5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 40: what you’re looking at

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40 ask to go with her and Ward. So long as she is around, we’ll be okay.” “But afterwards? We can’t keep them off us forever.” “We won’t have to. I’m playing for time—just a little time. Sure, we’ll be taking a chance, but that’s better than sitting here and waiting until those goons come for us.” Cora said, “The door behind us leads to the end of the reception hall. When they come down from upstairs, we'll have to be waiting—” As if mental telepathy had brought him, Galey walked in at that moment. I noticed, with considerable satisfaction, that his nose was still badly swollen. He lit a cigarette and sat down. “There are men posted at each door,” he said. “All I have to do is let out a yell. You know, Craig, I think I’ll really en- joy this. Mainly because you’re a fool, and fools are no asset to the human race.” “So I’m a fool,” I said. My eyes slid toward Cora, and she seemed to under- stand what I meant. She paced up and down. Galey watched her but after a while he got tired of it. “You’re an idiot,” jhe told me. “We ac- tually got you out of a homicide arrest, and yet’ you start pushing everyone around simply to prove you did kill that friend of Joan. A smart boy would have been glad to see the blame shifted onto someone else.” I nodded slowly. “So that’s what you were after. With the cops looking for Joan, and she well aware of the fact, she’d have agreed to let you take her out of the country. You have no intention of killing her, of course, because this evi- dence she has somewhere would come into the open at her death. But you could wear her down if she was in some stink- ing South American or African port town. She could never go to the police with this charge hanging over her.” Cora’s pacing had grown faster, and she was covering more ground. I glanced her way, and she moved quickly toward the door. Galey was on his feet instantly. To reach her he had to turn his back on me, and I was counting on the fact that he’d try to stop Cora himself without yelling for help. I jumped him from be- hind. I jerked his head back with a stran- FIVE DETECTIVE NOVELS MAGAZINE gle hold and drove a knee into his spine. I held him that way until his struggles stopped and his gasps became weaker. Then I eased him onto a chair and wal- loped him on the jaw. As I hurried toward Cora, she mo- tioned for more speed. With her ear against the panels, she must have heard Mrs. Ward coming downstairs. She threw the door wide open, and we moved out so fast that the man posted at the door didn’t have a chance to stop us. T THE foot of the stairs stood Ward and his white-haired, patrician- looking wife. She was dressed in an eve- ning gown and sables and when she saw Cora, she smiled warmly. The man who’d been at the door was moving up behind us, not quite sure what to do next. I saw Ward give him a covert signal, and he dropped back. Cora said, “I’m so glad we were in time. Oh—Mrs. Ward, this is a very spe- cial friend of mine—Mr. Craig. Of course, you know Johnny, Mr. Ward.” “Indeed,” Ward said, and there was a glint of reluctant admiration in his eyes. “He is a rather clever young man, my dear.” “Would you mind terribly if we went in your car?” Cora asked. “Johnny came in a cab, and, well—” “We'd be delighted,” Mrs. Ward said. “Walk with me, Cora. The car is waiting out front.” Ward let them go out first and then fell into step with me. “You cling to life very tenaciously, Craig,” he said. “I'll admit this was a clever move.” “TI thought so,” I said. Ward let me go through the door first. I saw his big car at the curb and, parked double beside, a smaller sedan. As we went down the steps, a man got out of the sedan and ap- proached us. Ward said, “It makes little difference what you do, Craig. You simply can’t get away from me. Prolonging it only makes me angrier—” The man stepped directly in front of us. I said, ““Good evening, Lieutenant.” I glanced at Ward. “This is Detective Lieutenant Barr, Mr. Ward.” Ward never lost one iota of his usual aplomb even though he must have sus- pected what was coming. He said, “I’m AMTCLOOO (CO) S (C(O)