The funeral happens. Gerti and Tommy (and Mr. Mulbrook) say some things. The Ezekial detector doesn't seem to be pointing specifically to anyone, and nobody looks particularly suspicious. The funeral goes peacefully enough, and then people adjourn to the Apcott house, where neighbors have brought food.
Roderick checks the attic for traps scattered about, but it looks peaceful enough. He doesn't open the compartment, so whether the compartment still has the traps in it is left to the imagination.
Gossip at the reception after the funeral talks about Mr. Montaugh cursing his boarder up and down a blue streak for skipping out and not paying. (Mrs. Fitz always knew he was a bad'un, that's not right, she was making cow eyes at him, no she wasn't, he had shifty eyes...). Eddie flails a bit, and then is joined by Esme; they manage to determine that the boarder had brown hair and bushy eyebrows, and wore a nice suit and no glasses. He had an interesting voice, Esme extracts. Tommy suggests that he was an Englishman, which diverts everyone to wondering whether the little German is in on it too.
Gerti sends Maddie and Amelia to bed, and sets to cleaning up; other people convene back in Peter's house. Maddie shouldn't be left here by herself; should the group bring her back to Boston? What about Amelia? Esme invites both to Boston to stay with her; Amelia is a bit unhappy about being driven from her home, but Maddie manages to convince her that Maddie would feel safer elsewhere, but couldn't leave Amelia.
The group manages to get back to Boston (with some short passage of time).
Esme has a friend who tried to join the Luna Park Society, but they wouldn't have him because he wasn't rich enough. Roderick remembers the Lunarians, who tried to recruit him, who had shaved heads... maybe those were a different set of people. Eddie calls the operator; there's no listing for the Lunarians, while the Luna Park Society is unlisted. Eddie asks Dr. Schreber to look it up in the Big Book of Weird Stuff, while he and Gerti hit the library. Gerti finds some reference to the Society; Gordon Pryce as the the treasurer, having arranged life insurance for the members. Still nothing about the Lunarians. If they've incorporated, the Sec'y of State will have a registration for them. Sure, so it does. They have a house in Cambridge, and their president is John Arthur Coppington. Roderick remembers Coppington as rich and a parapsychological experimenter (magnets and three way mirrors and ghost traps). Roderick sends him a note asking if he has a copy of a monagraph on Artemic moon hunts by E. Eustace Euphemism (or if he has other similar works), and posts it off.
Dr. Schreber looks up the Luna Park Society: "A gentleman's society devoted to the study of the occult." Tommy spends some time looking in Farmer's Almanacs for full moons on people's death dates; it doesn't appear to be the case that all the Apcotts of the past have died on the full moon. Gerti thinks about plans to infiltrate the Luna Park Society as a cleaning lady or something.
April 12th
The party splits: Gerti and Dr. Schreber and Esme and Tommy head to
Royalston; Roderick and Tommy remain to investigate the Luna Park
Society; Charlie stays to guard the Apcotts.
"Why am I needed in Royalston?" - Dr. SchreberCoppington answers Roderick; he doesn't seem to have anything by E. Eustace Euphemism, but the Society does have a monograph about moon divination and associated frenzies, and a series about Diana hunter myths. Why doesn't he come by to a discussion meeting on Saturday and take a look? Roderick accepts, and makes plans to bring Eddie, be disguised as his brilliant but infirm nephew Bert.
"Because he's staying, and you're the next best at knowing if Ezekial is about to jump them." - Gerti
"Yes, you should come along too, then if one of them is Ezekial, I only have to run faster than you..." - RoderickApril 13th
Esme and Gerti rent out the large guest room at the Widow's, leaving the small guest room to Tommy and Dr. Schreber.
Tommy and Esme go for a Pleasant Stroll. Then everyone goes to the prayer meeting. The minister is pleased to meet everyone. Tommy and Esme go for another Pleasant Stroll, while Dr. Schreber and Gerti go with the minister to the Keelings. Gerti implies (but doesn't flat-out say) that she's a cousin tracing the family tree. Percival digs up the family Bible and there are indeed a pile of Keelings in the tree, most of which are no longer in Royalston.
They are introduced to Alberta (the grandmother) and the four kids. The minister excuses himself (which to Gerti means she can lie now). Lydia (the 12 year old) is enthralled by Dr. Schreber and asks him lots of questions.
April 14
Eddie does some actual Work, and crams on KS:Egyptian
Occult, to pretend to be an expert on it at the Luna Park meeting.
Roderick studies up on Artemic occult stuff. Eddie tries to stake out
the Society from nearby, disguised as something inconspicuous. It has
nice well-maintained grounds, a large closed garage. Eventually a
gardener is spotted, but he doesn't seem to work for a gardening
service or anything.
April 15
People return from Royalston. Roderick and a disguised (Bert) Eddie
head to the Society. In the study, there are some papers open to
wedding pages; when Roderick goes back to look at them, there's a guy
clearing them up. He's later introduced as Montague Feister, and does
seem to express some dislike for Roderick. Roderick mentions the name
Feister to Esme; she asks around and gets an address on Devonshire
Rd. Eddie drives up and down Devonshire Rd, and finds some
non-Feister address plates, but no Feister address plates.