Dragnet: The Big Cheque - The Paper Trail Runs Out

Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner Ben Romero are two months deep into a forgery case that keeps slipping through their fingers. A well-dressed, middle-aged man has been working the small shops of Los Angeles - meat markets, liquor stores, grocery stores, delicatessens - cashing worthless cheques for $15 or $20 at a time, always with the same story, always the same careful handwriting. Their prime suspect, career forger Stanley Bubeck, turns out to have been sitting in a Utah jail cell the entire time. The investigation goes back to square one, the cheques keep coming in, and the merchants who can least afford it keep eating the losses.

The trail eventually leads to Harry Johansen - a cosmetics salesman by cover, a two-time forgery offender by record, and a man living a double life between a modest family home and a richly furnished Long Beach apartment he kept for his common-law wife. 

Episode Quotes

“They take it from the little guy, and they take it in small amounts. But add up those small amounts at the end of the year, and they’ll scare you.” - Captain Elliott

“They won’t get me back to Folsom. I hate it, every lousy bit of it, and I’m not going back.” - Harry Johansen

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Transcript

SPEAKER_07 0:06

The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fatima cigarettes.

SPEAKER_04 0:14

Best of all long cigarettes brings you Dragnet.

SPEAKER_07 0:27

You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to forgery detail. An accomplished check forger is at work in your city. His victims, small businessmen. You know his MO. You don't know his identity. Your job. Get him.

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SPEAKER_04 1:32

Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.

SPEAKER_08 1:54

It was Monday, February 4th. It was cold in Los Angeles. We were working a day watch out of forgery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Captain Elliott. My name's Friday. I was on the way home from the office, and it was 8 25 p.m. when I got to Collis Avenue. Number 4656.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Joseph said here?

SPEAKER_08 2:16

Yeah, Ma.

SPEAKER_02 2:17

Where is the living room? We have company.

SPEAKER_08 2:19

Oh, that's all?

SPEAKER_02 2:21

Oh, yeah. You remember Mayor Fowling, don't you, Shearston?

SPEAKER_08 2:24

I sure do. How are you, Miss Fowler?

SPEAKER_03 2:26

Just fine, dear thank you.

SPEAKER_08 2:31

Well, that's good to see you. How are things in the old neighborhood, huh?

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Oh, pretty much the same. Oh, Miss Gailey, remember her?

SPEAKER_08 2:37

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 2:37

Finally died. I suppose it was for the best, though. I just telling your mother. Jim and Louise Watson finally moved. Jim got a new job. Not by Altadinos. Oh, is that so important? Nah, you certainly can find Joe.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Don't you wear your police uniform anymore? Oh my no, Mary. Joseph's in the detective bureau now.

SPEAKER_03 2:56

He hasn't worn his uniform for years. Oh, that's right. I remember now. That note you sent was your Christmas card here before last. What do you do now, Joe?

SPEAKER_08 3:06

Forgery detail. My partner and I handle bum check cases.

SPEAKER_03 3:10

We'll see any of that.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Have you had your dinner, Joseph's?

SPEAKER_08 3:13

Yes, ma'am. I stopped at a place out in Santa Monica and had some.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yes, and Mary brought me some nice coffee cake. Finestle ceiling. Wouldn't you like my little cup of coffee to?

SPEAKER_00 3:22

No, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Sit down in your chair there and rest yourself. So tired. I have no idea how hard they work. So we shall sat at nine.

SPEAKER_03 3:33

You remember Genevieve, don't you, Joe? My oldest girl.

SPEAKER_08 3:36

Oh, yeah, sure. How was she?

SPEAKER_03 3:37

Oh, just fine. Lots of boyfriend as usual. Going out all the time.

SPEAKER_08 3:43

Oh, that's good.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

He um asked to be remembered to you. I I think you and Jen were stuck on each other at one time, weren't you?

