Stolen UN Documents by Dangerous Assignment

Summary

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Relic Radio Thrillers — “Stolen UN Documents” (Dangerous Assignment)

Podcast: Relic Radio Thrillers
Date: February 20, 2026
Episode: “Stolen UN Documents” by Dangerous Assignment
Host: RelicRadio.com
Starring: Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the shadowy world of espionage, murder, and diplomatic intrigue as government agent Steve Mitchell races to recover stolen United Nations documents in the Middle East. Upon his arrival, he is drawn into a deeper mystery surrounding the murder of a diplomat’s wife and the theft of sensitive materials — a case where nothing is as it seems and danger lurks in unexpected places.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

The Mission Brief (01:06–03:08)

• Steve Mitchell is summoned by the Commissioner and assigned a top-secret task:

  • Recover crucial UN documents stolen in the Middle East.
  • The negotiations for UN bases have been jeopardized by leaks to hostile northern interests.
  • The last holder of the document was Khalid, the country's representative, who claims it was stolen from his home.

  Quote – Steve Mitchell (01:06):
  “Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent to a lot of places I can’t even pronounce. They all spell the same thing, though. Trouble.”

Murder Complicates the Case (03:48–06:41)

• Upon arrival, Mitchell finds police detaining Khalid—not over the theft, but his wife's murder the previous night.

• Lieutenant Hama, the police officer, displays cautious suspicion toward Khalid but also uncertainty.

  Revelation (05:21):
  “Last night, [Khalid’s wife] was murdered. Her body was discovered this morning in a ditch several hundred meters down the road.” — Lieutenant Hama (05:21)

• Evidence suggests she was beaten to death, and a search begins for suspects and motives.

The Interrogation & Profiles (06:56–10:46)

• Khalid communicates willingness to cooperate, tying his innocence to solving the murder and leak.

• Khalid and his aide, Abura, provide their account of the previous night:

  • Dinner at Ali’s restaurant, civic building dedication, return home to find wife missing.

• Introduction of the servant, Mikan, recently dismissed by Khalid’s wife after a quarrel.

  Quote – Khalid (08:10):
  “But everyone loved Saharida. She was kind and gentle.”

The Search for Mikan (10:52–13:12)

• Police and Mitchell search for Mikan, suspecting a link between his departure, the document theft, and the murder.

• Mikan, found fleeing, denies involvement but cannot provide an alibi and refuses to reveal details of the quarrel.

  Quote – Steve Mitchell (13:00):
  “You’re not trying to convince me. You’re trying to convince yourself.”

Forensic Breakthrough: Footprints & Cement Dust (13:26–16:44)

• Police lab matches found footprints near the murder scene to Abura, Khalid’s trusted aide, initially raising suspicions.
• Abura and Khalid explain the prints: car trouble led Abura to exit and repair the car near the ditch, incidentally producing the prints.
• Both Khalid and Abura appear to have strong alibis but the case grows murkier.

Double-Check: Cement Dust Clue (17:00–19:03)

• The murdered lab technician nearly solves the case, but is killed before disclosing his findings.

• Mitchell reviews the duplicate lab report:

  • Some of Abura’s prints near the ditch have cement dust (from the unfinished civic building), others do not; Khalid’s also have cement dust only from after the event.

• This discrepancy sets Mitchell thinking about the actual sequence of movements.

  Quote – Steve Mitchell (19:05):
  “Yeah, I think a few things just fell into place.”

Timeline Re-examined (19:23–21:44)

• Mitchell revisits Khalid’s timeline.
• New detail: Abura left Khalid at the civic building to supposedly retrieve a forgotten speech from Ali’s restaurant.
• The trip’s duration (half an hour) could allow Abura to travel to either the restaurant or Khalid’s home, but not both if times are tight.

The Restaurant Alibi Busted (22:08–23:29)

• At Ali’s restaurant, Ali the owner confirms Abura did return to pick up the speech, validating his alibi.

• Yet, the timeline leaves no gap for travel to Khalid's house for the murder, at least on the surface.

  Quote – Steve Mitchell (23:12):
  “Babura was only gone from the new building a half an hour… If he came here, he sure couldn’t have gone to Khalid’s house and killed his wife.”

Ambush at the Restaurant: Truth Revealed (24:00–26:01)

• Inside Ali’s, Steve suddenly spots a gun barrel — Abura is waiting, gun in hand.

• Under threat, Abura confesses:

  • Khalid’s wife stole the document for him, then panicked and vowed to confess.
  • Abura murdered her to silence her and covered his tracks by planting post-facto cement-dusted footprints after retrieving the speech.

  Quote – Abura’s Confession (25:06):
  “Quite right. Khalid’s wife did procure the document for me. But when she learned the United States was sending an agent… she became frightened. She said she was going to tell Khalid everything after he returned from dedicating the building.”

