I groped for her, touched her hand, and together we sat on the bottom step. I wished I felt as she did, but it was no use showing her how scared I was.
“So it was Hench, after all,” Audrey said, leaning against me. “We’ve just got to get out and make him pay for this.”
“I don’t think it was Hench. Why shouldn’t Ted have been there too? Know what I think? Hench is tied up with this but he isn’t the murderer. He’s the guy who’s been getting rid of the bodies, but I’ve a hunch he’s not the killer.” I put my arm around Audrey’s shoulders. “But this isn’t going to help us get out of here.”
“Don’t think about it,” Audrey said. I could feel a little shiver run through her. “We mustn’t think about it, or we’ll go crazy. I’ve often dreamed of being buried alive... haven’t you?”
“Now, shut up!” I said roughly. “That’s no way to talk. I wish this flashlight wasn’t going back on us.” I put it on again. The yellow feeble light was not reassuring. “Wait a second,” I said, and getting up I walked over to the coffin I had opened. I lifted the lid and made sure that it was Marian French and I hadn’t imagined it. She was there all right.
If I could only get out of this vault I could bust the case wide open. The silence in the tomb was overpowering and I began to find breathing difficult. In a few hours, I thought dismally, we’d both suffocate.
I went back to Audrey and again turned out the flashlight. “If we get out of here,” I said, slipping my arm around her again, “shall we get married?”
She rested her head on my shoulder. “Hmmm,” she said, “but, do you really want to get married?”
“To you... more than anything else,” I said, knowing it to be the truth.
“It’ll be something to tell our children, won’t it? I mean that you proposed in a tomb.” Her voice was shaky, but she was trying hard to be flippant.
I kissed her. “We’ll get out all right,” I said, and as I spoke I felt a slight draught of wind against my face. I stiffened, then pulling her to her feet, I faced the door of the vault. “Not a sound,” I whispered, my lips against her ear. “The door’s opening.”
We stood like that for a few seconds, then pushing her behind me I snapped on the flashlight.
The vault door was opening and as the beam of the flashlight shone on it, it swung wide.
I braced myself, expecting to see Elmer Hench, coming to finish us off, but instead, Reg stood there, blinking in the yellow light.
“I’m quitting,” he said in a strangled voice. “Brother, this is the end!”
I sprang forward and grabbed him by his coat collar. “Reg!” I shouted, while Audrey, pushing me away, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
We were both all over him for a few seconds and then: “What happened?” I demanded, pulling him away from Audrey and shaking him.
“That’s right, spoil it all,” he said bitterly. “I was having a swell time. Can’t she kiss me just once more?”
“She can’t, you dope,” I said, delighted to see him again. “Hell! I thought you were dead.”
Reg looked over his shoulder into the darkness of the graveyard. “So did I,” he said, with a lot of feeling. “I would have been if those two had any guts.”
“Two?” I said sharply. “There were two?”
“Sure — Hench and someone else. Whoever it was with Hench did the rope trick. I was standing at the door keeping my eyes open when a sudden brilliant streak of lightning lit up the darkness. In that split second I saw Hench. He was standing a good fifty yards from me, but I could see him all right. I was going to yell to you when something fell over my head and before I could call out a cord had tightened around my throat and I was being dragged backwards—”
“I saw you,” I broke in. “It scared the pants off me.”
“You can imagine what it did to me,” Reg said, feeling his throat tenderly. “If I hadn’t used my head, I’d been stiff by now. I heard someone rush past me — I guess it was Hench — and then I heard the vault door slam. I knew what that meant if they rubbed me out. The noose was pretty tight by now and I couldn’t breathe. I kept my balance and I staggered towards the guy who was hauling on the rope. By doing that I managed to keep some slack on the rope, but not much. I felt myself blacking out and then — why I hadn’t thought of it before I don’t know — I remembered I was holding your gun. I started shooting. That did it. These two killers don’t like anyone who hits back. They scrammed. The moment the guy let go of the rope I was okay. I gave ’em a couple more shots to help them on their way and then I came back to find out what had happened to you two. The door was locked and the key had gone, but after a while I found it lying in the grass where Hench had dropped it, and here I am.”
I drew in a deep breath. “You didn’t see who the other person was?” I asked.
Reg shook his head. “No — all I’m sure of is there was someone else with Hench.”
Audrey put her hand in mine. “Don’t you think we should go? They might come back.”
“We’re going in a moment,” I said, squeezing her hand. “There’s just one more thing to do and then we’ll scram. You got a flashlight, Reg? Mine’s nearly done.”
He gave me a small pocket affair. “What’s on your mind?” he asked anxiously. “I’ve had more than enough of this place.”
“You’ve got the key of the vault?”
“Yeah.” He held up the key so I could see it.
“Close the door and stand with your back to it. I’m opening one more of these coffins.”
“Aw, you’re crazy,” he said, but he closed the door and put his back against it.
Audrey sat down on the step and rested her head against the stonewall. She looked white and drawn, but she didn’t raise any objections.
I went over to the coffins again and set to work on the coffin next to the one I had already opened. In five minutes or so I had drawn all the screws and I lifted the lid. One glance was enough.
“Reg,” I called, “come here. Do you know who this is?”
He crossed the vault and stood at my side. “Ohmigod,” he said under his breath, and turned away. “That’s Luce McArthur.”
I lowered the lid and wiped my hands with my handkerchief; I was sweating ice.
“That’s good enough,” I said. “I’m not looking at the others. It’s a safe bet they’re all here. Come on, we’re going home, but we’ve got to get a police guard on this vault or the killer may try to hide ’em again.”
Reg opened the vault door and stared into the darkness. It was beginning to rain. We crowded behind him and stood listening. The thick smell of tuberoses, carnations, lilies, violets and jasmine saturated the hot, still air. The thunder was now a faint distant rumble, but rain fell in heavy isolated drops, making the sound of hundreds of taps on a slack drum.
“Do you see anything?” I whispered.
“Not a thing, but I don’t fancy walking through this darkness with a couple of killers hiding behind a tombstone waiting to jump on us,” Reg said uneasily. “Suppose we spend the night here?”
I considered this, but I didn’t think Audrey could stand another six hours in the vault.
I shook my head. “We’ll go,” I said. “If we keep together, they’ll leave us alone. Maybe they’re miles away by now.”
I stepped into the pouring rain and the other two followed me. I shut and locked the vault, walked up the steps, passed through the iron gate and locked that. I put the key in my pocket.
“Come on,” I said, taking Audrey’s hand. “Let’s go.”
In the beam of the flashlight sheets of black rain fell on the sodden cinder path. Willow trees dripped water dismally on us. On the distant horizon lightning flickered, lighting the grey, weeping clouds.