# Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Lost by a Hair Matter (EP5060)

An episode of [The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio| Daily Mystery Dramas](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/335549005), 11 Sep 2026, 25 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdrl.fm/997ffb/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/75016670/gd5060.mp3

Today's Mystery: Original Radio Broadcast Date: Originated from Hollywood Stars: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar. When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com Become one of our Patreon Supporters at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net Thank you to our Patreon Supporter of the Day: Take the listener survey…http://survey.greatdetectives.net Give us a call 208-991-4783 Become one of our friends on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives Join us again tomorrow for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.

## Transcript

[0:02] Speaker 1: THE END.
[0:28] Speaker 2: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
[0:35] Speaker 2: This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
[0:38] Speaker 2: going to be bringing you this week's episode of Yours Truly,
[0:41] Speaker 2: Johnny Dollar. But first, I want to encourage you, if
[0:44] Speaker 2: you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite
[0:48] Speaker 2: podcast software. And our listener support and appreciation campaign continues.
[0:53] Speaker 2: You can become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters, for
[0:57] Speaker 2: as little as $ 2 per month, just go to patreon.greatdetectives.net.
[1:03] Speaker 2: But from August 9th, 1959, here is The Lost by
[1:10] Speaker 2: a Hair Manor.
[1:12] Speaker 3: From Hollywood, it's time now for.
[1:19] Speaker 3: Johnny Dollar.
[1:20] Speaker 5: Dollar, this is Fred Starkey.
[1:22] Speaker 3: Starkey?
[1:23] Speaker 4: Worldwide Mutual out here in Columbus, Ohio.
[1:25] Speaker 3: Oh, sure, Fred. How are you? Okay, Dollar, if you're
[1:28] Speaker 3: free for.
[1:28] Speaker 1: A couple of days, I'd like to have you come
[1:30] Speaker 1: on out here.
[1:30] Speaker 3: Oh, what's it all about? Mrs. George Hemingway Tilford. Ever
[1:34] Speaker 3: hear of her? Tilford? No, I don't think so.
[1:37] Speaker 4: Pretty wealthy, especially since a fire a few months ago.
[1:40] Speaker 3: It destroyed a big lumber yard that.
[1:42] Speaker 6: Her husband left to her.
[1:44] Speaker 4: And, Dollar, she wants to see you right away.
[1:46] Speaker 3: Did she tell you why?
[1:47] Speaker 5: No, she's being very mysterious about it.
[1:50] Speaker 3: Something to do with that Lumberyard fire, I suppose. Well,
[1:53] Speaker 3: she simply wouldn't say, but she insists on having you
[1:56] Speaker 3: come out to see her.
[1:57] Speaker 5: Well, as long as your company won't quibble over the
[1:58] Speaker 5: expense account. Yes, I guess we're stuck for it.
[2:01] Speaker 3: Plus my usual fee, of course.
[2:03] Speaker 5: Well, now, that depends on what you mean by usual.
[2:05] Speaker 3: Let's talk about it when I get there.
[2:15] Speaker 5: CBS Radio brings you Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures
[2:19] Speaker 5: of the man with the action-packed expense account. America's fabulous
[2:22] Speaker 5: freelance insurance investigator. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted
[2:42] Speaker 5: by Special Investigator Johnny Dollar to the Worldwide Mutual Insurance Company, Columbus,
[2:46] Speaker 5: Ohio office. Following is an account of expenses incurred during
[2:50] Speaker 5: my investigation of the lost by a hair matter. Expense
[2:57] Speaker 5: account item 1-4175, plane fare from Hartford to New York
[3:00] Speaker 5: to Columbus, Ohio.
[3:02] Speaker 3: It was after 2 a.m.
[3:03] Speaker 5: When the big silver bird dropped me off at Port
[3:04] Speaker 5: Columbus Airport. Item 2-250 for a taxi into the Deschler-Kilton.
[3:09] Speaker 5: There was no time to rouse Fred Starkey out of bed,
[3:11] Speaker 5: so item 3-1420 for a nightcap, a comfortable room there
[3:15] Speaker 5: in the hotel, and a kind.
[3:16] Speaker 3: Of brunch late the next morning. So late, as a
[3:19] Speaker 3: matter of fact, that I had to wait for Starkey
[3:21] Speaker 3: to come back from his lunch before I could see
[3:23] Speaker 3: him at the office of Worldwide Mutual.
[3:24] Speaker 5: See him and ask him questions Sorry, Dollar, but she
[3:28] Speaker 5: just won't say. Yeah, well, now look, Fred, I'd like
[3:31] Speaker 5: to know something about a case I've come this far
[3:33] Speaker 5: to handle.
[3:34] Speaker 4: I'm not even sure there's a case here.
[3:36] Speaker 3: You told me that she owned a big lumberyard that
[3:38] Speaker 3: had burned down some months ago.
