Yours Truly Johnny Dollar
Johnny Dollar - The Patterson Transport Matter
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- Duration:
- 30m
- Broadcast on:
- 05 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
Hey there, it's Solomon from Saul Good Media. A lot of our listeners have asked how to get ad-free access to our podcasts. You asked, and we answered, we're offering an exclusive one-month free trial to our ad-free streaming platform, packed with over 500 audiobooks, meditation sounds, and engaging podcasts. No strings attached, just pure listening pleasure. Sign up today at Saul Good Media dot com and dive into a world of stories and sounds that inspire and relax. Don't miss out on this limited time offer. It's your gateway to unlimited audio enjoyment. That's Saulgoodmedia.com. S-O-L-G-O-O-D-M-E-D-I-A dot com. Check it out, we hope to see you over there. Hey there, listeners. Are you ready to unlock a world of captivating stories, soothing sounds, and enlightening lectures? At Saul Good Media, we believe in the power of audio to enrich your life. And now we're offering you a chance to experience it all for free. For a limited time, you can get a one-month free trial to our premium, ad-free service. Imagine having unlimited access to over 500 audiobooks, meditative sounds, and exclusive shows, all at your fingertips. Just head over to Saulgoodmedia.com and sign up to start your free trial today. No ads, no interruptions just pure, immersive audio content. Don't miss out. Transform your listening experience with Saulgoodmedia. Visit Saulgoodmedia.com and start your free trial now. We can't wait for you to join our audio community. Happy listening. For your listening enjoyment, John Lund has... Johnny Deler. I'm back to Johnny. How fast can you get to Kansas City, Missouri? Why? Maybe you can stop a homicide. Well, that sounds worthwhile. What's the deal? We underwrite complete insurance coverage for the Madison transport corporation. They handle a fossil delivery service to most of the departments stores in town. Well, that should be profitable, but hardly deadly. There have been six collaboration meetings involving your drivers in the past week, Johnny. Apparently, one guy is responsible, and he's gotten increasingly brutal when he told them. How far has he gone? Last hold up was yesterday afternoon. He went reserved. Drivers from the hospital with five broken ribs and a fractured skull. If this guy isn't caught at 20 a question of time before he kills somebody. I'll take the first plane out. You know, many great men have attained the highest office in our land, the presidency of the United States. Can you guess the name of this man? In 1884, with a limited education and practically no experience in national affairs, he was elected president at the age of 48. During his administration, an income tax was passed, but declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. And Coxie's army made its first march on the Capitol as a protest against unemployment. It was also during his administration that the presidential succession bill was passed, which indicated the line of succession to the presidency from the president down through the cabinet. If you don't have his name by, now here are two more clues. He was the first president to be married in the White House and the only president to serve two non-successive terms. Who was he? Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th president of the United States. His life is part of your American heritage. Expense accounts submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar to a home office, eastern indemnity and insurance company Hartford, Connecticut. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Patterson transport matter. Expense account item $173.20. Airfare and incidentals between Hartford, Connecticut and Kansas City, Missouri. I was met at the airport by Walt Hendricks, vice president and general manager of Patterson transport. It's a rough $1, six hold-ups in a week. Over $3,700 and COD money stolen. Three drivers beaten so badly they can't work. One of them in the hospital in critical condition. Real rough one. I understand one man has been pulling the job, Mr. Andrews. Seems to stack up that way. So far we haven't been able to do a blast thing to stop him. How's he operating? Well, it's like this. He buys something at a department store. As the package sent out COD to a vacant apartment or house. The driver gets out there. He lowers the pool. What about the police? Well, since yesterday morning they've had a plain clothesman riding the delivery trucks with the drivers. Well, that should have brought results. And we thought it would too till last night. The driver that's laid up in the hospital? Yeah. He got it in his own garage coming home from a movie with his wife. [Music] Hendrix dropped me off at the Muleback Hotel. He said the Patterson Transport Company would deploy a car for my personal use. And it was there ready and waiting after I finished checking in. I drove over to police headquarters at 1125 Locust Street where Lieutenant Herman of the robbery division served me in. Well, there's a few things about this that make sense, darling. Not many, but a few. Like what, Lieutenant? We operate for one as a definite pattern. Every hold-up's either at the fire and the driver's root or the last stop or two before he checks