The Body in the Bed / The Body Beautiful — Bill S. Ballinger

THE BODY IN THE BEDBarr Breed doesn't want to take the case at first. When Mr. Gibbs comes to him with a story about finding his mistress strangled in her bed, and not wanting to go the cops about it, Breed turns him right down. He doesn't want to get involved in murder. But Gibbs persuades him to take a look at the murder scene and keep the cops away for 24 hours. Convinced of Gibbs' innocence, Breed begins to cover his client's tracks. Then someone tries to push him into traffic. And not long after, Gibbs himself is gunned down. Breed is the thick of it now. And between the thug who's shadowing him and the cops who're after him, this case could just be his last.THE BODY BEAUTIFULWhen Barr Breed is introduced to showgirl Coffee Stearns, it's lust at first sight. But she plays hard to get. In fact, just as Breed is figuring that she doesn't like men at all, she changes her tune. That night he decides to catch her show. Coffee she is one of the nearly nude golden girls that swing from cages above the actors below. But as soon as the cages begin to rise, there is a flash of light and Coffee falls forward out of her cage and into the orchestra pit-with a knife in her back! Breed immediately goes into action, but there's nothing he can do for her. So he sets out to find out who murdered her-and why-and takes on the most dangerous case of his career.