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tall,” I said. “How about Tall Joe?”
    Tom shrugged. “That’s okay, I guess. But he’s mostly mean and scary, not just tall. Plus, he smells awful because he never changes his clothes.”
    â€œHow about Stinky Joe?” said Frankie.
    â€œI like Stinky Joe,” said Tom.
    â€œShhh,” said Huck. “Look!”
    We all went silent as we watched Muff Potter and the man now called Stinky Joe drive a wheelbarrow up to the fresh grave. In the barrow was a thick rope and a couple of shovels. The doctor put down the lantern at the head of the grave and came and sat down with his back against one of the trees we were hiding behind. He was so close I could almost touch him.
    But he was fairly icky, so I didn’t.
    â€œWhat are they doing?” I whispered.
    â€œShopping,” said Frankie. “But not for double-knit tops with three-quarter sleeves!”
    Huck nodded. “Doc steals bodies for his experiments. To learn about what makes people tick.”
    â€œOr what made them stop ticking,” Frankie added.
    â€œHurry, you two!” the doctor barked in a low voice. “The moon might come out any moment. We don’t want to be seen by anyone. Dig. Dig!”
    For a long time there was no noise but the grating sound of the two shovels slicing into the dirt and the dirt sliding off the blades. Kroosh! Slup! Kroosh! Slup!
    Finally, one of the shovels struck the buried coffin with a dull sound.
    â€œWe got it,” growled the deep voice of Stinky Joe.
    Within a couple of minutes, Muffy and the Stinkman had pulled the wooden box out of the ground, opened it, and dumped the body out on the ground.
    â€œHe’ll do,” said the doctor. He wheeled the barrow over. The body was loaded into it, covered with a blanket and tied on with the rope. Muff Potter took out his knife and cut off the dangling end of the rope.
    â€œBring it to my house, and be quick about it,” Doc Robinson said, but neither Potter nor Stinky Joe moved.
    â€œFive dollars more,” said Potter to the doctor.
    â€œRight,” said Joe, his stinkiness wafting over us. “And ten more dollars for me!” He clenched his fist above Doc as if he might pound him into the ground with it.
    I was afraid. A glance at Frankie told me she felt the same way. I knew it was just a book, but the scene made me shiver all over. None of the three guys was good, but Stinky Joe was very, very, very bad. I could tell.
    â€œWant more money, eh?” the doctor said. His eyes flitted around him once. Then he struck out suddenly with his fist.
    â€œTake that!” he grunted. Stunned, Joe fell back.
    â€œDon’t you hit Joe!” said Potter, and the next moment he himself was grappling with the doctor across the little clearing around the grave. Stinky Joe sprang over and snatched up Muff Potter’s knife and went creeping like a cat all around the tussling duo.
    All at once, the doctor flung himself free, seized the wooden grave marker, and slapped it hard over Potter’s head. Ouch! Potter collapsed to the ground groaning. That same instant, Joe leaped at the doctor, knife out. Then the doc fell silently across Potter, rolled off, breathed once or twice, then went completely still.
    Doc Robinson was dead.
    I nearly screamed and ran, but Frankie gripped my arm so tight, I couldn’t move.
    There was a rustling sound behind us and when Frankie and I looked around, Tom and Huck were turning away.
    â€œHey!” I whispered. “You’re the main characters, you can’t run away!”
    â€œTry and stop us!” said Tom. He and Huck sped off into the dark, leaving Frankie and me alone.
    â€œOur turn!” she whispered.
    But then we heard a groan.
    â€œOhhh!” groaned Muff Potter.
    I gulped a gulp that seemed to explode in my ears, but Stinky Joe didn’t hear it. He just stood over the body of the doctor and over Muff’s groaning hulk, considering.