McCann's Manor

by Charlotte Holley

  "I'm sorry these things happened to you,” Liz sympathized.

  "We learn through our errors, do we not? Constance knew it was only a matter of time before he would wish her dead and she took herbs that made her blood thin over the months of her pregnancy. When Jonathan was born, she simply bled to death. It was her wish to die, but not at his hands or the hands of someone he willed to commit the crime. She thought the herbs would claim the life of the child as well and thereby give them both freedom from David. She met me in secret mere days before Jonathan was born and told me what she had done. She begged me to forgive her and to use her death as a way to free myself at last from David's abuse. She made me promise to take her body and Jonathan's to my property so we could all be together,” He whispered.

  "But Jonathan didn't die,” Liz said.

  "Nay, he did not die, though because of the herbs she had taken while she carried him, he was never a strong child. David still had Jonathan and I was still forced to do David's bidding. My beloved's death was for nothing, except that it gave her freedom at last—” he broke off then, a great brooding silence overtaking him.

  "She couldn't have known, Ben,” Liz tried to soothe.

  "Nay, she did not know. David wanted me to kill Jonathan to free him of the burden the child posed. He said if I would kill the boy he would ask no more of me, but I could not bring myself to do such a thing. When I refused, David swore he would beat the boy until he died. I laid traps for David in everything I did; I used the portal to transport myself to his house, steal the things back and return them to their rightful owners. Later when David accused me of robbing him, I had witnesses who could swear I had been someplace else—and why not? I had the portal, did I not? I could almost be two places at once,” he said.

  "What about Jonathan?” Liz asked.

  "The boy feared me and thought of that black demon as his father; had I taken my son, he would have escaped me and returned to tell David I kidnapped him. In truth, I never had reason to steal him because though David threatened to harm him, the man was too spineless to carry out his threats. Would that I had known it at the start of the game he played. I could have stopped it then,” Ben said as he shook his head sadly.

  "Your death preceded Jonathan's,” Liz said.

  "Aye. Jonathan fell into the river on a cold, bleak December day, was pulled under. No one ever found his body, but I was already entombed in my own vault more than two years before his demise, so I could never bring his body home to his mother,” he said.

  "Why didn't you bury her?” Liz asked.

  "I wanted to put her where David would never find her. She begged me not to let him know where she was. She feared him even in death, though in truth her agony at his hands had been mostly mental. He never loved her or Jonathan, but he was fascinated by possessing them."

  "Didn't he know about the secret passages?” Kim asked.

  "Nay, he never learned to read the old language, nor did he ever see Tarrh's manuscripts. Only the builder of the house and I knew the secrets of the passages and how they worked. Later, I incorporated the controls to the portal into the passages and, except for one time when you found one by accident; or perhaps it was through a greater design than mine—no one besides myself knows how to activate the controls,” he told her. “David spied on me and that is how he learned about the vault in the parlor. I am sure he suspected I had other hidden rooms as well, but he never found any of them."

  "Wow! That is some story, Ben,” Liz said. “How did you find the location of the portal to begin with?"

  "Tarrh spent much of his life traveling the world finding such places. He traveled from his portal to others and documented them. Once you have been to a few of them, you learn to recognize the feel of it when you come near another. I knew there were several on this side of the globe and I chanced to find this one because of the stories the natives told about this place where people disappeared and returned demented because they could not understand what had happened to them,” he explained.

  "Tarrh said the portal brings you back after a time,” Liz observed.

  "Usually that is true. But there is never any knowing when it will bring you back. Sometimes it will be after a few minutes; sometimes it could be after several years, or even never. That is why I set out to devise controls that would take me to a specific place and time for a specific length of time,” he said.

  "And that worked?” Kim asked.

  He smiled, the hint of a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Mostly it worked, but in truth, the portal takes you to places you unconsciously want to go and returns you only if you really desire to return, though it may not work that way at all,” he said.

  "Then I went to Tarrh—"

  "Because you took compassion on him and wondered what had happened to make him the rascal he became,” he said simply, finishing her thought. “And you returned because you learned a truth about the entity you have thought of as Tarrh and you needed to pass that knowledge on to your friends."

  "Can Tarrh be separated from the other two?” Kim asked.

  "I cannot tell you that. Only God himself knows, but if there is any justice, there must be a way to accomplish his redemption and to banish Moira and Sean,” he said.

  "Are you descended from Moira and Sean?” Liz asked.

  "Nay, I am not,” he reported.

  "Then who?” Liz asked.

  "Tarrh was a man of many indiscretions. My forebear was born of his housemaid, Melody. She outlived Moira and Sean and wound up with the house because Tarrh had no living relatives and had provided for Melody and her young son in the event he died and left no other heirs, which turned out to be the case,” he said.

  "How did you learn to use magic? I mean, if you had descended from Moira, I would have my answer, but with Tarrh out of the picture—” Kim asked.

