5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

DEATH ALL AROUND ME to be there tomorrow night. Every time Mr. and Mrs. Ward throw a big party, I have to be there to sort of supervise things. Mrs. Ward is entertaining the family of a South American diplomat to- morrow night. A lot of important people will be there. More than fifty, I was told.” “At least, that will keep him busy to- morrow night,” I said. “But his men won’t stop looking for us. Let’s be prac- tical about this. Let’s check into some quiet hotel together.” She gave me a startled look, some- thing like the one she had given me the first time I grabbed her. I laughed. “Take it easy, baby. That just sounds rough. I’ll sleep in the tub if I have to. We can’t spend the night walking the streets and we’ve got to stick together.” “T’ll do whatever you think best,” she sald. “Baby,” I told her, “don’t seduce me that way.” EK STARTED looking at the movie then. That is, Cora did. I had to take my eyes off the screen every time some- body moved in the balcony, so I really never got to know exactly what was hap- pening. Finally I shut the dialogue and music out of my mind and concentrated on something more important than a movie plot. I had a couple of lives to save, and since mine was one of them, I didn’t intend to grow careless in my thinking. I was fighting an important and pow- erful man in Sydney Ward, a man who controlled a lot of dangerous gorillas— waterfront characters not noted for their tender mercies. He’d have them cover the city. Thev’d check hotels from the Waldorf to flop houses. I nudged Cora. “You said you worked in Ward’s office.” She nodded. “That’s right. I was in charge of buying food for his ships. Now I supervise the catering when he throws a party like the one tomorrow night.” “Do you have a key to his office?” “Yes. What’s on your mind, Johnny ?” “If there is one place where Ward wouldn’t look for us, it’s at his own of- fice. What do you say ?” She took a long time thinking about it but finally she nodded. “All right. But I’m not so sure that Ward or Galey Dec le)\6 @ Kee eis eles echo PPP ia eS a MRR Re Re he a ae he he he ht hee hr Le, Oran ew 0 0 0 eee eee oe ec ere tetera 22a 2 nt. 8.% © 0.000.060 0 00°00 0 e's Oo 0 00010 000 0b eo ec ccc ee a et nt a9. 8. 0 © 0 0.0 6000 0 00 0°00 0° 5% 0 tie ar al he ot het he od ee ee ee ee he he ee 2 (Advt.) HIS advertisement makes the assumption that you occasionally drink whiskey. | We think it would be nice if on some of those occasions, you drank Custom Distilled Lord Calvert. @ Lord Calvert costs a little more, tastes a little better and adds a little more pleas- ure to living. We planned it it that way, and we think you'll tree approve, when you try it. Lord Calvert. Blended Whiskey. 86.8 Proof. 65% even thinks I’m working with you. I doubt whether they have any suspicion of me at all.” I said, “Look, two goons were posted outside your apartment to wait for me. Galey put them there. I saw him. If they followed you, they know you came to see me, and that ends your usefulness to Ward. These guys don’t fool around, baby. They’d kill you as fast as they’d blast me.” She shook her head. “Mr. Ward thinks a lot of me. I wouldn’t be afraid to face him right now.” “How about the office? For me to hide in, even if you don’t think you’re in dan- ger?” “We’ll both go there,” she said. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” I leaned over and kissed her. She seemed to like it, so I kissed her again, harder, warmer, and with more convic- tion. Nobody paid the slightest attention to us. It must have been a good movie. I filed away the idea that I should come CoMmiclooOol<s (C(O)