• Steve, thinking quickly, tricks Abura by maneuvering in the dark and ends the standoff.

  Memorable Standoff (27:00–28:06):
  Steve uses a tray of dirty dishes to create a distraction and manages to subdue Abura, resolving both the murder and the theft.

Case Closed: The Concrete Evidence (28:15–28:42)

• Hama and Mitchell sum up: the cement dust on the footprints provides the "concrete evidence" needed to convict Abura.

• All is wrapped up with a clever pun, reflecting the tongue-in-cheek tone of Steve’s hard-boiled narration.

  Quote – Steve Mitchell (28:38):
  “Abura had a pretty neat scheme rigged, but it was that cement dust that pinned the killing on him. I guess that’s what you might call concrete evidence.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Steve’s Opening Philosophy (01:06):
  “Danger is my assignment… They all spell the same thing, though. Trouble.”
• Murder Unveiled (05:21):
  “Last night she was murdered.” — Lieutenant Hama
• On Diplomatic Carelessness (09:14):
  “Sounds like a pretty careless way to treat an important document, Khalid.”
• Self-Reflective Detective (13:00):
  “Neither are you, Hama. You’re not trying to convince me. You’re trying to convince yourself.”
• Key Forensic Insight (19:05):
  “Yeah, I think a few things just fell into place.”
• Abura Confesses (25:06):
  “Khalid’s wife did procure the document for me… she became frightened… I must kill both of you.”
• Final Pun (28:38):
  “That’s what you might call concrete evidence.”

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Assignment laid out: 01:06–03:08
• Arrival & murder discovered: 03:48–06:41
• Initial interrogations: 06:56–10:46
• Chasing Mikan: 10:52–13:12
• Footprints & suspicion on Abura: 13:26–16:44
• Cement dust clue & re-examination: 17:00–19:03
• Timeline scrutinized: 19:23–21:44
• Restaurant confrontation: 22:08–26:01
• Standoff and case resolved: 26:01–28:15
• Epilogue and wrap-up: 28:15–28:42

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Tone & Style

The episode is classic hard-boiled radio drama: wisecracking, tenacious protagonist, atmospheric narration, sharp dialogue, and a rhythmic build-up of suspense. Comic relief and clever wordplay counterbalance the grit of espionage and murder.

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A must-listen for fans of vintage suspense and twisty, logic-driven mysteries!

Transcript

[Narrator]

Relicradio.com presents stories of mystery and intrigue, espionage and suspense. Hear tales of ticking time bombs, mysterious crime scenes and cloak and dagger action. This is Relic Radio Thrillers.

[Announcer]

Dangerous Assignment starring Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent to a lot of places I can't even pronounce. They all spell the same thing, though. Trouble. But when I walk into the commissioner's office, I don't realize this assignment's gonna wind up with me depending for my life on a tray full of dirty dishes. Morning, Commissioner. Ruth said you had an assignment for me.

[Commissioner]

I do. Steve, your plane leaves for the Middle east in one hour.

[Steve Mitchell]

The Middle East? Don't tell me I have to crawl along that pip over there looking for leaks.

[Commissioner]

You'll be looking for leaks, all right, but not oil.

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't get you, Steve.

[Commissioner]

We're on the verge of suffering a very serious diplomatic and strategic defeat.

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, nothing like a note of cheer to start the day on, I always say. What's the deal?

[Commissioner]

Take a look at this map of the Middle East, Steve. For some time now we've been negotiating very secretly with this country here.

[Steve Mitchell]

What kind of negotiations?

[Commissioner]

Negotiations which would pave the way for United nations bases in that area.

[Steve Mitchell]

I see. But why all the secrecy?

[Commissioner]

The country in question insisted on it. You see, they've been periodically intimidated by powerful interests of the north. They wanted to have all the negotiations concluded before any information concerning them fell into what we might call the wrong hand.

[Steve Mitchell]

Wait a minute. You say there's been a leak. Is that what you're talking about? Exactly.

[Commissioner]

This morning we learned through confidential sources that the document containing the complete preliminary discussions regarding military installations is now in the hands of those hostile interests I was talking about.

[Steve Mitchell]

Why? How did that happen?

[Commissioner]

That's exactly what you're flying to the Middle east to find out, Steve.

[Steve Mitchell]

I sure get all the cinches, don't I?

[Commissioner]

Steve, it's vital we plug up this leak. If we don't, the entire negotiations may collapse, which would seriously endanger our entire position in the Middle East.

[Steve Mitchell]

You say a copy of the document got into the wrong hands. Does anybody know which copy it was?

[Commissioner]

Yes. That particular copy was last in the possession of a man named Khalid. He's the Middle Eastern country's representative in the negotiations.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh? What's his story about it?

[Commissioner]

He says the document was stolen from his house.

[Steve Mitchell]

Brother, that particular story is pretty ancient. Yes.

