Shrieking Coffins by G Read online

  Secret Agent X, April, 1935

  Mysteriously six empty coffins disappeared. Then one by one out of the black void of the night they began to appear, each with its grim cargo of shrieking corpses.

  CHAPTER I

  Mundy grumbled as he impatiently stamped

  A SCREAM FROM THE SKY

  snow from the instep of his rubber arctics.

  “Er, doornail, I think it was, Mundy,”

  DEADER ’n a dormouse!” Campus Constable

  Colonel Samons corrected. The colonel had

  Secret Agent X

  2

  met the constable making his evening rounds

  object—a glossy enameled steel coffin!

  and was accompanying him across the

  Constable and colonel ran together

  university campus as far as Kalvin Hall.

  towards the coffin, stopped a short yard from

  “Howsomever, I don’t like it!” Mundy

  it, and looked at each other in surprise and

  insisted. “These Christmas holidays! I’ll be

  horror. For the mound of virgin snow was

  darned glad when the students get back. The

  unbroken by foot-steps. It seemed as though

  campus is just too darned dead for men of

  Mundy’s prediction had come true and that the

  action like me and you, Colonel. It’s just coffin had risen from the grave itself.

  rheumatics that keeps me here.”

  The colonel took a step nearer. His

  The campus was a rolling expanse of

  cold, fear-shaken fingers groped for matches.

  silent beauty. Trees bowed beneath the weight

  He scratched a light. “Why, the—the casket is

  of a heavy snow. Dwarf evergreens that upside down,” he stuttered. “And what’s covered the grave of John Kalvin, the college

  that?’

  founder, presented an unbroken knoll of cold

  Drip—drip—drip, sounding faintly

  whiteness. With monotonous regularity, the

  near the coffin. Another match scuffed into

  ghostly finger of light from the college airport

  yellow flame.

  slipped beneath the black and starless ceiling

  Mundy swore. “God, sir! Blood

  of sky that pressed low against the snow-

  drippin’ from that coffin!”

  rounded roofs of the buildings.

  “Get the town marshal at once,”

  They had nearly reached Kalvin Hall

  ordered Colonel Samons. “It’s murder. There

  when Mundy said, “I’ll be turnin’ off here,

  can be no other explanation.”

  Colonel. No use of me ploddin’ along here.

  Nothin’ ever happens on a night like this.

  IN the hotel room where he was stopping,

  Wonder to me that old John Kalvin ain’t riz up

  Paul Marco chuckled. That evening, in the

  just from bein’ bored with his own company.”

  Community House, Paul Marco had again

  Mundy uttered a crackling laugh and nodded

  assumed the role of Marco, the magician.

  towards the founder’s grave.

  Independently wealthy, Marco had two

  “Well, I’m going to another of those

  hobbies to which he devoted more time than

  abominable bridge games,” replied the another man might devote to his profession.

  colonel. “I much prefer—”

  These hobbies—curious combination!—were

  Colonel Samons’ voice suddenly conjuring and criminal investigation. At one chilled to silence. His breath hung, a frosty

  time Marco was a maker of mysteries ; at

  cloud in the air. Mundy’s right hand, pudgy

  another he was engaged in unraveling them.

  within its glove, closed over the colonel’s

  He had just concluded his performance of

  sleeve. “God, sir!”

  feats of magic before a large crowd. He

  From above them, from out of the chuckled because he knew that every cent of black void of night, came a shrill scream,

  the money taken in would go to the Children’s

  unwavering, but dropping in pitch until its

  Benefit.

  vibrations became inaudible. A disembodied

  That Marco was an extremely tall man

  voice, a banshee wail, knifed the sky. Then

  was concealed to some extent by a huge black

  awful silence while Samons and Mundy stared

  fur coat that he had not yet had time to

  and stared at the grave of John Kalvin, its

  remove. A small, neatly trimmed Vandyke

  snowy shroud ripped wide.

  beard sharpened his chin. A black mustache

  For bulking obliquely from the snow-

  was drawn to pin points above his too thin

  covered mound was a black, blunt-ended lips. His nose, perhaps, prevented him from

  Shrieking Coffins

  3

  being called handsome. Yet there was

  Marco tiptoed to the curtained

  something magnetic about his gray eyes; doorway and looked in. The lounge was something, threatening, too, when they fringed with shadow beyond the sphere of squinted over the bead of an automatic.

  light cast by a green-shaded desk lamp. At the

  Marco was about to divest himself of

  desk, pen sagging from nerveless fingers, blue

  his heavy coat, when the phone on his night

  eyes starting, hair upstanding, was Will

  stand jangled insistently. He picked up the

  Kemper. Suddenly, Kemper’s head jerked.

