Unfinished Crime by Helen McCloy

When Sara Dacre finds a jeweled pendant in the 39th Street ten-cent store ("anything on this counter for twenty cents"), she could not have known it was actually the rare Mogur ruby, "The Fire of India", recently stolen from Kandrapore.

The thief was to meet a buyer when those against him caught up, and he hid it amongst the costume jewelry before he was killed. Sara had bumped into her neighbor Gerry Hone, and he convinced her to buy it, while a crowd gathered around the dead man outside. She was sweet on Gerry, and at the Automat, while he fetched coffee, she put the pendant on, feeling the eyes of everyone upon her, including the Indian man with the tattoo of a cat who shared her table.

Gerry not only took too long, he had disappeared! He did not return to his apartment, and the designer Judith Jenkins on the first floor had not seen him. She was also in love with Gerry, so she would know. Soon, Sara was being followed by someone with a limp—tap and drag, tap and drag—as she went to her Aunt Caroline for advice. Owning the rare Grenville sapphires, Aunt Caroline knows jewels. Also present were her nurse and companion Edna, family friend and art dealer Dickson Clive, and his friend Mr. Sallust. They all admired the gem, but as it was passed around, it disappeared! The guests were searched, but it was nowhere to be found. Captain Sanders of the police steps in and finds someone in Gerry's apartment—Gerry himself! Sara is adamant this man is an imposter, looking close enough but calling Sara the wrong name and lacking identifying moles. Judith is sure he is genuine, as is his business partner. It looks like case closed; however, Sanders keeps his eyes open. Either Sara is a psychopathic liar, or Gerry is.

Helen McCloy writes the psychological Dr. Basil Willing mysteries, but this is more of a thriller, as Sara is caught in a web of lies. There is quite a lot to learn about the cabochon gem set in the golden claws of a dragon, and Bengali myths of rubies sacred to the destroyer god Shiva. Tension increases as she is pursued by the limping stranger, and her oft-mentioned fear of being trapped in an elevator comes true. At times it seemed enjoyably simple, but the pace ramps up into a very twisted, yet plausible, conclusion.

Also titled He Never Came Back, this is another enjoyable read from McCloy.

Available to read free online at the Internet Archive

1954 / Paperback / 192 pages

My other reviews of Helen McCloy:

Better off Dead

The Deadly Truth