5 Detective Novels Magazine — page 105: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

COMPLIMENTS OF A FIEND “What kind of business?” “He came down to see me, Ed,” Reeder cut in, trying to pour oil on the waters. “What about?” Magnus swung around to Reeder, ignoring me. His manner had said he wasn’t going to believe any- thing I told him anyway. “He hasn’t told me yet, Ed. But I think I ean guess. And if I guess right, it’s a private matter. He wouldn’t want to tell you—not until he’s talked to me about it first.” “That’s right, Sheriff,” I said. “And it’s a business matter that has nothing to do with corpses on the road, so you can leave it out of this.” Magnus grunted ungraciously. “You walked out from town?” “That’s right. Phoned you the minute I got here. When I found the body, I figured I could get here and phone quicker than get back to town.” “Sure he hadn’t been hit by a car?” “His throat was torn out,” I said. “His throat—” Ed Magnus’ face started to get red. “Just a minute, Ed,” Reeder cut in again. “We didn’t get the whole story. We'd like to hear it, too. How about you and Tip Overholt ‘sitting down and hav- ing a glass of wine and letting Tommy tell it his own way. Then you'll know what questions to ask him, and— Well, sit down.” He’d obtained two more glasses while he was talking, and filled them. Magnus still looked mildly apoplectic, but he took the glass of wine, and sat down. Overholt took his and thanked Reeder, but leaned against the wall beside the door to drink it. “Go ahead, Tommy,” Reeder said. “Fake your time. And don’t interrupt him, Ed.” It did me good to hear someone tell Magnus where to get off. I don’t know pe Reeder got away with it, but he id. “Okay,” I said. I told him just what had happened, from the time I’d seen the figure in the tall corn and heard it growl, until I’d reached Reeder’s place. “Strange,” Reeder said. Magnus got up, heavily. “Come on, let’s get going. You can show us the place, Lederer.” When we got out to the car, I got in 105 the back seat, and Magnus got in with me. Tip Overholt got in front alone, and drove. : “Just a little this side of a clump of elms between a cornfield and a field of alfalfa, right side of the road, quarter of a mile from here,” I told him. Overholt nodded without turning around. Magnus didn’t talk and I was glad of that. I didn’t want to talk to him either. Overholt stopped the car. “About here?” “Yeah,” I said. “Ten or fifteen yards ahead.” I looked out through the wind- shield and couldn’t see any sign of it. “You can walk that far,” Magnus said. “Get out and find it for us.” Hl Ep MAGNUS’ tone of voice was not to my liking, but I got out, and walked up ahead. I took the flashlight out of my pocket and played it around in the ditch. There hadn’t been any rain for two weeks, so the ground was dry and hard. I didn’t find a thing. Whoever had moved the corpse—and I was sure it hadn’t walked away by itself—hadn’t left any sign that I could find. I came back. “You didn’t move it?” I asked. “You’re not being funny about this?” “Get back in the car.” “What for?” “You’re under arrest—material wit- ness to a crime. If there wasn’t any crime and you got me out here for the fun of it, then it’s disorderly conduct.” I got in. He had me there, all right. My neck was out a mile. When we arrived in front of his of- fice, he spoke to Overholt. “You go on ahead. Teil the boys I’ll be there later. You, Lederer, come on in here. We’re going to have a little talk.- “T should never have come back here,” I thought. “I’m going to hit him pretty soon and end up in the jug, a glorious finish to a triumphal return— Nope, can’t do that. I’ll pretend I’m scared of him, and nothing will happen.” “Sit there,” Magnus said, and pointed to a chair in the corner, where I’d have the light in my eyes. He put his hands TOO nn Gomnile iS