The Ben Bryson Matter

Originally Aired: December 29, 1953Johnny Dollar #195, "The Ben Bryson Matter,"Johnny receives an urgent summons from Ed Murphy at Eastern Mutual Insurance Company, who delivers shocking news: Ben Bryson, Johnny's good friend and the company's chief adjuster on the West Coast, didn't just die in a tragic car accident off a cliff last month. Investigation reveals that Ben embezzled nearly $80,000 from the company before his death. Despite his reluctance to investigate a friend, Johnny accepts the assignment and heads to San Francisco, where he discovers Ben had been living far beyond his usual modest means at the luxurious Franciscan Arms apartment building.Johnny's investigation leads him to Alvy Kern, a young widow who was inseparable from Ben in the months before his death. When Johnny learns that Alvy has fled to Panama City, he follows her trail south. As he closes in on the elusive Mrs. Kern at a waterfront hotel, questions mount about Ben's transformation, the missing money, and whether the fatal accident was truly what it seemed.