5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

116 “Brother, I’ve offered to prove it to you in private. I’m going to act out the crime the way you did it. When you see, you'll reach for your dough. And I can’t cross you. If I did, I’d joke my head out of an accessory-after-the-fact rap—concealing a criminal. Right?” “Yeah, you're right.” He wasn’t frowning any more. He was that smooth, slick smiler, except for the gauze and tape on his face. “Show me.’ It was getting near dusk when we headed out over the bridge and passed the ostrich and alligator farm at the north end of the island. It didn’t take us long to cover the fifteen miles to the Last Stop Service Station. When I got out of my bus, I knew it was going to be somebody’s last stop— Borda’s, George Lake’s, or mine. Borda followed me into the office, and I pointed at the tire iron. “Just like the one that killed Ryer- son,” I said, “except it hasn’t got Lake’ cS} fingerprints on it. It’s wiped clean.” Borda began rubbing his vest buttons, slow and languid. “Now what?” he breathed. That worried me. He’d made that same kind of move the last time he had tried to pull a gun on me. If he got am- bitious when my back was turned, I wouldn’t be clearing George Lake, and my reputation would make Borda okay with the law. If I beat him to it, I’d be behind the eight ball. I couldn’t make this case against a dead man. Then that Hale business would sink me if I got Borda before he began resisting arrest. Boy, I was sweating, and my stomach felt funny. I glanced around for a sec- ond, wondering if Valeria was hid out of sight and yet was close enough to hear things. “While we go upstairs, I’ll explain,” I said. “I’ll be Ryerson. You'll be your- self. And we’ll imagine Lake is squat- ting in the garage.” “T like games,” Borda said, chuckling. “Don’t be afraid of handling that tire iron down there. You’ll use a handker- chief the way you did when you hit Ryerson.” He tightened a bit, then shrugged. “The cops thought of that one, sap,” he retorted. “Okay, okay. Lake’s greasy hands left FIVE DETECTIVE NOVELS MAGAZINE prints that your handkerchief didn’t blot. Transmission grease is like that. But don’t worry about being framed by aia iron. The original one is with the ey going!” he snapped, impatient no “All right. You’re drunk.” EK WENT over the threshold into the room while I walked into Ryerson’s room. “l’m packing a_ suitcase,” I called. “You’re not really drunk. You know he’s trying to dig up that loot and run out before the cops get here. If Valeria, you, Ryerson, and I get questioned about Hale, someone is going to spill about stolen securities. Then you'll be out of luck for keeps. Ryerson takes a rap. You both want to run out, and you know he’s trying to do you another double- cross.” “Mind reader, huh?” Borda sneered. “That ain’t worth five grand.” I came out and went into the kitchen. “T got a flashlight and a heavy knife,” I said. “Heavier than this little one I just picked up. I hear you snoring and mumbling. It fools me. I tried to get you drunk and I don’t know you're faking. So I’m going down those creaky stairs to the back to dig under a paving block.” “All right. Are you doing it or just talking?” “I’m doing it. While I’m doing it, you’ll see you were a damn liar. You cooked a fast story and it’s lousy. If I hadn’t nailed Lake, the cops would have grab- bed you and you’d be sunk. But they’re so happy about Lake, they didn’t think about the cockeyed things.” “Such as what?” He was polishing his vest buttons. But his eyes told me he was afraid to draw, even if I had both hands full with a flashlight and a knife. “Put up or shut up.” ~ “When Ryerson went down the back stairs, you knew what for. You couldn’t sneak down after him, because the creak- ing would give you away. You didn’t have your gat, so you ran down the front steps which are solid. At the phone, you picked up the tire iron and sneaked along the side of the building toward the back. Lake saw a man, and it wasn’t in that room, GO JOO AMC S nn