Dangerous Assignment: Millionaire Murder Conspiracy 08/06/1949

Summary

Podcast Summary: Dangerous Assignment – "Millionaire Murder Conspiracy"

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Episode: Dangerous Assignment: Millionaire Murder Conspiracy (08/06/1949)
Date: November 12, 2025
Host: Choice Classic Radio

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Episode Overview

This episode features an installment from the classic radio detective series, Dangerous Assignment, starring Brian Donlevy as government agent Steve Mitchell. The story plunges listeners into a high-stakes international murder conspiracy: a series of mysterious deaths among the world's elite businessmen threatens a global financial merger meant to aid industrial development in backward countries. Steve Mitchell is dispatched to Paris to protect the remaining partners and unmask the killer before the conspiracy claims more lives.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Case Begins: A String of "Accidents"

• [02:18] Steve Mitchell is summoned by the Commissioner who outlines the suspicious deaths of millionaire businessmen across the globe.
• Accidents in Bombay and Stockholm are revealed to be linked to a targeted murder in the south of France.
• The dead were all participants in a major industrial merger, believed to be under attack by hostile interests.
• Quote:

  "We thought they were accidents at first, but night before last, a third man was murdered in his villa in the south of France. Shot to death while sitting at his piano."
  — Commissioner ([02:46])

2. Mitchell's Undercover Arrival in Paris

• [04:44] Posing as a foreign correspondent, Steve checks into the Hotel Brevon, contacts Scott Wheeler’s secretary, Martha Vaughn, and meets Wheeler and Gordon Hemsley, two of the remaining three partners.
• Quote:

  "I'll let you know later. Right now I'd like the number of Scott Wheeler's room here."
  — Steve Mitchell ([04:50])

3. Retracing the Crime Scene and the “Squeaky Shoes” Suspect

• [07:04] Martha guides Steve to the bar where the last attack occurred. They encounter a suspicious man with squeaky shoes seen previously at the hotel.
• A chase leads to a medieval museum where Steve narrowly avoids a fatal “accident” with a falling battle axe.
• Quote:

  "Yeah, I almost got a haircut the hard way."
  — Steve Mitchell ([10:18])

4. The Hired Killer Unmasked and Murdered

• [12:13] Tracing “Squeaky Shoes” to a rooming house, Steve and Martha witness him die—stabbed before they can interrogate him.
• Police Inspector Brisac identifies the victim as Dominique, a notorious European hired killer.
• Quote:

  "Dominique was a hired killer."
  — Inspector Brisac ([14:51])

5. Suspicions and Mistrust Among the Partners

• [17:16] Tension surfaces as partners suspect each other. Steve learns from the Commissioner that Carl Voorhees, the third partner, has been in Paris longer than he admits.
• Quote:

  "You say you just got in, Mr. Voorhees?... That's funny. I heard you got in two days ago."
  — Steve Mitchell ([18:04])

6. More Attacks and the Killer's Clever Alibi

• [21:24] At Wheeler’s suite, Steve is knocked unconscious as Wheeler is shot in the shoulder. In almost the same time frame, Voorhees is found dead in his hotel with a bullet through the heart.
• Inspector Brisac is baffled by the seemingly impossible timing.
• Quote:

  "Our killer moves very fast. He shoots Monsieur Wheeler and kills Monsieur Folies. All in the space of 10 minutes."
  — Inspector Brisac ([24:26])

7. The Key Clue: The Ice Cube Trick

• [25:07] Steve recalls being knocked out as a clock struck nine and coming to while it was still striking. The absence of ice in his spilled drink, plus the merger contract terms (a dead partner's voting interest passing to the survivors), reveals the killer's trick and motive.
• Quote:

  "Actually, I was unconscious nearly 20 minutes. Long enough for the killer to get to Voorhees' hotel, kill him, come back, reset the clock and then shoot himself in the shoulder."
  — Steve Mitchell ([26:34])

8. The Killer Exposed

• [27:21] Steve accuses Wheeler of orchestrating the murders, explaining he faked his own injury and used a reset clock as an alibi. The clinching evidence is the melting rate of an ice cube, proving Steve was out much longer than Wheeler suggested.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Can anyone play that bad?" — Steve Mitchell’s trademark humor when told a victim was killed at the piano ([02:54])
• "You'd already knocked off four of your partners. That left only Voorhis and Hemsley in your way." — Steve Mitchell confronting Wheeler ([26:53])
• "You're wrong there. I can prove most of them with the help of just one ice cube." — Steve's signature reveal ([27:14])

