The Problem Solver and the Hostage
Written by
Christopher Anvil
Copyright 1966
Printed in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, February 1966. Reprinted in the collection
The police lieutenant who came to Richard Verner's office was greatly stressed. While searching for a trigger-happy robbery suspect, wanted for more than twenty crimes in the last six months, they nearly had him in an apartment building when he snatched a little girl from down the hall and then barricaded them both in his apartment, threatening to kill her.