Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
From Hollywood.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
It's time now for Johnny Dollar, Dan Martin here, I
was up the street with you. Listen, Sheriff, they've traced Kathy.
O'darehead to you. A nice little town of Branbury who
has nick surance boys. One of them, a trigger man
named Benny Stark, came out to the sawmill hell a
few minutes ago. I traded a couple of shots with him,
but he got away in a car and he head
north or back toward town. Toward town. I think you
(00:23):
can't see the turnoff from here.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
All right, Dollar, you're packing a gun. Will you take
a pickup truck and black bet turn off? Hold it
until I can get somebody out there to relieve it.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Right, how many deputies you got? Deputies?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
What about volunteers?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Is this Benny Stark, the man Kathy's afreidom he's one
of them? Then I'll have volunteers, twenty men within a
half hour, armed with deer rifles, and every one of
them a dead shot. Tonight and every weekday night.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Bob Bailey, in the Transcribed Adventures of the Man with
the Action Packed Expensive Out America's Fabulous freelance insurance investigator Ours.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
It's truly Johnny Dollar. From Special Investigator Johnny Dollar, location Branburry,
Michigan to the Home Office Primutual Insurance Limit at Hartford,
Connecticut Assignment. The Nick Shuran matter expense account continued. Itam
(01:24):
eight three dollars sixty cents for two packs of cigarettes
and a pint of apple jack borrowed from the foreman's
locker at the sawmill. I figured these as standard equipment
for holding down a roadblock at ten degrees above zero,
and Michael Dare agreed with me one hundred percent. I'll
tell you one thing. They can make it out of
corn RYE Parley, make it at a gold if they
want to, but they'll never come up with anything better
(01:46):
than what they make out of apples. Get here, have
a short term, john Na. Thanks, I'll save it for later. Well,
I'll just dear it's got the taste of Indian summer
in it. You ought to see this country around the
time of here, Johnny breaks your heart. It's so beautiful.
What's beautiful now with the snow on? And there would
(02:06):
be more so if there wasn't a killer running loose
in it. Johnny, I want to ask you something about
my daughter, and I want you to answer me honest,
all right, It's no use trying to fool your She's here,
all right, I know, but she hasn't told me what
it was. It happened in the York, but she ran
away from it. Somehow. I figured it was just as
well not to ask her. You're sure if Dan Martin
(02:28):
said practically the same thing. Dan's been in love with
Kathy since he was twelve years old. He's a good man,
sold so I forget. Anyway, she was scared, scared half
to dith, and she'd come home for help, so we
tried to help him. What was it? She wanted to
ask me, mister O'Dare you mentioned a murder case? Johnny?
You didn't give any of the details, just said that
(02:50):
Kathy was her witness. Is is she mixed up in
this murder? And you wanted an understancing? All right? I'm
not sure? Or ay? See, That's why I wanted to
talk to her, get her story, the truth. I realized
when the start she might be guilty. I don't think so,
but it's a possibility. You may as well know about it.
I guess you realize it wouldn't make any difference not
(03:13):
to me or to Dan. Oh yeah, I figured. In
other words, you're with me as long as I'm trying
to protect you, but you'll fight me if I find
reason to think she's guilty. It's about it, Johnny. Well,
at least we know where we stand, and I hope
it won't come to what you matter, car coming light
on the trees there at the bend. Yeah, do you suppose? Maybe?
Probably not, but you can't tell. Better get behind the
(03:36):
truck just in case. It'll have to shift into low
the wedge past us and let me get that spotlight
on me. I guess I'll just have another quick one.
The wind puts right through your bones. It's a dark colored,
said Dan. It might be him. Fenny had been hoping
for two months if Kathy'd come home for Christmas and
(03:58):
they didn't figure I'd be out here in the woods
hiding behind a truck, waiting to shoot it out with
somebody that wanted to kill. It's a crazy world. Keep
your head down a strator, Yeah, m just the driver
by himself, wearing a dark cant Oh no, you know
that kind of looks like why cull you tears? What
(04:21):
that's Ted Perkins Old wreck no doubt about it. When
the all right, you better wave him off past. He
probably thinks we need help. It's all right, Ted, it's
my good hand. Go ahead, go ahead, We don't need anything.
Eh well, all right, thanks anyway. And there's one thing
(04:41):
about people around here. They mind their own business and
don't ask no questions, and they don't answer them often either.
How's that applejack holding out? Two long hours went past.
Only three cars came out from the village, and each
(05:03):
time a long moment of tension while we waited to
identify the occupants, But all of them were townspeople. Ben
ain't didn't show. One truck came down the logging road
from the back hills, loaded with dwarf spruce and fur
Peace on earth, good will toward men. We were waiting
for an assassin, but the truck only carried Christmas trees.
(05:24):
The night was crystal clear, with bright stars hanging low
on the blackness, but it kept turning colder and colder
and tol eaven. The anvil jack didn't help much, and
the wind too, changed gradually and blew fitful and gusty
and strange. It's kind of storm come a blizzard, Maybe
not tonight, tomorrow some time or tomorrow night. I know
(05:47):
this country, I know the signs. There's a odd feeling
in the air, all right, there's an even order whin
in my leg log rolled over on it, putting it
six years ago. Oh, there's me some in the winter
to let worse, all right, before the storm. That's kind
of a handy thing to have. Well, that's one way
of looking at it, I guess. Like one time when
(06:07):
Kathy was little, when her mare was still alive, God
rest her soul, we had a big measles epidemic here
in Branberry, and every night Kathy used to add a
line to her prayers, kid, say, and please let me
catch the measles so they can stay out of school
like the other kids. Now she's wanted as a witness
(06:28):
in a murder case, and somebody's prowling out there in
the dark trying to find her and kill her. Little Kathy,
who never harmed anybody in her whole life. Some things
just don't make sense, Johnny, some things ever have. There
was another time once when men like Benny were prowling
in the dark trying to find a little child and
(06:49):
kill him. And he hadn't harmed anybody either. That was
nearly two thousand years ago. Yeah, sure it was. I
like you, Johnny Cat, you erected to live a jia.