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Important Timestamps

• 01:09–03:35: Commissioner outlines the murders and merger backstory to Steve
• 04:44–06:07: Steve checks into Hotel Brevon and meets Martha and Wheeler
• 07:04–10:18: Visit to crime scene bar, encounter with “squeaky shoes,” battle axe escape
• 12:13–14:51: Discovery of Dominique’s murder and police involvement
• 17:16–19:20: Tensions and suspicions among survivors; Mitchell investigates Hemsley and Voorhees
• 21:24–22:59: Wheeler shot, Steve attacked, Voorhees murdered—fast-moving climax
• 24:26–27:33: The reveal: the melted ice cube and the murderer’s plot exposed

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Tone & Style

As with classic radio detectives, the episode is brisk, witty, and suspenseful, featuring sharp-tongued dialogue, a fast-paced investigation, and noir-style atmosphere. Steve Mitchell’s dry humor and relentless questioning anchor the episode's tone.

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Resolution

Steve reconstructs the killer's clever deception—the fake timeline engineered by resetting a clock and melting ice cubes. The motive: with each death, surviving partners gained more control of the lucrative merger. Wheeler is revealed as the murderer and taken into custody.

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Final Moments

The case resolved, Steve and Martha share a playful banter about Parisian horse races, ending the episode with a light-hearted callback to Steve's earlier desire for leisure—another of the show's wry, human touches.

Quote:

"The horses are running in the wrong direction."
"Oh, that’s the way they do over here, Steve. The horses run clockwise instead of counterclockwise like in the States."
— Steve Mitchell & Martha Vaughn ([28:22])

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For New Listeners

This summary captures a classic "locked room" intrigue with witty repartee and globe-trotting adventure. It’s a perfect example of the Dangerous Assignment formula: international stakes, deadly conspiracies, and the steady, sardonic charm of secret agent Steve Mitchell.

Transcript

[Steve Mitchell]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you.

[Martha Vaughn]

For [e-mail].

[Narrator]

The National Broadcasting Company brings you Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell in Dangerous assignment. The time, 10pm the place, the spacious drawing room of a villa in the south of France overlooking the Mediterranean. A stout man in a velvet dressing gown sits at the piano, his stubby fingers gliding expertly over the keys.

[Scott Wheeler]

Come in.

[Steve Mitchell]

Philippines.

[Scott Wheeler]

Oh. Oh, I. I thought you were Philippe, my butler.

[Commissioner]

You were wrong, Baron.

[Scott Wheeler]

Who are you? And how did you get into my villa?

[Commissioner]

I'm called Dominic and I walked in.

[Scott Wheeler]

But what do you want?

[Commissioner]

Only a trifle, Baron.

[Martha Vaughn]

Ah.

[Commissioner]

Such a discord.

[Narrator]

You've seen him in such pictures as Canyon Passage, American Romance and the great McGinty. Now here is our star, Brian Don Levy on another two fisted portrayal as Steve Mitchell in Dangerous Assignment.

[Martha Vaughn]

Well, here he is, Commissioner. Guess where I found him. On second thought, better not guess.

[Commissioner]

Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

Hello, Commissioner. Well, where am I going this time?

[Commissioner]

Paris.

[Steve Mitchell]

Paris? Hey, what was her name?

[Commissioner]

Now don't count on that, Steve. And no horse races either. This isn't a pleasure trip. It's strictly business and dangerous business.

[Steve Mitchell]

I might have known. Okay, Commissioner, let's have it.

[Commissioner]

Steve. Last week, a man fell down an elevator shaft in Bombay, died instantly. Five days ago, a private plane crashed near Stockholm. The owner also died instantly.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, so there've been a couple of accidents around the world. What's that got to do with me?

[Commissioner]

We thought they were accidents at first, but night before last, a third man was murdered in his villa in the south of France. Shot to death while sitting at his piano.

[Steve Mitchell]

Can anyone play that bad?

[Commissioner]

Steve, there's a tie in between these three men. One that's tremendously important to us. These dead men were all millionaires in their own countries. Two weeks ago, seven of them met to plan a giant merger.

[Steve Mitchell]

What kind of a merger?

[Commissioner]

They pooled all their capital to form a holding company which would finance industrial expansion in backward countries.

[Steve Mitchell]

I see.

[Commissioner]

We believe that interests hostile to the plan or obstructing it.

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, sounds like a pretty effective way to obstruct it all right. Killing off the partners, you say? There were seven? Originally. That leaves four. Now three.

