Mundy’s inane view.”
coffin were four men. Yellow lantern light
The fourth man whose lower jaw was
scintillated on snow crystals and lent a heavily bearded and whose eyes were shy and ghoulish cast to the horrified faces of the men.
furtive, commented, “It’s fairly obvious that
“Gents,” called Mundy, “here’s a man
this coffin is not that of John Kalvin.”
who can tell us all about this in short order.
“Yes,” Marco interrupted dryly. “But
You’ve all heard of Mr. Marco.”
if none of you have any explanation—well,
A dark skinned man, rather plump, you with the beard, give me a hand with this clean-shaven, and having features that Marco
coffin. We’ll move it down on the level.”
Secret Agent X
6
“I’d—rather not,” the bearded man would wait a long time for anyone to help stuttered. He melted back from the black him, he dug both hands in under the bloody coffin until he was hardly visible among the
corpse and lifted the body from the casket. He
shadows.
carried it twenty feet away and placed it
“That’s Professor Letchman, the man
gently in the snow.
with the beard,” whispered Will Kemper.
“Dr. Durn, I believe you could render
“He’s something of an egg—the queer your medical opinion as to cause of death.
variety.”
That will convince the coroner, when he
Marco seized the frosty handles of the
arrives, that we are not too neglectful.”
coffin and gave it a tug. It slid smoothly
Marco then searched in his pocket and
across the snow and to a lateral position. He
took out a pocket knife. He opened it and
turned it over, noticing the blood that streaked
returned to the coffin. He pushed his flashlight
the snow beneath, fumbled at the clasp and
into Will Kemper’s hand. “You can hold this.
suddenly threw back the lid. Marshal Kvale
I’m going to examine that coffin. There’s a
crowded in, lantern above his head. A guttural
chance that we can find something quite
oath from Dr. Koslof. Then moments of significant about it. You see—”
horrified silence.
The white satin cushions of the coffin
MARCO stopped. There was something about
were sodden with blood. Inside was the the lid of the coffin that he had not noticed cramped and twisted body of a man. His face
before. The lining had been stripped from the
was a hellish contortion with a grimacing lid and the metal top plate had been drilled.
mouth and death-glazed eyes.
There were several holes in the steel just about
“It’s Professor Scolar!” gasped Dr. where the professor’s head had rested.
Koslof. “Murdered!” His fat hands gripped
Through these holes drops of blood had
Marco’s furry shoulder. “You will help us,
passed.
Mr. Marco?”
“Very odd,” remarked Dr. Koslof who
Marco grumbled. “Give me a hand had come up behind them. “What is your with the body, someone. Dr. Durn, you’re
opinion, Mr. Marco?”
used to death. Let’s lift this out.”
Marco pointed to the holes. “I do not
Marshal Kvale put a detaining hand on
think that the body was placed in the coffin,”
Marco’s arm. “I don’t think you ought to do
he said with a significant raise of the
that, Mr. Marco,” he said timidly. “It’s very
eyebrows.
irregular. The coroner—”
Marshal Kvale laughed harshly.
“I’ll be entirely responsible,” said “You’ll be telling us that the coffin was built Marco firmly. He could tell by the degree of
around the body next.”
blood coagulation that Professor Scolar had
Marco shrugged and dropped to his
not been long dead. Marco was for hunting
knees in the snow. Will Kemper knelt beside
clews while the trail was hot. “You see,” he
him.
explained to the marshal, “I think we can learn
something pretty definite as to how the murdered because of that envelope, you know professor met his death.”
the one he left with me?”
“Isn’t that obvious?” asked the bearded
“Shsh,” Marco cautioned. A sudden
Professor Letchman. “Stabbed, I should say.”
movement at the other side of the casket. He
Marco pursed his lips. “We can’t be
looked up. Professor Letchman was staring at
sure,” he muttered. Then realizing that he the coffin. His eyes seemed to crawl from
Shrieking Coffins
7
their sockets. He tottered, pitched suddenly
provoking slowness.
backwards.
“What do you mean?” snapped
They crowded around the fallen Kemper. “Why must you speak in riddles?
professor. Mundy was gibbering, “The killer,
Give it to us straight”
by gum! He couldn’t take it!” He thrust in past
“All right. The holes in the lid—what
Marco and Will, seized Letchman by the were they placed there for? To permit Scolar collar, and tried to pull the man to his feet.
to breathe!”
