Of Lost and Found (the Kingsborough House): Kingsborough House (Virgil McLendon Thrillers Book 4)

by catt dahman

  “It’s a big place, huh?” Virgil said.

  “It’s obscene. I think people go missing because no one could even see all the rooms in this place,” Vivian pointed out, “How does it ever get cleaned?” She burst into laughter, trying to imagine the upkeep.

  “The tour will cover only part, and another part is open for visitors, but half of the place is unused or undiscovered. The general shape is a double H from the third floor and upwards, but the ground floor has sections that have to be hidden because the footprint is there, but those are rooms without windows or known doors. It began as an H shape but is more of an -H-H- now.” He used his hands to describe the general shape, “But then there are parts that branch off that…it’s big.”

  “Like I said, It’s obscene. Why would anyone feel the need to spend so much money to build endless rooms that have no purpose and that have no windows or doors? Virgil, that’s either wicked or insane. Or both.”

  “You think they were a little crazy?”

  “I think all of them…the owners and builders…were insane, Virgil. No one normal would have this obsession. No wonder people die here or get lost. It’s too big.” Vivian, unlike most guests, wasn’t excited and interested in the giant house; she was appalled by the expense and labor involved. Vivian felt disgusted at the greed and egotistical display of wealth. Her house was a nice, big one, but she and Virgil lived there with an adopted daughter, her two brothers, a sister-in-law and new baby.

  This house offended her and if she were brutally honest, it frightened her. She felt tiny and insignificant.

  Virgil gave her a one-armed hug, “Hey, Honey…it’s just a house. All we have to do is fit the pieces together and see where and how people vanish. There’s a perfectly logical explanation, no matter how strange. We never guessed our well water was poisoned, but it was and that was logical, but wasn’t it almost unbelievable that it was so simple?”

  “Yes.”

  “Any more worries?”

  “Don’t let me disappear.”

  “Never. If you go missing, I will search and find you. Call me and I will find you no matter what.” He kissed her and brushed her hair back, concerned about the worry lines he saw; it was unlike her.

  Vivian waited until the attendants took the car away and took their luggage inside before admiring the entrance of the house. The one part was not ugly. There were grey fieldstone steps, cemented solid. It was the original, and it consisted of heavy, creamy-white double doors with leaded glass that was shimmery. Set in a circle, the first glass pieces were concave glass lenses and made light hit it and spread apart. The second row in the circle were convex glass lenses that drew light in. There were four rows of glass and then a big lion’s head in the center of each design as doorknockers on each of the doors.

  Virgil touched the brass lion gently, remembering his case in Sierra Vista where a lion’s head was the killer’s insignia. He clicked the circle against the brass.

  Beside the doors, on either side, stood two grey stoned, small fireplaces, and enormous windows, each bordered with purple and blue stained glass in concave glass lens, making light grab the colors and shine it outwards. They made the windows much larger and were colorful. Vivian heard someone call to come in and she opened the big doors, heavy ones, that were the ebst part of the house, so far.

  “Sorry, we have someone to open the doors and greet guests but we had you come early for this season. And we weren’t ready yet.” It was late Monday afternoon.

  “Season?”

  “That’s what we call each timeline. Two weeks. Sunday afternoon everyone checks out, we finish business and are free; we are off work Monday and Tuesday every other two weeks. Some people come for a few nights, depending on their budget and what the days offer, and some come for as much as two weeks because each day, we have different tours.”

  “Each day?”

  The woman continued, “Yes. Some days there might be a house tour and other days we do tours outside so we can do several a day. Nights are planned or open so guests can chose the spa or gaming hall. This place is so big that it takes about two weeks to see everything we have on tour.”

  “The grounds are beautiful,” Vivian offered.

  Inside, the wooden floors were graced with lilac rugs, dark paneling, silk wall paper, sofas, chairs, tables and lamps; overhead, a silver plated and crystal chandelier lit the huge entry room. Lounges and tables sat all around the room and the tables had the carved feet of various animals for their legs. Some mimicked bird claws, lion’s claws, or zebra hoofs resting on wooden balls. Vivian thought someone could take hours just to see everything in this first room.