[Commissioner]

Last night the killer struck again in Paris. Two of the partners had dinner together. Marcel Laborde and the American, Scott Wheeler. As they left the cafe, they were fired on. Laborde was killed.

[Steve Mitchell]

You know, I'm beginning to think you've got a Nice safe job picked out for me, Commissioner. I get to play bodyguard, huh?

[Commissioner]

As usual. You'll pose as a foreign correspondent after an interview with the American, Scott Wheeler. Actually, your job is to protect him and the other surviving partners and to get to the bottom of these killings.

[Steve Mitchell]

Where's this Scott Wheeler staying?

[Commissioner]

At the Hotel Brevon. That will be your first stop in Paris.

[Steve Mitchell]

Ruth. Got my press credentials and passport ready.

[Commissioner]

And your plane ticket. You take off in two hours. Steve, we don't want anything to interfere with the plans of these men. Those killings have got to be stopped. That's your assignment, Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

Good luck.

[Commissioner]

Ah. Welcome to Hotel Bravo, monsieur.

[Steve Mitchell]

What type of accommodation would you prefer? I'll let you know later. Right now I'd like the number of Scott Wheeler's room here.

[Martha Vaughn]

I beg your pardon.

[Steve Mitchell]

Hello.

[Martha Vaughn]

You wish to see Mr. Wheeler?

[Steve Mitchell]

That's right.

[Martha Vaughn]

May I ask your name?

[Steve Mitchell]

You may. I'm Steve Mitchell. I am a foreign correspondent.

[Martha Vaughn]

Hello. I'm Martha Vaughn. May I see your credentials? Your. Your press credentials? May I please see them?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yes, I guess so. I don't quite understand.

[Martha Vaughn]

I'm Scott Wheeler's secretary.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh. Oh, sure. There they are.

[Martha Vaughn]

Thank you, Mr. Mitchell. It's just that we don't wish to take any chances, particularly after the recent attempt on Mr. Wheeler's life.

[Steve Mitchell]

Matter of fact, that's what I want to interview him about.

[Martha Vaughn]

Oh, all right. I'll take you up to his suite, if you don't mind.

[Steve Mitchell]

Should I mind?

[Commissioner]

Look, we miss you. That man who was just here, he was Steve Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

He was a friend of yours?

[Commissioner]

In a way.

[Steve Mitchell]

Thank you, monsieur. You wish to leave a message for him?

[Commissioner]

No, I will deliver it to him later in person.

[Martha Vaughn]

Go on in, Mr. Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

Thank you.

[Scott Wheeler]

Hello, Martha.

[Martha Vaughn]

Well, Mr. Wheeler, this is Steve Mitchell. He's a foreign correspondent from the United States.

[Steve Mitchell]

Hello.

[Scott Wheeler]

Glad to know you, Mitchell. Meet my associate, Gordon Hemsley.

[Steve Mitchell]

Hi. How do you do?

[Gordon Hemsley]

Well, I'll be running along, Wheeler. Ring me up as soon as Voorhees arrives, will you?

[Inspector Brisac]

Okay.

[Gordon Hemsley]

Good day, gentlemen.

[Scott Wheeler]

Well, what can I do for you, Mitchell?

[Martha Vaughn]

Well, I believe he'd like a story about the shooting night before last. Mr. Wheeler.

[Steve Mitchell]

That's right.

[Scott Wheeler]

There's not much to tell. Laborde and I had dinner together, took a walk. Afterward, the board felt like a cognac, so we stopped in a little place called La Patat.

[Steve Mitchell]

La Patat? That's slang for potato, isn't it?

[Scott Wheeler]

Yes. They think of some strange names for their bars. Anyway, we had a drink and left. Just as we went out the Door. I heard some quick footsteps behind us. I started to turn around. The next thing I knew, one bullet whistled by my ear. Another one hit the board and killed him. I see.

[Steve Mitchell]

I'd like to take a look at this bar where the shooting took place.

[Scott Wheeler]

La Patat?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. Where is it?

[Scott Wheeler]

Well, it's sort of a hard place to find. Martha, why don't you show Mitchell where it is? All right with you, Mitchell?

[Steve Mitchell]

I can't think of a guide I'd rather have, Mr. Wheeler. Thank you.

[Martha Vaughn]

I'll try not to get you lost, Mr. Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

Would that be bad?

[Scott Wheeler]

Come on.

[Steve Mitchell]

So this is the potato. Sounds like a hot potato. Right now at some music.

[Martha Vaughn]

That's what they call Le O, Mr. Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

I can believe it. You know, I've got one rule with all my guides, Martha. They call me Steve.