“Leave him alone, Mundy!” Marco
Kemper’s face suddenly paled. “God!
ordered. “Letchman is sick. He’s fainted.”
You mean that he was put in there alive?”
“And if that ain’t a confession, then I
Marco nodded. “Entombed alive—the
don’t know one when I see it.”
most hellish kind of mental torture. And
“No-no,” Marco contradicted. He coupled with the horror of his situation, Scolar knew that he must manage Mundy with must have been conscious of impending flattery or threat. He resorted to the latter.
doom. The holes were placed there so that he
“You don’t want to arrest him. Do you know
might live until he could be of no more use to
what he could do to you for preferring false
the killer. After he had given the killer what
charges? You haven’t a shred of proof, you
was wanted, probably as a last resort to gain
know. Many a man faints at the sight of his life and liberty, then he was promptly blood.” He turned to the university physician.
murdered!”
“Am I not correct, Dr. Durn? Letchman has
“Then
it
was that—”
merely fainted. I suggest that he be taken to
A look from Marco silenced Kemper.
the infirmary until he has recovered.”
Marco, too, suspected that the cause of
Dr. Durn nodded. “If Dr. Koslof will
Professor Scolar’s death was that mysterious
help me, I’ll take Letchman over to my office.
envelope that Scolar had entrusted to Kemper
I don’t think there is anything seriously wrong
for a while. What it could have contained, he
with him.”
had no idea. Something with enough value to
The Russian agreed, and together Durn
motivate murder in its most dreadful form.
and Koslof pi
cked up the limp form of Marco, however, had no desire to discuss the Letchman and started across the campus secret envelope with Kvale. The town marshal towards the infirmary. Doggedly, Mundy would only hamper Marco’s actions if Marco followed them. He evidently had no intention
told him everything that he suspected.
of letting his chief suspect slip out from under
his sight.
SUDDENLY Marco’s keen ears sensed a
Marco motioned Kvale and Kemper
movement behind them. He turned, flashlight
back to the coffin. “I’ve found the weapon—
beaming through the darkness to strike the
or at least a part of it,” he confided. “Look.”
short, stumpy figure of a man. The spot of
He raised the loosened lining of the coffin and
light lingered upon the newcomer’s face. Skin
displayed a sharp steel spike fully eight inches
like yellow satin, wide mouth, yellow-brown
in length that was welded to the side of the
almond eyes. “A Chink!” Marco husked.
coffin. It was darkly stained with Professor
The Chinese regarded them with
Scolar’s blood. He looked from Kemper to the
unblinking eyes. “Is there some trouble, sirs?
marshal. “Now do you understand what I An accident? I trust nothing serious?” The meant when I said the body was not placed in Chinese approached the coffin warily. A jack-the coffin?” He took out a cigarette case,
o-lantern smile split his yellow face. “Ah,
selected a cigarette, and lighted it with good evening, Mr. Kemper. I have not seen
Secret Agent X
8
you for some time.”
By the time Marco caught up with
“I wonder,” whispered Will Kemper.
Kemper, he was on his knees, scratching along
Then aloud, “Hsin, this is Mr. Marco, the
the concrete with his fingers, trying to get a
detective.”
grip on the edge of the manhole cover. “Got
Hsin bowed. “Charmed,” he said.
it!” he cried triumphantly. With a sudden jerk,
“Mr. Hsin is president of the Chinese
he threw the iron cover over. It fell with a
Student Club,” explained Kemper.
resounding crash.
Marco nodded absently. He was
Marco scowled. “I’d hate to go hunting
wondering if Hsin’s voice really did resemble
with you, Will,” he said sternly.
that of the man who had thrown a knife at
Kemper paid no attention to Marco.
Will Kemper that evening. He stepped over to
Instead, he dropped his legs through the
Hsin and took him firmly by the arm. He
opening and jumped into the tunnel. Marco
guided the wondering Chinese over to the spot
followed more cautiously. His feet struck the
where the body of Professor Scolar lay. His
cold concrete floor of the tunnel, sending
gray eyes watched the Chinese narrowly. “Ah,
needles of pain prickling up his legs. He was
how unfortunate,” said Hsin. The words might
literally smothered in a darkness that was
have come from a phonograph. Hsin’s face
almost tangible. Furthermore, he had
was void of expression. “How did it happen?”
completely lost his sense of direction. He
Then, on the sidewalk that stood out
knew that they were farther away from the
black against the snow that covered the power house, the source of the steam tunnels, ground, Marco saw something that demanded
than their quarry. But which direction led to
his immediate attention. Steam pipes, he the power house?
