ANNOUNCER:
From Hollywood, it's time now for--
SOUND:
LONG PHONE RING ... RECEIVER UP ... BERT'S VOICE ON FILTER
JOHNNY:
Johnny Dollar.
BERT:
Bert Major, Masters Insurance and Trust.
JOHNNY:
Oh, hi, Bert. What's up?
BERT:
Poor Little Rich Girl in California wants to take out a two-hundred-thousand-dollar straight life policy on her husband -- with herself as beneficiary.
JOHNNY:
A lot of dough, but not too unusual -- if you can afford it.
BERT:
Effective in two weeks and "hush-hush." A surprise.
JOHNNY:
But who'd want to--? Wha--?
BERT:
Exactly. Nice piece of change for the company in commissions -- or for her in payoff -- if she's playing that kind of a game.
JOHNNY:
You talk like you don't know her.
BERT:
Name only. Deal was arranged pending through her lawyer in Los Angeles.
JOHNNY:
Hmmmm.
BERT:
You could be out there in the morning, Johnny.
JOHNNY:
All right, Bert. Who gives me the fill-in?
BERT:
Our agent out there, Roger Hackey. He'll meet you at International Airport.
MUSIC:
THEME ... THEN 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:
TAG
ANNOUNCER:
And now Act I of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR.
MUSIC:
THEME ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar, to the home office, Masters Insurance and Trust Company, Hartford, Connecticut. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of "The Poor Little Rich Girl Matter." (PAUSE) Expense account, item one, two hundred and eighty dollars, round-trip plane ticket and incidentals, including sunglasses, Hartford to Los Angeles. I arrived, rested, ready, and right on schedule. Also on schedule was Roger Hackey, Masters' Los Angeles agent -- who turned out to be a repressed comedian-become-insurance salesman.
SOUND:
BUSY AIRPORT BACKGROUND ... JOHNNY AND ROGERS' BRISK FOOTSTEPS
ROGER:
Yep! I said to myself, that's Johnny Dollar, I said. You are Johnny Dollar, aren't you?
JOHNNY:
In person. You're Roger Hackey?
ROGER:
In person. (LAUGHS HEARTILY) Say, you've got the old feel, haven't you? "Simpatico" we call it out here. Heh! Er, have a nice trip?
JOHNNY:
(DRY) Yeah.
ROGER:
Good, good. Airplanes scare me. Don't like bein' up there in the wild blue yonder. Terra firma is my dish o' tea. (LAUGHS HEARTILY) "Slow but sure" they call me.
JOHNNY:
(UNENCHANTED) Yeah. Well, look--
ROGER:
(INTERRUPTS) Now if you just follow me, we'll jump in my jalopy and I'll have you at the Beverly Hilton before you can say Happy Hooligan!
JOHNNY:
(DRY) You say it.
ROGER:
Huh? Oh, yeah! (LAUGHS HEARTILY) Well, here we go! Cloud of dust and all that.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) The ride from the air terminal to the hotel was hot; silent, on my part; and unproductive so far as the case was concerned. Roger Hackey kept up a running commentary on everything from bad actors to the zodiac. It wasn't until I was settled in my room, with drink in hand and shoeless feet propped up, that I could get him to switch to the $200,000 surprise.
ROGER:
Her name is Cynthia Dervin. Now how much do you know about her?
JOHNNY:
Nothing. Bert Major said you'd give me the background.
ROGER:
Well, she's a strange one. You know what a chameleon is?
JOHNNY:
Well, sure. A lizard that changes color. So what?
ROGER:
So that's the kind of a gal Cynthia Dervin is. At least she is now.
JOHNNY:
You're losing me, Roger. Begin at the beginning.
ROGER:
Well, you're the doctor. As the Siamese twin said after the operation, "What's missing?" (LAUGHS HEARTILY)
JOHNNY:
(UNENTHUSIASTIC) Yeah.
ROGER:
(THE SAME) Yeah.
JOHNNY:
How did you meet Cynthia Dervin?
ROGER:
Well, she came into the office yesterday. No call, no appointment. There she was.
JOHNNY:
Well, what's she like?
ROGER:
Trim. Real trim. And expensive.
JOHNNY:
Just casually announced she wanted to buy $200,000 worth of insurance, huh?
ROGER:
Well, not exactly. She started asking about various policies -- you know, endowments, straight life, et cetera -- and how and when they paid off. And she kept giving me the big-eye and cross-leg routine.
