The Caves of Etretat: Part One of Four

by Matt Chatelain

  Book Two: The Four Books of Etretat

  In the second novel, Sirenne discovers the real reason for the hidden war: the secret of immortality. Becoming an immortal himself, Sirenne learns of the Abbey, a thousand year old organization dedicated to chasing the oldest immortal on earth, known as the Greyman. The Abbey has given Sirenne control of the caves and its secrets, apparently preparing him for a confrontation with the Greyman. Unfortunately, the serial killer who killed Sirenne's father, Weissmuller, has discovered this knowledge before Sirenne. Now an immortal and constantly dogging Sirenne's steps, Weissmuller seems to be playing a game of his own.

  Book Three: The One Book of Etretat

  In the third novel, the world is in chaos. Countless disasters are occurring everywhere and a pandemic disease is killing all children in the womb. People and countries, desperate for a solution, are demanding Sirenne's immortality cure. Sirenne knows it's not the true answer and is desperately trying to solve the clues laid out by Maurice Leblanc and the Abbey, looking for the One Book. Changed by his immortality, he develops new senses which give him an increasingly different perspective on everything he sees. At the same time, all events seem to be converging on him. Weissmuller, the immortal serial killer is circling closer and closer.

  Book Four: The Greyman.

  In the fourth and final novel of the series, Sirenne learns that he has been selected to lead the Abbey to the Other, the only being strong enough to defeat the Greyman. Sirenne has mastered electromagnetic flight and the ability to manifest objects and manipulate matter. Weissmuller has revealed himself and an uneasy alliance has been made. The world is falling apart and people are dying by the millions as Sirenne continues trying to understand what is really going on. The unstoppable Greyman is drawing near and an ultimate confrontation seems inevitable. Everything rests on Sirenne's final decision. Will he be able to accept the real answers behind everything?

  More Books by Matt Chatelain

  The Sirenne Saga is Matt Chatelain's first series

  1) The Caves of Etretat, Published Dec 2011

  2) The Four Books of Etretat, Published May 2012

  3) The One Book of Etretat, published: August 2012

  4) The Greyman, published Oct 2012

  New Release

  The Vostok Juncture, Published Jan 2014

  Upcoming novel:

  Weissmuller's Vacation, anticipated release date Jan 2015

  Check his website www.mattchatelain.com for more about his latest projects.

  Links to books for sale, or for free download, can be found on his website.

  Otherwise they are available as Ebooks at Kindle or, as hardcopy, at Amazon.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Born in Ottawa, fifty-two years ago, I have been the owner of a used bookstore I opened in Ontario, since 1990. I have been writing since I was ten. Beginning with poetry, I quickly moved on to short stories and non-fiction pieces. I stayed in that format for many years, eventually self-publishing a franchise manual, as well as a variety of booklets.

  Having semi-retired from the bookstore, I embarked on the project of writing my first serious novel, which I expanded to a four-book series after discovering an incredible mystery hidden within a French author's books.

  My interests are eclectic. I like Quantum Physics, Cosmology, history, archaeology, science in general, mechanics, free power, recycling and re-use. I'm a good handyman and can usually fix just about anything. I'm good with computers. I love movies, both good and bad, preferring action and war movies. I can draw and paint fairly well but am so obsessed with perspective and light that I cannot think of much else. I am too detail-oriented.

  I have been around books all my life. In my mid-forties, I decided to focus on writing as my future job. It took me five years to learn the trade. Now I know how fast I can write and how to develop my story and characters. I always wage an internal war to decide if my next story is going to be a mild mystery or a big stake epic. So far the big stakes are winning

  The Author's Website/Contact info

  Find out more about the Author, The Sirenne Saga, and contact information at his website:

  www.mattchatelain.com

  On his site, you will find background information about the series, as well as info about the author's current projects. The site also contains material from previous projects and a bio of the author.

