Face Behind the Mask
Page 35
Even though it was after hours, the library was unlocked. They slipped into the main floor and headed to where the computers were set up in small alcoves. Patty was rapidly typing on one of them, and Mark, standing next to her, was giving advice on where to check next.
“Hey, guys,” Alexia said.
Mark pulled her into his arms. They kissed with no sign of stopping.
“Ugh, get a room, you two!” Patty said.
Leona nudged her. “Ah, love is beautiful, oui?”
“You’re not helping,” Patty said in an intentionally nasal voice.
Breaking the kiss, Alexia nuzzled Mark’s face. “So, honey, I hear you all but cracked the case?”
“Yes, baby.” Mark kissed the tip of her nose and then guided her over to Patty. “So, we’re ready to show you what we’ve discovered.”
Patty was grinning cockily. “He means what I’ve discovered. Because I humbly submit that I am Patty E. Coyote, super-genius.”
Alexia laughed sharply at the cartoon reference. Feeling herself blush in embarrassment, she playfully smacked the back of her friend’s head. “Can you be serious for one moment?”
“Hey, I peed my pants last night. I get to crack jokes so long as evil death monsters aren’t trying to make my blood explode.”
As Patty opened a series of windows on the computer, Leona leaned against the side of the cubicle. “Your friendship is wonderful. But now it is time to focus.”
“Right. Sorry, Leona.” Alexia rubbed Patty’s shoulder. “Show us what you discovered.”
Patty began sifting through several articles. “Well, the case started back the 1940s when a man named Henry Heinz was murdered at what is now called the Lullwater Estate.”
“Lullwater Estate,” Alexia repeated. “Is that the same as Lullwater House, where the president of Emory lives?”
“No,” Leona said. “Serge and I confirmed that the two properties are different.”
“OK,” Alexia said, glancing back to the computer screen. “So, what’s so special about Lullwater Estate?”
“Well,” Patty continued, “the family that owns Lullwater Estate is none other than the Candler family.”
A light bulb went off in Alexia’s head. “Asa Candler the Fifth. The guy I spoke with back at the golf course.”
Kissing the top of her head, Mark said, “Precisely. Old Asa Candler built it for his daughter, Lucy Bell Candler.”
“So who was this Henry Heinz guy?”
Patty brought up a black-and-white image of a man with a considerable forehead. “That was Lucy’s husband. Her second husband, to be precise. He was allegedly shot by a burglar in 1943. A house servant confessed to the crime, but it was bogus.”
“The servant was sent to jail, and the matter was swept under the rug by the authorities,” Mark said, now rubbing Alexia’s shoulders. “So that’s when Patty dug further and discovered that when Lucy Bell’s first husband died, that was also covered up.”
Alexia patted Mark’s hand to indicate she was done being rubbed. “And how did the first husband die?”
Flipping to another article, Patty said, “The official report said he died of influenza. But there was no medical examination, no doctor to verify cause of death, nothing. Even for the time, that’s a bit odd. It was like they wanted both husbands’ deaths to just be forgotten. ”
An ugly pattern was starting to emerge for Alexia. “So both deaths were covered up?”
Mark slipped out from behind her. “That’s right. And both funerals were closed-casket. However, the coroner’s reports for both men mentioned ‘heavy blood loss.’”
That got her attention. “Wait, heavy blood loss? Technically, that’s how the entity killed Marcie, Chuck, and Helen.”
“Exactly what we were thinking.” Patty said. “And those weren’t the only bizarre deaths with similar coroner’s reports, they were just the ones that got us looking. But starting from when settlers first arrived at Druid Hills until about 1967, there have been one or two of these strange deaths every year. Each time, there was a cover-up, no investigation, and a closed-casket funeral.”
Alexia whistled. “So, for as long as this place has been inhabited, people have been getting killed by exsanguination? But can we actually link this to the entity?” She folded her arms under her chest. Hunches were fine, but her forensics training taught her to look for evidence.
