Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Unholy Two Matter 01/10/1960

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Unholy Two Matter"

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode Date: April 13, 2026
Original Air Date: January 10, 1960
Host: Choice Classic Radio
Featured Detective: Johnny Dollar (voiced by Bob Bailey)

---

Overview

This episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar is a classic detective drama from the "Golden Age of Radio." Insurance investigator Johnny Dollar is dispatched to Corpus Christi, Texas, to investigate a suspicious life insurance claim in the case known as "The Unholy Two Matter." A seemingly straightforward case of heart failure in a wealthy man, John R. Peterson, quickly unfolds into a tangled web of murder, missing heirs, and small town secrets. Throughout, the brilliant deduction skills and razor-sharp dialogue of Johnny Dollar shine, in a tale of greed, deception, and justice.

---

Key Discussion Points and Plot Developments

1. Arrival and Case Introduction

[02:00–05:09]

• Johnny Dollar narrates his arrival in Corpus Christi and logs his initial expenses.
• A chance meeting at the hotel with Doug Johnstone, who reveals possible suspicion about John R. Peterson's recent death.
• Doug hints at murder rather than natural causes:

  “Okay, murder.”
  —Doug Johnstone ([05:05])

2. The Peterson Family & Insurance Details

[05:36–07:42]

• Johnny meets with Jack Price from the Tri Western Life Insurance Company.
• John R. Peterson's nephew, Sterling, disappeared right after the uncle’s death; Sterling was unaware he was the beneficiary of a $100,000 policy.
• The estate goes to half-brother Paul if Sterling is out of the picture. Both nephews are described as unreliable, with financial issues and little connection to the deceased.

3. Suspicions Deepen—Gambling Debts and Motives

[08:24–10:26]

• Doug Johnstone shares background on Sterling and Paul:
  • Sterling, a gambler with high debts and no prospects.
  • Paul, the prudent (but speculative) investor, also somewhat reckless, but solvent.
• Paul frequently bailed out Sterling; Doug speculates:

  “I think he finally reached the point where he was willing to kill to get it.”
  — Doug Johnstone ([10:08])

4. Investigation into the Disappearance

[14:20–16:22]

• Johnny talks with Sterling’s landlady, Mrs. Toomey.
• She finds it suspicious Sterling took every stitch of his clothing but left personal effects—suggesting an orchestrated disappearance:

  “Man not taking along his comb and razor and shaving things and his toothbrush and his hair tonic. I don't care how much of a hurry he was in…”
  — Mrs. Toomey ([15:24])

• Mrs. Toomey last heard Sterling return after a meeting with his brother, but never saw him again.

5. The Murder Confirmed

[12:05–13:04]

• Johnny urges an autopsy, which proves Peterson was killed via poisoned medication, confirming Doug’s theory:

  “Yeah, you were right. Apparently some drug substituted for the digitalis the old man was taking.”
  — Jack Price ([12:44])

6. The Confrontation—Unraveling the Truth

[17:26–20:16]

• Paul Peterson arrives, presents letters “from Sterling,” supposedly proving his brother’s flight. Johnny quickly surmises Paul faked the letters as an alibi.
• Johnny’s deduction:
  • The removal of Sterling's clothing and the timing of clues point to Paul staging Sterling’s disappearance after murdering him.
  • Key clue: Sterling would not have left behind his grooming items, proving the scene was manipulated.
• Paul, cornered, pulls a gun on Johnny, but is subdued when Doug and the police storm in:

  “Doug. Kick open the door. I’ll cover him.”
  (Doug and the police apprehend Paul before he can shoot Johnny.) ([19:59–20:16])

---

Memorable Quotes

• Doug Johnstone (05:05):

  “Okay, murder.”

• Johnny Dollar (07:29):

  “Sterling didn't know he was beneficiary of this policy? No, but maybe he did think he'd get some of the estate if he were lucky and the old man turned up dead.”

• Doug Johnstone (10:08):

  “Well, Johnny, I think he finally reached the point where he was willing to kill to get it.”

• Mrs. Toomey (15:24):

  “Man not taking along his comb and razor and shaving things and his toothbrush and his hair tonic. I don't care how much of a hurry he was in…”

• Jack Price (12:44):

  “Yeah, you were right. Apparently some drug substituted for the digitalis the old man was taking.”

• Johnny Dollar (19:27):

  “Oh, you did things up pretty well, Paul. Much better than your stupid brother could have.”

