10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

lid of that sir piaidse tee. Te ck tainly had sounded metallic. There was a long glass counter running down the center of the wing. Jarvis walked beside it, so close that he con- stantly brushed against it. That was a barrier of sorts, permitting him to concentrate upon other avenues of attack. The tapping didn’t grow any loud- er and for a moment Jarvis was al- most certain another thumping noise had arisen. Then he realized it was his own heart. He smiled crookedly and without the vaguest semblance of mirth. Ten more steps and he was fairly close to that darkened corner, He tightened his grip on the service pistol and repressed a shiver when he saw the huge iron maiden dimly outlined in the vague light. It was partially open. Was there another victim inside? Jarvis had to know, Then he realized that the tapping sound had ceased. Only a silence that shrieked aloud, held sway. Suddenly one of the shadows moved. Jarvis pointed his gun in that direc- tion. “Come out of there,” he snapped, and his own voice seemed ten times louder than usual. CHAPTER V THE THIRD TRAP HE shadowy object continued to move, as if swaying from side to side. Then there was a horrible ~ erash and a suit of armor hit the mar- ble floor. At the same instant, scurry- ing feet behind him announced his hunch hadn’t been wrong. The killer was here. Jarvis spun like a top, gun ready. The figure he saw this time moved with the speed of light and was al- ready half out of the wing entrance before Jarvis saw it. His gun blared and the neg echoed for a full minute, | was worth the risk. Jarvis was getting who lurked in shadows. But that was dangerous, and anyway, Jarvis want- ed to find out what had made that suit . of armor crash. He returned to the wing, Ht matches and saw that a thin but strong piece of cord had been tied around one leg of the armor. A slight pull brought the thing off balance and sent it crash- ing. ~ “Smart guy,” Jarvis mused. “While I was busy watching the suit of ar- | mor swaying, he hoped to sneak up behind me and finish his job. I was lucky this time. Next time—” He shuddered and started a hunt for the man again. He’d disappeared in the direction of the room where the mummies were on display. Perhaps he’d passed through this and reached the Aztec Room. It was highly possi- ble that the finish of this deadly game would be played there. For a few moments, Jarvis consid- ered putting on every light in the place, but realized that it would only make a perfect target of himself. The | killer was hidden, probably knew the museum far better than he did, and was prepared to take advantage of that knowledge. Jarvis decided to let matters remain as they were now. The sight of that shadowy figure moving away so rapidly had instilled a great deal more confidence in Jar- vis. He was still on edge, but there _ was some Satisfaction in knowing that ~ the killer was just as frightened. The row of mummy cases loomed up then, like rigid ghosts all out of pro- portion to their earthly shapes. Jar- vis rounded a corner and paused. Di- rectly ahead was a weird bluish light enveloping one of those mummies. He chuckled. The killer must be des- perate, trying to use another trap. The closer Jarvis approached that il- luminated mummy case, the closer he was to deadly danger. Yet, by exposing himself ‘and still keeping constantly on guard, he might draw out the killer and get him. That He raced in Schlitt of this killer =