[Commissioner]

He may be lying. It's up to you to find out. Get over there, Steve. Talk to this colleague and do whatever you have to to get to the bottom of this whole rotten mess. Well, that's it.

[Khalid]

You've got your assignment.

[Steve Mitchell]

Good luck.

[Announcer]

The National Broadcasting Company is presenting Dangerous Assignments, starring Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell, colorful two fisted government agent at all those places of the world where danger and intrigue walk hand in hand. There you'll find Steve Mitchell on another dangerous assignment.

[Steve Mitchell]

Sure, I've got my assignment. Just a little matter of dropping over to the Middle east and investigating a government figure named Khalid to find out if he's the boy who's been peddling diplomatic secrets to the wrong parties. All of which is pretty sure to make me slightly unpopular with both the government figure and the wrong parties. Yep, I've got an uneasy hunch I'm about to get voted the boy they'd most like to see drop dead. It's Thursday morning when my plane lands in the Middle east country, and I figure my first step is to talk to this colleague. So I find out his address and grab a taxi. It's a large house out of the city and I walk up to the front door and then I see that it's occupied.

[Lieutenant Hama]

You have business here? Perhaps.

[Steve Mitchell]

Perhaps. Now, if you'll quit blocking the door so I can knock.

[Lieutenant Hama]

You wish to see Khalid?

[Abura]

Perhaps.

[Steve Mitchell]

Perhaps again, if it's okay with you,

[Lieutenant Hama]

you will tell me why you wish to see Khalid.

[Steve Mitchell]

Perhaps. You just spoiled your average look. I don't know who you are or why you're roosting in front of the door, but I came here to talk to Khalid, not you. Now, if you'll just get out of my way, I'll.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Before you may talk to Khalid, it is quite necessary that I know who you are.

[Steve Mitchell]

Are you his bodyguard or something?

[Lieutenant Hama]

You might say that. One of my men is acting as bodyguard for the moment.

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't get it, Buster.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Hammer? Lieutenant Hama, police. Lieutenant Hammer.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, police, yes.

[Lieutenant Hama]

And now you will tell me who you are.

[Ali]

Perhaps.

[Steve Mitchell]

Here, take a look at my credentials. Perhaps.

[Lieutenant Hama]

So it does not surprise me to meet a United States agent here after the unfortunate incident of the theft of the document.

[Steve Mitchell]

But it does sort of surprise me to see a police detective here. Have you got Khalid under arrest?

[Lieutenant Hama]

Let us just say he is being detained for the moment in his house.

[Steve Mitchell]

On account of the document?

[Lieutenant Hama]

On account of his wife.

[Steve Mitchell]

What's his wife got to do with it?

[Lieutenant Hama]

At present, nothing. You see, last night she was murdered.

[Abura]

What?

[Steve Mitchell]

Wait, you. You think Khalid killed her?

[Lieutenant Hama]

We do not know at present. Her body was discovered this morning in a ditch several Hundred meters down the road. Come, I will show you the place. Here is the ditch where the wife's body was discovered, Mitchell. At that spot over there to being taken.

[Steve Mitchell]

You say her body was discovered this morning, Lieutenant Hama?

[Lieutenant Hama]

That is correct. But the time of her death is as near as we can learn. Was sometime before midnight last night.

[Steve Mitchell]

How was she killed? Shot, Stabbed?

[Lieutenant Hama]

It appears she was beaten to death.

[Steve Mitchell]

Where was her husband last night?

[Ali]

Khalid?

[Lieutenant Hama]

He claims to have been at a civic function. We are checking up on his story. Would you like to question him?

[Steve Mitchell]

In a minute. First, what is it? Up here by the road near the ditch.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Those footprints.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Yes, yes, I noticed them too. A man's footprints beside the road.

[Steve Mitchell]

Of course, they're quite a few feet from the spot where the body was in the ditch. Maybe there's no tie in. But to play safe, it might be a good idea to have a technician from your police lab come out here and check him over.

[Lieutenant Hama]

I will give the necessary orders.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay, Lieutenant. Now, I'd like to go back to the house and talk to colleague. See just what kind of a story he's got for us.

[Khalid]

If there is anything I can do to help clear up this matter, I will be only too glad to do so.

[Steve Mitchell]

That's being pretty cooperative, Khalid.

[Khalid]

The sooner the murder is solved, the sooner my name will be cleared of these absurd and vicious charges of betraying my country by allowing secret documents to pass into the hands of the others.

[Steve Mitchell]

Listen, what makes you think your wife's murder is tied in with the other deal?

[Khalid]

I just assumed that it was.

[Steve Mitchell]

I see. I'd like you to tell me where you were last night, Khalid.

[Abura]

Of course.

[Khalid]

Abura and I went first to dinner at Ali's restaurant.