JOHNNY:
Hmmm. She tell you anything about herself?
ROGER:
Oh, didn't have to. I already knew. She's practically a fixture in the society section of the Sunday papers -- garden parties, opening nights, and all that. Ah, but only lately.
JOHNNY:
Her husband?
ROGER:
Peter Dervin. He's been a public figure ever since they got married about three years ago.
JOHNNY:
But she hasn't?
ROGER:
No. No, just the last couple of months or so.
JOHNNY:
Uh-huh. How old is she?
ROGER:
Oh, around twenty-five. Blonde, blooming, and gorgeous -- if figuratively speaking. (LAUGHS DIRTILY)
JOHNNY:
I take it she has the money, huh?
ROGER:
Yeah, right. He was a well-torsoed movie bit player with a champagne appetite.
JOHNNY:
I see. Now, uh, what about this surprise angle?
ROGER:
Well, she came right to the point. Said her husband had just had a complete physical; asked if his doctor's report would be acceptable. If so, okay.
JOHNNY:
But you didn't sign her up. Why?
ROGER:
She didn't give me the chance.
JOHNNY:
What do you mean?
ROGER:
All of a sudden she reached in her purse and pulled out a piece of paper with a name and address on it. Announced this was her attorney. See him, she said; smiled big, and walked out.
JOHNNY:
Did you go and see the attorney?
ROGER:
Right away. A guy by the name of, uh, Crane Collins. Has big plush offices downtown; old senior partner type.
JOHNNY:
What did he have to say?
ROGER:
Oh, nothing except routine questions about filling out the forms, expediting the procedure, importance of secrecy -- for the surprise.
JOHNNY:
Well, why didn't you ask a few questions?
ROGER:
Couldn't.
JOHNNY:
What do you mean "couldn't"?
ROGER:
She was there.
JOHNNY:
Doing what?
ROGER:
Sittin' back in a corner, all huddled up like a mouse waiting to be pounced on. Didn't say a word -- while Collins and I filled out the papers.
JOHNNY:
Hmm.
ROGER:
Yeah, she signed them as if they were a death warrant. Went back to the corner and stared at the wall.
JOHNNY:
Now I see what you meant by that chameleon remark.
ROGER:
Yeah, she's too much for me.
JOHNNY:
Yeah. A leopard can change its spots, too.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item two, three dollars and twenty-five cents, taxi fare to the offices of Crane Collins. So far, all I knew was that the wealthy young woman wanted a pot full of insurance on her husband. If it hadn't been for the surprise request, it would've been routine. Now it wasn't. And the people involved -- one of them at least -- were not routine. I was ushered into an oak-paneled office high above the streets of Los Angeles.
COLLINS:
Good afternoon, Mr. Dollar.
JOHNNY:
Mr. Collins.
COLLINS:
Your card identifies you as an insurance investigator, Mr. Dollar. I don't believe I understand.
JOHNNY:
Cynthia Dervin is your client?
COLLINS:
(BEAT) Why, yes.
JOHNNY:
You represented this client yesterday in the signing of an application for a $200,000 straight life insurance policy on her husband.
COLLINS:
Yes.
JOHNNY:
I represent the company.
COLLINS:
Everything is in order, is it not?
JOHNNY:
Insurance is a lot of things, Mr. Collins. A surprise to the insured is one of the things it isn't.
COLLINS:
My client is adamant in this respect. Call it a - a quirk, if you will.
JOHNNY:
You expect the company to issue a $200,000 policy on a quirk?
COLLINS:
(CLEARS THROAT) Well, I--
JOHNNY:
How long have you known Mrs. Dervin?
COLLINS:
Since she was born.
JOHNNY:
Then you know her father?
COLLINS:
Knew him. I am his executor.
JOHNNY:
Uh-huh. Mother?
COLLINS:
Also deceased. Both parents died when Cynthia was seventeen. I was her guardian and have been her legal advisor since she came of age.
JOHNNY:
Was she well provided for?
COLLINS:
Very.
JOHNNY:
What kind of a man is her husband?
COLLINS:
(HESITANT) Young, about thirty. Tall. Good looking.
JOHNNY:
No, no, Mr. Collins, not statistics. Your impressions.
COLLINS:
(EXHALES) He plays an excellent game of golf. Gets along well with people -- when he wants to.
JOHNNY:
But you don't like him, do you?