Mark leaned on the desk. “Well, normally, you wouldn’t pay attention to conspiracy theorists, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, one theorist back in the sixties started publishing papers about everything we just talked about. He even managed to sneak into the morgue and take a few pictures of the caskets. They were all filled with sandbags.”
Leona gasped. “Ah, non!”
It was enough to turn Alexia’s hunch into a hypothesis. “They’d use sandbags if there were no bodies. And there’d be no bodies if that creature pulled them into the earth.”
“And the conspiracy guy vanished soon after those pictures were printed,” Mark said. “He was never seen again.”
She gulped. “They killed him to shut him up.”
Then Patty brought up an article that looked over a hundred years old. “So then I did more digging, because—super genius. The entire area of Druid Hills was once home to members of the Cherokee Nation. And guess what the settlers back then called it?”
“Lullwater,” Alexia said. That much was easy to figure out.
“Yup,” Patty replied. She turned around and stretched, looking very pleased with herself.
Clearing her throat, Leona spoke up. “This is what Serge and I discovered when we were at the Lullwater House. According to the president of Emory, soon after he was inaugurated several months ago, someone from a group called the Lullwater Society came to him and offered a great sum of money to ‘take away’ one or two students a year. He refused, of course, but when he reported the incident to the police, they told him to ‘not worry about it.’”
“Oh, my goodness,” Alexia said. “Maybe the police are in Candler’s back pocket?”
Leona said, “Oui, I was thinking the same thing. It’s tres mauvais.”
Then Mark said, “And Alexia, do you remember when we first went hiking years ago to Fernback Forest? To the settler’s stone monument?”
She nodded.
“The real reason I went there was because Uncle wanted me to investigate that place for supernatural activity. I found traces of something we call a seal. However, it was considerably weakened. And over the years, it’s just gotten weaker.”
She huffed. So that was why he wanted to go there so badly! “Is the seal still there?”
His shoulders dropped. “Actually I don’t know. It’s too weak for me to tell. I was hoping to bring Leona there tomorrow.”
“Oui. I should be able to tell.”
“So that’s it, then,” Alexia said with a soft sigh. “Give me a moment, everyone. I need to think.”
Moving to a separate part of the library, she found a chair, sat down, and took out her favorite pen. Then she leaned back and started sucking on the cap, closing her eyes and sorting through the facts.
The murders stopped in 1967, only to pick up again a few months ago, right around the time that the new president of Emory was approached by the Lullwater Society asking him to hand over one to two students a year.
An awful theory began to form. Alexia opened her eyes. “What if all of those deaths were actually human sacrifices to this entity?”
“Well, that would be pretty screwed up, wouldn’t it?” Mark came around the corner.
She yelped and threw her pen at him. “Hey! Sneaking up on a girl is a bad idea.”
Dodging the pen, he chuckled pleasantly. “Sorry, baby. Patty is taking a bathroom break, and Leona went to check up on the others. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
She shrugged and leaned forward. “Oh, you know me. I won’t be happy until I solve the puzzle.”
Her breath unexpectedly taken away, she swallowed, gazing into his beautiful eyes.
His voice got serious. “Alexia, baby, I’m sorry I kept my business with the Institute a secret. I know we promised never to keep things from each other. I broke that promise, and I regret it.”
She squeezed his hands. “Mark, honey, it’s OK. I understand why you did it.”
“Still, it’s unforgivable to keep secrets from you. I’ll never do it again, I promise.” He looked upon her with the same intensity Serge had given Leona.
“Mark?”
“I want to include you in everything I do, no matter what. So from this day forward, if something is happening in my life, or with the Institute, I'll tell you right away.”
Gazing at him, she broke out into a smile. He smiled as well, his bangs flopping to the side. He looked so handsome.
I feel safe with him. If there's anyone I'll marry, it'll be him.
