 This is John Steele reporting on adventure The quietest place in New York City is the explorers Club I make it my first stop whenever I make the mistake of coming home Now this doesn't happen very often my coming home. I mean and every time I do land in these United States Well, anyway, I call this transcribe yarn the balloon I Was in New York and had taken refuge in the explorers Club a lot of my pals were there And we were talking about faraway places with strange-sounding names while drinking hot tea out of thick china mugs and eating Unleavened African bread which made everybody feel right at home at home. Who am I kidding? One look around the club and you got the feeling the members just didn't know what to do with themselves in New York New York had already been discovered Explored and settled and the nearest thing to a jungle was a department store But it was nice to be back home for a while so long as I didn't have to stay too long. I Was idly scanning the newspaper and I happened to notice a rather odd item It was worded very simply and to the point wanted Unattached man of good appearance must be 38 and of adventurous background Applicant need not apply unless he has courage call 29 0607 promptly at 6 p.m. Today. I Read the advertisement over a couple of times since I had nothing to lose except my mind I decided to put in a call. It was a few minutes to six You ran an advertisement in the newspaper. I think the name steel John steel Let's say I move around from place to place Explorers club suit you Okay, what's the pitch in time? Who are you anyhow? I see I will give you another telephone Go ahead Plus a 4 4 4 6 7. Mm-hmm. What do I call up number at once? Who do I say sent me? I see what you mean chum. Well, that's always a good start Suppose I introduced myself I'm John steel a friend gave me this number to call Yeah, I'm beginning to think so You tell me look, I'm not too amused by all this, you know me. I'm just curious I'm curious too that puts us in a common plane Do you know a bar called the Antwerp not offhand, but I'll find it meet me there at the bar in half an hour How will I know you you'll know me You could be right The one alarming aspect of this deal was that I had to leave the safety of the explorers club and venture into the streets of New York I Decided on a cab and hope for the best every time the cab crossed an intersection. I closed my eyes and waited for sudden death But I went on living and the cab took me to the Antwerp bar a very ritzy and cozy place Where tired businessmen were able to discuss stock market details with their efficient secretaries? At one end of the bar. I spotted a mink coat It was worn by a redhead who stared at me as I came in I figured she was my date I Could be wrong, but haven't we met before? Is that the best you can do what do I have to do better girl just can't sit at a bar these days Can't you you seem to be sitting at one you have your nerve? Do you know that don't we have a date? I didn't make a date with anybody My mistake. Oh, don't go away. Why not? I just told you I don't have a date, but I do have one Why don't you offer a girl a drink? You've got one Well, then I'll take a champagne cocktail with you What's your name John steel stick around Johnny? I'm beginning to think I should if your date doesn't show up We can have dinner. Let me know when you're hungry. I I Like you Johnny John steel is there a mr. John steel here over here Telephone calls here. You take it with both. Yeah, excuse me. I won't go away Hello Yeah, not yet. Mr. Steele. I want you to look at the number of the phone you are using Will you do that? Okay Do you recognize the number? When I called last time I talked to you exactly Well, what about it? I simply wanted to save you the trouble of trying to trace the number. Oh, I see Look, who's this redheaded dame that I this is getting monotonous. I missed you Johnny I'll bet you did I ordered two steaks. All right. I like mine rare. I was sure you did I ordered it rare I like mine medium. You picked out a nice table to cozy isn't it? What's your name grace? Grace Whitehead now the name doesn't add up That's very cute. Well, I used to be a blonde Okay, I'll play it your way play what what happens when we're through dinner Do you have time to go up to Irvington? Where's that along the river? What's waiting at Irvington some friends of mine? Would you like to go? Do you have a car? I have one, but you'll have to drive it. I'm not a very good driver Parkway is nice in the winter. Oh, yeah, you've ever been on this one before a long time ago. It's called the saw mill I know Johnny. Yeah. Are you glad you met me? So far. Yeah, is this part of the routine? This was the type of situation with which I wasn't too familiar Grace Whitehead was quite a doll. She was more than pretty and on the bright moonlight that flooded the sawmill River Parkway There was something starry eyed about her. I was driving her car. It was a European sports model There was no traffic on the parkway and it was tough trying to hold my speed down to a sensible 60 miles So when Grace started to cry about nothing in particular, I kept my eyes on the road I figured she knew what she was crying about and if she wanted to talk about it. She would