Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Killer's List Matter 03/30/1958

Summary

Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio

Episode Summary: "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Killer's List Matter" (03/30/1958)

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Introduction

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar takes listeners on a gripping journey through the investigation of a suspicious death that unravels into a complex web of deceit and revenge. This episode, titled "The Killer's List Matter," showcases Johnny Dollar's adept investigative skills as he delves deep into the mysterious deaths of two businessmen, Everett Benton and Arthur Mayfield.

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The Death of Everett Benton

The episode opens with Pat Cummings, Johnny Dollar's contact at Inter Allied Life Insurance, introducing a troubling case:

Pat Cummings [00:52]: "Everett Benton fell out of a 14-story window last night."

Johnny learns that Benton, a 45-year-old investment firm owner, died under suspicious circumstances while holding a $100,000 life policy with Inter Allied Life Insurance. The initial assumption is whether Benton's death was an accident, suicide, or foul play.

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Interview with Claire Benton

Johnny's first lead takes him to the opulent East 67th apartment of Claire Benton, Everett's wife and the beneficiary of the life insurance policy. Their interview reveals strains in their marriage:

Claire Benton [03:26]: "You've heard of the ideal marriage. Well, Everett's and mine was not it."

Claire appears composed yet evasive, confirming that their relationship was fraught and that Everett had no known enemies. She firmly intends to file the insurance claim promptly.

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Suspicion on Claire and Larry Santis

Suspicion begins to mount as Johnny considers the motivations behind Benton's death. With Claire benefiting significantly from the insurance policy, she becomes a prime suspect. Additionally, Larry Santis, who operates the Ace of Clubs supper club, emerges as another key figure. Claire claims Santis provided her with an airtight alibi for the evening of Benton's death:

Johnny Dollar [04:15]: "You were with Larry Santis again."

However, Johnny's instincts tell him that both Claire and Santis have underlying motives, leading him to question the validity of their alibis.

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The Death of Arthur Mayfield

The plot thickens with the discovery of another death—Arthur Mayfield, a promoter who also fell from a high-rise window, replicating Benton's demise. This pattern suggests a deliberate method of killing, pointing towards premeditation rather than random accidents or suicides.

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Connecting the Murders

As Johnny connects the dots between Benton and Mayfield, he uncovers a link through an oil lease deal orchestrated with a man named Tom Nolan. Alvin Whiting, a disguised informant, provides critical insights:

Alvin Whiting [11:06]: "Tom Nolan is the killer, getting revenge on them in his own warped way."

It becomes apparent that Nolan's oil lease, initially deemed worthless, became valuable after a significant oil discovery, providing a potential motive rooted in financial revenge.

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Discovery of Alvin Whiting

Alvin Whiting's information leads Johnny to investigate further, revealing that Nolan had a history of violence and financial desperation. Johnny's persistence pays off when he locates Tom Nolan's supposed last known location. However, the plot takes a twist as Johnny discovers that Tom Nolan, alias Tom Niles, is already dead.

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Confrontation and Resolution

In a climactic confrontation, Johnny tracks down Alvin Whiting, uncovering his true identity and motives:

Johnny Dollar [18:44]: "You rigged the story that Nolan was the killer... That way you end up in sole possession of the oil lease."

Whiting confesses to orchestrating the murders to eliminate any beneficiaries and secure the value of the oil lease for himself. His attempt to frame Tom Nolan backfires, leading to his own downfall.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with Johnny Dollar submitting his expense report, reflecting on the case's resolution:

Johnny Dollar [19:54]: "If I’d only known he was [Tom Nolan]. Never try to frame a guy who’s already dead."

With Whiting apprehended and the truth unveiled, Johnny wraps up another complex case, exemplifying his role as a meticulous freelance insurance investigator dedicated to uncovering the truth.

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Notable Quotes

• Pat Cummings [00:57]: "I think he got pushed."
• Claire Benton [03:26]: "You've heard of the ideal marriage. Well, Everett's and mine was not it."
• Alvin Whiting [11:06]: "Tom Nolan is the killer, getting revenge on them in his own warped way."
• Johnny Dollar [18:44]: "You rigged the story that Nolan was the killer... That way you end up in sole possession of the oil lease."

