5 Detective Novels Magazine — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

COMPLIMENTS OF A FIEND around.” He came closer and tapped a sausagelike forefinger on my chest. “Listen, Lederer—” “Tommy,” I told myself, “you’re doing swell. You’ve held your temper, and acted like a little man. He’s been trying to bait you and you outfoxed him. An- other minute and you’ll be on your way out of here.” “Listen, Lederer, when you leave, don’t ever come back, see? You’ve kept out of stir thus far, or you wouldn’t have been in the army, but if you’re a Chicago dick, you’re a crook. Like your fath—” He didn’t even finish the word. I hit him. | But he’d been crowding me _ back against the edge of the chair I’d just got out of. I couldn’t set my feet, and when you’re as light as I am, you’ve got to get your body back of a blow to make it tell. It caught him flush on the mouth and it shut him up, but that was all. And he’d been expecting it, even more than I was. He was already swinging the blackjack, and I didn’t have time or space to duck it. It knocked me down, but not quite out. I was numb, though. I felt the half dozen kicks he gave me, but they didn’t hurt much. 3 By the collar of my coat he dragged me out into the hallway. He locked the door behind him. “That’s a sample of what bad boys from Chi get in Haverton,” he said. “Tell ’em that.” He went out, the floor shaking under his heavy footsteps. The numbness faded away, and my head and my right side hurt like the devil. I raised myself up. It hurt when I bent over, but I managed to brush off the worst of the dust from the floor. Then, walking carefully, I went outside. Luckily, the Illinois Hotel was 3 only two blocks away. Tee lobby was empty. Joe Brophy was still behind the desk. “Good grief, Tommy, what happened to you?” “Accident,” I said. “Had a bad fall in the dark. Think maybe I busted a rib or two. Who’s the handiest doctor?” “Doc Reynard.” 107 “He still coroner?” “Yeah, but he still practices, too. Shall I.send for him?” “Yes. I can make it up to my room, and he can look me over there.” “Right away,” Joe said. “Wait till I phone him, then I’ll take you up in the service elevator.” He made the call and then said, “He'll be here in fifteen minutes. Come on.’ The service elevator—the hotel was only four stories high and didn’t have a passenger elevator—was in back. I was glad to take Joe’s offer because my room was on the top floor. Going up in the elevator, he said: “There was a call for you. The word you were in town must have spread fast.” “You helped it along, I suppose.” He grinned. “The call was from Mary Ambers.” “Mary Ambers? Isn’t she married yet? She was engaged to Nick Eklund when I left.” “Nope, she didn’t marry Nick. They broke it off. Nick married Elsie Thomas —remember her?” “Vaguely. Well, it’s too late to phone Mary tonight.” “Okay. I got to get back to the desk. You can make it along the hall?” “Sure,” I said. “Thanks a lot.” In my room, I started undressing and was stripped to the waist by the time Doc Reynard got there. He went over me pretty thoroughly. “One rib cracked, but not too badly. I’ll tape it up tight for you and it’ll be all right. Nasty bump on your head, but no concussion.” A few minutes after Reynard left, Joe came up. “Reynard told me you ought to stay in bed as long as you can,” he said. “Anything I can get for you?” “No thanks, Joe. I’ll be all right. Listen, the phone in here—is it con- nected with a switchboard downstairs ?” “No. We haven’t got a P.B.X. It con- nects with the phone company. So if you want the desk, you phone six-two- four, the hotel number. Screwy system.” It was, but it suited me fine. If I de- cided to make a call, it wouldn’t be over- heard by whoever was on duty down- stairs in the hotel. S GoMmilGeboo @)