5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

44 “Oh, no. I never loved Liria. It was this other girl I loved. Only she quit me, and—” “Thees girl don’t tell you nothing else?” “What else?” He grinned suddenly. “You mean did she tell me Liria was stepping out with you?” Azul never batted an eye. Obviously he was more worried about something else. Kern’s eyes swept the shadowy room, lingered on the musical instru- ment. Some were old and strange look- ing. A hollow feeling stole into his stomach. “Say!” His eyes swung to Azul. “What do you know about a man named I. Tezcat in Mexico City?” The tension broke as Azul began to laugh. At the same time he casually re- moved the automatic from its holster. “So! Liria did tell you?” “She did not. It’s just dawned on me. So that’s what you meant when you told Liria you worked for me too! You were in with Tezcat, swindling me, weren’t you? Those recordings I paid such prices for were made right here in this - room!” He rose threateningly. Azul merely chuckled. “Sit down, Senor. Is no good you get mad now. These music you buy, ees good. “Me, I know music.” He tapped his low brow. “Folk music, classical—all. I take a leetle this, a leetle that, put together. Is genius!” “Genius, hell! It’s just that I’m a damned trusting ‘fool, or you’d never have taken me in with your faked trash !” “Trash?” Azul scowled. “Ah, no, amigo, you know yourself thees music got power. You say you no mad at Liria. Why you keel her, then?” He showed his white teeth. “Is the Ochpaniztli Chant!” “Rot!” Kern growled. “I did believe in the stuff, but not now. I see the whole thing now. Liria wasn’t in the deal, at first, was she? But she met you and learned about the swindle. Then she threatened to tell me. So probably it was you who killed her last night.” | “You see me there maybe?” Azul challenged. | “I didn’t,” Kern admitted, feeling the cold sweat running down his face now. FIVE DETECTIVE NOVELS MAGAZINE “It must have happened. while I was at that telephone. Yes, there was a cry. Liria cried out something. If I could only remember what it was, maybe. it would tell me—” He clenched his fists, looked down helplessly at the floor. “Why would I have killed her? I didn’t know about the swindle then. No, I didn’t. I had no reason to—”’ “Is the chant, the death chant,” Azul insisted. ‘“‘Thees music not all faked, amigo. Me, lama Zapotec. When I am a nino, I hear those old tunes, remem- ber, put them into music when I make it to sell to you. See, I got the ancient instruments. Indian orchestra I got too — not commercial — Indian girls. Work daytime other jobs. When I want to make recording, I call them.” He whipped a black notebook from his pocket and tapped it. “‘All Indian girls, all keep quiet. They come here and we make music in thees soundproof room.” “What about this fellow, I. Tezcat?” Kern asked. Azul shook his head. “For tell you that, amigo, you will pay me plenty moneys. Bot, I help you to escape, too. Is easy. I got friends. I help you get away to far south, Oaxaca. Is fair?” TRAPPED-ANIMAL look of hatred was in Kern’s eyes as he stared at Azul. That his case was desperate, he knew now. But to accept the offer, run away, would be to admit his guilt as Liria’s killer. It would also put him into the hands of this young scoundrel who blandly admitted swindling him of thou- sands, who flaunted the proof of it at him, the proof that was probably in that black notebook. Kern had an impulse to rush him, to pit the stone knife in his pocket against the gun. What checked him was his own sick uncertainty as to what had hap- pened to Liria... “If I could only remember what she cried out,” he grated. “It seems it had some meaning for me then. But some shock has blacked it out.” He got up unsteadily, walked to the wall nearest him, and stood there, pretending he was at the telephone listening to Edna Fer- ry’s hysterical accusations. ‘Now, if I could hear the music that was play- ing— COMmMiIclooe @ S (C(O) mM