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Key Takeaways

• Complex Motives: The case intertwines financial desperation, revenge, and personal gain, showcasing the multifaceted nature of criminal investigations.
• Interconnected Characters: Relationships between Claire Benton, Larry Santis, Alvin Whiting, and Tom Nolan highlight how personal connections can complicate investigations.
• Johnny Dollar's Deduction Skills: Johnny's ability to piece together disparate clues and question established narratives underscores his effectiveness as a detective.

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Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Killer's List Matter serves as a quintessential example of classic detective storytelling, blending suspense, intricate plotting, and sharp character development to engage and enthrall listeners.

Transcript

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[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows. Like us on Facebook. Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail].

[Narrator]

From Hollywood. It's time now for.

[Johnny Dollar]

Johnny Dollar.

[Pat Cummings]

Pat Cummings, Inter Allied Life.

[Johnny Dollar]

Hi, Pat. What's new with you, Johnny?

[Pat Cummings]

Ever hear of Everett Benton?

[Johnny Dollar]

No, I'm afraid not.

[Pat Cummings]

Investment firm down in New York. Real estate, oil, mining, this and that.

[Johnny Dollar]

What about him?

[Pat Cummings]

We're carrying a $100,000 life policy on him.

[Johnny Dollar]

So?

[Pat Cummings]

So last night he fell out of a 14 story window.

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, that's too bad. Accident, Pat, or was it suicide?

[Pat Cummings]

Maybe? Neither. I think he got pushed.

[Johnny Dollar]

I'll be right over.

[Narrator]

Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the Action PA America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by Special Investigator Johnny Dollar to the Inter Allied Life Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the killer's expensive con. I'd have won A$20 for a taxi from my apartment to the offices of Inter Allied. Pat Cummings looked worried and got straight to the point.

[Pat Cummings]

I don't know, Johnny. Maybe Benton wasn't pushed out that window, but there's something about this deal that just doesn't smell right to me.

[Johnny Dollar]

What can you tell me about this man Benton?

[Pat Cummings]

Everett Benton, 45 years old, doing very well in business so far as we know. Last night about 10 o'clock, he fell or jumped or was pushed out of his office window.

[Johnny Dollar]

This policy on him. Who's the beneficiary?

[Pat Cummings]

His wife, Claire.

[Johnny Dollar]

What's she like?

[Pat Cummings]

About 12 years younger. Redhead.

[Johnny Dollar]

I see.

[Pat Cummings]

Yeah. Well, what do you think?

[Johnny Dollar]

I think I better have a talk with Mrs. Benton. Item 2, $14.40. Transportation and Incidentals to New York City. The Benton's apartment was on East 67th. Very fashionable, very expensive. And Claire Benton looked right at her and her surroundings.

[Claire Benton]

Do you mind if I fix us a drink, Mr. Dallas?

[Johnny Dollar]

Not at all, Mrs. Benton.

[Claire Benton]

Been a pretty wearing day.

[Johnny Dollar]

I imagine it has.

[Claire Benton]

Police questions, reporters, you know.

[Johnny Dollar]

Sorry to be throwing more questions at you at a time like this.

[Claire Benton]

I'm used to it by now. Here's your drink.

[Johnny Dollar]

Thanks.

[Claire Benton]

Cheers.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, cheers. You know, you certainly seem to be bearing up very well.

[Claire Benton]

Yes, I suppose so. Mr. Dollar. I think it would save time and embarrassment if we had a few things understood.

[Johnny Dollar]

Such as?

[Claire Benton]

You've heard of the ideal marriage. Well, Everett's and mine was not it.

[Larry Santis]

Ah, naturally.

[Claire Benton]

I'm very sorry he did what he did, but, well, we weren't exactly happy together.

[Johnny Dollar]

I take it you think he committed suicide, Mrs. Benton.

[Claire Benton]

Is there any doubt about that?

[Johnny Dollar]

Apparently not in your mind?

[Claire Benton]

None at all.

[Johnny Dollar]

If it was suicide, why did he do it?

[Claire Benton]

I wouldn't know. Everett hadn't confided in me for some time. We haven't been very close recently.