COLLINS:
In this profession, Mr. Dollar, I neither like nor dislike people. I represent them. And that representation is based on fact.
JOHNNY:
Well, in my profession, we go by feel as well as fact. Well, tell me candidly, Mr. Collins, do you think there's anything strange about this request for insurance on her husband?
COLLINS:
As I said, I deal in facts, not feelings. As a client, she sought professional assistance. Ergo, I supplied it.
JOHNNY:
(SIGHS) Where do the Dervins live?
COLLINS:
(BEAT) I'd rather not--
JOHNNY:
(INTERRUPTS) Oh, now look, I can get it from any society editor in town.
COLLINS:
(BEAT) My secretary will give you the information.
JOHNNY:
All right, thank you. By the way, don't tell Mrs. Dervin or anyone else that we've had this discussion. (POINTEDLY) If you do, there will be no insurance issued. Interference with investigative procedure. Fact, Mr. Collins.
COLLINS:
I understand.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item three, two dollars and sixty cents; phone call, then taxi to Roger Hackey's office. A neat one-story building in the Miracle Mile on Wilshire Boulevard. Purpose, to borrow Roger's company car. The Dervins lived in one of those colonial mansions out in Beverly Hills, surrounded by curving driveway, spacious lawn, swimming pool and cabanas -- all of it enclosed by thick high walls and electronically controlled gate. The mention of insurance on the intercom got me in. Cynthia Dervin was everything Roger said she was -- the first time he met her, that is.
CYNTHIA:
Please excuse my appearance, Mr. Dollar. I've been swimming.
JOHNNY:
(IMPRESSED) Oh, I - I, er-- I don't mind at all, Mrs. Dervin.
CYNTHIA:
(CHUCKLES) Really, you shouldn't have come here to deliver the policy. What if my husband had been home?
JOHNNY:
No surprise?
CYNTHIA:
No. And that would've spoiled everything. Well, may I have it please?
JOHNNY:
The, er, paperwork has not been completed yet.
CYNTHIA:
(TENSE, WORRIED) Then what are you doing here? What do you want? Get to the point.
JOHNNY:
Well, just a few questions, Mrs. Dervin. My colleague, Mr. Hackey, should have handled these details yesterday, but he was somewhat, er, rushed.
CYNTHIA:
Oh! Then there's nothing wrong with--? (ABRUPTLY CALM AGAIN) Would you care for a drink, Mr. Dollar?
JOHNNY:
Thanks.
CYNTHIA:
The bar's out by the pool. Shall we?
MUSIC:
MILDLY SEXY TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) She was wearing a bikini and high-heeled beach sandals. And she led the way. I was hoping it was two miles to the pool instead of the seventy-five yards it turned out to be. I mixed the drinks and we settled down in a couple of sun lounges.
SOUND:
OUTDOORS BACKGROUND ... BIRDS CHIRP IN BG--
CYNTHIA:
Now, those details, Mr. Dollar--?
JOHNNY:
Just formalities, actually. You're to be the beneficiary?
CYNTHIA:
Yes. That was discussed yesterday.
JOHNNY:
Oh, yes. So it was. What does your husband do, Mrs. Dervin?
CYNTHIA:
He doesn't work, if that's what you mean. He doesn't have to. I have enough for both of us. Johnny?
JOHNNY:
Yeah?
CYNTHIA:
Freshen my drink, will you please?
JOHNNY:
Oh, sure.
SOUND:
CHAIR SCRAPE AND STEPS ... AS JOHNNY RISES, WALKS TO BAR
JOHNNY:
Say, tell me, did you ever contemplate divorce?
CYNTHIA:
(SLIGHTLY OFF, NERVOUSLY) Divorce? Whatever makes you ask a question like that?
JOHNNY:
Well?
CYNTHIA:
(SLIGHTLY OFF, DEFENSIVELY) Of course not. We've had our differences. Minor ones. What couple hasn't?
SOUND:
JOHNNY'S STEPS TO CYNTHIA
JOHNNY:
Yeah, I suppose you've gotta point there. Here ya are.
CYNTHIA:
Thank you.
SOUND:
CHAIR SCRAPE AS JOHNNY SITS
CYNTHIA:
(TRIES CHANGING SUBJECT) Johnny--?
JOHNNY:
(INTERRUPTS) Why did you pick two weeks from today to be the effective date of the policy?
CYNTHIA:
Isn't that my business?
JOHNNY:
His birthday, Mrs. Dervin?