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:00] – Expense account and arrival in Corpus Christi
• [05:05] – Doug Johnstone’s murder suspicion revealed
• [05:36] – Jack Price explains the insurance and missing heir
• [10:08] – Doug’s theory: Sterling willing to kill for money
• [12:05] – Johnny orders an autopsy
• [12:44] – Murder confirmed: Autopsy finding explained
• [14:20] – Mrs. Toomey on Sterling's suspicious disappearance
• [17:26] – Paul Peterson presents the letters
• [19:27–20:16] – Johnny deduces Paul’s guilt, confrontation and arrest

---

Notable Episode Structure & Characteristics

• Classic hard-boiled detective dialogue, with brisk exchanges and period vernacular.
• Signature “expense account” narration by Johnny Dollar, which adds charm and structure.
• Thoughtful, methodical unraveling of the case, including analysis of small, everyday clues.
• A textbook “locked room”-style misdirection, resolved by attention to human nature and minute details.

---

Conclusion

"The Unholy Two Matter" is a tightly plotted detective showcase, steeped in period atmosphere. Johnny Dollar’s relentless logic and observation expose not just a murder, but also the lengths to which greed and deception can drive a man. The climactic confrontation, punctuated by dry wit and sharp deductions, affirms Johnny’s reputation as America’s “fabulous freelance insurance investigator.”

---

Perfect if you’re a fan of:

• Classic detective fiction
• Golden Age radio drama
• Intricate, detail-oriented mysteries

Listen for:

• How everyday objects can become the critical clue in solving a murder
• The interplay of insurance, family secrets, and motive that fuels the investigation
• The enduring charm and wit of Johnny Dollar

Transcript

[Johnny Dollar]

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].

[Announcer]

CBS Radio brings you Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action packed expense account, America's fabulous

[Johnny Dollar]

freelance insurance investigator, yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Are you smoking more now but enjoying it less?

[Announcer]

Have a real cigarette, have a Camel, the best of bank who makes the very best smoke? Have a real cigarette, have a camo Are you looking for flavor and mildness? Have a real cigarette, have a Camel the best tobacco makes the very best

[Johnny Dollar]

smoke have a real cigarette, a real

[Announcer]

cigarette, a real cigarette have a Camel

[Johnny Dollar]

again for the 11th straight year, Camel outsole every other cigarette filter, king size and regular. The best tobacco makes the best smoke. So if you're smoking more now but enjoying it less, change to Camels. Get more real satisfaction every time. Start to really enjoy smoking again.

[Announcer]

Have a real cigarette, a real cigarette, a real cigarette.

[Johnny Dollar]

Have Camel.

[Announcer]

And now act one of yours truly, Johnny Doll.

[Johnny Dollar]

Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar to the Tri Western Life Insurance Company, Corpus Christi office. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the unholy two matter.

[Doug Johnstone]

It was a little late in the

[Johnny Dollar]

day to ride all the way to Texas, but I managed to make a pretty good set of plane connections. So, expense account item 127, 20 plain fare and tips, Hartford to Corpus Christi. Item 2, $4 even for a cab in from Cliff Mouse Airport to the Driscoll Hotel on North Broadway. As I was about to sign my name on a registration card for the benefit of the room clerk. Well, I guess this is a pretty small world at that. And I'm sure you're gonna find this room very comfortable, Mr. Dollar.

[Doug Johnstone]

Sure. Okay then, Obie. I'll see you first thing in the morning.

[Johnny Dollar]

There you are. Thank you, sir.

[Doug Johnstone]

Right, now I'll turn over and tell Wayne.

[Johnny Dollar]

Stocks, boy, take Mr. Dollar's bags up to Room Dollar.

[Doug Johnstone]

Excuse me, did I. I hear the name Dollar?

[Johnny Dollar]

What's that?

[Doug Johnstone]

Johnny Dollar, the insurance investigator?

[Johnny Dollar]

That's right.

[Doug Johnstone]

Who are you? The name is Doug Johnstone.

[Johnny Dollar]

Johnstone?

[Doug Johnstone]

Yes.

[Johnny Dollar]

Funny man by the name of Johnstone dramatizes all these cases I handle so we can put them on the air.

[Doug Johnstone]

Jack Johnstone?

[Johnny Dollar]

That's right.

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, I'm his younger brother, Douglas.

[Johnny Dollar]

No kid?

