The Most Frightening Story Ever Told by Philip Kerr Read Free Book Online Page A

Despite his interest in the shop, Crane was the only person who came in who wasn’t in the least bit interested in books. In fact, Crane hated books. He hated books because Crane knew that it’s easier to exploit and make money out of people who are ignorant. And of course no one who reads books—even books about ghosts and ghouls—can ever remain entirely ignorant.
    The only things Crane ever read were his bank statement, law reports and the price of stocks and shares in the newspaper he owned,
The Hitchcock High Street Journal.
He wanted to buy the bookshop so that he could knock it down and build a different kind of shop. A shop to sell very expensive shampoo. Billy thought it odd that Mr. Crane wanted to sell shampoo, because he was as bald as an ostrich egg.
    Once a week Mr. Crane would come into the shop with a large envelope full of cash and try to tempt Mr. Rapscallion into accepting his offer.
    Mr. Rapscallion had once borrowed some money from Hugh Crane, to keep the shop going, but now he was unable to repay the loan. Mr. Crane wasn’t pressing for the return of his money. Not yet. But it did mean that Mr. Rapscallion had to listen when, in order to get his greedy hands on the shop, Crane offered to wipe out the debt and give Mr. Rapscallion even more money.
    Usually Mr. Rapscallion knew when Crane was coming and went into one of the rooms in the shop on purpose so that the tycoon would have to look for him. He always left a note on the counter to say in which of the many rooms he could probably be found. That way Mr. Rapscallion could be sure that Crane would encounter at least one of the shop’s many surprises.
    One day when this happened, Billy was with Mr. Rapscallion, in Monsters and Mad Scientists. This room was full of books like
Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
and
Wagner the Werewolf.
Billy liked these books, especially
Dr. Jekyll.
The illustrated version seemed really fantastic. He also liked this room because there was a large table, and lying on it, underneath a sheet, was the figure of an enormous man, or, to be more accurate, a monster; and beside the monster stood a mad scientist in a white smock. The monster and the scientist looked all too real, as if at any moment both of them might come to life. And, of course, sometimes, they did just that.
    “Are you up there, Mr. Rapscallion?” called Mr. Crane, coming halfway up the curved wooden stairs. “It’s me. Your business partner. Hugh Crane.”
    “Yes, I’m here,” Mr. Rapscallion shouted.
    “Could you come down here, please?” shouted Crane. “I want to speak to you.”
    “I’m a little busy right now,” Mr. Rapscallion shouted back to the tycoon. “Come along to Monsters and Mad Scientists.”
    “Oh, very well,” Crane shouted crossly.
    Mr. Rapscallion could hardly contain his mischievous excitement at what was about to happen. He grinned at Billy. “Wait until he gets a load of what’s in this room,” he said, chuckling happily.
    Crane peered cautiously around the door, the lenses in his blue-tinted glasses shining like two tiny aquariums that were home to the two snakes that were his calculating eyes. Crane had suffered several unpleasant surprises before in the Haunted House of Books and he was being careful not to encounter another. If there was one thing Crane hated more than books, it was surprises. Especially the kind of surprises that were to be found at the Haunted House of Books.
    “Ah, Mr. Rapscallion, there you are.” He smiled a wooden sort of smile. “Is this room safe? For me to come in?”
    “Safe? Yes, it’s safe,” said Mr. Rapscallion. “Come ahead, sir. Come ahead. Only please, no large numbers. You know what I’m like with large numbers.”
    Crane stepped into Monsters and Mad Scientists and looked around nervously. “So here you are,” he said, trying to sound pleasant.
    “Yes, here I am.” Mr. Rapscallion pointed at Billy. “Mr. Crane, this is my young friend, Billy Shivers.”
    Crane