Fallen Stones (29 page)

Jason didn't want to appear ungrateful to the lawyer and even felt a bit guilty about his suspicions, especially since the man had seemed to be nothing but helpful to them during the entire settlement process. But perhaps Armstrong had been too helpful. Jason recalled how that same morning the lawyer had all the critical papers ready, explained everything, answered all of their questions and even arranged for the remaining two hundred and fifty thousand dollars cash from the estate to be wire transferred to Jason and Stephanie's personal bank account so it was immediately accessible to them. But then Jason wondered if the cash had truly been all the money that remained in the estate. What if the actual amount had been more? What if it had actually been five hundred thousand or even a million? Would the lawyer have the means to swindle the young, unknowing couple?

And how could they ever know the true value of the estate or the extent of the lawyer's thievery? Since Washburn was a solitary type of man, with no relatives, no friends and one who apparently had led somewhat shady former life; it was unlikely even the best forensic accountant could accurately inventory his holdings and determine if anything was missing.

There was definitely something in the lawyer's strange look, no matter how brief, which caused Jason to now distrust the man completely. He began to sincerely believe what a few moments ago was just a passing fanciful thought. It was as if he suddenly knew for certain Armstrong truly had made his own set of keys and had, in fact, been stealing from the estate. Jason also presumed the lawyer had been swindling Washburn and skimming money all during the restoration.

Since Jason had now convinced himself of Armstrong's nefarious intentions, he had made up his mind to solve this dilemma himself and as with the gravesite, to do so quickly. As soon as he returned home, he was going to start searching the Internet for an area locksmith and was going to have all the door locks changed and re-keyed. Or perhaps he would hire a locksmith from Berks County instead, just in case one of the local businessmen had connections with the lawyer. He realized just how paranoid these thoughts seemed, even to himself, but it was something he just felt he needed to do. In fact, he was going to make sure the locks were changed even before he took care of the cemetery situation.  

He had also noticed another security issue while they were walking around the inside of the house. It was one, which he was certain Stephanie hadn't observed. The property did not have an alarm system of any kind, whatsoever. He had seen smoke alarms at strategic places around the house but he didn't see any burglar alarm type system or control panel of any kind. He decided to broach the subject with the lawyer and see how he handled the question.

"Mason?" Jason asked pretending not to sound suspicious, "I couldn't help but notice something that I found quite strange, especially when you consider the value of this property, and I was wondering if you could explain it to me. I assume you will have the answer, since after all, you were the project manager during the renovation." Jason couldn't suppress the almost accusatory tone in his voice. Stephanie watched with a bit of confusion, unsure of where Jason was up to with his strange line of questioning.

The lawyer replied with obvious guarded anticipation, "Yes, Jason. If I can answer your question, I will be happy to do so. What is it?"

Jason said, "I didn't see any alarm system anywhere in the property. No electronic keypad, no cameras, no window alarms, nothing. You had said Mr. Washburn had a bit of an unsavory past, which he had left behind to move here. I would suspect such a man might have enemies and might also want to have some type of early warning system in place to protect himself."

"You are absolutely correct, Jason. And quite observant I might add." The lawyer replied with a pleasant and complimentary air. "The property does not have any security system. Mr. Washburn didn't believe in security systems of any kind, especially those with cameras. He felt he had taken care of himself his entire life and had always done so without the benefit of electronics and he was not about to start now. You may have noticed the combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms scattered about the property. Mr. Washburn hated them as well, but local building codes required them and there was nothing he could do to get around that. Believe me, I tried at his request to get a variance from the requirement, but to no avail. He also didn't like the keypads on the garage doors, but they came with the doors and had been installed before we were aware of them. Apparently he didn't care about them enough to ask me to have them removed."

"But even we have a security system in our little townhouse." Stephanie suggested, "And our entire house isn't worth as much as just the garage in this place."

The lawyer explained, "Perhaps so, Stephanie. But you have to keep something in mind. And I say this with no disrespect to your community. Your home is located only about ten or fifteen miles away from a major city, Reading. You live in a much more highly populated area than around here. And whether you like to admit it or not, the crime rate is significantly higher in your county than here as well."

"But still..." Jason interrupted, "With a property of this value... No security system? Seriously? I mean, I just don't get it."  

"Well, you just had to know Mr. Washburn," the lawyer replied with a bit of frustration. "He was set in his ways and had no interest in such security. As I mentioned earlier, most of the modern and more luxurious renovations to the property were to a great extent the results of our designers. As you saw by Washburn's bedroom, his needs were simple and specific."

What Armstrong actually knew, however, was that the designs for the property and all of the modern lavish renovations were actually ordered by the unseen, unearthly occupants of the property and were specifically created to appeal to the Wright's own tastes. He also understood there was no need for a security system of any kind. The beings inhabiting the property were more than capable of keeping the home safe from any unwanted intruders, as was evident with the recent fiery demise of one Mr. John "Jack" Moran, whose charred remains were still a fresh and revolting memory in Armstrong's mind.

Once again, that same strange expression passed across Armstrong's face, and Jason didn't fail to miss it this time either. Although he was correct in not trusting the lawyer, the look, which bothered him so much, was not born of any thievery Armstrong may or may not have committed. The truth was, the lawyer had not taken a single thing from the home and never would. He would not have been permitted to do so. The look he wore was one of trepidation. The lawyer could not help but recall his encounters with the specter of the dead Washburn and felt genuine guilt, possibly for what might await the unsuspecting family.

Regaining his composure the lawyer suggested, "I know of a local security firm, which I am certain would be happy to provide you with an estimate to install such a system for you. That is, if you truly feel it is necessary." To Jason, the lawyer sounded almost insulted by the proposition.

