Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (All 8 books) (61 page)

"She'll be dead by sunset," Dr. Collings says as he checks Adelaide's pulse. We're in one of the bedrooms at the hotel, where the poor wretched woman has been laid out for treatment. "There's nothing I can do to help her," the doctor continues. "There's nothing anyone could do. She's suffered such a fright, her heart simply can't go on beating for much longer. It's a matter of hours at best".

"Just like Sarah," Henry says, standing in the doorway. "And just like -"
"I'm sure we all remember," I say firmly, interrupting him. "Thank you, Henry. Perhaps you should attend to your guests downstairs. I'm sure they're somewhat troubled by recent events, and I would think a good host might set about calming them with a tonic, rather than standing around gossiping".

"I'll want compensating for the sheets," he replies sourly.

"There's barely any blood!" I protest.

"I'll still want compensating," he says.

"Fine!" I say, keen to get rid of him. "Go away! I'll compensate you for your damn sheets out of my own pocket!"

Raising an eyebrow, Henry turns and walks away. As I hear him trudging downstairs, I step closer to the bed. There is indeed a small patch of blood on the bed, close to Adelaide's ear. The knife wound in the back of her head is no longer bleeding so heavily, but the damage is already done.

"I can give her something for the pain," Collings says, turning to me. "If that's something you'd like me to do".

"No," I say, shaking my head. "One must not meet one's fate in a cowardly manner. Adelaide must face her pain. We
all
must face our pain on the day we meet the Lord God. He would have it no other way".

"Did they catch Lawrence this time?" he asks.

"There are men out looking for him," I reply. "I'm sure they'll track him down imminently".
"And then what?" Collings says. "What exactly do you plan to do with the poor bastard when you have him?"

"There's only one thing that
can
be done," I say. "We shall have to kill him. In the eyes of God, we have no choice. There can be no more murders". I wander over to the window, pausing to look at a small painting that hangs on the wall; the painting shows a woman, bending low to pick up a pile of washing while a horned devil lurks nearby. The image is a fine representation of the perils that face women in this world. "I'm sure none of us wish to end up dragging yet another poor dying woman up to this room, just to watch her die," I continue. "Whatever trouble afflicts Lawrence's soul, I am quite sure now that it is beyond our ability to grant him peace from his suffering. We must destroy his body so that God might be able to restore him".

"Or send him straight to Hell," Collings suggests.

"Let us not judge our fellow man," I reply. "Such things are for God alone to decide".

"At least she has no family," Collings says, looking down at Adelaide's pale, sleeping face. "No-one to mourn her. No-one to miss her. The funeral will be a bare affair, I'm sure".

"I shall miss her, in a way," I reply. "She was a weak woman, of course, but she kept herself busy and she was of use from time to time. Just an hour ago, she came and told me of the arrival of Mr. Paternoster and his companion. I have no time for gossip, of course, but Adelaide was always keen to keep me abreast of the latest news".

"What's this visitor like?" Collings asks as he starts packing his bag. "Did he look sick? I could use a new customer".

"He seemed reasonable," I say. "Perhaps a little disagreeable in some of his views, but he's set on staying in Devil's Briar for a while so I suppose we shall have to get along. He says he wants to contribute to the community. Whatever that means. The man has some funny ideas, but he claims to have money, so I shall be more than happy to listen to what he has to say. We could use some money in town".

"And his companion?"

"I haven't laid eyes on the girl yet".

"A girl?" Collings says, looking surprised.

"From what Paternoster said, I get the impression that she's a rather pretty young thing". I pause, looking down at Adelaide. "Not like this dry old crone," I add with a smile. "I'm sure we'll find a way for Paternoster to fit in. If not, he'll just have to leave, and he'll have to take his niece with him. We certainly have no time to deal with disruptive individuals, not when we have Lawrence running around. This is the most unfortunate coincidence, but it's one that I'm certain we can overcome if we just show some resolve".

