10-Story Detective, March 1941 — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

80—-—— frisked him. ‘‘That’s just to be sure you don’t get ideas. I’ve got a bag of ‘workers’ in the car, so get moving.” Kendall gave him a hard ijook and slouched out of the house. The game, so far, had gone well enough. But it seemed he was going to need more than cold nerve and bluff. Once they reached that safe in Hyde Park, he knew things were going to happen and happen fast. A sedan was parked under the street light. Garvey opened the front door and nodded toward the wheel. “You’re doing the driving, Mister.” Kendall made no reply and climbed into the car. He saw a young woman sitting in the back seat. She was a nice-looking brunette and had an emo- tionless white face. Her lips quirked into a half-smile. “Ed,” she cooed, “I thought Sweeny was a little gorilla. Now he turns out to be actually good-looking.” “Shut up and behave yourself,” Garvey grated, climbing in beside her. DEEP frown scored Kendall’s brow as he started up the car. He had never seen this girl before, but he recognized her from news- paper photographs. She was Sheila Fox, the murdered loan-shark’s daughter. What was the connection? Fox had gone to great lengths to make his daughter into a respectable lady— which, thanks to finishing schools, he had. A girl like that wouldn’t be sport- ing around with.a rat like Ed Garvey. “Drive to Hyde Park,” Garvey or- dered. “Okay,” nodded Kendall, and start- ed the sedan rolling. He was thinking about how he had believed Sheila was on the level. Now he saw he was wrong—just as he had been wrong believing Ed Garvey dead. It awak- ened cold flutters inside his stomach when he realized what would happen to him if he made any more mistakes. Later, the sedan slid down a cer- tain dark street in Hyde Park. 10-STORY DETECTIVE “This is where we get out, flat- heel,” snapped Garvey. The .45 was dangling in his fingers as he hoisted himself out to the street. Kendall stared at it. So did Sheila, who laughed brittlely. “Ed, can’t you put the gun away awhile?” Garvey regarded her suspiciously. He returned the gun to his fat hip, his eyes flashing warning to Kendall. “I can heist the cannon in a hurry, don’t forget.” “I’m not forgetting,” Kendall an- swered levelly. “Okay then. The house I want is in the middle of the next block, so let’s get moving. You lead the way, Mister.” They started off and it took but a minute to reach the place. Kendall stared at the house. “Hey, this is Carthers’ house. You know, that private dick who disappeared—” Garvey whirled to him, his fat lips drawing back from his teeth in a snarl. ‘What do you mean by that crack ?” “Take it easy,’ replied Kendall. ‘“‘There’s no sense getting on the mus- ‘cle because I recognize the dump. I’ve lived in town all my life.” “You won’t live here much longer if you get the wrong ideas.” “Ed,” cautioned Sheila Fox, “you’ve got to calm down.” “Shut up!” Garvey turned from her and shoved Kendall with his fat hand. “Come on, Mister. I ain’t got all night.” Kendall led the way into the grounds, his brain churning. So Gar- vey did have something to do with Carthers’ disappearance—a fact which the police were trying to prove at the time of Garvey’s apparent death. And he and Sheila had reasons for getting into the Carthers’ safe. It meant the Fox murder and the disap- pearance of the private detective were definitely hooked together! Garvey stopped at one of the low windows of the trim colonial house. comiicDnook CO