10-Story Detective Magazine, April 1946 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

20—-—_—_——__—_—_———10STORY DETECTIVE—————_______ that Pane was in Jake’s café. Now you’re eorroborating Jake’s story.” “I twisted things a little last night,” admitted Slawter. “I was anxious to know if Jake had actually poisoned Fane.” He knew it didn’t sound good enough. As he said it a thought whipped into his brain that scared him. RECKESS said, “It won’t do, Temmy. You’ve been out to crack Fane ever since he crippled your wife, You followed him into Jake’s place last night. When the lights went out you slipped the poison im his soup, But he fooled you and beat it in the dark. Then Stawse staggered in, loaded to the gills with beer, and like a drunk will, sat down and ate some of the soup. You tried to stop him from killing himself and bumped him on the head.” As Treekess finished speaking his hand brushed Slawter’s sleeve. In the next moment he’d snapped one end of a pair of gemless bracelets on the private detective’s wrist. “Sorry, Tommy, we were only waiting for you to exonerate Jake. We felt sure Fane had been inside the café.” Slawter didn’t reply. He was thinking of Vale, thinking what a blow his arrest would be to her. It would be tough, wait- ing at home for him to come to her, then receive the news that he was in jail, arrested for murder. Fane was dead, but he’d beaten him after all. The merchant of vengeance had made another blood gale, 3 A lieutenant of the homicide squad met them in the squad room, “Hello, Tommy,’’ he said, smiling. Slawtur managed to smile back, Kt wobbled like hell, but it was a smile. “Hello, Lieutenant.” : Treckess was told to remove the hand- cuffs. Then the lieutenant said, ‘““Fommy, your wife is in the imspector’s office waiting to see you, She knew you’d turn up here before you went home.” His smile broadened, softened. “It’s swell she ean walk again, Tommy. K really is.” “Sure, it’s mighty swell,” Slawter said, but he didn’t move. “Well, go on in to her. What are you standing around here for?” said the lieu- tenant roughly. “Give a guy time, will you?” Slawter glared at him. “After all it’s not going to be so hot, with all the bad news.” The heutenant put a hand on his shoul- der, “Treeckess didn’t know,” he said. “We just. found the suicide in his eab. He’d written a suicide note. Had it in his wallet. The note tells just how Fane, Merryway, and Useman planned to have Stawse and Pell drink a little poison while they thought they were poisoning Useman. It goes on to.say that Pell backed out and—” Tommy Slawter didn’t hear any more. He couldn’t. He’d closed the door of the inspector’s office and was holding his wife close in his arms, ‘He and Vale read the note later. It was complete in every detail, Betty would get to keep her Rodney after all, and have her father free in the bargain. Later, after phoning the Empress Lunch and passing the good news along to Rodney and Betty, Vale and Tommy went home—walking every glorious step of the way, walking in the falling snew, holding hands and laughing like a couple of high school ninnies, Mi lp 3 Gomichdoo (C@