10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

: SENN Ai) 3 ag. le fey AP ’ Pda hy PR. , ey 102-—__———-—————-10-STORY DETECTIVE ber what time this drizzle started?” “Started to rain hard about the time the police got here. Let’s see— that’d be quarter of ten. It came up sudden; come to think of it, it hadn’t rained at all before then, since this afternoon.” “Oh,” said Ben. “Then it wouldn’t have been raining at all when he ng out into the airshaft, would it ? “I guess not. Nine-thirty—yeah, it started just after that.” Ben got into the elevator and punched the button marked 5. A min- ute later, he knocked on the door of 5-A. , Paul Durban, sleek in patent-leath- er hair and a silk dressing gown, looked aghast at the dripping figure on his threshold. He said, “Migod, Hayden, next time you go swimming, dress for it. Come in, but not very far, and please don’t sit down. This furniture is mine.” “Oh,” said Ben. “They rent these apartments either way?” “Sure.” “How come you’re not down at that club of yours tonight?” Ben asked. He pushed the door shut behind him and leaned against it, looking around. This was the one big room of the apartment. Off it to the left was a small kitehen with a breakfast nook, and to the right was the bedroom, from which would open the door to the bath. “Monday night,” said Durban. “I always take off Monday night, and sometimes Tuesday, too. The place gets along. Glad [ did, tonight. With this storm, there won’t be enough business to put in your eye.” “What time did yeu see Billy ElI- kins last?” Ben asked. “You mean alive? Haven’t seen him since he went to jail a year ago. Since a couple ef weeks before that. We had a quarrel at that time.” “Um,” said Ben. “Anything seri- ous?” “Rnough,” Durban told him. “I — found he’d been doing some petty pil- fering at the night club. I’d been keep- ing him going, off and on, for ever a year, every time the sledding was tough for him. Then when he— well, you get the idea.” EN grinned. “Sure, I get the idea. You knew he was a petty dip, but that was all right as long as he didn’t dip into your till. No honor among— Skip it. Had he tried to get in touch with you since he got out of stir today ?”’ “Tonight,” said Durban. “A little before nine, [ got a call from Tony— he handles things at the club when I’m not there. He said Billy had been there looking for me. When I wasn’t there, Tony said, Billy told him he’d come around here to see me. Tony told him I wouldn’t be home, but Billy was coming anyway. He didn’t believe “Um,” said Ben. “But he decided to come in the bathroom windew in- stead of the front door. That was the way you figure it?” “Seems like it. Anyway, about fif- teen minutes after Tony called to warn me Billy was coming, my door- bell rang. It’s a fifteen minute walk from here to the club, so I knew who it was, and I didn’t answer it.” “So he figured you weren’t home, and it’d be a good time to pull a spot of burglary, huh? But instead of that, you were giving him the runareund.” “Call it that if you want,” said Dur- ban. “I was through with him. I told him a year ago I was washed up with him and kicked him out. He had a nerve to try to see me at all.” Ben nodded. “Guess you’re right, at that. Well, it seems to make sense. Fifteen minutes or so after he thinks he finds you ain’t home, he plops dewn the airshaft. How could he have known the flat above here was empty, though ?” “He could tell that from the mail- box, in the lebby. All but the vacant ones got names on them.” “Yeah,” said Ben. “Who else lives here in the building had any con- comicbook