Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 43 — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

MARY HELL’S JoAnn to keep her from ex- posing him as the father of her child. Pick up that psycho and you'll have the real killer, Mr. Grom.” The Martain inspector smiled. ‘“‘Madam,” he said, “T do not suggest to you what ingredients you should use to create one of your excellent cocktails, and I think you should restrain yourself from advising me in police matters. I am here to take a statement of what you know of your own knowledge, and not of what you ‘understand,’ which is hearsay. ““Now we must take Lania in charge, I’m afraid. Con- stable, please fetch her from her room.” “You can’t railroad that girl to the firing squad. You don’t have a shred of evidence. You don’t even have the gun.”’ “Ah, but you are meddling again. But let me say just this to you: that young girl is of my own people and, although it is my duty to collect evidence against her, since there is doubt about her 125 innocence, it is more than just my duty—it is my ardent desire to see her set free if she is not the killer. The gun you ask about has not been found. From the type of wound, it probably was a service pistol, Q45. Corporal Brewster of the troopers is being questioned concerning that at this very hour. We will see if he procured such a weapon for her.”’ Lania came down the stairs with the police constable. She looked tired and fright- ened, but she held herself erect. Mary went to her and squeezed her arm, gently. ‘You didn’t do it, Lania, honey, did you?’ she asked. “If I was going to kill anyone, it would have been him, not her,” the girl said. LIEUTENANT COLE didn’t much like being questioned by Mr. Grom. He declined the in- vitation to be seated and looked down at the little Martian. Conniclooks.com