[Doug Johnstone]

No kidding.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, glad to know you, Johnny.

[Doug Johnstone]

Listen, I'm in a big hurry. I've got somebody waiting for me, but I hope we can get together while you're here. In town and tear that brother of mine to pieces or something?

[Announcer]

Sure, why not?

[Doug Johnstone]

If you're. If you're down here working on a case, if I can be any help to you. Hey, wait a minute. Are you here to look into the Peterson matter by any chance?

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, frankly, I haven't the least idea.

[Doug Johnstone]

I wonder, can you tell me this? Did Jack Price over try Western life sin for you?

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah.

[Doug Johnstone]

Clerk, may I have a piece of paper, please?

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, yes, sir. Hey, guys.

[Doug Johnstone]

Sorry, I've got to rush out of here. Johnny, this way. But who is it, sir?

[Johnny Dollar]

Peterson, Doc.

[Doug Johnstone]

Here. Here's my address and phone number. That's both the home and the office. Now, maybe I can be of help to you, so don't lose that.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, okay, thanks. But now, does it.

[Doug Johnstone]

If it is an account of old man Peterson, Johnny, well, I got some ideas about it and then. Well, they could be helpful to you if, as I say, that's why you're here.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, what kind of ideas?

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, you know, he was supposed to have died because his heart gave out on him.

[Johnny Dollar]

No, no, I didn't.

[Doug Johnstone]

Oh, yeah, but if you ask me, well, if it turns out this is the case you're working on, well, you give me a call now, will you?

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, sure, but look, why not tell me what you know about it?

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, Johnny, after all, you may be here for something entirely different.

[Johnny Dollar]

Maybe, maybe not.

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, why don't you see first what Jack Price has to say, huh?

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, now, look, Doug, you said, Johnny, this.

[Doug Johnstone]

This theory of mine could be all

[Johnny Dollar]

wrong about the death of some man named Peterson.

[Doug Johnstone]

Yeah, John Ridgeway Peterson.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, come on, tell me anyhow, what is your theory?

[Doug Johnstone]

It may not mean anything to you. You may have no interest whatsoever in Peterson.

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, come on, stop beating around the bush, Doug. What do you think about his death?

[Doug Johnstone]

Okay, murder.

[Johnny Dollar]

What?

[Doug Johnstone]

Yeah, Johnny, murder.

[Johnny Dollar]

But because neither of us really knew if I'd become involved in it, that was all he'd tell me at the moment. And as he said, he had to run off to meet somebody. It was late and I was tired after the plane trip, so I grabbed a bite to eat. That's item three, two and a quarter. Then hit the sack the first thing in the morning. I was in Jack Price's office at Tri Western.

[Jack Price]

Well, no, I didn't mean to sound in a rush for you to get down here, Johnny. On the other hand, the hotter the trail, the easier it is to follow.

[Johnny Dollar]

Whose trail?

[Jack Price]

Jackson Sterling Peterson, beneficiary of his uncle John R. Peterson's life insurance policy 100,000 clams.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yes. And what's happened to him? The nephew, Sterling, I mean.

[Jack Price]

He simply disappeared.

[Johnny Dollar]

When?

[Jack Price]

About the same time his uncle died, apparently.

[Johnny Dollar]

When was that?

[Jack Price]

Five days ago.

[Doug Johnstone]

Huh.

[Johnny Dollar]

Funny that he should leave town when he was about to be presented with that wad of insurance money.

[Jack Price]

He didn't know that he was his uncle's benefit? No. Old John Peterson never told him. Actually, the old man didn't particularly want to leave it to this nephew, but.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, why not?

[Jack Price]

Oh, they never really got along. As I understand it, the old man had been a hard worker all his life and Sterling is anything but. Nonetheless, he named him his beneficiary. So that's that.

[Johnny Dollar]

And his heir to whatever else there is to the estate, huh?

[Jack Price]

No, that goes to Sterling's half brother, Paul.

[Johnny Dollar]

Much of an estate?

[Jack Price]

Certainly not as much as the insurance. The old man didn't have much use for either of them, Johnny. But since they were his only surviving relatives, since they'd probably get everything, he left anyway.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, I see what you mean. Does Paul live here in town?

[Jack Price]

Yes.

[Johnny Dollar]

What does he do for a living?

[Jack Price]

Apparently has some money in the stock market.

[Johnny Dollar]

And Sterling? Johnny?