[3:40] Speaker 7: Exactly nine weeks ago.
[3:41] Speaker 3: All right, how much insurance? Dollar, it was a total loss.
[3:44] Speaker 4: It cost the company $ 330, 000. Wow.
[3:49] Speaker 3: Fortunately, it was underinsured. Underinsured? These days, the ground alone.
[3:53] Speaker 4: Out there is worth that much.
[3:54] Speaker 1: Out where?
[3:55] Speaker 3: It's near Minerva Park.
[3:56] Speaker 1: Hmm.
[3:57] Speaker 3: Arson, by any chance?
[3:58] Speaker 8: No.
[3:59] Speaker 3: No sign of it whatsoever. She, uh, possibly need the money?
[4:04] Speaker 8: Hardly.
[4:04] Speaker 4: Her husband left her over a quarter of a million
[4:06] Speaker 4: in securities when he died a couple of years ago.
[4:08] Speaker 6: No.
[4:09] Speaker 4: Nothing suspicious at all, huh? Except that suspicious mind of yours.
[4:13] Speaker 3: Now, listen, Johnny. I didn't say her wanting to see
[4:16] Speaker 3: you has anything to do with that fire.
[4:17] Speaker 4: That was your idea.
[4:19] Speaker 3: Maybe she just wants a look at you. A great
[4:21] Speaker 3: admirer of yours, I understand. Oh, sure.
[4:24] Speaker 4: Well, do you always expect to find arson, fraud, or murder,
[4:27] Speaker 4: some sort of crime whenever somebody calls on you?
[4:29] Speaker 3: No, not always. That's the way it usually turns out.
[4:33] Speaker 4: But don't you see if this had something to do
[4:35] Speaker 4: with her insurance, she would have said as much.
[4:37] Speaker 3: But if it hasn't, why did she ask for me? Well,
[4:39] Speaker 3: I told you. You told me what?
[4:43] Speaker 4: Oh, I don't know. I don't know why she wants
[4:45] Speaker 4: to see you, but I'm willing to bet that it
[4:46] Speaker 4: has nothing.
[4:47] Speaker 3: To do with that fire. 500 bucks?
[4:49] Speaker 8: 500 bucks.
[4:49] Speaker 4: Frank?
[4:54] Speaker 3: How do I get there?
[4:59] Speaker 5: Item four, a 50-buck deposit on a rental car, and
[5:02] Speaker 5: I drove north on Cleveland Avenue, that's Route 3, to
[5:04] Speaker 5: the pleasant little town of Minerva Park. The Tilford home,
[5:08] Speaker 5: while not a mansion, was a large stone and stucco
[5:10] Speaker 5: affair with plenty of trees and well-kept lawns.
[5:13] Speaker 3: All in all, a real nice place in good condition.
[5:16] Speaker 8: Yes?
[5:19] Speaker 6: Oh!
[5:21] Speaker 5: The surprise was the widow Tilford. In her middle 60s,
[5:24] Speaker 5: I guess, but with a sparkle in her eye that
[5:27] Speaker 5: made you feel she ought to be 25 years younger.
[5:30] Speaker 5: She was dressed in well-tailored sport clothes, her hair was
[5:32] Speaker 5: gray but cut in a short bob, and her subtle
[5:35] Speaker 5: use of makeup made.
[5:36] Speaker 3: Her look like a million.
[5:38] Speaker 6: Johnny, tell her.
[5:40] Speaker 1: Mrs.
[5:40] Speaker 3: Tilford?
[5:41] Speaker 5: That's right.
[5:42] Speaker 9: And, Johnny, I'm such a fan of yours and that
[5:45] Speaker 9: radio program that I hear every Sunday on WBNS that, well,
[5:49] Speaker 9: I'll break down and confess that about a year ago I.
[5:52] Speaker 7: Wrote and asked for your picture.
[5:54] Speaker 2: Ah.
[5:54] Speaker 6: And Lou wrote me the nicest.
[5:56] Speaker 3: Letter when you sent it. Oh, of course. Grace Tilford.
[6:00] Speaker 5: That's right.
[6:01] Speaker 9: And when you started off the letter with dear Grace,
[6:04] Speaker 9: it made me feel almost young again.
[6:07] Speaker 3: Now, something, I think you are pretty young, Mrs. Tilford.
[6:09] Speaker 1: Oh.
[6:10] Speaker 7: One look at you, Johnny, and I wish I was.
[6:15] Speaker 9: But with this old heart of mine hitting on only
[6:17] Speaker 9: about one cylinder....
[6:20] Speaker 3: Come in, come in. Yeah, sure.
[6:24] Speaker 2: And now this.
[6:25] Speaker 9: We're going to bypass the living room.
[6:27] Speaker 3: And sneak into the library. Sneak in?
[6:31] Speaker 7: Yes.
[6:31] Speaker 9: So that we can talk alone for a little while.
