10-Story Detective, March 1941 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

———— —BULLETS ON BLUE MONDAY had lost them for him. Discontented with his lot, he’d never had the cour- age to invite a woman to share it. The girls married others quicker to speak, and more pleased with what they had to offer a wife. : He discovered that Betty Dunbar was calling him Steve, and he blushed hotly when the word “Betty” slipped from his lips. To judge from her smile - jt was not the first time he had called her that. She rose, and asked: “Do you like tea, Steve?” He shook his head. drink.” “T’l] make coffee then. Mother will like a cup, too.” “T didn’t mean that!” McKenna jumped up. “I didn’t—” “Relax, Steve.” She smiled widely, and her gray eyes danced. “Smoke your pipe, while I get that coffee started.” McKenna watched till she disap- peared into the kitchen. He filled his pipe. A fine mess! In love with this girl, and his life a jumble. He didn’t know the tomorrow of his existence. If he stayed in the city, Captain Pear- son would get more and more sus- picious of him. In fact, Pearson might make things difficult just to force him to leave. He couldn’t get serious with Betty. He knew they all suspected him of murder, and if they didn’t, they sure thought him a jinx. Suddenly every light in the apart- ment went out! McKenna heard Betty gasp at the sudden darkness. Then she screamed ! | McKenna somehow found the door- way, and lunged into the dark-kitchen. He caught an arm, realized by its soft- ness that it was hers. Something warm and sticky ran onto his fingers. “Betty!” He yelled like a man in mortal pain. . The door to the apartment crashed under a heavy assault. McKenna clasped Betty with his left arm, held her round at his side, his right fist clenched, A blinding light flashed into his “Coffee’s my 15 face. A thick-voiced man ordered: “Let her go! This is the law! Take your hands off her, you filthy, mur- dering swine!” The flashlight pointed upwards, il- luminating the white ceiling, and cast- ing down a soft glow which shone on a burly man holding a revolver in his right hand. McKenna vaguely remem- bered him from the morning. Anxious- ly he looked at Betty. She was white-faced, biting her lower lip. Blood was coming from a deep cut in her left shoulder. CHAPTER IV ISREGARDING the detective’s commands, McKenna took a clean towel from over the sink, and made a cold compress for her arm. There were more men in the apartment now, and policemen shouting at people in the hall. One detective went on past them into the room off the other side of the kitchen, flashing his light ahead of him, scaling the light off a bed toa bureau. Captain Pearson came in, and Mc- Kenna felt all his muscles tighten when he got a glimpse of Pearson’s face. Pearson growled: “You didn’t get so far this time, did you, McKenna? I don’t know why I didn’t put a tail on you the first time, and maybe save Al- len’s life.”” He said to Betty: “You’ve had a narrow escape, girl, but don’t let it give you the jitters.” Betty exclaimed: “Steve didn’t do it!” Pearson stared searchingly into her face, then burst out with a contemptu- ous, “Pah!” The lights came on. A policeman strode in, remarking: “Fuse blown out down the eellar, captain.” At Pearson’s gesture, McKenna was manacled to a detective on either side of him. The rest of the men were star- ing at something on the floor. McKen- na looked down and saw a big, cheap-: looking kitchen knife with blood all along its edge. COMIC OOOKS (E@)