SPEAKER_08 3:51

Oh, we went to a couple of dances in high school. I think she started going studying with another fella, didn't so fully.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

Young girl could never open her well off.

SPEAKER_02 3:59

Coffee and show his news and set it here in the end table.

SPEAKER_08 4:02

Right. I don't think I can use it anymore.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Delicious coffee cake. Smell how great to do this.

SPEAKER_08 4:08

Yeah, nice.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

Oh my quarter to nine. I should have let Cap and Largo. Oh, you have to go, Mary? So shoot. Well, I got a lot of iron to do. When I had to make car up lunch, he'd always so fussy that he'd like to.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Yeah, somehow get your coat.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

Well, nice seeing you again, Joe. Uh do you want to be remembering to Kennedy?

SPEAKER_08 4:28

Yeah. Tell her hello, will you, Miss Fowler?

SPEAKER_03 4:30

If you're over our way, be sure and drop in and see it. Kennedy's home is all six five fake. Show up and say if you'd like to see you again.

SPEAKER_08 4:38

I'm a thing.

SPEAKER_03 4:39

Good night, Joe. You'll be sure to come and see us now. Again will be looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_08 4:43

Okay, Ms. Fowler, good night.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

I'll show you the door now.

SPEAKER_03 4:50

Yeah, I don't do both care.

SPEAKER_08 5:25

Well, we've been on it two months, you know.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Never understand it. Always get caught.

SPEAKER_08 5:33

It's easy living while it lasts.

SPEAKER_02 5:41

Don't you know who's man in?

SPEAKER_08 5:43

Well, we think so, Mom. We're not sure. There's hundreds of Czech men who work almost alike. Some of them even look alike. There's always a big enough field to pick from our problems picking the right one.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

I don't know much about it, but the whole thing seems kind of silly to me.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

What what's this man supposed to be doing? There's one of small neighborhood stores cashing $15 or $20 share.

SPEAKER_08 6:14

Say, Ben didn't call before I got home, did he?

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Mm-hmm. Wasn't he with me?

SPEAKER_08 6:18

Well, he was going to interview one of the bum check victims on his way home, a grocery store owner down in Highland Parks. Might be him now.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

Now don't hang on that phone, Joe.

SPEAKER_08 6:27

Yeah. Friday talking. Got a partial identification from that grocer's nothing great. Which mugshot did he like? Stanley Bubeck. Grocer thinks it might have been the guy who posted check. He can't be sure. 33 bum checks passed. Same MO, not one positive identification. Something's phony, isn't it? Got me stuff. We know the endorsements on every one of those checks was written by the same guy. He's practically the same story on every one of his victims. Those 33 people are either blind or they're kidding us. Well, there's only one other answer. We're looking for the wrong man. For two months and two days in different shopping districts throughout the city, a man described as well-dressed, middle-aged, had been passing worthless checks on independent neighborhood businessmen. Most of the victims were proprietors of small shops, meat markets, liquor stores, grocery store. In none of the cases was the check written for more than $25. With the help of the Stats Office and our record bureau, we've gone through the list of experienced checkmen until we found one man whose description and MO match perfectly with that of the suspect. The man's name was Stanley Bubeck. We can't locate him, Captain. Another thing, we can't get a positive identification from any of the victims. Then find a suspect they can't identify. You've been tracking the guy for two months. What's the big mystery? Well, we cabbed the man of Stanley Bubeck, and his record and his MOA's description, they all tie in perfectly. No, we're not sure it's him. What do you mean? Well, if it is Bubeck, it's almost a sure thing that one of the victims could have made him on one of his mud shots. None of them can make up their mind. Look, maybe one of you two'd like to be captain of forgery for a day, sit in this office, and listen to complaints come in over that phone about this guy, the front office, neighborhood businessmen's clubs, retail merchants. They tell me they're troublesome and passing them on to you. Now, whoever that paper hanger is, we want him and we want him fast. Lousy little $20 check. We'd probably have a lot better target if he drives her up than Belgium. And I'll think he and a hundred other checkmen like him. Don't know that. You won't find them stealing company paychecks and fodding the town with paper. They take it from a little guy and they take it in small amounts, but add up those small amounts at the end of the year and they'll scare you. The rotten part. What about it? None of those victims can afford a bad check. That grocer Donnelly stands on his feet all day and had a profit of $10, $15. He gets tagged with one bad check and he's working for nothing. We've got bullockings out on the suspect, all the small businessmen in town. They've all been alerty. Captain Elliott.