[6:34] Speaker 9: You see, your three suspects are there in.
[6:36] Speaker 7: The living room.
[6:37] Speaker 9: Is it?
[6:38] Speaker 3: Just, uh, what do you mean by suspects?
[6:41] Speaker 9: Right in here, Johnny, and they won't disturb us.
[6:44] Speaker 8: Okay.
[6:46] Speaker 4: Now, sit down and be comfortable.
[6:48] Speaker 3: Thanks.
[6:50] Speaker 9: Now, Johnny, I suppose you're curious about why I sent
[6:53] Speaker 9: for you.
[6:53] Speaker 3: Yeah, well, according to Fred Starkey, it's all a big mystery.
[6:56] Speaker 7: Oh, mystery's right.
[6:57] Speaker 9: Was right.
[6:58] Speaker 7: But, Johnny, I've solved it.
[7:00] Speaker 6: Oh?
[7:01] Speaker 4: Yes.
[7:02] Speaker 3: The mystery of.
[7:03] Speaker 9: Why my lumberyard burned down a few weeks ago.
[7:06] Speaker 3: You mean it was set?
[7:07] Speaker 9: That's exactly what I mean. I had no proof in
[7:10] Speaker 9: the beginning, no reason to think it was set, but
[7:12] Speaker 9: I have now.
[7:13] Speaker 3: By whom, Mrs. Tilford?
[7:14] Speaker 9: Oh, I wish you'd call me Grace, Johnny, just to
[7:17] Speaker 9: flatter me a bit.
[7:18] Speaker 3: Okay, sure. But who set the fire? All right, you
[7:24] Speaker 3: said three suspects out there in the living room.
[7:26] Speaker 5: That's right.
[7:28] Speaker 9: Would you like to go in and meet them and
[7:31] Speaker 9: then pick.
[7:32] Speaker 6: Out the one it is?
[7:41] Speaker 5: You say that one of those three people sitting out
[7:44] Speaker 5: there in the living room set that lumberyard fire?
[7:46] Speaker 8: Yes.
[7:47] Speaker 9: Johnny and I collected $ 330, 000 on it, after all. The
[7:51] Speaker 9: police and firemen had found nothing to indicate arson.
[7:53] Speaker 3: Oh, believe me, it's hard to spot in a fire
[7:55] Speaker 3: like that.
[7:56] Speaker 9: Then I got to thinking about those three, about how
[7:59] Speaker 9: each of them could profit by it.
[8:02] Speaker 3: Possible that all three could have had a hand in it?
[8:04] Speaker 9: Oh, don't we get together on anything?
[8:06] Speaker 6: Trust each other?
[8:07] Speaker 9: Oh, never, never.
[8:09] Speaker 3: Okay, then.
[8:10] Speaker 9: Then a couple of days ago, I learned something. Proof
[8:14] Speaker 9: that one of them did it.
[8:15] Speaker 3: Which one?
[8:16] Speaker 9: Well, if I know you, you're clever enough to find out.
[8:20] Speaker 3: But if you already know, and suppose the one who
[8:22] Speaker 3: did it knows that you know.
[8:24] Speaker 9: Oh, not a chance.
[8:25] Speaker 7: At least I don't think there is.
[8:27] Speaker 9: And at least none of them has made any move
[8:29] Speaker 9: against me.
[8:30] Speaker 3: But if one of them You'd better tell me which one. Well, now, Johnny.
[8:35] Speaker 9: Did you ever tell who's the guilty one on your
[8:38] Speaker 9: radio program.
[8:39] Speaker 6: Right at the beginning?
[8:40] Speaker 3: Oh, now, let's face it. This is a little bit different.
[8:42] Speaker 3: If you're holding out just for the sake of a
[8:44] Speaker 3: big dramatic climax... Well, yes and no. Oh, come on. Now, listen,
[8:48] Speaker 3: Miss Telford.
[8:49] Speaker 2: Grace.
[8:50] Speaker 3: All right, Grace. But now, please, listen to me.
[8:52] Speaker 9: You listen, Johnny. I said I have proof. But I
[8:55] Speaker 9: have to be absolutely sure... And there's where you can
[8:58] Speaker 9: not only help me, but you'll know exactly how to proceed,
[9:01] Speaker 9: how to take him in, or her, without danger to.
[9:05] Speaker 2: The rest of us.
[9:06] Speaker 3: Listen, will you? If the guilty one knows that you know,
[9:08] Speaker 3: you might be in pretty serious danger. Even with you around? Yes,
[9:13] Speaker 3: even with me around.
[9:14] Speaker 9: Well, I'm simply not going to tell you until you've
[9:17] Speaker 9: met them and drawn your own conclusions.
[9:20] Speaker 3: Okay, then let's get in it. All right.
[9:23] Speaker 9: The middle-aged man is Harry W. Shelder, my husband's business
[9:28] Speaker 9: manager before he passed on. He's not only very clever,
[9:31] Speaker 9: but his sole interest in life is in money.
