A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, April 1950 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

THE NINTH LIFE 75 csi 5 aah both Inspector Tott and myself know that Crampton is not such a fool as to talk,” Gees answered. “And now, on what you've said and the way you've said it, I think it should be possible to get that man hoofed out of the place, like the one who preceded him.” “T haven't said a thing about him, Mr. —Mr. Green, isn’t it?” Drake protested earnestly. “TI assure you—” he broke off, and again looked toward Tott, as if he would appeal to authority against this stranger. “Tomorrow,” Tott said, “the coroner down here will record a verdict of death by misadventure, or thereabouts, and with that the case will be closed. As far as your agency is concerned, there’s not enough in it to justify putting out a paragraph—it isn’t worth tuppence as a sensation. If I were you, Mr. Drake, I’d go back to London.” “No hurry,” Drake assured him calm- ly. Neither Gees nor Tott spoke for a while, for they both knew that nothing they could say would lift Drake’s nose from this trail now. “Y'know,” Drake said complacently, “I was talking to our society man yesterday about this and that, and he’s just pushed out a stick or two about a recent en- gagement. I couldn’t quite make out why one of the special branch should turn on to anything of this sort—” “T know I'll wring your blasted neck if you don’t shut up!” Tott growled fiercely. “Blast your dirty suspicions, and you too!” Drake got to his feet. He said, “I think I’ll go along to the bar and get me a drink. I don’t like this atmosphere, somehow.” “T hope it poisons you,” Gees said gravely. ‘‘The drink, I mean, since you seem perfectly able to survive the at- mosphere.” Alone again, Tott and Gees looked at each other, Tott said—‘“‘I think that’s just about torn it, Mr. Green.” “Except that he’s got no sey: pointed out. “Pll feel happier when I’m sure of that,” Tott said moodily. “When you can—yes, though, I see. Coming round to ‘my theory ?”” Gees Tott gave him a withering look, and was about to reply when the door’s open- ing stopped him. The waitress who had served dinner entered, and held out to Gees a salver on which was an addressed ~ and unstamped envelope. As he took it, she said: “The messenger said there was no reply, sir,’ and went out as he opened the envelope to take out the card it con- tained. He read: At the top of the hill, on the road by which you came to me today. OW. He thrust both card and envelope in his pocket, and yawned. “Tt must be the open air makes me feel so sleepy,” he remarked. “I think I'll go off to bed. Goodnight, Inspector.” “Sleep well, Mr. Green.” But, when he had left the room, Tott went to the window, which gave on to the road before the inn. Enfolding himself in one of the full-length, heavy curtains, and being thus screened from the light in the room, he drew aside just enough of the blind to assure himself that Gees had not gone to bed. All the clouds of early evening had cleared away when Gees emerged from the inn to the village street. A little breeze had sprung up, bitingly cold; a few stars showed, and the moon, high in the sky now, silvered the road, while shadows of walls and trees were sharply defined. He hurried round to the garage, slid back the door just enough for entry, and took up the coat he had left on the driving seat. As he put it on he remembered the Webley automatic in the pocket of the off-side door. He took the pistol, slipped it in the right-hand pocket of the coat, and went out to the road. Walking quickly, he passed the last house and faced the curving rise over which he had driven with Tott and Perry in the car. When he topped the rise, he saw a lone figure by the stone wall ahead of him, just where the widening to un- enclosed grass land began: in the clear moonlight he knew it as the figure of a man, taller than Kefra—tall as himself. A little nearer, and Inspector Perry moved forward from the wall with ‘ah, Mr, Green |” : “A constitutional before turning in,” Eomicboo S (E(0)