 Adventures by Morse, Carlton E. Morse presents the City of the Dead, featuring Captain Friday. If you like high adventure, come with me. If you like the stealth of intrigue, come with me. If you like blood and thunder, come with me. Two o'clock on the morning of the third day in the City of the Dead. Three nights and two days have been spent in this old abandoned cemetery. This is the morning of the third day. But let Captain Friday tell you. At midnight we were asleep in the cottage of my father, Mayor Friday, whose caretaker of the old cemetery. Then there came the disturbing wails of the old clawfoot phantom. I got up and with Jimmy Parker went out into the night. Almost immediately we stumbled onto a trail of bones that led us among the tombstones down into the City of the Dead. It led to a grave upon whose headstone had been placed a skull. It was a freshly opened grave and there was a man down in it, digging. So much for that. In the meantime, Dr. Tuna had been left at the cottage with Phyllis Carroll, kept to bed by her knife wound. Also the old mayor was supposedly asleep in one of the bedrooms, locked in by Captain Friday, so that he would not be disturbed. Dr. Tuna became frightened when old clawfoot began to prowl outside the door and broke into Mayor Friday's room, only to find that he was not in the locked room at all. And then the clawfoot creature took measure in his own hands. He broke into the front door, overwhelmed Dr. Tuna and came to the bed beside the girl. When it reached order she cried out and lost consciousness. It is now two in the morning and we are down in the City of the Dead where Captain Friday and Jimmy Parker are watching the ghoul at work in the grave. The grave of old Ernie Morton. Get down, Parker. Down on your face and keep still. Did you see who it was digging in the grave, Captain? Keep still, I tell you. I'm going to move out of here. Don't even raise your head to look. Why so mysterious? Who is it? Never mind. You do as I say. Keep down here behind this tombstone. Here, where are you going? Keep still. Now listen, I'm going to sneak out alone. Can you help? Be quiet. I'm going out alone because it'll make less noise. He's down in the grave now. I want to catch him red-handed. I think that's a full idea. Let me go along. You do what I tell you, Parker. Yeah, but he'll be desperate. He's not going to be the killer. I can take care of myself. Now mind you, do what I say. Don't move a muscle until you hear me yell. I'll yell when I jump him. I don't like it. That doesn't make any difference. Remember now, wait until I yell. Why, Phyllis, what's happened? What's been going on here? Where have you been? Why have you been gone so long? What matters now? Tell me what's been going on here. Where's Doc Tuner? He's over there behind those overturned chairs. Jimmy, he's dead. Dead? Jimmy, the clawfoot phantom's been here. Phyllis. Dr. Tuner tried to drive him out, and the thing killed him. Phyllis, are you sure Dr. Tuner's dead? Please don't leave me. I'm not going to leave you. I want to see if there's anything I can do for the doctor. I know he's dead, Jimmy. I saw him fall. No. No, he's not, Phil. No, he's not dead. Oh, I'm glad. I'm glad. Oh, wait. I'll get him on the lounge. I don't think he's very badly hurt. There. Looks to me like he's just been knocked down. Oh, that's wonderful. What a fight there must have been. This place is a wreck. Everything upside down. Yes, it was pretty bad. What happened after old clawfoot knocked the doctor out? It turned on me. It made a little mewing wail. I never felt so awful in my life. Mwing wail? Phyllis, what are you saying? It was just like that, Jimmy. Just as though it was an animal that was glad to see me. Oh, for goodness sake. It crept toward me, wailing a little soft wail. Oh, Jimmy, I can't tell you how terrible it was. It just kept coming closer and closer. And you couldn't move. I screamed at it to go away. I begged it not to come near me, but it kept coming on and on. And then suddenly it was over me. It stretched out a lean claw hand. Oh, Phil, dear. And then I fainted. Oh, you poor kid. I thought you'd be safe here. I'd never let you. I just came, too. Just a moment before you came in. The thing was gone. I wish I knew what to do about Doc Tuna there. You're certain he isn't dying? No, he's not dying. Just a bump on the head. He'll be around presently. Hey, hey, where's Mayor Friday? Who broke open his door? I forgot all about him. We don't know. What do you mean you don't know? We don't know what's become of him. When old clawfoot began to wail outside, Dr. Tuna broke in the door to awaken him. But the mayor wasn't any place in the room. But that's silly, Phil. We