[Steve Mitchell]

Who's a Bura?

[Khalid]

My aide and secretary.

[Steve Mitchell]

Go on.

[Khalid]

Then he drove me over to the new civic building. The dedication ceremony was last night. The building is not ready for use yet as the cement work is not completed. But they wish to dedicate it anyway. And I was the principal speaker. After the ceremony, Abura and I drove back here to my home.

[Steve Mitchell]

What time was it?

[Khalid]

I would say it was about midnight. When we got here, the lights were on, but my wife was missing. There were evidences of a struggle, furniture overturned and. And blood stains. I immediately called the police.

[Lieutenant Hama]

We commenced a search immediately, Mitchell. But it was not until this morning that the body was discovered.

[Khalid]

Oh, poor Saharita.

[Steve Mitchell]

Khalid, did your wife have any enemies?

[Khalid]

Enemies?

[Steve Mitchell]

Somebody who had a reason for killing her.

[Khalid]

But everyone loved Saharida. She was kind and gentle.

[Steve Mitchell]

Looks like at least one person didn't exactly love her.

[Ali]

Wait.

[Khalid]

Old Mikan.

[Steve Mitchell]

Who?

[Khalid]

Mikan, Our servant. My wife dismissed him several days ago.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, why?

[Khalid]

She would not tell me her reasons and I did not press her. But I believe there was a quarrel between them at the time.

[Steve Mitchell]

I see. Any idea where we could find this servant?

[Khalid]

No, no. When my wife dismissed me, convicted, he moved into the city.

[Steve Mitchell]

But where?

[Khalid]

I do not know.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Khalid. Can you describe him for us?

[Khalid]

I can do better than that. I believe there is a picture of him in one of these drawers. Ah, yes, yes. Here you are, gentlemen. Here it is.

[Steve Mitchell]

Thanks. Just one more thing, Khalid.

[Khalid]

Yes?

[Steve Mitchell]

I'm still interested in knowing why you connect your wife's murder to the other incident regarding the document.

[Khalid]

Why? I suppose because the two events took place within a few days of each other.

[Steve Mitchell]

According to Lt. Hama, your story is that somebody stole it from your house here.

[Lieutenant Hama]

But of course.

[Steve Mitchell]

Did you have it locked up in the safe? What?

[Khalid]

No, it was in a desk drawer.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh. Sounds like a pretty careless way to treat an important document, colleague.

[Khalid]

On the contrary, I felt I was being clever, Mr. Mitchell. I reasoned that the obvious place would be the safe and that if I merely placed the document in a desk drawer, it would be safer. But it would appear that my stratagem backfired.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, it sure would appear that way. Well, come on, Lieutenant Hama.

[Khalid]

If I may be of any further

[Steve Mitchell]

help in this matter, gentlemen, please let me know. Don't worry, we will.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Well, what do you think, Mitchell?

[Steve Mitchell]

About Khalid? Yes. I don't know, Lieutenant Hama. He seems real anxious to help. Maybe a little too anxious.

[Lieutenant Hama]

That was my thought too. His story sounded almost rehearsed.

[Abura]

I beg your pardon, gentlemen.

[Ali]

Yes?

[Abura]

It is permitted to see Khalid now. I am Abura, his aide.

[Steve Mitchell]

Sure, sure. But we'd like to ask you a couple of questions first, Abura.

[Abura]

Certainly.

[Steve Mitchell]

Were you with Khalid last evening?

[Abura]

Yes.

[Lieutenant Hama]

All evening?

[Abura]

Why, yes, up until the time I drove him home, which was about midnight. It was then that we discovered the disappearance of his wife.

[Lieutenant Hama]

That coincides with what Khalid told us.

[Ali]

Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah? What did the two of you do last night, Abura?

[Abura]

Why, first we had dinner at a restaurant named Ali's, a favorite place at Caled. Then I drove him to the building which he was to dedicate. There was the ceremony and his speech. After that I drove him back to his house here.

[Steve Mitchell]

I see. Well, all checks okay, Abora. Thank you. You're quite welcome. Come on, Lieutenant.

[Khalid]

Yes?

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, that sort of puts Khalid in the clear, I guess.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Yes, and it increases My interest in his servant.

[Steve Mitchell]

Great Nikon. Yeah, I think we'd better try and locate him right now. See if we can find out just why Khalid's wife cammed him. So we start checking all the hotels and rooming houses in the city. Four hours and 16 hotels later, we find a desk clerk who recognizes the picture of Mekan. He tells us Mikan checked out an hour ago and took a taxi cab to the depot. We do likewise in a hurry.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Mitchell, it would appear that our case is beginning to fall into place. Several days ago, the secret document disappears. Shortly after that, Khalid's wife dismisses the servant Mikan. Last night, Khalid's wife is murdered. And now, this morning, Mikan appears to be trying to flee the city.