"Well, I'll come back in a few hours to certify death," Collings says as he heads over to the door. "I shouldn't think the poor old dear will last more than two hours, so I'll drop by before dinner. She wasn't exactly the picture of health to begin with, and I'm afraid Lawrence has quite finished her off".

Once I'm alone with Adelaide, I take a seat next to her bed and reach out to hold her hand. Closing my eyes, I bow my head and, in a lowered voice, I start speaking to God. "Dear Lord, please accept this dear child of yours back into your bosom. She has led a virtuous life, free of sin, yet she has been struck down most unkindly. Please recognize the sanctity and purity of her soul, and admit her to be with you in Heaven, oh Almighty God. Amen". Holding her hand for a moment longer, I take a deep breath and finally I feel as if the world is at peace once again.

"Do you think I'll be admitted?" Adelaide whispers suddenly.

"My dear woman," I say, shocked that she has regained consciousness, "I have no doubt that the Lord will take you as one of his own. You have lived a good and virtuous life. If one such as you cannot pass through the gates of Heaven, there is no hope for the rest of us".

"Thank you," she whispers. "Have they... found Lawrence?"

"No," I reply, "but he can't have got far. We shall have him by sunset, of that I'm certain".

"Show mercy to him," she replies. "For all his sins, he is a troubled young man and he..." She pauses, evidently short of breath. "He would be best offered kindness, that he might repent of his sins of his own accord. I should hate to think of him being killed. Only God should decide when it's time for man to leave this mortal world, just as he has decided that today is my time. There is no value in..."

I wait for her to finish her sentence, but it soon becomes apparent that she's too weak. "We will deal with the boy appropriately," I assure her eventually, "but he cannot be allowed to continue acting in this way. He cannot take more lives. The Lord God would not look kindly upon us, if we were to keep from delivering justice". I wait for Adelaide to reply, but as I look at her face I realize she has left us. Reaching over, I close her cold, dead eyes before carefully letting go of her hand and placing it on her chest. "May the Lord have mercy," I say quietly, "in his infinite wisdom". A tear rolls down my cheek.

"How awfully sad," says a female voice from the door.

Looking up, I see the most beautiful, the most divine young woman upon whom it has ever been my privilege to lay eyes. With dark black hair and the most beautiful, innocent eyes, she wears a beautiful blue dress that accentuates her wondrous form exquisitely. For a moment, I'm quite convinced that I'm seeing an angel sent from Heaven. I've certainly never seen such a beauty in Devil's Briar before.

"My dear," I say, getting to my feet, "I'm afraid I didn't hear you approach. Please forgive my rudeness". I hurry across the room and shake the young woman's hand. Without my walking cane, I'm afraid I struggle a little to convey my bulk. "My name is Albert Caster. I'm the mayor of Devil's Briar. I'm quite certain I have never before had the pleasure of your acquaintance".

"My name is Victoria Paternoster," she replies, curtsying. "I arrived in Devil's Briar today, with my uncle. I believe you met with him earlier?"

"Of course!" I say, ushering Victoria from the room and pulling the door shut. Such a beautiful young lady should not have to witness a prune like Adelaide.

"I do hope the lady didn't suffer," she says, looking genuinely concerned.

"One can but pray," I reply, finding it a little difficult to keep my thoughts composed while in the company of a young woman who radiates such wonderful beauty. My pulse is racing and I'm deathly afraid of saying something to offend such a delicate creature. "She was a good woman," I say after a moment, "and I have no doubt that the Lord will have taken her conduct into account. After all, she was a -" I pause, staring into Victoria's large, beautiful brown eyes.

"She was a what?" she asks after a moment.

"I'm sorry?"

She smiles, and blushes a little. "The dead lady who passed away. You were going to say something about her?"

"Yes!" I say loudly, trying desperately to remember where the conversation was going. "I was going to say that she..." I sigh, once again finding it impossible to look away from Victoria's eyes. "She was a..." I mutter, unable to complete a sentence. "Oh dear," I say eventually, "I'm afraid that, in my distress, I've quite lost my train of thought".

"I'm sure she was a good and God-fearing woman," Victoria says after a moment. "Is that not the gist of what you were going to say?"

