Welcome to Cafe stories where every story is a new mystery waiting to be solved grab a coffee stay curious and share the thrill with fellow mystery lovers let's get started Hercule poo and the 12th stroke of death chapter 1 an invitation to Shadows the letter arrived on the morning of December 30th its envelope thick as a tombstone Stone and stamped with a Crest I did not recognize Pirro Studied it with the intensity of a botanist examining a rare Orchid observe the urgency in the penmanship Hastings he said tapping a gloved finger at the jagged script
the crossbar of the tea slashes like a dagger the writer is a man who fears the blade already presses at his throat he read aloud mure PUO you will think me presumptuous but I have heard you possess a singular talent for sniffing out rot before the maggots Settle I require this Talent tomorrow evening I host a New Year's gathering at Wickham Hall among my guests lurk Sur Viper I cannot name it but I feel its bite imminent attend and name your fee refuse and you may read of My Demise in the times Aller quickcom melodramatic
remarked but you're going of course PUO smoothed his already Immaculate tie certain m a man who Compares himself to a corpse is either a fool or a prophet Lord witcom I think is both the Snow began falling as our train pulled into the little station of Marlo Heath a frail powder that dusted the countryside like icing sugar Hercule PUO impeccably dressed in his winter overco and pton leather shoes tutted at the flakes settling on his sleeves nature Hastings he murmured flicking one away with fastidious care she is a romantic but not a tidy one a
Motorcar awaited us its driver a gaun man in Livery who loaded our Luggage without a word we wound through skeletal hedge RS and frosted Fields The Dusk bleeding into an indigo evening then quite suddenly the trees parted to reveal witcom Hall a hulking Elizabethan Manor its mullon Windows glowing Amber against the encroaching dark Pinnacles of snow Crown the rooftop gargoyles their Stone faces Twisted as though Frozen mid scream cheerful place I remarked Poo's eyes gleamed ah but observe the symmetry Of the East wi Hastings such balance it promises order beneath the Gloom I doubted it
the house seemed to brood over the land its shadow stretching long and hungry across the drive we were greeted in the grand hall by Lord Aller witcom himself a man whose presence filled the room like a Thunderclap tall and Broad shouldered with a Mane of silver hair and a beard trimmed to military Precision he clasped Poo's hand with a grip that might have Felled an ox miss puau your reputation precedes you let us hope your little gray cells are sharper than the fools at Scotland Yard his laugh boomed off the vaulted ceiling but the Gest
carried an edge like a blade sheathed in velvet and this must be Captain Hastings he said turning to me the chronicler of Genius tell me do you have a tire of playing Watson to his homes before I could muster a retort PUO intervened Smoothly you flatter me Lord Wickham but I sense this is not a social call why have you summoned us The Baron's smile faded he gestured to a tapestry depicting a stag hunt its threads frayed and Faded because mure there are wolves at my door and one of them he said lowering his voice
intends to make a Kill Tonight the party assembled for dinner was a study in Contra casts lady saraphina witcom our host's wife glided Into the dining room like a wraith her Ivory gown and platinum hair giving her the spectral air of a woman already half a ghost she could not have been older than 30 her beauty sharp and cold as a diamond yet when her husband spoke her fingers tightened around her wine glass as though she wished to crush it Dr Lucian Graves seated to my left was a cadaverous man with a nicotin stained mustache
and eyes that darted like startled fish he spoke little but when Lord Wickham mentioned his Railways the doctor's Fork clattered against his plate your trains he said thinly have a habit of leaving scars my Lord Miss Genevie Hartley The Baron's niece proved the soul spark of warmth at the table a vivacious brunette with a laugh like ring bells she teased poo about his terrifying mustache then sobered abruptly when her uncle mentioned her recent disinheritance a trifling matter she Said swirling her Claret money is such a vulgar motive for murder don't you think Mr Silas Mercer
a bull necked industrialist grunted into his soup speak for yourself girl some of us earned our fortunes bye swindling widows and orphans no doubt purred Mrs Isabella vain the Widow a striking woman in Emerald silk examined merca through a lornette but then we all have our Hobbies the conversation turned brittle As overstretched wire Lord witcom regaled us with Tales of his youth Fox hunts duels a doomed expedition to the Amazon while his guests picked at their pheasant like vulture too sated to Feast only PUO seemed untroubled his chatter of Belgian Cuisine and the proper starching