saw Captain Friday lock his father in. He wasn't there. He vanished. Vanished from a bar and locked room? And I got to lie here in this miserable bed with my shoulder hurt. Oh, what if something should come after me? I couldn't run. I couldn't do anything. Hey, don't you worry about that, Phil. I'm not moving from your side from now on. But what about you? You were so white when you came in. Something's happened. Why don't you tell me? What do you mean, Phil? You're holding something back. What happened out there in the city of the dead? Why were you so white when you ran into the house? Where is Captain Friday? Well, Phyllis... Has something happened to the Captain? Now, Phyllis, you've got enough to worry about. Don't bother your head about it. It's Dr. Tuna. Yeah, still unconscious. He's still unconscious, but he'll be around pretty soon now. Oh, Jimmy Parker, you tell me what happened. You've got to tell me. Is he dead? Is Captain Friday dead? No. That is, I don't know. You don't know? Well, weren't you with him all the time? Oh, Jimmy, don't put me off. I'm not putting you off, Phyllis. Honestly, I don't know. Phil, Captain Friday's vanished. Vanished? Captain Friday's vanished. Oh, Jimmy. Phyllis, don't give away. Please don't. But first the mayor disappeared, and now his son. Jimmy, do you think we're to be next? Of course not. But think of what's happened. First it was my cousin, Bert Arnold. They strangled him and threw him in an old grave. Oh, don't talk about it, Phil. It'll only make you feel worse. And then that stranger was stabbed to death outside your window. That old clawfoot did that. We saw him. And then, then let me think. Frightened to death. What is there in the world that could frighten a person to death? Well, that old caretaker was always scared of a cemetery at night. You know that. But what a horrible way to die. I've heard that a person's heart sometimes bursts wide open with fear. Did you ever hear of that, Jimmy? No, of course not. Stop it now, Phil. You're frightening yourself sick with this kind of talk. And then Mayor Friday vanished from a barred room. Well, Phil, I tell you... And now Captain Friday. Tell me, Jimmy, how did Captain Friday disappear? How did it happen? Oh, listen here, Phil. Wait until morning, won't you? Wait until daylight and I'll tell you all about it. It'll only be a few hours now. No. No, I want to hear now. But, but, Phyllis, it's not a nice story. Tell me now. Well, we left the house and went to the shed where we laid out the skeleton. The skeleton with the message tied to it, was it my grandfather? No, Phil, I wish you wouldn't... Go on, Jimmy. Well, the skeleton was gone. Gone? The skeleton, too. The mayor, the captain, and now the skeleton. Yes, the skeleton was gone. We were looking about outside the shed when I ran across the bones of its foot. Its foot? Yes. Just a little further down into the city of the dead and Captain Friday found its ankle bone. What? Oh, that's strange. What did that mean? We didn't know at first. But presently we found leg bones and most of the rest of the skeleton scattered out ahead of us. It was a trail of bones, Phyllis. A trail of bones? Yes, a trail of bones leading us down into the city of the dead, leading us down to a grave. Any... any particular grave? The grave of Ernie Morton. Ernie Morton? The grave we opened in search of the black pearls. Oh, Jimmy! The grave in which the strangled body of your cousin, Bert Arnold, was found. What does it mean? What is it? And Phil, when we got down into the city of the dead there perched on the headstone of Ernie Morton's grave was a grinning skull of our skeleton. That is null. Yes? Phyllis, there was someone digging in that grave again. Jimmy! Yes, someone digging, digging. He didn't see us. We threw ourselves down in the shadow of a tombstone. It was brilliant moonlight. Who? Who was it? I couldn't tell. I don't know. Captain Friday made me lie flat. I couldn't see a thing. All I could hear was the shoveling, shoveling of the ghoul in Ernie Morton's grave. Then what happened? Captain Friday was peering around the edge of the tombstone. Suddenly he called my name and dropped back to the ground. He saw who it was? That's what I thought, but if he did he wouldn't tell me. He said he was going out after the fellow and that I was to lie still until he yelled. He said he would yell when he leaped into the grave on the man. And that was my signal to come to his aid. Why didn't you go with him? Well, I wanted to, but he wouldn't let me. He wouldn't even let me raise my head to watch him while he sneaked up on the grave. Why? I don't know. Then he slipped out and I waited. I waited, waited. Pretty soon I heard the shoveling