[9:35] Speaker 3: I see.
[9:36] Speaker 9: He did very well for my husband, but I've always
[9:38] Speaker 9: felt he was really looking.
[9:40] Speaker 3: Out for himself. But why set off the lumberyard?
[9:43] Speaker 9: Because replaced by homes and stores and supermarkets, it could
[9:47] Speaker 9: be worth millions.
[9:48] Speaker 7: He said.
[9:49] Speaker 3: Ah, and you refused to do that?
[9:51] Speaker 1: Yes.
[9:52] Speaker 9: The lumber company had been in our family for generations.
[9:56] Speaker 9: Gave me all the money I could want, so I
[9:57] Speaker 9: wouldn't change it.
[9:59] Speaker 3: What if it just happened? to burn to the ground? Exactly.
[10:02] Speaker 9: All of my objections would go wiped out.
[10:05] Speaker 3: Then if he's the one.
[10:06] Speaker 9: Now, wait, wait, wait, darling. Then there's Michael.
[10:09] Speaker 3: Michael Tilson. Oh, the younger man I noticed in there.
[10:12] Speaker 3: Our adopted son.
[10:13] Speaker 9: After college, business college... He tried to make his way,
[10:17] Speaker 9: but not very successfully. Actually, he's been living on our
[10:20] Speaker 9: bounty the past few years.
[10:22] Speaker 3: A near-to-well grace?
[10:23] Speaker 9: Oh, well, he's not very good at anything. His ideas
[10:29] Speaker 9: for that property aren't so ambitious as Harry Shoulders, but
[10:33] Speaker 9: he's wanted me to sell it out to one of
[10:35] Speaker 9: the development companies.
[10:36] Speaker 3: And why?
[10:36] Speaker 9: Because my husband's will provided that in the event of
[10:40] Speaker 9: my death, he'd get happy and come from it.
[10:41] Speaker 8: I see. Mm-hmm.
[10:43] Speaker 9: So he was bitterly opposed to my keeping it as
[10:45] Speaker 9: a lumberyard.
[10:46] Speaker 3: A motive for one, motive for two. And who's the third,
[10:50] Speaker 3: the girl I saw there?
[10:51] Speaker 9: Nancy Willard, my niece. Ever since her parents died, quite penniless,
[10:56] Speaker 9: by the way, we've taken care of her.
[10:59] Speaker 7: It's simply out of pity, Johnny, not love.
[11:02] Speaker 9: And, although I may change it now, she's heir to
[11:06] Speaker 9: the bulk of my fate.
[11:08] Speaker 3: Well, offhand, I'd say that Michael is the least suspect
[11:10] Speaker 3: of the three.
[11:11] Speaker 2: Nancy!
[11:12] Speaker 3: Let's go talk to them.
[11:12] Speaker 9: Then I'll leave you alone with them. I want to
[11:15] Speaker 9: clean up before dinner and wash my hair.
[11:17] Speaker 3: It's a mess. Looks great to me.
[11:19] Speaker 2: What?
[11:21] Speaker 9: Like this?
[11:21] Speaker 3: Okay, okay. You gals have to have something to fuss about,
[11:24] Speaker 3: I suppose. Now let's go in and see those folks.
[11:32] Speaker 3: Under the circumstances, there was nothing I could do but
[11:34] Speaker 3: play along with her little game. Her dramatic little mystery matter.
[11:37] Speaker 3: But not for too long.
[11:39] Speaker 5: On the excuse she had to go up and wash
[11:41] Speaker 5: her hair, she left me with them there in the
[11:43] Speaker 5: living room.
[11:44] Speaker 3: And what a trio. As I've told you half a
[11:46] Speaker 3: dozen times now, Dollar, Mrs. Tilford hasn't long to live.
[11:51] Speaker 3: According to her doctor, not more than five or six
[11:53] Speaker 3: years at the most. Don't you see what I mean? Maybe, Mr. Shelter.
[11:56] Speaker 3: Go on. As long as she's alive.
[11:58] Speaker 4: And lets me handle things, she can make millions with
[12:01] Speaker 4: that property.
[12:02] Speaker 3: And you? Well, of course, I get a percentage of
[12:05] Speaker 3: the capital gains I achieve for it.
[12:06] Speaker 7: And I say those fancy plans of yours are too
[12:09] Speaker 7: much of a gamble, Harry.
[12:10] Speaker 3: Just wait, Michael.
[12:11] Speaker 7: I say play it safe. Let somebody else take the risk.
[12:13] Speaker 1: That's all.
[12:14] Speaker 7: Then all we have to do is... I mean, all
[12:16] Speaker 7: Mother has to do is sit by and share in
[12:18] Speaker 7: the profits.
[12:19] Speaker 3: A small share instead of all the profits.