of shirts a deliberate Counterpoint to the tension it was Mrs vain who first noticed the clock how peculiar she said nodding at the grandfather time piece in The corner its brass face read 11:55 though my own watch showed halfast 10 does time Bend to your will here Aller Lord witcom scowled the damn thing's been erratic all week Trent his secretary a ferreted young man hovering near the sideboard jumped as though scolded yes my Lord fetch Hodges to fix that eyesa before midnight I won't have the New Year rung in by a stammering chronometer as Trent
scurried out Miss Hartley leaned toward PUO poor vict Victor uncle's been working him like a pack mule since sacking the butler I'd say the man's at his Breaking Point wouldn't you poo dabbed his lips with a napkin breaking points M moiselle are where the cracks let in the light midnight approached we gathered in the hall champagne flutes in hand as the guests Reflections warped in the ancient lead light Windows outside fireworks bloomed against the sky Crimson peonies and Sapphire chrysanthemums that cast fleeting Shadows over the room Lord witcom raised his glass to the future may
it be less tedious than the past the clock began its dolorous chime bong lady saraphina flinched bong Dr Graves hand trembled sloshing champagne onto his cuff bong Mrs Vain's lips moved soundlessly her gaze locked on witcom bong At the 12th stroke the baron convulsed his glass shattered against the paret Sherry pooling like blood around his twitching limbs lady saraphina screamed a sound of genuine Terror or perhaps relief as he collapsed his face contorted in a Rus of Agony chaos erupted merca bellowed for a doctor Miss Hartley fainted artfully into a chair Mrs vain pressed a
lace handkerchief to her mouth though her eyes remained dry only PUO moved with Purpose he crouched beside the body lifted Wickham's wrist then sniffed the spilled Cherry straight n he said quietly quick monam me the clock the time piece's hands stood rigid at midnight but the pendulum hung at an odd angle as I peered closer Poo's gloved finger brushed a bent pinion ah May we sabotaged our killer wish to control time itself as accusations flew PUO knelt to examin the Hearth amid the ashes lay a Half-charred diary page its surviving words etched like a epito
but the past will bury us all the clock now silent watched over the scene a sentinel keeping its Secrets outside the snow fell thicker veiling witcom Hall in white somewhere in the East Wing a door slammed or perhaps it was a gunshot Mr Mercer barked orders at the servants his voice sharp with panic someone fetched the constable and clear this room this Is a crime scene for God's sake Miss Hartley now revived from her faint clung to Mrs Vain's arm her face pale but composed poor Uncle Aller she murmured though her eyes were dry who
could have done this poo ever the calm amidst the storm turned to Victor Trent who stood trembling near the door M Trent you will ensure that no one leaves this house until the police arrive We the secretary nodded though his Adams Apple bobbed nervously yes of course but the snow the roads are impossible it may be hours before they can reach us then we must make do poo said his tone Brooking no argument he turned to me Hastings assist me in moving Lord witcom to the drawing room we cannot leave him here like this together
we lifted The Baron's body his weight surprising for a man of his age lady saraphina averted her eyes As we carried him past her face a mask of icy composure the drawing room with its heavy velvet drapes and somber portrait seemed a fitting temporary resting place we laid him on a Shez long covering him with a blanket procured by a trembling maid poor devil I muttered adjusting the blanket to cover his contorted face to die like this on what should have been a night of Celebration Poo's eyes gleamed in the Dim light celebration Hastings is
often The Mask tragedy wears but we will uncover the truth monamy of that you may be certain by the time the household had settled or as much as it could under the circumstances it was nearly 2 in the morning the guests retired to their rooms though I doubted any of them slept PUO and I were shown to adjoining Chambers on the second floor our luggage having been brought up by a harried Footman as I unpacked my nightclothes PUO appeared in the doorway his expression p iive Hastings lock your door tonight I blinked you think the
killer would strike again I think he said slowly that a Viper once Unleashed does not easily return to its basket until we know who we are dealing with caution is our Ally with that he retreated to his room leaving me to ponder his Words I locked the door as in Ed though the ACT felt absurdly theatrical still as I lay in the unfamiliar bed the creeks and groans of the old house seemed to take on a Sinister quality every footstep in the corridor every gust of wind against the window set my nerves on edge sleep
