Part 4: A Nighttime Visitor
Sunday, October 16
In the morning, Dr. Schreber and Gerti are still strangely asleep,
whle Eddie realizes that there are a few quick loose ends that he
needs to deal with on another case, and heads to Boston for the day.
Charlie, Roderick, and Tommy discuss their plans. They should take
advantage of Eddie's absence to do all the mad plans that Eddie would
normally veto! Unfortunately, a plethora of mad plans is not found,
as Gerti is asleep. On the other hand, there's always the option of
lowering some meat down into the well to see if a horrible monster
eats it.
"What fell, possibly not existent, thing do we think this is?"
- Tommy
Determining where Emil Schergen's old house was is deemed to be
important, but it's Sunday and most of the places one would look to
determine this will be closed.
Esme, back in Boston, reads about yet another vanishment. She calls
Peter's house, with Junior crying fretfully in the background. Junior
misses Mommy, apparently. Esme also calls the Globe to ask about the
article, but is told that the reporter on the scene is, in fact, on
the scene in Greenfield / North Ashfield, and unavailable to talk to
her, and she is unable to get an address for the Carter farm (site of
the third disappearance).
However, Tommy, who has gone to report about the search at the
sheriff's headquarters (he is subject to some mocking about having
taken an eleven-year-old kid on the trip), is able to peek at the map
and see where the farm is. Tomy, Roderick, and Charlie go off to
Sunday service; the Apcotts are there, and Mattie invites them to
dinner. (Mrs. Apcott is not entirely pleased by Mattie taking this
upon herself, but does reissue the invitation on her own).
Esme arrives, along with Junior, and Cherie, a French parlormaid
ostensibly along to look after Junior. Charlie examines Junior
closely for any possible resemblance to Dr. Schreber - one possible
point of similarity is that Junior's hair is blonder than either
Gerti's or Charlie's (though still a bit darker than Dr. Schreber's).
Esme is filled in on the plot - she's not at all convinced that after
ripping three people to shreds and vanishing three other people, the
monster would go back and hide in the well again.
"Our obession seems to have hinged upon the well, so perhaps we
should deal with that before it gets worse." - Roderick
Tommy lowers the lantern on a rope, but it swings back and forth too
wildly and smashes against the side of the well. Charlie does a
better job with the next lantern, but it's very deep, so while they
can make out some ?stones? and ?branches? and ?headstones? there's not
much detail. No monsters, though, and nobody feels compelled to climb
down the eighty feet.
Roderick heads to the church to look at Reverend Witherspoon's diary,
and comes up with some more details about Emil's death and burial.
Next, it is deemed time to talk to the families of some of the missing
people, and Esme, Charlie, and Tommy head out. Unfortunately, the
Carter house appears to be beseiged by reporters, so the group doesn't
add to the pestering. The Donovan house looks more peaceful. Hugh
Donovan is polite, but provides no information of use. Myra is
presumed to have vanished while out for a walk, though she didn't say
goodbye before leaving. While this was less common for her, her
parents were for the most part in less accessible rooms that evening,
so she might not have bothered. Alternately, perhaps she vanished
from inside the house.
As the group is leaving, though, Susie (the Donovan's youngest
daughter, age six), intercepts Esme outside to tell her about having
seen Myra last night - she came to the window and knocked to get in,
but Susie thought Myra was playing a joke, since the window was on
the second floor, and didn't let her in. Esme advises Susie to
tell her sister to come downstairs and use the front door next time,
and to tell her parents. Meanwhile, Charlie and Tommy, looking
around outside,
The group returns to tell Roderick about this. He shows them the copy
of the diary entry he's made. Roderick also makes a big twiggy cross
out of hawthorn branches, and puts it under his shirt. Esme is very
concerned about how to protect the Donovans from Myra's return the
next evening. Roderick, recalling various things about vampires,
starts tying knots in a long piece of clothesline, so that in case the
vampires are Hungarian, they'd have to stop and untie the knots before
doing anything else.
There's some discussion as to whether all this is related to Ezekial
or not. Roderick doubts it. Esme doubts Roderick's doubts.
"What, this is just the world's unluckiest town?" - Esme
Should they stay at the Donovan house to watch for Myra? How will
they convince the Donovans of this? And what will they tell the
Donovans if their daughter does show up and they stake her?
Maybe they should hide outside? Right, says Roderick, let's all stand
in the middle of a dark field and wait for vampires.
Charlie notes that Cheri and Junior and Mel Razen are all outside on
the lawn. He goes and retrieves Junior, glaring at Mel.
Tommy tells the Apcotts that he regrets they can't come to dinner
after all. The question of what to tell the Donovans is still open,
though. Roderick and Dr. Schreber go to talk to Reverend Connolly
about vampires. He thinks they're deeply troubled, and suggests that
perhaps Reverend Witherspoon's belief in vampires is not
proof but allows them to borrow some crosses (perhaps on the
theory that crosses never hurt).
"As a dry run for convincing the Donovans, that was truly
awful. -Roderick
"I suppose we could all just lurk in the car with the doors
locked. -Roderick
"We could all watch them die from a distance..." -Tommy
"Could we lie to them to get into the house?" -Dr. Schreber
But what if she does show up? What do they do? Brandish
crosses? Get hit with a shovel by the irate father?
"The best case is that she eloped in the confusion, came back to
talk to her sister, and brought a ladder." -Roderick
Charlie notes that Cherie is listening to all this in the kitchen. He
goes to talk to her. She asks if he really believes it is "ze
nosferatu" and makes little finger-fang motions, and bats her eyes at
him. Charlie smiles glassily and sits down to talk to her. From the
other room, Dr. Schreber is furious, and calls out to her to leave
Charlie be, girl, there are important things to discuss! Cherie is
hurt, and bats her eyes, asking if Charlie is going to let him say
such things to her. Charlie tells Dr. Schreber to leave Cheri alone.
Dr. Schreber says he's going upstairs to check on Gerti.
Charlie, coming briefly to his senses, chases upstairs after him.
Gerti is still asleep.
A truce is reached, and the party heads for the Donovans'.
They manage to convince Hugh that they should be allowed to stay
overnight, without entirely specifying why, but nothing happens other
than the occasional creepy noise.
Part 3 Index
Part 5 