  He laughed heartily, shook his head. “How do you think Melody managed to live through all the upheavals of surviving as an ongoing member of Tarrh's household even after his death? He taught it to Melody, though in truth she had been a natural sorceress. Had Moira not come along and beguiled him, he probably would have eventually taken Melody to wife because she was beautiful and uncommonly gifted in the magical arts; a perfect mate for Tarrh,” he said.

  "I see,” Liz said. “Thank you for clearing so many things up in my mind. I suppose we are ready to visit your pyramid now,” she said.

  "Very well. Come with me, then,” he said, extending his hand.

  Liz was surprised when she reached out in return and actually touched his hand; but then, she was learning not to let anything be much of a shock in this house of possibilities.

  "We've been trying to contact you, Ben, with not a whit of success. Why is it you suddenly show up now?” Kim asked.

  "Kim!” Liz chided.

  "Nay, Kimberly is right to ask, Elizabeth. You must be careful in dealing with the spirits in this house; for there is much mischief afoot and none of us have been known for our truthfulness. Moira could easily imitate my image and even conjure a Timothy look alike in order to trick you. She is very powerful,” Ben said.

  "So, tell me one reason we should believe you,” Kim said.

  Benjamin studied Kim's face a moment, met her stare solidly. “I have no reason to give to you, Kimberly. I am Benjamin, but there is no argument I can give you to induce you to believe me,” he said.

  Kim looked deeply into his clear eyes. “I do believe you. There is probably no other answer you could have given me that would have convinced me; that one did,” Kim said.

  "You heard most of what I told Elizabeth,” he stated.

  "Yes,” she responded.

  "I could have come to you when you evoked me before, but they were waiting to come forth as well. I waited until a time when they—primarily Moira, as you may have surmised, was not expecting me to come. She would have tried to block or even intercept me,” Ben explained.

  "Liz says Moira, Sean and Tarrh are melded into one spirit now. Is th
at a true picture?” Kim asked.

  "Aye, her perception is accurate. They are one, though they are yet separate; there are times when one dominates the others. Moira is strong and she has control much of the time, but Tarrh is also very strong and as the one who bound the others, he has much command, much of the time."

  "If Tarrh could be completely separated from the others, could he control them better?” Liz asked.

  "'Tis possible, though I cannot say for certain. If he were separate, he and I might be able to subjugate Moira, but Sean and David are still left to contend with,” Benjamin said.

  "David is still here?” Kim asked.

  "Aye. He skulks about, though you will likely never see him. Attacking from behind is more his style,” he said.

  "Why is he still here? Did he die here, too?” Liz asked.

  "He believes I cheated him; he wants me to pay,” he said.

  "Ben, did David die here?” Liz repeated.

  "Aye, he died here, though his body was taken away and buried in his own cemetery. You will not find his body here, if that is what you are thinking,” Ben said.

  "You say he thinks you cheated him? Who killed whom?” Kim asked.

  Benjamin raised an eyebrow, smiled bitterly. “Aye. ‘Tis a bit warped, but then, he always was twisted. He is true to his beliefs even to this day,” he mused.

  "Is he dangerous?” Kim asked.

  "Interesting question; closing me up in that vault was the first and only crime he ever perpetrated himself. He was responsible for many atrocities, but he committed only one. Would he try to perform others? Perhaps, for he has less to fear now, has he not?” he asked.

  "What about Leonard and Missy?” Liz asked.

  "They are still here, though I view them as the least dangerous,” he said. “They appear to want only that the truth be known about what happened to them."

  "Tarrh said he killed them,” Liz said.

  "Aye, in a manner of speaking, that would be true; the mental stress of being invaded by Moira posing as Tarrh was really the culprit. In actuality, however, it was Melissa's hand pulled the trigger and took her father's life,” he said.

  Liz gasped. “Somehow, I knew that,” she said.

  "Aye, ‘tis the truth, Elizabeth."

  "And Missy's death?” Kim asked.

  "Not easily explained, I think, Kimberly,” Benjamin began. “Melissa knew she was not personally responsible for her father's death; that it had been the spirit she called Ptarmigan acting inside her who took his life. Yet, she was plagued by the deed itself; in her mind, she had been an innocent witness to the act, though she could not forgive herself for being unable to prevent it. I believe something inside her fell apart and she concocted the memory about the monster who took her father's life also being after her and ultimately killing her as well. She believed it, you know, but it was a tale fashioned by a terrified girl who blamed herself for her father's death and not altogether wrongly so."

  "But why kill Leonard in the first place?” Liz asked.

  "Leonard is the one who let the spirit loose and later tried to expel it whence it came, but he was not strong enough.” Benjamin said. “I tried to help him, but he was so shaken by Tarrh's presence he refused to listen to me. He ignored the things I tried to tell him and when he realized the spirit was controlling Melissa, he ordered Tarrh to come out of her and enter him instead. His plan was to kill himself once the spirit was inside him. That, of course would have done no good in the end, although it was a noble gesture to save his daughter."

  "That doesn't make much sense,” Kim said. “Didn't he realize the spirit would leave him once he was dead, just as his own spirit would leave his body?"