  instrument and, as he listened, his lips twisted

  Something cleaved the air with a scintillating

  in a whimsical little smile.

  flash of silver and struck the top of the desk

  “Will Kemper!” he exclaimed. “Swell

  with a whang. A knife! It slanted obliquely to hear your voice again. What are you doing

  from the dark wood of the desk, still quivering

  in this burg? . . . The hell you say! Staying at

  like a thing alive.

  the Delta Chi house, eh?.... Coming right

  “There are others!” came the

  over.”

  whispering voice. “The next knife shall pierce

  He took a taxi, passed through your neck at the base of the brain if you move University Park until he came to the Delta Chi

  or speak.”

  house. Kemper, a member of the university

  Something lurked within the shadows

  staff, served as faculty adviser for the Delts.

  of that room—a living shadow among

  Marco had been very much surprised

  inanimate ones. Marco’s long-fingered right

  to learn that his old school chum had settled

  hand flashed between the soft folds of his coat

  into the rut of a college professor. As Marco

  and groped in a hidden, inner pocket. He

  remembered him, Will Kemper was a well-

  found his automatic, withdrew it, and sprang

  knit man of average height; he had crisp red

  like a cat into the room. The living shadow

  hair and an inconspicuous nose. Not the moved again. A pale ray of light struck the professor type at all.

  prowler’s face—a mere mask of dark colored

  After paying his fare, Marco sauntered

  sil
k with yellow eyes that gleamed hatefully

  up the snow covered walk that twisted to the

  through slits in the cloth.

  door of the fraternity house. Pale yellow light

  “Hands up!” Marco rapped out.

  passed through the panes of leaded glass in the

  But the masked man made a single,

  front windows. Kemper would be alone, sweeping movement. Something hurtled probably bored to distraction with the through the air, crashed the desk lamp, and loneliness of the great house. All the students

  plunged the room into darkness. Marco’s gun

  would be away for the holidays.

  spat splinters of death-laden flame. A window

  Marco opened the door and walked in.

  burst open. The shadow passed swiftly and

  Silently, on soft pile rugs, he crossed the

  silently as a bat. Marco’s second shot, delayed

  sumptuous hall. He was on the point of calling

  too long, screamed through an empty window

  out to Kemper when he heard a voice frame. He sprang to the open window and speaking words that sent Marco’s blood racing

  looked out upon the lawn with its thick

  through his body.

  shrubbery grotesquely shaped beneath the

  “Do not move or speak. Do not look

  weight of the snow. No sign of the masked

  around if you value your life!”

  man.

  The voice was low pitched and had a

  He

  turned.

  A

  mere gesture with his

  curiously unemotional quality that Marco right hand and a flashlight dropped from the could not relish. A man with a voice like that

  sleeve of his coat into his waiting fingers. Its

  could commit ax murders!

  beam fanned the room and came to rest upon

  Secret Agent X

  4

  the startled face of Will Kemper.

  should say. Then there’s one Chinese laundry.

  “Turn on the light, Will,” Marco’s Why?”

  husky voice was low and tense. “It’s your old

  Marco shrugged as he put the knife

  pal, Paul Marco.”

  back on the desk. “Nothing. Because I wear

  bear skin is not a sign that I am a bear. The

  KEMPER moved from the cone of light and

  man who would carry such a knife doesn’t

  touched an electric switch. The room was have to be a Chinese. However—” He flooded with brilliant illumination from an

  stopped, head on one side, listening intently.

  electrolier that hung from the ceiling. Kemper

  There was someone walking softly in the next

  crossed to Marco, hand outstretched, lips room. Without a word to Kemper, Marco compressed. Marco took his friend’s hand and

  tiptoed into the hall, automatic in his hand. A

  found that it was shaking.

  man with a frost-pinched nose pointing above

  “What the devil, Will?” he asked.

  his upturned collar stared with fear-goggled

  “Do I know?” snapped Kemper. eyes at Paul Marco.

  “That—that man must be able to move

  “Hands above your head,” Marco

  without a sound. I simply heard a voice behind

  whispered. “Come right in here. No funny

  me. At first I thought it was one of your jokes.

  business! I’m in pretty good practice now and

  Then I thought of the cabinet where I put the

  I can drill those two eyes of yours in less than

  envelope—”

  a second!"