  Of particular interest to 'The Caves of Etretat' readers will be a copy of Leblanc's original manuscript for those interested in solving his secret code. Otherwise, you will find the answer in book two, 'The Four Books of Etretat'.

  BONUS

  AN EXCERPT FROM BOOK TWO, 'THE FOUR BOOKS OF ETRETAT'

  Early that morning, Coulter had called me on the wireless intranet that connected all of us together. Raymonde and I had continued wearing our techno-glasses (sunglasses with built-in monitor, cameras, speakers and microphones, all connected wirelessly via an intranet). The lenses were now tinted darkly, because the fungus-produced light in the caves had been increasing in intensity. The techno-glasses' usefulness had been noted and others were obtained so that the main personnel could stay in contact with each other. More were purchased until, eventually, everyone in the caves had a pair. They became a popular tool for Net members, who could connect instantly with each other and consult in real-time while examining streaming video of the discoveries. It speeded up the process to no end. Now people, would just stop working, sit down for a break and have an online discussion about the best way to proceed. as many could be brought into the decision-making process as was necessary. Once done, people would disconnect and continue with their work.

  It made for a certain type of hive mentality and private channels were quickly set up to allow for gossip and social activities. Schedules were organized for video broadcasts at certain times and a 'breaking-news' interactive hotline had been set-up, which had received rave reviews. Coulter had designed all intranet systems for simplicity of use and now, the glasses were part of our social lives, most wearing them nearly twenty-four/seven.

  Coulter had given me a five minutes heads-up that he wanted to hold an online meeting. He and I were going to meet O'Flanahan physically in a little while and I did not understand the rush. He had sounded serious, telling me to prepare myself for some bad news. He would not say more. I connected online with Raymonde and we talked privately, as I prepared a coffee in our kitchen.

  "What do you think he could have to say?" she wondered.

  "I don't know. He had that look in his eyes, the one that spells worry and trouble. It can't be good," I replied. "How has your day gone?"

  "Fine. Excellent really. I am on my way to you on the first automated electric golf cart to be brought online. They have an onboard computer and can safely carry anyone to any point in the renovated cave areas. They can even recharge themselves. We have just finished bringing in the last of the supplies this morning. So everyone is fairly happy. It figures that Coulter would announce rain on such a good day. Here I am," she got off her cart, the video showing her approach to a familiar door.

  Our own.

  I got up, turning off my glasses and opened the main door, finding her standing there, about to enter. I hugged her tightly and we returned to the kitchen, where I served her some coffee. I had made it strong but found it weak and flat. The others signed on and the online meeting got underway.

  "What was so important, Coulter?" rasped Liam O'Flanahan. "We're going to meet in a little while anyway."

  "Indeed, Coulter, I was in the middle of a meeting with the head of the archeological team. We are just about to begin the first excavations. Despite the convenience of this intranet, it is sometimes a bother," added Jonathan Briar.

  "Guys, please, this is difficult enough." interrupted a nervous Coulter. "Maybe I should just get to the point. You all remember this video, I hope. "

  The glasses' monitor changed to show a still video image, slightly grainy. It was a rearward-looking shot over
several passengers sitting in a plane. I remembered it instantly. This was from my first plane flight to Paris, the one where I originally met Raymonde, thanks to O'Flanahan's antics. It was also the one where we had seen Norton, the Shadow-Killer, disguised as Harry Stiles, a man he had killed for his plane ticket. My eyes refocused on the image, picking out the perfectly disguised Norton, as Coulter superimposed a red outline around his face.

  "You all know how I like playing with my videos."

  O'Flanahan snickered but Coulter ignored him, remaining focused on what he was telling us.

  "This one image bothered me in particular. It took me a while to figure out what was niggling at me but I finally got it. Let me give you a hint."

