The Girl’s Number Doesn’t Answer

Cast of Characters

Nick Martin — The rangy ex-Marine had steadily battled his pain with the bottle since Okinawa, until yesterday’s hero was today’s number-one murder suspect

Ed Rivers — The beer-chugging gumshoe for Nationwide Detective Agency had all the grace of a tired bull elephant, and like his animal double, he never forgot a buddy — or a punk

Lieutenant Steve Ivey — The clean-living, hard-working cop was the ideal man for a long-drawn-out manhunt, but his talents became a liability when the higher-ups told him the case was closed

Helen Martin — The auburn-haired, long-legged Mrs. Martin had kept her faith in Nick for fifteen years, but this time her courage failed her. She knew her husband was being framed, but the only person who could prove it was wanted for murder

Victor Cameron — The graying, well-tailored businessman was just too tired to hold the edges together — when he was sober he couldn’t face his memories, when he was drunk he couldn’t handle his daughter

Rachie Cameron — The lazy-voiced daughter of Victor Cameron had the lithe body of a female panther and the morals of an alley cat, with claws kept sharp to grab her prey — whoever he was

Prince Kuriacha — The bowlegged, gorilla-bodied wrestling champ looked about as peaceful as a Tartar tribesman, even in his Brooks Brothers suit, and when Ed Rivers surprised him, his veneer of civilization vanished entirely

Sime Younkers — The sallow disbarred private eye lived with death, and knew where to find it — what he didn’t know was how fast death could come

Tillie Rollo — The copper-haired, cultured madam looked like a lady through and through. She lived for the day she’d have enough money to get out of the trade, and the death of three people couldn’t delay her