Protective Armor by Norman A Read online

  Black Book Detective, October, 1945

  Detective Rainbow Crane Discovers That a Loud Suit Can Sometimes Make as Big a Noise as a Roaring Gun!

  N THE books, Matty Crane was listed

  named him “Rainbow” Crane.

  as a “plainclothesman.” That was the

  One day in early fall, Crane checked in O biggest joke the boys at Precinct 62 at the precinct and repaired to Inspector ever heard. Matty Crane was partial to bright Nolan’s office for instructions. Nolan, a gray-colors. A rainbow appeared in the sky once, haired, tired-looking career cop, glanced up took one look at Matty’s new suit and had a from the papers on his desk. He shuddered and nervous breakdown. From then on the boys hastily averted his gaze.

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  Today Rainbow Crane was wearing a

  Now I shouldn’t have to tell you this, Crane.

  sports jacket which had been advertised as a You know it as well as I.” He raised his eyes,

  “Glen Urquhart” plaid. It was a daring got the full shock of Crane’s necktie and combination of gray, blue and tan squares recoiled.

  with an overlay of bilious orange stripes.

  “Ah, that tie, Rainbow. Where did you

  Tastefully scattered throughout were dashes of get it?”

  green, yellow, red and blue intermingled. With it he wore fawn-colored doeskin slacks, brown CRANE looked at him suspiciously.

  and white shoes and a snappy green felt hat.

  “This?” Nolan’s eyes were so limpid

  His tie—Inspector Nolan felt one of his and honest Crane was deceived. “Just a little headaches coming on! It was a blazing yellow, thing Warren makes up for me. If you want with huge red poppies clustered generously on some I’ll have him hold a couple just like it the field.

  for you.”

  Nolan passed his hand over his eyes

  “No, don’t!” Inspector Nolan looked

  and tried to collect his thoughts.

  horrified. “I just wanted to know so I could

  “Sit over there,” he muttered. “And

  warn my wife. It was Warren’s, you say.” He pull down the shade. Where was I?”

  pretended to grow angry. “Haberdashery, my

  “You sent for me. Remember?” Crane

  eye! Such ties are against the law. That store said. He didn’t think it was funny, all the is a menace. Joints like that ought to be cracks about his clothes. Even if the rest of the raided.”

  force had no taste they ought to admire a bold Rainbow Crane’s face had flushed but,

  and unconventional mind.

  by an effort, he kept his temper.

  “Uh—yes. I sent for you. Yes, that’s

  “That’s a skookum tie,” he insisted. He right. Lou Huber got out of jail this morning.”

  heaved himself out of his chair, walked across

  “I

  know.”

  the room and preened the offending scarf

  “What are you planning to do?”

  before a small mirror on the wall. Soon

  “Me? Am I supposed to have plans?”

  afterward Nolan dismissed him.

  “Don’t play dumb. We both know

  At ten to eleven that night Crane had

  Huber killed Jerry and Jerry was your partner.

  checked out of the precinct and was walking I repeat. What are you going to do?”

  north. A clock on the Insurance Building was Crane looked stolidly out the window.

  just striking eleven as Crane turned into an

  “The jury said Huber was innocent,”

  alley which was a short cut to a restaurant on he said, at last.

  the next block. The short order cook made up

  “They had to—there was no proof. But

  a fresh batch of coffee at eleven for the late Huber killed him all right and you’ve kept movie trade and Crane usually got a cup your lip buttoned up so tight that—well, I before going home.

  know you, Rainbow. I know you’re not going It was dark in the alley but he knew the to let this pass. Now let me warn you.”

  route by heart and didn’t hesitate. A truck

  “Yes sir,” Crane said automatically.

  went by in the street outside, its motor

  “Don’t do anything foolish. In fact—”

  coughing. Then it began to backfire and the Nolan’s expression grew optimistic—“you fusillade was deafening. In the midst of that don’t have to move. Huber is crooked. Just racket there was a single report which sounded wait and he’s bound to pull something. Then as though it came from further down the alley, you’ll have him—legally. But if you go out to from the courtyard in the back.

  knock him off in revenge, you’ll ruin yourself.

  Only a trained ear would have caught

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  3

  it. Crane lifted up his feet and trotted down the layin’ here when I come through.”

  alley. The courtyard was a dirty, littered place

  “And what were you doing standing

  toward which the buildings presented their over him with a gun in your hand? Waiting for rears contemptuously. From the dirty window a street car?”

  of a small jewelry store, whose littered “I ain’t

  talkin’.”

  storeroom abutted upon the courtyard, a feeble

  “Who is it, Denny?” Crane asked.

  gleam of light came partway into the dark.

  “Anybody we know?”