  “It’s like a fairy tale,” Vivian muttered. She walked over and gently touched a life-sized carving of a male lion, his mane unbelievable lifelike. A great ostrich turned its neck to look over its back from a second corner. She wasn’t as fond of a zebra skin, hooves intact that was hanging against the lilac silk wall paper. An ivory tusk was mounted above each mantle of each fireplace.

  “I know. I didn’t decorate it,” the woman shrugged, “those masks are real tribal masks from Kenya and each is about a hundred years old. “The real things are a bit much, I agree, but we’ve kept it the same as the designers originated the room.”

  “Interesting. Glamour and rugged details,” Vivian said, “We’re happy to meet you.”

  “Thank you. Welcome to the Kingsborough House. I’m Josie Smith, manager of the estate. I know you must be Sheriff Virgil McLendon and Deputy Vivian McLendon.” She shook their hands, looking each in the eye and smiling warmly.

  Vivian looked over the beauty of the interior as Josie led them into a room with a desk, files, and chairs and offered them coffee and tea as they sat, “This room, while very large, was originally a coat and purse closet for guests, and was covered with racks and shelves for balls, dances, and gatherings. You can see that this represents how everything in the Kingsborough House is over-done, over-sized, and beautifully designed.”

  “I’m shocked at the…grandeur.”

  Josie smirked, “That’s one word for it.”

  “This is amazing,” Vivian said.

  “Oh, this is nothing,” Josie waved a hand, “And of all vacation places, this is one of the most expensive, but people pay. and we stay heavily booked with waiting lists, because everyone wants to see the strange things here, maybe see a ghost, or get a few chills. Most of that is wishful thinking that makes them think they heard, saw, or felt something, of course. However, as you know, hundreds of men, women, and children have vanished from here and it continues, despite our tight rules and watchful guides.”

  “Ms. Smith, Agent Lord has really handed me a curve ball in asking me to look at this case. I usually do criminal investigations, so, unless you have a hundred year old criminal kidnapping people and hiding them, this is out of my element, but we are eager to do our best to help you.”

  “Or three generations of criminals,” Vivian reminded him of their own home’s history.

  He blushed and nodded.

  Josie Smith, dressed neatly in a lilac shirt and blouse, had properly pinned hair, and was attractive and modest. At age forty, she was level-headed and direct, or she wouldn’t have secured such coveted employment. Agent Lord said that she was smart, and not prone to dramatics, but her concerns were very valid. As she searched for her words carefully, Virgil listened closely. There was never a second chance for first impressions.

  “I understand. As you know, the police, the FBI, clairvoyants, independent researchers from several universities, and a few detectives have all attempted to unlock the secrets here at Kingsborough but have had limited or no success. It’s not a lack of good work, but that, as you can see, the grounds and house are enormous, and despite many attempts, there is no accepted floor plans available.”

  “How can that be?”

  “There are walls and doors that are mechanically arranged so that various actions can cause them to flip around, slide into other tra
cks, or seal off. I will show you, but there is one room, that actions in other rooms trigger outlandish responses for. For instance, every fifty or such flips of a light switch causes the red room 3, as we call it, to seal itself half-way across. People have been trapped but we flip the switch and it opens again. We don’t allow tours there now.”

  “That’s bizarre.”

  Josie went on, “At other times, a bookshelf in the room initiates itself somehow to revolve, vanish, and to show a fake window that causes a confusion in directions. Although it is rare, this same room has made a strange grinding noise and the ceiling has lowered by four feet while another section opens up to show a gallery of coats of arms. It scared a tour group so badly that half ran out screaming.”

  “All on its own?”

  “So it seems. The builder was fascinated with mechanics, engineering and clockworks. Some bedrooms have warnings posted to not use a closet because the closets are prone to vanish…not meaning they go away, but simple aren’t available if panels slide across the doors.”

