"The Woman Was Still on the Floor Screaming"

"New Year's Trap."
By Johnston McCulley (1883-1958).
First appearance: G-Men Detective, February 1946.
Reprinted in G-Men Detective (U.K.), Summer 1946.
Short story (11 pages).
Online at Pulpgen (HERE).

"A flickering candle means death to Police Sergeant Jim Jilley when a stir-crazy killer seeks grim vengeance!"

Two quick shots would solve Lew's problem, but no-o-o-o, he has to complicate things. They never learn . . .

Suspicious characters:
~ Sergeant Jim Jilley:
  "He’s nothing in my hair."
~ Patrolman Frank Harlan:
  "It’s worse’n Sunday. Everybody must be sleeping it off. Wild time last night."
~ Mamie Larker:
  "I—I didn’t mean to do it!"
~ Lew Kelch:
  "You’ll notice that the candle is a few inches lower than your heads."

Typos: "Ketch"; "The car a thief."

The bottom line: