10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

€ onan en TI ROM RED — se ee “Will you have lunch with me, Miss Thorpe?” he asked in a low voice. Jane Thorpe blushed but shrank.back a little. “Wanta help you if I can,” he explained with a tinge of gruffness. “Meet me at the entrance of the Con- tinental Bank building at a quarter after twelve. And—” he jerked a thumb toward the office he had just left “—-don’t brag about the honor.” The girl smiled, but when she nod- ded her understanding, Jimmy Gard- ner wanted to give her slender shoul- der a comforting pat. Those dark eyes were bright with unshed tears. Gardner did not kid himself about his ability as a detective. He was any- thing but the hard-boiled type. The sort, rather, who would stoop to pat a homeless pup; with whom men were on easy speaking terms at once. But he had a hard-reasoning intelligence which groped for cold facets, and a year of routine work with a first-class agency had taught him their methods. He waited with impatience, and when Jane Thorpe arrived right on the dot, he greeted her with a warm smile, “Good girl. Bet you’re a won- der as a private secretary.” Her eyes were wide with question “when they walked away. “Who are you, Mr. Gardner?” “Bet you’re a good cook, too,” he parried with a chuckle. “I know you now,” she returned with a gay little laugh. “You’re Dia- mond Jim, the big gambler who bets on anything.” “Wrong. Always bet on sure things, like any good gambler,” he said grave- ly. But there was a twinkle in his gray eyes as he looked down at her lovely face. “But I have other at- tractions. I can make the best Irish stews you ever ate, and if you like ’em we'll go to Mother Coughlin’s. She throws ’em together nearly as well as your latest admirer.” “That's a new line, Pll admit,” scoffed the girl, showing an unex- pected dimple. “But I’m disappoint- ed.” He wanted to know how come. “Why, here, while I’ve been thinking of you as a modern Sir Galahad res- cuing damsels in distress, I find you waving a meat chopper and a pewter spoon.” “And no armor,” added the man with a sigh. “Well, it’s something to have you thinking of me at all.” He waited hopefully, but the girl did not reply. But he was determined to make her cheerful and his gay spirits were not to be thwarted. Before their meal was finished she had laughingly con- sented to call him “Jimmy.” A moment of silence, then she gath- ered up gloves and purse. He held up a hand. Again, his face wore a look of alert hardness and his gray eyes were no longer laughing. “Business now, Jane. I mean to learn things and I’m charging this meal to the McGann Corporation. My eard reads—Gardner Detective Agen- cy, but it’s a little different line than most. I investigate ailing concerns. Or, rather,” he added with a boyish grin, “I intend to. I quit the construc- tion game a year ago to be a detective. Figured there was a big field for a man with the right equipment. Just opened up. My first job.” “T see. So you picked on me, expect- ing me to betray the private business of my employer.” Jimmy Gardner grinned slightly as two red spots leaped into her apple blossom cheeks, wondering if some of her indignation was from feminine pique. “Hold everything, Jane. I picked on you for several good reasons. One, you’re Johnny Thorpe’s sister. I’m hired to find out what ails the Mc- Gann contracts, but—hang on tight now, sister. I think your brother’s death is connected with that trouble. I believe Johnny was killed for a pur- pose. I want your help.” For a moment the girl’s slim fingers elawed the table cloth, then her soft lips closed tightly, “‘T’ll help,” she said. 66 N inspector!” yelled Drew, chief timekeeper and cashier, the following morning. “The boss says Nene Pew ecomenee ee ne i se Ia ~<a. ae ey ar > es eee See ne : ea a ee a a ale