"For One Split Second She Considered Taking a Chance and Shooting It Out"

"Hand in Hand with Murder."

By Norman A. Daniels (1900-95; ONTOS HERE; the GAD Wiki HERE; the IMDb HERE).

First appearance: Mystery Book Magazine, Fall 1948.

Short story (10 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "Any makeshift grave is a nervous grave, apt to disgorge its contents to the slightest curiosity."

AT THE VERY LEAST a perfect murder calls for careful planning, but that doesn't seem to be a part of this particular discontented housewife's skill set. So she's forced to fall back on unpredictable dumb luck—and for a while it seems to be working. For a while . . .

Principal characters:

~ Nora Bradford ("But I thought—I thought—"), Oswald Bradford ("Oswald, wouldn’t it be funny if they insisted the dead man was you? Think what would happen. You’d be dead, but not dead"), Paul Bradford ("She recognized the squawky voice of Oswald’s older brother"), Aunt Margaret ("promptly fainted dead away"), Oswald's boss ("Nora thought he was a heel, but she did like the way he eyed her"), Mark Edwin ("Nora let him kiss her and found it interesting"), Judith Edwin ("a perfect darling"), and Lieutenant Forsythe ("It’s a lovely evening. A very lovely evening").

References and resources:

- "His draft card—4F he was":

  "Four F is a term that is not commonly used in the military. However, there is a similar term in the military that sounds similar – 4-F. This term was used during the draft era (1940s-1970s) of the United States Armed Forces. During this time, there were physical, mental, and moral requirements that needed to be met in order to serve in the military.

  "4-F was a designation given to individuals who were deemed unfit to serve in the military for physical, mental, or moral reasons. For instance, physical disabilities, illnesses, and medical conditions that would inhibit an individual’s ability to perform military duties would make them eligible for a 4-F deferment.

  "Additionally, individuals with certain mental health conditions such as severe depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia, were also disqualified from service.

  "Furthermore, individuals with a criminal history, drug addiction, or other moral issues were also deemed unfit for service and received a 4-F rating. Essentially, 4-F was a classification indicating that the individual was unfit to serve in the military and thus, not eligible for the draft.

  "It’s worth noting that this classification system is not used anymore, as the draft was abolished in 1973, and the military has transitioned to an all-volunteer force. Instead, today’s military enlistment standards are regulated by medical and fitness standards that apply to all branches of service.

  "Overall, the term 'four F' is not commonly used in the modern military, as it belongs to an outdated classification system from the past." (Coalition Brewing HERE; also see HERE.)

- Other Norman A. Daniels stories that we're pretty sure were his: "The Painted Circle" (HERE; third story); "Satan Turns the Timetables" (HERE; no longer online); "Man Afraid to Die" (HERE); "Medical Murder" (HERE); and "The Trap" (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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