  Against this glow, Crane saw the fence

  Denny almost laughed outright.

  which separated the court from the next yard.

  “Friend of yours, copper. Lou Huber.”

  And silhouetted against this fence was the While Crane reeled under that,

  dark figure of a man, with a gun in his hand.

  Boulton added his next remarks with relish.

  At has feet was something which resembled a

  “Deader’n a mackeral. Slug right

  mound of old clothes, but which the detective through his head.”

  instinctively knew was a human body.

  Crane pulled himself out of his

  Faster than he had ever drawn a confusion with a jerk. He got out handcuffs weapon in his life, Crane flipped open his and snapped them on Boulton’s wrists.

  plaid coat to yank his service pistol from its

  “I’m going to turn you over to a

  holster.

  harness bull,” he said. The dead man would

  “Drop it!” he warned. “Drop it or I’ll

  keep a few minutes until he returned. He led shoot!”

  Boulton out through the alley toward the The figure dropped the gun. But street.

  instead of standing still, the shadowy man Sirens whined and a patrol car flashed

  ducked, wheeled out of the light and charged past as they came out on the street, but it was for the fence.

  gone before Crane could yell. Then a

  “Stop!” Crane yelled. He fired one patrolman came around the corner at a run and shot over the escaping man’s head.

  Crane hailed him.

  The fugitive had leaped to the top of

  “‘Lo, Rainbow,” the cop puffed. “Got

  the fence like a squirrel and was actually a flash there’s been a shooting. Who’s this?”

  swinging himself over as Crane raced toward

  “Denny Boulton and he done it.”

  him. But with the shot he seemed to lose heart.

  Crane jerked his thumb over a shoulder.

  Instead of going on over, he climbed back, let

  �
��You’ll find the corpus delicti in the court go all holds and dropped back on the same behind Resnick’s Jewelry store.” He looked at side, near Rainbow.

  Boulton and changed his plan. “You go on in Crane grabbed him, slammed him up

  and look things over—and find the gun. It’s against the fence and held him there, pinned laying there some place. I’m going to take by the pressure of the gun muzzle in his Denny in myself.”

  stomach while his left hand did a rapid frisk.

  The man was clean.

  A CAB brought them to headquarters and

  Crane stepped back, fumbled out a Crane marched Denny up to the desk.

  pen-light and snapped it on.

  “Denny Boulton,” Crane said to the

  “Denny Boulton,” he said. “Who’d desk sergeant. “Book him for murder. I think you knock off, Denny?”

  he ought to get a medal before he gets the hot The gunman gave him an old time

  seat. It was Lou Huber he killed.”

  movie sneer.

  “I demand justice,” Denny Boulton

  “Nobody,” he said. “The stiff was said. “I didn’t kill nobody.”

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  4

  “Not much,” Crane sniffed. “I found

  dirty. You’ll burn for it, not me!”

  him standing over the stiff with a gun in his Crane closed his mouth. He turned to

  hand.”

  Nolan expecting to see amusement on the

  “It’s a frame,” Boulton said loudly.

  inspector’s face and met again that

  “He didn’t find me standing over no body.

  maddeningly blank expression.

  Listen, Sarge, it was like this: Me and Huber

  “Hold Boulton,” Nolan said. “Crane,

  was walking down the street minding our own come into my office.”

  business when I hear a shot, and Lou takes a Puzzled, Crane followed. Inside, Nolan

  dive on his kisser. I look around and here’s sat down wearily at his desk.

  this fancy-pants cop chasing for me. He had

  “Let’s see your gun,” he said.

  his roscoe all set to go and I had a funny

  “What!”

  feeling he was gonna use it first and ask

  “Sorry, Rainbow. I’ve got to check

  questions second, so I lammed.

  Boulton’s claim.”

  “I run down the alley with him after

  Wordlessly, Crane drew his pistol and

  me. When he gets ready to cut loose with the passed it across. Nolan broke the gun and roscoe I figgers I better stop. He hauls me in glanced in.

  and says I killed Lou Huber. It’s a frame,

  “There’s one shot missing,” Rainbow

  Sarge. Huber was my best friend!”

  said stiffly. “The one I fired in the air to Crane had let him talk without stop Denny. Now am I under arrest?”

  interruption. Now he drew a deep breath.

  “Oh, don’t get huffy,” Nolan said

  “Book him for Bellevue Psychopathic

  tiredly. “Don’t you think I believe you rather if you like, Sarge. But my story goes.”

  than that little rat?”

