10 Story Detective, July 1942 — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

In a few minutes he glimpsed two vague figures coming from the far side. Chief Bedford and Captain Reccord were moving slowly. The two stopped some distance from the pepper-berry tree, melted into the blackness beneath the branches of an orange tree. For some time there was no move- ment anywhere. Buck lifted his wrist close to his eyes to consult his watch. Almost midnight. He slipped away from the tree, moving rapidly in a long circular maneuver, until he was behind Bedford and Reccord. He neared them silently. He said: “I’ve got you covered, | gents!” They both swung around, and Bed- ford snapped: “Put that gun down, you—” “Sorry, but I can’t do that,” Buck said gently. “I’ve got to keep you under control until this job is done.” Captain Reccord laughed. “You’re a smart lad,” he said. “I had a hunch this was a trap. What do we do now ?” “Just wait,” said Buck. ‘‘Keep looking at the pepper-berry tree. Better be quiet, too.” They waited. In a little while Bedford yapped hoarsely: “There’s someone com- ing—” “Don’t talk,” broke in Buck, “Just watch.” From the far side of the grove came a man, moving fast. He stopped when he came to the pepper-berry tree, hesitated, then turned at right angles and _ started again, more slowly. Buck said quietly: “You two walk ahead of me, straight down this lane, so we'll be parallel with that fellow.” They started off. The man in the lane beyond, too distant for sure rec- ognition, seemed too intent to look about. Presently he stopped again. Buck, still behind the other two, told them: “Stop here, Don’t move until I say so.” 10-STORY DETECTIVE They watched. The man was down on his knees, clawing at the ground near the foot of a tree. Bedford muttered: “Let’s go get him!” “Wait,” said Buck. The man on his knees was getting up. He was clutching something in his hands. : “T’ll bet that’s old man Hooper’s dough!’ croaked Bedford. ‘“‘Let’s gzo—” “Wait,’’ said Buck. They waited—a few seconds. The man was thrusting something into his clothes. He was starting to turn away. He stopped abruptly. Two more figures emerged from the shadows, grotesquely, like a couple of ill-assorted ghosts. Voices clashed angrily. The man who had been alone dashed at the others. There was a collision of bodies. A gun flashed and the shot echoed through the trees. Buck said: “Okay. Let’s go!” UCK led the charge. It was about fifty yards. When they got there one man was on the ground, moan- ing. One of the others was tall and big, the other bulky with fat. The tall one swung about and fired at Buck, but Buck’s gun blazed first. The man bellowed, and his gun arm flapped limply. The man on the ground was Will Dobbs, and the bulky one was Stokey Heaton. The tall man who had dropped his gun—the one they had been watching—was Joe Cowper. Buck said: “Okay, chief. You can take over now. As you guessed, Joe has Sam Hooper’s money on him. It was Joe who killed Dick Hooper.” “Well, maybe,’ mumbled Bedford, “but I don’t get it.” Buck said: “I think you’ll find out it works this way. Dick Hooper owed Stokey Heaton a big gambling debt and had to make good or Heaton would make plenty trouble for him. MIGoOo (C(O) S (C(O) nn