True Crime Comics #2

Escaped convict James Kent orchestrates a clever frame-up: when his rival Tom Carlson is accused of murdering George Kern over a shared love interest, Kent plays the waiting game, letting suspicion fall elsewhere while he positions himself to escape the noose. But as the walls close in and the law zeros in on his whereabouts, Kent discovers that even the perfect crime can unravel when the people around you start talking.

In "Murder, Morphine and Me!" from True Crime Comics #2 (1948), Mary Kennedy—once known as Jane—shares her harrowing journey from a Kansas City roomer to a reluctant pawn in a deadly drug operation. Haunted by her past with Tony Petrillo and the shadow of the Big Boss, she recounts how she was trapped by a network of dealers, including the ruthless Mr. Cushing and Esther Gordon’s mob, until she found a chance to break free with help from narcotics agent Jacobs. The story unfolds as a gripping first-person account, told to the Johnsons after they hear her plea to expose the truth.

Neil Bowman's smooth talk has always gotten him out of trouble—until he trades his usual alibis for a life of crime in Columbus, Ohio, partnering with a gang for a string of armed robberies. When a police trap catches up with the crew, Bowman's own matchstick habit becomes the crucial evidence that seals his fate in ways his gift of gab simply cannot undo.