in for the day. Sounds like he's pretty familiar with the delivery operations. And that's what we figure. Maybe from the Patterson Transport End, maybe from the department store. Then another thing. He's almost sure to be a psycho. The way his man handled those drivers wasn't any reason for feeding them. Drivers all have orders, not to resist. Gipps increasingly brutal with every hold-up. No sense to it, unless he's a psycho. Any description on him? Yeah, partial. Always wears a blue bandana hangative over his face. But here's what we've got on him for what it's worth. See, about six feet, 190 to 200 pounds, gray slouch head, baggy gray suit, has a noticeable limp in the right leg. Well, that's pretty general, but that limp might help time down. I've got the personnel manager, the Patterson and the department store, going over their records on the basis of that description. So far, they haven't gone up with anything. Well, here's another angle. Take a look at this man. Yeah, sure. Now, the first robbery took place out here, 43 under block and Seneca. The next here. The observation park. And one here on Cyprus. The next 30-second terrorist. And then 54th and Jackson. Well, that makes a rough circle around the city. What's he been doing moving from route to route in a definite pattern? That's it. Hitting one driver after another in turn. Well, then you should know who's liable to be next on the list. We do. Driver by the name of Milton Spears. He's got the Southwest Territory down here. If the man we were after follows his pattern, we'll get him. But if he breaks it like he did last night. Yeah. That's about all I can tell you now, don't I? Yeah, hoping this guy will try again with our men riding the trucks. It's our best bet for getting him. And even if he doesn't, maybe we can... Oh, hi, Grayson. We'll tell it. So you just got a report over in truck division. Part of the Patterson Company's trucks was in the accident on Anderson Avenue. What kind of accident? Well, apparently the truck got out of control, smashed into a parked car along the curb. Driver was killed. What about our man? He didn't have anybody assigned to a truck that had been in for repair. And the driver was just road testing it. Doesn't sound like a tiresome with a hold up. I thought you better know. Thanks, Grayson. Let me see the complete report when you get it in. Yeah, sure. Hey, Sergeant. Yeah. Did you get the name of the driver who was killed? Yeah, we got it. The name was Spears. Milton Spears. When we got to the scene of the accident, an ambulance and squad car were already there. One of the squad car men filled us in on what they'd learned. He was heading east on Anderson here, Lieutenant. For some reason, he suddenly cramped the wheel to the right and clouded into that Buick there at the curb. He must have been going in a pretty good clip. He burned a lot of rubber off on the street when he swung in here. Yeah. What did the ambulance men have to say? He was dead when they got here. He didn't look as though the crash killed him. No impact wasn't heavy enough for that. I think you might have had a heart attack. Uh-huh. And he witnesses? No, I witness it, Lieutenant. There's a lady over there wants to talk you. Okay, let's critic him over. And have him take the body down to the morgue for an immediate autopsy. I want the results on it as soon as possible. Okay, Lieutenant. Oh, how does it hit you, darling? Well, a couple of things don't quite add up. Take him down to the morgue. Like what? Well, why he was road testing a truck on a quiet residential street. Why he was going fast enough to make heavy skid marks like that. And why it had to happen to a driver by the name of milk and spear. Yeah. Well, maybe the autopsy will give us something to go on. Yeah, maybe. Here's the lady I was telling you about, Lieutenant. Mrs. Robertson. How do you do, Mr. Robertson? I understand you have something to tell us. I should say I do have something to tell you, sir. About Chinese police officers. They tell me to protect the interests of our citizens. We've got rights, you know. And it's your duty to see that they're protected. I'm not sure I understand. No, I didn't think you would. Things have come to a pretty pass when a taxpayer can't leave a car parked out on the street without some gunk and pucks I was smashing at the pieces. It's your duty to see that such reckless and competent drivers are kept off our streets in highways. You're the owner of the Bjork that was hit, Mrs. Robertson? Well, isn't that just what I've been telling young men? And believe me, somebody is going to pay for the damage done to my car and for the shotgun damage caused to my nerves. Did you see the accident take place, Mrs. Robertson? No, I didn't see it. But not that I had to. I was upstairs and my apartment over there playing with some friends. Then what makes you think the driver was drunk or irresponsible? Of course he was. What other explanation could there be? Smashing into a person's car like that and broad daylight on a quiet street. That's not the slightest doubt in my mind. All of them were drunk. And there was somebody else in the truck besides the driver? Of course there was. How do you know, Mrs. Robertson? Oh, because I saw him, that's why. I looked out of my window and saw him. A big husky man he was. He got out of the tuck right out to the crash and went limping off