Shrieking Coffins by G Read online

  criminals are generally the best liars, he had

  Colonel Samons looked shocked. discovered.

  “Murder, you say? And who was the victim?”

  They were walking along towards

  “A professor by the name of Scolar.

  Kalvin Hall, Colonel Samons morose and

  You’re probably acquainted with him.”

  silent, walking between Kemper and Marco.

  “Oh, yes,” Samons muttered. “Organic

  Suddenly, Kemper spoke:

  chemistry professor. You found the body in

  “Marco, you’re holding out on me.

  the coffin, I presume?”

  Who is the killer?”

  Marco nodded. “And have you

  Marco pursed his lips and uttered a

  discovered where the coffin came from?”

  long, low whistle. “How the hell should I

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  10

  know? But just permitting a guess, I think

  was surprised to see the Chinese student, Hsin,

  there is one person whom I should nominate

  and with him a bespectacled and determined

  for the electric chair! But isn’t that our friend

  little man introduced as Mr. Welsh of the

  Mundy coming towards us?”

  history department.

  Marco had immediately recognized the

  Dr. Koslof waved them all to chairs

  bow-legged figure as that of the campus and, while he was passing his flat black constable. As soon as he had sighted Marco,

  Russian cigarettes among his guests, he said,

  Mundy came running towards them. “Mr. “Mr. Marco, have you ever heard of that Marco!” he gasped out. “I’ve gone and done

  interesting little mystery that happened here

  it! I’ve let him get away—slip right through

  about a week ago? Our local paper

  my fingers by the damnedest trick you can

  dramatically labeled it ‘The Case of Six

  imagine!”

  Coffins.’”

  “Let who slip?” rapped Marco.

  Marco shook his head. “Please

  “The killer, Professor Letchman! Dr.

  enlighten me. You think it may have some

  Durn revived him soon as he got him to the

  bearing on the murder of Professor Scolar?”

  ’firmary. The doc goes out of the room a

  Dr. Koslof nodded. “The local

  minute, and what should happen but when I

  undertaker was expecting a shipment of six

  turns around Letchman had beat it. The caskets. They were to come overland by truck.

  window was open and he had vanished. Oh,

  Truck, truckster, caskets, and all disappeared.

  I’ll lose my job!” he moaned. “I guess it’s my

  That’s all there is to it.”

  rheumatics. Gettin’ too old for this hectic

  “Not by a ding sight!” exclaimed

  business.”

  Mundy. “That ain’t the third of it. The driver

  “It looks bad, all right,” said Marco.

  of the truck was a man by the name of

  Then seeing the look of dismay on Mundy’s

  Winters. He had been seen in the line-up?”

  face, he hastily added, “I meant bad for

  “You mean he had a police record?”

  Letchman, you understand. No one could asked Marco.

  blame you. Why, I don’t suspect Letchman

  “That’s exactly what I mean!”

  any more that I do the colonel, here.”

  “You see. Mr. Marco,” said

  Colonel Samons snorted.

  bespectacled Mr. Welsh, “it is logical to

  “Thanks, sir, for makin’ light of my

  assume that the coffin in which the body of

  fault,” said Mundy, fervently. “But what I was

  Professor Scolar was found was one of those

  sent out here to tell you was that Dr. Koslof is

  stolen ones.”

  callin’ a conference. He would like to talk to

  Colonel Samons slapped his thigh. “I

  you about somethin’. Him and I got an idea,

  have it! Find this Winters and you’ll have the

  that may help out. ’Course Colonel Samons

  killer!”

  and Mr. Kemper can come along if they

  “Tell you what I think,” said Constable

  want.”

  Mundy. “I think that when I pick up Professor

  “Try and keep me out,” said Kemper.

  Letchman, I’ll have the murderer. Looks

  Marco shrugged. “Where do we go?”

  mighty suspicious for him to jump out the

  “The physics building, sir,” replied window in Dr. Durn’s office.”

  Mundy. “You can see the light shinin’ from

  “I think not.”

  his office window through them trees. You’ll

  “All heads turned towards Mr. Hsin.

  find Dr. Koslof a pretty smart man.”

  The Chinese, who evidently was a strong

  There were two other men in the believer in the value of silence, was grinning Russian’s office when they got there. Marco

  like a jack-o’-lantern. “I think not. Professor

  Shrieking Coffins

  11

  Letchman very wise. Wise men keep on right

  Letchman in it!”

  side of the law. I think Professor Letchman

  “Don’t worry,” Mr. Welsh sneered,

  probably at home in his own bed.”

  “you won’t!”

