Tough as Nails: The Complete Cases of Donahue From the Pages of Black Mask (74 page)

Fern Chester, her eyes transfixed on Donahue, said: “It’s awful, it’s terrible,” in a low, cluttered voice.

And then she looked up and saw Red Phalen standing in the doorway, a small, sly smile on his lips. “In again, out again, in again,” he said laughing softly.

Fern Chester sat breathless, staring straight ahead.

“Sing your song, Red,” Donahue said, leaning back comfortably. “Though I know the words and music by heart.”

Phalen sauntered up to the desk, smiling insinuatively down at the girl. “If the young lady wears ‘FC’ on her handbag, she likely wears it on her handkerchiefs. Catch on, Donny?”

Donahue put his hands behind his head. “Red, would you like to lose your job?”

“I’d love to, Handsome.”

“Would like to get tossed in the jug?”

“Just cur-razy to!”

“The thing is, Red, I’m not kidding. Take a look at those two sheets of paper.”

“These?

“Those.”

Phalen picked up the two sheets of paper and lounged back on his heels with an exaggerated air of nonchalance. He considered the fingerprints and the petty criminal records of two youths named Michael O’Hara and Dominick Cairoli. Presently he did not appear so nonchalant. His eyes lifted towards Donahue as he let the two sheets of paper slide from his fingers. His lips twitched a little while the rest of his face grew dull.

Donahue said cheerfully: “I can pick those punks up in a minute, Red. It’s up to you.”

Phalen’s mouth went over to one side. “Fast, aren’t you?” he croaked.

Donahue laughed. “Or maybe you’re slow. Why, you cheap little sensation-hunting fathead, you’ve been scooped by every legman in town. While you were shadowing a will-o’-the-wisp practically all afternoon, history’s been made. Roll your hoop over to Headquarters and they’ll tell you who killed Bickford and Rathbun—and why.”

Despite himself, Phalen began to look a little ill.

Donahue roared with laughter.

Phalen turned on his heel, his face and neck crimson. He rushed out of the office, a blind, dizzy look in his eyes.

Fern Chester had not yet relaxed. “What does it mean?” she asked in a tense whisper.

“It means a little deal that’s not on the records. He sent two bums around to crash my files and I nailed them. Instead of arresting them, I turned them loose. It just means that he’ll never ring in that handkerchief gag again, because if he does, I’ll ring in the two bums and Red will lose his job and land in jail. It’s just the way we play house sometimes.”

She relaxed at last, and a tired but warm smile came to her face. “How good, how so very good you’ve been to me. I don’t see why.”

“Maybe I liked your face right off the bat.”

“It’s quite an ordinary face.”

“Maybe it’s the way you wear your clothes.”

“They’re quite ordinary clothes.”

“I was talking about the way you wear them.”

She looked up at him. “Honestly, did you believe in me implicitly from the first?”

“I don’t think I did.”

“When did you begin to?”

“I can’t remember exactly.”

She said with sudden warmth, “That’s what I like about you—you’re so downright honest.”

“Listen,” he said, clasping his hands together. “Let’s cut out all this and make a date. I’ve got a cheap car and I never drive while drunk but sometimes I go around ringing strange doorbells.”

She broke into a gay little laugh. “I think we’d have fun. And if you got tight—well, I could drive.”

“That’s a pal for you. That’s a real pal!”

Miss Laidlaw came in with a telegram. Donahue read:

Details Instanter or You Are Canned Dummy.

Hackett.

Donahue chuckled to himself and wrote out a reply. “Send this right off, Miss Laidlaw,” he said.

Miss Laidlaw, in her front office, read the reply. Her small prim mouth grew round with astonishment.

Horse on You Funny Face Stop Read Press Tomorrow Morn.

This page is an extension of the copyright page. Please direct queries pertaining to copyright to Keith Alan Deutsch,
[email protected]
;
www.blackmaskmagazine.com
.

ROUGH JUSTICE by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1930 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1947. From Black Mask Vol. 13 No. 9 (November 1930). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

THE RED-HOTS by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1930 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1947. From Black Mask Vol. 13 No. 10 (December 1930). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

GUN THUNDER by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1931 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1948. From Black Mask Vol.13 No. 11 (January 1931). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

GET A LOAD OF THIS by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1931 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1948. From Black Mask Vol. 13 No. 12 (February 1931). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

SPARE THE ROD by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1931 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1948. From Black Mask Vol. 14 No. 6 (August 1931). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

PEARLS ARE TEARS by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1931 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1948. From Black Mask Vol. 14 No. 7 (September 1931). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

DEATH’S NOT ENOUGH by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1931 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1948. From Black Mask Vol. 14 No. 8 (October 1931). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

SHAKE UP by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1932 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1949. From Black Mask Vol. 15 No. 6 (August 1932). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