  The image altered, with the fake Harry Stiles fading suddenly into light grey tones. It allowed me to focus more closely on what was behind Stiles. I saw a row of seats, filled with various people. My eyes were drawn by an odd shape behind and just to the right of Stiles. It was a man sitting in a seat, his body and face mostly hidden by Stiles' outline. Although he was bending his head down, as if deliberately trying to hide himself, something in the curve of the nose and the end of the man's chin struck me as familiar.

  I felt my mind revving up, scanning through all the faces I could think of. Only one matched. I mentally superimposed it on the video image and it fit perfectly.

  "Norton was on that plane with the Shadow-Killer." I said.

  "How did you catch on so quickly?" Coulter exclaimed, while he highlighted the Interpol Inspector's outline.

  "I just saw it. It was obvious," I said simply.

  "Well, you are, as always, correct. Norton was on that plane, sitting right behind the man disguised as Harry Stiles, who had to be the Shadow-Killer. If Norton was on that plane with the killer... "

  O'Flanahan, jumping to the conspiracy-minded conclusion, interrupted Coulter.

  "Then Norton couldn't be the Shadow-Killer. Ha-ha-ha. I knew it. Briar killed the wrong man."

  Briar became apoplectic.

  "I resent that, O'Flanahan. You're trying to imply that I did the wrong thing, that I killed an innocent man somehow. Well, you couldn't be more wrong and you know it. Killer or not, the man was deranged. You all saw that. He shot at Sirenne before and then he attacked him on the beach with a knife, intent on killing him. If I hadn't done what I did, Paul would be dead by now. I don't regret what I did, not for a second."

  "Yes, Liam, Jonathan's right," supported Raymonde. "We can't blame him for doing the best he could during difficult times. He made the only decision he was able to."

  Briar jumped back in, not finished.

  "Thank you, Raymonde, but it's not just that. I don't think any of you have thought this through to its inevitable conclusions. Firstly, Sirenne's father warned us of the importance of silence. Perhaps Norton was not the Shadow-Killer but he was dangerous nonetheless and knew something about our caves. He was screaming the letters H and N at every opportunity, pointing his finger at the book, the Hollow Needle. How long would our Great Hunt have lasted then?" Briar added. "Perhaps you all find me heartless but we have proven to ourselves the reality of these caves. I am convinced that keeping them secret is of paramount importance. "

  "Hey, Briar, you just made me realize something." O'Flanahan admitted. "When you mentioned about Norton always talking about HN. We always thought that it was connected to Leblanc's Hollow Needle book. But now I'm beginning to wonder if he even knew of the book. Do any of you remember what Norton was screaming at Sirenne, when he attacked him on top of the cliff? Didn't he ask Paul about his sister after mentioning the letters?"

  I flashed on the scene in my mind, the image vivid, seeing Norton as he held his gun pointed at me, screaming in the wind. I ran Norton's words in slow motion in my mind, editing out the wind noise.

  "Helena. He called her Helena. Helena Norton. The letters HN!" I whispered.

  "You got it, Bucko. But I'm sure he said something else after that. "

  "I remember that too. Let me call up the video, I've got it right here," Coulter exclaimed excitedly.

  The monitor image jumped to the streaming video recorded by my techno-glasses when I was walking towards the bunker on top of Etretat's Aval cliff, the location of the original fort of Frefosse, where our adventure had begun. The video fast-forwarded and I watched myself running through my paces until it froze as I turned around to face Norton. He held his small gun at waist height. Everyone saw me whip out my gun in a surprise move.

  "Man, that was nervy, Paul. I'd forgotten about that," stated an impressed Coulter. He started the video and played back Norton's key words.

  "First, it was my sister, Helena. Then it was my friend Henri Nadeau. Then all the others, all the same and they were all blaming me. But they didn't understand. It was all a game and I was stuck in it. It wasn't me. they were wrong. I just can't PROVE it. and now he stole my file, everything I had on him."

  He laughed, a bit madly in my opinion but stopped himself and continued his ramble.

