10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

24—_________—_——- —1¢6-STORY DETECTIVE————_______—_- *DelaDame, first floor busts,” she-said. “Tf.it’s not Pardo, L.oweyow my watch.” I ran back through ‘the shall, into .the dim -room. I tripped :noisily «over an out- stretched foot and skiddéd into the cirele of -red light with General ‘Vadragno. I grabbed hig jack-o’ a mustachios~ and peeled. And I .guessed ater Oh, -the -mus- tachios moulted, .all -right. ‘But it wasn’t Pardo:behind them.it was DelaDame, the third-rate actor, and I owed Lizzie Quinn my watch. DelaDame slung-the.ice cream parlor .table .against my hips. I did -a somersault among the lolling customers. ..By the time: I dug.out my “flask,” Dela- Dame was sitting on.my ‘chest, using -his fists.as hammers. I could smell the grease paint on his apple cheeks. The hand tJ jammed under his chin skidded con his IMmakenp and wiped off.some:of :+his »wrin- kles People were yelling and trying to:bust through the mulberry turtams. A half dozen torches suddenly: bobbed over them. Above -the racket I could ‘hear Chesney bellowing orders to .his detail. I rocked violently on ‘the floor mtil .DelaDame bucked off «my -chest. Then I «slammed him on the head with the side df my pistol. ‘A flashlight picked .us out. said, “The lady-killing rookie.” “You're late,.Chesney,” I.told him. “Well, we ain’t.as.smart as you. It took us dumb guys a while to.figuré out that Johnni Anger might have been trying to write Wingott Street.onshis bedsheet.”’ “Now that you're.here, whaty eu: fixing to do?” “Pinch .the .house,” : Chesney :said. “A sledge hammer .cop,” I ‘remarked pleasantly. “What would -you.do,.Scotland Yard'?”’ Chesney asked in his forebodingly, gentle voice, “Take Bakosh “andl DelaDame down- town and. book ’em for murdering Johnni Anger, the leather tooler.”’ -Somewhere in the room’s gloom.a cop snickered. Big Chesney allowed himself a jigger of a smile. ““Why, we. already got the guy that-stuck Anger. He’s the janitor of the joint, name of .Pardo.” Back in the shadows a couple.of: cops broke into howls of. laughter, “Wait,” I said. “Wait.” septete waited. In the silence I.couldn’t th saysbing. further to — a let me Chesney stew ‘in imy juice a while ‘before he said: “Pardo .was legging -it away from ‘the house. He -had aysatchel full<of dough. ‘It looks dike -we :got :a .strong robbery :mo- tive.” “Looks like?” I said, “Pardo -hasri't confessed ?” “Oh, patience, ‘patience.”’ Chesney squinted into ‘the shadows. bring ‘that janitor in here.” A cop went out to the cars andlreturned with Pardo and a black English -kitbag plastered with old travel:labels, Two other cops dragged ‘Bakosh -in -and ‘planted chim in the kitchen chair. I saw Lizaie Quinn elbowing ‘her way toward:me. -All this time Chesney had been -bend- ing over General Vadrango. “Ain't this -cuy the stone-chiseler .en the first. floor?” he asked.me. “This:Dela- Dame is clean, rookie. J questioned ‘him most of the evening myself.” “Thus delaying our little party. Dela- Dame had to go somewhere .and put :on his general suit, He got .here Jate.” The -sight of DelaDame’s greasepaint and monkey suit had knocked a §little cockiness out of the sarge. He:only looked at ‘me, when I motioned for -the cop to ‘bring Pardo and his kitbag: over into.the light. “They got this: loused :up,” Pardo:said excitedly. “I didn’t stick nobody !” Under. some shirts and a dressing:gown, the kitbtag was more .than.a quarter :full of the green, neatly banded .in stacks about the thickness of house bricks, Handing it-back:to the cop I .noticed that the kitbag left smudges-of black dust-on my palms. “Chesney,” I said, “I’ve been working hard on this case. Are you interested in my results?” “You want time anda ‘half for the work you done in that Greek’s saloon ?”’ It was a‘shot inithe arm to'the morale, knowing that Chesney had kept:a »wateh on me after I’d washed out, “Sarge,” I said, ‘what's the -price «of panic? Well, today it -was murder.” “‘Olimert, 669 WERE you see .a lot of expensive folks. Smart folk. But.they’ve.al- ready been clipped -by Bakosh -and .Dela- Dame. How? Because Bakosh .:and Dela- Dame sold .them .some ‘panic. ‘They con- vinced them that America .was going ‘to get hit by dangerous inflation, :and that : Miele mpney.X yous. be no 4 epee They eee ; = <= pats ae! — ey SS es = on aera ‘ . - Ps Pt 5 nn a <'y .— i - - ’ ae - se =e — a ~~ <a . as aay SS SF S == SO eg pears ae a me = = ae . _——e et SS = 4. e 2: ~ . ~ “s Sara “d === S—s at Sl => = Ss — = . ae ee hs e 2 oo = SS ee eee =O = Se —= Se ae = ~ = Sey: a => 3 a <= = = 3 3) ¥ Lo Cs | () > =