The Lost Treasure Map Series (29 page)

Bryson picked up another, and flattened it
out on the table, in front of him. And he started reading the
headline, and he saw that it was a local newspaper, covering that
region.

Then he caught sight of something familiar.
In a column, at its edge, it mentioned Grovnor, and it gave a vivid
description of a death in the district.

And the rest of the newspaper proved to be
empty of anything else of interest.

He considered if they were worth
anything as collector
’s
items
–
rare items!
–
even though most were in poor
condition.

Another newspaper
’s
unusual looks grabbed his
attention. Not because it was a different paper, but it was because
it was from a different time. Its date showed that they had printed
it fifteen years before the other.

It was apparent that someone had gone to
considerable lengths to collect them. He had not realized that they
had collected newspapers then. However, were they there because of
their value?

He held up the newspaper, and handed it to
Mortimer.

“
Look! This is around fifteen years
older than the other ...
”

Merton and Mortimer observed the two papers,
comparing them.

When he started searching through
another, he realized that he had been wrong
–
they were not
collector
’s
items!
–
the front page gave a breathtaking account of the police
finding the bodies of some women in a wood in Grovnor, claiming
that they had died of freight. It was identical to a legend that he
had heard about the place. Yet what astonished him the most (with
his reactions grabbing Merton and Mortimer
’s
attention) was that the wood that
they had found them in was part of the castle
’s
grounds.

“
What have you
found?
”
Merton grunted, as he tried to grab his attention.

“
I
’m
not sure,
”
he replied, glaring down at the
other newspapers.
“
These are not collector
’s
items!
”

“
What?
”

“
Someone has kept them because
they
’ve
accounts of deaths in them!
”

“
Why?
”

“
They
’ve
accounts of deaths, in these
woods.
”

Bryson held out the newspaper, and Merton
and Mortimer read it, looking astonished, with glimmers of surprise
at what they saw.

He gave more of them to them, and they sat
reading the columns.

As Bryson read more, he was astounded to see
that there were accounts with mentions of supernatural
disturbances, and transcendent monsters. They had descriptions of
immortal things that had plagued generations of people!

Bryson then collected the books that were
there, before they reached for them, and placed them in a pile.

He stared at the first, wondering what he
was looking at, almost preparing himself for what it held. Its
cover had too much deterioration to see what it was.

He forced himself to turn the first
pages.

“
This has to have something to do with
the deaths!
”
Merton uttered, calming himself, reading a newspaper that
Bryson had not seen.

“
Incredible!
”
Merton groaned loudly.
“
Perhaps we should
show this to Inspector Bailey ...
”

He stared at it, looking slightly pale.

Bryson started reading a more detailed
account of one of the deaths that he had read in one of the
newspapers. It had more accounts, but it only had one that had
occurred there.

The other books were about the same as it,
with other occurrences that were in the newspapers. They had been
chosen from different decades. Some were full of stories of ghost
sightings and other paranormal phenomena.

“
Wait until you read this
stuff!
”
he
declared to them, knowing that the books would make them
spellbound.
“
This is full of supernatural sightings, and
with the stories that are in the newspapers. And
they
’re
more full descriptions.
”

Merton grabbed the books, trying to read
their titles at the same time, almost dropping them.

“
Look at this ...!
”
Mortimer gasped, reading an
article.
“
This has an account of the death of a
distinguished MP, Lord Lincoln, who had been a friend of Queen
Victoria ...

“
His remains were found, beside his
dead horses, and coachman, at the side of a lane over there
–
after they had
taken a short cut through this region, one night. The rest of the
carriage was later found smashed to pieces and scattered throughout
a wide area of open woodland!
”

“
There
’s
something in those
woods!
”
Merton resumed.

“
This place was so deadly
...
”
Bryson
replied, realizing, by their behavior, that they now believed that
something with a lethal nature could exist there.

“
We should warn the others
...
”
Merton
warned.

“
We can show the evidence to Inspector
Bailey!
”

“
Who wants to do
that?
”
Bryson replied.

Merton stood, and went to the door. He
looked about the corridor, to see if any of the others had arrived
back.

“
You
’d
better tell him only the basic
facts!
”

Mortimer picked up and held a book as though
it were gold, not daring to damage it in any way, reading the
information as fast as possible, as if someone might take it away
from him. Yet if the police took the books, what would they
possibly do with them? They would think that they were mad if they
used them for anything. He had heard of the police supposedly using
psychics to help them solve crimes, but they would never accept
monsters, many centuries old, as the suspects.