[Martha Vaughn]

All right. You sound like you've had a lot of guides, Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

I get lost easily. You worked for Mr. Wheeler very long, Martha?

[Martha Vaughn]

What, about a year?

[Steve Mitchell]

Like it?

[Martha Vaughn]

Seemed to be talking about me all of a sudden, Steve. I thought it was the attempt on Mr. Wheeler's life you are interested in.

[Steve Mitchell]

I've got a two track mind. Okay, I'll get back on track one. Now, as I get it, Wheeler and Laborde came here, had one drink and left.

[Martha Vaughn]

Yes, the shooting took place right outside. Apparently someone followed.

[Steve Mitchell]

What's the matter, Steve?

[Martha Vaughn]

That little man who just walked by.

[Steve Mitchell]

What? Oh, the gent with squeaky shoes. What about him?

[Martha Vaughn]

Well, I've noticed him hanging around the lobby of our hotel lately.

[Steve Mitchell]

What?

[Martha Vaughn]

Yes, and night before last, just after Mr. Wheeler and Laborde went out to dinner, he left too.

[Steve Mitchell]

Hey, maybe we should have a talk with him.

[Martha Vaughn]

Steve, look. He saw us watching him. He's going out the front door.

[Steve Mitchell]

Come on.

[Martha Vaughn]

I wonder what? Nothing, nothing. We'll talk about it later.

[Steve Mitchell]

There he goes in that cab.

[Martha Vaughn]

Come on. There's another cab over here.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, Driver, we must use taxi. Cab, huh? Yeah, that cab hightailing it down the street. Don't let it out of your sight. Let's go. Squeaky Shoes knows he's being followed, all right. That cab of his is really traveling.

[Martha Vaughn]

Steve, look. He's stopping in front of that building in the next block.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, he's running inside. Driver, pull up behind that other cab. Hey, what kind of a building is this anyway?

[Martha Vaughn]

What? It's a museum, Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

Museum? Okay, we'll look inside. Some museum, Martha. Looks like King Arthur's round table.

[Martha Vaughn]

We're in the medieval room, Steve. The armor, the weapons and the tapestries are all from the middle Ages.

[Steve Mitchell]

Too many places for squeaky shoes to hide. Look at all those drapes.

[Martha Vaughn]

You've got to be in here somewhere, Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

Unless there's a back door to this.

[Martha Vaughn]

Place, I didn't think of that.

[Steve Mitchell]

Boy, these suits of armor really must have been comfortable on a hot day.

[Martha Vaughn]

Look at the battle axe with this suit.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, reminds me of a lot of old mother in law jokes. Well, come on, let's go.

[Martha Vaughn]

Steve, watch out. The armor. The battle axe is falling. Steve. Steve, you all right?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, I almost got a haircut the hard way. Look, help me get this tin tuxedo off.

[Martha Vaughn]

Oh, yes, of course.

[Steve Mitchell]

Somebody behind the drape shoved it over. He's probably long gone by now. Well, come on, Martha, let's go back to Wheeler's suite. Mr. Wheeler, I think it's time we laid a few cards on the table. I'm not just after a story. I've been assigned to investigate these killings. Here are my credentials.

[Scott Wheeler]

I see, Mr. Wheeler.

[Martha Vaughn]

In that case, I'd better tell Mr. Mitchell what I was going to tell you.

[Scott Wheeler]

What do you mean, Martha?

[Martha Vaughn]

The little man with the squeaky shoes. Yesterday I saw him at the door to Mr. Hemsley suite. Like he just come out.

[Commissioner]

What?

[Steve Mitchell]

You sure about that, Marta?

[Martha Vaughn]

Later I saw him go into a rooming house across the street.

[Steve Mitchell]

Mr. Wheeler, this squeaky shoes boy could be the one who took a shot at you and Laborde the other night.

[Scott Wheeler]

But what would he be doing in Hemsley's room?

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't know yet. Come on, Martha, let's take a look at that rooming house.

[Martha Vaughn]

I think this is it, Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

Looks like a real dive, doesn't it? Yeah, but at least it's a convenient location. Just across the street from Hemsley's hotel.

[Martha Vaughn]

You think there is some connection between them?

[Inspector Brisac]

Steve?

[Steve Mitchell]

Let's go in. Fresh air would really smell funny in here.

[Martha Vaughn]

There don't seem to be any rooms downstairs, Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

Come on, we'll try the stairway.

[Martha Vaughn]

Steve, wait. You hear that?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, squeaky shoes.

