
A brutal love‑triangle murder dominates the headlines, but the real story begins in a stark interrogation room where Detective Lieutenant Kirk presses a trembling foreman, Cordell, for answers. Cordell insists the night’s horror was more than a simple crime—he describes a sudden burst of blue light and a bewildering, almost otherworldly event that left him shaken and desperate to be believed.
As the investigation unfolds, the case pulls the detectives into the shadowy world of a secret laboratory and an experimental technology that could bridge unimaginable distances. The tension rises between the gritty police work and the unsettling possibility that the murder’s motive may lie far beyond Earth, leaving listeners to wonder whether human passion or an alien force is truly at play.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (120K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2010-05-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1907–1999
Best known for sharp, fast-moving crime and fantasy stories, this prolific American writer also helped shape mid-century pulp magazines as an editor. His work ranges from hardboiled mysteries to imaginative adventures, with a style that stays brisk and entertaining.
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