[Jack Price]

I don't know what he lived on. No visible means of support kind of thing. You know what I mean?

[Johnny Dollar]

Uh huh.

[Jack Price]

I tried to call him, tell him of his uncle's death. His landlady said he wasn't there, hadn't been there for a couple of days, that he'd simply packed up his things and left. I'll give you the address.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, do that.

[Jack Price]

Then I called his brother. But Paul didn't know where he was either.

[Johnny Dollar]

Just disappeared.

[Jack Price]

That's right.

[Johnny Dollar]

I wonder why.

[Jack Price]

Who knows?

[Johnny Dollar]

Have he called the police?

[Jack Price]

Why? Just because a man suddenly leaves town, that's hardly reason to call in the police, Johnny.

[Johnny Dollar]

Maybe, maybe not.

[Jack Price]

What?

[Johnny Dollar]

Sterling didn't know he was beneficiary of this policy? No, but maybe he did think he'd get some of the estate if he were lucky and the old man turned up dead. And maybe Sterling needed money.

[Jack Price]

I understand. He always did.

[Johnny Dollar]

So if he could help the old man on his way.

[Jack Price]

No, Johnny. The doctor said it was a heart attack.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, well, there are a lot of ways to make it look like a heart attack. Has there been an autopsy?

[Jack Price]

Why, no.

[Johnny Dollar]

Then have one made. The insurance company's entitled to one.

[Jack Price]

Look, you're saying Sterling murdered him?

[Doug Johnstone]

Maybe.

[Johnny Dollar]

Johnny, just go ahead and order that autopsy. Item 5. A dollar and a quarter for a taxi. I found Doug Johnstone in his office. A small place but with a cluttered desk. Of a busy man. Full of stock market reports, that sort of thing. Doug brushed him aside and got right to the point.

[Doug Johnstone]

He? Yeah, I've got to know a lot about Sterling Peterson lately. Now, you see, I have interest in a handful of oil wells, a gas compressor station and things like that.

[Johnny Dollar]

Ah, lucky man.

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, I spend quite a bit of time over at Merrill lynch, trading in the stock market.

[Johnny Dollar]

You met Sterling in a brokerage office?

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, that's where I met his brother, Paul. That's where I learned about Sterling. Seems he was always trying to get money out of Paul.

[Johnny Dollar]

I take it Paul is pretty well healed, huh?

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, hardly. He's a sharp one. Has a pretty wild idea of how to make money in the market.

[Johnny Dollar]

What do you mean by that?

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, you know how it's always flattering for someone to ask your advice?

[Johnny Dollar]

Naturally.

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, I'd recommend he buy something like IBM. Good solid stuff for a stable company like US Steel AT&T.

[Johnny Dollar]

Nothing wrong with that, brother.

[Doug Johnstone]

No, no. But instead he'd throw his money into some crazy penny stock like, well, Golden Dream Uranium Company. It was being pushed by some crooked promoter, some boiler room operator.

[Johnny Dollar]

I see what you mean.

[Doug Johnstone]

I'd suggest Union Carbide. He'd end up with some speculation nobody ever heard of and so on. Yet somehow he managed to stay solvent. The point is, Sterling was always going to Paul for money.

[Johnny Dollar]

Money for what?

[Doug Johnstone]

To pay off his gambling debts. Much as I hate to admit it, civic pride and all that sort of thing. There are plenty of places in and around this town to gamble.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yes, so I've heard.

[Doug Johnstone]

So I want to. Stupid guy like Sterling Peterson simply won't learn. The house never loses. Well, you see what I mean?

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, yeah. And Sterling never really worked for a living.

[Doug Johnstone]

No. And he was always in debt up to his ears.

[Johnny Dollar]

Isn't it possible he simply left town because his debts had caught up with him? Some of his creditors were getting tough with him.

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, Sterling needed money badly. And, well, Johnny, I think he finally reached the point where he was willing to killed to get it.

[Johnny Dollar]

His own uncle?

[Doug Johnstone]

If what Paul has told me about him is true. Yes. Now you remember, he thought that he would inherit part of the estate, which

[Johnny Dollar]

of course was wrong.

[Doug Johnstone]

But he didn't know that. Not then.

[Johnny Dollar]

Then his running away.

[Doug Johnstone]

The way I look at it, Johnny, if he did kill his uncle.

[Johnny Dollar]

And you think he did?

