Black Mask (Vol. 33, No. 3 — September 1949)

It occurred to Dango that Regg’s little black book might be the very thing which Blossom felt sure would supply her with the address of Lennox’s hideaway. The moment demanded especially careful driving by Dango, with no opportunity to ask questions, because he was just then swinging the car into Beetle Street.

Blossom was already inside. Getting out of his car, Dango could see that she had left the entrance ajar behind her in her haste. She had not turned on any lights. Dango somehow got the impression that she had gone behind the counter and was doing something violent back there, but he couldn’t quite make her out.

As he neared the front of the shop he was aware of Timothy Regg hustling breathlessly along behind him and again he thought he heard the little man mumbling.

“Good heavens, she mustn’t—”

Suddenly a burst of terrifically loud and fiery forces struck Captain Dango. He saw light flare up inside the store with the brilliance and violence of a lightning bolt. He was conscious of windows shattering, of bottles flying.

The blast of it caught him completely unawares. He felt himself thrown backward bodily. When his senses stopped spinning he discovered himself lying full length in the street.

There was also a crackling sound as of logs in a fireplace. Lifting his dizzy head, Dango saw first that the liquor store had been transformed into a shambles of broken wood and smashed bottles.

It was a fortunate circumstance to everyone, except Timothy Regg of course, that his property suffered the only damage done. Every other building in the block was vacant. Some months ago the entire block had been condemned by the city to make way for a new housing project; everyone except Regg had already moved out.

Regg’s stock, however, one of considerable value, must certainly be counted a total loss.

“She did it!” Regg blurted. “Year after year I warned her never to touch my little black book, but in spite of all my warnings she finally did it anyway!”

Stunned as he was, Dango remembered that electric burglar alarm and those two sticks of dynamite, and putting them together in his mind—

“I kept my little black book in that cupboard under the counter,” Regg went on wailing. “I had the dynamite stored in there too, to keep it safe. I had the big gong wired so that the alarm would go off when the cupboard was opened. I had the cupboard locked but Blossom must have forced it open, trying for some reason to get at my little black book, and the jarring of that big bell must have been enough to make the dynamite explode. Oh, my poor Blossom!”

Dango was pulling himself to his feet, not sure of anything, when a bit of paper came fluttering down through the air. It landed gently at the captain’s feet — a ragged bit of paper with charred edges which looked as if it might be a page ripped from a notebook. He picked it up and as he read the lines scrawled on it his own eyes widened to their fullest extent.

“ ‘Ned Nelling.’ Say, that’s one of Lennox’ aliases! You — Regg! Didn’t you know that?”

“What? Nelling? Lennox? I told you, I never met Mr. Lennox. Nelling was one of my best customers, a very nice man, but— Oh, I can’t think! My poor Blossom! She’s gone — gone!”

Blinking, Captain Dango was quickly checking over the four addresses listed on that charred page under the name of Nelling. “Sand Street — we checked that one. Moore Street — also checked. Ohio Street — not there. Fulton Avenue — that’s new, one we haven’t looked at.”

“I warned her, oh, I warned her over and over. Time and again I told her never, never, never to touch my little black book. Maybe I didn’t make my warnings strong enough. Maybe they only served to arouse her feminine curiosity. Oh, I can never forgive myself! Captain — Captain Dango! Am I to blame for my Blossom’s death somehow? Did I kill my darling Blossom?”

Eying him, Captain Dango answered, “I can’t say you did. On the other hand, I can’t say you didn’t. All I can say is, I’m damned if I know!”