5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

DOOM FOR THE GROOM The water almost drowned Rick and he flinched as the boss slapped at his face. “Come out of it, you bum!” the man ordered. Rick opened his bloodshot eyes. Roughly the boss grabbed him by the lapels of his suit and shook him. “Who are you?’ Talk!” Bull said thickly, “If he’s a copper, we'll have to get rid of him. Maybe he’s hooked Sam with those truck jobs.” “Shut up!” the boss snapped. “I’m going to cut your damned tongue out one of these days.” “T don’t think he’s a cop,’ Wirehaired cut in. “What’d he be doing with a cou- ple of tickets to Miami? Nope, he was hooked up with Sam and that gang down there that’s trying to muscle in on us. He probably knocked off Sam himself. You know how that dirty dog Sam was, always trying to come out on top. He might of tried to pull a fast one on this guy and got bumped off.” - The boss grimaced. “I ought to have killed that rat myself,” he said dis- -gustedly. “Sam had big ideas. Big ideas.” “Sure, but that ain’t telling us who this guy is. Wait a minute. Maybe he’s on the inside of the Eagle Company. Sam would have wanted a man on the inside and he wouldn’t have used the same connections we had.” The boss’ face lit up. “Yeah. That’s right. We might be soiling our hands for nothing, boys. If this guy is hooked up with Eagle, there’s an easier way of finding out who he is than this.” - Rick’s breathing grew shallow as he watched the boss, smiling triumphantly, walk to the door he had come through. When he got there he looked Into the other room and said, “C’mere.’ Taut as the string on a violin, Rick sat there watching the open doorway. Then an unseen hand plucked that string, sending a shattering vibration through him _ Kay walked into the room. “Did you ever see that guy before?” the boss demanded eagerly, pointing at Rick. “Try hard, sugar. This is im- portant.” Rick looked straight into her eyes. Unconsciously he brought up his hand and wiped his mouth. Kay turned a 57 shade paler. She held her hands tightly in front of her. Tersely she said, “No, Red.” A big chunk fell into place. Red Keaton! Red rubbed his jaw and frowned. “Are you sure you haven’t ever seen him before?” he asked again. Her eyes blurred with tears. “I’m not sure of anything,” she said hys- terically. “All I know is that I got a telephone call to come to room twenty- six at the Elite Hotel. If I hadn’t, someone I—I thought a lot of might have been hurt. So I went there and found a dead man. When I[ ran out of the hotel, your men jumped out of a car and grabbed me. You’d come to see that dead man, because after I’d told you what happened, you brought me here. Let me go, Red. Let me go!” “Hold on, sugar!” Red said, grabbing her arm. “We don’t know who this guy is so you don’t want to be shooting off your pretty little mouth.” He put his arms around her. Kay struggled to get loose, but he held her securely. He con- tinued, “Besides, I’m not going to let you go after I’ve spent all this time looking for you. Sam found you before I did, but after what he tried to do to you, the dirty dog got what he had com- ing to him. I’ll treat you good, sugar. I go for you. I always have.” Gua Sweat popped out on Rick’s face as he watched Red press his mouth against Kay’s face. Her hands were pushing against his chest as she tried to pe away, but he was too strong for er. Rick wanted to give Red a kiss, too. The kiss of death. Arrogantly Red walked back across the room and stopped in front of Rick. Glaring down at him he said, “I just got a brilliant idea. We’ll know who you are in a few minutes, mister. If we find out that you’re hooked up with that Eagle outfit and was operating with Sam, then you’re going to have lots of talking to do. And if you’re a copper—” He slapped his hands together with a loud bang. - Rick watched him calmly, but blood was rushing to his head. Red went into the office that Rick had been brought AMICLOOO@ S (C(O) (CO) im