Page
MUTT AND JEFF
HA-HA, BOY, AM I SMART!
I HANDED THE CONDUCTOR
A TWENTY SPOT KNOWING HE COULDN'T CHANGE IT SO.NE LET ME RIDE
'FREE!
LATER THAT NIGHT |
YEH?
NIGHT, BOYS!
CAI
I'M SORRY, ÍCONDUCTOR BUT THIS FIFTY-SPOT IS THE SMALLEST.
I HAVE!
THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 30, 1988.
YOU'RE THE SECOND"BIG BILL'
GUY I HAD TODAY, BUT THIS TIME I'M READY! YOU GET 999 NICKELS IN
CHANGE!
By BUD FISHER
11-24
Carvel Brain Rights Reserved
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THE DAILY SHORT STORY
"Left-Handed" Case
"WE
some reason that ''I JE have had all sorts of interest- package. For
ing 'left-handed' cases," Inspec- can't explain I looked down at it and tor Joe Selby was saying. "We had what I saw gave me a jolt. It was a the case of the man who murdered his minute or two before I comprehended business partner and placed the lethal its significance. weapon in his hand to make it look like suicide. We sloved that one after we discovered that the victim was left- handed and the murderer had placed the gun in his right hand..
"We've had other good ones, too, but the best and most surprising hap- pened last month. Remember the Ray Somers murder?
"Are you right-handed or left, Mr. Burdon?" I asked, looking up sudden- ly.
"My voice must have sounded odd, because Nate Myles, the plain clothes south, man who had accompanied me stared queerly and Fred Burdon poised his half-lighted cigar and frowned.
****Well ?* He was found dead
I rapped out.. in his apartment. Shot through the "Burdon laughed, half in annoyance, head. There were no indications that half in amusement. "Why, I'm right- the killer had attempted to make it handed, but what possible. look like suicide, but there were no clues either. Nothing at all to work
on.
"Our investigation revealed that Somers was a stock braker of con- siderable means. He had no family; lived a bachelor's life. Naturally he had a lot of friends, and we began looking them up one by
They couldn't tell us much, though none refused to answer our questions.
"Ah!', I said, standing. And that suit you're wearing. It's a heavy suit. You wore it on the day you came south and you haven't worn it since. Isn't that right?"
tense "Nate had suddenly grown and Fred Burdon's eyes had taken a look that was no longer amused or an- noyed.
"'Yes.'
"That's he said slowly. right. How did you know?"
"Ah!' I said again. It was the "At the end of two weeks we had learned the following facts: Somers day after the evening that Ray Somers south. was left-handed. He had no bad habits. was murdered that you came
one.
By James Freeman.
•
He was not interested in any particular You wore that suit on that evening. woman. His business affairs wore in You wore it when you murdered Ray good shape. No one had a bad word for him.
"Not much to work on, eh?' even the hint of a motive.
Somers!',
"The cigar dropped from Burdon's The Not hand. He sat up with a start.
colour left his face. "What the devil "Well, there were three men who are you talking about? Are you ac- of murdering my best had Somers intimately whom we hadn't cusing me contacted. One had gone to Nassau friend?' for the winter, the second was on a "Yes," I said flatly. 'Not only ac- tropical cruise, and the third, a man cusing, but proving. We've known all named Fred Burdon was in Miami, along it was you, I lied. 'We've been There was nothing to do but continue baiting you, Burdon.. You talked too our investigation by questioning them. much. You haven't a chance.' We decided to go to Miami first for the obvious reason that it was more accessible and in the United States.
"Wecfound: Buron living comfortably with his famly in a wellknown hotel. The day that we arrived it happened. that the golden sands of Miami were swept by an unprecedented cold wave. Burdon was reading a book in a glass- enclosed sun-deck when he located him. He was wearing a heavy dark suit, fit for northern climes.
"We told him who we were and what we wanted. His face instantly sober red....
"My object, of course, was to make him reveal his guilt either by word or expression,.. And he did. Like most men who believe themselves smart, I'd caught him with his guard down.
"Later we learned that Somers had made a poor investment for Burdon. They had quarreled and in a fit of drunken rage Burdon had shot him.
A
in
"How did I jump to my conclusiona? Why, it was the left-handed business. They had That package of matches.. been used by a left handed man. left-handed man holds a package "Yes, I read about poor Ray in the his right hand and tears matches off papers," he admitted." "A sad case. the left side. Look at the next pack- Have you any idea who murdered him, age you see and you'll discover I'm or have you concluded that it must right. Burdon had idly picked up the have been suicide?'
package in Somers' apartment and put "We haven't concluded a doggone it into his pocket. He hadn't worn the thing, I told him, grinning. You are sult since, go there you are!" one of three last hopes. What can you
(Copyright 1988, by The Associated tell us about Somers, Mr. Burdon?
Nowspapers). Something that might help us in our investigation ?'. :'
"He was willing enough to help. He told us all he could about Somers, which was substantially what all the others had said. It began to look as though. here was one murder träll that was going to come to a dead end.
"Wo remained an hour, smoking cl- gars that Burdon provided and enjoy- ing the sunshine of the glassed-in sun- deck, but not getting very far in our efforts tonearth a clue.
"I finished my cigar and reached for. a cigaretto and Burdon handed me a paskage of matches. I lighted the ci- gaatte and idly toyed with the match
1
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