The Adventures of Gravedigger

by Barry Reese

  “Of course you may. A guide about town would be more than welcome.”

  The dandy offered a hand. “The name’s Wilmer Grace, Mr. Quinn.”

  Mortimer smiled as they shook. “Please – call me Mortimer.”

  “Only if you refer to me as Wilmer.”

  “Agreed.”

  The two set off in the general direction of the boarding house but Wilmer took Mortimer by the sleeve and steered him down a side street.

  “Thought you might want to get a look at the schoolhouse. It’s been mostly empty since Mr. Hale vanished but the children still congregate about it some mornings. It’s like they’re waiting for their schoolmaster to return.”

  “What do you think happened to him, Wilmer? You don’t really believe that some specter killed him, do you?”

  “Do I think it’s likely? No, sir, I don’t. There are other, more earth-bound explanations that seem to jump to my mind. But you won’t hear many others in this town talk about them. It’s better to think that the root of all evil is of the supernatural sort. Then you don’t have to think ill of your fellow man.”

  “Your thinking mirrors my own,” Mortimer said. “So are you unafraid to tell me your theories on the matter?”

  “I fear nothing,” Wilmer said with a booming laugh. A few passerby glanced at him with exasperation and recognized that his new companion was not the most popular of citizens. “Samuel Hale was well liked around town. He not only taught at the school but he also tutored many in song. Given that he was a bachelor and a notorious eater, he also spent a lot of time visiting homes in the area. His favorite stop was at the home of Katrina Chapman. Her father is a prominent Dutch farmer and Katrina is considered by many to be the most attractive unwed girl in the whole of Sovereign.”

  “He was courting her?”

  “Yes, along with most of the men in the town. His chief rival for her affections was Irving Van Brunt, a ruffian with a quick wit. They were quite a pair, Samuel and Irving. They couldn’t have been any more different if they had tried. But both fancied Katrina and she encouraged their sparring. On the night that Samuel was last seen, there was a large party at the Chapman estate. Everyone was there, including me. Eventually a group of people began exchanging ghostly stories. It’s a popular pastime in these parts. Samuel recited some tales from a book on the Salem Witch Trials that he owned. And then Irving told a harrowing story about The Headless Horseman. It greatly unnerved Samuel – everyone could see it. When the schoolmaster left, he was shaking from head to toe with fear.”

  “And no one saw him again,” Mortimer mused. “I take it that Irving left soon after Samuel did?”

  “He did. With Samuel out of the way, Irving soon won the uncontested heart of Katrinia.”

  “I like the way your mind works, Wilmer.” Mortimer clasped his hands behind his back as they rounded a corner and came to a stop in front of the old schoolhouse. It was a low building, consisting of one large room, rudely constructed of logs. “After we look around this schoolhouse and I get settled in at the boarding house, I think I’ll drop in and ask Mr. Van Brunt a few questions.”

  “That’s not going to be easy,” Wilmer said with an enigmatic smile.

  “And why’s that? Has he moved away?”

  What Wilmer said next convinced Mortimer that his companion had developed a fine sense of the dramatic. “Irving Van Brunt is dead. His bride woke up on the day after their wedding to find that her new husband was missing. They found most of him out on the lawn of their home.”

  “Most of him…?”

  Wilmer’s eyes twinkled. “He was missing his head.”

  Chapter II: House of Horrors

  March 23, 1937

  It looked like something torn straight from a nightmare – an old house that loomed against the moonlit sky. It was a massive pile of ancient stone, fine woodwork and dark shadows. The impression that it gave was that it was almost a living thing, this isolated mansion known locally as Hendry Hall - a living thing that was just waiting to sink its fangs into the bodies of all those unlucky enough to cross its doorway.

  The clouds that drifted past the bloated moon looked to be full with rain, which was nothing unusual for Sovereign City. The overcast sky combined with the thin layer of fog and the faint, flickering glow that emanated from the ground-floor windows to enhance the almost supernatural feel of the home.

