Death Begins at 45

Personal notice, stay just my stock and trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you got a job for me, George Valentine. Write full details. Standard Oil Company of California, on behalf of independent chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the West, invites you to let George do it.

Death begins at 45, another adventure of George Valentine. My dear Mr Valentine, you have never seen my name, Wendell Mason, as a by-line on stories or articles, unless it's been in a garden magazine or perhaps a filler in the newspaper.

You see, I am a writer, but I have never found a big enough story until now. But Mr Valentine, I have run across a grain of pepper in the midst of sugar, a black icicle in the midst of sunshine, in the midst of one of our most exclusive quietest suburbs, what have I found? A criminal, one of the blackest criminals in all America. What is he doing

in River Vista? Of course, he might only be visiting there, and yet, in that case, why should I, a mere observer of the scene, be struck from behind and left for dead? Oh, yes, happened to be only this morning. Well, Mr. Valentine, that is my chance at a big story.

That's for me to find out with your help. Well, Brooksea, this is where the character said to meet him. The city limits the sign across the highway. Just about as fancy as everything else in River Vista.

And as sleepy. Some lovely homes, though, I guess, farther upstream. I'm happy right here. Flowers and sunshine. George, look at all the trees and blossom down by the bank. Yeah. Should have brought a radio.