[12:21] Speaker 7: With you running things, I'd want a pretty good accounting, Harry.
[12:24] Speaker 3: You think you could handle a project like I have
[12:26] Speaker 3: in mind?
[12:26] Speaker 7: One like I have in mind. Nothing to it.
[12:29] Speaker 4: I wouldn't trust your judgment or you, as a.
[12:31] Speaker 10: Matter of fact.
[12:32] Speaker 7: Oh, now, stop it, kid.
[12:34] Speaker 9: What kind of people will Johnny Dollar think we are?
[12:37] Speaker 3: Sorry, Johnny. Oh, I find this all very interesting, Nancy.
[12:40] Speaker 7: Don't you see, Dollar? Listen to me.
[12:41] Speaker 6: No, you listen, Michael.
[12:43] Speaker 5: Every time we get together this way, it's the same
[12:45] Speaker 5: old thing.
[12:46] Speaker 9: I've said it before and I say it again.
[12:47] Speaker 7: Let Auntie Grace handle things.
[12:49] Speaker 4: Her own way. Of course, you're well provided for without
[12:52] Speaker 4: even having to lift a finger.
[12:53] Speaker 9: That's right, Harry. I'm not one of the hired help.
[12:57] Speaker 3: Nancy, I resent that.
[12:58] Speaker 7: But she does have a point there. Sure, so go
[13:01] Speaker 7: ahead and resent, but.
[13:03] Speaker 5: Oh, now look, it's cocktail time, so let's have Haskell
[13:06] Speaker 5: bring in the drinks and talk about other things or
[13:09] Speaker 5: just get quietly loaded.
[13:11] Speaker 6: Haskell?
[13:11] Speaker 8: Mrs.
[13:12] Speaker 3: Haskell? There's no reason why one of us can't bring this.
[13:15] Speaker 7: Don't bother, Harry.
[13:16] Speaker 1: Yes?
[13:17] Speaker 7: You called to me, miss? Bring in the portable bar
[13:19] Speaker 7: and plenty of ice cubes. Yes, ma'am.
[13:21] Speaker 9: I'll be off to getting it for you right away.
[13:22] Speaker 9: Where's my aunt? About to get under the hair dryer
[13:25] Speaker 9: last time I was up the stairs.
[13:26] Speaker 4: Tell her to come down and join us.
[13:28] Speaker 7: Yes, ma'am. That'll work. And while we're waiting, let's try
[13:31] Speaker 7: to be civil to each other.
[13:35] Speaker 3: To say I didn't particularly like these three would be
[13:38] Speaker 3: another statement. And I could picture any one of them
[13:41] Speaker 3: having set that fire. For the next few minutes, they
[13:43] Speaker 3: simply sat and glared at each other until we heard Mrs.
[13:46] Speaker 3: Haskell come running clumsily down the stairs. Miss Nancy!
[13:50] Speaker 4: Mr.
[13:50] Speaker 2: Shelter!
[13:51] Speaker 5: Mr.
[13:52] Speaker 4: Michael!
[13:52] Speaker 5: Haskell!
[13:53] Speaker 3: I thought you were going to bring... Haskell!
[13:57] Speaker 7: What's the matter?
[14:00] Speaker 3: It's Mrs. Tilford!
[14:01] Speaker 7: Up there in her room!
[14:03] Speaker 6: Well?
[14:05] Speaker 7: She's... She's dead!
[14:13] Speaker 2: Mrs.
[14:13] Speaker 3: Tilford, there in her bedroom, had died alone.
[14:17] Speaker 5: Apparently, she'd been sitting under a hair dryer, then simply
[14:19] Speaker 5: fallen to the floor, the big professional-looking machine falling beside her. Fortunately,
[14:24] Speaker 5: the heating coils had apparently broken before they could set
[14:27] Speaker 5: fire to anything. A big hunk of suspicion started building
[14:30] Speaker 5: up at the back of my head. But then Dr.
[14:33] Speaker 5: Taylor came and pronounced it death from a heart attack.
[14:38] Speaker 3: I must confess, I certainly didn't... Well, she took such
[14:41] Speaker 3: good care of herself. I was certain she'd live on
[14:44] Speaker 3: for several years. Well, go downstairs and make up my
[14:47] Speaker 3: report and arrange to have the body taken care of. Well,
[14:51] Speaker 3: we won't have to argue about the handling of her
[14:53] Speaker 3: affairs anymore. Unless, of course, the court lets me act
[14:56] Speaker 3: as executor of her estate... In which case, I warn you.
[14:59] Speaker 7: Harry, how can you be so callous about it? Oh,
[15:01] Speaker 7: the poor dear darling.
[15:04] Speaker 1: Oh, shut up, Haslam.
[15:05] Speaker 7: But Michael's right, Harry.
[15:07] Speaker 3: Oh, sure. I suppose you two are heartbroken about her
[15:10] Speaker 3: dying like this. Alone.
