"Nothing Could—Nothing Would—Go Wrong"

YOU might feel sorry for these poor chumps who think they can pull off a perfect murder, but it would be a waste of sympathy . . .

"Crystal Clue."

By Leon Dupont (house name for either Ben George or Rex Grahame, probably Grahame).

First appearance: 10-Story Detective, March 1941.

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "Henry was so sure of himself, that he was tingling in anticipation. He had worked out his scheme from every angle. He could see no chance of a slip-up. He had planned the perfect crime."

VIRGIL, the Roman poet, reminds us that fugit irreparabile tempus ("it escapes, irretrievable time"). Our killer will have reason to wish that he could retrieve that little speck of time when he planted an incriminating clue that will put him on death row . . .

Principal characters:

~ Henry York ("knew his story, and he would stick to it"), Walter York ("uttered a gurgling squawk which was muffled by the choking hood. His book went spinning, his feet flew up. 

His hands clawed at the suffocating folds"), Dr. Leeds ("pronounced death as Henry knew he would—strangulation by drowning"), and Detective Davis ("So you want to know where you slipped?").

Resources:

- We can't find out anything about either Ben George or Rex Grahame.

- Here's the FictionMags listing for our presumed author, Rex Grahame (ss = short story; ar = article):

  "Ghost Crosses," (ss) Dime Mystery Magazine, August 1935

  "Wolf Vengeance," (ss) Ace Mystery, May 1936

  "Hallway to Doom," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, August 1937

  "A Face for Murder," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, September 1937

  "The Purple Noose," (ss) Ten Detective Aces, November 1937

  "Finger of Doom," (ss) 10-Story Detective Magazine, July 1938

  "He Saves Souls," (ar) True Mystic Science, March 1939

  "Psychic Healer Baffles Surgeons," (ar) True Mystic Science, April 1939

  "Was Houdini Fiar in the 'Margery' Case?" (with Jaime Lord), (ar) True Mystic Science, May 1939.

- On at least two separate occasions, taking a bath could be fatal if you were a victim in the Columbo series; see the YouTube video (HERE for now; running time: 11 minutes 52 seconds).

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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