10 Story Detective, July 1942 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

eee cranes SST ee ee nn A “Only,” Stuart said easily, “that the brandy was doped with aconitine. Gordon intended to kill Kerrigan too. Meredith and Terry had a drink out of that decanter. So did you.” Bates gave a strangled § gasp. “VYou’re lying. It’s just a trick. It’s just—copper, what do you use for an antidote?” “Put down the guns and I'll tell you,” Stuart said. TUART moved forward a couple of steps. Bates’ agitation was so great that he didn’t even notice this. Then Gordon bellowed a suggestion which Stuart had mentally prayed he wouldn’t think of. “Kill the detective and Kerrigan. | know the antidote, Bates. I'll fix you up.” Bates looked over at Gordon and at that moment Stuart leaped. He sent Bates down, but the man still clung to both guns. His wound didn’t seem to have affected his strength much and those guns beat a savage brutal rhythm against Stuart’s head and shoulders. Gordon -vas moving in. Stuart sud- denly gave Bates a tremendous shove, rose and sprinted like mad toward the ‘ledge. He fell onto it and stayed there. Bates, on his feet again, had Gordon checked. He backed toward Stuart. “Go ahead and jump, sucker. I don’t care. Also, I think you were just trying to scare me. The poison worked fast. I know, because I had to start the storm by the split second. I’d have been dead if there was any in me.” Stuart got up and trudged back into the cave. He stepped just on the edge of the strong light from the torches. Bates leveled his gun. “I’m not fooling any longer,” he ——TAKEN FOR A SLAY RIDE ———25 snarled. “You all get it now. Kerrigan is out so he can’t help. I’ve got two guns so neither of you can try to jump me when [ start shooting. Here she comes.” There was a single shot. Neither of Bates’ guns was smoking. Bates had a look of intense awe on his face. Then he made a tremendous effort to get his guns up. He failed. doubled up and fell onto the floor. Gordon started forward, but a gun in Stuart’s hand checked him. “There are more slugs in this, Gor- don,” he said coldly. “It’s my own gun. I left it here when I jumped off the ledge. Bates won’t die. He’ll talk too—to save his own neck. You’re cooked.” “You’ve got nothing on me,” Gordon screamed. “You can’t try a man for murder without a corpse.” “T’ll get them,” Stuart said. “Bates carried the bodies of Meredith and Terry to this cave, dumped them over the ledge and then went down to the shore. Old rowboats were ready. He Swiped cement and sand from Ker- rigan’s toolhouse, mixed a fast-set- ting batch and poured it over the bodies in the bottom of the boat. He hooked an outboard motor on, started it and pushed the craft into the surf. “Bates knew it could travel just so far and then sink like the big rock it really was. Divers can find the boat and the bodies. I know just about where they went down because I saw them go. You had to dispose of them because any doctor would have seen through your trick. : “Stick out your hands, Gor- don. I’ve a pair of cuffs for you. Then you'll carry Bates out and we'll all head for town. I hid the distributors of the cars so we won’t have much trouble. Going to obey, Gordon? Or shall I pump some lead into your hide too?” ')\O)O) @) (CONNIE S (C(O) im