Jason replied, "Thanks, Mason. But that won't be necessary. When we are ready, I am sure we can take care of that ourselves." Jason decided he needed to cut the cord with the attorney as soon as possible and handling the security system installation without Armstrong's assistant was as good a place to start as any.

"As you wish," the lawyer said. Then he held out an arm directing the family toward the front hallway. "As Jason supposed earlier, I have to be at another appointment shortly, so I must be on my way. I know you folks will want to be heading into town for your mine tour as well."

"Thanks, Mason," Jason said, sounding as sincere as possible, "You have been a great help, and we appreciate it. But I think we want to wait here for a little bit longer and talk in private about a few things before we lock up and head out. We will be contacting you sometime next week. That is, if we feel there is anything we need and cannot handle ourselves." Jason imagined another piece of the imaginary cord connecting him to Armstrong snapping as he suppressed a smile.

The lawyer could tell by the tone of Jason's voice he would likely never be hearing from the man again. Though he had tried his best to not let his internal anxiety about the hell-born specters, he obviously had not been successful. It was apparent Jason didn't trust him and had wanted him out of their lives as quickly as possible. He could do little else about that. Armstrong had done his legal duty to the estate, and he had carried out the demands of his evil tormentor Washburn as well. Although he feared for the Wright family, he now feared more for himself and prayed Washburn would leave him in peace. But somehow, he didn't think that particular prayer would be answered.

Chapter 17

 

The lawyer sat behind his massive oak desk as the sun began its slow decent over the western silt-covered mountainous horizon on that Sunday evening. The glorious spectacle was visible in all of its majestic amber and crimson splendor as he watched through his large office window. "Red at night, sailor's delight." H. Mason Armstrong said aloud. Then he thought "More like, red at night, lawyer in fright." He knew “in fright” was not a strong enough description for the terror, which held him in its grasp like the tightening grip of the tentacles from some powerful unseen creature, slowly crushing him, choking off his ability to breath.

He had not yet switched on any of the lights inside his office. The glow from his computer monitor reflected in his reading glasses as darkness began to engulf the room. He had been intently scouring the Internet non-stop since the afternoon of the previous day following his meeting with the Wrights. He had been searching for any shred of information to help him out of his unholy predicament. However, so far, his search had proven to be fruitless, as he simply could not find the answer he so desperately needed.

He was futilely trying to ascertain the nature, if not the very essence of the entity, which his evil tormentor, the once living Emerson Washburn had now become. Throughout his entire career Armstrong had lived by the philosophy knowledge was power; the more he understood his enemy, the easier it would be to defeat him. That way of thinking had never failed him in the courtroom and he was most certain it could only benefit him now. He was convinced the key to surviving the impossible situation he now found himself thrust into, was to learn all he could about his horrendous undead adversary.

He wondered what sort of strange netherworld could be capable of unleashing such a ghastly creature into his own unsuspecting and defenseless world. Then he thought, perhaps he should not think in terms of just a singular creature but should use the plural, creatures. This was largely because, although he had only been approached by the threatening specter of Washburn he knew there were others.    

He suspected Washburn was also not the main driving force behind the confluence of events either, but he merely occupied what might be considered a lower rung on the spectral ladder, so to speak. The more he thought about it the more Armstrong believed this impression. He also understood in order to find a way to eventually protect himself from these beings or perhaps even destroy them; he would need to be aware of what manner of creatures they actually were.

The lawyer had been researching various occult and spiritual sites looking for information on ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, demons, zombies and even other such evil mythical entities like vampires and werewolves but could not quite find a category in which to place Washburn.

Armstrong found it fascinating how each individual type of mysterious being seemed to come with its own set of rules and guidelines. This perplexed him. He could not understand why humans insisted in assigning limits and rules to everything they could conceive, even those things born of their wildest imaginings. What was the point of creating fictional creatures of awesome evil with incredible power, then impeding their abilities with various rules and regulations? Armstrong supposed it was human nature that no matter how despicable, malevolent and deadly the creature might be, humans always needed to have some way to destroy it, in order for mankind to remain in his rightful place at the top of the food chain.

He thought about the legendary vampires and the list of conventions they were required to adhere to in order to remain immortal, such as not going out in the daylight, sleeping in their coffins, or in their native soil, being burned by holy water or a crucifix. And who was it that decided they should not be able to see their own reflections, or that they would be terrified of garlic? He wondered if it could have been the legendary Bram Stoker himself, or perhaps it had been someone much earlier in time. Although he had read Stoker's legendary tale back during his younger years, Armstrong could not recall anything specific about the book; other than the fact, he had fallen asleep every time he read a few pages. This spoke volumes of Armstrong's opinion of the writing, especially when he could read mountains of so-called boring legal documents for hours and never nod off.

The same sort of question regarding rules might be asked about werewolves and their ability to shape shift into half-man half-wolf creatures during a full moon. Why a full moon? And why was it they could only be killed by a silver bullet? He also noted how these two creatures as well as the latest horror movie craze, zombies, all shared one similar characteristic.

If a victim were bitten and not killed or eaten by any of these creatures, he would shortly find himself transformed into one of the creatures as well. Supposedly, none of these imaginary beings had the ability to reproduce through conventional means, so the fictional universe had chosen to give them the ability to procreate in another fashion. These renowned creatures may have all been entertaining, but they were still fictional as far as the lawyer knew. Then again, up until a month ago, he assumed beings such Washburn were the stuff of fiction as well. Now he was fighting for his very life and immortal soul in a battle with such creatures.