SPEAKER_09 8:52

Yeah, okay, Don, right away. Don Meyer.

SPEAKER_08 8:56

He went over the handwriting of those last three checks once to see you. Okay, Dee. How about that scraple bulletin you got out to the prisons on Stanley Bubeck? Any replies? Nothing yet, Gabriel. All right, stay on it. Right. Scobil. I'd give a right arm for a line on this guy. Yeah. Well, it would move a lot faster if somebody'd help us follow those checks closer. The way it's running now, we hear about the paper two weeks after it's been cashed. The Bubeck thing isn't over. Maybe you just find another line and we give it seven for.

SPEAKER_06 9:30

Hi, Don. Oh, hi. Uh, just finished up on those last three checks that came in. You want to give them a look? How do they shape up? Well, you can see for yourself. Right here. Yeah. Uh, here are the three I just went over. And uh here are a half a dozen bad ones for cash last month. Now the endorsements on this half doesn't match perfectly. And those other three? Well, I'd say they were endorsed for the same person. Uh look here. You can notice the capital letters. And he still handles them the same way. Disconnected from the other letters in the first name. Yeah. Yeah. But he connects the capitals in the last name.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

See?

SPEAKER_06 10:08

Mm-hmm. Not very bright. Yeah. The form, skill shading. They all match up. Uh the movement, terminal, they're all the same for my mind. Yeah, the way he writes the lowercase letters. And that's interesting for me. How's that down? Well, here. The uh inclination of the terminal stroke on the S. See? Degree of slant above the horizontal. It's about 55 degrees in all cases. The finger movement is capitals have plenty of freedom. And I shaded much. Nothing like this in his lowercase letters, though, you see?

SPEAKER_08 10:45

Yeah, I don't think I know what you mean.

SPEAKER_06 10:49

And the uh pressure on the lift. They match up. Same on the downstroke. No, I'd say the skill is medium in all cases. Embellishments both class tooth.

SPEAKER_08 11:00

No changes at all in the style? Oh, he made the signatures look a little different.

SPEAKER_06 11:05

All eight factors match up, though.

SPEAKER_08 11:07

It's the same person. All we have to do is find him.

SPEAKER_06 11:10

Hey, uh, how about this fellow Stanley Bubeck? I thought you had him Taff.

SPEAKER_08 11:14

We're not too sure about him, but the only line we got to work on, so it'll have to do for now.

SPEAKER_06 11:19

Well, Mara, man in the office. Right, Fred.

SPEAKER_08 11:24

Well, thanks, Don. We'll check you later. Sure, okay. See ya. Let's go, Ben. How do you do? You Mr. Loomis? Yes, uh Sergeant Romero. No, this is Sergeant Romero here. My name's Friday. Oh, I'm sorry. What can we do for you? It's about these checks, are you?

SPEAKER_06 11:53

These uh right here. Yeah? You see, I run the delicatessen out on sunset, and a few days ago a new customer came in for a few things and faithful them with these checks. He came in twice.

unknown 12:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 12:04

Go ahead. Well, I got the checks back today. They're no good. I tried to look up the man at the address he gave, but there's no such address.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_06 12:13

You can see one's for $15, the other one's for $20. Reason I asked for you, men, is because I know the man who runs the drugstore across the street, George Conquist.

SPEAKER_08 12:23

He had some bad checks about a month ago. He said you took care of them. Oh, yeah, yeah, I mean. You recall the man who fanced these checks with Jones?

