Table Of Content

Table of Contents COPYRIGHT INFORMATION A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR ABOUT THE SERIES RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY? TYPOS CRIMINAL TYPES, by Vincent McConnor REDHEADS DIE QUICKLY, by Gil Brewer THE SARDONIC STAR OF TOM DOODY, by Dashiell Hammett A HEARING AID FOR CARMODY, by Stephen Wasylyk A PADLOCK FOR CHARLIE DRAPER, by James Holding A TRULY HONEST MAN, by Talmage Powell MURDER OF A MOUSE, by Fletcher Flora SUPPLY AND DEMAND, by James Michael Ullman SHADOWED, by Richard Wormser A GETAWAY WITH THE GOODS, by James Edward Hungerford TRUE TO TYPE, by Grover Jones THERE’S SOMETHING FUNNY HERE, by James Michael Ullman IT’S ALWAYS TOO LATE, by Gil Brewer TRESPASSER, by Fletcher Flora THE WEREWORM, by Vincent McConnor A WAY WITH A WILL, by Talmage Powell ONCE UPON A BANK FLOOR…, by James Holding PASSAGE TO BEIRUT, by H. B. Hickey AN INGENIOUS DEFENSE, by Anonymous THOUSAND DOLLAR QUESTION, by Stephen Wasylyk Wildside Press’s MEGAPACK® Ebook Series COPYRIGHT INFORMATION The Cutthroats and Criminals MEGAPACK® is copyright © 2019 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved. * * * * The MEGAPACK® ebook series name is a registered trademark of Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved. * * * * “Criminal Types,” by Vincent McConnor, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, December 1972. Copyright © 1972 by Vincent McConnor. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate “The Sardonic Star of Tom Doody,” by Dashiell Hammett, was originally published in Brief Stories, February 1923. “Redheads Die Quickly,” by Gil Brewer, was originally published in Mystery Tales, April 1959. “A Hearing Aid For Carmody,” by Stephen Wasylyk, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, March 1969. Copyright © 1969 by Stephen Wasylyk. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. “A Padlock For Charlie Draper,” by James Holding, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine July 1967. Copyright © 1967 by James Holding. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. “A Truly Honest Man,” by Talmage Powell, was originally published in Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, September 1972. Copyright © 1967 by Talmage Powell. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. “Murder of a Mouse,” by Fletcher Flora, was originally published in Manhunt, May 1954. “Supply And Demand,” by James Michael Ullman, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, July 1964. Copyright © 1964 by James Michael Ullman. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. “Shadowed,” by Richard Wormser, was originally published in Manhunt, March 1957. “A Getaway with The Goods,” by James Edward Hungerford, was originally published in All-Story Weekly, August 2, 1919. “True To Type,” by Grover Jones, was originally published in Colliers, September 5, 1936. “There’s Something Funny Here,” by James Michael Ullman, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, January 1974. Copyright © 1974 by James Michael Ullman. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. “It’s Always Too Late,” by Gil Brewer, was originally published in Detective Fiction, April 1951. “Trespasser,” by Fletcher Flora, was originally published in Manhunt, September 1957. “The Wereworm,” by Vincent McConnor, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, September 1974. Copyright © 1974 by Vincent McConnor. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. “A Way With A Will,” by Talmage Powell, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, April 1981. Copyright © 1981 by Talmage Powell. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. “Once Upon A Bank Floor,” by James Holding, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, July 1961. Copyright © 1961, 1989 by James Holding. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. “Passage To Beirut,” by H. B. Hickey, was originally published in Mammoth Mystery, March 1946. “An Ingenious Defense,” by Anonymous, was originally published in The Leisure Hour, April 28th 1877. “Thousand Dollar Question,” by Stephen Wasylyk, was originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, January 1997. Copyright © 1997 by Stephen Wasylyk. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate. A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the first installment of Wildside Press’s Cutthroats and Criminals MEGAPACK® series, dedicated to crime and mystery short fiction of a slightly craftier persuasion. Herein you will find murder, certainly, but also burglary, larceny, plots, schemes and all around chicanery —as not every criminal empire has been built at the point of a knife. Inheritance swindles, bank robbery, jewel thievery—we felt these short fiction topics deserved exposure, while also being somewhat leery of including them in our Noir and Pulp Crime MEGAPACK® series, whose audience may expect a bit more hardboiled fare under that name. So we’ve initiated this new series for (a bit) more “low-impact” crime stories, and we hope you will enjoy the offerings on display (expect to be searched on your way out the door!) Enjoy! —Shawn M. Garrett Editor, Wildside Press LLC wildsidepress.com | bcmystery.com ABOUT THE SERIES Over the last five 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 email the publisher at [email protected]. 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]. CRIMINAL TYPES, by Vincent McConnor Originally published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, December 1972. The great white cruise ship, berthed at the long pier, was dazzling in a glare of early spring sunshine, with pennants and flags whipping in a breeze from the ocean and sea gulls floating effortlessly against the clear blue sky. “California, Here I Come,” played by a brass band, flowed from hidden speakers on all the decks. The recording would continue over and over until the last passenger went ashore. Louis Bonnard leaned against the ship’s rail with several fellow stewards, waiting to see his charges go down the long gangplank; the people whose cabins he was assigned to serve on this world cruise. Bonnard watched Mrs. Raleigh teetering down to the pier on her high heels and wondered what she would do in Los Angeles. A rich dame like that had friends in every port. Mrs. Raleigh had told him, first day aboard, that she was a widow. Her husband had been president of some big corporation in New York; dead only a year. Lots of rich widows took these cruises hoping to find another husband. He saw Mrs. Raleigh approach one of the waiting limousines. The uniformed chauffeur removed his cap and opened the car door for her. Mrs. Raleigh and the other rich ones wouldn’t ride in those chartered buses lined up near the entrance to the pier. The other stewards, mostly Italian and French, made rude remarks and laughed at some of the people whose cabins they served. They called them pigs and complained about their tips. Louis Bonnard never joined in that kind of talk. He was good at his job, proud of the way he catered to the needs of his charges, with no complaints