Yours Truly Johnny Dollar Show
Johnny Dollar - The Walter Patterson Matter
https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free! Step into the shoes of America's favorite freelance insurance investigator with Yours Truly Johnny Dollar Show. This series captures the essence of the golden age of radio, featuring Johnny Dollar as he tackles deceptive insurance cases with charisma and intelligence. A must-listen for lovers of detective stories and classic radio dramas.
- Duration:
- 29m
- Broadcast on:
- 19 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
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W Group, forward we're prohibited by law, 18-plus terms and conditions apply. From Hollywood, it's time now for John Lund as Johnny Dollar. My name's Elgin, Mr. Dollar. Claims division, Delaware Mutual Light. What can I do for you, Mr. Elgin? Would you be free to work on a case for us? Well, that might be. What kind of a case is it? It involves a man named Patterson and a claim we paid off to the tune of $40,000. Uh-huh. You see, Patterson died in 1947. All the routine procedures were followed, and there was no reason for not honoring the policy at the time. And there's reason now, Mr. Elgin? That's where you'll find out, Mr. Dollar. A lifelong friend of the deceased swears he's still alive and kicking. I'll take the case, Mr. Elgin. John Lund, in a transcribed adventure of the man with the action-packed expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Iris Turri, Johnny Dollar. Expense accounts submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar, Hartford, Connecticut. Two controllers office, Delaware Mutual Life Insurance Company, Wilmington, Delaware. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Walter Patterson matter. Expense account item 1, $78.14, fair and incidentals between Hartford and Wilmington. I arrived at 2.30 in the afternoon, found a room at the Chesapeake Hotel, stowed my luggage and went directly to your headquarters, Mr. Elgin. Of course, reports like this cross my desk ever so often. If I ran the wall down, I'd get nothing else done. And ten times out of ten, the report's wrong. Yes, I know that, but this report bears investigation. I can remember three years after my father's death, I saw him on a subway train in New York, who, well, he looked exactly as I remembered my dad. I finally walked up and asked him his name. The minute he spoke, I lost the impression altogether. I think a lot of people have had that same kind of experience, one time or another, don't you? Yes, I suppose so. We all have a double somewhere, they say. An old friend saw this man, Patterson? Yes, in Tucson, Arizona. Her name's Virginia Collier. I'd never hear not to talk to you, but unfortunately, she's unrooped to Europe. I see. Two weeks ago, Mrs. Collier stopped off in Tucson on her way back to Los Angeles. She claims that she saw Walter Patterson as big as life, sitting in a bar at the El conquistador hotel. Is that all? No, she managed to talk to him. He told her his name was Euler, William Euler. Mrs. Collier says he pretended not to know her at all. Now, here's the first point, dollar. I wired authorities in Tucson to run a check on William Euler. In their conversation, Euler told Mrs. Collier that he'd been born and raised in Tucson. But from all we could gather, he'd never bought property or made a financial negotiation there until June of 1947. Oh, wait. Mrs. Collier, do you consider her reliable? Well, that's another point. But it'd been anybody else I don't think I'd have bothered to make an even accursory check. But Mrs. Collier practiced law here for a number of years and sat on the circuit bench for two terms. She's most reliable, and she knew Walter Patterson all of his life. OK. Go on. The next thing is that Mrs. Collier distinctly remembered Patterson's limp. He was a pilot in the war. One leg was about half an inch short of the other from injuries he received in the crash. Mrs. Collier said this man, Euler, had an identical limp. Well, with a similarity of features, it'd be easy for her to imagine that part, don't you think? Oh, yes, yes. I know what you're driving at, but there are some other things, too. Mrs. Collier asked Euler if he'd ever gone to Amherst. That's where Patterson went to college. Euler denied it, so he was a Notre Dame graduate. That didn't check out either. Now we can assume that William Euler merely looked a great deal like the late Walter Patterson and told some inaccuracy as in a conversation at the bottom. Or we can assume that he's really Walter Patterson covering rather badly in the face of an old acquaintance who recognized him. At any rate, this is Mrs. Collier's entire statement duly notarized. All right. Now, this is a copy of the original policy on Patterson, along with his company since 1936. It started with two $5,000 policies and built up to a master over a period of