5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

° DOOM FOR THE GROOM and a suave looking man in an immacu- late gray suit stepped into the hall. There was a white carnation in his lapel, and the toes of his tan shoes glowed like mirrors. “Any luck?” he asked. Rick grimaced. “A busy signal is all I get. She must have her receiver off the hook. . . . Scott, I’ve got a feeling that something’s bad wrong.” scott glanced at his wrist watch. “It’s passed three-thirty,” he said. “Kay’s over an hour late.” Slowly his expres- sion turned from one of concern into one of sympathy. “Rick, don’t get yourself all worked up, now. Women are funny. Maybe—” “I know you’ve got to be getting back to your office,” Rick cut in. “No use to wait any longer. Drop me off at her place on your way back, will you?” Scott nodded understandingly. “Sure,” he said softly. Rick grew uneasy as he thought about telling the minister and his wife that it was all off. They’d want to talk about it, and he’d have to tell them the whole story. The minister would want to know how long he had known this young lady, Kay Ryan, who had failed to come to her own wedding. Then he’d tell them: two of the fullest, most complete months of his life. Of course, the wife would shake her head sadly and mention the pitfalls of a hasty courtship. Then he would tell them that sometimes a short interval can be a very long time. The last hour, for instance, had been like a year. How did he meet her? Official busi- ness. When he’d say that, he’d see the questions in their eyes and have to ex- plain. He’d say that Scott Remley could tell them about this part because he was manager of the Eagle Distrib- uting Company where Kay worked as a - buyer. Two months ago a series of rob- beries had started at that firm; three of their trucks were hijacked and the cargoes of expensive gift items had vanished into thin air. Rick had been assigned to the case. While working on it, he had seen Kay and asked about her, and Scott had in- troduced them. They fell in love—quick- ly and completely. It was a whirlwind romance, spotted between false leads on 3 the case and wild goose chases. Finally their romance climaxed, and they de- cided to get married. Now this seemed’ 3 be the biggest goose chase of them all. Why? Rick met Scott out at the curb and they climbed into Scott’s maroon convertible. Scott gunned away from the curb. : Nervously Rick stuck a cigarette be- tween his lips, jabbed the lighter. Scott glanced at him and said, “Take it easy.” It had a mocking sound to Rick. Take it easy! Did any man ever take it easy when his bride-to-be failed to show at her own wedding? Could you just shrug it off when you had a wedding ring in your pocket and railroad tickets to Miami for a honeymoon and a desire for a certain woman that went almost be- yond desire and the whole damned works blew up in your face? = It worries a guy, makes him wonder about things. The lighter in the dash snapped out, and its sound went through Rick like a knife. He took it out and touched it to the end of his cigarette. He’d al- ways been proud of his nerves. They were like steel. He hdd looked death in the face and had not flinched. He had to hold his cigarette with his other hand in order to light it. “Rick, you’ve had too much strain lately,” Scott said. “These robberies, the wedding—you’ve been in high gear too long.” Rick inhaled deeply on-his cigarette, blew a gush of smoke into the wind- shield. “Frankly,” Scott went on, “these rob- beries have put me on edge, too. Oh, sure, as long as you keep men watching the trucks nothing happens, but as soon as you pull them off, one of our trucks get hijacked. It’s as if someone on the inside of the firm is tipping the gang who’s pulling these jobs as to just when the trucks are being watched. It’s get- ting to where I don’t even trust myself any more.” ~“You know the department is doing everything it can,” Rick said a little ir- ritably. “It’s almost impossible to trace that kind of stolen goods. There are ANICLOOO CO) S (C(O) mM