  Dr. Koslof regarded Hsin through

  Though somewhat puzzled by Welsh’s

  squinted eyes. “We can find out at once. I

  speech, Marco ran down the steps and

  shall call Professor Letchman.” The Russian

  rounded the corner of the physics building.

  went to the phone that was located directly

  Behind the building, sidewalks ended, and

  behind Marco.

  running became difficult because of the deep

  From force of habit, Marco consulted

  snow.

  the open palm of his own left hand. Attached

  For ten minutes, he weaved in and put

  to the gold band of a large cameo ring that he

  between buildings. Every shadow in the snow

  always wore, was a small, convex mirror. he expected to reveal another coffin and some Marco used the mirror in many stage tricks. It

  gruesome, once-living contents. He had just

  was almost as good as having eyes in the back

  skirted the university power house when he

  of his head. He thought it extremely odd that

  saw something that put coffins momentarily

  Koslof dialed a number beginning with three.

  out of his mind. Perhaps a hundred yards

  But he was not at all surprised when Koslof

  ahead of him, a tall figure wandered aimlessly

  hung up to announce that Letchman had not

  near a snow-laden clump of pines. Suddenly,

  answered. He was about to question the from among the trees, a shadowy form Russian, when something happened that appeared—a man crouching in the attitude of knocked all thought from his head.

  a hunting beast. The man sprang like a cat,

  lighted upon the back of the tall man, and

  OUT of the night, tocsining across the cold,

  bowled him over.

  black sky, came a soulless wail that ended

  Marco shouted hoarsely. He started

  abruptly in a dull, clumping sound.

  across the snow, running, plowing through

  Marco’s eyes flicked from one face t
o

  deep drifts. He jerked out his automatic, fired

  another. With the possible exception of Hsin

  three times straight up in the air. The tall man

  and Will Kemper, stark terror was written on

  and his assailant rolled in the snow, arms and

  every face.

  legs tangling so that Marco dared not risk a

  Marco found his tongue. “Is that the

  shot. But as he approached, the shorter of the

  noise, Mundy? Is that it? The sound you heard

  two leaped to his feet. Marco fired low and

  just before—”

  missed. The man was gone running in his

  “God, sir!” breathed Mundy. “It’s the

  crouching attitude back through the clump of

  very same!”

  pines.

  To a man, they sprang from their

  Marco followed, saving his shots until

  chairs and started through the door. The seven

  he reached the open. Pine branches tore at his

  men stood for a moment on the steps of the

  clothes, deluged him with snow. Suddenly, he

  physics building. Seven pairs of eyes scanned

  broke into the open. The little man was ahead

  the white campus, looking for the ugly, black,

  of him, running along the sidewalk. Marco

  and foreboding bulk of another coffin. But the

  fired again at the man’s legs, saw him

  white blanket was unmarred save for shadows

  stumble, and fall forward. Had his shot

  of snow-covered shrubbery.

  landed? Then suddenly Marco stopped,

  “Scatter!” Marco commanded. “You’ll

  rubbed his eyes.

  find another coffin somewhere not far away. I

  The man had vanished! A manhole!

  hope to heaven we don’t find Professor He saw the round black opening directly

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  12

  ahead of him. Could it be that the man whom

  the side wall was a small opening, large

  he pursued had deliberately prepared this enough to permit a small person to pass avenue of escape?

  through, but too small to permit Marco to

  Marco approached the manhole, follow Hsin’s slayer. He saw, too, a black walking cautiously, lest his footsteps on the

  hooded head, mere slits of eyes, and a hand

  sidewalk warn the man in the steam tunnel

  that held an automatic. Marco switched off his

  below. He stooped to the manhole, realizing at

  light, dropped flat on the floor, and rolled to

  the moment what an excellent target his head

  the other side of the tunnel. A bullet flattened

  would make had the man in the tunnel wanted

  against the side of the opposite wall. Marco

  to shoot at him. He beamed his flashlight

  retaliated with two quick shots that he hoped

  down through the opening. Snowy footprints

  found the opening and the sinister eyes that

  on the floor below. Marco put out his light,

  had watched him with intent to kill. A sharp,

  dropped to the sidewalk, and let himself down

  grating laugh echoed along the tunnel.

  through the manhole. For an instant, he

  “Another time, Marco!” a voice called.

  flashed his light to determine which direction

  Then there came the sound of running feet

  the man had taken. Then he started up the dark

  quickly diminishing into silence along the

  tunnel.

  passage ahead that was blocked off by the

  Ahead of him came a steady hissing

  coffin.

  sound—the rush of steam, perhaps. Then he

  Marco drew a little sigh. It was evident

  came to a dead stop and flattened himself

  that the masked man had followed Hsin into

  against the wall. Something was moving just

  the tunnel, entering by another manhole.

  ahead of him—soft, padded footsteps. Marco

  Perhaps the killer actually feared Marco.

  inched his way forward, suppressing his Perhaps the killer was saving Marco for a breath, flash and automatic ready for instant

  more horrible death. He shuddered as he

  action.

  thought of the coffin that bulked ahead of him.