knew, in a tunnel beneath the sidewalk, kept it
“Where are you, Marco?” came
always dry. But what had attracted him was
Kemper’s stage whisper from down the
the iron manhole cover set in the concrete.
passage. Marco turned to follow the sound and
Either he was dreaming, or it had raised a few
suddenly ran into something—something that
inches, then been softly lowered back into
had life and was moving. The blow of a heavy
place. Marco masked his astonishment. He
fist pounded into Marc’s mid-section. He
addressed Mr. Hsin. “You can find out the
grunted, led out with both arms, felt his right
details from Marshal Kvale. Mr. Kemper and I
fist smash against somebody’s chin. The man
have an appointment.”
groaned. His feet shuffled on the floor. Then
“Eh?” Will asked bewilderedly.
there was the sound of a heavy body falling.
Marco gave his companion’s arm a
Marco snatched his flashlight from his pocket
pinch. “Quiet,” he whispered. He steered Will
and sent its searching beam in the direction of
to the sidewalk and marched him briskly the sound. The spot of yellow light centered around behind a hedge of evergreens that upon the face of a middle-aged man who sat bordered the walk at that particular point.
with his back against the wall. He was
“There’s someone down in the steam
tenderly feeling the point of his chin.
tunnel beneath this sidewalk,” he said. “We’ll
“Why, it’s Colonel Samons!”
run ahead to the next manhole and see if we
exclaimed Kemper as he came up. “What’s
can head him off.”
the matter, Colonel?”
Kemper jumped like a sprinter from
The man called Samons snorted. His
the starting line and dashed down the gray mustache worked up and down as his lips sidewalk. That was like Kemper, acting on
formed oaths. “You, Will Kemper, mixed up
impulse.
in this criminal plot! I tell you, sir, you’ll have
Shrieking Coffins
9
a lot of explaining to do!”
The colonel nodded confidently. “Of
Will Kemper flushed angrily. “I should
course. And that will satisfy you, Mr. Kemper,
explain? Well, at least I am in the company of
as to how I happened to be down here. I could
a reliable criminal investigator. This is Mr.
see no indication of the coffin having been
Paul Marco.”
carried any great distance through the snow. I
Colonel Samons picked himself up, immediately hit upon the idea that the coffin smoothed his white mustache, and looked was secreted along this steam passage and daggers at Marco. “I should be pleased to
then brought to the surface through one of
meet you in the boxing ring any time, sir. That
those manholes.”
was a nice blow you handed me. I really could
Marco shook his head. “Afraid you’ve
not retaliate as I otherwise would have, I had your prowl for nothing. You didn’t find assure you.”
any trace left by the coffin down here?”
“I think,” said Kemper, “that you’ll
“Why—er, no! I must confess that my
have a little explaining to do on your part,
search was for nothing as far as actual proof is
Colonel Samons. Isn’t it a bit unusual to find a
concerned. However, I am perfectly certain
man of your dignity wandering around a place
that the coffin was
brought through here.”
like this?”
Marco motioned with his head. “Come
“Unusual, perhaps,” agreed Samons. “I
back this way; I’ll show you something.” He
was going to a game of bridge—”
walked back the way they had come. His
“Through a sewer?” Kemper cut in.
flashlight pointed at the ceiling of the tunnel
“Nothing of the sort! I was walking
and at the round manhole. He smiled gently.
with constable Mundy when it happened. We
“I am afraid that you’ll never make a
heard a most unearthly noise, and suddenly
detective, Colonel. A coffin is simply too big
there appeared on the grave of John Kalvin a
to get through such an opening!”
black steel coffin.”
“Yes, we know all about that,”
CHAPTER III
declared Kemper.
THE THEFT OF COFFINS
“Indeed?” said Samons icily. “Then
will you be so good as to tell me how the
A FEW minutes later, they were out in the
coffin got there?”
open again. Marco considered the colonel an
Marco laughed gently. “We don’t unfathomable enigma. Was his pompous know all about what has turned out to be the
attitude, his self-confidence, merely a guise
most gruesome murder that I have ever hiding other qualities even more disagreeable?
encountered. To be perfectly frank, I have
His explanation as to how he had got into the
been so intent on the coffin itself that I haven’t
tunnel was logical enough. Still, the greatest
stopped to think how it got there.”