CYNTHIA:
(ABSENTLY) What?
JOHNNY:
Your husband. The surprise.
CYNTHIA:
Oh. Yes. Yes, it is. But all these questions--?
JOHNNY:
(INTERRUPTS) Plan to throw a big party for him?
CYNTHIA:
(FLUSTERED) Yes. No. I don't know. Johnny--?
JOHNNY:
(INTERRUPTS) Your husband would be worth a lot more to you dead than alive, wouldn't he, Mrs. Dervin?
SOUND:
CRASH! OF DROPPED GLASS ... CYNTHIA RISES
CYNTHIA:
(TENSE) Hand me that robe, please.
JOHNNY:
Sure. Sure. (BEAT) Here you are. But you haven't answered my question.
CYNTHIA:
I'm sorry. You'll - you'll have to excuse me. (MOVING OFF) I have a headache. A terrible headache.
MUSIC:
SOUR TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Something was definitely wrong here. A girl of her age should have flared at my questions. Should have snapped back at me instead of blindly running away. Yeah, something was wrong all right. But I'd seen what I'd come to see -- both facets of Cynthia Dervin's personality. And was one of them actually thinking in terms of murder? My job? Find out.
MUSIC:
FIRST ACT CURTAIN
ANNOUNCER:
Act II of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR in a moment.
[COMMERCIAL OMITTED]
ANNOUNCER:
And now Act II of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR and "The Poor Little Rich Girl Matter."
MUSIC:
THEME ... THEN IN BG, IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) I sat beside one of the plushest swimming pools in Beverly Hills -- alone. I finished my drink slowly. Cynthia Dervin was a strange one, all right, but her actions seemed compulsory rather than natural. If she really was thinking about murder for $200,000 in one chunk, she was pretty crude about it. If she was trying to impress her husband for some unknown reason, she'd selected a mighty offbeat way to do it. If she was going off her rocker-- Well--
SOUND:
PHONE RINGS ... CONTINUES BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) The extension phone hung on a post beside the bar. I don't ordinarily listen in on other people's conversations, but this one--
SOUND:
JOHNNY'S STEPS TO PHONE ... RECEIVER UP ... ERIC AND CYNTHIA'S VOICES ON FILTER--
ERIC:
--thing wrong, darling?
CYNTHIA:
(DISTRESSED) Eric? Oh, Eric, I've got to talk to you. Something has happened. I've got--
ERIC:
(INTERRUPTS) Nope, Cynthia. Not on the phone. Meet me here in half an hour.
CYNTHIA:
But, Eric--
ERIC:
(INTERRUPTS) Half an hour. Here. Goodbye, Cynthia.
SOUND:
CLICK! OF LINE DISCONNECT ... THEN JOHNNY PUTS THE RECEIVER DOWN
MUSIC:
OUT
JOHNNY:
(TO HIMSELF, WITH SATISFACTION) Hello, Eric.
MUSIC:
BRIEF SOLEMN TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) As I stroll to my car, nobody asks me to come back again sometime. Not that I expected it. I parked a block down the street, adjusted the rear view mirror, and got comfortable. A cigarette later, she came zooming out in a Cad' convertible and headed my way. I've tailed a few cars in my time, but this kid was either scared silly or she'd learned her evasive tactics from Bull Halsey. I lost her in the first ten blocks. So I drove Roger Hackey's car back to his office and prepared for the horse laugh I had coming. It came.
ROGER:
(LAUGHS HEARTILY) She lost ya, huh? Oh, that's a dandy! A real dandy! (CHUCKLES BEHIND JOHNNY--)
JOHNNY:
Hey, tell me, do you always laugh when you're about to lose the commission on a $200,000 policy?
ROGER:
(ABRUPTLY STOPS CHUCKLING, DISMAYED) Yeah? Oh. Well, er, what are you gonna do now, Johnny?
JOHNNY:
(POINTEDLY) Who is Eric?
ROGER:
(LIGHTLY) Well, he's not her brother, that's for sure. (STARTS TO LAUGH, BUT STOPS SHORT) Oh. (BEAT, HELPLESSLY) I don't know.
JOHNNY:
You know, for two cents, I'd turn in a negative report and go on back to Hartford.
ROGER:
Oh, wait now. You can't do that. This is a big deal!
JOHNNY:
For you. For me, it's a pain in the neck.
ROGER:
But you can't turn in a negative report just because she's got an extracurricular boyfriend. You don't even know who he is. And what about her husband?
