5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

34 lap and let her see me slide the gun be- neath it. I said, “Okay, baby, now we talk. Straight talk this time, because you’re in as dangerous a mess as I am now that they know you came to me. Not many hours ago they did their level best to kill me. They’ll try again, unless I beat them to it, and this time they have to include you in the festivities.” “I know, Johnny,” she said softly. “You’ve got to believe this. I honestly thought I was doing you a favor when I swore you’d picked me up and I alibied you for the time of that killing.” “Who told you to do it?” “Galey. That is, Mr. Ward did— through Galey. I work for the steam- ship company. My father is one of the freighter captains. Galey told me if I didn’t do exactly as he said, Dad would lose his job and so would I. Then he claimed you were a friend of Mr. Ward and said you were in trouble and that if I lied a little, I’d help to get you out of it. All those others were paid off, too.” “Have you any idea why they wanted me alibied?” . 7 “No, Johnny. When you work for Mr. Ward, you take his orders and never ask questions.” “And I never did get to spend the night with you.” She laughed softly. It sounded like a hoot of derision to me. [ SAID, “Well, even in imagination, it was quite an experience. I’ll give you a quick rundown on what I know so far. Joan Haven saw me kill this big lug at her apartment. She knows it was self- defense but she ran out. I think it’s more likely she was taken away. Joan was get- ting three hundred dollars a month. Why, I’m not sure but I think it had something to do with the violent death of her husband eleven years ago.” “But how does all this concern Mr. Ward?” she asked. “Ward killed Joan’s husband.” “Murdered him?” “T didn’t say that, baby. It was a hunt- ing accident. Ward was absolved. I don’t know what happened after that and I suspect that only Joan knows the whole truth. Ward is afraid that if she is pinched, even as a material witness, FIVE DETECTIVE NOVELS MAGAZINE she’ll start talking. I gather she’s loose- tongued, anyway.” “But what has it got to do with you, Johnny? Why is Ward after you?” “Because I saw Joan the day before the killing. She was very tight, had been drinking for some time, I suspect. At any rate, she must have thought she told me more than she did. That scared her and she told Ward. Things moved fast after that. I killed this man and got Joan ee Ward had to take action and he ] = “Maybe he—he killed this woman,” Cora suggested. “I doubt it. Whatever she has on him must be in some tangible form which would be left behind if she was killed. Otherwise, Ward would have taken care of her long ago rather than shell out three hundred a month for ten or more years. Joan knew what she was doing in blackmailing him but she couldn’t cope with me and the killing 1 committed in her apartment so she must have turned to Ward for advice.” “But where is she, Johnny ?” “I'd like to know, too,” I said. “Of equal importance is our futures. Where do we go from here?” She was scared and moved over against me as far as her chair would al- low. I felt her leg pressing against mine. She laced her fingers with those of my left hand. I felt cozy all over. “IT could think of Worse places than where we are right now,” I said. “But this show won’t last forever, and they’re bound to sweep us out with the popcorn bags. We’ve got to find Joan and we can’t waste any time doing it.” “Maybe Ward has her in his own home,” Cora suggested. “T don’t think so, baby. You see, all of this business with Joan and her husband happenéd before Ward married Rita Larch, who owns the steamship lines which Ward now runs for her. Ward’s wife isn’t the type to be mixed up in any- thing like this, so she’d be kept entirely out of it. What do you know about Galey ?” “He lives at Mr. Ward’s house. They’re always together.” “Have you ever been at Ward’s house? The one around the corner from Park ?” “Oh yes, several times. I’m supposed AMLCLOOO Go iS (C(O)