SPEAKER_06 12:30

Yes, I think I do. He told me he was new in the neighborhood and he was looking for a place to trade. Well, I guess we're all anxious for new business.

SPEAKER_08 12:39

I took the check. You got those mugshots there, Ben. Yeah. Here we are. Thank you. How about these men, Mr. Loomis? Any of them look anything like the person who passed the checks on you?

SPEAKER_06 12:51

That's the. And this one, yes, it does look like the man in a way.

SPEAKER_08 12:57

I don't know if I could be absolutely sure if. Stanley Bubex, same MO. Believe? Well, it looks like you're stuck with a couple of badlers, Mr. Loomis. Probably the same man who passed checks on your druggist friend, but we're doing everything we can to run this man down.

SPEAKER_09 13:10

But what about the checks?

SPEAKER_08 13:12

Isn't there anything I can do about them? No, sir, I'm sorry, not right now. We would like to have you make out a crime report, if you will, and would you leave these checks with us? Friday, Romero. Here's it, Mr. Loma. S just came in for you. Reply from Salt Lake City, Utah, on that bulletin you sent out onto Stanley Bubeck. Yeah. He's been in jail for five months. We sent a request to Salt Lake asking him to question Stanley Dubeck if he knew of any forger who matched his description or used his M.O. Dubeck could tell us nothing. Wednesday, February 6th, withdrew away the results of two months of investigation. We went back and started from the beginning. Despite all precautions and warnings, the checks kept coming in at the rate of half a dozen a week. The same MO was used, the same handwriting showed up in the signatures on the check. Again, with the help of the staff and the statistician's office and the record bureau, we waded through hundreds of names of known checkmen and compiled a new list of 38 possible suspects. Each one fitted the general description of the forger. Each one, at some time in his forgery career, had used the same general method of operation. Well, after days of leg work, we finally boiled down the list of possibles to three names: George Roberts, James Young, and Harry L. Joe Hampson. We got out a flyer to all the small businessmen in the areas where the forger operated. Another weak fan. The worthless checks kept showing up at the rate of two and three a day. On February 21st, Ben and I answered a call from a druggist in the Echo Park district. He bought some toothpaste and a carton of cigarettes, Sergeant, asked me to cash a $20 check for him. Did you ever see the man before, sir? No, he gave me the same old story about being new in the neighborhood. That's when I remembered that uh police bulletin the department sent me. Do you still have that bullet? No, I looked it over and then I guess it got mislaid. Wonder if you'd mind taking a look at these pictures here. Not at all. These right here.

SPEAKER_06 15:02

Mm-hmm. Sure.

SPEAKER_08 15:03

This one right on top. That's the man.

SPEAKER_06 15:05

You sure? I am it.

SPEAKER_08 15:07

It only happened a few hours ago. Do you know who he is? Harry L. Johansson. That's the name we have on him. Doesn't mean anything to me. He got real huffy when I wouldn't take his checks, stalked right out of the store.

SPEAKER_06 15:18

Very suspicious. Did you follow him? No, I told Ralph, my clerk, to follow him. Ralph? Yeah, Mr. Brother? You want to tell these officers about that man this morning? Well, I uh followed him down the street for a block and then turned the corner. That's where I lost him. Too bad. Yeah, all I got was a license number.

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SPEAKER_08 17:02

September 21st, Thursday, 3 p.m. We took the license number, which the drugstore clerk had given us. We went back to the office and checked it through DMV. We found the car was registered to a Russell Burroughs on Vehicle Boulevard. We checked him out. He told us that he had loaned his car the day before to a friend of his. He identified the friend as Harry L. Johansson and gave us his last known address. 614 Elderwood Avenue. We got out a broadcast on the car. The Elderwood Avenue address turned out to be a single-story wooden frame house in the southern part of the city on the edge of the industrial district. It needed a coat of paint. A woman in her elderly 30s answered the door and identified herself as Mrs. Johansen. She invited us into the living room. There was a thade pointing on the floor.

