5 Detective Novels Magazine Cover — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

HEADS—IT’S MURDER into the room. She shouldn’t have done that. If she had stayed in the hall, she might have seen the movement behind her. But Prentiss and she were feeling confident. They had no warning that everything wasn’t under control until the man moved up behind her, grabbed her gun, and covered Prentiss. “Drop it, pal!” he barked. Prentiss had been facing the men against the wall. He had no chance to use the guns he had taken. He didn’t even have a chance to turn but he thought that he recognized the voice. It sounded like the one that belonged to the man who had piloted the speedboat. The man came in, pushing the girl] in front of him. Jeffries reached Prentiss first and wrenched the gun from his grasp. “Very neat, Frank. This almost makes up for letting Prentiss steal the boat.” The man growled something. Prentiss turned around slowly. The girl’s face was white. She looked small and scared. She had a right to look that way, for Jeffries swung around at her. “And what the hell do you think you’re doing’? You’re supposed to be working for us. What do you mean, com- ing in here with a gun?” She fumbled as if hunting for words and apparently couldn’t find any that suited her. Jeffries took a step forward. His big, blunt fingers left parallel marks on her white cheek. “That’s for getting out of line. But I’m not finished with you. See? Nobody crosses Sam Jeffries.” “Leave her alone,” Prentiss gritted. Jeffries’ mouth took on a nasty twist. “Look, pal, don’t you go around hunt- ing for trouble. You’re going to find a lot of it. I was very nice and very easy on you tonight. If Mr. Doe had had his way, we'd have cracked you on the head out at the Borneo and dumped vour body on Signal Hill some place. Well, I’m be- ginning to believe Doe’s right. Search him, Mr. Doe. He should have that ten grand on him, and there’s no need to leave that much money on a dead man.” Mr. Doe came forward. He was no more than five feet three, but the way he walked he might have been six-eight. There was a lot of satisfaction on his 75 yellow face and he decidedly was not smiling. He slapped Prentiss once across the mouth, then he reached into Pren- tiss’s pocket for the wallet, and that was when he grew careless. He shouldn’t have got between Prentiss and Jeffries. RENTISS reached like a_ striking snake. He caught the yellow wrist as it reached for the wallet. His other hand caught the front of Mr. Doe’s belt. The next instant, Doe’s small, patent-leather- clad feet were a good six inches off the carpet. He cried out just once. Then he was hurtling backward through the air —directly at Jeffries! The yellow man’s body struck Jeffries hard in the chest, knocking him back- ward into the wall. His head cracked against the plaster, dislodging a hunting print that came sliding down to stun him. Mr. Ray was snatching for the knife as Prentiss charged. The detective caught the man’s wrist as he lifted the knife above his head, twisted it back so sharply that the bone snapped. Then he hurled the man on top of Jeffries. Frank had snapped a shot at Prentiss but missed. As he fired, the girl jumped sideward, her body striking his elbow and knocking him half around. She caught his gun arm, struggling to keep him busy. Before the pilot could break loose and turn, Prentiss had bounded in. His hard knuckles struck the man’s angular jaw. The blow numbed Pren- tiss’s arm almost to the elbow. But the pilot’s knees kinked, and he went down in a twisting motion that made him fall on his face. Prentiss had hold of the girl’s arm and was dragging her to her feet. “Listen, kid, the back door’s open. Run!” She stared at him with widening eyes. “Run yee “Yes. Get the hell out of here—quick. I don’t know what part you played in this game and I don’t care. You came in barely in time to save me from a dented skull. Then you saved my life.” “But why should I run?” she said. “Because the F.B.I. boys are out in the hall some place,” he told her. “I was supposed to give them a signal by break- ing the window. I haven’t had a chance. But after that shot, they’re going to be MICLOO (C(O) S (C(O)