10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

10————__——_—-10-STORY DETECT saw someone else had entered this huge room, It was Peggy Garrick. She was seated in a chair right beside the table lamp on that old box. Her face was perfectly white. Beside her stood the silent member of the murderous duo, He held a gun pointed directly at Peggy’s ear. Packer came into view. He must have been standing behind McKay. Packer said, “Meet our ace in the hole, Corporal. Remember, you’ve made us do this. Now, in two minutes you will have given us Garrick’s message, Or that very charming girl is going to have her head blown off. What do you think of it, Cor- poral?” McKay said flatly, “it’s a typical Jap trick. Suppose I tell you this message. How da you know it’s the truth? How do I know you won’t kill that girl anyway— and me, too?” “Now listen,” Packer protested, “we're not as bad as that. Believe me, we'll get out of here fast—we'll learn if what you say is a lie. Spill it, Corporal. Don’t con- tinue to be a fool.” McKay weighed his chances and found the balance tipped about a million to one against him. He couldy’t sit and see Peggy murdered. After all, this busi- ness concerned a town he had nothing to do with. Lieutenant Otis already knew the message, and could probably act on it as quickly as these men. “You win,” MeKay groaned. “Let Peg- gy go. Let me-see her leaving this place ffiom one of the windows. Ten minutes after that, I’ll talk.” “Right,” Packer agreed, and McKay was surprised that he did. “We can pick up the girl again any time. Pudge, take her out of here. McKay, come over to this window and watch her leave. She won't even be followed.” MeKay looked for a long moment at Peggy. As she arose and walked with the gaany man, oddly named Pudge, Peggy ever glanced his way. Her face was just as pale as when the gun was pointed at ‘Yer-ear. They vanished through the door. A-couple of minutes later, MeKay saw them watk across the street. There Pudge left her. Peggy walked away, never look- ing baek, unhurried and apparently quite calm. McKay’s suspicions about her rose another notch. “Well?” Packer asked hopefully. “We Ss seh our Soe of the. eee zs 66 ' R VILL you tell me something first?’”’ McKay wanted to know. “Just to get things straight in my own mind, Alex Garrick was some kind of a crook until he joined the Marines. As he died, he figured it would help if he sent the D. A. a message to blast certain crim- inal interests in this city right off the map. Am [I right?” “It’s none of your business,” Packer frowned darkly. “I only want that mes- sage, and I intend to get it.” McKay shrugged and walked toward the chair in which Peggy had been seated. He sensed that these men couldn’t afford to let him live once he toid the truth. This was his business now. He owed that muck to Alex—to see that his hopes came true. The police, apparently, were handi- capped. McKay wasn’t, if he could get out of this present predicament. He did- n’t know the meaning of Garrick’s strange message, Neither did the cops. Maybe the crooks did and would act on it. If so, if he was free, too, then he might be able to do what-Garrick wanted. Clean up this unholy meas. McKay decided to fall that message. Pudge was back, standing just one side, his gun dangling limply. Packer was getting impatient. McKay knew they wouldin’t wait much longer. “The message,” he said, “is this: ‘Reef Your Sails.’ ” “He's nuts if he thinks we believe that,” Pudge spoke for the first time. €No, he isn’t.” Packer seemed excited. “Garrick’s only way out was to hide a letter telling all he knew. Naming names and ali that, Cunningham has a sailing boat. Garrick may have concealed that letter in such a position on the boat that when the sails are reefed, the note will ‘be exposed. I think McKay told the truth. I think we can take a chance, Pudge. Go ahtad. Finish it up.” Pudge smiled, as his gun started to come up. But McKay had selected this spot for a reason, His right arm flew out and hit the table lamp. The room was plunged into jet darkness. McKay was on his feet instantly. He’d made his plans well. He darted between the two men, veached the middle of the spacious floor and stood there, rigid and immobile. He didn’t even breathe. He was sunddenly on Guadalcanal and Tarawa with back | = ‘quietly ae about, gues to — a aoe > sii en ~ ie. a re ~ ~ —_ > aie ae rs in a ne rod ; fete, ES ae Se ps ae a « wn? _- oe ee pws i, - a = SS Ce : bt ~~ +o tie SS ~ ; ! ~ -_ > ee —. ae poh te 4 apres Site ps as * > al a agp es i ‘ Se COomIicpDOooK - ee = oe i xe z = woe eo s See en. | ae 2 a Sa a oe ial a mS. dees! <A — a ARS: ae ~ eT ik ee i ee - Cage ere See mat