Show J I I Telegram Serial Guns at Cyrano's By Raymond Chandler Read a new mystery serial complete r f. every week in The Telegram f The story thus that far lar Ted Malvern independently wealthy althy ate detective detective de de- finds Jean Adrian Adrinn blond dancer blackjacked In the door door- way war of ot her hotel room When she tells tell him her hoy boy friend Inke Huke Tarco arco has hal been blen warned to lose loe a af f fight ht MaUern lah ern attends the tho bouts with Tony Acosta Aco ta bell captain of ot the hotel In which Jean and Ted live liva After seeing a photo photograph In Inthe Inthe Inthe the dancers dancer's room Malvern ahern checks lip ap on State S Sen n. n John Courtway Courtay convinced he Is 15 a key to the assault en a n Miss Adrian l CHAPTER TWO VO HE first five had been anybody's anybody's anybody's any any- F rHE body's fight The big blond blondI I t boy 00 Duke wasn't try- try ng The dark one Deacon Werra Verra iad lad the ph physique but didn't know anything but rough clinching and andi andL i L giant swing that started in the and never connected Wh When n the stool swung back out if It the ring hitched at his lack and silver trunks smiled a small tight smile at the girl ti n the white wrap I IThe The bell rang and Werra I barged across the ring slid off I argos argo's shoulder got ot a left hook I n. n got more of the hook I han hall was in it Mal ern smiled quietly in the They sparred for a minute Then Verra started a swing from his hoe tops seemed to wait ar or r it It barel barely staggered him argo lashed a long right that aught Werra Verra over the eye A left ook ok smashed into Werra's Verra's jaw hen en a right cross almost to the theune ime une spot The dark boy went down doom on his ands and knees slipped sUpped slowly all lie he way to the floor I The Th fat man struggled to his yet jet grinning hugely He said Still think it was vas a set piece 1 ruIt It came unstuck Malvern said saidI L' L a voice as toneless as a police adio idio Malvern vern stood up suddenly said Im I'm going to talk to that bum ony y Wait outside in the car for foria ie ia He went swiftly up the slope to toie ie ic lobby through the remnants f t the gallery crowd to a gray marked No Admittance h he fourth door on the left had a card with the name Duke fastened to the thee thel l e ne nel by a thumbtack Malvern said Wheres heres the thet t Kike k L MAN came around the door rid tid lurched very close to Malvern r fe e was was tall and had curly brown I air lir with hard gray color in it ite r fe e had a big drink in his hand qs Us Is hair was damp his eyes l A blue steel gun one hone dully against his light suit alvern said Its okey to frisk le ie Im I'm not Nix a man said This guy is the Dukes Duke's body body- Deal me out bOdY I Malvern knocked the drunken gun aside almost IS usually U ally with the hand that held is case Malvern slid lose to him sank a stiff punch i t his stomach holding the gun way with his forearm The curly aired ired man gagged sprayed quor down the front of Malvern's The blue gun left his and and went over in a corner The blond fighter came out of he shower toweling himself vig- vig He stared open-mouthed open t the tableau Malvern Mahern heaved the curly haired tan lan away from him and laced his hisaw aw uw with a hard right as he went ack ck The curly haired man stag- stag ered across the room hit the theaU tall rail slid down it and sat on the loor leer shut his large well well- i mouth slowly After a a loment he said Just who the hell heU may you be Malvern said I heard you were opposed to throw it it and I think ou IOU tried to But Werra Verra was too That means youre you're in a am said vcr very slowly People et ct their teeth kicked in for saying kings bings like that Malv Malvern m added quietly Benny ano is a friend of mine LARGO ARGO very said very slowly did you hear t Your friend Jean Adrian go got sapped by a hood this afternoon I happened by and saw the hood running away picked her up nodded slightly lightly Then he said aid If you know Benn Benny you may maybe maybe maybe be all aU right Ive I've been getting threats Maybe its it's some Spring street treet punters punter's idea of how to make malee himself a little easy dough I fought ought my fight the way I wanted to o. o Now you can take the air mis mis- ter er He put on high black trousers rousers He got a white serge coat trimmed rimmed with black braid out of the he locker put that on A black and white handkerchief flared from rom the pocket in three points Malvern stared at the clothes moved a little towards the door and looked down at the drunk Okey Ohey he said I see youve you've got a 8 bodyguard He went out closed the door gently and went back up the ramp rampo to o the lobby out to the street His coupe slid along the wet gravel and pulled up Tony Acosta was vas at the wheel Malvern got in and said Lets Letsgo go out to Cyrano's and have a arink drink rink Tony Gus Nei hacker was a two hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred pound fashion plate with very red ed cheeks and thin exquisitely penciled eyebrows eyebrows eyebrows-eyebrows eyebrows from froma a Chinese vase When Malvern and andTon Ton Tony ony Acosta came through the foyer oyer arch he fl flashed hed a sudden smile mile and went to them with his hand land out Hows a boy Ted Party M f ALVERN said Just uJust the two of f us Meet Mister Acosta Gus Cyrano's floor man man- ager The They sat down Malvern ordered rye ye highballs gave the order to a waiter pulled a chair out mt and sat down at the table Benny talked to the Duke He Heays says ays youre you're wise He looked suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly at Tony Acosta Tonys all right Malvern said Yeah Well VeIl do us a favor will willou you ou 7 See it stops right here Benny likes ikes this boy He wouldn't let him get et hurt The floor loor show began A line of half halt naked girls ran out under a arain arain aram rain ram of colored lights They coiled and uncoiled in a long sinuous line their bare legs flashing There was a little pause and then suddenly all the lights in the place went out except the lights over the music racks of the band A single white spot winked on high up under the roof settled ona on ona a runway beside the stage Four tall black men moved mo in the lights carrying a white mummy case on their heir shoulders They came slowly in rhythm down the runway They reached the middle of the dance floor and slowly upended the mummy c case e. e Then slowly very slowly a swathed white figure figure figure fig fig- ure tipped forward and fell slow fell slow slowly ly like the last leaf leat from a a. dead tree T HE light went off went on The swathed figure was upright on the floor spinning Then the shroud fell away and a girl rl was all tinsel and smooth white limbs under the hard light and her body shot through the air glittering and was caught and passed around swiftly among the four black men like a baseball handled by a fast infield The act ended The applause roseand rose roseand roseand and fell in thick waves Keeno Tony Acosta breathed Oh keeno That was Miss Adrian wasn't it Duke stood applauding violently at the entrance to one of the radiating booth aisles He looked as if he might have had a afew afew afew few drinks An arm came down over Malvern's Malvern's Mal Mal- verns vern's shoulder He smelled Scotch in heavy gusts He turned his head slowly looked up at the liquor- liquor shiny face of drunken bodyguard Still think I want your job Yeah I owe you a smack in the puss too A waiter caught him by the arm spun him around They went away disappeared among the tables Malvern said To hell with ith this thi place Tony Then his eyes became became became be be- came intent Copyright Avon Book Company |