JOHNNY:
Yeah. What about him?
ROGER:
Here, here. I got the dope right here. (SOUND: RUSTLE OF NEWSPAPER, IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING--) Today's paper, and it's a good picture of him. Read what it says.
JOHNNY:
(READS) "Peter Dervin, one of Los Angeles' better amateur golfers plays out of Silver Oak Country Club where the State Open is being held this week. He's expected to finish in the top--" (BEAT) Roger, what time is it? (SOUND: FINAL RUSTLE OF NEWSPAPER)
ROGER:
Er, four-thirty.
JOHNNY:
Thanks.
SOUND:
JOHNNY RISES, HIS STEPS TO DOOR, IN BG
ROGER:
Huh? Hey, where you going?
JOHNNY:
I'm gonna try my hand at being a reporter.
SOUND:
DOOR OPENS ... TRAFFIC NOISE
ROGER:
What? What are you talking about?
JOHNNY:
Roger, I'm going to interview Mr. Peter Dervin for the, uh-- The Inter-State Publicity Press Association!
ROGER:
(CONFUSED) Huh?!
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item four, two dollars and forty cents, cab fare to the Silver Oak Country Club, which nestled in a big ravine north of Sunset Boulevard, some fifteen minutes from Roger's office. The last players were coming in from the afternoon round when I got there, and Peter Dervin was among them. I waited until after the radio and TV boys had got through and then caught him in a corner of the locker room.
SOUND:
LOCKER ROOM BACKGROUND ... REPORTERS DEPART, IN BG
PETER:
Yes? Who are you?
JOHNNY:
Johnny Dollar, Inter-State Publicity Press. I'd like to ask you a few questions, please.
PETER:
Well, I've already given my interviews.
JOHNNY:
Well, sure. I know, but this is, er, feature stuff -- best part of the day, does the gallery bother ya? -- stuff like that.
PETER:
Ohhh. Oh, all right. But make it quick.
JOHNNY:
Yes, sir. Is your wife here?
PETER:
No, she never watches me play.
JOHNNY:
Oh? Where is she now?
PETER:
Well, at home. Where else? But now see here, don't you--?
JOHNNY:
(INTERRUPTS) Uh, you're playing a great game, Mr. Dervin. You figure you're gonna win this tournament, huh?
PETER:
Yes, I think so. McManus turned in a sixty-nine, of course, but I'm still three strokes up on him. I, er-- I play a much steadier game than he does.
JOHNNY:
Oh yeah, sure. This is your home club, isn't it?
PETER:
Why, yes. It's one of the best in the country.
JOHNNY:
Yeah. Mighty fine course. You must be pretty well-heeled.
PETER:
Well, I-- (CHUCKLES, LIGHTLY) That's none of your readers' concern.
JOHNNY:
(LIGHTLY) Oh, I'm sorry. Say, you have a birthday coming up soon, haven't you?
PETER:
How did you know?
JOHNNY:
Oh, well, you're a prominent personality, Mr. Dervin. We keep a file on this sort of thing -- on important people like you.
PETER:
(WITH PLEASURE) Oh. Oh, I see. Sure.
JOHNNY:
I suppose you're gonna have a big affair.
PETER:
Uh, no. As a matter of fact, the annual Western Road races fall on my birthday each year. As a reporter, you should recall that I won both last year and the year before.
JOHNNY:
(REALIZES, SLOWLY) Ohhh, yeah, sure. (QUICKLY) Well, happy birthday, Mr. Dervin, and, uh, good luck.
PETER:
(SURPRISED) Well, is that all you want?
JOHNNY:
That's all I need to know. Thanks.
MUSIC:
SECOND ACT CURTAIN
ANNOUNCER:
Act III of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR in a moment.
[COMMERCIAL OMITTED]
ANNOUNCER:
And now Act III of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR and "The Poor Little Rich Girl Matter."
MUSIC:
BRIEFLY IN ... THEN IN BG--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item five, six dollars even, taxi fare to the office of attorney Crane Collins, with whom I could now agree on one point. I didn't like Peter Dervin either. It was six-fifteen, after hours, when I entered the office of Collins, Douglas, Walsh, Hanley, and James. (SOUND: OFFICE DOOR OPENS ... JOHNNY'S STEPS IN) The senior partner was still there. His door was slightly ajar and I heard voices, which stopped abruptly when I entered.