SPEAKER_11 17:50

I don't expect my husband home for another two weeks, Sergeant. He's a cosmetic salesman. Travels all over the Western State.

SPEAKER_08 17:58

When did he leave on this last trip, Mrs. Johansson?

SPEAKER_11 18:00

The first of the month. Why is anything well?

SPEAKER_08 18:04

What's the name of the cosmetics company that your husband works for?

SPEAKER_11 18:07

Harrington Universal offices are down on East Main.

SPEAKER_08 18:10

Mm-hmm. Do you know a friend of your husband's named Russell Burroughs?

SPEAKER_11 18:13

Yes, I do. He's a fan of a friend of the family. Please, Sergeant, if there's anything wrong, I ought to know.

SPEAKER_08 18:18

We talked to Mr. Burroughs this afternoon. He told us your husband's in town. Burroughs known him his car.

SPEAKER_11 18:24

Harry? That's silly is still on the road. He'd certainly let me know if he was coming back early.

SPEAKER_08 18:30

You sure of that, ma'am?

SPEAKER_11 18:31

Oh, would you excuse me a minute, Sergeant? I'll have to put the baby to bed.

SPEAKER_08 18:34

Certainly not.

SPEAKER_11 18:35

He's not this. Um, I'll do that in a minute.

SPEAKER_08 18:42

Kind of a funny setup in her. Oh, you mean? Well, if Joe Hanson's pushing bum checks, the money isn't going into his home here. Wife doesn't act like she knows anything. Seems cooperative. Afraid we're gonna have to level with her if we're gonna find out anything, huh?

unknown 18:56

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_08 18:57

She's got a cute little girl.

SPEAKER_11 18:59

I'm sorry, Sergeant.

SPEAKER_08 19:00

Perfectly all right, just a few more questions. Is it possible that your husband could be in town and you might not know it? I mean, could he be staying with a friend or some relatives?

SPEAKER_11 19:08

No, if Harry was in town, he'd come home. Why would he stay with anyone else?

SPEAKER_08 19:12

When did you last hear from your husband?

SPEAKER_11 19:14

Last week. He wrote from San Francisco. The letter's right there on the mantles.

SPEAKER_08 19:18

Oh. Well, besides that letter, do you have any other samples of your husband's handwriting on her?

SPEAKER_11 19:24

Well, I think so. Oh, yeah. Where did you say you were from?

SPEAKER_08 19:28

Central Division forgery decal.

SPEAKER_11 19:30

You investigate checks, bad checks.

SPEAKER_08 19:33

That's ma'am, that's right.

SPEAKER_11 19:35

You know about my husband.

SPEAKER_08 19:36

His prison record, yes.

SPEAKER_11 19:38

Harry promised me he was through with all that. He gave me his word.

SPEAKER_08 19:41

Sorry, ma'am.

SPEAKER_11 19:42

About a month ago he had some extra money. He wouldn't tell me where he got it. Look, Sergeant, maybe you've made a mistake. Maybe it's not Harry at all. You're not sure, are you?

SPEAKER_08 19:54

Did your husband use the phone much? I mean, for out-of-town calls, say?

SPEAKER_11 19:58

No. Just that one toll call, a Long Beach number, I think. He has a business friend down there he used to call.

SPEAKER_08 20:04

Do you know the number, ma'am?

SPEAKER_11 20:06

I can show you. It's on last month's phone bill. Please, Sergeant, if Harry's done something wrong, he did it for us. Me and the baby. Harry's not mad.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_11 20:17

He's done something, he did it for us. Harry hasn't had it easy. He wanted to get things for the baby. Clothes, a better house. All he wanted was a little happiness. Little happiness.