I'm sorry Johnny feeling better. I don't know Anything you want to talk about? No Okay, I Was being silly why not? Johnny you take the next exit. All right. We're nearly there Johnny along this lane It's a big place. I mean a lot of grounds the house isn't so big But they have about 50 acres of land a lot of woods. Well, you just tell me where to turn in here We're coming to a gateway on the right. Yes, there it is turn in there. It's a long driveway Nobody home there must be and they're in bed. No Johnny. They expect me No sign of any lights. Well, maybe they're at the back. Oh, come on. Let's ring the bell there. We are expected. Oh, yes The eight o'clock besides door must be home. Who's Dora? Mrs. Vastig ring the bell Johnny. Okay Well, they must be if you say so try the door they wouldn't go out and leave the door unlocked. Just see if it's open Johnny Okay, so I was wrong. That's going Sure, we'll play this one the way it's being dealt. We can wait in the living room across there Nice place. There's a bar in the corner if you want to fix a drink Just make ourselves at home, huh? You fix a drink while I go upstairs. I'm sure Dora must be here. Why well She's a sick girl. She spends her time in bed There was nothing yet that fell into any kind of a pattern. I Fixed a couple of drinks while I waited for Grace to come back downstairs While I fixed them I started thinking about the girl who might be upstairs a sick wife who spent all of her time in bed What possible connection did she have with the mysterious advertisement? I'd answered It was a good question, but I had no answer for it. Is that unusual? I just don't understand well It's easy. She's out. I don't get it. I don't get it Johnny. You don't get what I was expected They left the door open for you. Well, I know well, maybe they're calling on neighbors and they'll be back any minute now Could be that What else Johnny let's go Why please Johnny, please please do as I say here you have a drink there. I don't want it. Let's get out of here You're you're scared. I know I am scared of what Johnny don't ask crazy questions Just let's get out of here. You want to answer it? No Somebody should know let it ring It could be your friend. Let it ring Let's see who it is Grace. No Hello Well, what do you know two things mr. Steele. Oh at least two. Yeah your salary You are interested in that who isn't I will meet you tomorrow and we'll give you $1,000 for doing what? For not asking questions, mr. Steele. It's a habit. I have I will telephone you at the explorers club at noon tomorrow Just why am I at this house tonight? The answer lies at the back of the house. Where go out the back door Walk about 500 yards along a path that leads through the woods until I see what a summer house I say go into the summer house and wait there. How long you will know when you get there And when am I supposed to go there at exactly leave the house 830? Okay, who was it Johnny? Don't you know Simon who knew you were here. Yeah, how about that? I don't know I Just don't know. I'm scared. Please. Let's get out of here. Look. What's it all about? I can't tell you I'm supposed to take a walk through the woods. Don't go why not Johnny Please let's get out of here. You brought me here. It was part of a plan. I want to know the answer, baby Johnny Johnny, please. Let's go please. It's 830 and I'm taking that walk. No, no, no, no What's out there in the summer house nothing nothing? You want to talk about it It is not the kind of guy I expected to meet. No, you're nice You're too nice Johnny. Is that good or bad? You're supposed to go to the summer house and wait there. Yeah, that's right And as soon as you leave I'm supposed to drive away and leave you here then what? After a while you get tired of waiting in the summer house and come back here and you'd be gone She'd be here in this living room. Oh Dora his wife I See only she'd be dead Strangle to death While you're out of the house, he'll bring her in here and leave her here for you to find you mean I'm supposed to be framed for a murder Yes Let me take it the dame at the other end was sick. She sounded very weak I was sure it was Dora Vostick the gal who should have been upstairs and then She was also the gal who according to plan was supposed to be brought into the house after I went out and then murdered Something was not going according to plan Dora. It must have been her Johnny. She wants to come home here Vostick is not with her This is not the way he had it planned if I was to be the patsy for her death I don't get it. I don't get it Vostick should be here any minute, but if Dora is not with him forget Dora He'll be here Sit down. We'll wait. I'll be in the next room when he comes. Don't let him know I'm here Someone just came into the house. I don't be scared you forgot the plan Did you forget the original plan had been very impersonal Vostick had a sick wife. He wanted to get rid of her when it happened It would look as if a man had entered the house while she was there alone and had killed her The house was lonely surrounded by woods All Vostick needed was a patsy to frame for the murder. That was where I came in While I was out taking that walk through the woods Vostick would secretly enter the house with his