  Li Yuchun stared out at the place and felt a thrill go through her. This place was absolutely terrifying!

  She’d expected something unusual from the place, given its reputation, but the truth of it far exceeded the rumors. The contrast of the turrets against the moonlight captivated her and brought an instant smile to her lovely face. She was riveted as a particularly large cloud drifted across the face of the moon, leaving the outline of the Manor in silhouette.

  “Two bucks, lady. I tell ya what – if you change your mind right now and want to go back to the city, I’ll take ya back for free.”

  Li turned back to the brutish face of her cabdriver. “Oh, no! I’m going to be staying here. Can you drive me through the gate and up to the door?”

  “Sorry,” the cabbie answered. “You can’t pay me enough to pass through those gates. This whole place is bad luck and everybody knows it! The only folks who are welcome here are members of the Hendry family.” He twisted around and studied her features. “No offense, lady, but you don’t look like you’re a Hendry.”

  “Distant relation,” she said with a cheeky smile.

  With a grunt, the cabbie stepped out of the car and began unpacking the two small bags that Li had brought with her.

  After paying the driver, Li watched the car quickly pull away. She turned towards the gates, studying the house behind. She wore a long tan-colored dress, heels, and a large hat that she positioned at an angle atop her head.

  Her heels sank a bit in the moist earth as she moved towards the house. The wind was stirring the wrought iron gates, causing them to creak with an almost human moan. While many women would have trembled at the sound, Li merely smiled and pressed on.

  She thought back to what the cabbie had said – that the bad luck that surrounded Hendry Hall didn’t affect members of the family. Given the circumstances that had brought her here, she wasn’t too sure of that. Even if it had been, that familial shield wouldn’t have protected her – given that she was here under false pretenses.

  The entire affair had begun with a newspaper account of Maxwell Hendry’s death. The elderly patriarch of the family had passed away in his sleep, leaving behind a small fortune… along with rumors of occult dealings and a very peculiar will.

  According to Hendry’s lawyer, his estate would be divided up between all of his relatives, no matter how tenuous the connection. Anyone wishing to claim a piece of the pie had to be present at midnight on March 23.

  Gravedigger had dispatched Li on this particular errand, having forged papers that Li now carried with her. They showed that one of Maxwell’s cousins had fathered a child with a Chinese woman. It wouldn’t hold up to extended investigation but it would be good enough to get Li inside the house.

  The porte-cochere that covered the steps blocked out the moonlight, leaving Li standing in almost total darkness when she reached the door. Setting down her bags, she reached around blindly until her slim fingers made contact with an iron knocker. The clanging sound echoed loudly. When there was no answer, she repeated the knocking, finally bringing someone to the door.

  The fellow who admitted Li was the butler, dressed in a faded jacket and stiff shirt. He wore yellow-stained white gloves and had a long face that reminded Li of a bulldog’s.

  Li stood in the foyer, waiting for the butler to say something, but he merely stared at her in silence after shutting the door. Refusing to speak first, Li playfully glowered at him.

  The stare down ended when an old woman’s voice issued from a nearby room. “Who was at the door, Sebastian? Another relative, come to pick at the bones of Maxwell?”

/>   The butler turned as if to say something to the unseen figure but Li beat him to the punch. “I don’t care anything about the bones but I sure would like some of the money!” she exclaimed.

  The butler’s bushy eyebrows shot up and his dour expression deepened.

  A figure emerged from the room and Li realized that she had come face-to-face with one of the strangest looking women she’d ever seen. The woman was very tall, well over six feet, and cadaverously thin. Her skin seemed shrunken against her bones, accentuating each one. Her silver hair was piled high atop her head and she wore a scarlet shade of lipstick, which only served to make the paleness of her skin more apparent. When the old woman spoke, only her lips moved, the rest of her face apparently frozen. Li noted that she had a pronounced Adam’s apple, as well – an unusual feature for any woman.

  “Money, you say?” the old crone asked, emitting a laugh that sounded equal parts bark and cough. She stopped and regarded Li with interest. “And you are--?”