years. And I see. Here. $20,000. Patterson was killed in a plane crash, and we paid full indemnity on the accident clause. Oh. It happened in April of 1947. Patterson took off on a rented plane one day and crashed offshore down the coast. Part of the plane wreckage was recovered, but his body was never found. The Euler court declared him legally dead after the usual three-year waiting period able fifth 1950. Patterson's lawyer filed claim for the widow April 17th, and we issued a full check April 30th of that year. Investigators reports, right in this folder. Now this is the last picture ever taken of Patterson, and these are his vital statistics. I didn't know exactly what you'd want to do first, so I thought they might prove helpful. If we had a body to assume it could all be handled rather simply. Is Patterson's widow the beneficiary? Yes. Gloria Ann Patterson. Incidentally, she knows nothing about this report yet. Oh, where did these things come from? Pictures and fingerprints aren't stock material and insurance files. Mr. Brennan Patterson's lawyer gathered them for me. He's been very helpful. Oh. Has Patterson's widow been checked? As far as the money goes, she simply banked it in the savings account. Hasn't been touched at all. Well, on the face of it, that would eliminate the probability of any fraud on her part. Yes, it's good. Well, I want to look this all over. Sure. You'll keep in touch with me, won't you? You bet. I spent the remainder of my day in and about Wilmington talking to the principals connected with the plane crash death of Walter Patterson. Number one was the radio operator who'd spoken to him last. Number two, a mechanic at the flying field. Number three, Lieutenant James Crakeson, Coast Guard, who had conducted the search in the bay, see a touch statement. We both agreed that an unreported rescue was possible but highly improbable. And when I left for Tucson that night, I was more or less convinced that all I'd find there would be a lot of desert sunshine. Expense account item two, $202.25, plain fare and incidental expenses from Wilmington to Tucson. I settled for a motel room out by the veterans' hospital, slept six hours, then looked up Sergeant Tyler at the police station. Yeah, sure, Mr. Darling, what can I do for you? Mr. Elgin said you sent him a little information, William M. Yolab. I wonder if you have anything to add to that, Sergeant. No, not much. Of course, I don't know what you folks are driving at exactly. They just checked up on him a little bit. Well, he resembles a man who's supposed to be dead. And that's why I'm here. Right, see. Well, there's nothing much I can add to what I sent, Mr. Elgin, darling. Yolab's never been in any club around here, gets long fine. You're the one who checked out the residency business? Yeah. According to Vitals, Yolab wasn't born in this state and I, like I said, no one knew him around here until five years ago. What does he do? Nothing. Oh, he seems to have plenty of money, bought a nice little house out in Sierra Vista, paid $42,000 for him. Is he married? No, lives alone there. Put his around with clay and painting. You know, if he flies. I couldn't tell you that. He might. How about his friends? Lots of them, Mr. Dollar. A little town like this, you get to know people fast. Well, really, you folks might be spending a lot of money for nothing. Will Yolab don't seem like the kind of fellow who's hiding out from anybody. Yeah, I agree. But I'll have to talk to him anyhow. Yeah. Here's his address. Sure pretty day, isn't it? Mm. Sure is. Mr. Yolab? Yeah. Who are you? My name's Dollar. I'm an insurance investigator. Oh, come on in. Thanks. Take a chair. Anyway. Okay. Thank you. Good morning. Thank you. Oh, thank you. All right. Well, thank you. Okay. Thank you. Take a chair. Anywhere. No, what's in your mind? Oh, I'm just making a routine check, Mr. Yolab, I thought perhaps you could help me. No. What about? Well, I'm running down a report in the home office. Now, tell me, do you happen to remember a few days ago when you were out at the El Conquistador Hotel? I don't know. I'm out there all the time. What about it? I steal something? No. You met a woman named Collier. Did I? Yes. It was at the bar. You had a drink with her. I might have. I still don't understand her. Well, I know it seems confusing. And maybe this will help. Take a look at this. Mm-hmm. Well, you'll admit you look a great deal like the man in the picture. Yes, what does it do? I'll be darned. I do with that. Well, that's why I'm here. You see, the company I represent ensured the man in this picture for quite an amount of money. He was lost in a plane crash five years ago. The Mrs. Collier, who saw you here, thought you were him. Mm-hmm. Well, I'm not. Oh, I wasn't in the army. You want to smoke? Oh, thanks. She was a lifelong friend of the man, Mr. Yoller. I have her sworn statement about the identity. Well, what