when it came was fitful and haunted by dreams of stopped clocks and shattered glass chapter 2 the Labyrinth of Lies the morning after Lord wit's death dawned Bleak and heavy the snow outside witcom hall now a shroud over the estate the household stirred with a muted tension as though the walls themselves were holding their breath poo ever the early riser had already commandeered the library for his investigation by the time I joined him he was seated at a mahogany desk a neat stack of notes before him and a pot of steaming coffee at his Elbow
oh Hastings he greeted me his eyes twinkling despite the Grim circumstances come sit we have much to discuss and the little gray cells they demand stimulation I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a seat opposite him where do we begin with the guests me poo said tapping his Temple each one is a thread in this tapestry of Deceit we must pull gently lest the hole unravel before we see the Pattern our first interviewee was lady saraphina witcom she entered the library with the grace of a swan though her P betrayed a sleepless night
she wore a black dressing gown that swallowed her slender frame and her platinum hair was swept into a loose Shino lady witcom PUO began rising to offer her a chair thank you for speaking with us this must be a terrible ordeal for you she nodded her hands clasped tightly in her lap it is allic was a difficult Man but he did not deserve this difficult in what way I asked she hesitated her gaze flicking to the fire crackling in the Hearth our marriage was not a love match I was young and he was well he
was allic he offered security and I accepted but in recent months he had grown distant he spoke of divorce of cutting me out of his will PUO leaned forward his expression one of polite Interest and how did you feel about this Madame her lips tightened relieved if I am honest but I did not kill him I have no need of his money my family Fortune is my own poo nodded thoughtfully thank you lady witam you have been most helpful as she left I turned to PUO do you believe her he sipped his coffee she's hiding
something but whether it is guilt or merely Pride I cannot yet say next was Doctor lutian Graves the surgeon entered with a scowl His nicotin stained mustache twitched ing as he glared at PUO I hope this won't take long I have patience to attend to of course doctor PUO said smoothly please sit tell us about your relationship with Lord Wickham graves's jaw tightened there was no relationship he ruined me his negligence caused a train crash that killed my sister I lost my license my reputation everything and yet you accepted his Invitation I pointed out I
came to confront him Graves snapped to demand restitution but I did not kill him poison is a coward's weapon Poo's eyes narrowed and yet doctor strick N9 is a substance you would have access to no Graves face turned Ashen I yes but my medical bag was stolen weeks ago I reported it to the police convenient I muttered under my breath poo dismissed him with a polite nod Thank you Doctor we may need to speak with you again miss Genevie Hartley was our third interviewee she swept into the library with a vivacity that seemed out of
place in the somber atmosphere her brunette curls bouncing with each step Miss PUO Captain Hastings she said flashing a dazzling smile how may I assist you tell us about your uncle PUO said gesturing for her to sit her smile faltered Uncle Aller was complicated he Could be Charming but he was also ruthless when I refused to marry the man he chose for me he disinherited me said I was ungrateful and how did you feel about that I asked she Shrugged though her eyes betrayed a flicker of anger I was Furious of course but I didn't
kill him money isn't worth hanging for PUO studied her intently and yet M moiselle you were heard arguing with him last night her Cheeks flushed he insulted my mother I lost my temper but I didn't poison him as she left PUO murmured a spirited young woman but Spirit can sometimes lead to recklessness after the interviews PUO led me to the grandfather clock in the hall its brass face still read Midnight the hands Frozen in place observe Hastings he said pointing to the pendulum it is bent tampered with the killer wished to control time to create
An alibi I frowned but why go to such lengths because monam me the Killer is clever they knew the clock would draw attention that we would focus on the stopped hands and miss the true clue which is he smiled enigmatically patience Hastings all will be revealed in due time as we returned to the library I noticed something glinting beneath the sofa retrieving it I held up a silver cuff link engraved with the initials s m silus Mercer I Exclaimed PUO took the cufflink examining it closely perhaps Herber let us not jump to conclusions initials can
