by S A Jacobs
The walk was nostalgic for him. As he slowly made his way through the gardens and to the pond, he was amazed at the transformation that had taken place in the last year. This was a completely different place than it was a year ago. He knew the very spot where the charred remnants of the mirror had once lain. But on that day, those were only memories in his head. The visual reminders were now replaced with the opulent beauty of the fully restored garden and pond.
Just ahead of him, David saw the silhouettes of Jim and Kat sitting in the open-air Tea House. David clenched his hands and walked up to greet them.
“I will never understand why you make me meet you out here,” he yelled, getting their attention.
Jim stood up and turned to greet David with a handshake and then a hug.
“Stop, those days are all gone thanks to you,” Jim said. “This garden is exactly the way it was intended to be, and I’m going to make sure we enjoy it. Come on in and sit down.”
David approached the table where Kat was sitting behind a spread of pastries.
“You got lucky on your timing, we just happen to be sampling these from the caterer.” Kat gestured to the arrangement.
David took a seat at the table and nervously looked back and forth between Kat and Jim.
“Uh… No thank you,” he finally said softly.
“Oh, c’mon David,” Jim said. “We can’t sample all of these ourselves.”
Jim’s demeanor changed when he looked at him. Apparently he could sense that this was not simply a jovial meeting.
“What’s wrong? Why did you want to meet with us today?”
“I’ll just say it!” David replied. “Look, you know I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, keeping me employed this past year even though there is clearly no more paranormal activity here.”
“David you know that’s the least we could have done, and the fact is we needed you. People don’t exactly want to plan a wedding on a graveyard. I know dealing with the press and such is not your typical role, but you handled all of those inquires. You were able to convince the public that the hauntings were gone. How many people can convince the public that a place is beautiful and welcoming despite the 13 bodies the police found. That allowed us to turn this place into a home and a venue free from the stigma of the past.”
“Let me finish. Anyway, while I was handling all the people wanting to know about the haunt or the bones, and assuring them activity here was vanquished completely, I… well… I got a job!” He was proud of his accomplishment.
“That’s great David, where is this job taking you?” Kat asked.
“That is just it, everywhere! I got approached by some reality TV producers. They want me to be on a show investigating haunts all over the country. Not just be on a show, they want it to be my show! It’s my dream job! Going place to place to the most renowned haunted areas and making good money doing it. It’s just… well… I have to stop working for you.”
“You’re quitting?” Jim interjected. “That’s what you’re acting all weird about?”
“Yes. But it isn’t like that. I even worked a clause into my contract to ensure that, if something comes up here, I will still be able to help you two out.”
“David, stop. It’s fine. Your work here is done. Hell, next weekend we have our first event here. A fundraiser for the Historical Society. I’m more than happy to keep you employed as our paranormal expert, but it isn’t needed. You are my friend, and if you have the opportunity to do what you want to do, I’m behind that one hundred percent.”
“David, you are still coming to our wedding, right?” Kat asked.
“Of course I’m coming to the wedding! I don’t start the show for a while. Apparently, they are setting me up with some personal trainer so I can look better on camera first.”
“Good, ‘cause if you bailed on that, the way I would come after you would make Sam look like a puppy dog,” Kat said with a mischievous smirk.
“Well, if that’s settled, we also have a surprise for you.” Jim stepped to the corner of the tea house and picked up a plain cardboard box. He handed it to David. “Look, we never had a chance to formally show you how much we appreciate everything you did. So, we wanted to give you this to say thanks.”
David looked at the box in his hand for a moment before a smile appeared on his face. He tore it open with reckless abandon. He pulled out a large black box. Opening the black box revealed a black fabric case with ‘Omega Speedmaster’ embroidered on it. David opened the buckles on the case, and the new watch sparkled in the sunlight.
“We noticed how much you use your watch and wanted to get you one that was as reliable as you have been to us,” Kat said.
“Shit, I’ve never even seen one of these in person!”
“That’s not all,” Jim said. “There’s something else in that box.”
David set the watch case down and returned to the cardboard box. He reached inside and pulled out a book. The Münchner Handbuch der Nekromantie. David held it in his hands and silently looked at it.
“We have no use for it. You understand what this book is. So, if anyone should be trusted with keeping it, it’s you. It’s yours to do what you want with. Donate it to a museum, sell it, keep it. Just don’t bring it back here.” Jim smiled at David.
As David was walking back to his car, Jim ran up behind grabbing him on the shoulder.
“Hey, are you really going home for the first time since all this started?” Jim asked.
“Yeah I figure it’s about time I actually see my house.”
“Look, I mailed you something back while Sam was still hanging around. Once you get home, let me know if it’s there, okay?”
“Uh sure thing.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll understand when you open it.”
Two days later, David was back at his office. He wanted to make sure that he put the Grimoire into his safe. Locked within that office, he knew it wasn’t going to fall into the wrong hands or get ruined by him accidentally spilling something on it.
It was the first time David had been in his office in a long time. He’d been so busy working with Jim and Kat all while securing his new television deal. He hadn’t had another case in over a year. He walked into the conference room and looked at the whiteboard. It was still cluttered with notes and photos about the KGC and the Cloudland Hotel. He grabbed an empty file box and began taking all the photos and papers down and set them in the box.
The sleigh bell above the office door jingled, and David set everything down. He saw Linda walking into the office.
“David, my dear! I was wondering when you were finally going to come back here.”
Linda hurried into the conference room and greeted David with a hug. When she stepped back, she realized what David was doing. Frustration appeared on her face.
“So, this is it? You think you’re finished here?”
“Linda, this case has been over for a long time, and with the TV show, I’m not gonna to be able to take any more cases.”
Linda walked past him up to the whiteboard. Her eyes settled on the word Cloudland. It had lines drawn to a photo of each of the Sovereign Lords.
“Your work is not done. The story of Sam may be closed, but there is much more work ahead with the rest of these Lords.”
“Linda, please. I cannot take any more cases until I’m done with this show and then… who knows.”
“Run if you want but remember what I told you when we started. You don’t choose cases to work on. They choose you. Your work is not complete.”
He brushed her off for the moment and retreated to his office. He sat in the creaky chair and turned to the pile of mail sitting on his desk. Amongst the typical mail there was a FedEx envelope that caught his attention. There was no return address listed. The label indicated that it had been sent months ago. He tore it open and poured the contents of it onto the desk. With a heavy thud a necklace dropped out. He picked it up and marveled at it gleaming in the light. He pull
ed a slip of paper from the envelope and read it.
David,
If you are reading this, I can only assume everything is finished. This was Ida’s necklace from the safe. I took this out realizing it was what Sam wanted. That night, when Sam knocked me out and put me in the hospital, I realized I needed to keep this safe. After all, if there is no necklace, then no one will be after us for it. Please keep this safe and hidden. If it can be used for good, I know you will be the one who can make that decision.
Thanks,
Jim
David sat there with the letter in one hand and the necklace in the other. He looked at the necklace again with a smile on his face.
“I guess my work really isn’t finished,” he said.
Thank You
Thanks so much for reading THE DEMON OF MANSFELD MANOR. It means a lot that you read it. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it.
David’s adventures aren’t over yet. If you’d like me to let you know when his next case drops, click here to join my Reader Group.
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Until next time,
S.A. Jacobs
