10-Story Detective, March 1941 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

29 ——___—__——10.STORY DETECTIVE “The beast!” she said furiously. “The unfeeling, unthinking beast! He had no right to take that chance with your life. Oh, the stupid fool! What reason could you ever have had to kill anyone?” “Good reason.” McKenna rubbed his hands on his trousers. “And if Captain Pearson hasn’t thought of it yet, he’s going to. And going to prove it, too. I’ve been thinking quite some today. What’s gone on kind of makes me think my land is worth a sight more than that ten thousand Tiere was willing to give me for it.” “Well,” she exclaimed, “well, of course it is. It has to be, Mr. Tiere wouldn’t have given you ten thou- sand, and then invested ten or twenty - thousand more, just to get his invest- ment back. There had to be a profit.” “No,” he argued placidly, “I don’t mean it was worth five or six times what Tiere was giving. I mean it’s worth thirty or forty times that ten thousand. Tiere had an option on my land. It was the same as if I didn’t own it temporarily. Suppose I came to the city knowing what it was worth? Wouldn’t it be just made right for the police to think I killed Tiere to cancel that option? ‘“Wouldn’t anybody believe I maybe went to Wesley Allen and tried to sell to him for a big price? Suppose I did do that, and Allen caught wise I must have killed Tiere on account of I knew. Wouldn’t I have to kill Allen then ?” “If this is true,” Betty said, trem- blingly, “then we are in bad, Steve. I never thought the police could find any reason why you might have mur- dered them. It scares me.” She put a hand to her throat. “I don’t know what to do to help you. I don’t know enough about it all to tell you anything.” “I thought maybe you did,’ Mc- Kenna sighed. “I wasn’t ever afraid, not even when Logan tried to force me into his ear. Because I thought whoever had killed Tiere and Allen had come here and tried it on you just because I was here. And he wanted to make it look as if there was a killing wherever I was. But just when I got free of Logan, it came over me that this killer wants to kill you. He isn’t doing it to make it look bad for me. He figures you’ve got to be dead.” “But why ?” the girl demanded in a whisper. ‘‘Because he thinks you know some- thing. Maybe it isn’t right on top of your mind, but he’s worried that may- be you’re going to remember it.” Mc- Kenna took her hand in his. “Betty, can’t you sort of make an effort to re- member if anyone was trying to get my option away from Tiere, or any- thing like that?” “I don’t know!” she told him. “Ordinarily, I would. But things have been so different the past week! Mr. | Tiere’s been jealous and mean and suspicious. The doctor told him he had stomach ulcers and would have to un- dergo an operation. That frightened Mr. Tiere, worried him. He became unbearable. That’s why—” her voice sank—“T told you to go into his office this morning. I couldn’t bear to face him any more, he was so cranky.” “Well, I’m figuring the same as Captain Pearson.” McKenna rubbed his big hands together. “I guess we'll know in a little while, unless Pearson thinks of this place first, and comes to get me.” “What do you mean?” “I mean that Pearson thinks [’m killing, or going to be killed. He’s not thinking of you the way I am. I know someone wants to kill you, Betty. That’s why I’m here—to see he does- n't. But I’ve fixed this alarm system so that if Pearson takes me away, you'll still be safe. You see, if I ask Pearson to put a guard here, he’!! only say that with me in prison there’s nothing for you to worry about.” ETTY shivered, clasping her hands. Gradually she overcame her fear. A new note came into her voice. “I’m not afraid, Steve, not while you are here—” From the bedroom came a cry and COmiClooks Co