down the street. Additional questioning of the excitable Mrs. Robertson brought no further information. We got the same results from the other residents of Anderson Avenue. The men from the lab arrived and started working on the truck in Buick for possible physical evidence. And we went back to police headquarters. No need for you to stick around, darling, unless you want to. You won't be getting the autopsy report on Spheres another hour or two. Well, I thought I might look over the driver's statements on the robbery of the tenant. Maybe something will hit me. I'm sure. I'll have Grayson digging out for you. Yes, sir. Grayson, will you get out the driver's statements in the Patterson transport files? Mr. Dollar, I'd like to look him over. Well, I'm gonna ride here a little time, adding another report to the list. What's that? The call from General Hospital. The driver who was beaten up last time just died. I went over the driver's statements in the official investigation reports. Lieutenant Herman and his men had covered every angle I could think of and a couple I hadn't. When I got through, the autopsy on Milton Spheres hadn't been completed yet, so I drove out to the Patterson transport company in the northeast industrial industry. I found Walt Hendricks in the offices of the company, which were located to one side of their busy garage. Oh, it's a terrible thing about Milton Spheres. Dollar, a terrible thing. Man had been with us for 15 years. Perfect, safety recommend. Get yourself killed in an accident that way. If it was an accident. Well, you think it's connected with the hold-ups? We'll know more about it when we get the autopsy report. Wow, I suppose it could. According to the pattern, Spheres was the next driver due to get hit. Sure, and if it had happened while Spheres was out on the route, I'd say, OK, but he wasn't. Just what was he doing, Mr. Andridge? Well, his truck broke down, the clutch linkage. We sent a substitute out. When the garage got through, Milton took the truck out the road tested. Anybody go with him? No. Milton was a good mechanic. No reason to send anybody along. And we don't allow our men to pick up any riders or hitchhikers. No, there couldn't have been anybody in the truck with him. Well, maybe he picked up somebody new. Well, possibility, I suppose. I don't know. This thing's got me so busy I can't think straight at all. I guess there's one consolation though. Yeah, what's that? If you count Spheres, every driver in the organization's been hit by now. Unless he starts over again, this guy has any place to go. I'll give you eight to five, he'll think of something. [MUSIC] It was getting late in the afternoon, so I figured I'd pay one more visit to headquarters before going back to the hotel and knocking off of the bay. As I walked into Lucan and Herman's office, he was just finishing a phone call. Okay, Doc, thanks for the bad report. I'll buy you a dinner someday if you're looking up to catch up with me. All right, darling. I was Doc Winters, autopsy surgeon. There was a 22 caliber bullet in Milton Spheres' brain. Well, nothing very accidental about that, is it? Not likely. Fired at close range behind the right ear. Point of penetration was covered by hair. Bullet lies in the bone. That's why the ambulance attendants didn't catch you. No wonder he crushed the truck. We'll have ballistics exam on the bullet. Don't know that they'll come up with anything wrong. Well, it's been a long day. What do you say we go out and have a bite to eat? Oh, by that, but come on. There's a good steakhouse right down. Well, then at Herman... I remember. We'll be right there. Well, let's roll, darling. What's up? Remember that, Mrs. Robertson? The woman who owned this smashed up, Jewish? Yeah, I just saw the man in the ramp there. He's out in front of her place right now. Mind if I cut in to say something, fellas? It won't take too long, since a word to the wise is sufficient. And in the English language, there is one word which is important to just about everyone in the world. That word is security. Security has several different meanings, however. Usually we think of it in connection with the protecting of our military installations and defense industries, but it means more than that. There is a security which applies to every man, woman, and child in America. The security which comes from being in good health, having a good education, and being well taken care of in case things get a little too tough to handle by oneself. This kind of security is the problem of the president's newest cabinet member, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. This department ties together the work of several governmental agencies. First, there is the United States Public Health Service, which strives to make certain that the general health of the people in our country is in the best of conditions. Then there is the Food and Drug Administration, which guarantees that the food we eat is pure and safe to eat. The Social Security Board, which takes care of old people, children, and the blind who need assistance, also comes under the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, as does the United States Office of Education. This office does research on the educational possibilities, changes, and opportunities, and passes on its information to the various state boards of education. As you can see, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is one of the most important agencies in our government, assuring off as it does a normal and healthy way of life. And now with our star, John Lund, we bring you the second act of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. When Lieutenant Herman and I got out to the Anderson Avenue address, Mrs. Robertson was waiting for us in the vestibule of the apartment building. It's the man I tell you. The very same man got out of the truck that smashed my car, and I want you to arrest him at once, you hear? You feed the man, wheel arrest him, Mrs. Robertson. Of course he's a man. I ought to know. I saw him get out of the truck and limp down the street, and I saw him again just before I called you. What was he doing, Mrs. Robertson? Looking over my car, that's what a nerve of him. A criminal returning to the scene of his crime. There's no doubt about the identification. I told you there wasn't, didn't I? A big, heavy set man dressed in a gray suit walking with a limp. He's the man all right. Where is he now? Oh, where would a man like that be? I told you he was drunk when you smashed into my car. He went into that bar at the corner. There he is at the bar. Yeah. Only guy in the place answers the description. Do you want to take him over there? This is good places, I mean. Police officers, keep your hands on the bar. Hey, what's going on here? Hands on the bar. Shake him down, darling. Yeah, sure. What do you think you're doing, Mac? I ain't got no rod on me. How about it? He's clean with him. Sure, I'm clean. I told you I was, didn't I? What do you guys want with me? What's your name, mister? What's it do you? Your name. Wesley, Joe Wesley. What do you mean? I ain't decided yet. Just got in a town. What are you doing in this neighborhood? Look, you guys ain't got nothing on me. A guy's got a right to come in and have a drink without coppers hopping all over him. Why the interest in the car, Wesley? What car? A smashed up Buick down the street. Who's interested in a smashed Buick? You were. You were looking at it. Why? So I looked at it. Any law against that. Manless killed when that car was hit with me. So what's that got to do with me? We've got a witness who says you were involved in the accident. Your witness is nuts. All I was doing was walking down the street. I seen the car took the gander out of you. Talk it over downtown, Wesley. There ain't nothing to talk. I didn't have nothing to do with that car. Somebody getting bumped off. You heard the lieutenant. We'll talk about it downtown. Might as well come clean, Wesley. Make it easier on yourself. There's nothing to come clean about. I told you, Coppers, that you ain't got nothing on me. We've got a witness who says different. I told you, he's lying. I never been in that neighborhood before. What did you do with the gun? What, God? The one you used to knock off Milton Spears. I never heard a gun. And I never heard of the Spears. Now why don't you guys lay off and let me out of here? Pretty good racket you had, Wesley. How'd you happen to think of it? What racket? The parcel delivery gimmick. You nuts yourself. Now I didn't have nothing to do with them Patterson trucks. We didn't mention the name of the outfit, Wesley. So you didn't mention it? Now do you know what we were talking about? I can read the papers, can't I? They've been full of them parcels, delivery, stick ups. You know more about it than that. Come on, let's have it with them. Hey, tell you nuts. I just got in a town yesterday. From where? California. Where in California? Folds them. We can check on that, Wesley. So check. You'll find out as like I said, you ain't got a thing on me, Coppers. Not a lousy thing. Lieutenant Herman sent in a teletype request for verification from Foldsam, along with telephoto copies of Wesley's prints for comparison. We got the answer back in an hour. Well, there it is, darling. Wesley wasn't sprung from Foldsam until yesterday morning, served his full time. We made one more check. We had Mrs. Robertson try to pick out the man she'd seen from a line up, including Wesley and six police officers. She made a positive identification of Sergeant Grayson. Expense account item two, $17.85. Dinner and drinks for Lieutenant Herman and myself. Afterwards, the Lieutenant called it quits for the night and I headed for the Patterson garage. I wanted to talk with Walt Hendricks again. Lucky to catch me in, darling. Don't usually work this late, but it's different tonight. Well, what's different about it, Mr. Hendricks? I got some drivers to get. A couple of substitutes for those who are laid up. Two permanent ones. Yeah, yeah. Well, I won't take up too much of your time. I just want to get a few things straight. Sure. It's pretty obvious that whoever we're after knows the operation of his business. That means he knew he wasn't going to get much of a take on those morning stickers. The drivers haven't timed it, collect many CODs. No, but he got over 3700 in the afternoon. Nothing wrong with that. I don't say there is, but it's possible that money is only the frosting on the cake. Thinking that somebody might have a grudge against the outfit. No, there's enough evidence to support it. The systematic way he's gone after the drivers, the beatings he's ditched up, for no apparent reason. Yeah. Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing. Come up with any ideas? No, not a one. Company's always had a good labor record. Never an eat. What's with competitors? I even checked with Mrs. Thompson about it. Who's Mrs. Thompson? Oh, she worked here for almost 20 years as my assistant and secretary. Had an auto accident about six months ago, left her crippled. Oh, that's tough. Yeah. But she knows the business as well as I do, so I thought maybe she'd come up with something. Haven't he lucked? Nothing. They even talked to her husband about it. Did he work for the outfit too? No, no, but he got to know it pretty well through her. And he figured it the same way we do, but he couldn't come up with anything either. He did try to warn no spears though. How was that? Well, he had the guy's pattern figured out too, a new milk might be next. So we warned him to be careful. Mrs. Thompson's husband was here at the garage before a milk spear's length. Yeah, that's right. He broke up just a few minutes before milk took off the road test of truck. I went back to the hotel and put in a call to Tom Benson in Hartford. In the company's interest, he was willing to bust up his bridge game and go down to the office. He called me back in about 45 minutes with the information I wanted. The accident took place last Christmas Eve, Johnny. Thompson's were leaving a party at the Patterson offices. Apparently the husband had a little too much to drink. Drove out of the garage too fast, skidded to the hip to street and wound up on the wrong side. One of the delivery trucks were just coming in and met head on. What's the medical report, Dave? Well, the driver of the truck was killed outright. Mrs. Thompson suffered two broken vertebrae, left her permanently crippled. We paid all medical expenses. She got a life income of $100 a month. What about the husband? He was in the hospital up until a couple of weeks ago. Had a depressed skull fracture, a bad compound fracture of the right tibia. Outside of that, he should be as good as new. Help you, Johnny. I wouldn't be surprised. The Thompson home was the modest frame bungalow on Prospect Avenue, less than a half mile from the Patterson garage. I was met at the door by a practical nurse who checked with Mrs. Thompson and then let me into the bedroom to see her. It was awfully kind of you to call on me this way, Mr. Darling. And I want you to know that Charlie and I are very appreciative of everything your company has done for us. You're only getting what you're entitled to, Mrs. Thompson? Well, perhaps. But when you've been used to making your own way of life, ending your own living, then suddenly find yourself in a position like I am in, where it's awfully nice to know that there are people like you around. Well, thanks, Mrs. Thompson. Is your husband at home? I'm dead, please, sorry. But he left just a few minutes ago and you did want to talk to him about those robberies, didn't you? What makes you think that? Oh, Mr. Hendricks told me you were in town and Charlie's been so interested in those hold-ups. It just feels terrible about those poor drivers, you know? No, I didn't. Oh, yes, that's terrible. He's been so worried about them ever since the trouble began. But he even wanted to ride along with some of them on their route to help protect them. Is that so? Yes, he felt that way, you know, protective about them ever since that accident happened to us. Some men might have felt the driver was to blame that night. Might have felt resentful toward them because of what happened to me, but not Charlie. He's a wonderfully forgiving man, Mr. Dollar. Where is your husband now? Yes, he even had a presentment about what was going to happen to them after the hold-up started. He told me he was afraid that Robert would go from one driver to the next, beating them, perhaps even killing them. He even made a list of the ones he's afraid would be heard. Where is he now, Mrs. Dobson? That's why he went out tonight, Mr. Dollar. He's determined he won't let anything like that happen again. That's why he went out to protect him. To protect who? Well, the next one on his list, of course. My former employer, Mr. Hendricks. The poem was in the living room. I put in two fast calls, the first of police headquarters. I'll have a car right up, don't I? The second was to the Patterson garage to warn Hendricks. The garage was only a few short blocks away, and I made it before the squad car did. There was a light in Hendricks office, but it was empty. I tried the darkened garage next. Dobson? Is that you, Dobson? (gunshot) Dobson? What's going on out there? What's the shooting about? It's Dollar, Hendricks. Dollar? Yeah. Close some lights on, would you? Yeah, sure. What's going on here, Dollar? What are you doing? Oh, Charlie Thompson. Yeah, where were you? In the back row, but Charlie, what happened? Well, somebody had to stop him from protecting you. Expense account item three, $22.10. Hotel bill in miscellaneous. Expense account item four, $71.30, airfare back to Hartford. Expense account total, $184.45. Remarks, when ballistics verified that Thompson's 22-cold had killed Milton Spears, my official job was over. My unofficial one, informing Mrs. Thompson, wasn't nearly as easy. I guess I got a little confused. It's the only way I can account for the fact that she believes her husband died a hero, getting the bandit single handed. Here's Julie, Johnny Dollar. [Music]