[Steve Mitchell]

You think Mikan's the boy who stole the document and knocked off Khalid's wife, huh?

[Lieutenant Hama]

It would certainly appear that he.

[Khalid]

Wait, wait.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. Yeah, that's Mikan. Come on.

[Lieutenant Hama]

The train is ready to pull out. Mikan is trying to get aboard.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, he's not gonna make it. We're gaining on him.

[Lieutenant Hama]

He is old. He cannot move quickly.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay, Mikan, hold it. So.

[Announcer]

So.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Mikhail. Let go of me. Stand still.

[Steve Mitchell]

You seem to be in an awful hurry to get out of town, Mikan.

[Lieutenant Hama]

I was just taking a vacation dream. Do not lie. That newspaper under your arm, it is folded to the story of the murder of Khalid's wife. That is why you were leaving. Do not deny it.

[Abura]

I. Very well.

[Ali]

Yes.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Yes, that is why I was leaving. I knew that I would be blamed for the killing. Oh, but I'm innocent. I swear I did not kill her. You were dismissed by her several days ago. There was a violent quarrel between you. Yes, yes.

[Steve Mitchell]

What was the quarrel about? Mikan, I. Answer. What was the quarrel about?

[Abura]

I. I cannot tell you.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Indeed. Then I have something to tell you. You are under arrest on suspicion of murder. Mitchell, I must say, I do not understand nor enjoy your attitude. Here we have a very logical suspect. A man who can give us no alibi whatsoever for last night and who refuses to tell us why he quarrelled with a dead woman. Yet you are not satisfied.

[Steve Mitchell]

Neither are you, Hama.

[Abura]

What?

[Steve Mitchell]

You're not trying to convince me. You're trying to convince yourself.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Now, see here, Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

You don't believe me Khan's the murderer and document stealer any more than I do I.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Yes. Yes, you are right, Mitchell. It does not seem very likely that a poor, simple, old servant who had been in the employ for many years would suddenly betray his mistress husband and kill his mistress. But if Mikan is innocent. Where does that leave us?

[Steve Mitchell]

Right in the middle of nowhere.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Excuse me. Lieutenant Hammer speaking.

[Abura]

Yes?

[Lieutenant Hama]

Yes.

[Ali]

What is that?

[Lieutenant Hama]

You are certain of this? I see.

[Steve Mitchell]

Very well.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Thank you. Well, Mitchell, indeed we do have the wrong man in jail.

[Steve Mitchell]

What do you mean?

[Lieutenant Hama]

I am now convinced that the old servant is innocent. And moreover, I know who the guilty man is.

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, don't leave me there.

[Lieutenant Hama]

That was the police laboratory. Those footprints you observed beside the road near where the wife's body was discovered in the ditch.

[Abura]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Mitchell]

You were gonna have the lab check.

[Lieutenant Hama]

They did check them and compared them with the prints of all those who had any possible connection with the case.

[Steve Mitchell]

Whose prints were they?

[Lieutenant Hama]

They belonged to Khalid's aide, Abuda.

[Announcer]

Three chimes mean good times on NBC. There's fun for you tomorrow with two of your favorite families, the Blandings and the Harrises. Mr. And Mrs. Blanding stars Cary Grant and Betsy Drake in the title rose as the proud but somewhat bewildered owners of the famous dream house, the Phil Harris Alice Fay Show. Stars Phil and Alice, of course, plus ever helpful Frankie Remley, Brother Willie and delivery boy Julius. Yes, there are laughs tomorrow and every Sunday with Mr. And Mrs. Blandings and the Phil Harris Alice Fay Show. You are listening to Dangerous Assignments, starring Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

So all of a sudden, it looks like our case is winding up fast. We beat it back out to Khalid's house. Abura is still there.

[Abura]

But, gentlemen, I do not understand the reason for all these questions.

[Khalid]

Nor do I. Abura is my aide. I trust him completely.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, Abura, I thought you told us you were with Khalid all evening.

[Abura]

Why, certainly.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Then how do you explain the footprints beside the road?

[Abura]

Footprints? I do not understand.

[Steve Mitchell]

We spotted some footprints beside the road near the ditch where Khalid's wife's body was found. The police lab says that they're your prince.

[Abura]

Abura.

[Steve Mitchell]

What?

[Abura]

There must be some mistake.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Indeed, there was a mistake. And it appears that you made it. Abura.

[Khalid]

Wait, wait.

[Steve Mitchell]

What is it, Khalid?

[Khalid]

But of course. Abura, do you not remember?

[Lieutenant Hama]

What are you talking about, Khalid?

[Khalid]

The car, the engine trouble.

[Abura]

Oh, yes. The shock of being suspected made me forget.

[Steve Mitchell]

Forget what?