  To his surprise, the desk sergeant said

  “Then what’s this all about?”

  nothing. His face showed no expression. He Nolan slid the gun into his desk

  reached for his phone and called Nolan. The drawer. He looked up, got an eyeful of

  inspector came out promptly. Boulton turned Crane’s suit and hastily averted his eyes.

  on a torrent of words and again Crane let him

  “Riordan phoned in before you got

  talk. Nolan looked puzzled.

  here,” he said. “There was no body in the

  “It’s no good, Denny,” Crane said at

  courtyard, no gun.”

  last. “Your story smells. I sent Tom Riordan

  “Then the stiff was snatched.

  into the court before we got the cab. He’s Somebody carted it away.”

  found Huber’s body and he’s found your gun

  “Maybe. Lou Huber’s body was found

  laying there. Ballistics will tell us in ten on the sidewalk halfway down the block. The minutes the slug in Huber’s head came from slug that killed him went on through and can’t your gun.”

  be found. So ballistics can’t check the bullet Nolan looked at him queerly.

  against your gun or Denny Boulton’s gun.”

  “Did you examine the body, Crane?”

  “It’s a frame,” Rainbow said, wetting

  “No, sir. Nobody could have looked

  his lips. “They knew how I felt about Huber deader and besides Denny himself told me so they switched things.”

  Huber was shot through the head. I sent

  “In addition,” Nolan went on quietly,

  Riordan back when I got a cab to bring Denny as though he hadn’t heard Crane speak, “there here.”

  are witnesses, at least six, who saw the man

  “You’re a rat, copper!” Denny Boulton

  who killed Lou Huber.”

  said loudly. “I know you hated Lou Huber, but

  “Then what are we waiting for?”

  puttin’ a slug through the back of his head is Crane snapped. “Let’s see them and see if they

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  5

  put the finger on me!”

  had a motive for killing Lou Huber, he was Nolan pushed a call button. A being positively identified by witnesses as the policeman came in.

  man who had killed him. His own story was

  “Get five or six plain clothes going to look pretty thin and feeble against all detectives and line them up in the inspection this.

  room right away. Call me when you’re ready.”

  He walked back to Nolan’s office with

  the inspector.

  THERE was silence then in the inspector’s

  “So I am arrested now,” he said.

  office. Nolan drummed with his fingers on the Nolan looked unhappy.

  desk. Crane mopped his face and watched

  “What else can I do now? I’d hoped

  Nolan’s fingers. Rainbow wondered why all they wouldn’t identify you. Anything else the members of the force had grown so might be squelched. But we can’t fool with a antagonistic toward him. The phone rang and murder charge. Maybe you’d better come

  Nolan answered.

  clean?”

  “All right,” he said to Crane.

  “You,

  too?”

  Rainbow

  muttered.

  “Inspector,” the detective began, “you

  He placed his hand gently in the

  don’t believe I did this?”

  middle of Nolan’s back and as the inspector

  “No. Of course I don’t. But we’ve got

  opened the door to his office, gave a mighty to go through with the identification, then we shove.

  can write it off. Too many people know you Nolan went through the doorway as

  had reason to hate Lou Huber—and wanted to though shot from a cannon. He hit a chair, get him. You’ve got to be cleared.”

  dived over it and skidded across the rug in a In the inspection room the row of welter of flying furniture.

  detectives awaited them. Crane wedged

  Rainbow Crane slammed the door shut

  himself into the line. Then the door opened and pelted down the corridor as hard as he and a woman came in. She looked down the could go. He skidded out a side exit, snagged line, walked directly to Crane and pointed a a passing cab and ordered himself driven to bony finger into his face.

  the subway station. He took an uptown train,

  “That’s the man,” she said excitedly.

  got off after a few stations and walked across

  “I saw him!”
r />   town to another line where he took another Nolan’s face became grim. Crane felt

  train and went all the way downtown close to his heart congeal into a lump of ice and go the section where he lived.

  sliding down inside his fancy coat toward his His move to escape had been the

  still fancier shoes.

  instinctive reaction of a trapped animal. Now Two eighteen-year-old boys came in

  he was beginning to think. He was in trouble, next and put the finger unerringly on him.

  plenty of trouble. If he wanted to stave off

  “That’s the man,” one said. “He’s a

  capture a while longer the first thing to do yellow killer. He waited until them fellers would be to get rid of his distinguishing went past. Then he stepped out of a doorway clothes. Any one of the 19,000 cops in New and let one of the fellers have it right in the York would know him at sight.

  back of the head. We was right across the He went by quiet side streets to within street and seen the whole thing.”

  a block of his apartment house, then took to Crane’s knees were going rubbery. No

  the backyards and finally reached a spot in an reputation, no faith in him could withstand alley across the street where he could see his this kind of direct eyewitness evidence. He own front doorway. Parked halfway down the

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  6

  block was a green and white patrol car. Too had tried, but failed, to get it open.

  late! The place was covered.

  Crane looked for and found the top