[Doug Johnstone]

Yes. Yes, I do.

[Jack Price]

Wow.

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, when he found out he wouldn't get his uncle's money, his property, after all that he'd killed him for. Well, nothing. He didn't know about the insurance, you know.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, I know.

[Doug Johnstone]

Well, what was left for him around here, Rabbi? Nothing. Nothing but a lot of creditors pounding on his door. And once people begin to think about that, they might get suspicious, start asking him questions about his uncle's death. Questions that he didn't have good answers to.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, but to run out is the surest way in the world to arouse suspicions.

[Mrs. Toomey]

I know.

[Doug Johnstone]

I know it's stupid. Well, what do you think?

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, I'm not sure, but thanks. I. I'll see you later. I took a taxi over to the place where Paul Peterson lived. That's Adam 6, a buck and a half. It was a nice apartment in a fairly good neighborhood. But he wasn't home. Item seven, a dollar even for a cab to the brokerage house Doug had mentioned. I talked to Wayne Stockseth, a friend of Doug's. He hadn't seen Paul Peterson around there for several days. Well, Paul said something about going out of town dollar to look at some of the companies he considers investing in. I see. When he gets the money from his uncle's property and so forth, Paul will have quite a bit to play with. And play with is the proper term, despite our advice to avoid so many cheap speculations. I've heard he's a bit of a plunger. Yes, I'm afraid so. Well, if he does come around Wayne, ask him to call me immediately. I'll be at the Robert Driscoll. Item 8, $2 for a late lunch. Item 9, $30 for a cab to Jack Price's office.

[Jack Price]

Now wait a minute, Johnny. Instead of hunting for Sterling Peterson, you're just hanging around hoping to find out the old man was murdered.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, give me time, will you?

[Jack Price]

Can I tell you the doctor who was with him when he died said it was heart failure.

[Johnny Dollar]

And I tell you, Jackson, there are plenty of ways. There are medical tricks. I can't.

[Jack Price]

Hold on a minute. Johnny Price speaking. Yes, already? Well, well, Doctor, what did you.

[Johnny Dollar]

What?

[Jack Price]

Oh, I see. Thank you.

[Johnny Dollar]

What's the matter, Jackson?

[Jack Price]

How did you know?

[Johnny Dollar]

How did I know what?

[Jack Price]

The autopsy. Yeah, you were right. Apparently some drug substituted for the digitalis the old man was taking.

[Johnny Dollar]

You mean Doug Johnstone was right? The old man was murdered?

[Jack Price]

Yes, Johnny.

[Doug Johnstone]

Murdered.

[Announcer]

Act two of yours truly, Johnny Dollar.

[Johnny Dollar]

In a moment welcome recording star Mel Torme. It's terrible trying to sing with a bad cold. So I always take four way cold tablets to relieve cold miseries. Fast.

[Announcer]

Good idea. Tests of all the leading cold tablets

[Johnny Dollar]

proved four way fastest acting four way starts in minutes to relieve Muscular pains, headache, reduce fever, calm upset stomach.

[Announcer]

Also overcomes irregularity.

[Johnny Dollar]

When you catch cold, try my way. Take four way cold tablets the fast way to relieve cold distress and feel better quickly. Four way. Only 29 cents.

[Announcer]

Now here's a word about another fine product of Grove Laboratories. To get rid of embarrassing dandruff in three minutes, change to Fitch Dandruff Remover Shampoo. Three minutes with Fitch regularly is guaranteed to keep unsightly dandruff away forever. Apply Fitch before wetting hair. Rub in one minute, add water, lather one minute, then rinse. One minute. Every trace of dandruff goes down the drain. Three minutes with Fitch and embarrassing dandruff's gone. At the same time, Fitch can brighten hair up to 35%. Get Fitch Dandruff Remover Shampoo today. And now, act two of yours truly, Johnny Dollar.

[Johnny Dollar]

Expense account item 10, $1.70 for a taxi to the cheap roaming house where Ste Peterson had lived before his mysterious disappearance. The landlady turned out to be quite helpful.

[Mrs. Toomey]

Yeah, that chiseling no account tin Horton gambler owed me two months back rent, Mr. Dollar.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, if we can find him. Only I'm beginning and you ask me,

[Mrs. Toomey]

there's something mighty suspicious about the way he picked up and left.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah? What do you mean, Mrs. Toomey?