[Khalid]

You see, on the way home last evening, Mitchell, we had engine trouble. The car sputtered and died. Abura got out to investigate, found the trouble and fixed it. That is apparently how his footprints happen to be beside the road.

[Abura]

Khalid, to think that we were within a few feet of your wife's body at the time.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Well, Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, Lieutenant? Another lead up in smoke.

[Lieutenant Hama]

A very perplexing case, Mitchell. Suddenly we have no suspect.

[Steve Mitchell]

I know Khalid couldn't very well have done it if he was dedicating a building at the time.

[Lieutenant Hama]

And Khalid told us Abura left those prints beside while repairing the car. That appears to clear Abura.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. Neither one of us believes that the old servant Mah did the job.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Well, perhaps someone we do not know killed Khaled's wife.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, but what gets me is why was she killed? Was it to shut her mouth about something? Was there some kind of a double cross involved?

[Lieutenant Hama]

If we could but answer those questions, we.

[Steve Mitchell]

What's the matter?

[Lieutenant Hama]

Here, on my desk I just noticed there is a note for me. The laboratory technician has been trying to get in touch with us, Mitchell. He has something further to report.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, where is the lab?

[Lieutenant Hama]

Downstairs in the basement.

[Steve Mitchell]

Come on, let's find out what's on his mind.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Here we are, Mitchell. This door on the left.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay. Locked.

[Lieutenant Hama]

The technician must be out looking for us.

[Steve Mitchell]

You got a key?

[Lieutenant Hama]

Yes, yes, we can wait for him inside. After you.

[Steve Mitchell]

Thanks. Where's the light switch?

[Lieutenant Hama]

On the wall to your left.

[Steve Mitchell]

There. Now I'm there. On the floor.

[Khalid]

Yes, I see brother.

[Steve Mitchell]

That the technician?

[Commissioner]

Yes.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Stabbed to death.

[Steve Mitchell]

Looks like whatever he wanted to tell us, somebody else didn't want him.

[Commissioner]

Yes.

[Steve Mitchell]

So I guess now we'll never know what it was.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Perhaps we will, Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

What do you mean?

[Lieutenant Hama]

If we are lucky. You see, it is required that all reports to be prepared in duplicate.

[Ali]

What?

[Steve Mitchell]

Hey, maybe the killer didn't know that.

[Lieutenant Hama]

That is our one hope.

[Steve Mitchell]

Where are the duplicate copies kept?

[Lieutenant Hama]

In this basket. Wait. Perhaps this is it. Further report on footprints near SCENE of

[Steve Mitchell]

murder that must be it. Let's have it.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Here you are.

[Ali]

I see.

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't get it.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Don't get what?

[Steve Mitchell]

He says that there were traces of cement dust on some of those footprints of aboras near the ditch. But no cement dust on the rest of the prints.

[Lieutenant Hama]

But what does that mean?

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't know. Wait, there's some more. He examined the footprints around Khalid's house. He says that Khalid's footprints also show traces of cement dust.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Mitchell, this is very strange. At the scene of the crime, some of Abura's footprints contained cement dust, others did not. Then at the house, Khalid's prints contain some of the cement dust. I do not see what?

[Steve Mitchell]

Hold it a minute.

[Abura]

What?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, I think a few things just fell into place. Look, suppose you go over the lab here and see if there are any clues to the technician's killer. I'm going over and have another talk with KHAL.

[Khalid]

But I do not understand the purpose of your visit, Mr. Mitchell. Surely I have answered all of your questions.

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't think so, Khalid. Look, I want you to think back to the evening of the murder again. Now, tell me exactly what happened.

[Khalid]

But we have been over it before.

[Steve Mitchell]

And we're going over it again.

[Announcer]

Very well.

[Khalid]

My aide, Abura drove me into the city. We had dinner at a favorite restaurant of mine, a place named Ali's.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, yeah, go on.

[Khalid]

After that, Abura drove me to the new building which I was to dedicate.

[Steve Mitchell]

And from then on, Abura wasn't out of your sight, huh?

[Khalid]

That's right.

[Steve Mitchell]

He.

[Khalid]

Well, well, of course he had to go back to get my speech.

[Steve Mitchell]

What's that?

[Khalid]

Why, yes, I. I guess I forgot to mention that to you before.

[Steve Mitchell]

You sure did.

[Khalid]

You see, when I arrived at the new building, I discovered that my speech was missing from the pocket of my coat. I reasoned that it must have slipped out while we were dining, so I sent Abura back to the restaurant to get it.

[Steve Mitchell]

I see. How long was he gone?

[Khalid]

Oh, 10 or 15 minutes, perhaps.

[Steve Mitchell]

Could it have been longer than that?

[Khalid]

I suppose a few minutes more.

[Steve Mitchell]

Look, Khalid, it's very important we establish just how long Abura was gone.

[Khalid]

I know it could not have been more than a half hour because I was scheduled to speak a half hour after I arrived. And Abura had returned with the speech before then.