  “What activates them?”

  Josie shrugged, “Light, events in other rooms, and for some, we don’t know. Some things may have been set long ago and are timed. We just don’t know and tearing into things is strictly forbidden as they could ruin the house. The wills were set up very sternly in order to keep the house preserved.”

  “And how often are these unusual elements found?” Virgil asked.

  “As often as weekly. We’ve discovered trap doors, false panels, flipping bookshelves, fake windows, raising floors, hidden staircases, and anything else you can imagine. We always have experts come in at once and evaluate for safety, and to see what caused the anomaly; sometimes we get answers and sometimes we are left scratching our heads.”

  “Besides the house, there is a guest house or side building, I understand, that is used for a museum and teaches how clockwork engineering works. I would like to begin there so we at least have an idea of what this is all about, because I am stymied.”

  Josie stood, but when she came around her desk, she took Vivian’s hand, “I am so glad you’re here, Deputy McLendon. I hope if nothing else, you have a nice time in viewing the house and grounds. They really are spectacular and I am so honored you are here visiting.”

  Vivian blushed, “I am glad you invited us.”

  Josie rose, “Come with me.”

  They walked outside, and down a path that was scented with flowers and herbs. Lemony plants added a softer layer of scent and the recently cut grass was a reminder of lazy summer evenings and childhood. Vivian inhaled. “What is that?”

  “That is a bed of lavender and there are twenty-two varieties, each with a slightly different scent. Some are strong and some are very soft. We gather some and use them to lightly scent pillows; guests swear by it for a good, calming rest.”

  In the museum, Virgil and Vivian looked around with interest. There were examples of woods used, baubles behind glass, and facts about the house.

  Josie led them to a door way. She enjoyed this part, “This is a mock-up of the Bird Room. Vivian, stand inside and I will close the door. You call out through the door, okay? Okay. Tell me about the wall across from the window.”

  “It’s a mural. Hand painted. There are purple and black storm clouds filling the sky over a cornfield that needs the water.”

  “Excellent. Look about the room and get a feel for what you see there.”

  “A shelf of woven baskets that look water tight, a very pretty, light oak floor, wooden chairs and sofas that are covered with purple cushions, a few tables, a tin ceiling, dark grey rug with no descernable pattern, and along the walls are mounted birds: an eagle, hawk, a buzzard, small birds like blue jays, robins, and bob-whites. I see a raven, and a pinkish bird…flamingo or Ibis maybe? The window is a thick box and shuttered. It’s dreary.”

  “Excellent job, Vivian. I can tell you’re a detective. Now watch every part of the room if you can.” Josie laughed. She motioned for Virgil to slowly open the door.

  “Ohhhh!” Vivian called out. The storm clouds vanished, sliding in places, and a radiant sun exploded; crows flew, dove, and attacked the corn, it seemed before soaring away into a perfectly blue sky. Across the room, the raven flew by Vivian’s head and the eagle dipped. The honey colored floor took on a greenish tint.

  “What the hell?” Virgil blurted. He pulled Vivian to the side as bird claws, gnarled and black, tipped with razor claws slid from the ceiling.

  “It’s okay. They come no lower than eight feet. If we close the door, the raven will retreat as will the claws, the floor will turn honeyed oak again, and you won’t see any birds.” Josie laughed, enjoying her show. She closed the door so they could see, “It’s all about springs, wires, and gears. The flight of the bird is easy, and the window is activated to open so that the sunlight streams in from the east and hits a mirror that slides down. A little filter flitters and projects images of crows onto the wall very rapidly.”

  “What about late in in the day? There’s no eastern light.”

  “Mirrors on the outside catch those rays from the east and project them. Mr. Moreau was brilliant. The floor only seems to change color as a light filters through a strong lens an shines on it. You would have seen it wasn’t the entire floor but only a part. You were so shocked and over whelmed by the movements and changes that your mind filled in a lot of information about what you saw.”