HE COULD TAKE IT by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1932 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1949. From Black Mask Vol. 15 No. 7 (September 1932). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

THE RED WEB by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1932 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1949. From Black Mask Vol.15 No. 8 (October 1932). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

RED PAVEMENT by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1932 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1949. From Black Mask Vol. 15 No. 10 (December 1932). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

SAVE YOUR TEARS by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1933 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1950. From Black Mask Vol. 16 No. 4 (June 1933). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

SONG AND DANCE by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1933 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1950. From Black Mask Vol.16 No. 5 (July 1933). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

CHAMPIONS ALSO DIE by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1933 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1950. From Black Mask Vol. 16 No. 6 (August 1933). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

GHOST OF A CHANCE by Frederick Nebel. Copyright © 1935 by Pro-Distributors Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright renewed by Popular Publications Inc. 1952. From Black Mask Vol. 18 No. 1 (March 1935). Reprinted by special arrangement with Keith Alan Deutsch, proprietor and conservator of the respective copyrights, and successor-in-interest to Popular Publications, Inc.

Grouped by magazine title chronologically. Compiled by Rob Preston.

Ace High Magazine: “Pound for Pound,” 2-27-31, rpt. The Danger Trail 11-28.

Ace High Novels: “Wolves of the Wild,” 4-32.

Action Stories: “Raw Courage” (by Lewis Nebel), 12-25; “Sunken Sovereigns” (by Lewis Nebel), 1-26; “The Bluff That Worked” (by Lewis Nebel), 2-26; “Doom Lagoon,” 3-26; “Some Grudge” (as by Eric Lewis), 3-26; “Somewhere East of Singapore,” 7-26; “Claws of the Jungle,” 1-27; “Captain Fortune,” 4-27; “Isle of Lost Men,” 11-27; “The Crimson Diamond,” 4-28; “No Law Beyond Khyber,” 12-28; “Typhoon McQuade,” 1-29; “Flame Island,” 11-29; “The Coast of Hate,” 1-30; “The Darjeeling Diamond,” 4-30, “The Skin Game,” 9-32; “The Ice Giant,” 10-32; “The Tumbleweed Kid,” 6-38.

Air Adventures: “Boomerang Barnes,” 1-29.

Air Stories: “Flyers of Fortune,” 8-27; “Birdmen of Borneo,” 9-27; “Flying Jade,” 12-27; “The Shanghai Jest,” 1-28; “Sky High Nerve,” 2-28; “Yangtze Yellow,” 3-28; “Wings of Doom,” 4-28; “The Hard Fly Hard,” 5-28; “Birdmen of Passage,” 6-28; “Outcast Ships,” 7-28; “Sky Trap,” 8-28; “Proud Eagles,” 9-28; “Bolt from the Blue,” 10-28; “Wings of Mercy,” 11-28; “Winged Chivalry,” 12-28; “High Prey,” 1-29; “Plane Nerve,” 2-29; “Sky Wise,” 3-29; “Eagles of Ind,” 4-29; “High Flying Chance,” 5-29; “Crate Crashers,” 2-30; “High “Flying Highbinders,” 3-30; “Siren of the Wind,” 4-30; “Winged Salvage,” 5-30; “South of Saigon,” 6-30; “Fighting Wings pt. 1,” 10-30; “Fighting Wings pt. 2,” 11-30; “Fighting Wings pt. 3,” 12-30; “Fighting Wings pt. 4,” 1-31; “Sky Blazers,” 3-31; “Sky Spoilers,” 4-31; “Sky Scrappers,” 5-31; “Skyline Two,” 8-31; “Flyers of Fortune,” Spr-37.

American Magazine: “All the Good Times,” 9-41; “No Time for Tears,” 1-42; “Remember the Good Times,” 6-42; “You Owe It to Yourself,” 2-46; “Unfinished Marriage,” 6-47.

Argosy: “The Creed of Sergeant Bone,” 2-14-31.

Black Bat Detective Mysteries: “The Missing Car,” 10-33.