[Steve Mitchell]

Wait a minute. You say that Abura brought your speech back to you?

[Khalid]

But of course, that is what I sent him after.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, that could figure all right. He could have lifted it out of your pocket. Then when he came back, he handed it to you and you figured he'd gone back to the restaurant to get it.

[Khalid]

Mitchell, I do not understand all this.

[Steve Mitchell]

I'll explain in a minute. Now, look, did you discover your speech was missing as soon as you arrived at the new building?

[Khalid]

Yes, as I was getting out of the car.

[Steve Mitchell]

And you sent a Bora back after it right away?

[Khalid]

Yes.

[Steve Mitchell]

So Abora, when he left, hadn't been in the new building at all.

[Abura]

But.

[Khalid]

But yes, that is right. Of course, he came inside the building a half hour later when he returned my speech to me.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, I'd like to know about a few locations.

[Khalid]

Locations?

[Steve Mitchell]

That new building you dedicated, how far is it from your house here?

[Khalid]

Why, about a 15 minute ride.

[Abura]

I see.

[Steve Mitchell]

And this restaurant where you ate, Ali's, how far is that from the new building?

[Khalid]

Why, that is also about a 15 minute drive in the opposite direction from the building. Mitchell, these questions you are asking. Surely you do not suspect that Abura is involved in this affair?

[Steve Mitchell]

Right now it's a lot more than just a suspicion, Khalid.

[Abura]

What?

[Khalid]

I cannot believe it.

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, the way it adds up, Abura swiped your speech. Then when you told him to go back to Ali's restaurant to get it, he drove to your house instead, killed your wife, and then returned to the new building with your speech.

[Abura]

But.

[Khalid]

But why would he kill my wife?

[Steve Mitchell]

That I'm not sure of yet. But my hunch is that it ties in with the theft of that document.

[Khalid]

Mitchell, your suspicion of Abura, can you prove it?

[Steve Mitchell]

That's what I'm going to find out right now, Khalid.

[Khalid]

How?

[Steve Mitchell]

I'm going over to that restaurant and talk to Ali. If he tells me that a Bora didn't come back there to get your speech that night, then I guess that's the final nail in the Bora's coffin. I head for Ollie's. It's almost midnight when I get there and there aren't any customers. And a little guy is sitting at a table in the center of the place all alone. Are you Ollie?

[Ali]

Yes, what is it?

[Steve Mitchell]

My name is Mitchell. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions about last night.

[Ali]

Questions? What questions?

[Steve Mitchell]

Two men came to your restaurant last evening. Khalid and his aide, Abura.

[Ali]

That is quite right. They frequently dine here.

[Steve Mitchell]

Did you see either one of them again after they left here?

[Khalid]

Yes.

[Steve Mitchell]

What? Don't tell me it was Abura.

[Ali]

Why yes. He returned about half an hour later and said that Khalid had misplaced his speech.

[Lieutenant Hama]

Abu searched around the table where they

[Ali]

had eaten, found the script and left.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, fine.

[Ali]

What is the matter?

[Steve Mitchell]

Nothing much. Except my airtight case just sprang a king sized leak.

[Ali]

You do not understand.

[Steve Mitchell]

Well, you've got company there, Ollie. I don't understand either. Babura was only gone from the new building a half an hour. It's 15 minutes each way from there to here and from there to Khalid's house. So he couldn't have gone both places during that time. If he came here, he sure couldn't have gone to Khalid's house and killed his wife.

[Ali]

Findy. I do not know what any of this is about. But if you are through asking questions, I suggest that you leave. It is late and I am tired. I would like to close up.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay, Ali. Funny, I'd have sworn a Bora was my boy. But right now he's looking awfully clean. So that leaves me right back where I started. Fresh out of Leeds.

[Ali]

Please if you do not mind.

[Steve Mitchell]

Okay. Hey. Must be hotter than I thought in here. You're starting to sweat all of a sudden.

[Ali]

Yes. I'm not feeling very well. Now, if you please leave.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, I. Yeah, I'm leaving right now. What stopped me cold is the wall behind Ollie. There's a serving window there, but it's pulled down so that there's just a crack left. And in that crack, I spot a glint of metal. A gun barrel. All of a sudden, I know why Ali's sweating. And also, I know I'm not fresh out of leads after all. I start edging towards the door, real casual like, but I don't know quite make it.

[Abura]

That will keep you right where you are until I can get around the partition metric.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah, Bora, it sure will.

[Abura]

It would appear that Ali here is not a very skillful actor.

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't know. Seems to me I'd sweat too, if I knew you were holding a gun on me.

[Ali]

Please, Abura, do not kill me. I did as you ordered. I said everything you told me to say.

[Abura]

I will deal with you later, Ali.