  A momentary flash of orange-red

  Marco turned on his light, got up, and

  flame, and the tunnel was filled with the roar

  went over to the Chinese. Hsin was dead. Two

  of a shot. Another and another shot crashed

  of the masked man’s slugs had drilled his

  out. A bullet struck the wall opposite Marco.

  chest. Marco began a deliberate search of

  Ahead of him, something struck the floor—a

  Hsin’s garments. Two narrow knives of the

  dull, slumping sound, like that of a body same pattern as the one that had been thrown falling. At the risk of drawing fire, Marco

  at Will Kemper were tucked in the Oriental’s

  pressed the switch of his flashlight. The sleeves. The inner pocket of his coat revealed passage ahead was clouded with escaping two narrow folded papers sealed with wax and steam, and beyond the cloud something bearing Chinese characters. These Marco put blocked the tunnel. A section of the concrete

  into his own pocket. Then he got up and went

  sidewalk and a battered mass of gray steel that

  over to the coffin.

  was a coffin!

  He realized that the heavy coffin must

  But between Marco and the coffin was

  have dropped from considerable height in

  the form of a man. Blood crawled along on the

  order to break through the sidewalk. It had

  passage floor from beneath the body. Arms

  struck one of the steam pipes and caused a

  and legs twitched convulsively. The broad small leak. One end of the coffin was crimped, yellow face was twisted in agony. Hsin!

  and the hinges had sprung beneath the strain.

  He was about to attempt to pull the coffin

  THEN Marco saw that between the coffin and

  down where he could open it when his eyes

  Shrieking Coffins

  13

  lighted on something else—a brown, steer-

  you got down there?”

  hide wallet lying on the floor near the coffin.

  “Come down and give me a hand,”

  Marco picked it up and unfolded it. It called Marco. “Here’s another hellish coffin contained a few bills, an identification card

  and something else.”

  that proclaimed the wallet the property of

  Kemper’s legs dangled for a moment

  Colonel Ramon Samons.

  through the opening. Then he dropped to

  “Samons!” Marco muttered. “Could he

  Marco’s side. His startled eyes looked

  have been the masked man and did he drop the

  bewilderedly about the tunnel. “Hsin!” he

  wallet in this passage, or did Hsin steal the

  exclaimed. “What happened?”

  wallet from Samons and drop it when he was

  “Don’t ask questions. Give me a hand

  shot?” If he knew that, he’d know enough to

  with this coffin.”

  hang somebody!

  “Okeh. But take it easy. We don’t want

  He was about to put Samon’s wallet in

  the rest of this sidewalk down the back of our

  his own pocket, when a small piece of paper

  necks.”

  dropped from one
of the compartments. He

  They took hold of the coffin, one on

  picked it up and examined it. The writing was

  each side, tugged it away from its supporting

  almost as puzzling to him as the characters on

  piece of concrete, and brought it down to the

  the paper he had taken from the body of Hsin.

  floor. The lid pulled away easily. It contained

  The scrap had apparently been torn from a

  the twisted, horribly broken body of an old

  larger piece of paper and was covered with

  man whose cheeks were gray with a two days’

  chemical symbols that had little meaning for

  beard stubble.

  Marco. But certainly, providing that the wallet

  “God! Ifs Professor Brandon!”

  had been stolen from Colonel Samons, this

  exclaimed Kemper. “And,” he breathed in a

  scrap from a chemical formula was the only

  horrified whisper, “he must have been kept

  thing that could have had enough value to

  alive in that coffin for some time. He was

  motivate theft.

  always so careful, about his appearance. See

  Marco folded the scrap of paper into a

  what I mean?”

  tiny square. Then he inserted his fingernail

  Marco nodded. “The stubble on his

  beneath the black cameo setting of the ring on

  face. If it hadn’t been for the lining of the

  his left hand. He flipped back the cameo and

  coffin, he would have been smashed beyond

  revealed a small compartment. He often used

  recognition, I’m afraid. You see, in the

  this compartment to conceal small objects that

  previous instance, that of Professor Scolar’s

  constituted parts of his sleight-of-hand murder, the coffin fell upon a snow-covered performance. He put the folded piece of paper

  bed of evergreens.”

  into the opening in his ring and closed the