SPEAKER_08 20:31

You got it wrong, ma'am. You don't buy it with bum checks. Before we left Mrs. Johansson, we called and had a stakeout placed on the house, and then we got a sample of her husband's handwriting and the Long Beach telephone number that he was in the habit of calling. The next morning, Don Myers in handwriting compared Harry Johansson's letter with the signatures on the workless checks. It menced. We called the Harrington Universal Cosmetics Company. They never heard of Harry Johansson. We called that Long Beach phone number. A woman answered and gave us the address where the telephone was installed. Turned out to be a swanky modern apartment house. In apartment 18, we interviewed a good-looking brunette. She identified herself as Harry Johansson's common law wife. She was well dressed and the apartment was richly furnished.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

What's it all about? Why do you want Harris?

SPEAKER_08 21:22

A lease business. You know where he is?

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Well, what's he done?

SPEAKER_08 21:25

Do you know where he is?

SPEAKER_02 21:26

He drove into Hollywood this morning. Might be back tonight. I mean, I don't know for sure.

SPEAKER_08 21:31

Is this your apartment?

SPEAKER_02 21:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 21:35

Yeah, sure, and uh Joe Hansen's not here now.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

Of course I'm sure why.

SPEAKER_08 21:40

Well, you won't mind if we come in and look around him.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

I have a right to know what it's all about.

SPEAKER_08 21:44

Joe Hansen's wonder for forgery. Now, if you want to get involved, you help him hide out.

SPEAKER_02 21:51

Go ahead and look.

SPEAKER_08 21:53

Take the bedroom, you better. Right.

SPEAKER_09 21:59

Never mind.

SPEAKER_02 22:04

I don't want any part of your troubles, Harry. I didn't know a thing about it all.

SPEAKER_08 22:13

You better come along too, lady.

SPEAKER_12 22:15

Well, tell him, Harry. I don't know what it's about. What's the idea getting me mixed up in this?

SPEAKER_09 22:21

Oh, you think I was fan for this place? Taking you out. I must clothes for you.

SPEAKER_02 22:27

I don't want any part of it. Three-room apartment, a couple of dresses, that's all he ever got me.

SPEAKER_08 22:31

You got no complaints, lady. That's morning he bought his kids. 1 p.m. Briday. Fen and I took carried Johansson to the county jail where he was booked for the suspicion of forgery. We called Mrs. Johanson and notified her. She immediately contacted friends and relatives and raised enough money for a riff to have her husband released from jail. Three days later, Johansen was arraigned and a date set for his preliminary hearing. After the arraignment, Ben and I took him back to the county jail for rebooking. I'd like to ask you a question, Johanson. Yeah? You've got any money of your own left? Why don't you stick to your own business, Cropper? That family of yours is having a pretty rough time. Your wife fired every cent she could find to bail you out. Now, what's she gonna live on? She got relatives. Oh, there's the elevator. Come on, Johan. Not in a hundred years. You've done two stretches already for hanging paper. You should have known better, mister.

SPEAKER_09 23:33

You got it all figured out, haven't you, Fuzz?

SPEAKER_08 23:36

Well, I'm not going back. Take it easy. You got a couple of more weeks on bail before trial.

SPEAKER_09 23:42

Yeah. A couple of weeks. What's the matter with you? Don't you feel well?

SPEAKER_08 23:50

Get me back to Folsom. You're not making it any easier on yourself. All right, aren't you?

SPEAKER_09 24:02

Don't you cops understand? I hate it. Every lousy bit of an I'm not going back to Folsom. I'm not going back. Now they understand. It's a good idea, mister. You remember that when you get out.

