by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Investigating a missing-persons report, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are handed a clue when a ring worth $1500 shows up in a pawn shop. At this point, the missing man, Garfield Hunt (James Stone) resurfaces. It turns out that Hunt had been fleeced by a pair of clever con artists, and had hocked the ring so his wife would not find out he had lost all his money. Ultimately, the detectives catch up with the crooks--or do they? Peggy Webber, a charter member of the "Jack Webb Stock Company", shows up as a lachrymose drunk. Based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of February 8, 1955, this episode is currently available in several public-domain VHS and DVD collections.
