10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

again, and saw Pudge disappearing be- neath the surface, He struck out toward him, his feet found firm land under the water, and soon he grasped Pudge by the collar, Hoisting him up he saw that he’d been wounded, Packer had mistaken Pudge for McKay. It made the Marine grin a little. The darkness protected him quite well. He glanced at the ship. She was be- ginning to move. They were taking her, by means of the auxiliary engine, away from the shore, Packer knew very well a horde of po- lice would descend upon him shortly. If he could get it far out into the lake, he’d have time to go over the craft for those imeriminating papers or whatever it was that Garrick had secreted. McKay dragged the unconscious Pudge ashore. He examined him, saw that he was in no serious.danger, then started toward the house. He veered off the path, however, when he heard someone com- ing his way. As the man passed by, he turned on a flashlight, In the reflected glow, McKay saw that it was Lieutenant Otis, He ealled the. detective to a halt, Five minutes later, McKay was putting on his clothes, With the help of Otis, he carried Pudge into Cunningham’s house, Otis said, “I heard of the mess you’re in. I don’t believe a word of it, I saw the ship sail. Those babies worked quietly until the shooting started, I never even knew there was anyone aboard. Did they find anything, McKay?” “I don’t think so,” McKay grinned broadly. ‘““We’ve got Pudge here. He’ll be sore because they shot him. Even if he isn’t, just show the rat a piece of sharp steel and he’ll squeal like a pig. Lieu- tenant, Garrick really did leave a con- fession and list the names before he joined up, didn’t he?” “I’m pretty sure of it,” Otis said, “The gang tried to stop him. In fact, they got quite rough about it, but Garrick was a funny kid, A petty crook, yes, but dog- gone patriotic, He must have seen what _ his friends really were and prepared his confession, But where did he put it? Not on the boat. I spent plenty of'time search- ing it.” McKay said, “Lieutenant, there is = ee about Say! Garrick nobody TRIGGER MAN FROM FARAWA but a ship,” Otis 15 who got seasick so fast. Once we put him aboard a lifeboat when it was beached, and he got sick. He couldn’t even set foot on a dummy ship rigged on land. It was like an obsession, so would he be apt to hide something on that sailing ship? I don’t think so.” “But you can’t reef sails on anything rotested, McKay nodded. “Fhat’s right and I got Garrick’s message straight, too. So look behind you. Over Cunningham’s desk. That picture—it’s a glass-covered oil painting of the boat on the lake. That’s more like Garrick’s speed. Suppose we reef the sails on that picture, eh?” HEY had the oil painting down in two minutes, Otis pried away the back. There was a well-folded piece of paper behind the canvas, Otis read it and whistled, “Oh, boy, is this something? Know whose name heads this list of crooks? John Lorimer, Cunningham’s partner be- fore he became the D. A. Know what I think? Cunningham took young Garrick in as a handy man, because he thought he could instil some sense of honesty in him and make him confess, Perhaps Cun- ningham suspected Lorimer. “Alex had a good opportunity to hide his confession here, At the time, he was- n't certain he wanted to talk, Tarawa showed him the truth. Lorimer was after Cunningham’s job, too, An added reason for having Cunningham murdered. Hand “ the phone, I’m going to burn the wires ry) 33 “Sure thing, sir,” McKay said. “But first you’d better send some kind of a craft after the boat Packer is on. I don’t care so much about Packer, but they’ve got Alex Garrick’s kid brother a prison- er aboard, They were holding him to make his sister toe the mark. That’s why she wouldn’t cooperate, “T think the kid earned the trouble he’s in, but we have to get him out. He must have heard me telling Peggy about the message for Cunningham. He contacted the mob, took gasoline out of Peggy’s car and delayed us so they could reach Cun- ningham first.” “J reasoned it that way, too.” Otis made his calls and then leaned back, “It’s too bad Packer and that other fellow got : : hf 1 eet ri