5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

Ward Murphy’s remarks about starting gossip, wondering again if it had been meant aS a warning or a suggestion. It seemed a sound plan to stir things up a little in either event, since he had no idea where else to start. When the waitress returned to him, he said, “You know, Janet, it sounds to me as though the bandit’s real purpose was to kill your boss, and robbery was just a cover-up.” “How you mean?” Tony examined his fingernails. “Sup- pose some local Joe wanted Larson out of the way, but was afraid if anything happened to him, everyone in town would know right where to look for the 14 murderer. So he hires an out-of-town hobo to stick up the restaurant and knock off your boss. Everybody takes it for granted it’s a simple case of murder during robbery, so no one even thinks about this local Joe’s grudge.” He glanced up to see the girl staring at him with widespread eyes, her lips formed into a round “O.” “Jeepers!” she breathed. “Art Jason or Harry Short!” “Who Uses “Art Jason, who runs the Blue Goose across the square, or Harry Short, who has the bingo hall and a bookshop. The boss headed the Citizens’ Committee, which was trying to get the mayor im- GOMIGIOO SS (C(O)