years did you go to Notre Dame? I didn't go to Notre Dame. What is this? Well, that's what you told Mrs. Collier. Oh. Oh, now I remember that woman. Well, that was on Sunday. Yeah, well, I might have told her anything, Mr. Dolly, you know. She was one of those inquisitive kind. I never could make out what was on her mind. Oh, oh, now I get it. You, uh, she thought that I was this man. Yeah. Mm-hmm. That's funny. Uh, did you go to college? Yeah. To Lane. I got out in '36. You haven't lived in Arizona all your life. Where else have you lived? Uh, Mr. Dolly, I don't want to be unpleasant, but do you have any right to ask me questions like this? Well, no, I don't. But you'll help me a lot if you'll answer them, Mr. Yoller. All right, why not? Well, I've lived in Cincinnati, Buffalo, around the country. I came here a few years ago for my health. I got a little asthma that bothers me. Ever been married? Yeah, once. 1944. Didn't last very long. Anything else you want to know? Well, you want to hurry? I can come back. No, no, not exactly. I've got to go downtown today, that's wrong. Look, uh, you seem like a nice enough guy, but it makes me uncomfortable answering these questions, you goers. Well, and I appreciate the time you've given me already, Mr. Yoller. Please understand, it's just a matter of identity. Well, you know who I am, I just told you. That's true. I don't like this business much, is there any way that we can eliminate it? I have a birth certificate, some other papers you can have then, make photo stats if you want. Well, that's very kind of it, Mr. Yoller. Well, they're in my safety deposit box down the bank. I'll get them for you this afternoon. Okay. Uh, my job is to check them. Sure, it's okay by me. Well, how do you like Tucson? Well, it's a lot different from Connecticut. Yeah, the birth certificate and whatever else you have will help a lot, but wonder if I could ask another favor. Sure, what is it? The most positive identification would be fingerprints. Uh-huh. Mr. Yoller, I'm not so much interested in who you are, but simply improving that you're not Walter Patterson. If you volunteered a set of prints, it'd save me a great deal of digging around. Could you drop in at the police station? Uh, certainly, Mr. Donna, why not? Well, that'll be fine. Sure. Nice meeting you. Same here. If he was trying to cover something, it certainly wasn't apparent from his conversation or his actions. He was almost too anxious to help me. By a five o'clock, I'd made reservations to return to Wilmington, because the set of fingerprints she attached, which Mr. Yoller made at the Tucson police station later that day, in no way matched the right thumb and index prints recorded in your file for Walter Patterson. In short, the report seemed erroneous. William Yoller might not have been William Yoller, but he certainly was not Walter Patterson. Johnny Donna? Will Yoller, Mr. Doller? Oh, yeah. Thanks for the prints. Doller, I've got to talk to you. Something wrong? Plenty. Do you know how to get to the Arizona Inn? Oh, I can find it. Alright, I'll be there in 20 minutes. The tone of his voice, I felt compelled to get there in half that time. I sat down at the bar in order to drink and waited for him to show up. An hour later, I was still waiting. I called his house three times and received no answer. I began to get worried. Finally, I left word with the Vards and earned to the cab out to his house. I arrived there at 8.35. There were no lights on and apparently no one around. I walked up to the front door and found it partially open. Yoller? Yoller? Mr. Yoller? Operator, give me the police, please. Charlie, tell us, Pete. Charlie Doller, Sergeant. Hi. How's it going? Thought you were leaving. Not for a while, Sergeant. I'm at Will Yoller's house. He's been murdered. We'll return to yours truly Johnny Doller in just a moment. Every Saturday on CBS Radio, theatre of today brings you fresh gripping drama, well-acted stories of human relations. Sometimes it's comedy, sometimes serious. Always, theatre of today strikes a chord of response in listeners who readily identify the stories with their own experience, past or present. Remember to hear theatre of today, every Saturday in the daytime, on most of these same CBS radio stations. Now, with our star John Lund, we bring you the second act of yours truly Johnny Doller. Turned out to be a long night. Sergeant Tyler and several homicide officers arrived at the murder scene within a matter of minutes and got right down to the matter at hand. Yoller had been beaten to death. There was signs of a violent struggle having taken place all over the house, kitchen, bathroom, living room. As far as the police could determine, nothing was missing. The motive, the name of the killer, and any probable suspects were all up in the air. As Sergeant Tyler drove me back to my motel room. "Old thing's mess, Doller. You sure he didn't say anything