[15:12] Speaker 7: She died all alone up here.
[15:14] Speaker 3: Oh, good.
[15:15] Speaker 7: While we were downstairs trying to pick her apart like
[15:17] Speaker 7: a bunch of vultures. In spite of the way.
[15:19] Speaker 3: She treated all of us. What do you mean by that, Mike?
[15:22] Speaker 7: We got so much better than we deserved. That's what
[15:24] Speaker 7: I mean. All three of us. Harry... Never bothering to
[15:27] Speaker 7: see her, to come here and be nice to her.
[15:30] Speaker 7: Just parked in his office in town, juggling figures to
[15:33] Speaker 7: get as much out of her as he could.
[15:34] Speaker 3: Michael, I resent her.
[15:35] Speaker 1: I don't care if you do.
[15:37] Speaker 7: Heaven only knows how much you've cheated her since father died.
[15:40] Speaker 3: Only your foster father, remember?
[15:42] Speaker 7: And Nancy, sitting around here, sponging off her, sweet-talking her,
[15:46] Speaker 7: waiting for her to die.
[15:47] Speaker 3: Look who's talking.
[15:49] Speaker 7: But all the things she's done for you, Michael, you
[15:51] Speaker 7: haven't even had the decency to come and visit her
[15:53] Speaker 7: now and then. Yes, I know. When was the last
[15:55] Speaker 7: time you were here? A month ago?
[15:57] Speaker 6: Six weeks ago?
[15:58] Speaker 7: The last time that Harry was here?
[16:00] Speaker 3: Is that true, Michael? Yes, Mr. Dollar, I'm afraid it is.
[16:03] Speaker 9: But you didn't hesitate to accept the money she kept
[16:05] Speaker 9: sending you.
[16:06] Speaker 7: At least I... I tried to make my own way. Oh, sure.
[16:11] Speaker 9: Big ambitious little Michael.
[16:13] Speaker 7: Well, what have you done for us?
[16:14] Speaker 6: At least I've stayed here these past few weeks and
[16:16] Speaker 6: gone through the motions of being nice to her.
[16:18] Speaker 4: Kept her company, helped her with her clothes, fixed her hair.
[16:21] Speaker 6: For her, and, well.
[16:23] Speaker 3: Is that true, Mrs. Haskell? Yes, sir.
[16:25] Speaker 7: Fixed her hair for her.
[16:27] Speaker 10: Big deal.
[16:28] Speaker 6: Miss Manton, Miss.
[16:29] Speaker 7: Nancy even bought her that big hair-drying machine.
[16:32] Speaker 1: Oh.
[16:32] Speaker 4: And the poor dear loved it so, she was washing
[16:35] Speaker 4: her hair three and four times a week.
[16:36] Speaker 3: Now, what's that got to do with what we're discussing?
[16:38] Speaker 4: Wait a minute.
[16:39] Speaker 7: That's right. If it hadn't been for this crazy machine... Hey,
[16:41] Speaker 7: don't sheen. She would have been downstairs where we might have... Wait.
[16:44] Speaker 5: Well, don't take it out on the hair.
[16:46] Speaker 3: Dryer, Michael. I said wait a minute. My brain was
[16:50] Speaker 3: fairly spinning. A news item in the New York papers
[16:53] Speaker 3: less than a month ago. A freak accident. One in
[16:55] Speaker 3: a million at a beauty parlor.
[16:57] Speaker 5: A professional hair dryer machine, exactly like the one lying
[17:00] Speaker 5: here on the floor. There'd been pictures of it, sketches,
[17:02] Speaker 5: to show exactly what had happened. A tiny wire had
[17:05] Speaker 5: come loose. It shocked the customer so badly that she'd
[17:08] Speaker 5: lost consciousness. There'd been a big noise over it. And
[17:11] Speaker 5: now here was Mrs. Tilford, a little frail old lady
[17:14] Speaker 5: with a heart condition.
[17:15] Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah.
[17:18] Speaker 3: What is it, Mr. Dollar?
[17:19] Speaker 5: Yes, Johnny, what's that funny look supposed to mean?
[17:22] Speaker 4: Funny?
[17:22] Speaker 3: Funny. Mrs. Haskell, did you ever help Mrs. Tilford with
[17:25] Speaker 3: this machine?
[17:26] Speaker 9: Oh, please, I never even touched that contraption.
[17:28] Speaker 4: Of the devil, sir.
[17:29] Speaker 1: Dollar, this old biddy wouldn't even let Mrs.
[17:31] Speaker 3: Tilford install an electric stove. But I failed to... Listen,
[17:35] Speaker 3: when was this thing purchased? About three weeks ago. I
[17:38] Speaker 3: still have the bill for it in my office. Another
[17:40] Speaker 3: of Nancy's little tricks gave it to Mrs. Tilford as
[17:43] Speaker 3: a gift, but charged it to her account. But I
[17:45] Speaker 3: failed to... Three weeks ago.