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, Mrs. Benton, just suppose it wasn't suicide.

[Claire Benton]

Everett had no enemies that I knew of.

[Johnny Dollar]

I see. About the insurance policy.

[Claire Benton]

Yes, about the insurance policy. Mr. $100 thousand, isn't it?

[Johnny Dollar]

That's right. When you get ready to file a claim.

[Claire Benton]

I intend to in the morning.

[Johnny Dollar]

I see.

[Claire Benton]

Oh, and one other thing. It just so happens that I have an alibi for last evening. Oh, and it's the nicest kind of alibi there is, Mr. Dollar.

[Alvin Whiting]

What do you mean, it's airtight?

[Johnny Dollar]

And that was Claire Benton. Very calm and collected and incidentally, anxious to collect. I thought her over all the way to the office of Detective Lieutenant Tovich of Homicide. That's item three, $1.60 care.

[Larry Santis]

Yeah, I talked to her, Johnny. She's a hard one to figure out.

[Johnny Dollar]

What do you think, Tovich? Did he jump or get pushed?

[Larry Santis]

You got any ideas?

[Johnny Dollar]

How about financial troubles? He was in the investment business. Have you looked into that?

[Larry Santis]

According to his lawyer, his affairs are in good shape. Oh, he'd made his share of poor investments over the years. Wildcat oil leases, stuff like that. But in general, he was doing okay. He was worth a lot of dough, Johnny.

[Johnny Dollar]

Okay, let's assume he was pushed out that window. What was he doing in his office.

[Larry Santis]

At 10pm I've wondered about that too.

[Johnny Dollar]

Any indication anybody was with him?

[Larry Santis]

No. The night watchman was in another part of the building when Benton came in. Let himself in with his own key. There could have been somebody else with him, all right. But who?

[Johnny Dollar]

Claire Benton. Says she has an alibi.

[Larry Santis]

Yeah. Don't know as I care for it much, but I haven't been able to break it down.

[Johnny Dollar]

Who is her alibi?

[Larry Santis]

Larry Santis.

[Johnny Dollar]

Santis? Santis runs a supper club over in these 50s.

[Larry Santis]

Yeah, the Ace of Clubs.

[Johnny Dollar]

He calls Larry Santis. Thanks Tovich. So I Went calling again. But this time it was different from my visit to Claire Benton. In the first place, Santis didn't offer me a drink. And in the second place, he wasn't very friendly.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Look, Dal, I already told the cops that Claire was here in the club last evening. All evening until midnight. Out in the bar most of the time. What difference does it make?

[Johnny Dollar]

How about the rest of the time.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

We were talking here in my office.

[Johnny Dollar]

Just the two of you?

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Just the two of us. Now, look, Daly, what it boils down.

[Johnny Dollar]

To is you've each got alibis for one another, huh?

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

That's right. Now, look, nosy boy. Claire didn't kill Benton.

[Johnny Dollar]

At the moment, I wasn't thinking so much about her.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Wait a minute. If you're trying to pin this on.

[Johnny Dollar]

Me, you and Claire have been pretty friendly. Santis, she benefits to the tune of a hundred grand by Benton's death.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Look, Dala, Dala, you're blowing smoke in the wrong direction. I like the arrangement the way it was. Why should I try to change it?

[Johnny Dollar]

That's a good question.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

So just let it drop. You get me?

[Johnny Dollar]

You got nothing to worry about, Santis. If you've got nothing to hide.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

I don't want this kind of publicity. It's bad for my business. You know what's wrong with you, dolly? You got nose trouble?

[Johnny Dollar]

Occupational disease.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

You better just get over it. Sometimes it turns out to be fatal.

[Narrator]

Act two of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. In a moment. And now, act two of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. And the killer's list matters.

[Larry Santis]

Well, looks like you didn't get any further with Larry Santis than I did, Johnny.

[Johnny Dollar]

Look, Tovich, both Santis and Claire Benton had a motive for killing her husband. Matter of fact, two money and getting Benton out of their way.

[Larry Santis]

Johnny, I'm with you. We're not even sure yet it was murder. We do have something that indicates somebody might have been in Benton's office with him, though.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah? What is it?