stop. I got ready to jump to my feet. I expected the captain to yell any second, but there wasn't any yell. I waited a few seconds longer and then I raised myself and looked over the top of the gravestone. Yes, Jimmy? Phyllis, there wasn't a sign of anyone in any place around. Jimmy! It was as true as anything I ever said in my life. Captain Friday had vanished. The grave digger had vanished. Even the shovel had gone. I rushed to the edge of the half-uncovered grave and looked everywhere. There was nothing. Oh, Jimmy, I couldn't have done that. I stood there on the moonlight at the edge of the grave, petrified for a moment. Then I yelled until my lungs hurt. And all I got from my trouble was a lot of echoes. Echoes coming up from the ruins of the old church. Echoes in the faint sounding of that phantom church bell. I couldn't have stood it. Then I got sick. I got away from the edge of the grave and started to run. It's more than a mile, but I ran the whole way back into the cottage without stopping. No wonder you were whiten out of breath. When I came in the door and found everything so upset, you so frightened, it brought me to my senses. I think the doctor's coming too fast. Get a pan of cold water, Jimmy. Bathe his head. Yeah, okay. Watch him, Phyllis. He starts to move around. Yeah, I don't want him to fall off the lounge. He's all right. Only hurry. Coming. Now we'll fix him up. Poor old guy. This cold water will help that head. You know, Phyllis, it's pretty rough treatment for a man as old as Doc Tuner. It's pretty rough treatment on any of us. And Jimmy just as sure as anything in this world, this is building up to something. Yeah. I suppose everything has a payoff. I just hope that payoff won't... won't end up in a funeral parlor. That's all I hope. The old mayor missing, Captain Friday missing. The prowling of old cloth foot is building up to something more surely than Phyllis Carroll can know. And on the next appearance of one of these three, who is even now making his way between the moonlit headstones toward the cottage. But more of that in just a moment. Oh, my head. Now he's coming too all right, Phyll. I'm awfully sorry about him. He's been so kind to me. My head. The mayor keeps him stimmin' on around here somewhere. I think a little something would do him good. I saw it on the lower left-hand shelf in the kitchen cupboard, Jimmy. Oh, good. I'll get it. Did you find it, Jimmy? Yeah, I got it. Yeah, this'll snap him out of it. Here now, Doc. Try and drink this. Let's put color in his face. He's opening his eyes, Phil. Hello, Doc. Feeling pretty bad? What is it? What's the matter? Just a little bump on the head, Doctor. You'll be all right in a minute. A bump on the head? I'll get a bump on the head. Oh, don't remember, huh? Oh, Cloughwood slugged you. Cloughwood. Cloughwood, I remember. He was after Miss Carol. Did he get her? I'm all right, Doctor Tuner. Honest I am. Don't you worry about me a bit. I shouldn't have let that thing get the best of me. I guess I ain't as young as I used to be. Well, don't you worry about that. You put up a good fight. Phyllis told me all about it. I'm still a good fighting man, Parker. I'm gonna bring that thing with the poker of my foot. I hadn't slept yet. So what was the matter? My foot slipped. Yeah, of course, Doctor Tuner. That's the way it happened. Now, you just lay back and rest a while. Yeah, Parker. Well? You know, I'm feeling kind of dejected, like I think I could do with another spoonful out of that bottle. Oh, that's right, sir. I'll bet you could. Just a minute. I'll fix it for you. Here you are. Thanks, Parker. That's all right. Well, I still forbid until you feel stronger. Jimmy, could I have a drink of water? Oh, sure thing. I'll have it for you in a jiffy. Here you are, Phil. Where's Captain Friday, Parker? He hasn't come in yet. What's he doing out meandering around the city of the dead this time of night? Oh, he'll be in when he gets ready. What gets me is what that old clawfoot critter wanted in here. I reckon he didn't come for Miss Carol after all, seeing as he went away without hurting her none. Did you see what he did after I was knocked out, Miss Carol? No, Dr. Tuner. He came toward me and I fainted. Oh, fainted, huh? Yes, and he was gone when I came, too. And you ain't noticed anything different since you waked up anything about the room or anything in the room? I know. Funny. What do you suppose he wanted, Parker? I don't suppose he wanted anything. Probably the midnight ramblings of a mad creature. I think you and Phil were lucky to get off with your lives. Listen. The Phantom church bell again. I wonder if it's going to begin all over. Begin over again? What do you mean? I mean, I