Still holding hands, they gazed into each other’s eyes until they felt the attraction between them light up. Her cheeks got warm. Slowly, she moved in for a kiss, her lips parting.
Then his eyes bugged out and he vomited blood all over her.
Alexia‘s body seized and her throat clenched shut. All she could do was watch as he slid back, his body moving like a puppet as mist gathered from the floor. It flooded into him. His expression was one of pure terror.
“A… lex…ia… ,” he said in a helpless voice.
“Oh, God, no!” She grabbed at him.
An instant later, his flesh started paling to that bleach white, and his veins started turning black. Just by touching him, her hands started suffering a similar fate, like she was losing all sensation, all life.
“Run… A… lex… ia.” His voice was thick with agony.
She held on until she saw that his body was completely changed. Her beloved was already doomed. She couldn’t save him.
Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his, the coldness spreading. She couldn’t let him die without hearing her feelings.
“I swear, Mark, I will always love you.”
They kissed and parted ways.
Alexia fell back with a cry as Mark’s veins exploded and his tendril-like blood started pulling him downward, the mangled, gelatinous mess that was once her love emitting that awful croaking sound. However, just like with Chuck, his body couldn’t go through the artificial flooring.
She didn’t even realize Patty was beside her until she heard her say, “Mark, no!” Grabbing Alexia’s arm, Patty pulled. “We gotta run! We gotta run!”
But Alexia refused to move. “I can’t leave him! I can’t let him die alone!”
“He’s already dead, Alexia!” Patty cried. “We have to run!”
As Patty pulled, Alexia watched what was left of Mark slide to the window. The tortured mass hit it several times until the glass broke. The last she saw of her boyfriend was his terror-filled eyes glazing over. Then the ooze slopped outside.
“We need to go now!” Patty shouted.
Alexia ran. As she sprinted along campus, she kept her mind blank so that the fear, the hurt, and the rage wouldn’t cripple her. Pushing all of her emotions aside, she simply focused on running for her life.
As soon as they were outside, she saw the same small, white orb from before flying toward Candler field. “That way!”
Another terrible, low croak rattled behind them. The entity was once more giving chase. Its jaw unhinged and it spoke her name. “Aaaaallleeexxxiiiiaaaa… !”
“Why does it want you so badly?” Patty wailed.
“I think I hurt it!”
As they turned a corner, heading toward the field, they ran into someone’s arms. They both screamed.
“It’s OK! It’s OK!” It was the derelict woman. She reeked of booze even more than before. The white orb floated around her head for a moment and then vanished into her clothes.
She pushed both girls away. Her strength was incredible. “Alexia, right? Run. Run as far away from campus as you can! I’ll come find you later.”
As Alexia stumbled back with Patty in her arms, she asked, “Who are you?”
“Run! Run, you stupid girl! I’ll hold him off! I’ll—”
With a loud croak, the entity rounded the corner. Its eyes fell upon the woman. “Another who is like a god? You will not seal me again!”
Through her fear, Alexia felt vindication. She was right—someone had sealed this thing away once before.
The woman stomped her foot so hard, the ground cratered and rocks flew up into the air. “Back off! You can’t have her.”
A shot rang out through the night. And then another. The woman wailed as bits of her legs blew off. She fell to her knees.
“What’s going on?” Patty asked, panicked.
Alexia’s legs seized again as fear coursed through her. “I don’t know. I don’t know!”
Looking back at her, the woman smiled with pained resignation. “Run. Please. For Michael’s sake.”
Then the entity drew back, snarled, and flew into the woman. At once, her body started turning pale. She shrieked so loud, the glass on the nearby building shattered.
With the shock blasted out of her, Alexia grabbed Patty’s hand and they ran until they were in Candler Field.
Another shot rang out, and suddenly, dirt flew up in her face. With a cry, Alexia landed hard on her chest. Pain exploded in her head like stars. She rolled around, holding her chest. I’ve been shot!