[17:48] Speaker 5: So when I find the wire on it, it was
[17:50] Speaker 5: cut instead of simply broken off when it fell.
[17:52] Speaker 1: Mr.
[17:52] Speaker 3: Dollar. Yeah. And I'm glad you didn't kick this thing anymore, Mike.
[17:57] Speaker 3: You see it here? When she clamped this thing on
[17:59] Speaker 3: her head, this wire touched her wet scalp. Oh, now, just...
[18:03] Speaker 3: Good heaven. Then when she turned on the switch... Well,
[18:07] Speaker 3: that was it. Harry, you haven't been here for weeks. Well,
[18:10] Speaker 3: I know, but I.
[18:11] Speaker 1: Nor have you, Michael.
[18:13] Speaker 3: And Mrs. Haskell was afraid to touch the thing.
[18:17] Speaker 8: Well.
[18:18] Speaker 3: Nancy.
[18:19] Speaker 5: Yeah, Nancy.
[18:22] Speaker 3: You were here, Nancy.
[18:24] Speaker 5: And a few weeks ago, when you read in the
[18:25] Speaker 5: papers how one of these machines might have.
[18:28] Speaker 4: No!
[18:29] Speaker 3: Oh, put it down, Nancy.
[18:31] Speaker 2: No.
[18:32] Speaker 3: I'll kill you. I'll kill all of you.
[18:34] Speaker 9: Sure, I did it, but nobody will ever know, because
[18:37] Speaker 9: none of you will be alive.
[18:38] Speaker 7: That's where you're wrong, Nancy!
[18:39] Speaker 3: Michael! All right, Nancy.
[18:43] Speaker 8: No!
[18:43] Speaker 2: Let go of me!
[18:44] Speaker 1: Let go of me!
[18:50] Speaker 3: Learned a little lesson in clean living from this, Harry? Yes. Yes, darling.
[18:59] Speaker 3: I'll call the police.
[19:06] Speaker 5: So Nancy's wild shot busted one of his ribs, but
[19:08] Speaker 5: Mike will recover. Nancy, I don't know what the penalty
[19:12] Speaker 5: for murder is in Ohio, but believe me, she'll find.
[19:14] Speaker 3: Out the hard way. As for the estate, well, that's
[19:17] Speaker 3: up to the courts, too.
[19:18] Speaker 5: No doubt much of what might have been Nancy's share
[19:21] Speaker 5: will go to the company for that payment.
[19:22] Speaker 4: On the fire.
[19:24] Speaker 5: Expense account total, including the trip back to Hartford.
[19:26] Speaker 3: $ 162. 70. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
[19:30] Speaker 1: Our star to tell you about next week's story.
[19:45] Speaker 3: Next week, a night in Paris that brings.
[19:47] Speaker 5: Me fun, romance... and a quick brush with that old
[19:49] Speaker 5: old brush. old character known as death.
[19:52] Speaker 3: Join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.
[20:00] Speaker 5: Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood
[20:04] Speaker 5: and is written, produced, and directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard
[20:07] Speaker 5: in our cast were Virginia Gregg, Ellen Klebe, Shirley Mitchell,
[20:11] Speaker 5: Ben Wright, Sam Edwards, Harry Bartell.
[20:14] Speaker 3: And Lawrence Dobkin. Be sure to join us next week.
[20:17] Speaker 5: Same time and station, for another exciting story of Yours Truly,
[20:21] Speaker 5: Johnny Dollar. This is Jim Matthews speaking.
[20:36] Speaker 2: Welcome back. At times, I've been critical of these self-contained episodes.
[20:44] Speaker 2: And so have many listeners who have noted that we
[20:47] Speaker 2: don't get more than one or two suspects. But I
[20:52] Speaker 2: think this episode is actually quite a little model of efficiency.
[20:56] Speaker 2: There are less than 20 minutes of plot time, but
[21:00] Speaker 2: in that amount of time, we are introduced and actually
[21:05] Speaker 2: get to like the eventual murder victim. We get three
[21:09] Speaker 2: suspects who we get to meet, and mostly the spies,
[21:13] Speaker 2: and we get the solution. And she might have gotten
[21:16] Speaker 2: away with it if Johnny Dollar hadn't read the same
[21:20] Speaker 2: newspaper article. Now, if I wanted to complain about anything,
[21:25] Speaker 2: it's that when that guy was saying he was being
[21:29] Speaker 2: paid in capital gains, I think he was using the
[21:32] Speaker 2: wrong word. Given that he's supposed to be a savvy
[21:36] Speaker 2: financial expert, you don't expect that lack of precision. But
[21:41] Speaker 2: that's going a bit into the weeds. I enjoyed this one,
[21:44] Speaker 2: and I hope you liked it as well. Well, listen
[21:46] Speaker 2: to our comments and feedback now. Over on YouTube, we
[21:50] Speaker 2: have a comment on the Will and the Way matter
[21:52] Speaker 2: with Davey writing, thanks for the great show. Thank you, Davey.
