10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

(= STORY DETECTIVE ——— gun low at his side. No one was in sight up here, and the relief that smote him left him weak and shaky. The slide began in a few narrow curves that widened more and more as it corkserewed around the tower to the bottom, enclosed in the tail and body of the dragon coiled about the structure. He looked into the open- ing, studied it as far as he could see into it. There was blood on the smooth- worn wood, fresh blood smeared in a downward stain. His nerves jerked at a soft creak of noise behind him, and he whirled about. May Fitz was standing there, had stepped from a crevice behind the elevator shaft, was staring at him and the gun in his hand. The scarf no longer covered her face, which was taut and white with strain. She spoke in a swift, tight whisper. “Chris! What are you doing here? What’s the matter?” “What are you doing here?” he bit out harshly, sickening despair eating at his heart. This is what he had feared—the finding of her here. He jerked his chin at the _ elevator. “Come on. You’ve got to get out of this.” “‘But—what is it!” Her russet eyes were dilated with dread. “What— ”’ “You know what. Bert Bonelli was just knocked off up here and dumped down that slide. I don’t know if you did it and I don’t care. But we’ve got to get out of here.” Down at the end of the pier an approaching siren was cutting through all other sound. It galvanized him into action. He thrust her into the car as she protested shakily: “But I didn’t do it, Chris. I didn’t do it!” “Okay. But you were up here for some reason, and if you’re found, the cops can make a swell case against you. I’ll do my best to keep you out of this. I’ll get you clear if I can.” He dropped the car so fast his own heart choked him for a moment. May Fitz didn’t speak, but stood braced against the car wall, shivering. Not looking at her, he said: ‘Did you— was Eddie here?” “No!” she cried softly. “No!” He brought the car to a jolting stop, ordered bluntly: “If there’s no one waiting outside here when I open this door, you beat it out the back way. Go back to that rest room and stay there till things quiet down.” “Thanks, Chris.” She touched his arm, and her eyes wavered up to his for a moment. “It wasn’t Eddie. I don’t know who it was, so help me!” She could be lying. She would lie to protect her brother. But he wasn’t going to let any cop put the arm on her if he could help it. “Okay, kid,’ he muttered. “Let’s He slid back the door, and the crowd was still jammed out in front; no one was waiting here in the cubicle behind the box office. The guy who ran the elevator was still with the rest of the mob. Siren sound was drowning out the crowd noise. Millard pushed May toward the back. There was a door opening out under the roller coaster frame, and he saw her through it, then turned back. zo E was poking around inside the elevator when the prowl car cops swarmed in and took charge. A big bluecoat with his service gun out barged in on Millard, his eyes thinned suspiciously. Millard showed his iden- tification, his private dick shield, and the cop clipped: “Oh! What’re you doing here?” “IT just happened to be around when Bonelli came out of the chute.” “Been up above?” “No.” “Okay. Get out of the way. I’m go- ing up. The killer may still be there.” The cop was hard and ambitious. This was a chance for a promotion and he knew it. Millard stepped out of the elevator, bowed the cop inside. The doors shut and the car hummed upward. Millard turned away toward’ the hubbub outside and came face to Gomichbooksreom