  “Slow down,” said Marco. “What

  The man walked on trembling legs

  envelope?”

  towards Marco. “See here,” he said in a voice

  “Why the envelope that I haven’t got.

  that was intended to convey threat, “you can’t

  Day before yesterday, Professor Scolar, a do this to me, Mister. I’ll have you in jail!”

  crazy old fossil in the chemistry department,

  The man’s eyes looked past Marco and

  came in here and handed me an envelope. He

  encountered Will Kemper. “Say, Mr. Kemper,

  told me to hide it, that it was something of

  this guy can’t do this to me,” he whimpered.

  value. I put it over in that cabinet and forgot

  “Why hello, Mundy,” said Kemper.

  about it. Then this morning, Scolar got me out

  Then to Marco, “It’s just Mundy, the campus

  of bed at dawn. He wanted his envelope. I

  constable.”

  gave it to him, and he dashed out without a

  “I just wanted to use your phone,”

  word. It was pretty clear that he was worried

  Mundy explained, “to call the hotel and see if

  about something. Looked as though he was

  I could get that magician guy that I’ve heard

  half sick.”

  of havin’ remarkable success solvin’ crimes in

  Marco stepped over to the desk where

  the big cities. His name’s Polo—”

  Kemper had been working. He took hold of

  “You mean Marco?” Will cut in. “If

  the ivory handle of the knife and pulled it out.

  you do, you’re looking right at him.”

  He tested the point of the knife with his finger,

  “By the great horn moon!” Mundy

  and shuddered slightly as he thought how far

  exclaimed.

  such a weapon could be driven into human

  “What’s up?” asked Marco. “More

  flesh. He examined the hilt closely. It was

  mystery?”

  ornately carved and clearly of Chinese

  “More?” Mundy gasped. “Don’t know

  workmanship. “Got any Chinks around here?”

  what you’re referencing to, but you ain’t seen

  he asked.

  any yet. Old John Kalvin got cavortin’ in his

  “A few students that the Chinese coffin and kicked it clean out of the ground, government sends over. About twenty in all, I

  seems like!” Mundy snapped the elastic that

  Shrieking Coffins

  5

  held his earmuffs, crawled a little farther immediately pigeon-holed as being Slavic, down into his collar. He turned towards the

  stepped forward. “Hello, Mr. Kemper,” he

  door. “Come on, you gents, if you want to see

  said. His voice had a slight accent. Probably

  the gol-darnedest thing that ever happened

  Russian, Marco thought.

  since Joshua fought the battle of the—the—”

  Kemper nodded at the man. “Let me

  “Marne?” suggested Kemper jocosely.

  introduce Mr. Marco, Dr. Kaslof.”

  “Wait until I get my coat” To Marco he

  Marco grasped the man’s plump,

  whispered, “Mundy sometimes has spots in

  unpleasantly soft fingers.

  front of his eyes, if you get what I mean.”

  “I’ve heard a great deal about you, Mr.

  Marco,” said Kaslof with a smile.

  CHAPTER II

  “You can’t believe more than half of

  COFFIN OF HORROR

  it,” replied Marco. He stepped briskly across

  the trampled snow to the coffin. “What the

  “OUT of that selfsame sky, gentlemen, that’s

  hell?” he asked softly.

  yawnin’ up there black as a basket of

  An elderly man wearing the uniform of

  monkeys, we heard a yell that was the god-

  a policeman sa
id. “We can’t make it out, Mr.

  awfulest thing ever heard!” whispered Marco. Be proud to have you help us. My Constable Mundy as they left the house.

  name’s Kvale, town marshal around here. This

  “Probably the wind,” said Will thing’s a coffin!”

  Kemper lightly.

  “So I see. But after all, it’s in a strange

  But Marco knew that his companion’s

  place—on top of a grave.”

  attitude was assumed. He knew that Kemper

  The constable nodded his head

  was thinking of the mysterious prowler who

  vigorously. “Yes, the grave of old John Kalvin

  was so proficient with the knife. After another

  who started this whole shebang a hundred odd

  moment, his beliefs were confirmed by a year ago. Looks as though he just riz right out question from Kemper.

  of his grave, that’s what!”

  “Do you suppose whatever Mundy has

  “Nonsense!” snapped a serious-faced

  reference to could have some connection with

  young man who leaned callously against the

  the man who threw that knife at me?”

  coffin and puffed at a pipe. He shook hands

  Marco nodded vigorously. “Bet on it.

  with Marco. “My name is Durn. I’m the

  After all, this is supposed to be a peaceful

  university physician. I wish you’d use your

  university campus. Two such unusual influence, if you have any, Mr. Marco, with happenings have to be associated.”

  these two men who are our police force! They

  They rounded the L of Kalvin Hall and

  don’t want to open the casket. Don’t want to

  came abruptly upon the snow covered bed of

  touch a thing until the sheriff comes here.

  evergreens that marked the grave of John Please don’t think that the rest of us share Kalvin. Huddled closely about an up-ended