Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
HELL HAS NO FURY
THE CLOSING TRAP
HELL FOR HANNAH
THE COLLECTOR COMES AFTER PAYDAY
FAIR GAME
MAY I COME IN?
KILL ME TOMORROW
TRESPASSER
MOST AGREEABLY POISONED
SOUNDS AND SMELLS
A COOL SWIM ON A HOT DAY
IQ - 184
SETTLEMENT OUT OF COURT
FOR MONEY RECEIVED
THE CAPSULE
THE TOOL
ONE ENCHANTED EVENING
SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL
A LESSON IN RECIPROCITY
THE AVERAGE MURDERER
Wildside Press’s MEGAPACK® Ebook Series
COPYRIGHT INFO
The Second Fletcher Flora Mystery MEGAPACK® is copyright © 2018 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
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The MEGAPACK® ebook series name is a trademark of Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.
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“Hell Has No Fury” was originally published in Dime Detective Magazine, April 1953.
“The Closing Trap” was originally published in Detective Story Magazine, May 1953.
“Hell for Hannah” was originally published in Dime Detective Magazine, August 1953.
“The Collector Comes After Payday” was originally published in Manhunt, August 1953.
“Fair Game” was originally published in Manhunt, September 1953.
“May I Come In?” was originally published in Manhunt, January 1955.
“Kill Me Tomorrow” was originally published in Manhunt, December 1955.
“Trespasser” was originally published in Manhunt, September 1957.
“Most Agreeably Poisoned” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, October 1957. Copyright © 1957, 1985 by Fletcher Flora.
“Sounds and Smells” was originally published in Ed McBain’s Mystery Book #3 1961.
“A Cool Swim on a Hot Day” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, November 1961. Copyright © 1961, 1989 by Fletcher Flora.
“IQ - 184” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, September 1962. Copyright © 1962, 1970 by Fletcher Flora.
“Settlement Out of Court” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, July 1963.
“For Money Received” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, October 1964. Copyright © 1964 by Fletcher Flora.
“The Capsule” was originally published in Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, December 1964. Copyright © 1964 by Fletcher Flora.
“The Tool” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, December 1964. Copyright © 1964 by Fletcher Flora.
“One Enchanted Evening” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, June 1965. Copyright © 1965 by Fletcher Flora.
“Something Very Special” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, September 1965. Copyright © 1965 by Fletcher Flora.
“A Lesson in Reciprocity” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, August 1966. Copyright © 1966 by Fletcher Flora.
“The Average Murderer” was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, August 1967. Copyright © 1967 by Fletcher Flora.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Our second volume of Fletcher Flora’s crime and mystery stories collects 20 more tales by the classic author. Enjoy!
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
ABOUT THE SERIES
Over the last few years, our MEGAPACK® ebook series has grown to be our most popular endeavor. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The MEGAPACK® ebook series (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Helen McGee, Bonner Menking, Sam Cooper, Helen McGee and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)
RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?
Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the MEGAPACK® ebook series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://wildsidepress.forumotion.com/ (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).
Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.
If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.
HELL HAS NO FURY
Originally published in Dime Detective Magazine, April 1953.
Hal Decker sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. The bed was really just a shelf, hinged to the stone wall. High above it, sunlight lanced through a narrow opening and fell across the floor in four parallel segments, divided by the shadows of bars.
When the heavy grill clanged shut behind me, Hal lifted his head from his hands, his dull eyes mirroring for a moment a trace of a smile that had the nervous character and brevity of a tic.
“Sol,” he said. “Solomon Burr. Sorry to have to get you into this mess, boy.”
I sat down on the bed beside him. It was no kind of bed to induce sleep in a guy who probably wasn’t sleeping well at best.
“Sorry, hell,” I said. “In my office, a client’s a client, and it’s a long way between.”
The tic-smile flickered again. “Hard times? In that case, how are you going to like working for free?”
I shrugged. “It’s practice, anyhow.”
“Sure. Thanks, Sol. Funny, isn’t it. How things turn out, I mean. Few years ago, we were cracking law books and drinking short beers together—just friends. Now everything’s changed. Now we’re lawyer and client, all mixed up in a big, beautiful murder case.”
“We’re still friends, Hal. You know that.”
“Yeah, I guess I counted on your feeling that way, Sol. Not that you can do much. A guy charged with murder has to have a lawyer, that’s all. It’s strictly a dry run.”
“You haven’t been convicted yet.”
His laugh was short and ugly. “No, not yet. But I’ve been framed for a conviction, and it’ll come in time. I’ve been framed by an expert, Sol. All that’s left to do is to hang me on the wall.”
I found a pack of cigarettes and shook one out for him. “Maybe you’d better brief me,” I said.
He drew smoke deeply into his lungs, letting it ride out on a long, quivering sigh. The smoke rose heavily in the still air, drifting and thinning in the shaft of sunlight.
“Funny,” he said again. “Funny how the little things