be misleading but merca was arguing with witcom last night I protested Miss Harley saw him indeed PUO said his eyes twinkling but miss Harley is not the most reliable witness non she has her own secrets to hide our final interviewee was Mrs Isabella vain the Widow entered with a Regal Air her Emerald silk gown rustling s Softly She took a seat by the fire her Lorette dangling from a chain around her neck M vain PUO began thank you for speaking with us you were acquainted with Lord Wickham for many years we she nodded her expression
unreadable we were engaged once but he abandoned me to marry a wealthier woman I thought I had put it behind me but seeing him again it stirred Old Wounds and yet you accepted his invitation I Said she smiled faintly curiosity Captain Hastings I wanted to see what had become of the man who broke my heart PUO leaned forward and what did you see Madame her smile faded a man haunted by his past he spoke of making amends of writing old wrongs but I did not believe him and now she spread her hands now it is
too late as she left PUO turned to me a woman of contradictions Hastings she Mourns him yet she does not grieve by the end of the day the library was a maze of notes and theories poo sat at the desk his fingers steepled his expression one of intense concentration what do we know Hastings he asked we know Lord witcom was poisoned with strick nine I said we know the Clock Was tampered with and we have a cufflink with the initial Z M we also know that nearly everyone at the party had a motive to kill
Him exactal PUO said but the key lies not in the motives but in the details the bent pendulum the cufflink the charred diary page they are pieces of a puzzle and when we fit them together the picture will be clear as the fire crackled in the Hearth I felt a shiver of anticipation the game was a foot and PUO was in his element chapter 3 Blood on the frost the dawn crept over witcom Hall Like a thief its Pale Light glinting off the Frost kissed grounds I awoke to the sound of distant shouts a stable
boy's panicked CRI slicing through the morning Stillness wo already dressed and peering out the window with the intensity of a hawk turned to me vit Hastings the game advances we followed the commotion to the frozen lake its surface veined with cracks like shattered glass near The Boat House a cluster of servants huddled their breath curling into the frigid air The stable hand a gangly youth named Tom stood trembling at the door his face the color of curdled milk I I only came to fetch the ice Cutters he stammered pointing a shaking finger inside then I
seen him just lying there poo brushed past him and I followed my stomach tightening Victor Trent lay sprawled on the boat house floor his head caved in by a vicious blow Blood Stained the wooden planks beneath him dark and Congealed a rusted fireplace poker lay nearby its handle flecked with Crimson M PUO murmured crouching to examine the wound a crime of passion this no calculation only rage I forced myself to look away focusing instead on the surroundings shelves of rotting fishing tackle line the walls and the scent of mildew clung to the air Trent's Overcoat
hung neatly on a hook its Pockets turned inside out robbery I ventured poo shook his Head nonar ruse observe he lifted Trent's right hand the fingers stiff with rigor mortis his signate ring remains a thief would have taken it he plucked a small leatherbound notebook from Trent's breast pocket its Pages were filled with cryptic symbols numbers initials and dates a cipher PUO said eyes gleaming how provocative back in the library PUO spread the notebook on the desk his Nimble fingers tracing the coded entries lady saraphina Dr Graves And Silas Mercer lingered in the hall their
Whispers sharp as knives ah this is Elementary PUO declared at last the numbers correspond to sums of money the initials recipients of bribes he flipped to a page marked s M500 12 November and another lg300 7 December Silas Mercer and Doctor Lucen Graves I said but why would Trent be blackmailing them poo steepled his fingers consider merca's Railway Contracts and Graves his need to rebuild his career Trent as Wickham's secretary knew their secrets and profited from their silence but Trent's dead now I said the killer could be Mercer or Graves covering their tracks or another
poo said who wished to bury Trent's knowledge forever in Trent's waste coat we found an iron key small and unremarkable PUO held the Iron Key Aloft its teeth catching the cold blue gleam Of dawn a puzzle Hastings small unremarkable yet most consequential I suspect we picked way across the frost ryed gravel our breath hanging in ghostly plumes the estat sprawled in muted tones pale lavender Sky bleeding into skeletal trees the lake a sheet of smoked glass Mrs Hodges the housekeeper answered our knock with a candle in hand her mob cap a skew at this hour
the sun's not yet Proper up PUO proferred the key pardon Madame have you seen this she she squinted her face a relief map of wrinkles not likely his lordship kept his study locked tighter than a vica's Cellar Mr Trent had the only key accepting the master and where might Trent have used it I pressed she Shrugged dare say you'll find not but dust and debts in that room men and their secrets always burying them in Paper in the study Dawn's feeble light seeped through the drapes poo circled the desk like a terrier at a rat
