Pulp Fiction, 1950 · page 35 of 132
15 Story Detective, April 1950 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis This page contains the final section of a hardboiled crime story titled "Two's Company—Three's a Shroud." The narrative prose concludes with a detective named Mike explaining his theory about a murder involving characters named Jake, Dawn, Al, and Harry, with the protagonist (a detective named Morgan or "Doc") deducing that a missing necklace is hidden in pearl marbles attached to a sombrero. The story ends with "THE END." Below the story text is a full-page advertisement for Bromo-Seltzer, a patent medicine claiming to provide "fast help" for headaches, upset stomachs, and "jumpy nerves," manufactured by the Emerson Drug Co. since 1887. The ad features product imagery and testimonial-style copy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Two’s Company—Three’s a Shroud 35 guy from the insurance company—Hector MacNair, here.” I twisted my head, and the banker-from- Des Moines-type was grinning down at me. He nodded pleasantly. “I couldn’t talk too much,” he explained politely. “Company’s very strict about things like that.” “Al was impatient, I guess,” Sheil was saying. “He had picked up a new crony, Harry Luwen. They threatened to give Jake’s girl friend, Dawn, a going over if Jake didn’t produce. They knew that working on Jake wouldn’t help... When we told Harry he faced a possible murder rap, he sang a little. He said he was just along to help Al operate on Dawn, but he didn’t say why. It fits.” “But, listen, Mike—Jake hired me to protect Dawn.” “Sure.” He squatted beside me with a patronizing air. ““You’re new here. Look, junior. That part wouldn’t make sense— unless Jake were afraid that if Al and Harry worked Dawn over she’d get scared and spill what she knew about Jake to the cops? Right? So he hired’ you to keep that from happening. Meanwhile, he was rigging a very neat way to kill her to keep her from talking.” “But he was out front all the time.” “Uh-huh, Except for that trip to the washroom. There’s a window in there, too. Out that one, in the other one. Very cute.... Stick around, Morgan. You may learn a little something about police work,” “You did fine, Mike. Just dandy.” He frowned. “Except for one thing. It all adds up, except. ...’’ He shrugged, and stood up. ‘‘But why sing the blues to your? It’s a department matter.” “What do you need?” “What else,” he growled, “but that ding-donged necklace ?”’ “An amateur like me,”’ I said apologeti- cally. “I’d like to help, but—” “Yeah, I know. It'll take smart detec- tive work to turn it up, but we'll get it. Maybe when we get Al Pilar, we'll be able to make him talk.” I said slowly, “I could pull it out of a hat,” “Oh, sure. Doc, the guy’s getting de« lirious.” : I closed my eyes and thought again about that flat-topped sombrero up on the shelf, the sombrero Jake Left must have seen and utilized as a handy place to keep his pearl marbles. His girl could look after them for him, and never know it. - I thought about those precious little black balls on the hat’s tassels, and I said, “Mike. Get a bottle of paint remover, We don’t need any smart detectives.” THE END UPSET STOMACH ~ wo “HEADACH Today more people than ever be- fore use Bromo-Seltzer. Because this time-proved product gives fast help. Not only for headache pain, butalso forthe upset stom- ach and jumpy nerves that often £0 with it. Quick! Pleasant! Bromo-Seltzer effervesces with split-second ac- tion, ready to go to work at once. And it is so refreshing! You must be satisfied or your money back! Caution: Use only as directed. Get Bromo-Seltzer at your drug store fountain or counter today. It’s a product of the Emerson Drug Co. since 1887. (C@)