“Hale hasn’t been seen in many months,” the kindly fellow murmured. “Not since he left the party at Chapman’s. There are some who think that the Headless Horseman got him.”
Mortimer smiled, making it clear what the thought of the local superstitions. “Thank you for the help, gentlemen. Might one of you point me in the direction of the town boarding house?”
Hendricks looked up again, obviously relieved that the topic of discussion had moved on from the whereabouts of Samuel Hale. “Walk to the end of the main street, take a right. You’ll see Miss Dietrich’s place. She takes boarders and cooks the best breakfasts in the Hollow.”
Mortimer left the tavern and strode through the streets, offering a smile to those he met. They, in turn, greeted him in the way that he’d already come to associate with Sovereign: they were pleasant enough but there was something in their eyes that set him on edge. They viewed him with suspicion and in some cases, this verged on the border of hostility.
“Mind if I walk with you, Mr. Quinn?”
Mortimer stopped and turned. A well-dressed man in his early twenties was approaching. He had been in the tavern, amongst the dart throwers. His blonde hair was swept abruptly to the side and he had a beauty mark drawn on the left side of his face, just above a set of pouty lips. That he was a dandy was beyond repute but Mortimer didn’t mind. Some of his best friends in the larger cities were dandies. They made good dining companions and were frequently very astute.
“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
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.