hole pausing at the bust of Caeser observe Hastings this marble fellow sits crooked a man of Lord witcom fastidiousness would never allow such disorder he lifted the bust revealing a keyhole beneath the Iron Key slid home with a click the drawer yawned open exhaling the scent of Cedar and de okay beneath Ledges detailing Railway profets lay a Bundle of letters their Ribbon The Faded red of Old Blood PUO read aloud my dearest Aller each moment apart is an eternity when may we meet again your wife grows suspicious and I fear the signature was torn away
love letters I said but not to Lady saraphina Poo's gaze drifted to the window where lady SAR Aina stood alone in the garden her black gown Stark against the snow oh contre Hastings the handwriting matches hers I stared but She's his wife why write clandestine notes because poo said softly they were not meant for Lord witcom we reconvened in the drawing room the guests arrayed like actors awaiting their queue lady saraphina clutched a handkerchief her composure praying Dr Graves R of Brandy and Mera paced like a caged bear two murders poo announced but one killer
no Lord wham's Death was calculated strick nine a sabotaged clock Trent was impulsive brutal yet they are connected By fear Miss Hartley leaned forward her voice trembling fear of what of Secrets Unearthed held up The Ledger Miss Mercer you paid Trent £500 in November for what to hide your bid rigging on the Northern Railway Mercer's jows quivered lies that sniveling worm extorted me and you Dr Graves parro continued paid £300 to conceal your sister's death certificate a flawed break design we one your employer he nodded at Mera approved to Cut costs Graves lunged at Mera
fists raised you knew you knew the brakes would fail PUO stepped between them I say this quarreling AIDS only the killer later I found PUO in the conservatory studying a withered rose bush the letters Hastings they are the key lady saraphina lover is among us but who he plucked a dead Bloom crumbling it in his palm who stands to gain from wit's death not money but freedom and who has the skill to Manipulate time and hearts a shadow fell Across the Threshold Dr Graves his face Haggard I need to speak with you alone as he
led us to the lake the ice groaned underfoot Trent didn't just blackmail me he said halting at the boat house he knew about the affair saraphina and I be we God help me Poo's eyes narrowed you loved her and she loved Wickham's Fortune Graves spat but Trent threatened to expose US unless she paid last night She begged me to silence him and did you I demanded before he could answer a scream pierced the air we turned to see Mrs vain pointing at the Lake's Edge where Miss Hartley stood a bloody the ice ax in her
hand staring at the body of Silas Mercer Miss Hartley stood Frozen at the Lake's Edge the icex slipping from her grip it clattered against the Frozen Shore its blade glinting Crimson in the PID Dawn light at her feet lay Silas Mercer his Face a mask of shock his throat split open like a grotesque second mouth PUO surged forward pulling her back from the grizzly scene Mademoiselle do not touch anything she stared at her hands trembling I I didn't I found him like this Mrs Vain's scream had drawn the others lady saraphina hovered at the garden's
Edge her hands pressed to her mouth while Dr Graves shouldered past medical bag in toe he knelt beside merca Though one glance confirmed the futility dead koted artery severed quick but messy PUO turned to miss Hartley what brought you here madmoizelle the hour is ungodly for a stroll I couldn't sleep she whispered I heard footsteps outside my window I thought I thought it might be the Killer and so you armed yourself with an ice axe I asked dubious she flushed it was leaning against the greenhouse I took it for protection convenient muttered MERS Valet a
wiry man named Briggs found him with the murder weapon didn't you PUO silenced him with a look we will adjourn to the house Hastings fetch Constable Hardy from the village the snow has eased he may yet navigate the roads the household gathered in stunned silence Miss Harley Sat by the fire a blanket draped over her shoulders her teacup rattling in its saucer poo paced before the Hearth the ice axe now wrapped in a linen cloth mure merer Was killed with a single Savage strike he declared the blade entered here he traced a line beneath his
jaw suggesting the killer stood behind him perhaps in conversation there are no defensive wounds he trusted his ass salant lady saraphina shuddered but why kill him he nothing to do with alli's death did he not PUO produced Trent's Ledger Mera paid Trent £00 to conceal his bid rigging on the Northern Railway a scheme that would have ruined Wickham's Reputation with both men dead the truth dies with them Dr Graves snorted or the killer seeks to frame me that's strick nine in my bag planted I tell you Mrs Vain's lornette glinted as she studied Miss heartley