  “Li Yuchun. Distant relation.”

  “I should say so.” The woman straightened and offered a leathery hand. “My name is Myrtle Hendry. Maxwell was my cousin.”

  “Nice to meet you. I brought papers.”

  “The lawyers can sort through them later,” Myrtle said. Her touch on Li’s hand was brief but the young girl was surprised by how cold the old woman’s fingers were. Turning to the butler, she said, “Take these bags up to one of the guest rooms, Sebastian, while I show Miss Yuchun to the parlor.”

  Sebastian lifted the bags easily and began ascending the stairs, which creaked with each and every step. The interior of the house was illuminated only a few sparse candles, which threw frightening shadows along the walls.

  Myrtle put an arm around Li’s shoulders and led her into the living room. A large fireplace was crackling, giving much needed warmth and brightness to the environs. There were three people in the room and Li was glad to see them, as she loved making new acquaintances. She was even happier to see that all three were male.

  The first man was in his early fifties and well dressed. He had a roundish face, a thin moustache, and one droopy eyelid. Engaged in a game of solitaire, the man looked up when Li and Myrtle entered. His scowl vanished immediately and he stood up, bowing low. He smiled a bit lasciviously at Li, chuckling when Myrtle introduced them. Named Marlowe Wayne, the man was related to the Hendry’s through his grandmother.

  A bald man named Nicholas Koepp was the next to say hello to Li. He looked surprisingly young to be so bereft of hair. He greeted Li respectfully though a bit coldly – Li wasn’t sure if it originated from her race or from the fact that every newcomer meant that the estate’s pie was now being sliced into thinner slices.

  The third and final man was by far the most handsome. With dark hair, deep-set eyes and a square jaw, Cedric Hendry was a businessman from Pittsburgh. He held Li’s hand and gallantly kissed it.

  “Thank you, Miss Yuchun, for bringing a ray of sunshine to this dreary old house,” he said.

  Myrtle gave an unladylike snort. “Maxwell didn’t believe in electricity and refused to have it installed. Whoever ends up with the house will have quite a time retrofitting this place.”

  Li glanced at her. “Surely Maxwell left the house to someone in particular?”

  “If he did, we don’t know it yet,” the old woman answered. “Maxwell insisted that all his relatives be assembled in one place and then everything would be made clear. His lawyer, Jenkins, is already in Maxwell’s old office upstairs, getting ready for tonight’s ceremony.”

  “Any reason why he wanted to do it at midnight? I’m normally getting my beauty sleep at that hour!”

  “My cousin was quite the night owl… he used to tell me that most of his important work wasn’t even started until The Witching Hour. I suppose in death, he thought it amusing to force us all to keep his schedule.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Cedric said. “You look like you could miss whole weeks of beauty sleep and still be the most attractive woman on the East Coast.”

  Li stifled the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she lowered her head and looked embarrassed. “You’re much too sweet, Mr. Hendry.”

  “Please call me Cedric.”

  Li agreed to do so and then she turned to Myrtle. “Do you think it’s possible that I could see my room? I know we have over three hours before the reading of the will but I’d like to powder my nose and maybe catch a quick catnap.”

  “Of course, my dear.”

  After a series of polite goodbyes, Li followed Myrtle up a set of rickety stairs. The older woman held a candelabrum in her right hand and it was the only thing that kept Li from losing her footing.

  “I don’t blame you for wanting to get free of young Cedric,” Myrtle said. “He’s a bit of a wolfhound – he was even going so far as to flirt with me before you arrived.”

  Li found that hard to believe but she chose not to pursue it. “I’m really just tired from the ride out. The driver wouldn’t even bring me through the gate!”

  “There are many rumors about this house,” Myrtle agreed. “It makes the locals a bit jumpy.”

  “Really? I haven’t heard any stories,” Li fibbed.

  “Our family has a history of occult involvement. Have you heard of the Sons Or Daughters of Malfeasance?”

