5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

twenty minutes later he heard a shot in the inner room and when he went in, Mr. Shephard was dead at his desk, and no one was there.” I stared “But your brother—” It was evident that she was restrain- ing herself with an effort. “There is a fire-escape outside the window. The evidence was that Charley shot Shephard, then went down the fire- escape.” “And what did your brother, claim?” I asked. She wet her lips. “He claimed that he came up to see Shephard and stayed only ten minutes. When he came out, Boring was not in the outer office. I talked it over with Mr. Peyton. His paper was for my brother during his trial, and Peyton told me that our only chance of getting the governor to commute the sentence was to break down Boring’s testimony.” “And did you?” She indicated the package of papers. “This is his affidavit. He swears in it that on the night Mr. Shephard was murdered, he stepped out of the office for a few minutes and admits that Charley could have left during that in- terval, and that someone could have gone up the fire-escape and killed Shep- hard.” I frowned. ‘Then why did he testify the way he did at the trial?” “Because he got two threatening tele- phone calls, telling him that if he changed his testimony, the murder would be pinned on him,” Judy said. “Okay,” I told her. to do now is talk to the governor.” She shook her head. “He can’t. He was found dead in his hotel room early this morning.” I swore under my breath. “Look, was your brother married?” “Married? Of course not. Why do you ask?” I SHOOK my head. ‘‘Who’s behind all this? Who wants your brother out of the way?” She hesitated. “I don’t know. Worth and Hawkins were Shephard’s partners. They’re handling the old Garron farm, and if the wells come in, they’ll owe us a lot of rovalties. But I don’t see how “All Boring has . FIVE DETECTIVE NOVELS MAGAZINE Charley’s death would help them. Petie Smith is the town boss and an old enemy of my father, but I can’t believe that he would do this, just for revenge. Then there is a group of gamblers that Charley wrote a lot of articles about. The newspaper had been fighting them. They’re headed by a man named Tom Martin.” I had been looking around while she was talking. Beside the fireplace, pitch had run out of some pine logs and made a kind of puddle on the floor. I stooped, looked at it, then got a piece of paper and picked some up, wrapping it and stuffing it into my pocket. “Haven’t you any friends at all?” I asked her then. She nodded. “Mr. Peyton and Mr. Van Doan stood by. So did my broth- er’s attorney, Cliff Reed.” ‘“‘Where’s he now?” I asked. cS went up to the capital yesterday an wane Her words died as there came a sound from the front porch, then the front door was pushed open. -We stared at each other for a mo- ment in silence, then our eyes shifted to the body of the police chief. I was standing nearer the switch. I took two steps and clicked it off, then moved to the hall door and opened it gently. Someone was coming along the hall. I could hear the girl breathing in the darkness behind me. It sounded so loud that I was certain the man out- side must be able to hear it. But evi- dently he didn’t, for the oncoming foot- steps never faltered. I saw his shadow before I saw him, then he started to pass the door, and my hand shot out and grabbed his arm. I dragged him in, wrapping my arms around him. He was strong but not as strong as I was. He fought to free himself, but I had his arms locked at his sides. I called to the girl to turn on the lights. She pushed the switch, and the next instant I heard her gasp: Something i in her tone made me loosen my grip and step back. The fellow I had caught was about my age, a handsome guy with blond hair. His suit, I decided, had cost the better part of a hundred bucks, and he wore it as if he’d been CoOnniclooo SJ (C(C) mM