Pulp Fiction, 1950 · page 88 of 132
15 Story Detective, April 1950 — page 88: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# 15 Story Detective, Page 88 This is story prose from a hardboiled crime pulp magazine. The page contains Chapter Three, titled "A Fast Get-Away," which depicts a man named George Ball fleeing police after an incident at a hotel. He escapes down Spring Street and, desperate for transportation, is picked up by a woman named Marilyn Toomey in a convertible. The narrative follows their drive through Hollywood toward Beverly Hills, where Marilyn takes them to a secluded spot with a view of Los Angeles and offers George a drink, asking him to explain his situation. The prose is typical mid-20th-century pulp crime fiction.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
88 was. He took his cue from the killer and sprinted down the fire steps to the alley. CHAPTER THREE A Fast Get-Away HERE was only one way out of the alley and that was on Spring Street, about thirty feet from the front en- trance of the hotel. Another five minutes and George Ball would have been bottled up in the dead end—but he got to the street before any general alarm had been given, was several blocks further down Spring when he heard the sound of police sirens. He’d been moving as fast as he dared, wanting with every step to break and run. He passed a couple of stray dames walk- ing their dogs, but otherwise had Spring Street pretty much to himself. Ball knew it only takes a few stray dames to put the cops on a guys track. He had to get transportation, and soon. He’d made a pass at a cab, but it was loaded and not about to stop. As the sirens closed, he ducked into a darkened shop doorway. A prowl car batted by heading for the Rodney Villa. George stepped back to the sidewalk. The only thing moving his direction was a chrome-laden convertible. It came abreast of him, swerved suddenly to the curb and stopped. He heard a girl’s voice say, ‘George Ball! Can I take you any place?” He gasped. Seven years ago this might have happened. Not that he had known so many girls who cruised around town late at night—but it was possible. Now, so far as he knew, only one woman knew he was in L.A. And here she was—show- ing up like a death house reprieve. Down the street the siren on the police car wailed and died. That was all the urging he needed, not to question his luck. He opened the door and crawled into the 15 Story Detective car beside Marilyn Toomey. “Thanks, You can give me a lift.” She smiled. “Where’ll it be?” “How about Beverly Hills?” She put the car in gear, commenting, “Beverly Hills is a big place, George. Are you particular about where?” He shook his head. “Any corner you want to drop me.” She laughed. “You sound like a man who’s running away from something.” “Good guess,” he nodded grimly. “Just keep driving. Ill tell you when to stop.” “You haven’t killed anyone, George?” He saw her glance at him as she sent the big car chasing after its headlights. “No,” he said. “I haven’t; although there may be a difference of opinion about that.” She drove in silence for several minutes. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “T’ll keep you out of it.” E “T wasn’t worrying,” she said. “I was wondering—I mean, if you're really hot—”’ ; “Tm hot,” he said, “but it only con- cerns you to the extent of setting me down in another part of the county. I'll make out.”’ “But you'll need a place to stay,” she protested. “T’m working on that.” They left it there, drove through Holly- wood and out Sunset Boulevard. He wasn’t paying any special attention to Marilyn’s driving, until she spun the wheel and took them up one of the canyon roads back of Beverly Hills. She picked a spot with a view of Los Angeles lights, pulled off the road and cut the engine. The only sound in the darkened car was the engine cracking in the night air. Then Marilyn said, brightly, ‘““There’s a bottle in the glove compartment, George. Sup- pose we have a drink and you tell me about it.” He opened the bottle and handed it to her. EOPMIE OOO KS (E@)