[21:56] Speaker 2: I appreciate you taking the time to comment on YouTube.
[21:59] Speaker 2: Now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day.
[22:03] Speaker 2: Thank you so much to Michelle, Patreon supporter since May
[22:08] Speaker 2: of 2021, currently supporting the podcast at the Seamus level
[22:13] Speaker 2: of $ 4 or more per month. Thanks so much for
[22:15] Speaker 2: your support, Michelle. And that will do it for today.
[22:18] Speaker 2: If you're enjoying the podcast, please support us using your
[22:22] Speaker 2: favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review
[22:26] Speaker 2: the podcast wherever you download it from. We will be
[22:31] Speaker 2: back next Friday with another episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.
[22:35] Speaker 2: But join us back here tomorrow as we give way
[22:40] Speaker 2: to the great adventurers of old-time radio, and to Counterspy, where.
[22:46] Speaker 6: The lab test feeders proved that the bloodstains on the
[22:48] Speaker 6: front and rear seats of the car were of different types. Now,
[22:52] Speaker 6: what did ballistics dig up about the bullets in Trojan's body?
[22:55] Speaker 10: Something even more interesting, Dave. Of the five slugs probed
[22:58] Speaker 10: out of Al Trojan's body, only two were.
[23:00] Speaker 8: 30 caliber.
[23:02] Speaker 10: The other three were.
[23:03] Speaker 4: 45s.
[23:04] Speaker 3: What?
[23:04] Speaker 8: Yes, sir.
[23:05] Speaker 10: And the prison guards used. 30 caliber rifles.
[23:08] Speaker 6: And we know that Rocky Gaines was armed with a revolver,
[23:11] Speaker 6: undoubtedly a.
[23:12] Speaker 8: 45.
[23:13] Speaker 10: Nice boy, Rocky Gaines.
[23:14] Speaker 8: This means he murdered his own partner.
[23:17] Speaker 10: Rocky must have figured that Al Trojan wounded was a
[23:19] Speaker 10: dead weight on his hands. And dead men tell no tales.
[23:23] Speaker 8: Especially to the police.
[23:25] Speaker 6: For more we know about Gaines, this doesn't surprise me, Peter.
[23:27] Speaker 6: According to the prison report, Gaines is a psychotic, triggered
[23:30] Speaker 6: finger type. A purely emotionless killer without normal human conscience.
[23:35] Speaker 8: Special coming in on the radio, Dave. Harding, go ahead. Conway, Mr.
[23:39] Speaker 3: Harding.
[23:39] Speaker 8: I'm in Tannersville.
[23:41] Speaker 1: I got a lead on Rocky Gaines.
[23:43] Speaker 3: Let's have it.
[23:44] Speaker 6: Less than an hour ago, a motorist picked up a
[23:46] Speaker 6: hitchhiker on a back road 20 miles from here.
[23:49] Speaker 4: And then at gunpoint, the driver was forced out of
[23:51] Speaker 4: his car and left high and dry.
[23:52] Speaker 8: The driver identifies the hitchhiker as Rocky Gaines?
[23:55] Speaker 1: Positively.
[23:56] Speaker 8: What direction did he drive off?
[23:57] Speaker 1: North.
[23:59] Speaker 8: All right, Conway.
[24:00] Speaker 6: From now on, we'll use Tannersville as the focal point
[24:02] Speaker 6: of our operation. Set up an emergency base for us there.
[24:05] Speaker 3: Right, Chief.
[24:06] Speaker 10: Why Tannersville, Dave?
[24:08] Speaker 8: Look at this map, Peters. Here's Tannersville. The last large
[24:13] Speaker 8: town this side of those mountains. Now, you heard Conway.
[24:16] Speaker 8: Rocky was driving north.
[24:17] Speaker 10: That means he's probably headed into the mountains.
[24:19] Speaker 6: Right. And with the local police, we'll set up blocks
[24:22] Speaker 6: at every intersection of those mountain roads. Rocky may get
[24:25] Speaker 6: into those mountains, but he has at least one bullet wound.
[24:28] Speaker 6: Sooner or later, he'll have to get help up there
[24:30] Speaker 6: or come out for it. And when he does, we'll
[24:33] Speaker 6: have to be close by or some innocent people may
[24:36] Speaker 6: get killed.
[24:37] Speaker 2: I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime,
[24:39] Speaker 2: send your comments to Box13 at GreatDetectives.net. Follow us on
[24:45] Speaker 2: Twitter at Radio Detectives. And check us out on Instagram, Instagram.com
[24:51] Speaker 2: slash Great Detectives. From Boise, Idaho, this is your host,
[24:55] Speaker 2: Adam Graham, signing off.

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