wife killer then vanished My fingerprints would be all over the place and I had no way of tracing my reason for being there to him My star witness Grace Whitehead according to plan would have disappeared. It was real cute Only something had either gone wrong or plans had been changed I kept out of sight when Vostick came into the house. He forgot his accent. I'm surprised to find you here Grace I know I should have left some minutes ago Paul listen. No dear You listen to me you scare me do I please don't steal is not here No Poor fella Look Paul, you know you've carried out your part very well Grace Very well indeed. Well, I know you should have left here by now In your car Paul you're hurting me of course. You would have encountered me along the driveway Grace I changed my mind you see Dora I decided against killing her for you. I'm glad oh Paul you've no idea how glad I am I really am don't kid me great. I mean it you mean you're scared Paul you do scare me You're not a very nice girl Grace You're going to be a party to what they call murder. I didn't want to go through with it Didn't you know I didn't really the shame you have let me go Paul Please don't hold me so tight see when you didn't show up along that driveway I didn't wait for you. I came to you instead. Oh, what's the matter with you? I was waiting along that driveway to kill you What I was going to kill you out there kill me instead of my wife Let me go I will in just a few moments crazy. You're crazy. You see you knew this house was empty You came here with a strange man. You'd picked up this fellow steal and He killed you you couldn't get away with that Paul. Oh, yes, I can pull your wife telephone here. She spoke to John steal She know is no, and she knows a strange man was in the house that helps me quite a lot grace Why would you want to kill me you could prove an embarrassment grace? No, I couldn't trust you could know my dear It's better this way No one can connect you with me No one ever saw us together who were always much too careful. I'm sorry Grace This is the only solution It'll all be over in a moment I'll do jump right? I'm John steal the guy you swine Now I've never prided myself on being a world beater when it came to trading punches Usually I do okay, and I'm used to roughing it up with the various characters. I run into I don't always come out on top This was one of those occasions Paul Vostick with or without an accent was a tough boy Tough enough that he took me by surprise and I landed in one corner of his living room with a chair wrapped around my skull By the time I was through with my unrehearsed astronomical observations Vostick was out in the driveway running for his own car Johnny Where did I pick you up? Are you all right, Johnny? I'll tell you in a minute Yeah, are you all right come on? Let's go right where somewhere to settle unfinished business. Come on Even caught up with him yet. Well, don't go after him. Okay, you stay here. No, Johnny. I'm scared You should be she only I changed my mind you saw I didn't want to go through with it I didn't want him to hurt his wife. You reformed just in time to save your conscience must have been crazy. Yeah Johnny what I fell for you. I didn't want him anymore. He could have his wife I didn't want him anymore. I sent him a telegram. Don't you understand Johnny? It's you. I want not him There he is that must be him right ahead Johnny you're doing 85 miles an hour the only way to overtake your boyfriend It's not my boyfriend. Did he buy you this car? No, he should have it's quite a bus You're a crazy guy, aren't you Johnny? We'll pass him in just 10 seconds If he doesn't they'll be quite a wrecked His brakes work real good. Let's make it wrong too. Listen you fool later. Bye for the jackpot No, we're gonna kill this girl. She'd have destroyed my life She wanted me to give up everything I had for her Threatened me a couple of times Planned it Johnny. Let's go back to New York, please. Yeah, that's where you made your big entrance into my life That's where you better make your exit, baby. He's crazy Johnny. I don't care about him anymore. It's you now get in the car I'm strictly a foreigner, baby from Timbuktu Believe me. I'm on my way back there. My first day in evening in New York was not my idea of a restful change I walked around New York City studying people's faces Well, they looked worried about something but they didn't look scared me. I was scared The morning after I picked up Grace I realized I've been driving her car without a driving license When my back mail was delivered to me. I found a notice from the income tax people. They wanted to see me about something I Should have stood in Africa. You meet some crazy people there, too So friends be around next week, huh? For an adventure that took place in bar town Population unlisted a fly spec on the map. It's a real adventure. I like to call junk mine Heard with me on today's transcribe John Steele adventure where Mary Ashworth and Ross Martin. I'm Don Douglas so until next week then and Junk mine Remember adventure is where you find it but don't look for it. It may find you John Steele adventurer was brought to you Through the facilities of the United States armed forces radio and a television service