"New Year's Duty" (Update)

"New Year's Duty."

By Johnston McCulley (1883-1958).
First appearance: Detective Mystery Novel, Winter 1948.
Short story (11 pages).
Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; it will be necessary to download the entire issue, 108 MB; go down to text page 89).

"Deputy Sheriff Retland is ready to retire—but not before walking into the gunfire of two killers in the line of duty!"

What starts out as a routine New Year's Eve for Lew Retland turns into anything but ordinary when a jealous gangster decides to eliminate the competitor for his girl's affections, and the girl, and anybody else who might get in the way—which just happens to be Lew . . .

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