[Larry Santis]

We found a cigarette butt in one of the ashtrays. Different brand than Benton smoked.

[Johnny Dollar]

Could it have been left there during the day?

[Larry Santis]

Janitor says he cleans out the ashtrays about seven in the evening. Of course, he could have overlooked one, so I don't know whether it means anything or not. Excuse me.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah?

[Larry Santis]

Homicide. Tovich. Well, where? Okay, I'll be right over. Johnny, looks like we've got ourselves a little epidemic.

[Johnny Dollar]

What do you mean?

[Larry Santis]

Ever hear of a guy named Arthur Mayfield? Promoter?

[Johnny Dollar]

No. What about him?

[Larry Santis]

He just found him in an alley, dead.

[Johnny Dollar]

Wait a minute. Don't Tell me.

[Larry Santis]

Yeah. Fell out of a 10th floor hotel.

[Johnny Dollar]

Lieutenant Tobich and I went over to the west side Hotel where Mayfield's body had been discovered. There was nothing in his room to indicate anyone had been there with him. As a matter of fact, there was nothing. Courier item four, $80. Care to Claire Benton's apartment.

[Claire Benton]

Mr. Dollar, I really don't see the point of this. I've told you twice that I did not know this Arthur Mayfield.

[Johnny Dollar]

Did you ever hear your husband mention his name?

[Claire Benton]

I've never heard the name until now.

[Johnny Dollar]

From you, Mrs. Benton. Mind telling me where you were last night around midnight?

[Claire Benton]

I take it that's when Mayfield died.

[Johnny Dollar]

Approximately. I. I suppose you have an alibi.

[Claire Benton]

You suppose correctly.

[Johnny Dollar]

You know something? I wouldn't be at all surprised if you were about to tell me. You were with Larry Santis again.

[Claire Benton]

You know something, Mr. Dollar? That's exactly where I was last night.

[Johnny Dollar]

I know, Jovich. I know. It could be just a co. The two guys fall or jump or get shoved out of windows within 24 hours. But I got a hunch there's some kind of connection between them.

[Larry Santis]

Could be, Johnny. But so far we haven't been able to find it.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, how about their past? The armed forces, maybe?

[Larry Santis]

I've already checked that out. The answer is no.

[Johnny Dollar]

Could they have been involved in any sort of business deal?

[Larry Santis]

I asked Benton's attorney about that. He's checking through all of his papers. He's promised to call me.

[Johnny Dollar]

And you haven't been able to find any organization they both belong to? Any situation in which they could have been thrown together?

[Larry Santis]

Not so far. Unless they served on a jury together. Something like that.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, don't laugh. That could be it. And they might have convicted somebody who took this way of getting revenge.

[Larry Santis]

I'll check it out and call you if we find a connection. But don't count on it, Johnny. Don't count on anything.

[Johnny Dollar]

I went back to my hotel room and stretched out on the bed while I rehashed the whole deal in my mind. I thought about Claire Benton and Larry Santis. I didn't trust either of them. But as Tovich had pointed out, it was another thing to prove it. Okay. Okay. Coming. Yeah? Mr. Daller? That's right.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

You're investigating the murders of Benton and Mayfield?

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, I don't think they've been officially described as murders.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

No, but they are, Mr. Dollar. I'm certain of it.

[Johnny Dollar]

Who are you?

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

My name is Alvin Whiting. I have some information that may be of value to you. May I Come in, come in, come in. Thank you. If you don't mind, I'd like to look out the window a minute.

[Johnny Dollar]

You're being followed?

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[Johnny Dollar]

What is this information you have, Mr. Whiting?

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

A couple of years ago, three men got together and bought an oil lease from a man named Tom Nolan. Did you ever hear of him?

[Johnny Dollar]

No.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

He's a very eccentric man. Hot tempered, violent. He needed the money badly, so he sold the lease, which then was little better than worthless. Benton and Mayfield were in that deal together.

[Johnny Dollar]

I see. But I still don't understand what that has to do with their murders.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

I'm convinced their killer is Tom Nolan getting revenge on them in his own warped way.