[Mrs. Toomey]

Well, now, here, here. Now you look for yourself. You see all them empty hangers and that closet there and them them empty doors I pulled out on the bureau?

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, so what?

[Mrs. Toomey]

Took every stitch of clothes he had. He ever stuffed them all in them two little suitcases he owned would have been impossible.

[Johnny Dollar]

So he picked up a tour over a couple of more handbags without me

[Mrs. Toomey]

seeing him come in here with him.

[Johnny Dollar]

You apparently didn't see him leave?

[Mrs. Toomey]

Well, no. Look here in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Now you have receipt.

[Johnny Dollar]

That is funny.

[Mrs. Toomey]

Well, it sure is. Man not taking along his comb and razor and shaving things and his toothbrush and his hair tonic. I don't care how much of a

[Johnny Dollar]

hurry he was in, Mrs. Toomey. The day that Sterling Peterson disappeared.

[Mrs. Toomey]

You mean the night he disappeared, don't you?

[Johnny Dollar]

Do I?

[Mrs. Toomey]

Oh, that day he just sit around here. Said he was waiting for his brother. His brother had promised to come and see it. Ask me, he was hoping his brother would bring him some money to pay up his rent and things. Did his brother come around 7pm his brother telephoned. I took the message.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah.

[Mrs. Toomey]

Said Sterling was to meet him at some dive out on Staple Street.

[Johnny Dollar]

So he left and that's the last you saw him?

[Mrs. Toomey]

I heard him come back here and up to this room sometime after 2am

[Johnny Dollar]

but you didn't actually see him?

[Mrs. Toomey]

I go to bed at a Respectful.

[Johnny Dollar]

And how are you sure?

[Mrs. Toomey]

It was morning, he was gone, Bag and baggage. Must have just plain. Just plain sneaked out on me.

[Johnny Dollar]

No, I don't think so, Mrs. Toby.

[Mrs. Toomey]

What's that?

[Johnny Dollar]

A couple of things I learned earlier. A couple of things you've told me. And the stuff in that medicine cabinet. Hey, I don't think you'd better bank on collecting any back rents. Not from Sterling Peterson.

[Mrs. Toomey]

That deathbeat, is he. Of course he is.

[Johnny Dollar]

Or is he just plain dead? I went back to my hotel. No, Paul Peterson hadn't called me, but there was a message from Jack Price. So I went to my room and I phoned him.

[Jack Price]

I just wanted you to know the police are in on this now, Johnny.

[Johnny Dollar]

As a result of that autopsy?

[Jack Price]

Yes. They're looking for Sterling Peterson too. Also, they've been looking for you.

[Johnny Dollar]

They're very anxious to talk with you anytime they like.

[Jack Price]

After all, it was you brought this thing out in the open by suggesting the autopsy because you had the idea that it might be murder.

[Johnny Dollar]

No, that was Doug Johnstone's idea. And a very good one. Have they talked with Paul Peterson?

[Jack Price]

Well, I assume they will.

[Johnny Dollar]

Well, if he's back in town, huh? Okay, Jackson, Thanks. Now, let's see. Yeah, come in.

[Jack Price]

Duller.

[Johnny Dollar]

That's right.

[Jack Price]

I'm Paul Peterson. I got your message.

[Johnny Dollar]

Wow. Come in.

[Jack Price]

I understand that you're an insurance investigator, that you're looking for my half brother, Sterling.

[Johnny Dollar]

Ah, that's right. Who didn't know that he was the beneficiary of your uncle's insurance.

[Doug Johnstone]

Sit down, sit down.

[Jack Price]

Thanks. I just got back in town from a business trip.

[Johnny Dollar]

How so?

[Jack Price]

Look, I found these letters waiting for me.

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, from Sterling.

[Jack Price]

Yes, here.

[Johnny Dollar]

Dallas, Wichita, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Fargo, North Dakota.

[Jack Price]

Yes, and by now he could be across the border in Canada.

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, maybe.

[Jack Price]

Read a dollar.

[Johnny Dollar]

Uh, just keep quiet and give me time and you won't have to worry about me anymore.

[Jack Price]

The others are practically the same.

[Johnny Dollar]

Neatly typewritten, no signature.

[Jack Price]

I'm afraid it's obvious who they're from.

[Johnny Dollar]

So it looks as though your half brother is running away now that we know your uncle was murdered.

[Jack Price]

Murdered?

[Doug Johnstone]

Yeah, that's right.