wonder if we're going to have more trouble with old clawfoot tonight. Oh, Jimmy, would you please look out of the window and see if anything's outside? Of course, fellas. Hey, Dr. Tuner, what are you doing? You lie down there. No, sir. I'm thinking I'm feeling a much spryer than I did. I guess I'll be moving about a bit. Yeah, but you had a nasty blow on the head. You want me to stay in bed the rest of my life just because you bumped my head, do you, Parker? No, of course not. Not if you feel like getting up. There goes the bell again. Well, please look out of the window and see if that thing is around again. I don't suppose I'll be able to see much. Is it bolted? Yes, I locked it. I don't want it to come in here. I couldn't stand seeing it again. Phil, Doc and I can take care of you. I wouldn't mind having a gun. Yeah, that's what I wished for on his last visit. Here. You take the leg of this broken chair. I'll handle the poker. Fred. Hi, you out there. You better answer if you know what's good for you. That's right. We're two against you. You ain't got a chance. Doc Tuner. Doc Tuner, is that you? Mr. Mayor, Friday. Well, that be... Sure it's me, Mayor. Here, unlock that door and let the mayor in. Dr. Tuner, are you certain it's the mayor? Certain? Of course I'm certain. Go on, open the door, Parker. Now, what did I tell you? Of course it's the mayor. And why shouldn't it be me? What in tarnation did you go and lock me out for? Well, why didn't you answer instead of tromping up on the porch and banging on the door without a word? That's because I ain't used to asking for permission to enter my own house. What in the Sam Hills happened here anyway? Who broke that chair? Who spaced in that door? I reckon it couldn't be helped, Mayor. We had a little visit from old Clawfoot while you were out. Clawfoot? I reckon so. By the way, Mayor Friday, where have you been all night? Curious young squirt, ain't you, Parker? Perhaps so, but a lot of things have been happening around the city of the dead tonight. And I think you can throw light on a great deal of it. What's been happening? Well, to begin with, we all saw Captain Friday lock you in that room there before he and I went out into the city of the dead. You saw the captain lock me in? That's right, Mayor. I reckon we all saw him do it. Doc, you saw him lock me in? I reckon that's right, Mayor. When was that, Doc? Just before he and young Parker here went out. I reckon it was something about like midnight, Mayor. Oh, how'd you get out, Mayor Friday? Where's the captain, Parker? Why? Why, he vanished. Vanished? Yes. We went down into the city of the dead together, and, well, he disappeared. You mean something's happened to my son, Parker? Sorry, Mayor Friday. I don't know what happened to him. You see, we found someone digging in Ernie Morton's grave. Ernie Morton's grave? Yes. Captain Friday made me lie down behind a tombstone while he crept up to the grave. He told me to wait until he shouted. Where? He never shouted. Didn't shout? No. I waited as long as I thought it was, and then I followed. What did you see? Nothing. Captain Friday had vanished, and so were the fellow that had been digging. Did you see who it was in that grave? No. When I got to the edge of the grave, there was nothing but a partly filled hole. Yeah, it's a likely story, young man. Well, it's true. I reckon I know better than that. Well, what do you mean? Just what I say. It just happens that I came up through the city of the dead right by Ernie Morton's grave not half an hour ago, and that grave ain't been touched. Maybe though you filled up the grave before you came in. No. No, I left it just as it was. You say it's filled up now? Reckon it ain't been opened this night. Well, I'd tell you it was open. And I tell you, Parker, if you killed my son, he's going to be the last sneaky thing you do. That's the most asinine statement I ever heard. Oh, another country heard from. Phyllis is right. It is asinine. Now look here, Mayor. Are you certain Ernie Morton's grave hasn't been dug into? I'll take you down there if you can't take my word for it. No, no, if you say so, Mayor, it's so. But look here, Parker ain't been acting like my idea of a killer. You're an old fool, Doc Tuner. How do you know how a killer acts? Now then, Mayor, you can't make me believe that you think the captain's dead. I ain't lived around you 40 years for nothing. If you really thought anything had happened to that, you'll keep your thoughts to yourself, Doc Tuner. But Mayor Friday, why would Jimmy do a thing like that? He hadn't any reason. Honestly, he didn't. The captain was getting too much on him. Of course he had reason. Plenty of reason. Oh, no, no. Honestly, Jimmy