5 Detective Novels Magazine — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

GOOD DEAL A True Story by HAROLD HELFER The police got the killer—before they were sure there had even been a murder! SED car dealers are supposed to be a particularly money-mad bunch. It’s a sort of running gag among radio comedians. Actually, though, it seems, they’re pretty much like the rest of us. This is a piece about a used car dealer in Dallas, Texas, who—because his con- science bothered him some after an auto trade—brought about the downfall of a cold-blooded killer. “Conscience” is really too strong a term to apply in this instance, though. Everything in the transaction was open and aboveboard. But just the same the auto dealer couldn’t zet it off his mind. The well-built rather handsome young man had shown up with an almost new Buick. He wanted to trade it for an older 96 and smaller car and cash. The used eax dealer had said, all right, he’d give him a two-year-old Chevrolet and two hun. dred dollars in cash for it. Now that really wasn’t the most equi: table of offers. But, on the theory that there probably would be a little “horse. trading” involved, as generally happens in this kind of auto deal, the used cal merchant had started out with an offe! on the low side. But much to his sur prise the young man had taken him uj on it immediately. The car dealer didn’t even have tha much cash on hand. But the young mai said he’d take the eight dollars in cas} that he did have and a check for $192 He explained he had two youngster COMICMOOOKS.€O