[Martha Vaughn]

There he is. At the head of the stairs.

[Scott Wheeler]

Hey, you.

[Steve Mitchell]

Wait a minute. I want to talk to you. Just. Hey, what's the matter with you?

[Martha Vaughn]

The TV's bleeding.

[Steve Mitchell]

He's grabbing at his chest. Get out of the way, Martha. Here he comes.

[Commissioner]

Holy smoke.

[Martha Vaughn]

Steven, is he still breathing?

[Steve Mitchell]

Not anymore.

[Narrator]

In just a moment, our star Brian Donlevy returns as Steve Mitchell in Dangerous Assignment. Today, the armed forces of the United States are concerned with hundreds of contributions to the activities of peace. America's forces are scientific forces devoted largely to the training of scientists and Technicians. Specialists in the techniques that make for better living in peacetime.

[Scott Wheeler]

Yes.

[Narrator]

America's armed forces constitute the world's greatest scientific enterprise. And to man that enterprise, the services are seeking suitable trainees capable of profiting from education and capable of leadership and responsibility. For the right men. The armed forces offer a whole world of technical training, training for the service and for the future. So if you are thinking of an active career, an educational career, a vital career, think of the armed forces of the United States. Now, the National Broadcasting Company brings you Act 2 of Dangerous Assignment, starring Brian Donlevy in the role of Steve Mitchell. The time, 30 seconds later. Steve and Martha have run up the stairs and are searching the dead man's room.

[Martha Vaughn]

Nothing here that I can see. Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

Killer must have gone out the window. Martha. Still open. Well, let's go on back.

[Martha Vaughn]

Steve. Looks like the doorway is occupied.

[Inspector Brisac]

Oh, I'm Inspector Brisac of the Surete. Your name, monsieur?

[Steve Mitchell]

Steve Mitchell. I am a foreign correspondent. This is Ms. Martha Vaughan.

[Inspector Brisac]

Mademoiselle.

[Martha Vaughn]

Inspector.

[Inspector Brisac]

Monsieur. What connection exists between you and the dead man downstairs?

[Steve Mitchell]

Connection? None at all.

[Inspector Brisac]

Then what are you doing in his room?

[Steve Mitchell]

Trying to find the guy who stabbed him a couple of minutes ago.

[Inspector Brisac]

And you do not know the dead man at all?

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't even know the guy's name.

[Inspector Brisac]

It is Dominique.

[Steve Mitchell]

Dominique? Is that supposed to mean something to me?

[Inspector Brisac]

It does to most of the police in Europe. Monsieur, Dominique was a hired killer.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, you happen to know who his last boss was?

[Inspector Brisac]

No, monsieur, but we had heard Dominique was in Paris and had trailed him here. As you see, a few moments too late.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. Well, look, Inspector, this is all very nice, but if you'll excuse me, I have a transatlantic call to put in.

[Inspector Brisac]

You say you are a foreign correspondent, Monsieur Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

That's why the telephone call. My boss likes to hear from me now and then.

[Inspector Brisac]

Monsieur, perhaps your interest in this affair is greater than the procuring of a mere story. And perhaps not.

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, you've covered all the possibilities, Inspector.

[Inspector Brisac]

In any case, you will please keep yourself available for questioning. Paris is a big city, monsieur, but I am quite capable of finding you should you choose to hide. Kindly do not put me to the trouble.

[Commissioner]

Yes, sir.

[Martha Vaughn]

It's Steve calling from Paris, Commissioner. He's on the line now.

[Commissioner]

Good. Hello?

[Steve Mitchell]

Hello, Commissioner.

[Commissioner]

Steve, how are you doing?

[Steve Mitchell]

Who knows? Few hours ago, I had a near myth with a battle axe.

[Commissioner]

What, no one you know Now, Steve?

[Steve Mitchell]

No, I mean literally, Commissioner. I had a hot lead for a while. A hired killer who needed a new pair of shoes. His name was Dominic.

[Commissioner]

Was?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. Somebody with a sharp knife beat me to him.

[Scott Wheeler]

Hmm.

[Commissioner]

Any other lead, Steve?

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, there may be a tie in between Dominic and the Englishman, Gordon Hemsley. One of the partners? Yeah, that's right. Nothing definite on him yet. There's still someone missing from the party. A third surviving partner, Carl Voorhees. He's supposed to arrive from Amsterdam tomorrow.

[Commissioner]

Tomorrow?

[Steve Mitchell]

Why?

[Commissioner]

Steve, we have information that Voorhees has been in Paris for two days.