COLLINS:
(OFF, UNHAPPY) Oh, Mr. Dollar. Rather late in the day, isn't it?
JOHNNY:
I don't keep office hours, Mr. Collins.
COLLINS:
(OFF) I'm very busy.
JOHNNY:
Then I'll wait.
COLLINS:
(OFF) Very well. As you wish.
MUSIC:
OUT WITH--
SOUND:
INNER OFFICE DOOR CLOSES
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) I wished. So I waited. But not for long, because about three minutes later, Collins came out, carefully closed the door of his office behind him, and strode easily toward me, oozing his most charming professional smile.
SOUND:
COLLINS' STEPS TO JOHNNY
COLLINS:
(CHARMINGLY) Now, Mr. Dollar, what can I do for you?
JOHNNY:
Why didn't you tell me the first time I was here that Peter Dervin, in addition to being a first class golfer, was also a racing enthusiast?
COLLINS:
(TAKEN ABACK) Why, it - it just didn't occur to me.
JOHNNY:
Do you know any insurance company in the world that would issue a $200,000 policy on a man who risks his life in a racing car?
COLLINS:
Then your company will not issue the policy?
JOHNNY:
What do you think? Now tell me something. Who is Eric?
COLLINS:
Eric?
JOHNNY:
That's right. (BEAT) Well?
COLLINS:
The name is not familiar to me.
JOHNNY:
Now look, Mr. Collins, I have a feeling that even you will admit that withholding information in connection with a possible murder is punishable by law. Fact!
COLLINS:
I am fully aware of that. (SOUND: JOHNNY'S STEPS TO INNER OFFICE DOOR) But I fail to see what that has-- What are you doing?!
SOUND:
INNER OFFICE DOOR OPENS
JOHNNY:
(OFF) You didn't invite me into your office. I just wondered why is all.
COLLINS:
(SHARPLY) Have you no ethics, man?!
SOUND:
JOHNNY'S STEPS TO COLLINS
JOHNNY:
Cynthia Dervin was in there a few minutes ago, wasn't she?
COLLINS:
(QUIETLY) Mr. Dollar--
JOHNNY:
Wasn't she?!
COLLINS:
(BEAT, CAREFULLY) If it is the intention of your company not to issue the insurance to my client, I will so inform her and that will end the matter so far as you are concerned. Now please be good enough to leave.
JOHNNY:
(SIGHS) You really don't know or care what's going on, do you? You are so wrapped up in the letter of the law that preventing a possible murder doesn't even occur to you.
COLLINS:
Another one of your "feelings"? Well, I don't have the remotest idea of what you're talking about. (POINTEDLY) Goodnight, Mr. Dollar.
JOHNNY:
(WITH DISAPPROVAL) Goodnight, Mr. Collins.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Expense account, item six, nine dollars and fifty cents, cocktails and dinner. I should have written my report "negative" and high-tailed back to Hartford. But when you see in your mind's eye the possibility of a racing car careening off the road at a hundred and twenty-five miles an hour exactly two weeks from now, you don't just stick to business and call it quits. Eric, wherever he tended bar, was the key. But how to find it. I was on dessert and the evening paper, giving my subconscious mind a chance to work it out, when all of a sudden I was looking at it -- on the society page. (MUSIC: ACCENT, THEN IN BG) Expense account, item seven, nineteen dollars, including taxi fare to Los Angeles Police headquarters, where I had a pleasant chat with the captain on duty, then a tuxedo rental in the same taxi to the Statler Hotel. A special pass let me in as guest at a crowded and bejeweled society benefit.
SOUND:
HIGH SOCIETY PARTY CROWD BACKGROUND ... ORCHESTRA PLAYS DANCE MUSIC
JOHNNY:
Enjoying the party, Mr. Collins?
COLLINS:
(SURPRISED) Dollar! What are you doing here?
JOHNNY:
Enjoying the party, too. Have Mr. and Mrs. Dervin arrived?
COLLINS:
You are the most annoyingly persistent individual I have ever--
JOHNNY:
(INTERRUPTS) Please. Please. No compliments. See you later.
SOUND:
JOHNNY'S STEPS AWAY ... CROWD NOISE UP BRIEFLY FOR TRANSITION
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) After a few minutes, I spotted her, dressed to the teeth. She turned suddenly and saw me. I expected, surprise, chagrin, fear -- most anything but what I got.
CYNTHIA:
(APPROACHES, WARMLY) Mr. Dollar! Johnny! I am glad to see you. I was such a bore this afternoon. Forgive me.