  “Um, no.”

  “There are those who think they were the true founders of Sovereign City. That their worshipping of a dark…something… is the real reason why this region is so steeped in the supernatural.”

  Myrtle took her on a winding path through a number of dark halls and Li realized that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to find her way back downstairs. “So our relatives were part of… the Sons or Daughters?”

  “That’s what some say.” Myrtle stopped next to a large window and pointed out towards the back of the property. Li was surprised to see a large cemetery, located behind an abandoned church. The stained glass windows were now broken and weeds had overgrown the tombstones.

  “This property has a lot of history to it. That church there was one of the first erected in Sovereign and the cemetery has many notables buried there. Some of the combatants in the bloodiest local battle of the Revolutionary War are interred there.” Myrtle looked at her with eyes that seemed to glow in the candlelight. “The Horseman is reputed to be among those buried in unmarked graves.”

  Li gasped. Like every child born in Sovereign City, she knew the legend of the Headless Horseman and the way it had inspired a writer named Washington Irving to appropriate the story and, with minor tweaks, turn it into a part of American folklore.

  “Don’t worry, my dear. I think you’re quite safe inside these walls.” Myrtle chuckled. “At least you’re protected from the threats that originate from without.”

  Glancing at the older woman, Li asked, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that all of us should be on our guard.” Myrtle lowered her voice. “Look at logically… every member of the family who is here at midnight shares in the estate. If something should happen to drive one away… or if a terrible accident should end their life before that hour… then each individual piece of the pie gets that much larger. If all of us were to be removed from the picture, then the entire estate would belong to Maxwell’s lawyer, Jenkins.”

  Li hid her nervous excitement, instead adopting the facial expression that would lead Myrtle to think that she was frightened by these suggestions. “Do you really think we’re in danger?”

  “Stranger things have happened. In fact, at this time last night, there was a man named David Dinkins here. He was a relative on Maxwell’s mother’s side… I personally showed him to his room and Sebastian said he was definitely there at just past eleven because his room light was still on. But this morning – no sign of him! Nothing! All of his belongings are still in his room!”

  “Did you call the police?”

  “Jenkins advised us to wait until after tonight’s ceremony.” Myrtle
smiled coolly. “Otherwise, any investigation might force the delay of the reading of the will. And no one wants that, now do we?”

  Li agreed that this seemed to be the wisest course of action. The trek to her room resumed and Myrtle had little else to say, except to point out an interesting portrait or two along the way.

  “Here’s your room, dear.” Myrtle opened the door to a room that was rather nice, if a bit dreary in terms of interior design. A large four-poster bed dominated the room but there was also a writing table, two chairs, a changing screen and a small washbasin, as well as a closet. Li’s bags were resting on the floor next to the bed. “I hope you’ll find it pleasing.”

  Not wanting to let on that her own home was less than half this size, Li merely shrugged her shoulders and said, “It’ll do… it’s only one night, after all.”

  Myrtle made a clucking sound, as if she were terribly embarrassed by the accommodations. “Have a nice rest, dear. If you wish, come and join us in the parlor at your convenience. Otherwise, I’ll have Sebastian fetch you at a quarter to twelve.”

  Once she was alone, Li went quickly to the smaller of her two bags. From an interior pocket on the bag, she produced a tiny flashlight. Stepping over to the window, Li stared off into the thick woods that lined the back of the property. She flashed her light several times into the gloom, sending a message in code.

  Within seconds, a reply came back, a series of flashes that told her that Gravedigger was in position. Li wondered how Gravedigger planned to safeguard her during the reading of the will but she pushed the idea out of her mind. She trusted her friend.

  She had just started unpacking her bags when a rapping on the window made her jump. She turned back and saw a fearsome silhouette – the lithe body of a woman, swords and daggers sheathed at her sides.

  Li opened the window, allowing Gravedigger to drop to the floor. “How did you get up here so fast? We’re on the third floor!”

  “I’m fast.”

  “That’s what all the boys used to say.”