[Steve Mitchell]

You know, Abura, I think I've finally figured out why you killed Khalid's wife.

[Abura]

Indeed?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. She was the one who stole that document for you. That's probably why she fired the old servant, Macon. He found out about it and confronted her. But when we questioned him, he was still loyal enough to her memory not to tell us anything.

[Abura]

Quite right. The Khalid's wife did procure the document for me. But when she learned that the United States was sending an agent over here to investigate, she became frightened. She said she was going to tell Khalid everything after he returned from dedicating the building.

[Steve Mitchell]

So you knew you'd have to shut her mouth. You lifted Khalid's speech out of his pocket at dinner and knowing he discovered was missing and send you after it. That gave you time to get to College's house. His wife knew why you'd come. She ran out of the house, you chased her to that ditch and killed her there.

[Abura]

Quite right, Mitchell.

[Steve Mitchell]

Later, you realized you might have left footprints near the ditch. So when you were driving Khalid home, you faked engine trouble at that spot and got out of the car and planted some more footsteps there as a cover, huh?

[Abura]

May I ask how you found out about the image?

[Steve Mitchell]

The cement dust tripped you up. You killed the lab technician to get his report. What you didn't know was that there was a duplicate copy.

[Abura]

That was rather stupid of me, wasn't it?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. That report showed traces of cement dust in Some of your prints and none in others. I remembered Khalid telling me that the cement work in that new building wasn't even finished yet. That meant cement dust on the floors. You hadn't set foot in the building yet when Khalid sent you after the speech. So when you killed his wife and left those first footprints, there was no cement dust in them.

[Abura]

But later, when I pretended car trouble and got out of the car, I did have cement dust on the bottom of my shoe.

[Steve Mitchell]

That's right. Because in the meantime, you'd been inside that building while Khalid was making his speech.

[Abura]

I admire your cleverness, Mitchell. It is a pity it comes too late for you.

[Steve Mitchell]

Oh, what happens now?

[Abura]

To a clever man such as your stock, the answer should be quite obvious. You and Ali here are the only ones who know my little secret. No.

[Lieutenant Hama]

You're not going to kill me.

[Abura]

I'm afraid I must, Ali. Yes. I must kill both of you.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. I got news for you, Abura. You're gonna have to choose which one of us to kill.

[Abura]

What do you mean? I will kill both of you.

[Steve Mitchell]

I don't think so. Ollie and I are on opposite sides of the room, and you're in the center. You shoot one of us, the other will jump you. So which one of us is it gonna be? Take your pick. I'm just running a bluff. Ollie's camera, terrified to be of any help. But the bluff works, because Abura takes his eyes off me a second to shoot a glance at Ollie, and that second is long enough. I dive for the light switch. The slug whistles over me. I hug the floor in the dark and fish my gun out of my pocket. Now I'm gonna wait and let Abura make the next move. Then I hear a car outside. There's light enough through the window to tell me it's Lieutenant Hama. This is just great. If he walks in that door, he'll get a slug. If I try to warn him, I'll reveal my position and then I'll collect the slug. Gotta think of something fast. Then my elbow bunts an object beside me. A serving cart loaded with dishes. I push it a few inches. The wheels don't make any noise. I give it a shove towards the wall and wait before it throws a shot in the direction of the noise. I spot the flash and let him have it. I'm okay, Lieutenant. Get the light.

[Lieutenant Hama]

K told me you were over here. By the looks of Abura, I would say the work has been done.

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah.

[Ali]

Is it safe now?

[Steve Mitchell]

Aha. You can crawl out from under that table, Ollie.

[Lieutenant Hama]

So Abura was our killer?

[Steve Mitchell]

Yeah. He threw me off the trail by getting Ollie to give him an alibi, but I finally tumbled to it. Yeah, Abora had a pretty neat scheme rigged, but it was that cement dust that pinned the killing on him. I guess that's what you might call concrete evidence.

[Announcer]

Dangerous Assignment, starring Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell with Herb Butterfield as the commissioner, is written by Bob Rife and Adrian John Doe with music by Robert Armbruster and is produced and directed by Bill Karn. Others in today's cast were Jan Arvan, Paul Duboff, Shep Menken, Wally Mayer and Don Diamond. Be with us again next week at this same time when Brian Donlevy, starring in the role of Steve Mitchell, will embark on another dangerous assignment. Three chimes mean good times on NBC. Tomorrow there's another hour and a half broadcast of radio's greatest show, the Big show, starring Eddie Arnold, Jack Carson, Eddie Cantor, Olivia de Havilland, Martha Ray and many more. Your MC on the Big show, of course, is the glamorous and unpredictable Tallulah. And tomorrow Theater Guild on the Air presents Light up the sky starring Joan Bennett, Sam Levine and Thelma Ritter. Now hear Herbert Marshall as the Man Called X on NBC.