[Johnny Dollar]

Sterling, type these on your own machine. Paul, that might be pretty easy to trace. What? Yeah, with Sterling out of the way, you'd get your uncle's insurance as well as his money and property, wouldn't you?

[Jack Price]

I suppose so. But I don't see what you're driving at.

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, you did things up pretty well, Paul. Much better than your stupid brother could have.

[Jack Price]

What are you talking about?

[Johnny Dollar]

And all to play safe, in case we discovered it was murder. Dollar that so called business trip. It was so that you could mail these letters to yourself. Make it look as though Sterling had done the murder.

[Jack Price]

He must have.

[Johnny Dollar]

And what happened? Did you make the mistake of telling him you'd done it?

[Jack Price]

I. Now look here.

[Johnny Dollar]

After all, he would never have thought of substituting for the digitalis your uncle was taking.

[Jack Price]

Look here.

[Johnny Dollar]

So did Sterling threaten to blackmail you? Is that why you had to kill him too? You're crazy.

[Jack Price]

You don't know what you're talking about.

[Johnny Dollar]

The tiny thing that tipped me off. What? When you went back to his room that night after you'd killed him. To haul away his stuff. Make it look as though he'd taken a powder. Yes, silly little thing. But no man, no matter how much of a hurry, would have left behind his comb, his razor, a toothbrush. And that isn't all.

[Jack Price]

I say you don't know what you're talking about. Or maybe you do.

[Johnny Dollar]

Oh, easy, Paul. That gun will make an awful lot of noise in here.

[Jack Price]

No, not when it's tight up against your back with a pillow over it.

[Johnny Dollar]

Stand up, dollar and if I don't?

[Jack Price]

Well, okay. Doug. What?

[Doug Johnstone]

Kick open the door.

[Jack Price]

I'll cover him.

[Doug Johnstone]

I tried it.

[Johnny Dollar]

The police. That's right.

[Jack Price]

All right, look. Look, boys. I said you covered Peterson. Drop it. Drop it.

[Doug Johnstone]

Johnny, you okay?

[Johnny Dollar]

Yeah, sure, Doug. You Hear it all, sergeant?

[Jack Price]

Yeah, I sure did, Mr. Donner.

[Announcer]

It's funny, though.

[Johnny Dollar]

Funny?

[Jack Price]

All I really came up here for was to talk to you. Not much point in it now, is there?

[Johnny Dollar]

So another day, another dollar, and I'm not talking about myself. Expense account total, including hotel bill, a flock of incidentals and a plane Back to Hartford. 287, 20. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.

[Announcer]

Our star will return in just a moment.

[Ex Lax Commercial Narrator]

Constipation is something people don't talk about much, but it can be a problem for anyone, even doctors. And when constipation occurs, it's interesting to see just what doctors consider important about a laxative they might use or recommend. Well, a majority of the doctors we heard from had this to say.

[Johnny Dollar]

A laxative should be effective, gentle, as

[Jack Price]

close to natural, acting as possible, and

[Johnny Dollar]

a medicine that can be used with complete confidence.

[Ex Lax Commercial Narrator]

Now, Ex Lax has been popular with many doctors and millions of people over the years because pleasant tasting chocolate at Exlax is effective overnight. It helps you toward your normal regularity. Ex Lax is gentle. Next morning, it gives you the closest thing to natural action. And that's why many doctors and millions of people use Exlax with complete confidence. Exlax, the laxative that helps you toward your normal regularity gently overnight, is Exlax in your medicine cabinet.

[Announcer]

Now here's our star to tell you about next week's story.

[Johnny Dollar]

Next week, a hurry trip to Alaska to look for a clue to a murder. And say, if you've been to Alaska, if you know anything about the customs, the manners of the people up there, especially their eating habits, well, it's quite possible that you'll find a solution to the case even before I do. Or maybe you will anyhow, because it all hangs on a tiny, seemingly unimportant clue. And yet we'll give a listen, see how well you can break down a killer's alibi. Yeah. Join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.

[Announcer]

Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood and is written, produced and directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard in our cast were Vir Greg, Jack Edwards, Forest Lewis, Stacy Harris, Gil Stratton and Barney Phillips. Be sure to join us next week, same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. This is Dan Coverley speaking. Tangled secrets unravel eerily all through the

[Johnny Dollar]

long night as suspense follows on the CBS Radio Network.