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Detectives on the Air

The Cronin Matter Ep 3

Posted August 13, 2026 · 15 min

About this episode

Originally Aired: December 7, 1955 Johnny Dollar #278, "The Cronin Matter Ep 3," Johnny Dollar finds himself stranded at the isolated Cronin estate as a storm approaches from the mountains. With Mrs. Cronin seriously ill and needing medical attention, Dollar discovers that the only local doctor, the disgraced Dr. Bigby, refuses to come to the house. When Dollar mentions the patient is Mrs. Cronin, Bigby's reaction is immediate and ominous: he urges Dollar to get her out of the estate before it's too late. Unable to secure a doctor or medicine locally, Dollar sends business advisor Jason Prell to Tupper Lake while he questions the austere housekeeper, Miss Atherton. Miss Atherton reveals disturbing information about the estate's dark history. She explains that Dolly Cronin, once a small-town girl who worked alongside her as a waitress, married wealthy Barnaby Cronin and had this mansion built. Most chillingly, she reveals that Barnaby himself died alone in this very house during a similar storm, suffering a fatal heart attack. As the current storm intensifies and the isolated guests pass a tense evening, Miss Atherton's cryptic warning echoes through the mansion: Dolly has come home to die. Become a supporter of this podcast

From Detectives on the Air by OTR.FM Network. Visit the show’s website.

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