else to you on the phone?" "Just asked to meet me." On the minute he sounded frightened and worried about something. "I don't get it. Our business was all finished. He wasn't the man I was looking for." "You're going to be around for a while." "I don't know if I can help you. Stick around. Otherwise, I'll get back to Wilmington as soon as I can." "I'd like to have you around for a day or two." "You have a particular reason, Sergeant?" "Yes, I do." "What?" "I want to find me a killer, and I think you can help. Nobody walks into a man's house, fights with him, breaks up furniture and lamps, beats into death without making a lot of noise about it." "Well, the wind was pretty strong." "I don't care if a hurricane was born. People fight like that. There's always noise. Somebody heard something. Somebody saw something. Somebody saw someone. My men will cover every house in Sierra Vista if they have to, to turn up a witness. Bound to be somebody, somewhere." "The dog at Sergeant Tyler turned out to be 100% correct, in fact, 300% correct. For by 11 o'clock the following morning, his men had located three different people who had information about the brutal murder of William Mulder. One of them, Mrs. Lucas, gave us what turned out to be our best lead." "I take a walk every evening after dinner, the nicest part of the day." "And you were out walking last night, Mrs. Lucas?" "Yes. I told the officers everything." "Would you tell us, please, Mrs. Lucas?" "I walked past Mr. Yoller's house on my way down the aroia." "What time was that, Mrs. Lucas?" "Between seven thirty and eight, and I saw Mr. Yoller standing in front of the house talking to this man. I spoke to him, and he spoke to me." "Can you describe the man he was talking to?" "Yes, I saw him very well. He was a very large man, bigger than Mr. Yoller, and Mr. Yoller always struck me as a big man." "Oh, go on." "Well, this man was a good two inches taller. He had on a topcoat, a tweed one, and he had his hat in his hand. His hair was red." "How old would you say?" "Not over forty." "Have you ever seen him before?" "No. I noticed him when I walked by on my way down the aroia, as I said, and then when I was coming back I could see through the window and he was still there." "With the lights on and the huh?" "Oh, yes. And the living room and the porch light was still on, too." "Would you know this man if you saw him again, Mrs. Lucas?" "Well, yes, I would. I'm sure I would. He was so big." "Was there a car in front of Mr. Yoller's house?" "I didn't know this one. That could have been." "Was there a bus service that runs after it?" "Oh, no. Everyone who lives near the aroia will have to have a car. No buses up there at all." "Sargent Tyler issued an all-points motion according to the description given by the witnesses. In the meantime, his men checked the local cab companies and found out that one of the drivers had carried a fare to William Yoller's house at 6.30 the previous evening. The cab driver verified Mrs. Lucas's description of the suspect and the important information that he had picked up the suspect at the airport. When that was checked, it was found a man had arrived on a plane from the east at 5.45 in the afternoon. He had used the name Roger Bales, but except for a strong case against him, the whole thing was still very confusing, from our point of view. Spencer count item three, six dollars and fifty cents. Long distance telephone charges to your office." "Well, I'll be done. You have to stay there?" "Well, they've asked me to, Mr. Elgin." "Well, as far as the insurance company's concerned, it's really none of our business, is it?" "That's right, Mr. Elgin. I'm going to-- "Dollar." "Oh, hold on. Yeah?" "Anter from Washington on your wire." "Oh, yeah? Here. Let me see." "Mr. Elgin?" "Yes." "It is our business, after all. The War Department has a better sample of Walter Patterson's prints than you gave me. Please check out." "Slow down. I still don't understand." "I wired a sample of Yoller's prints to the War Department this morning for a positive identification. They just answered me." "Yoller was Walter Patterson." "Uh-oh." "Why did you get those prints that were in the file you gave me?" "Uh, Mr. Brennan, Patterson's lawyer got them for me, from a pilot's license." "Uh-huh." "I'd better call Mr. Brennan." "Oh, don't you dare." "Well, what can I do to help you, Dollar?" "Don't open your mouth. I'll handle it when I get there." Expense account item 4, $42.85, expenses while in Tucson, and item 5, same as item 2, traveling expenses from Tucson to Wilmington. I arrived at 10.15 in the evening called you, obtained lawyer Brennan's home address and went directly there. The house was English, conservative, expensive, and the fire in the living room looked cheerful when the door opened. "Yes?" "Good evening. I'd like to see Mr. Brennan, please. It's rather important. My name is Dollar." "Bob's been