAPSES INTO SOME METAL EQUIPMENT, WHICH CLATTERS NOISILY ON THE FLOOR ... ROEBUCK'S STEPS APPROACH
GRANTLAND:
(WEAKLY) Very-- Very-- Very good-- Very good shooting, sir.
ROEBUCK:
Grantland, I want a statement.
GRANTLAND:
No, no. No - statement. (INHALES DEEPLY, THEN WITH DYING BREATH) No - statement.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) He was dead before the ambulance arrived. And there was no statement. There was never a statement. As nearly as it could be pieced together, Grantland himself opened the vault at Templeton House. William Kylie, and possibly a man named Tim, helped him. Kylie, of course, was killed for his efforts. Tim never appeared; was never identified. (BEAT) My hotel bill ran up to one hundred and sixty-eight dollars. That's item seven. Item eight, thirty-five dollars, car rental. I got fifty dollars deposit back. Item nine, thirty-two dollars and a half, airfare and incidentals back to Hartford. Expense account total: four hundred and thirteen dollars, twenty-eight cents. Remarks? Put that against a hundred thousand dollars the insurance company didn't have to pay off.
SOUND:
PHONE RINGS ... RECEIVER UP ... BARLOW'S VOICE ON FILTER
JOHNNY:
(INTO PHONE) Johnny Dollar.
BARLOW:
(UPSET) This is Barlow. I just talked to Roebuck in Boston. There's not one scrap of that jewelry anywhere in that whole safe factory! Not one piece!
JOHNNY:
I know.
BARLOW:
What?
JOHNNY:
Just about now there's a safe at the Port of New York being shipped to South America. It's a Grantland safe. And if you hurry over there, you can--
SOUND:
LINE DISCONNECTS AS BARLOW HANGS UP
JOHNNY:
(CHUCKLES)
SOUND:
RECEIVER DOWN
JOHNNY:
Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
MUSIC:
CURTAIN ... THEN THEME ... IN BG, UNTIL END
ANNOUNCER:
YOUR TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR, starring Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood. It is written by John Dawson and is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard in our cast were Virginia Gregg, Vic Perrin, Jimmy McCallion, John Dehner, Stacy Harris, Marvin Miller, and Peter Leeds. Musical supervision is by Amerigo Moreno. Be sure to join us next week, same time and station, for another exciting story of YOUR TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR.