5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

24 didn’t know. Both remembered you got a phone call, but all they heard was your side of the conversation ang ps didn’t call the other party by na “That’s kind of eating 2 the little man said slowly. “Ainslie’s voice car- ried, because Mrs. Larson remarked it sounded like him. And if she could rec- ognize the voice, maybe she could hear everything he said. Apparently the mayor was alone when he phoned, so Mrs. Larson and Erickson were the only | ones aside from me knew he'd dis- covered something about the murder. They got in a car together, and could have made it to the theatre ten minutes before I got there.” Tony turned the hot water spigot on the bowl in one corner of the cell, found it did not work and filled the bowl with cold water. “Also talked to Maggie, the cleaning woman at the Bijou,” the chief said. “Had her eheck over everything in the dressing room. She knows the place by heart, and there ain’t a thing missing.” Tony stopped lathering his face and turned slowly. “Then what the devil was Ainslie talking about?” “Thought maybe you might know,” Murphy said. “You’re a big city cop.” Tony said, “What was in the dressing room when you checked it with Mag- gie?” “Not much. That’s why she’s so sure nothing is missing. It ain’t exactly fur- nished in luxury.” The chief brought a scrap of paper from his pocket. “Three dressing fables with mirrors and three chairs. One small stand with a phone and phone book on it. Washstand in one corner. Dozen clothes hooks around the walls. On each dressing table is a box of face tissue, a makeup kit, jar of cold cream and a water tumbler. Think of anything else that ought to be in a dress- ing room?” “Not offhand,” Tony said. “You don’t really think I killed Ainslie, do you?” “Don’t know. But you’re staying locked up till I find out.” Tony finished his shave and was re- packing his suitcase when breakfast ar- rived. It was restaurant fare, brought in from outside, and it was good, con- sisting of eggs, bacon, toast and coffee. “At least you feed well,” he said to FIVE DETECTIVE NOVELS MAGAZINE Murphy, who still stood outside the cell. “We can afford to. Don’t have many prisoners. That’s from the Missouri Cafe.” As he ate, Tony kept turning over in his mind the list of items the chief had read off as being in the dressing room, and suddenly the item Mayor eaue might have meant occurred to im. Carefully he set down his coffee cup, looked up at the fat chief and said, “You so J just figured this whole thing ou VI C mer MURPHY regarded his pris- oner placidly and waited for him to go on. “I got it figured out,” Tony repeated, “provided I can find out one thing.” He frowned thoughtfully at his empty cof- fee cup, then glanced up at the chief. “Stone’s body is due on a train at noon. Think you could get an autopsy done right quick?” “Might. Why?” “We don’t need a complete autopsy. Just want to know whether or not he’d been doped. Tell the doc to look for knockout drops first. Chloral hydrate. If he can’t find that, tell him to test for the other hypnotics. Sodium amytal, for instance.” “Sodium what?” “Amytal. A-m-y-t-a-l.” “Better write it down,” the chief said. For the next three hours Tony lay on his bunk staring at the ceiling. At eleven o’clock, when Chief Murphy returned, he had just fallen asleep. He was awakened by the chief tossing spit balls through the bars at his head. Tony stretched and sat up. “The doc found the stuff,” Murphy announced. “Chloral hydrate. Now tell me how you knew.” “Genius,” the little man said modest- “Do I get out of here now?” The chief shook his head. “Finding Stone full of knockout drops proves nothing about Ainslie’s killing. You’re still the only suspect I got, and I’m hanging onto you till I get a better one.” He contemplated the prisoner and added ly. GOMIGIOO SS (C(O)