  "And this time, the first time ever, I caught him. I SAW HIM. the Shadow-Killer. he was leaving with my file under his arm and I saw him in the mirror, the door was open. and he. he was ME, he was me, ha-ha, he was me, can you believe it? Ha-ha-ha, what a perfect trick."

  When I had heard these words the first time, I had thought them incomprehensible, the ravings of a demented killer. Now, looking at it slightly differently, I understood his words in a completely new way. Everyone spoke up at the same time. O'Flanahan took control, talking louder than everyone, anxious to bring his point home.

  "Something had been bugging me about what he said. It wasn't just his sister but his friend Henri Nadeau. another HN. Then Norton says something about all the others and everyone blaming him."

  Coulter sprang into action, his fingers flashing on his keyboard.

  "I can check into that. I'll tap into the Interpol files about Norton. There we go."

  He scanned his results with a practiced eye and exclaimed:

  "Wow, it was right there in front of us, all the time. Every one of the murdered victims had the initials HN. Horatio Nolan, Honore Noel, the list goes on and on. Norton's words are making more and more sense all of a sudden."

  O'Flanahan continued spinning logical conclusions.

  "If Norton was not the killer, then the Shadow-Killer was the one murdering all manner of people around Norton, anyone with the initials HN, driving Norton mad, goading him constantly. When Paul's parents were killed and their bodies twisted into those exact same letters, it was like drawing a moth to the flame. Norton would have run directly towards any murder connected to the letters HN. Perhaps the Hollow Needle never had anything to do with it for him."

  Raymonde exclaimed, struck by another possibility.

  "After that, when he talked of seeing the Shadow-Killer reflected in the mirror."

  "The very thing which made me think he had two personalities," I added, in tune with Raymonde's thoughts.

  "Exactly. We already knew the Shadow-Killer could disguise himself… What if he disguised himself as Norton and Norton saw him in the mirror? His words would not be those of a multiple personality murderer, but those of a man driven mad by a killer haunting his footsteps for years. The very idea of it is absolutely horrifying. But why was the killer doing this?" she asked.

  "Isn't it obvious? It was to drive him mad, to prime him and goad him until he was ready to explode. When Paul's parents were arranged in the shape of those letters, it guaranteed that the murders would be quickly followed by an enraged cop who would pounce on Sirenne. It was a set-up, probably planned by the Shadow-Killer, to lead the crazed Norton directly to Paul's doorstep." O'Flanahan continued.

  I exploded.

  "O'Flanahan, if that's true, it also means the Shadow-Killer began planning this thing fifteen years ago at least, when he killed Norton's sister. That is a scary thought. Not only is he still out there, he has been planning this thing for a very, very long time."


  O'Flanahan nodded his head, looking thoughtful.

  "I wonder how old the guy is?"

  "Maybe the killer needed someone for us to blame, to focus on, in order to take our attention off what he was really doing," suggested Briar.

  "That sounds exactly right, Briar," supported O'Flanahan.

  "Well, he has succeeded in his attempts," I added. "So far we still don't know who he is, where he is and why he is there in the first place. At least we now know he is out there. We can hopefully begin taking measures to protect ourselves against him."

  "If we can find him. He certainly lives up to his name. He has successfully remained deeply in the shadows and is probably still hiding there now, watching our every move, using us as puppets. The thought is frightening," stated Coulter.

  "The only option available is to continue our efforts in uncovering the secret of the caves and, through that, we might be able to understand why the killer is prodding us. He knows more than we do about this mystery and is looking for something he believes only we can provide. Until we find that, there is a fair chance that we will remain safe," I reasoned.

  "I agree, Paul. The Shadow-Killer has not attacked any of us personally to date. As long as we keep doing what he wants, he will likely remain in the shadows. It gives us a window of opportunity. Let us seize it and find some answers but let's do it faster than he is expecting. Then, he will be in our shadow." Briar added, as forceful and focused as ever.

  End of excerpt