5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

26 “Good. Be embarrassing to the town council if you broke out. I been asking for repair money two years now. Keep telling them the jail’s falling apart.” Tony gazed at the fat man in aston- ishment. Was the chief subtly suggest- ing he would not be opposed if he broke jail, but could not be officially released? The thought was fantastic, but what other interpretation could be put on the man’s remarkable comment that the jail was falling apart? Again Tony got the impression that Chief Murphy was on his side, but for some reason must keep up a public front of unrelenting opposi- tion. E WAITED until the middle of the afternoon to test the chief’s de- scription of the jail. Then he rose from his bunk and wandered to the single window, which contained three verticle bars set in mortar. Since the jail was in the basement, the window was scarce- ly a foot above ground level. None of the loiterers on the town square seemed to be looking his way. Tentatively Tony reached out and grasped the center bar. He shook it slightly and a minute shower of crum- bling mortar fell from the upper hole in which the bar was imbedded. Satisfied, he returned to his bunk and took a nap until suppertime. After sup- per he sat doing nothing until the chief came back at nine, announced, “Lights out,” and threw a switch in the hall. Tony waited fifteen minutes, then went to work on the bar. The only tool he had was his straight razor, which against every principle of penal custody the chief had left in his possession. He ruined the razor, but the mortar hold- ing the bar in place was so dried out and crumbly, it took him only ten minutes to gouge out enough to remove the bar. Noiselessly setting it on the floor, he grasped the other two bars in either hand, braced his feet against the wall and literally walked up it. He squeezed between the two outer bars feet first, going through easily up to his chest, then turning sidewise to get his shoul- ders through. There was no moon, and the old-fash- ioned shaded street lamps at each cor- ner of the square cast a bright circle of FIVE DETECTIVE NOVELS MAGAZINE light directly beneath themselves, but left the rest of the square in pitch dark- ness. The Missouri Cafe, directly across from Tony’s cell was the only business establishment still open, apparently, and the diffused light from its show window made for bare visibility on the city hall lawn. Just as Tony rose to his feet, he made out a portly shadow at one corner of the building. The shadow moved, and a highlight glinted on metal. “Who’s there?” Chief Murphy’s voice demanded. Tony froze against the side of the building. For a long period neither moved, though momentarily Tony ex- pected the chief either to speak again or walk toward him. He was puzzled rather than chagrined by the chief’s challenge, for he could not reconcile it with the fat man’s seeming suggestion to break jail. And being puzzled, Tony decided to wait to see what would happen. What did happen outraged him. Metal again glinted in the chief’s hand, then his heavy revolver roared. Dirt rained into Tony’s face as the bullet slammed the ground almost between his feet. For an incredulous instant Tony re- mained frozen, then rage at his own gul- libility flowed over him as the thought flashed into his mind that Chief Murphy had deliberately talked him into break- ing jail for the purpose of killing him while attempting escape. Spinning, he headed for the opposite corner of the city hall at a dead run. An- other shot crashed, the bullet almost nicking one heel, then he was around the corner and scooting diagonally across the wide lawn. Apparently the chief reached the corner of the building just as Tony reached the other side of the street, for a third bullet whanged into the curbstone and careened upward with a dull whine. Then Tony was plunging between two shops into pitch darkness. From the roof of the city hall a siren began to scream. For two blocks Tony - ran down an alley, then entered a back yard and cut back a half block by climb- ing fences. This brought him into the parking area behind the building hous- ing the bingo hall and bookshop run by Harry Short. GOMIGIOO @) S (C(O)