Sinister House – Eight Stories by J.S. Endicott

Book Details

Sinister House – Eight Stories is a FREE sampler of mystery stories from the pages of pulp era magazines like Popular Detective, Thrilling Detective and Thrilling Spy Stories.

The Build-Up (1936) – Detective Jim Durst Didn’t Let the Grass Grow Under His Feet When He Was Ordered Out on the Mavis Pearce Snatch!

Death Hangs High (1937) – Weird Baffling Doom Stalks an Abandoned Mine!

Vial of Murder (1937) – Horrible Was the Fate Destined for Mol Craig!

Message In Sunlight (1940) – Drama Stalks a Cabin Plane When International Spies Wreak Havoc in the Air!

Enter Death (1936) – Under the Cloak of Darkness, Murder Stalked

Sinister House (1939)- Criminals Creep at Night, but then Lee Richmond, the Nocturnal Detective, is a Night Owl Himself!

Bombshell Murder (1945) – Jack Sanford recognizes the grim scent of mystery!

Marked for Evidence (1939)- Robbing the Subway leads to Murder!

J.S. Endicott and John S. Endicott were house names for the Standard Publications group of magazines. Many authors wrote under these names and it’s difficult to know exactly who actually penned any particular story. These eight stories exhibit a wide range of themes, styles and abilities.

Sinister House – Eight Stories contains 13 illustrations.

Sinister House – Eight Stories is also available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Files:

1. sinisterHouse.epub

Death Hangs High

BLACK eerie shadows formed strange shaped blotches at the entrance of the old coal mine. The flashlights in the hands of the three men bathed the still figure of old Dan Kirk in a white glow. Even in death the face was contorted in a grimace of stark horror. Thin bony hands were still tightened into hard fists as though he had tried to protect himself as he sprawled on the hard ground.

“Heart failure.” Doctor Fell’s grating voice cut through the silence as he examined the body. “Plainly caused by fright. There’s something weird about this old mine, Wakely.”

“He’s the third man that’s died here like this,” said Travers Wakely, his voice trembling. “First Morgan, then Hunter and now Kirk. All of them with that look of fear on their faces and I hired these last two because they claimed they were afraid of nothing!”

County Detective Brad Halton stood silently listening. Fell was almost brutally mechanical in his manner toward death. He reminded Halton of a gaunt crow. Wakely was fat and gross. He was eternally whining and his round moist face wore a petulant expression.

“Nothing more we can do here,” said Coroner Fell. He spread a white handkerchief over Kirk’s face and then got to his feet. “He’s been dead for some time.”

“But what about my mine?” demanded Wakely. “The property is valuable.” He turned to Halton. “You’re the county detective—why can’t you do something?”

“I might have been able to do something to prevent Kirk’s death if you hadn’t waited until tonight to tell me what’s been happening here!” Halton’s tone was impatient. “When you sent for me yesterday your message didn’t say what was wrong.”

From somewhere in the darkness came a weird wailing sound.

“What’s that?” demanded Wakely, his voice tense.

“I don’t know,” said Halton, reaching for his .38, “but I’m going to find out.”

His flashlight cast a white path ahead of him as he went in the direction of the wailing noise. Abruptly it ceased. He paused and stood listening. All about him was the silence of rock and brush. No sense searching this place in the darkness. Better wait until daylight. He returned to the two men who were still standing by the body of Dan Kirk.

“Find anything?” asked Wakely.

“No, whatever it was is gone now.”

“We’d better take Kirk down to the village,” said Doctor Fell. “Lead the way with your light, Halton. Wakely and I will carry him.”

“I don’t—” Wakely started to protest,

“I said we’d carry him!” The doctor’s voice was even harsher than usual.

“Oh, all right!” snapped Wakely fretfully.

Halton was thinking swiftly as he led the way down the hill. Something strange about this whole thing. Why hadn’t Wakely or Fell sent for him when Morgan had died at the old mine instead of waiting for a third death?

Apparently they had expected to find something wrong at the mine tonight. Halton had sensed it from Wakely’s attitude when he had suggested that they go and look the place over right away.

But it was the mine itself that puzzled the county detective as much as anything. Apparently it had been abandoned for years and yet Wakely evidently found the property valuable enough to hire men to guard the place after Morgan’s strange death. Men who had apparently died from fright.

They reached the foot of the hill and came out on the road that ran along beside the river. A quarter of a mile away the lights of the village were a dim glow in the distance.

Halton glanced back as he heard a plaintive sound behind him. Fell was walking along carrying the corpse by the arms and the doctor was whistling The Funeral March of a Marionette.

Halton spent the night at a tourist lodge which was all the village boasted in the way of a hotel. Next morning he was frantically busy. He learned one interesting fact in his investigation. The three dead men, Morgan, Hunter and Kirk had been relatives. The first two were cousins and Kirk their uncle.

Excerpt From: J.S. Endicott. “Sinister House.”