The Empty Coffins Read Online Free PDF Page A

any village, this one in­cluded, and you’ll find all the details. For my own part—and I’ve studied the subject—I believe that vampires do exist. After all, why not? We have definite evidence that ghosts and presences appear amongst us. Why not vampires?”
    Sergeant Blair scratched the back of his ear. “Beggin’ your pardon, doctor, but just what is a vampire, anyway? Is it one of those bat-things?”
    â€œNo.” Meadows shook his head. “You’re thinking of a vampire-bat—a different. thing altogether. It’s a bat belonging to Central and South America. A vampire proper is the ghost of a suicide, or some such excommunicated person, who seeks vengeance on the living by attacking them and sucking away their blood. The person attacked also becomes a vampire in turn and preys upon others as he himself was preyed upon.”
    Sergeant Blair licked his lips and Constable Hawkins’ Adam’s-apple moved grotesquely up and down as he swallowed.
    â€œGreat heavens!” Madge Paignton shrieked, leap­ing up and holding her throat. “You don’t mean that I might—”
    â€œGood heavens, no, child.” Meadows gave a ser­ious smile and walked over to her, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “You’ve nothing to worry about—though you might have had if you had been genuinely bitten…. I may be wrong in my theory, of course—I sincerely hope I am—but I still think it’s worth considering.”
    â€œBest thing we can do,” Sergeant Blair decided, “is go to the cemetery and see what we can dis­cover. This amounts to a criminal attack on Miss Paignton and we’ve got to find out who did it—I don’t suppose you’d care to come to, doctor? Knowing about—vampires, I mean?”
    Meadows shrugged. “I will if you wish. Have you got your car with you? Mine’s—”
    â€œYou can use mine,” Peter said. “It’s outside. I think we’d better all go and have a look.”
    He led the way to the door and the doctor and two police officials followed him. Perhaps ten minutes later Peter had drawn up outside the cemetery’s locked gates. He clambered out into the rain, Meadows and then the two policemen emerging after him.
    â€œNo night for a job like this,” Blair growled, and he glanced up at the leaf-empty trees lashing in the screaming wind.
    â€œThe law has to act, even if it be in the midst of an earthquake,” Meadows said. He fumbled in his pocket and brought a small torch to view in the glow of the sidelights from Peter’s car. “Here, Sergeant: this may be useful.”
    â€œThanks.” Blair contemplated the gates, gleam­ing with rain. “How d’you suppose we get into this damned place? Climb the railings?”
    â€œOnly way, I imagine.” Peter responded. “I sup­pose Madge Paignton must have done that since the gates are closed.... I’ll go first.”
    He grabbed onto the ironwork, thrust his foot into one of the ornamentations, and then clambered upwards. The policemen followed him, and they in turn gave a hand to Dr. Meadows, for whom it was no easy task. Finally, however, the quartet was on the other side of the barrier and walking along the main shale pathway leading to the little church. To either side of them, glistening with rain as the torch-beam struck them, loomed grave­stones, tablets, and pillars.
    â€œThere must be an easier way in and out of this place,” Blair said presently. ‘That girl said she used this cemetery as a short cut. She’d hardly climb railings at both sides—and in her Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes too. We’d better look for the spot where she must have got through—the one nearest Kingsford Row.”
    They found an opening ultimately, well beyond the church itself and at the other side of the graveyard to the spot at which they had