Huh ah. There's a pair for that kid. Looks more
like her mother did at her age. Another car coming,
mister Dare, Yeah, so there is, and this just might
(07:14):
be the one. Maybe. I sure wish that apple Jack
hadn't run out, But it was only a couple of men.
Deputy Martin had sent out from town to relieve us
and take over. Big men, calm and quiet, wearing plaid
macinaws and heavy laced boots and carrying Winchester ninety fours
(07:34):
over their arms. They told us Benny Stark had been seen.
He'd come up from the west, driven onto one of
the roadblocks unexpectedly, and a flurry of shants he'd broken through.
The men couldn't understand his persistence. They thought he'd run
for it get out of the area once his presence
was known. I didn't bother to explain, to put him straight,
but I knew Benny had never run not now. He
(07:56):
was a trigger man, a professional killer with a reputation
at stake, and he had his orders to silence Kathy o'dair.
A half hour later, we'll be back in town. Turning
into the main street around the village square, strings of
colored lights and a tall pine in the center of
the square blinked and sparkled as they swayed in the wind.
(08:18):
Around one hundred cars and trucks were parked in the
street and then the lot behind the town hall, and
the sound of singing drifted out from inside. They're practicing
carols and things for the big doings and Christmas Eve.
He did beautiful. The men at the roadblock had given
the description of Benny's car and the license number. It
was just barely possible. Good something in mind, Johnny. Let's
(08:43):
take a look through those park cars. I don't know.
If it was me, I sure wouldn't be hanging around here.
I'd stick to the tall timber. Yeah, you're not a
city boy and my tall timorous foreign soil. To Benny,
he's only comfortable when he's close to a crowd either.
Fellow that supposed who have done that murder now is
the man who works for a cafe on a ex gangster,
(09:03):
a man named Nick Shearn. Let's check that lot around
at the side. I don't think he'd show here in front.
He'd be taking a big chance showing anywhere in the
town this size. People know each other. It's his job
to take chances, and he probably doesn't realize. What if
it's that sedan against the building with the side window broken,
(09:24):
shifting pool one, that's his car, Johnny, Yeah, wait here.
I eased my gun out of the holster and started
toward the car. There were no lights in the lot,
only the soft glow reflected from the packed snow on
the foot, and the car itself stood in the dark
shadows next to the building. I couldn't see whether anyone
was in it or not. The singing seemed to swell
(09:47):
louder as I approached. I moved slowly, watching for any
sudden movement. The car was empty. It was time past
time to talk to Kathy oor Dare, and, with a
(10:08):
pressure tightening, the danger close to home now her father
was ready to take me to her. We drove over
to Dan Martin's house, where it turned out Kathy and
my daughter was staying. Dan's mother had been looking after her.
Dan was there when we arrived, busy on the phone.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Yeah, I know it, Carl, right, the one jed bought
last spring down in Bay City seven three nine two?
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Uh? Where was it park?
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Alright, keep an eye out, Charlie so on. Benny Stark
had stole himself aunt of the car, took jed Wardens
station wagon.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
We went for. That was a better when he had.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Charlie says, the steering gear was sprung. I guess it
happened when he crashed that roadblock. Well, that was Kathy
and the young and oh fine, they were asleep upstairs.
Mom's next door helping missus Barton stuff a turkey.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Johnny, you uh, you figured it could wait till more.
I'm sorry, mister o'dair. I've got to talk to her tonight. Alright,
I'll go wake her up, mister Doller.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
No matter what she's done, don't hurt her anymore than
you have to, as far as.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
I know at the moment, Dan, all she's guilty of
is withholding information, and most people woulda done the same thing.
Nick Suran's a rough boy to tangle with. She was scared,
that's all lost her head.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
She never did belong in a city. She belongs right
here in Branbury. This is her kind of life.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Why did she leave? Well?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Oh, we argued one day, and she said she'd show me.
So she ran off and married that fella. He treated
her bad, finally left her, but she was too proud
to come back. She wouldn't have come back now, she
hadn't have been so scared.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Well, maybe it'll work out now. She ought to stay.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Her kid, ought to grow up here, learn the outdoors
in the woods like Kathy used to know it where
she roamed through those hills like a young Indian. Knew
every trail in that forest, every timber camp and trapper's
cabin from here to the ridge. I remember one time
the two of us were up toward what's the matter?
Speaker 2 (12:24):
What is there? You said? You said Kathy were sleep upstairs?
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Is that what you said?
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Dan?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Of course that's what I Mike, what's happened?
Speaker 2 (12:33):
They're not up there, They're not up there anywhere else
in the house.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Then Arden, there'll be another intriguing episode in our story
of the next sharing matter tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Tomorrow. A little girl who believes in Santa Claus, a
big girl who believes in very little, and both of
them facing death, join us, won't you yours truly? Johnny Dollar?
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Yours truly? Johnny Dollar is storrying Bob Bailey is transcribed
in Hollywood. Written by Les Crutchfield, it is produced and
directed by Jack Jonstone. Be sure to join us tomorrow
night at same time in station for the next exciting
episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Roy Rowan speaking