Black Mask: “The Breaks of the Game” (as by Lewis Nebel), 3-26; “Grain to Grain,” 11-26; “Dumb Luck,” 1-27; “China Silk,” 3-27; “Hounds of Darkness,” 4-27; “A Man With Sand,” 7-27; “Emeralds of Shade,” 8-27; “A Grudge is a Grudge,” 9-27; “With Benefit of Law,” 11-27; “The Penalty of the Code,” 1-28; “A Gun in the Dark,” 6-28; “Hell to Pay,” 8-28; “Raw Law: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 1,” 9-28; “Dog Eat Dog: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 2,” 10-28; “The Law Laughs Last: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 3,” 11-28; “Law Without Law: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 4,” 4-29; “Graft: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 5,” 5-29; “New Guns for Old,” 9-29; “Hell Smoke,” 11-29; “Tough Treatment,” 1-30; “Alley Rat,” 2-30; “Wise Guy,” 4-30; “Street Wolf,” 5-30; “Ten Men from Chicago,” 8-30; “Shake Down,” 9-30; “Rough Justice,” 11-30; “The Red-Hots,” 12-30; “Gun Thunder,” 1-31; “Get a Load of This,” 2-31; “Junk,” 3-31; “The Kill” (as by “Grimes Hill”), 3-31; “Beat the Rap,” 5-31; “The Spot and the Lady” (as by “Grimes Hill”), 5-31; “Death for a Dago,” 7-31; “Spare the Rod,” 8-31; “Pearls Are Tears,” 9-31; “Death’s Not Enough,” 10-31; “It’s the Live Ones That Talk,” 11-31; “Some Die Young,” 12-31; “The Quick or the Dead,” 3-32; “Backwash,” 5-32; “Shake Up,” 8-32; “He Could Take It,” 9-32; “The Red Web,” 10-32; “Red Pavement,” 12-32; “Doors in the Dark,” 2-33; “Rough Reform,” 3-33; “Farewell to Crime,” 4-33; “Save Your Tears,” 6-33; “Song and Dance,” 7-33; “Champions Also Die,” 8-33; “Guns Down,” 9-33; “Lay Down the Law,” 11-33; “Too Young to Die,” 2-34; “Bad News,” 3-34; “Take It and Like It,” 6-34; “Be Your Age,” 8-34; “He Was a Swell Guy,” 1-35; “It’s a Gag,” 2-35; “Ghost of a Chance,” 3-35; “That’s Kennedy,” 5-35; “Die Hard,” 8-35; “Winter Kill,” 11-35; “Fan Dance,” 1-36; “No Hard Feelings,” 2-36; “Crack Down,” 4-36; “Hard to Take,” 6-36; “Deep Red,” 8-36; “The Green Widow,” 1-51 rpt. Detective Fiction Weekly 2-11-33.

Black Mask (UK): “The Breaks of the Game” (as by “Lewis Nebel”), 3-26; “Grain to Grain,” 11-26; “Dumb Luck,” 1-27; “China Silk,” 3-27; “Hounds of Darkness,” 4-27; “A Man With Sand,” 7-27; “Emeralds of Shade,” 8-27; “A Grudge is a Grudge,” 9-27; “With Benefit of Law,” 11-27; “The Penalty of the Code,” 1-28; “A Gun in the Dark,” 6-28; “Hell to Pay,” 8-28; “Raw Law: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 1,” 9-28; “Dog Eat Dog: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 2,” 10-28; “The Law Laughs Last: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 3,” 11-28; “Law Without Law: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 4,” 4-29; “Graft: Crimes of Richmond City pt. 5,” 5-29; “New Guns for Old,” 9-29; “Hell Smoke,” 11-29; “Tough Treatment,” 1-30; “Alley Rat,” 2-30; “Wise Guy,” 4-30; “Street Wolf,” 5-30; “Ten Men from Chicago,” 8-30; “Shake Down,” 9-30; “Rough Justice,” 11-30; “The Red-Hots,” 12-30; “Gun Thunder,” 1-31; “Get a Load of This,” 2-31; “Junk,” 3-31; “The Kill” (as by “Grimes Hill”), 3-31; “Beat the Rap,” 5-31; “The Spot and the Lady” (as by “Grimes Hill”), 5-31; “Death for a Dago,” 7-31; “Spare the Rod,” 8-31; “Pearls Are Tears,” 9-31; “Death’s Not Enough,” 10-31; “It’s the Live Ones That Talk,” 11-31; “Some Die Young,” 12-31; “The Quick or the Dead,” 3-32; “Backwash,” 5-32; “Shake Up,” 8-32; “He Could Take It,” 9-32; “The Red Web,” 10-32; “Red Pavement,” 12-32; “Doors in the Dark,” 2-33; “Rough Reform,” 3-33; “Farewell to Crime,” 4-33; “Save Your Tears,” 6-33; “Song and Dance,” 7-33; “Champions Also Die,” 8-33; “Guns Down,” 9-33; “Lay Down the Law,” 11-33; “Too Young to Die,” 2-34; “Bad News,” 3-34; “Take It and Like It,” 6-34; “Be Your Age,” 8-34; “He Was a Swell Guy,” 1-35; “It’s a Gag,” 2-35; “Ghost of a Chance,” 3-35; “That’s Kennedy,” 5-35; “Die Hard,” 8-35; “Winter Kill,” 11-35; “Fan Dance,” 1-36; “No Hard Feelings,” 2-36; “Crack Down,” 4-36; “Hard to Take,” 6-36; “Deep Red,” 8-36.