Dime Detective October 1949 by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Pulp
Publisher: Dime Detective Magazine
Published: 1949-10-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 2

The Lady’s Warbonnet

Steve Royal, Win Hull’s attorney, was let into the small basement room shortly after twelve. The door swung shut with a decisive click. The light was harsh from the overhead bulb, but the room was comfortably furnished with bed, easy chair, bureau and night table.

Steve, in contrast to Win’s tallness, his long almost dour face, was small and plump, with an open expression, sandy hair, a surprisingly deep voice. They had been in school together. Steve grinned and said:

“The bridal suite, I see.” He sobered quickly, shook Win’s hand. “Win, this is a damn shame. These country clucks are off the beam.”

Win smiled wryly. “They don’t talk like rustics, Steve. They aren’t sucking on straws and talking about the harvest moon. Look, I want you to get me out of this.”

“I’m a corporation lawyer, bub. Suppose it goes to trial? You don’t want me stammering up there.”

“You’ve got to handle it. I can trust you.”

Steve sat down ou the bed. His eyes were narrowed. “Win, boy, did you kill her?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Good. All the way out here I was afraid you had. Heaven knows you had reason enough. The fates have given me the privilege of knowing quite a few stinkers. Lorraine was right at the top of my list.”

“How much do you know?”

“I had a chat with the boys upstairs. Win, they’re real upset about where you were last night. They smell a motive. They want to know. And, as you didn’t kill her, you’re going to have to tell them.”

“Not a chance.”

“Don’t be a fool! You’re protecting some rattle-headed babe.”

“I’ll tell you, Steve. But not them. And you have to respect anything I tell you in privacy. You know Milya Grant.”

“Grant. Miss Grant.” Steve snapped his fingers. “Oho! The dish in your office. Miss Efficiency. Don’t tell me!”

“Not the way you think. I’ve been in love with her and she with me for over a year. Lorraine knew it for the last six months, I told her when I asked for a divorce.”

“That must have been like banging your head on a boulder.”

“It was.”

Steve Royal said softly, “And you spent the night—”

“Not what you think, Steve. Milya has some strong ideas about what is sordid and what isn’t. She helped me finish the work at the office last night. Then I took her out to dinner.”

“Where?”

“A chop house on 48th. They know me there. After we ate we took a taxi into the park, then walked for hours. We sat on a bench and tried to talk the whole thing out. I told her that I had been wrong in saying that Lorraine would never give me grounds for divorce and that she’d contest any action I brought. We talked and watched the stars. Then, when it was beginning to turn gray in the east, she decided that we’d never watched a dawn before and that we ought to see one. Like a couple of high-school kids. We had breakfast together at one of the cafeterias on Eighth Avenue and then we went directly to the office.

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