5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 41: what you’re looking at

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

DEATH ALL AROUND ME very happy to know you, Lieutenant.” “Likewise,” Barr said. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Paul Harkness ten or twelve years ago. I’ve been in con- tact with authorities upstate but I’m still a little vague on facts.” “Arrest? Murder?” Ward asked in an awed voice. wee. 5. “Yeah, that’s how it adds up, Ward. We took Joan off one of your ships to- night, and she was scared stiff. She was also pretty well oiled up and we had no trouble making her talk.” “That woman is hardly in her right mind,” Ward protested. “Don’t tell me you believe her wild dreams.” “Well, you see,” Barr said, “this is a dream with pictures. When you plugged her husband in the back, Joan had an idea you might doublecross her, too, so she took a photo of the whole thing. She left the negative and a print with a law- yer upstate and he turned it over to the poucs. A jury won’t need more than one look.” Ward glanced at me. “It seems you worked a trick or two, Craig.” I grinned at him. “After that alibi you arranged, Barr wouldn’t believe I killed that slob Sammy or that Joan didn’t. But he would believe that maybe I’d been try- ing to protect her, and when I told him 4] she was very likely aboard one of your freighters due to sail tonight, he had to investigate. When you alibied me, she be- came a fugitive.” Lieutenant Barr said, “Let’s go, boys.” “But you took your own damn good time about it, Barr,” I said. “If you’d waited much longer, I’d have been dead and so would a damned swell girl.” Cora had ‘helped Mrs. Ward into her car and now was slowly coming back toward us. I moved in her direction. Now that it was all over, I saw how really lovely she was. A hand that felt like a bar of steel landed on my shoulder. Lieutenant Barr said, “Where the hell do you think you’re going, Craig?” I said, “You’ve got your killer. What more do you want?” “You!” he said. “For knocking off Joan’s boy friend. We have her testi- mony that it was self-defense, but to me a homicide is a homicide, and you’re coming back with me until the D.A. says you can go.” Cora watched us move off. The cuff on my wrist was too tight. I hoped the other cuff, around Ward’s wrist was tighter. I told him what I thought of him. I think that was the only bright spot in What re- mained of his life. Featured In The N ext Issue— Lieutenant Steve Koski of the police Harbor Squad tangles with a beautiful redhead as he untangles the mystery of— THE SKELETON CREW A Smashing Novel of the New York Waterfront By STEWART STERLING DOO = A S (C(O)