SPEAKER_08 24:17

We four carried Johansson in the county jail. His bail was continued and he was released pending a trial. During the next week, along with the district attorney's office, Ben and I helped prepare the case against Johansson. Three days before the trial opened, we had a phone call from Mrs. Johansson, and she told us that her husband had disappeared. There was nothing we could do until he actually failed to appear in Superior Court at the appointed time. On Monday, April 3rd, the case of the State versus Harriel Johansson officially opened. The defendant failed to show. A bench warrant was immediately issued, and we got out a broadcast and an APB on the suspect. Stake ops were placed in his house and at the apartment of his common law wife. Two days passed. No sign of him. How about those two ex-con pals of Joe Hanson's? Did you check for them? Yeah, nothing there. I don't see how I can last out much longer. One suit of clothes, no money. We still got a checkbook. When did the skipper say he was coming back? On 7:30 tonight. 7.15 now. I get it. Forgery Friday.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

This is your mother.

SPEAKER_08 25:28

Oh, yeah, hi, Ma.

SPEAKER_02 25:30

I forgot to tell you when you called earlier. You're supposed to be home tonight by 8 o'clock.

SPEAKER_08 25:34

What's that, Ma?

SPEAKER_02 25:36

Mary Powler. She's coming over to visit tonight and Genevieve's coming with her.

SPEAKER_08 25:41

Yeah, well, look, will you try to explain to them that I'm working and I can't get away? Huh?

SPEAKER_02 25:47

Well, all right, Joseph. I'll try.

SPEAKER_08 25:49

If I possibly can, I'll try to make it home by ten. Will that be all right?

SPEAKER_02 25:53

That's all right, Joseph. I'll see what I can do. Genevieve's going to be disappointed.

SPEAKER_08 25:58

Yeah. If I'm later than that, don't wait up for me, huh? Bye, Ma.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

Hi, Joseph.

SPEAKER_08 26:08

All right, Keeper. The call just came in. Yeah. Hey, found Johansson. Captain Elliott, Ben, and I drove out the highway to the Tonga Walk. We turned off and headed into the Mount Felician area. Captain Elliott directed us onto a dirt road. Halfway up one of the mountains, we spot a big roof of cars pulled off on the shoulder of the road. We parked behind them, got out to start it over. Who found the car, Scaven? One of the people living back in the hills. Spotted it on his way home from work. Foreigners are here in a hurry. Hi, Dave. How are you doing, Joe? Have my lip? How long's you been dead?

SPEAKER_09 26:49

It's last night, I figure.

SPEAKER_08 26:50

Come on, I work. You talked to the man who found Johansson's body, Dave. Yeah, he didn't touch the thing. What'd you find? Thought of burns on the temple, fodder on the hands. Boys from homicide found the note.

SPEAKER_06 27:04

It's on the seat right next to him.

SPEAKER_08 27:06

Here it is, here. Then check. Same thing. All ties in, huh, Dave?

SPEAKER_06 27:12

Pretty tight, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 27:13

Jane Bechtel from Homicide wants to talk to you, Captain.

unknown 27:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_08 27:16

Come right back, Joe. Fright. Who do you address the note to, Joe? It was. The girlfriend. Look what he wrote it on.

unknown 27:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 27:26

Blank check.

SPEAKER_07 27:34

The story you just heard was true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent.

SPEAKER_04 27:40

On April 9th, an inquest was held in the coroner's office on the main floor of the Hall of Justice, Los Angeles, California. In a moment, the results of that inquest. And now here is our star, Jack Webb.

SPEAKER_08 27:52

Thank you. The working detective comes in contact with many people in his daily tour of duty. People who are willing to cooperate and those who won't even try. It's a difficult task, but the police officer has been trained to try to please everybody to the best of his ability. So with a cigarette, the people who make fatima try to please all long cigarette smokers. They carefully select and blend the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos to make Fatima extra mild, the best of all long cigarettes. If you're a long cigarette smoker like I am, smoke Fatima. Every pack is extra mild. Fatima.

SPEAKER_04 28:51

You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the Office of Chief of Police W. H. Farker, Los Angeles Police Department.

SPEAKER_08 29:03

Platima Cigarettes, the best of all long cigarettes, has brought you Dragnet from Los Angeles. Coming up, Duffy's Tavern. More good times on NBC.