ill for the last two or three days, Mr. Dollar. He's up in his room reading now. If you're sure it's important, I'll disturb you." "It is, Mrs. Brennan. Very important." "I'm not, Mrs. Brennan. I'm Mrs. Patterson." "What?" "Is there something wrong?" "Oh, no, no, Mrs. Patterson. I'm in it all." "Come in, Mr. Dollar. If you'll excuse me, please, I'll see if he can see you." "I watched Waller Patterson's widow disappear up a column stairway. I hadn't been ready to meet this attractive, well-groomed woman, but after I had met her and seen her for that brief moment, I was partially prepared to meet Robert Brennan, attorney of law." "Mr. Dollar, Bob." "Well, hello, Mr. Dollar. You're a late caller?" "Yes, I'm sorry about that." "Bob, I'll run along. It's almost seven." "All right, dear." "Good night, Mr. Dollar." "Good night, Mrs. Patterson. Brennan, I just flew in from Tucson, Arizona. I'm an insurance investigator." "Oh." "Well, good night." "Gloria. You'll be interested in what Mr. Dollar has to say." "What?" "I don't understand, Bob." "Let's go into the living room." "Come on, dear." "Are you sure you want Mrs. Patterson here?" "Yeah, I am." "Gloria, I didn't get these bruises falling down a fight of stairs. I got them in a fight." "What?" "What?" "I flew to Tucson the day before yesterday to see Walter." "Why?" "Yes, Walter's been alive all this time." "Bob." "This is only for her benefit, Dollar. I'll tell it just once. When you get me in court, it'll be different." "How did it happen, Brennan?" "Gloria Walt didn't die in that crash." "He was picked up in the bay by a fishing boat on Sway to Florida. The first port they came into was Charleston. He phoned me long distance from there and told me all about it. This was ten days after we all thought he was dead." "Gloria, it was his idea. You got to believe that." "What was his idea?" "He hated you. You know how often he asked you for a divorce? It was the idea he had when he phoned me from Charleston. He said it was his chance to get away from you. He knew how I always felt about you and he said I could have you for a price." "You've been supporting him wherever he's been since then?" "Twenty-five thousand a year of regular monthly payments. I could afford it. I could afford anything for you, Gloria." "Did he tell you he hated me? Did he?" "He just wanted to be away from you from everything. The war changed him that way." "About the day before yesterday." "A man at the insurance company called up making inquiries. I didn't know if he'd sent an investigator out there or not, but I gave him a lot of information and material that, well, it should have helped throw you off." "It threw me off, all right, especially the fingerprints." "Mr. Daller can tell you, Gloria, how Walt didn't want to be here, would you? Isn't that right, Daller? Didn't he do everything he could to make you think his name was Yolar?" "Uh-huh." "You see, Gloria?" "Where is he now?" "He's dead, Mrs. Patterson. I'm truly dead now." "Oh." "That's all I had to say, Daller." "You've fought with Walt. You killed him." "It was him and me, Gloria. He phoned me two days ago and said that the police had been checking on him. I told him what it was all about, not to get scared, but he was scared, and I got a plane the first chance I had." "What did you argue about? Apparently you'd been there that morning. He was going to tell you the truth and claim he had amnesia. He said he had a date to meet you." "He didn't answer my question." "What do you mean I didn't answer others? I just told you he was going to blow the whole thing." "Oh, Bob." "All I wanted out of this was you, Gloria. He didn't want you, but I did. Last week you said you'd decided to marry me. It took you five years to decide that, and it took him one lousy afternoon to decide that he was going to come back to you." "I realize that the confusion is set down and this report is worthless as evidence, folks as the police and your insurance company. The proof that Brennan killed Patterson will be a matter for the courts to decide. The proof that Gloria Ann Patterson, his guilty or not guilty of a fraudulent claim, is a matter for you to decide. At any rate, she is a widow now, and I personally am convinced that she had no complicity in the matter of claims, murder, or collusion." Defense account item six, same as item one, expenses from Bloomington to Hartford, expense account total, $610 and 13 cents, yours truly, Johnny Dollar. An official message from Medicare. A new law is helping me save more money on prescription drug costs. You can save too. With Medicare's extra help program, my premium is zero and my out-of-pocket costs are low. Who should apply? Single people making less than $23,000 a year, or married couples who make less than $31,000 a year. Even if you don't think you qualify, it pays to find out. Pate for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That's it for now.