[Steve Mitchell]

That's interesting. Incidentally, Commissioner, I wish you'd check on the exact terms of that merger.

[Commissioner]

All right, Steve. Why?

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, just a hunch. I'm working on cable. What information you can get to me at the Hotel Brevant. I'm on my way back there now to talk to Wheeler again.

[Scott Wheeler]

Mitchell, I'm no hero. If I'd known what this merger was going to mean, I'd never have gone into it, in spite of the good. I know it'll do. But it's too late to back out now. All the papers have been signed.

[Martha Vaughn]

I think you should leave Paris, Mr. Wheeler.

[Scott Wheeler]

Don't worry. As soon as this meeting's over, I'm going to.

[Steve Mitchell]

What's the timetable on the meeting, Mr. Wheeler?

[Scott Wheeler]

Voories is coming in tomorrow from Amsterdam. He, Hemsley and I are meeting tomorrow night around 10 to set a few final details. Then the quicker I get out of Paris, the better.

[Steve Mitchell]

Who?

[Martha Vaughn]

I'll go, Mr. Wheeler. Who is it, please?

[Steve Mitchell]

Carl Voorhees.

[Scott Wheeler]

Vooris.

[Steve Mitchell]

Good evening, Wheeler.

[Scott Wheeler]

Hello, Voorhees. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow.

[Commissioner]

I decided to come tonight.

[Scott Wheeler]

You know Martha?

[Commissioner]

Foreign?

[Scott Wheeler]

This is Steve Mitchell, a foreign correspondent.

[Steve Mitchell]

Hello. Many.

[Commissioner]

I met you.

[Steve Mitchell]

You say you just got in, Mr. Voorhees?

[Commissioner]

Ah, an hour ago.

[Steve Mitchell]

That's funny. I heard you got in two days ago. That is a lie. Is it?

[Commissioner]

Mynheer? Mitchell, my affairs are no concern of yours.

[Scott Wheeler]

Where are you staying, Boris?

[Commissioner]

At the Continental.

[Martha Vaughn]

Oh, just across the street.

[Scott Wheeler]

It's too late to get anything done tonight, Boris.

[Inspector Brisac]

Where's Hemsley?

[Scott Wheeler]

Hemsley? He's staying at the Splendid. I suggest we meet here in my suite tomorrow night. How about 9:30? Yeah, I see you then, Rita.

[Inspector Brisac]

Good night.

[Commissioner]

Good night for night and night.

[Inspector Brisac]

He admits you.

[Steve Mitchell]

Good night.

[Martha Vaughn]

I wonder what he's been doing those two days he's been here.

[Scott Wheeler]

So do I. Mr. Mitchell, I'm worried. I'd appreciate it if you'd be here tomorrow night for that meeting.

[Steve Mitchell]

Also might be a good idea if.

[Scott Wheeler]

You could get here before the rest comes. Say a little before 9.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay. Well, I'm going over to see your partner, Gordon Hemsley. You better stay in your room all day tomorrow, Mr. Wheeler. I'll see you tomorrow night, about a quarter to nine.

[Gordon Hemsley]

Really, Mr. Mitchell, I can't say I relish being disturbed this late at night just because you want some sort of silly interview.

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, I'd like at least to get a statement from you, Mr. Hemsley. Seven of you put through a merger. So far, four partners have been killed. That leaves just three of you. Yourself, Wheeler and Voorhees.

[Scott Wheeler]

I'll get it, Mr. Hemsley.

[Inspector Brisac]

Right home.

[Gordon Hemsley]

Very well, Mr. Mitchell. I'll give you a statement. This merger will accomplish a great deal of good. I personally intend to carry it through regardless of threats or any consequences to me.

[Steve Mitchell]

Speaking of threats, can you throw any light on the death of a hired killer named Dominic? Dominic? I don't know anyone by that name. Don't you? He was seen outside your room shortly before he was killed.

[Commissioner]

Why, I. Mr. Hensley?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yes?

[Scott Wheeler]

It's Voorhees on the telephone.

[Commissioner]

He said when he was here this.

[Scott Wheeler]

Afternoon, he forgot to ask.

[Steve Mitchell]

Voorhees here. Never mind, never mind.

[Gordon Hemsley]

I'll take the call. You have your statement, Mr. Mitchell. Would you please excuse me?

[Steve Mitchell]

Sure. And thanks. See you around.

[Scott Wheeler]

I wish I'd set this meeting earlier. What time is it, Mitchell?

[Steve Mitchell]

Two minutes to nine, Wheeler. Oh.

