The Barton Baker Matter

Originally Aired: December 8, 1953Johnny Dollar #192, "The Barton Baker Matter,"Johnny Dollar heads to Newport, California, to investigate the shooting death of Frank Meadows, who ran a boat chartering service with his partner Dave Geller. When Johnny arrives, Lieutenant Sullivan explains that Meadows was shot three times in what appears to be a gunfight, and the prime suspect is Geller, who has mysteriously disappeared. At first, the case seems straightforward, but as Johnny begins digging, inconsistencies emerge. Mrs. Meadows, an attractive blonde who greets Johnny in a black bathing suit, shows little emotion over her husband's death and reveals that the partners didn't get along as well as the police believed. She mentions they had a fight before their last fishing trip, though she doesn't know what it was about.Johnny learns that Meadows and Geller went fishing for yellowtail but returned without any catch, raising questions about what really happened on that trip. As he interviews witnesses and examines the boat, Johnny searches for a motive that makes sense. Was it a dispute over the business, or could the alluring Mrs. Meadows be at the center of this deadly conflict?