Chapter 52

Rats in the
Attic

Inspector Bailey shivered nervously,
with his fingers touching his lower lip
–
until he grew satisfied.

“
I
’m
not so sure that I believe
these,
”
he
argued, and marched out of the door.

He hastily left the library to join the
others again.

He had checked out the library and was free
to go back to the dining room.

Yet he had returned Bryson to reality again,
and to face the truth. And that superstitious people could easily
have manipulated the stories. The media had always created stories,
playing around with normal occurrences. It was their job to do such
things. And it sold newspapers!

Mortimer shrugged towards him.

It was too easy to miss things.

There could even be something in one of the
other walls, at the bottom of a vent.

He would now help the others more.

There were more of them, and they had now
spread out, checking all the right places that they came upon.

“
I would like to question some of the
locals about those legends,
”
Merton conferred silently to Mortimer, who
was still excitedly reading one of the stories in a book.
“
If we can find
the cause of this ...
”

“
Perhaps that
’s
a better idea
...
” Mortimer replied,
looking at Bryson. “
I believe some of that legend that
you told us
–
Robert told you
–
about his ancestor having the castle
constructed on this site where
something
massacred them.
”

“
Whatever it is, it had to have
already existed here!
”
Merton spoke, startled, recalling the
story.

“
We may not find out what it is
though!
”
Mortimer replied.

“
Did you read this?
”
Merton asked Bryson,
pointing to a newspaper.
“
It
’s
about some trappers discovering the remains
of two German tourists, in a wood over there.
”

“
What date does it
have?
”

“
That
’s
strange!
”

“
What?
”

“
It happened in the
thirties!
”
he spoke, glaring at it.
“
That means that it was left by someone who
had lived here just before your uncle ...
”

They returned to the books, hardly noticing
anything else, completely absorbed in what they were doing, looking
as if they did not know whether to laugh or be astounded at the
other accounts that the books claimed had happened at other
locations about the country.

They were the kinds of books that Bryson had
expected to have pictures of people covered with white sheets
superimposed over dark places in, with captions saying that they
had been famous photographs of ghosts.

Again he considered if science in the
twenty-first century and beyond would ever authenticate
anything.

The darkness outside made him wonder
why such things took place at night. It made people question the
truth of them, as people
’s
imaginations contrived such things in dark
places
–
where people could not properly see or prove that the things
were there.

There had to be a logical reason why the
disturbances at the castle took place at night. Perhaps it was more
like a strange flaw in the fabric of the space-time continuum.

Was there some other dimension aligned with
here?

Had it snared the beasts in the wood,
trapping them forever, as entities? And had they gone raving mad,
over centuries, dwelling on the world in the absence of light?

Chapter 53

The Unknown
Motive

The lights illuminated the dining room, in
the dimness caused by black clouds menacingly covering the sky.

Bryson sipped his coffee, as though he were
suffering from the after-effects of a late night drinking
session.

The room was almost empty, besides
Inspector Bailey
–
sitting calmly opposite him.

Bryson had deliberately met him (noticing
his routine of going there at specific times).

“
What do you think that guy was doing
in here?
”
he finally began, noticing that he was going to grow
restless, and would surely leave.

“
I don
’t
have the vaguest
idea,
”
he
mumbled, looking as though he missed having a newspaper to
read.

“
I believe that
there
’s
something in this room!
”

“
What?
”

“
Why would he have gone to such
lengths to enter the castle, and go straight in
here?
”

“
So you have assumptions that
it
’s
the
money then?
”

“
I think that we should at least check
it though!
”

“
If you wish,
”
he replied, suddenly seeing the
opportunity to do something.
“
And do you think that my officers should
help?
”

Bryson firmly nodded, acknowledging his
reply.

Inspector Bailey wandered out of the room,
and he returned with his policemen.

“
We
’re
looking for something that our visitor
might have been trying to take, in this room.
”

“
It
’s
more than likely hidden or out of
view,
”
Bryson continued, slightly amusing Inspector
Bailey.

Even though there was the chance that he had
carried out his mission, which could explain why he had left so
fast, and might not have even heard them coming down.

The police went to where they had
found an impression of the person
’s
shoe, at the fireplace.

It could not have been very high up as there
had been no signs of him tampering with the seats or anything.

The room was empty looking: with large white
walls, hardly any new furniture, and decorated mainly with
antiques. Most of the small items were on the table, at the center
of the room.