[Scott Wheeler]

Care for another drink?

[Steve Mitchell]

Thanks. Wheeler, you ever hear of a thing called a squeeze play? Squeeze play? Oh.

[Scott Wheeler]

Here's your drink.

[Steve Mitchell]

Thanks. How sure are you of your partners Hemsley and Voorhees?

[Scott Wheeler]

What are you getting at, Mitchell?

[Steve Mitchell]

They met yesterday afternoon.

[Scott Wheeler]

What does that mean?

[Steve Mitchell]

I'm not sure yet.

[Scott Wheeler]

Well, I wish I'd never gotten into this deal in the first place. Come on, let's go into the drawing room. It's a little more cheerful in there.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay. Incidentally, I've been meaning to ask you. You say you hired Martha about a year ago? That's right. Who recommended her to you?

[Scott Wheeler]

Let's see. It was Himsley.

[Steve Mitchell]

Uh huh.

[Scott Wheeler]

After you, Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

Where are the lights, Wheeler?

[Scott Wheeler]

Over on the other wall.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay, I'll get.

[Scott Wheeler]

Oh.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, my head. Wheeler. Hey, you're bleeding.

[Scott Wheeler]

Shot shoulder, I think.

[Steve Mitchell]

What happened?

[Scott Wheeler]

Don't know. Saw someone hit you on the head? I tried to dodge. Shot me in the shoulder. Then he ran out.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay. Ought to be a doctor in the hotel. I'll get him. Then I'll call the police.

[Inspector Brisac]

Monsieur Mitchell, once again I find you at the scene of a crime.

[Steve Mitchell]

Believe me, inspector, it was not my choice.

[Inspector Brisac]

Either time you say you Were unconscious when Monsieur Wheeler was shot. Have you any idea how long you were unconscious?

[Steve Mitchell]

Just a few seconds. I heard the clock start to strike nine as I walked into this room. And it was still striking when I.

[Inspector Brisac]

Came to that stain and broken glass on the carpet. What do they represent?

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, part of the glass is from my wristwatch, I guess. The rest of it and the stain are from the drink I was holding in my hand when I got slugged.

[Martha Vaughn]

Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

What's happened, Martha? Well, Hemsley, the gendarme at the door.

[Gordon Hemsley]

Said something about a shooting.

[Steve Mitchell]

Mitchell? Yeah? Wheeler was shot. What?

[Martha Vaughn]

Steve, is. Is he still alive?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, yeah, he's in the next room with the doctor. He's gonna be all right. I just think it's a flesh room. Oh, that's good news. Is it, Emsley?

[Gordon Hemsley]

What do you mean by that, Mitchell?

[Steve Mitchell]

Skip it. Permit me.

[Inspector Brisac]

I am Inspector Brisac of the Sirete. Did you two come over here together?

[Martha Vaughn]

I know we just happened to arrive together, Inspector.

[Inspector Brisac]

I see.

[Martha Vaughn]

My. My room is just down the hall.

[Inspector Brisac]

Permit me to inquire as to your movements for the past hour.

[Martha Vaughn]

Why? I was in my room reading.

[Inspector Brisac]

Mademoiselle has a witness.

[Martha Vaughn]

What? No.

[Inspector Brisac]

And you, Monsieur Hemsley?

[Gordon Hemsley]

Wheeler had scheduled a meeting for 9:30. I waited in my hotel until it was time to come over. Then I. I came over.

[Steve Mitchell]

So, incidentally, where's Karl Voorhees?

[Commissioner]

Why?

[Gordon Hemsley]

I expected to find him here for the meeting.

[Inspector Brisac]

I will answer. Speaking. Ouijero.

[Steve Mitchell]

What?

[Scott Wheeler]

Is that so?

[Inspector Brisac]

You are sure of the time? Mercy. At nine o' clock, M. Voriz called room service for some eyes. When the boy arrived five minutes later, he found worries with a bullet through his heart. It is indeed a perplexing case, Mitchell. Our killer moves very fast. He shoots Monsieur Wheeler and kills Monsieur Folies. All in the space of 10 minutes.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, of course. For he slept just down the street from Wheeler.

[Inspector Brisac]

It is my turn to buy the drinks, Monsieur.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, I've still got some here. I think I'll just have a little ice in it.

[Inspector Brisac]

As you prefer.

[Steve Mitchell]

Hey, monsieur, how long has it been since our last drink?

[Inspector Brisac]

20, perhaps 30 minutes.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. Look, Inspector, you asked me about that stain on the carpet of Wheeler's drawing room. I said it was broken glass and liquor.