[Johnny Dollar]

Revenge? For buying a worthless oil lease from him.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

Last week, oil was discovered on that property. A lot of it. The property is now worth millions.

[Johnny Dollar]

Ah.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

I think that Nolan, with his twisted way of looking at things, probably feels that he was cheated out of that property.

[Johnny Dollar]

You're suggesting that this Nolan isn't quite all there, huh?

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

Exactly. That's exactly what I mean.

[Johnny Dollar]

What's your connection with all this, Mr. Whiting?

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

I'll tell you what my connection is, Mr. Doller. I was in on the deal with Benton and Mayfield. I was the third man.

[Johnny Dollar]

Ah.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

So you see, if my suspicions are correct, if Nolan is the killer, then I'm the next man on his list.

[Narrator]

Act three of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. In a moment. And now, act three of yours truly, Johnny Dollar and the killer's list matter.

[Johnny Dollar]

I took Alvin whiting down to Lt. Tovich's office and he told his story again. I could see that Tovich felt the same way I did, that at last we were getting someplace.

[Larry Santis]

Matter of fact, Johnny, I was about to call you. Benton's lawyer just turned up the lease agreement linking Benton Mayfield and Mr. Whiting here.

[Johnny Dollar]

Question is, where's Tom Nolan?

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

I don't think I'll draw an easy breath until he's been found and arrested.

[Larry Santis]

We have a bulletin out on him, Mr. Whiting. One thing we found out about a year ago, he served time for assault and battery. Mr. Whiting, I'd suggest you take every precaution until we pick up Nolan.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

Don't worry, Lieutenant. I propose to remain in my apartment until you ask. Apprehend him.

[Larry Santis]

I'll post a man in the building to look after you.

[Johnny Dollar]

Thank you.

[Larry Santis]

Homicide. Tovich. Oh, what's the address? Right. Thank you. We've located the little hotel where Nolan's been staying. Come on, Johnny. That's Mr. Nolan's room at the end of the hall, Lieutenant. Okay.

[Johnny Dollar]

Clerk.

[Larry Santis]

Is he in? I don't know. I really haven't seen him since he rented the room from me.

[Johnny Dollar]

How long ago was that?

[Larry Santis]

About a week ago, Mr. Dollar. If he's gone out since then, it must have been at night when I was off duty. Here we are. Try your pass key. Quietly.

[Johnny Dollar]

Right.

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[Johnny Dollar]

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[Johnny Dollar]

Well? Gone. Bag and baggage?

[Larry Santis]

Yeah. Room's been used recently, though.

[Johnny Dollar]

Hey. Ennis. Ashtray. Cigarette butt.

[Larry Santis]

Same brand we found in Benton's office. Doesn't prove anything, but it might tie in.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, Tom Nolan could be our boy. But where is he?

[Larry Santis]

You say he rented the room from you. Clerk. What did he look like? Oh, middle aged, as I remember. Bushy hair, sort of a wild look to him.

[Johnny Dollar]

Fits the general description Alvin Whiting furnished us.

[Larry Santis]

And the mug shot I pulled out of the files. Well, all we can do now is rig a stakeout for him here and then wait.

[Johnny Dollar]

Lt. Tovich posted a couple of men in Nolan's room, and we went back to headquarters. While he was getting out another bulletin, I went through Nolan's record. Assault in battery, resisting arrest. There was no doubt he was a violent sort of guy. And with the indication Wedding had given us that Nolan was a little unbalanced, the weird revenge motive might fit. Then something in the records caught my eye. I went back to the office of Larry Santis at the supper club.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Now, look, Dal, I told you the last time you were here, I got.

[Johnny Dollar]

A few things to tell you. Santis, the two murder victims, Mayfield and Benton, went in on a business deal with a man named Alvin Whiting.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

All right, so what?

[Johnny Dollar]

Bought an oil lease from Tom Nolan. All of a sudden, last week, that lease got real valuable. Alvin Whiting figures that Nolan's the killer. Says he's not all there. And he was trying to get his own strange kind of revenge.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Look, $. What's all this got to do with me?

[Johnny Dollar]

That's what I want you to tell me.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Look, I don't know anything about any of them.

