5 Detective Novels Magazine — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

THE DAME FROM CHICAGO Again her hand came out of her purse, and she carelessly tossed something on the desk before Malik’s eyes. His mouth opened, and he couldn’t suppress a slight exclamation as the stones glittered be- neath the light. It was a diamond neck- lace, and Malik’s trained eyes instantly told him that it would be a bargain in anv retail store at a hundred thousand dollars. “You—you mean—” “Your brain’s working now, Malik. Sure. The cops were right. One of ’em was a dame. Poor Mike. He wasn’t much of a sprinter in the pinch. That cop nailed him when he was within five feet of the corner. I made it and kept going fast. I got to our car and got away fast and I mean fast. I ditched the coveralls as soon as [ got a chance and drove on like a perfect lady. But I had the neck- lace.” Joseph Malik pushed the necklace across the desk toward her. “Get it out of sight,” he said. “I don’t like it. How do you know the cops haven’t spotted you and tailed you here? This Mike may have squawked on you.” She shook her head confidently. “Not Mike,” she said. “They won’t get a thing out of Mike. He’ll take his rap and keep his mouth shut. He’s not only a right guy but he’s nuts about me. They'll never get anything out of him. And I'll guarantee you that I’m not being tailed. I’ve been around too long to overlook a tail, Malik. Besides the cops wouldn’t fool with a tail if they did spot me. They’d pick me up and quick and make me cough up the bauble. But I’m not too anxious to carry it around. I’d like to turn it into quick cash.” Malik looked at her for fifteen sec- onds, a gleam in his eyes and his mind working in high gear. “I don’t Think I’d be interested,” he said finally. “I have a nice little business here and I had de- cided not to take any chances. In spite of your letter of introduction and your ref- erence—still I am not acquainted with you. Suppose I bought the necklace from you. For all I know you might sing like a canary if the cops picked you up later.” “T wouldn’t chirp!” she denied fiercely. “Besides the cops aren’t going to pick me up. They can check all they please, but they won’t hook me up with the job. 91 I’m a big girl and a smart one. The cops haven’t even got my prints or picture. For the record, I’m clean.” Malik leaned back and folded his hands and looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’m short on ready cash,” he said in a hard voice. “Three thousand would be the most I could raise at the moment. You probably wouldn’t be interested in an offer like that.” “Three grand!” she exclaimed. The smile had left her face, and there was a sneer in her voice. “You know damn well I wouldn’t let it go for that. Those dia- monds are worth at least forty grand wholesale. Allowing for risk and profit and everything, you could well afford to pay ten grand and you know it as well as I do.” Malik frowned heavily and seemed to consider. “I wasn’t stalling about being short of cash right now,” he told her. “But I might be able to raise more if I had a little time. I might be able to meet that ten grand figure in a day or so.” “T can wait,” she said quickly. “When shall I come back?” “You ought to know better than that,” he said severely. “You can’t be running in and out of here. For all I know, cops might be watching my place at any given moment. When I get things ready I'll have to get in touch with you. I’ll tell you where to meet me to make the deal and I’ll pick a place where we will both be in the clear. How can I get in touch with you?” “Easy,” she said, letting the necklace run slowly through her fingers and into her bag. “I’ve been in town two months. I have a nice little apartment. My phone is Colbert 89663. You just give me a ring when you’re ready and I'll meet you wherever you say. And you can call me Caroline. But no one else would ever an- swer my phone.” MINUTE later she walked out of the store. The pasty-faced clerk looked back through the pane in the private office as though he expected he might get a signal from Malik. But Malik shook his head. The clerk stared at the girl. He saw her look out carefully along the street before she opened the door. She took another quick but comprehensive glance as she opened the door and walked MICLOO (CO) SS