Greek Coffin Mystery by Ellery Queen Read Free Book Online Page A

the drawing-room, to have slipped box and will into the coffin beneath the folds of the coffin’s lining, or whatever they call Mr. Khalkis’ cerements.”
    “It’s a cinch,” muttered Inspector Queen, “that burying the will with the body would be as effective as destroying it.”
    “Precisely, dad. Why destroy the will if by secreting it in the coffin due for immediate burial the thief would achieve the same end? Certainly he had no reason to believe, since Khalkis died a natural death, that the coffin would ever be looked into again this side of the Judgment Day. Ergo —the will is removed from mortal ken as completely as if it had been burnt and its ashes consigned to our sewage system.
    “Then there’s a psychological justification for this theory. Woodruff had on his person the only key to the steel box. The thief therefore probably could not open the box in the short five-minute interval before the funeral party left the house. He couldn’t—or wouldn’t—carry the box with the will in it around with him; too bulky, too dangerous. Alors, messieurs, box and will are possibly in Khalkis’ coffin. If this be information, make the most of it.”
    Inspector Queen hopped to his tiny feet. “An immediate disinterment seems in order.”
    “It looks that way, doesn’t it?” Sampson coughed again and stared at the Inspector. “As Ellery—ahem!—Ellery has pointed out, it is not at all certain that the will is there. Maybe Woodruff was lying. But we’ve got to open that coffin and make sure. What do you think, Pepper?”
    “I think,” Pepper smiled, “that Mr. Queen’s brilliant analysis hit the nail right square on the head.”
    “All right. Arrange the disinterment for to-morrow morning. No particular reason for doing it to-day any more.”
    Pepper looked doubtful. “There may be a hitch, Chief, in getting it. After all this isn’t a disinterment based on suspicion of homicide. How are we going to justify to the judge—?”
    “See Bradley. He’s liberal about these things, and I’ll call him later myself. Won’t be any trouble, Pepper. Hop to it.” Sampson reached for his telephone and called the number of the Khalkis residence. “Cohalan … Cohalan, this is Sampson speaking. Instruct every one in the house to be present for a confab to-morrow morning. … Yes, you can tell ’em that we’re disinterring the body of Khalkis. … Disinterring, you idiot! … Who? All right, let me speak to him.” He burrowed the instrument to his chest and said to the Inspector, “Knox is there— the Knox. … Hello! Mr. Knox? This is District Attorney Sampson. … Yes, too bad. Very sad. … Well, something’s come up and it will be necessary for us to disinter the body. … Oh, it must be done, sir. … What? … Naturally I’m sorry about that, Mr. Knox. … Well, don’t fret yourself about it. We’ll take care of everything;”
    He hung up softly and said: “Complicated situation. Knox was named executor in a non-producible will, and if that will isn’t found and we can’t establish identity of the new beneficiary for the Galleries, there won’t be any executor. Khalkis will be considered to have died intestate. … Well, he seems keen about it. We’ll have to see that he’s appointed administrator if the will isn’t found in the coffin to-morrow. Knox is busy right now conferring with Woodruff at the house. Preliminary survey of the estate. Says he’ll be there all day. Damned nice of him at that, to take all this interest.”
    “Will he attend the disinterment?” asked Ellery. “I’ve always wanted to meet a multi-millionaire.”
    “He says not. He’s got to go out of town again early to-morrow morning.”
    “Another childhood ambition shattered,” said Ellery sadly.
    * It should be recalled that The Greek Coffin Mystery precedes in point of time those Queen cases which have already been presented to the public. It dates only a short time after Ellery Queen’s graduation from