"Quite," I say. "Absolutely".

"Come," she says. "My uncle would very much like to speak with you some more, if it's convenient".

"Of course," I reply.

Smiling, Victoria turns and heads to the top of the stairs. I cannot help but stare at her firm, round behind as she walks. May God forgive me for having such carnal thoughts, but I have never before seen a more perfect woman. "My dear," I say suddenly, "may I inquire as to your age?"

Turning, she smiles again. "I'm twenty-two years old," she replies. "I suppose you think I'm awfully young".

"I suppose so," I reply, still rather transfixed by her features.

"I shall be downstairs with my uncle," she replies. "Please, won't you join us when you get an opportunity? I hope you don't mind my saying that I can tell you're a little overcome with grief following the death of the lady. Please take your time in composing yourself, and rest assured that my uncle would be only too willing to wait and speak to you on another day, if you so wish".

"Thank you," I say, watching as she walks gracefully down the stairs. As soon as she's gone, I feel myself starting to relax. The effect that young woman had on me was quite unusual, bordering on madness. The females of Devil's Bridge are not, on the whole, renowned for their beauty, although there are certainly a few reasonably attractive specimens. Victoria Paternoster, on the other hand, is by far the most beautiful creature I have seen in my life; furthermore, there is something about her that makes me think she would make the perfect wife for a man such as myself. After all, her uncle
did
indicate that he is minded to find a husband for her. As a forty-seven-year-old mayor of a small town, I feel I'm a rather eligible catch. I could certainly keep Victoria in a very comfortable lifestyle, and I'm quite certain that she and I could create the most wonderful offspring: with her beauty and my intelligence, they would be wonderful children indeed.

Taking a deep breath, I resolve to not push matters too fast, but to nevertheless ascertain her availability at some point during the next few days. Victoria Paternoster would quite clearly make a very fine wife. I'm quite determined to make her mine, and I'm not the kind of man who takes 'No' for an answer.

Chapter Five

Today.

"Iron," Bill says, tapping the base of the crucifix. "Solid iron, all the way through". He looks up. "This thing must be heavy. The foundations have got to be pretty deep to support it, given the bad weather around here. A forty-foot cross isn't the kind of thing you want to have blowing over during the night".

"It's impressive," I say, "I'll give you that. Pretty
oppressive
, too. Imagine living with this thing".

"A lot of these rural communities were extremely religious," Bill says. "Still, they were also mostly kinda poor, which makes me wonder how the people of Devil's Briar could afford something like this. I mean, it wouldn't have been cheap, and it wouldn't have been easy. The technical know-how to erect something like this a hundred years ago must have been beyond the prowess of most people".

"Maybe they had a wealthy benefactor," I point out.

"That might actually be the most likely explanation," he says, walking around the cross. "Then again, there's no inscription. Don't wealthy benefactors usually want to plaster their names all over the place, so they can get the credit? Isn't that the whole point?"

"Not if they think God will reward them in Heaven," I say.

He shrugs. "We need to find the council office, or some kind of town hall. There have to be records about something like this. I mean..." He pauses for a moment. "This is quite possibly the most interesting find in modern American history. The idea that such a huge thing could have been out here all this time, with no-one knowing about it... You've got to admit, it's hard to believe".

"The mystery of Devil's Briar," I say, smiling as I step back to get a better look at the crucifix. "Sounds like a good paper. So, does this huge thing make you feel any less keen to stay the night?"

"Are you kidding?" he replies. "I'm in, baby. If you're out, you'd better head home now, 'cause the light'll be fading soon".

Turning, I look across the small square that surrounds the crucifix. On the opposite side, there's a large building that identifies itself, thanks to a sign above the door, as the Devil's Briar Hotel. The windows are dirty and the place looks like it's starting to fall apart. I don't like the idea of staying in this town overnight, and I definitely don't like the idea of Bill thinking he can force me to do something I'd rather not do, but at the same time I figure maybe one night would be okay, provided I'm certain we'll be leaving tomorrow.