10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

92-—____—_—_—_—__— —10-STORY DETECTIVE Craftman. Mr. Craftman was short and very sturdy, and his square face was set pugnaciously. His more tol- erant associates usually said of him that he was a good fellow—if you did everything he wanted just the way he wanted it. HROUGH the other door came a young man. He looked a little like Jack Holt in his younger days, Tim Wingate, one of Hollywood’s better juveniles, was upset and more than a little defiant. An officer was pushing him into the room and he didn’t like i; Drake Judson looked up sharply. His gaze went from Tim Wingate to his wife, Elaine. The young woman’s troubled eyes avoided her husband, but he stared at her, hurt and puz- zied. ' For a moment the silence was tense. Then Craftman said briskly: “Well, captain, how do things stand?” Captain Mails looked up. “I’m just trying to blast these two into talking. One of the two, maybe both, is impli- cated.” “Yes, yes,” Craftman said impa- tiently. “But how about the mar- derer?”’ : Captain Mails said: “No doubt about that. We already know Joe Grail was murdered by Tim Win- gate.” ; The silence deepened again. Then there was a wild little cry, Elaine Wingate had torn herself away from her father and was running across the room. She flung herself into Tim’s arms and sobbed. They stood there comforting each other, caressing, talking lover-talk, until Captain Mails interrupted. “That stuff won’t do you no good,” he said uncomfortably. Drake Judson looked at Meg again. Her eyes were still peering at the ceil- ing, but they were wet. Drake said to the captain: “You say Tim killed Joe Grail. But just the fact that Tim was sore at Joe, and didn’t have an alibi, doesn’t make so much of a case.” Captain Mails leaned back in his chair. “We got a lot more than that,” he said. i “What?” “This is it,” said the captain. “Seems there was a mix-up with a guy named Lausen. Tim saw Lausen yes- terday afternoon and tried to get him to admit that Joe Grail was back of some scheme to blackmail Mrs. Win- gate. But Lausen—” “How do you know that?” asked Drake. “Mr. Craftman tipped us off and Tim admits that much. But Lausen won’t talk to Tim. Tim poked Lausen hard, then went over him. He found a note that Joe had written to Lausen. That would show a tie-up between,Jo0e and Lausen, so Tim took the note with him.” Captain Mails paused and drummed the table with his heavy forefinger. “When Joe was found dead, the note was right here on the table. That proves that Tim was up here showing that note to Joe.” “f was never up here,” Tim said angrily, “until just now.” “You admit you had the note?” “Sure.” “Then how did it get up here?” “T_T just made a mistake.” “What mistake?” “T called Joe Grail on the phone and he wouldn’t talk to me. So early last evening, down at the hotel, I wrote him a note telling him he’d better see me. I wanted to tell him about that note I got from Lausen. I guess I was pretty well shot and I made a stu- pid mistake. Instead of my note, I put the one I took from Lausen into the envelope. I sent that up to Joe. | didn’t discover my mistake until a couple of hours later. I know it sounds cockeyed, but—” “Cockeyed is right,” snapped Cap- — tain Mails. “You got no way of prov- ing that yarn.” “No,” admitted Tim. Drake Judson said: “You have the note, eaptain?”’ Cire Be 4 : ~ - 4 Kad - ~a + alge at ee ie = - ~ i , < 5 / > . "I - ps . “ + _ - = ‘ Paty I ‘2 oS = “i = = = a ‘ 3 ae = d 3 % » _ - a ¥ ry ~< $ iy