A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, April 1950 — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

54 A. MERRITT’S FANTASY swered with a very short, “Yes, it is.” “Can I speak to Mr. Green, please ?”’ “Speaking.” “Mr. Green, I’m calling for Miss Bran- don. She’s got a slight chill, and will not be able to come to work today. She hopes to be quite recovered and back at the usual time tomorrow.”’ “Oh, well, tell her there’s nothing to do, as usual—and what inquiries there are will take no harm by waiting, even if she takes tomorrow off as well. Give her my best wishes for a quick recovery.” It was the first time since he had en- gaged her that she had been absent like this, he reflected as he hung up. If she stayed away for any length of time, the place would seem cold. Altogether differ- ent, Jacking her friendly presence— Then he remembered: He was giving her notice, and closing down. Everything finished—Kefra only—so it would be, from now on. He took an envelope from his breast pocket, extracted the single sheet of paper,’ and again read the nine words on it. How much had been dream, how much reality. before he had wakened in the night to hear a cat purring? As to that, how much had been dream and how much reality since he had entered Barnby Grange as daylight began to fail? H® MIGHT as well open the rest of the letters and look them over, assure himself that there was nothing requiring immediate reply. With that intent he rose from his chair, and sat down again at the summons of the telephone bell. He assured his caller that he was Mr. Green, and was asked to wait just one moment. Then a voice he knew: Inspector Tott, speaking. “Good morning, Mr. Green. Are you busy ?”’ _ “Desperately,” Gees answered. “So much to do I don’t know which way to turn. What do you want?” “Are you still interested in the Grave- nor Mansions affair—the death of the Par- koot boy?” “Nope. “To some extent. There ‘has been an- - other case of exactly the same sort, with a girl of twelve as the victim, this time. No sign of assault or outrage, but the Not a little bit. Why—are throat and breast torn by claws, just as in the case of that poor little Parkoot child. And no clawed beasts reported loose any- where in the country. No tracks, either.” “Well, that sort of thing is not quite in your line, I should think. Why tell me about it?” “For one thing,” Tott said, “TI don’t like handing it direct to Mr. Briggs. For an- other, I thought it might interest you.” aes. has Mr. Briggs got to do with ’ Gees growled. ee directly. Quite possibly noth- ing indirectly.” “D’you want me to go and recite it all to him, then?”’ “No, I don’t think T'd ask you to do that,”’ Tott answered slowly. “Well, what made you think it might interest me?’’ Gees demanded. “Because,” Tott answered, very delib- erately indeed, “although Mr. Briggs has naturally nothing to 4o with such a crime, as I see things it might possibly—I do not say it will—but it might possibly affect him. Indirectly, but then it would cer- tainly interest you, his friend.” “Well, until it does, I’m not interested. And as nearly as I can see, there’s not the slightest chance of a thing like that affecting Mr. Briggs in any way whatever. None of his friends have claws.”’ “This second case,” Tott persisted, “‘is not in any of the papers yet. The body was discovered last night, and the discov- ery reported to an intelligent police in- spector who had read about the Gravenor Mansions affair and noted the similarity of the cause of death. He got in touch with Crampton by telephone—”’ “Why weigh all this out to me! >” Gees interrupted harshly. “Because—”’ Tott sounded quite ruf- fled—‘‘and this is where Mr. Briggs may come in, indirectly—this body was found at a place called Barnby-under-Hedling- ton, in Gloucestershire. I'll put that no more plainly, but you see what I’m driv- ing at, possibly.” “Don’t be such a fool over a simple coincidence!” Gees shouted savagely into the receiver. “Not coincidence, Mr. Green,” Tott an- swered steadily. choose to be nasty about teen “No—hold on—I apologize,’ “However, since you ks Comic 00 — —— - Fr ae