  "He may have thought as a spirit he would be able to exert more authority over Tarrh,” he said. “I really have little idea what he thought at that point, because his thoughts were not very coherent. He was losing his reason and running out of time. He became desperate to save Melissa at any cost."

  "Poor man,” Kim said, shook her head.

  "And poor Missy,” Liz agreed.

  "Aye,” Ben said sadly.

  "Benjamin, one more question—” Kim petitioned.

  "Aye?"

  "We found Constance's picture in your study; it was impossible not to be impressed by the resemblance between Constance, Betty and Missy. Are either Betty or Missy the reincarnation of Constance?” Kim asked.

  "Quite an unaccountable resemblance, is it not? Neither of them was Constance in another life. I cannot explain the likeness, though I think Betty may be related in some way to Constance's family,” he said. “Their similarities are quite unfathomable and made me enormously uncomfortable at first."

  "Betty told us she had dreams about being married to one man, presumably Spencer, while she was in love with you. Is that only a coincidence?” Liz asked.

  "I have no idea, though it may have been, again, the work of the spirit of Tarrh, or perhaps we should call it Moira, since Tarrh himself means none of us any ill,” Benjamin said.

  "You are certain about Tarrh—that he intends no harm, I mean?” Kim asked.

  "Aye, of him I am certain, though I have no idea whether he will be able to help if it should come to needing his aid,” he said.

  "Thank you for your candor, Ben,” Kim said. “We're ready to have a look at your pyramid now."

  "Aye, Ladies, come this way and I will show you,” he said.

  Chapter 26

  Benjamin walked to the back right corner of the conservatory, placed his hands on the wall and traced circles on the panel, which slid open. “Let me show you this so you will be able to open it by yourself,” he said, closing the panel. “See, your hands go here—and here. Trace the circles bringing both hands toward each other from bottom toward the inside and then move up and around to the tops of the circles, and away from each other as you complete the outside of the circles. You try it, Elizabeth."

  Liz moved into place and traced the circles as Ben showed her. Again the panel slid open. She closed it back as she had seen Ben do and motioned to Kim to try it. “Here, Kim; this is something we both need to make certain we know, just in case,” Liz said.

  Kim made a little face, but stepped into place and traced the circles for the third time. The panel slid open. “These passages are all so different in the way they open, yet they are all so smooth and quiet,” she said shaking her head. “It is all such a marvel that even after all these years they still work perfectly. How did you do it?"

  "Sliding panels and secret passages have been around a very long time, Kimberly, and to my knowledge only the ones that have been tampered with have ceased to work. In my time, mechanisms were much simpler,” he said with a hint of humor, “and infinitely more reliable because of their simplicity. Your modern technology has done little to improve on what we knew for generations, except to make everything vastly more complicated."

  Kim nodded. “You have a point there,” she said as she peered behind the wall they had just opened. “It's dark in here. Should we get a flashlight?"

  "Aye, it appears dark from the outside, but if you will go ahead and step inside, I will show you yet another ancient marvel. Go now; you can trust me,” he urged.

  Timothy meowed softly and padded silently inside the passage as if to show them there was nothing to fear inside from the dark. Liz and Kim stepped into the chamber followed by Benjamin, who closed the panel behind him and rubbed his hands together briskly before touching the wall. At his touch, a soft glow began under his hands and spread in a few seconds, lighting up the entire wall in a soft green luminescence that gradually grew brighter and whiter until the room they were in was almost as bright as the conservatory had been.

  "How did you do that?” Liz asked, incredulous.

  "I will not reveal all my secrets at once, ladies, but there are no windows in this chamber or in the pyramid up the ladder, there. I had to have a way to illuminate my favorite room, did I not?” he asked.

  "Yes, but—” Kim
said.

  "All you need to know is how to activate the light and that is by rubbing your hands together as I just did and then laying them flat against the wall,” he said simply. “All the passages work the same way, so you see, you have no need for your electric lights. Once activated, the light will go on for hours. Should it begin to dim before you are ready to leave, simply rub your hands together again and touch the walls once more."

  "It's magic!” Liz said.

  Benjamin chuckled. “Aye, ‘tis magic, but ‘tis natural magic and you have only to know the mechanics of making it work; there are no bulbs to change, nor any bills to pay and this light would still be working for a thousand years hence."

  Kim and Liz looked at each other, shrugged. They found themselves inside another triangular room formed by the back wall of the house and an interior wall of the octagonal library. This particular passage was remarkably clean considering it had been unused for two hundred years, unlike the other passages they had found. Quite remarkable, Liz thought.

  "All right, then. You know how to get in and how to activate the light. To close the panel from the inside, touch the frame here, just so. Touching it thus will also open the panel once you are ready to leave. Are you prepared for a bit of a climb?” he asked.

  Liz looked at the narrow ladder which was attached to the inner wall and led straight up some fifteen feet to disappear into seeming nothingness. “Sure,” she said, “no problem."

  Benjamin gave her an amused look before he scooped Timothy off the floor, set the cat on his shoulder and began his ascent up the steep ladder. “All you have to do is climb; the panel at the top opens when you get there all by itself; like your automatic supermarket doors,” he announced.