[Inspector Brisac]

That is correct.

[Steve Mitchell]

Mitchell, was there any ice on the carpet?

[Scott Wheeler]

No.

[Inspector Brisac]

No, there was not.

[Steve Mitchell]

Inspector, half an hour ago I got a cable from the commissioner. Here, take a look at it.

[Inspector Brisac]

Terms of merger such that in event of one partner's death, his voting interest passes to survivors.

[Steve Mitchell]

Now, if you'll Round up everyone in Wheeler's room in a few minutes. I think I can deliver you one grade A killer. How's the shoulder, Mr. Wheeler?

[Scott Wheeler]

Coming along, but I don't understand the purpose of this meeting.

[Martha Vaughn]

What's it all about, Steve?

[Scott Wheeler]

Yes.

[Gordon Hemsley]

Being summoned here like. Like fugitives from justice.

[Inspector Brisac]

Mr. Mitchell is host at this gathering. He will explain.

[Steve Mitchell]

And I'll make it short. The person who shot Mr. Wheeler in the shoulder and killed Voorhees is undoubtedly the same one who hired Dominic to kill the other partners.

[Martha Vaughn]

You mean one man behind this whole thing, Steve?

[Steve Mitchell]

One man or woman? Martha, I'd like to show you how that killer arranged the shootings tonight. Mr. Wheeler, this clock that was striking when I got slugged, has it been running okay lately?

[Scott Wheeler]

Why, yes, it has. Matter of fact, Martha took it to be fixed a couple of days ago.

[Steve Mitchell]

I see.

[Martha Vaughn]

Well, I don't see. Steve, what are you driving at?

[Steve Mitchell]

When I got knocked out, the clock was striking nine. When I came to, it was still striking. So I figured I'd just been out a few seconds. Actually, I was unconscious nearly 20 minutes. Long enough for the killer to get to Voorhees Hotel, kill him, come back, reset the clock and then shoot himself in the shoulder. What?

[Inspector Brisac]

What about it, Monsieur William?

[Scott Wheeler]

I'm afraid Mr. Mitchell's imagination is working overtime. Mitchell, do you actually think I'd shoot myself?

[Steve Mitchell]

If the stakes were high enough. And in this deal, they are. You'd already knocked off four of your partners. That left only Voorhis and Hemsley in your way.

[Gordon Hemsley]

I say Voorhees and I were getting a little suspicious of Wheeler. We met yesterday afternoon to talk about it.

[Scott Wheeler]

My patience with your sense of humor is wearing fin. Mitchell, you're making a lot of statements that would be very difficult to prove.

[Steve Mitchell]

You're wrong there. I can prove most of them with the help of just one ice cube.

[Scott Wheeler]

Ice cube?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. When I came to, all the ice in my drink had melted. Yet just now down in the bar, it took the ice in my drink almost 20 minutes to melt.

[Inspector Brisac]

Well, Monsieur Wheeler, I.

[Steve Mitchell]

But be kind of hard to explain that away, wouldn't it, Wheeler? Wouldn't it?

[Scott Wheeler]

I have nothing to say until I've seen my lawyers.

[Inspector Brisac]

That can be easily arranged.

[Scott Wheeler]

Miss you.

[Inspector Brisac]

They will find it easy to locate you.

[Steve Mitchell]

You will be in prison.

[Martha Vaughn]

Going to have some time to play in Paris, Steve?

[Steve Mitchell]

I'm afraid not, Martha.

[Martha Vaughn]

Too bad. Take a look at the newspaper. It's full of things to do, places to go. We could have a lot of fun.

[Steve Mitchell]

You don't have to sell me on that. I. Hey, look at this picture of the horse race.

[Martha Vaughn]

Well, what about it?

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, the horses are running in the wrong direction.

[Martha Vaughn]

What? Oh, that's the way they do over here, Steve. The horses run clockwise instead of counterclockwise like in the state.

[Steve Mitchell]

You know something?

[Martha Vaughn]

What?

[Steve Mitchell]

I think I'd better stay here a couple of days after all.

[Martha Vaughn]

Oh, wonderful.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, the way I pick horses, I could clean up a fortune. Aw, mine always run backwards.

[Narrator]

You have just heard the fifth in an exciting new adventure series, Dangerous Assignment, starring Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell. Dangerous Assignment is written by Bob Rife and directed by Bill Karn with music by Bruce Ashley. Be with us again next week at this same time when Brian Donlevy, starring as Steve Mitchell, will embark on another Dangerous Assignment. This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company.