JOHNNY:
(LIGHTLY) Well, your exit was rather sudden.
CYNTHIA:
(CHUCKLES) My headache's all gone. Isn't that wonderful?
JOHNNY:
Fine.
CYNTHIA:
Will you dance with me?
JOHNNY:
Pleasure.
CYNTHIA:
(PAUSE, AS THEY DANCE) Dollar. That's such an exciting name.
JOHNNY:
Is your husband with you tonight?
CYNTHIA:
No. Poor dear, he's playing in a golf tournament and has to get his rest.
JOHNNY:
You came alone?
CYNTHIA:
Yes. (BEAT) Don't you find it warm in here? All these people? Let's go out on the terrace, hmm?
JOHNNY:
Sure, why not?
SOUND:
THEIR STEPS AWAY ... CROWD AND ORCHESTRA RECEDE A LITTLE BEHIND--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) Once more, I was following her -- and it was just as interesting as the first time, but my mind and eyes were elsewhere. Somewhere in this crowd was the Eric I was looking for. He had to be. Then I spotted him -- thirty-five, big and broad, hawk nose, circling toward the terrace from the left. She threaded her way to a potted palm in a far corner of the terrace, turned and looked at me. Her eyes were feverishly bright in the moonlight. She was beautiful.
CYNTHIA:
You're a very charming man, Johnny. I wish--
JOHNNY:
(BEAT) You wish -- what?
CYNTHIA:
Mmmmm. Do you find me interesting? (BEAT) You haven't answered my question.
JOHNNY:
Oh, I find you interesting, Cynthia. Who is Eric?
CYNTHIA:
Eric?
JOHNNY:
The man you went to see this afternoon after you left me.
CYNTHIA:
This afternoon?
JOHNNY:
You know who I'm talking about. Because you and Eric -- I don't know how -- were planning to kill your husband two weeks from now and collect $200,000 insurance. Two weeks from now in the road race. Make it look like an accident no doubt.
CYNTHIA:
(DISTRESSED) No, Eric! No!
MUSIC:
QUICK ACCENT ... THEN IN BG, IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) I ducked and whirled around as a fist grazed past my ear and (WITH EFFORT) brought up one from the floor with all I had.
SOUND:
SMACK! OF FIST TO ERIC'S JAW
ERIC:
(GROANS IN PAIN)
SOUND:
ERIC COLLAPSES TO FLOOR
JOHNNY:
(BEAT, NARRATES) Cynthia stood there a moment, then quietly folded up and lay on the floor in a heap sobbing.
CYNTHIA:
(WEEPS, IN BG)
MUSIC:
GENTLY OUT
SOUND:
COLLINS' STEPS APPROACH
COLLINS:
(APPROACHES) Oh, there you are, Dollar. (SHOCKED) Wha--? What have you done to this poor girl?! And that man?!
JOHNNY:
(QUIETLY SOLEMN) Very simple, Collins. I've been combining feel and fact.
MUSIC:
TRANSITION, BRIEF AND SOBER ... THEN BEHIND JOHNNY--
JOHNNY:
(NARRATES) The house dick and I got them out of there -- Hawk Nose to police headquarters; Cynthia, to a hospital. Eric turned out to be a quack psychiatrist who preyed on unstable rich women and who was wanted in both New York and Florida. He had a perfect setup in Cynthia Dervin until he went for murder and the big money. Mrs. Dervin? Well, the doctors tell me she ought to be normal mentally in a couple of years with proper psychiatric treatment. Expense account total, three hundred seventeen dollars and seventy-five cents. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
MUSIC:
CURTAIN
ANNOUNCER:
Our star will return in just a moment.
[COMMERCIAL OMITTED]
ANNOUNCER:
Now here's our star to tell you about next week's story.
JOHNNY:
Next week -- a beautiful yacht, a beautiful charming girl, and a man who wished he'd never heard of either of them. Join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
MUSIC:
THEME ... THEN IN BG--
ANNOUNCER:
YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR, starring Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood. Written by Alan Botzer, it is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard in our cast were Virginia Gregg, Herb Ellis, Frank Nelson, Marvin Miller, and Peter Leeds. Be sure to join us next week, same time and station, for another exciting story of YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR. This is Bud Sewell speaking.
MUSIC:
UP TO FILL ... THEN IN BG, UNTIL END--
AFRTS ANNCR:
This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.