[Johnny Dollar]

Last year, Nolan was arrested for assault and battery. According to the police records, the man who put up bail for him was you.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Okay, okay, so I put up bail for him. Look, Tom Nolan's my uncle, Dolly. Sure, he's offbeat, but he's harmless.

[Johnny Dollar]

Assault and battery. Harmless.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

So he beat up a guy.

[Larry Santis]

That doesn't.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

It doesn't mean he'd kill anybody.

[Johnny Dollar]

How'd he get mixed up with Benton Mayfield and Whiting?

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Well, he was broke. I asked Benton's wife to get her husband and the others interested in buying Tom's lease to get him some dough. I didn't know the lease would turn out to be valuable. After Nolan got out of jail, he left town, moved to Coopersville. That's upstate.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, well, he's had a room right here in the city for the last week.

[Larry Santis]

I didn't know that.

[Detective Lieutenant Tovich]

Believe me, I didn't. Look, I haven't heard from him for six months. That's the truth, Dollar. I've told you all I know.

[Johnny Dollar]

I still didn't trust Santis, but decided to follow up the lead he'd given me about Coopersville. Maybe Tom Nolan had gone back there. I called Tovich to tell him. And he had a nasty little surprise for me. Alvin Whiting had disappeared from his apartment. I didn't know whether Tom Nolan had gotten to Whiting or not. But I did know I had to find Nolan in a hurry. I hightailed it to Coopersville was a small town with half a dozen hotels and roaming houses. I made the rounds, flashing Nolan's picture. Finally, I struck pay dirt.

[Alvin Whiting]

Why, yes, I recognize that picture. That's Tom, all right. But he told me his last name was Niles.

[Johnny Dollar]

You say he roamed here, Mrs. Carr?

[Alvin Whiting]

Yes. Kept himself mostly. But he didn't make no trouble for anybody as far as I could see. Moved in here about six months ago. Around the end of September it was. Then last week he left us.

[Johnny Dollar]

Sure. He probably found out they'd struck oil and moved into the city.

[Alvin Whiting]

You don't understand, Mr. Dollar. When I say he left us, I mean that last week Tom Niles died.

[Johnny Dollar]

And there I was. But all of a sudden, the deal started adding up in it was after dark when I got to the graveyard and my flashlight picked out the simple headstone. Tom Niles. Yeah, Tom Nolan, resting in peace. Right where he'd been all through the murders he was supposed to have committed. The shot knocked the flashlight out of my hand. I hit the dirt, but the flash had pegged a Gun for me. Well, well. Alvin Whiting.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

Oh, Dollar. My arm.

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, don't worry. I'll get you a doctor. Whiting, I want you to be in good shape to stand trial. How'd you work? Hire some drifter to rent that room back in New York under Nolan's name? Some character you picked up in the park?

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

No, you got. You've got to understand, I. I had to have the money. I was in debt.

[Larry Santis]

I was desperate.

[Johnny Dollar]

You almost got the money too, didn't you? Yeah. Yeah, it almost worked. You rigged the story that Nolan was the killer, that you were on his list of victims. That way you end up in sole possession of the oil lease.

[Alvin Whiting (disguised)]

If I'd only known he was.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah. Never try to frame a guy who's already dead. Expense account. Total $146.50 remarks. I turned Whiting over to the police and he made a full statement. Yeah, his motive was money. He was in the hole. Gambling debts and bills. High cost of living, you might say. But I guess he knows now. It's still a real bargain compared to the high cost of dying. Yours truly, Johnny Duller.

[Narrator]

Our star will return in just a moment. Now here is our star to tell you about next week's story.

[Johnny Dollar]

Next week, Dame Nature takes a hand and helps me solve a crime. Join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.

[Narrator]

Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey, Originates in Holly, is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone. Today's story was written by Robert Wright. Heard in our cast were Virginia Greg, Lillian Byeff, Jack Edwards, Jack Moyles, Tony Barrett, Harley Bear and Carlton G. Young. Be sure to join us next week, same time and station, for another exciting story of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. This is Dan Cubberley, spe.

[Johnny Dollar]

This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.