  Vivian shook her head, shocked, “And is there a room like this in the house?”

  “Researchers and engineers examined the room inside and duplicated the mechanisms after years of work. It is all wire and gears with light. Within the walls is what you would consider a complex machine made of brass clockwork gears, pulleys and intricate things that would leave you stunned.”

  “Did the builder do all this alone? As far as designing the engineering?”

  “He brought in other experts but their names weren’t recorded, possibly to keep others from discovering the secrets. A few of those, we think were involved, were never heard from again, so they seemingly vanished as well.”

  “No one asked about them?”

  “A few, but they were from overseas and it was all quietly handled. It’s said some arrived under the cloak of night and seemed to disappear the same way.”

  She led them into another room, this one with deep green walls, dark wooden floors set in squares, and a blue ceiling. Set randomly into the floor were textured, yellowish tiles nine feet square. Josie asked Vivian and Virgil to stand in a square that was yellow. Each chose one and looked expectantly. Josie went to the only table in the room, near the door, and wound a simple, but elegant wooden music bog that was inlaid with mother of pearl and set with golden topaz. She pressed a button and a soft whirling noise began.

  Floor panels slid back, in unison, all around them and odd sticks appeared. As the sticks rose, they became intricately carved tree trunks, a foot in circumference at their bases with carved foliage as brush. At the same time, the windows drew open and dispelled the murky gloom so that it was like being in a thick forest of trees with sunlight glittering about. The light made the topaz stones blaze with color.

  “Okay, I know I have gone insane, but I swear I smell pine needles.” Her mouth watered as she thought of an ice-cold gin and tonic.

  “We have to replace the pine boughs about once a month so the scent stays strong but it is another design to add the sense of smell to Moreau’s creations. He used hydraulics, pneumatics, and various other technologies. Evidently Mr. Moreau Studied Chinese automata, middle age devices, and the singing birds that were popular in Paris in the 1860s. He also was able to reconstruct robotics…mechanical people who looked very real and preformed specific actions.”

  “This is a wonderful idea,” Vivian said, “A lot of skill and brains were needed for this, I can see. I have a new outlook on the house.”

  “Except people vanish. It’s a strange thing, to admire parts while harboring fears,” Josie said,
“I hope this helps show the problems of the house being wonderful and horrific at the same time.”

  She led them to another area. It was three sides of a room and a statue of a priest stood, looking Heavenward, “We couldn’t copy this one, but it’s in the house and works beautifully, so this is just a tableaux of how it looks. The priest looks up and then down, moved his lips as if praying, and as he walks, or glides about the room in off patterns, his infirmed body begins to take on better color and to fill out with health as if he is cured. Thousands of crosses, just painted here, are real in the room and are made of ivory, gold, are set with gemstones, make of wood, jade, and are of every size and type imaginable. It is said that Mrs. Edith Kingsborough went to the room often to pray when she suffered losses in her family.”

  “How unusual. Those crosses must be worth a great deal,” Virgil said.

  “They are, Sheriff. We don’t announce this, but some have suggested the crosses are worth several million dollars. With that in mind, you can imagine the value of the entire house and the structure itself. We don’t have an exact number, but you are both intelligent enough to figure out the possible value.”

  Virgil blinked as Vivian’s jaw dropped.

  Josie laughed, “Exactly.”

  Virgil and Vivian viewed various machines, clocks, elaborate panels that raised, slid, or changed, strange magnetic rocks, metal insects and animals that moved seemingly by themselves by somehow harnessing power for the sun. Some rooms were sealed off by glass walls, and some objects were kept in thick cases because Josie said no one could figure out their mechanisms, and they were possibly dangerous. Some of these included odd-looking guns, swords, and walls with nails in them.

  “Those rocks are strange.”

  “They are said to be found in a forest in Russia and in a cave right up in Arkansas, Sheriff. Experts think they were left by a meteor long ago and they are sealed because of their odd properties. How the Kingsborough came into possession of the sample and where they are from, we aren’t sure.”