10-Story Detective Magazine Cover — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

Race asked quickly, “Where's ‘his gun?” “He was unarmed. We searched ‘his room. No sign of it.” Race didn’t seem surprised. He noticed all the women were present as well as ‘the men. Only Wadlow was missing. “Doctor, have two of the men bring Mr. Wadlow down.” Dr. Juathan lodked -mystified, ‘but obeyed. They quickly returned with Wadlow. Race lit a cigarette, looked at Wadlow. “Mr. Wadlow did notkill the tall cuard— di never learned his name.” He looked at the butler. “Nor :yyours—what ‘is it, any- Yea “Jimmy Benson.” The butler curled his Race ignored the query. He told how he had found the body of the uniformed guard. Several of the women gasped. Race smiled grimly. ‘IT am a private detective. I was re- tained by Miss Darrow to accompany -her for protection. She, it seems, was the only one of the relatives to smeli a mouse. Roger Leymore invited you folks here so he could appraise you and make his will accordingly. Maybe it was unorthodox, but. it suited his whim. What he didn’t figure on was the play being taken from ‘his hands.” Race jerked his thumb at the butler. “This man—Jimmy Benson isn’t his:real name—and his pal, the tall guard, got wind of the affair. They waited till Ley- more’s servants had been sent away— another prank of Leymore’s—then moved in. They had to kill the bridge guard. “In some way they forced Leymore to play their game. But Benson’s pal stopped a bullet. Wadlow’s story was qitite true. I swallowed it-to suck Benson in on a fake play. He swallowed it at first. “But when Leymore poked his head through a secret panel in my room and took a shot. at me, Benson added two and two and got the right answer. If Ley- more could do that to me, ‘why couldn’t he do it to Benson’s chum? He did. First snitching Wadlow’s gun to kill the fel- low with. Wadlow told exactly how it happened. Leymore drew him there with the note, slid the panei open, killed the guard, and hit Wadlow with the heavy candlestick. So much for that.” He looked at Benson, “Benson knew faints,” Race said, He pulled up the cov- “That's a lie,” snarled Benson. “Where's your proof?” “He killed Leymore,”" ‘Race reiterated, “but failed to find the secret of the panels. He got an axe and opened the panel -in ‘my room. But ‘he still couldn't find what he sought.” Race grinned at the scowling butler. “He and his pal had heard that Leymore kept-a fortune in asecret-vault hore, But they couldn't find it and Leymore refused to .open up.” Benson laughed sneeringly. “A weal dick, are you? You can’t be or you'd know-you got-to have evidence. You got nothing on me,” Race stared at -him. “Since you deny killing Leymore, have you any objection to accompanying us to the body upstairs, gazing on it, and repeatinp,your denial?” _ Some color drained from Benson's face. He got hold of himself with an effort. “Of course I ain’t. I didn’t ‘kill him -and.got nothing to be afraid of.” \HE butler between ‘them, Race and # Dr. Lathan Jed the way upstairs. Race unlocked the deor. All the relatives crowded into the ‘big room in a circle around the body. Benson’s face looked waxy. Race looked «at him grimly. “Did you, or did you not, kill this man?” Benson licked ‘his lips. “I didn’t—I didn’t have nothing to do with—” He broke off his words, his eyes bulging in terror. The right arm of the body on the floor was raising. Women screamed in terror. : The arm raised slowly upward till the index finger of the hand pointed at Ben- son. “Step it! Take me outa here! I killed him,” guavered Benson. “Lemme outa here—thatman ain’t Leymore.” Turning weakly, covering his face with his hands, he staggered toward the door. - At a sign from Race, two of the men grasped his arms, held him. “You can get up now, Mr. Leymore,” chuckled Race, Roger Leymore opened his eyes, laughed at the amazed expressions, got to his feet. “It worked, Bennett,” he chuckled. “That’s the most fun I’ve had since I was a kid.” ‘{ better explain before someone else ame ~ a ~ ‘ * a = <= — €OoO