He noted that the interior of the wooden case was thickly padded to prevent its contents from being tossed about. But the chemist gave no second thought to that matter. He was interested in this form on the floor, with its bent-down head.
He turned the body sideways to get a glimpse of the face. The light was dim, here in the landing of the stairway. Yet even in the gloom, Clark Murdock saw a sight that startled him. His hands were holding the lifeless head. He was staring at the features of this person who had been the victim of some foul play. The sight of the features filled him with amazement. For Clark Murdock was looking at a countenance which he could not fail to recognize. The face of the dead man was almost an exact counterpart of his own!
Chapter III — A Visitor Returns
When Clark Murdock recovered from his bewilderment that followed his strange discovery, he stood with his chin resting in one hand and surveyed the body on the floor before him. A keen analyst, Murdock sought to fathom the mystery that lay here. But his mind was schooled to chemistry, not crime. The longer he surveyed the gruesome form, the more did he become perplexed. He was tempted at first to replace the body in the box and inclose it so that it could be taken away when the truckmen came. Then the thought occurred to him that the men were long overdue, that in all probability they had been instructed not to come back for the box.
The upshot was that Clark Murdock had in his possession the dead body of an unknown man, whose garb and features were characteristic of his own. This was something that seemed too amazing to be merely coincidence.
What should he do? Call the police? That would be the proper course, yet Murdock hesitated to take it. He realized that he would be subjected to a most undesirable cross-examination, and that it would be difficult for him to explain matters in a satisfactory way.
He had not seen the box come in. Stevens had been here, but Murdock knew the stupidity of his assistant. He doubted that either he or Stevens could give the police any information that would enable them to trace the owner of the box.
Nevertheless, the whole matter was a source of great annoyance to the chemist, and he felt that he must summon someone competent to handle it. He had planned extensive experiments tonight. These would be interrupted. Murdock did not like it.
Then it occurred to him that if the truckmen should return — even though that chance was remote — it would be advisable to apprehend them.
That left only one choice. He must call the police. Delay would be unwise. Nodding to himself, the stoop-shouldered chemist went back into his laboratory and continued into his living room. There he seated himself at the telephone table and began to consult the directory, to find the number of detective headquarters.