wouldn't hurt anyone. Honestly. There, there, now, Miss Carol. Oh, Phil, don't cry. It's all right. Oh, but you didn't. Now, now, Miss Carol, you've gone and made yourself unhappy again. You've had too much trouble tonight. Oh, but, Doc Tuner, you know Jimmy wouldn't hurt anybody, don't you? Well, yes, yes, of course. Here, now, you let me straighten out your pillow for you. But the Mayor said... Yeah, yeah, now, let me lift you up a little. Yeah, now I can fix that pillow. I'll give you a powder, a little bit. You know, what's this under your pillow? What? Why, I don't know. Look. Look here, Mayor Parker, look. Look what I found under Miss Carol's pillow. What is it? Let me see. What have you got there, Doc Tuner? A black pearl. A black pearl. Jumping to Jerusalem. Did you ever see anything like it? A black pearl as big as a pigeon's egg. But where did it come from? Dr. Tuner, where did you get it? I found it under Miss Carol's pillow, just where I said I found it. Phil, where did you get it? I don't know. It isn't mine. I never saw it before. But it was under your pillow, young woman. I don't care. I never saw it before. Ain't it a beauty? One of old Theodore Beverly's collection is sure as you're born. But it's uncanny. How did it get under my pillow? Well, one thing's certain now anyway. What's that, son? That somebody has found the pearls. Their whereabouts is no longer a secret to somebody. And to someone in this group. How do you figure that out, Mayor? Because we're the only ones who've had an opportunity to place in the pearl under the girl's pillow. Old Clawfoot. It was Old Clawfoot. All right, jiggers, I wonder. Of course it was Old Clawfoot. We were wondering why he broke into the place. He didn't take anything. Didn't hurt anyone more than was necessary to carry out his mission. Sounds reasonable. Well, of course. If Phyllis hadn't fainted, I'll bet he'd have put the pearl right in her hand. Jimmy, do you really think so? I'll bet money on it. But why? I don't know. Just the same I'll bet it was he. I know it was. You seem awfully anxious to convince us, Parker. What? What do you mean, Mayor? I mean I don't think Clawfoot had anything to do with that pearl. Oh? Well, what's your theory? I think you put that pearl there. What? Me? Yes. I think that pearl explains why the captain didn't come back to the cottage with you, James Parker. But I don't understand. Oh, yes, you do. In some manner you and my son hit on the hide-and-place of them black pearls tonight. And it didn't suit your purpose to have anybody but yourself know about them. You're crazy. Well, maybe I am, and maybe I ain't. But just the same, young fella. I ain't taken any chances. You're going in that there bedroom of yours, and you're going to stay there until we can turn you over to the police. But you can't do that. You mustn't. Look here, Mayor, that's absurd. Why on earth would I give myself away by bringing one of the pearls here to the cottage? You couldn't resist the temptation of bringing one along to show to the girl. Likely you and her was looking at it when Doc Tuner came to. You didn't have time to hide it, so you stuck it under her pillow. No. No. I never saw it before. Honestly, I didn't. I swear it. No, no. Don't you go getting all excited again, Miss Carol. What's the matter with you, Mayor Friday? Why don't you give me a break? You're always making me the goat for everything. What have you got against me? I've never done anything to you. Dad won't do you no good, Parker. Well, you know what I think of you. With as much circumstantial evidence against you? Circumstantial evidence. I'd like to know if there's anyone in the world that's got more against them than you. You went out of this house with my son, and you came back alone. That's enough for me. Look! Look! What? Are you pointing at me? Yes, I'm pointing at you. Look there in his vest pocket. Jimmy, what is it? I don't see anything. Must be Luke's in his mind. What's the matter with you? Look at that gold pencil in his vest pocket. That's Captain Friday's pencil. You... You mean... Captain Friday had that pencil in his pocket when we left the house tonight. What? Watch that? And look at the fresh dirt on the knee of the mayor's trousers. Oh, Jimmy! Mayor Friday, supposing you tell us what's become of your son, Captain Friday. There have been many clues pointing to Oh, Mayor Friday of the city of the dead all along. But now, had he finally hanged himself, and was it Clawfoot who left the black pearl for Phyllis? Not only these questions, but the whereabouts of Captain Friday will be brought to you next week when Carlton E. Morse presents chapter 8 of the City of the Dead entitled, The Kidnapping of Clawfoot.