10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

Se ee Algie smiled at Felice a little sheep- ishly. “Sophie’s the boss,” he said. “She’s got the gun.” He put the sandwiches on the bed and went out. Sophie locked the door again. “T hate that dame,” she spat at him. “T could love her,’ said Algie, “easy. But I’m only a—” NOPHIE slapped his face sharply. He stared at her. Then she soft- ened. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I just got sore, because I’m bugs about you.” Algie looked serious. He was so lit- tle accustomed to it that his face mus- cles ached. “Say,” he said firmly, “I ain’t your sweetheart. I don’t want you, see? You’re Parsons’ girl, and he can have you.” “Geez, you look swell when you talk like that,” Sophie said admiringly, “But you just don’t understand. You see, you just got to play with me—or else.” “How do you mean—or else?” “Don’t be dumb. You don’t think Parsons figures on letting you and the baby there get away from him, do you?” Algie stared at her silently for some time. His voice lowered to a whisper. “You—you mean—” “T mean,” said Sophie, “that this is the biggest thing Parsons ever pulled. it is also the hottest. And he wants to make it the last. So he ain’t taking no chances on you or Felice telling anybody about it. That’s all.” “But cripes, Sophie, you—you wouldn’t stick to a play like that, would you? I mean, we could all make a get-away right now! Geez, you wouldn’t—” Sophie laughed. Algie gazed at her in stupefied amazement; it didn’t seem possible that anyone so small and pretty could be so vicious. “In the first place,” Sophie said, “I don’t want that gorilla! I want you! For once I’m going to get the kind of PARTY GIRL MURDER 73 a guy I want! And if I can’t have you —nobody can.” “Ruta” “And in the second place, I want the dough. I want you—but you wouldn’t be much good to me with- out the dough.” Algie sat down and thought it over. “Beautiful!” he murmured. ‘‘Beauti- ful!” He was thinking of Felice. But So- phie thought he was talking about her, and she smiled. She sat down again, very close to him. . “T’ll tell you what we can do, and how to do it. If Parsons gets the dough—which he wilil—he’ll be back here soon after dark again, He figures on croaking both you and baby Felice then, So we got to get the jump on him.” “Tell me,” said Algie. Sophie didn’t need any encourage- ment. “That’s what I’m doing. It’s this way, Parsons picked you for this job for two reasons, because he fig- ured he could trust you with me, and because he figured you would be seared to do anything except what you’re told.” “Sure, but—” “Okay, now, we got to be careful, because, if that monkey was to sus- pect anythinge—why, he might plug mel’ That.” tough.” “Parsons has a secret compartment in the back of his car where he’ll have the dough—two hundred and fifty grand! He’ll drive back here with those two mugs of his, Frank and Ar- mand. One of them will stay in the car, probably Frank, Parsons and Armand will come in here. They’ll first go in to take care of Felice—” “Take care of her?” queried Algie. “Sure—with a flock of lead. That’ll leave you and me out here in this room. J’ll scream and pretend you knocked me down. You can grab the key from me and lock them in the bedroom, Then you can take my rod and go after Frank, You plug Frank said Algie, “would be Gomichbooks (C@