10 Story Detective, July 1942 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

eu ee Bates stopped as though he’d en- countered an invisible wall. His big body straightened up to an abnormal height. Both hands doubled up across his chest. He half turned and then folded up un‘ii he was on his knees. “Come on,” Stuart yelled. “You got him, Gordon.” “And I'll get him again—the kill- er.” Gordon was aiming his gun. Stuart knocked it aside and sprinted toward Bates. Gordon came also and extinguished the light as he ran. Stuart reached the spot where Bates had fallen, but the man wasn’t there. Gordon turned on his flash again. There was blood on the path, enough to show that Bates must have been badly wounded. “You let him get away,’ Gordon snapped. “I could have winged him again—through the leg or some- thing.” Stuart didn’t answer. He was look- ing for a trail of blood, but if there was any, the high grass concealed it. Bates had vanished completely. CHAPTER V TUNNEL TO DANGER yee they gave up the hunt and returned to the porch, Kerri- gan was there, nursing his swollen throat and both eyes were shining in horror. “It told you not to taunt him,” he croaked. ‘Look what happened. He can summon the Storm God. That leg- end is true. I always thought it was. The Eskimos told us we’d never be allowed to mine that mountain even if we did find valuable minerals. It belonged to the Storm God.” “Let’s go inside and cool off,’”’ Stu- art advised. “I hardly blame Kerri- gan for blowing his top.” : “All right,” Gordon conceded. “Let’s all have a drink. I think we need one.” Kerrigan downed a brandy in one guip. Gordon sipped his, but Stuart didn’t touch the inhaler Gordon hand- —_—_—_—_——_——_——TAKEN FOR A SLAY RIDE pase ed him. Stuart picked up the ropes which had held Bates in the chair. “IT wonder how Bates was able to remove these ropes. You tied him up, Gordon. The ropes haven’t been cut. Bates didn’t slip out of them. The knots just came unfastened as you can see.” Gordon finished his drink anda poured another. “I must confess that is beyond me. Bates wasn’t bluffing. I don’t see how on earth he could have got free. Believe me, I tied him plenty tight. I even hoped the ropes would hurt because I was thinking of Mere- dith and Terry at the time.” “Let’s get away from here,” Ker- rigan moaned. “I'll go mad unless we do. What’s the good of hanging around, courting death? Whether it’s Bates doing the killing, or the Storm God, we’ve more protection in town. I’m going after my car.” Stuart jumped up. “The cars! Bates could steal one. Stay here until I get back.” Stuart went to the garage. There were four cars parked there, two of them owned by dead men. Gun in hand, Stuart prowled around the place. Then he went to the tool shed far back of the house. He found that two more sacks of cement had been removed. When he returned, Kerrigan was slumped in a chair alternately shiver- ing and sweating. Gordon looked glum. Stuart said, “I’ve got bad news. Bates, or somebody beat us to the cars, The distributors have been re- moved. Also, the telephone wire is cut—a whole section missing so we can’t repair it.” Kerrigan looked up, his face more gaunt than ever. “We've got to get away. Bates is bad enough, but I’m afraid of that—that supernatural power which creates storm when there are no clouds, when the sky is clear. When it rains torrents and the ground isn’t even wet. You can’t fight things like that.” “Well, let’s stop talking and do O)\O)O) @) CON S (C(O) im