Jay Carroll - Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 4, August 1957 (British Edition)

I saw two intent-looking, tuxedo-clad gentlemen bearing down on me. Both had suspicious looking bulges under the left sides of their jackets. I spotted the door of the men’s room, practically at my elbow, and ducked inside. There was no lock on the door, so I shoved a leather chair in front of it, found the window and pushed it up.

I was in luck. It opened on a fire escape, which went up, as well as down. I went out through the window, pushed it shut behind me and started climbing.

The window at the top was also unlocked and opened into a dark chamber that appeared to be a bedroom. I tiptoed across a thick carpet to the door, which had a crack of light showing underneath. I could hear voices in the next room.

I eased my automatic out of my shoulder-holster and flipped off the safety catch. Then, I quietly turned the knob and opened the door.

She was crouched in a low yellow armchair. Behind her, in a small dining alcove, a table was set for two. The only light in the alcove came from two candelabra with yellow tapers. The dim light made a nimbus of her pale blonde hair.

Lorio stood between her and the doorway I had just entered, with his back to me. It had been his voice I had heard from the bedroom.

“How much did you tell Andrews, Anita? You shouldn’t have talked to him. I had everything all fixed for you, baby — all nice and neat. Now, I’ll have to get rid of him, and send you away someplace.”

“No, Tony — no! I swear I didn’t say anything to him!”

“You left the club with him, didn’t you?” His laugh was short and ugly. “Or was this like it was with Kingston? I’m sorry I covered up for you now, I don’t think you’re worth it.”

“Tony! How can you say such things! You know I appreciate what you did.”

“Just remember, Anita — next time, you’ll have to take your own rap for murder.”

She had been easing herself up from the chair and was now perched on the arm. As I opened the door, she saw me and screamed.

Her silver bag lay on the corner of the table in the alcove. As she lunged for it, the weight of her body against the table sent one of the candelabra crashing against the window. She didn’t seem to notice it. When she turned around, I saw the little revolver in her hand.

“Stay back both of you!” her voice was shrill. “Stay back, or I’ll shoot you both!”

I aimed carefully, as her gun pointed directly at Lorio’s chest. And then I fired.

The gun dropped from her hand, and she crumpled slowly to the floor. Her eyes were open, and she clutched convulsively at her shoulder. The blood oozed between her fingers. Lorio still stood in the centre of the room.

I crossed to where she lay beside the table, my gun still in my hand. Then, Lorio came to life. Before I could reach her, he was on his knees beside her.

“Anita... Anita, baby!”

“That’s funny — it doesn’t hurt,” she whispered.

“It won’t be fatal,” I remarked, as I stooped and picked up her gun. “You killed Ralph Kingston, Anita. And Tony framed the phoney robbery to cover up for you. Why did you do it? Was he walking out on you?”

I didn’t really expect an answer. And then simultaneously I saw the tongue of flame licking up the drape from the overturned candelabra and heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. The front door burst open, and I saw Tracy Evans.

“Look out, Cory!” he cried. “That curtain’s on fire!”

I turned around and gazed in fascination as the flames licked up towards the ceiling through the soft drapery material. I shook my head, and slowly came back to reality.

The room was bursting with activity. Tracy was saying to someone behind him, “Get down there and tell them to clear the building. Then for Pete’s sake, get a fire extinguisher up here!”

He looked at Anita. “Who shot her?”

“I did,” I said flatly. “She was gunning for Lorio — and me, too.”

Tracy motioned with drawn pistol. “Get your wife, Lorio and walk in front of me. Let’s get out of here. This place is going up like a tinder box.”

I could feel the heat of the flames on my back as we reached the stairs. As we got to the bottom, two men carrying fire extinguishers pushed by us and went up. I didn’t think they were going to have much luck.

I followed Tracy around to the parking lot in front. Patrons were streaming out of the place in hysterical confusion. In the distance, sirens wailed with increasing intensity.

We walked about a hundred yards from the building, and Tracy stopped. “I’ll get one of my men to give her first-aid until the ambulance comes,” he said.

Lorio was still holding her. She was shivering in the damp fog. I stripped off my jacket and put it over her shoulders. I was still holding my gun, and I kept it trained on Lorio.

“You framed that phoney holdup to cover up for her, didn’t you, Tony?” I shook my head. “Boy, what a sucker you were! She would have killed you, too, if I hadn’t got her first.”

His face was grim, and, before he could answer, Tracy was back with two of his men. Tommy Drake was tagging along behind him. The crazy fool was still carrying my hat and topcoat.

“Ye gods!” He exclaimed. “When you get into trouble, Cory, you really do it in a big way!”

I took the coat and put it on, and gave him the bare facts quickly. Then, I left him standing there, before he could start asking questions.

Tracy was bearing down on me. “Now, for Pete’s sake, Cory. Tell me what happened,” he pleaded.

I gave it to him fast, about Muriel and the pawn ticket, and my conversation with Anita. “When she said she was right here, and not out of town like Lorio said, I got to thinking. He’s crazy about her, and jealous as sin of any man who even looks like he’s making a pass at her. She told me she was in pretty deep with Kingston, so it all added up.

“Either Lorio framed Kingston to get him out of the way, or he framed the robbery to cover up for Anita. I wasn’t positive which, until that little scene you walked in on upstairs. She shot Kingston, and Lorio tried to get her out of it.”

“What about the jewellery in Kingston’s car? It was stolen several weeks ago?”

“Maybe a slob named Artie Green can tell us something about that. He’s Lorio’s topkick. I don’t think Lorio would stoop to larceny, but I wouldn’t put it past Green.”

I pulled out my wallet, and took out the pawn ticket. “Here’s what started the whole thing.”

I suddenly remembered I hadn’t seen Green since I left him and Lorio in the dining room. “By the way, Green clipped me with his left hand, and I’m willing to bet Lorio got him to wield the blackjack last night the same way. If you don’t find him here, he’s probably at my place — waiting to plug me on Lorio’s orders.”

Tracy gripped my arm and said, “It looks like you were right this time, Cory.” Then he scowled. “But you should have come to me with that pawn ticket the first thing.”

“I couldn’t until I was sure I was on the right track, Tracy,” I told him. “After all, you could have been right, and I could have been wrong.”

He grinned. “You look terrible. You’d better go home and clean up and get some sleep. Come down to my office in the morning, and you can give me a signed statement. I’ll put out a pick-up right away on this Artie Green, and I’ll take Lorio in myself. He and Green will be charged as accessories, and Mrs. Lorio will be charged with Kingston’s murder.”

I was almost home when I suddenly pulled in to the kerb and stopped the car. I was dead-tired and sick to my stomach — and I had just remembered Muriel.

She was wearing a long, white, wool robe, and she smelled sweet and feminine. She was also wide awake. She gasped when she saw me, and I realised I wasn’t exactly presentable for calling.