It took her a couple of seconds to realize that she hadn’t actually been shot, only the ground before her. She felt Patty trembling next to her. Then she heard footfalls crunching the grass of Candler Field. Still clutching her chest, she saw Mr. Candler standing before her. Behind him were Officer Penfold and another police officer. Both were holding scoped rifles.
“You’ve been a very bad girl, Miss LeBlanc,” he said, pointing a silver pistol at her.
She glared at him, blood trickling from her busted lip.
“How about another friendly drive? You like drives, don’t you, Miss LeBlanc?”
“Leave us alone!” She spat at him.
“My, my. How rude. Not a lady at all. We’ve already grabbed your other friends. Now be a good girl and pass out quietly.”
Then, Officer Penfold stepped around her and covered her mouth and nose with a cloth. It stank of alcohol. She fought against him, but he pressed his knee onto the small of her back.
Within seconds, her head started spinning and she felt faint.
Chloroform!
Her eyes began water and her vision blurred. In the distance, headlights approached.
And then all was darkness.
Chapter 32
The Scent of Fear
Date: Monday, April 24, 1995
Time: 3:00 a.m.
Location: Fernbank Forest
Druid Hills, Atlanta, Georgia
When Alexia came to, her vision was blurry. But as it refocused, she realized she was in a limousine, her hands cuffed behind her back. She glanced around, fighting panic. Patty, Leona, and Serge were all seated next to her, and all three were bound and unconscious.
They didn’t get Dixie. It was a small relief.
“You’re awake,” a voice said. “Good.” It was Mr. Candler.
“So what do you want?” She felt a burning ember of rage growing within her.
“Oh, my, you have dirt on you.” He took out a handkerchief, licked it, and wiped her face.
She felt utterly repulsed and tried to pull away. “Hands off, creep!”
He grabbed her head and forcefully wiped off rest of the dirt, making her flinch. “You know, despite having a curvaceous body, you are quite the tomboy. How very unsexy. There. All done.”
Alexia felt sick to her stomach.
Stuffing the handkerchief into his coat pocket, he asked, “Do you know why we’ve taken you and your friends?”
As he spoke, she tried to wipe the wetness off her face with her shoulder but couldn’t. “We’re trying to destroy that thing that’s been killing people.”
He gawked at her a moment before bursting into laughter. “Destroy it? Destroy Lord Dooley? You’re joking, right?”
“Lord Dooley?” she asked, her eyes widening. “The Emory mascot? Are you serious?”
“Well, not exactly. The society calls it Lord Dooley because its real name is lost to time. You see, the Cherokee here had bound it, and when the settlers came in and took over, they accidentally released it. It’s an old and very powerful spirit. The settlers called it Lord Dooley in honor of their own legends. The name just stuck.”
The pieces of the puzzle started falling into place. “Now it all makes sense. Every aspect of Druid Hills and Emory were crafted to contain and pay homage to this thing.”
“You are correct. Even the school mascot.”
“So it’s true. All those mysterious deaths were sacrifices.”
He clapped his hands together, “Indeed. Correct again, Miss LeBlanc. My, you are brilliant.”
The whole ugly picture was coming into focus. “That was the purpose of the Lullwater Society. To make sure that thing, Lord Dooley, was satisfied. Right?”
“Another one spot on. It told us who it wanted, and we provided. In return, it would protect us from harm.”
Closing her eyes, she let the rest of it come together. “But when Lucy’s two husbands became sacrifices, it got unwanted media attention. And then the conspiracy theorist died. That’s when things started to change. You all were able to hide it for decades, maybe even centuries, but not anymore. You were in danger of being exposed.”
“Quite right again!” he exclaimed. “Oh, I am impressed. Yes, the husbands were unfortunate, but Lord Dooley chose his sacrifices, and we obeyed. So, to cover it up, we started bribing city officials, federal investigators, and even judges. Getting rid of that idiot theorist took money to the mob. Really, it all started turning into a very big mess.”