and what of you my dear you inherit nothing yet you linger like a bad Penny why Miss Harley shot to her feet the blanket falling how dare you I love my uncle even if he even if he disinherited you Mrs vain finished or was it you he disowned we reconvened in The drawing room the guests arrayed like actors awaiting their queue lady saraphina clutched a handkerchief her composure fraying Dr Graves rre of Brandy and Mera paced like a caged bear two murders poro announced but one killer no Lord Wickham's death was calculated strick n a
sabotaged clock Trent was impulsive brutal yet they are connected by fear Miss Hartley leaned forward her Voice trembling fear of what of Secrets Unearthed PUO held up the m Mercer you paid Trent £500 in November for what to hide your bid rigging on the Northern Railway Mercer's jows quivered lies that sniveling worm extorted me and you Dr Graves PUO continued paid £300 to conceal your sister's death certificate a flawed break design we one your employer he nodded At Mercer approved to cut costs Graves lunged at Mera fists raised you Knew you knew the brakes would
fail PUO stepped between them as say this quarreling AIDS only the killer later I found poo in the conservatory studying a withered rose bush the letters Hastings they are the key lady Sara's lover is among us but who he plucked a dead Bloom crumbling it in his palm who stands to gain from wit's death not money but freedom and who has the skill to manipulate time and hearts a shadow fell Across the Threshold Dr Graves his face Haggard I need to speak with you alone as he led us to the lake the ice groaned underfoot
Trent didn't just blackmail me he said halting at the boat house he knew about the affair saraphina and I we God help me Poo's eyes narrowed you loved her and she loved wham's Fortune Graves spat but Trent threatened to expose US unless she paid last night she begged me to silence him and did you I Demanded before he could answer a scream pierced the air we turned to see Mrs vain pointing at the Lake's Edge where Miss Hartley stood a bloody ice axe in her hand staring at the body of Silas Mercer Miss Hartley stood
Frozen at the Lake's Edge the ice ax slipping from her grip it clattered against the Frozen Shore its blade glinting Crimson in the palid dawn light at her feet lay Silas Mercer his face a mask of shock his throat split Open like a grotesque second mouth PUO surged forward pulling her back from the grizzly scene Mademoiselle do not touch anything she stared at her hands trembling I I didn't I found him like this Mrs Vain's scream had drawn the others lady saraphina hovered at the garden's Edge her hands pressed to her mouth while Dr Graves
shouldered past medical bag in toe he knelt beside Mera though one glance confirmed the Futility dead coted artery severed quick but messy Pirro turned to miss Hartley what brought you here M moiselle the hour is ungodly for a stroll I couldn't sleep she whispered I heard footsteps outside my window I thought I thought it might be the Killer and so you armed yourself with an ice axe I asked dubious she flushed it was leaning against the greenhouse I took it for Protection convenient muttered merca's valet a wiry man named Briggs found him with the murder
weapon didn't you poo silenced him with a look we will adjourn to the house Hastings fetch Constable Hardy from the village the snow has eased he may yet navigate the roads the household gathered in stunned silence Miss Hartley Sat by the fire a blanket draped over her shoulders her teacup rattling in its saucer PUO paced before the Hearth the ice ax now Wrapped in a linen cloth Miss Mara was killed with a single Savage strike he declared the blade entered here he traced a line beneath his jaw suggesting the killer stood behind him perhaps in
conversation there are no defensive wounds he trusted his ass salant lady saraphina shuddered but why kill him he had nothing to do with all's death did he not poo produced Trent's Ledger Mera paid Trent £500 to conceal his bid Rigging on the Northern Railway a scheme that would have ruined wht's reputation with both men dead the truth dies with them Dr Graves snorted or the killer seeks to frame me that's strick nine in my bag planted I tell you Mrs Vain's lornette glinted as she studied Miss Hartley and what of you my dear you inherit
nothing yet you linger like a bad Penny why Miss harly shot to her feet the blanket falling how dare you I love my Uncle even if he even if he disinherited you Mrs vain finished or was it you he disowned PUO clapped his hands I say we will not try the case with hysterics Hastings the letters I handed him the bundle from wham's desk he tied the ribbon revealing a stack of telegrams these were hidden with the love letters they detail Mercer's bribes to delay the inquest into Dr graves's sister's death a coverup no Graves
lunged at the Dead Man's corpse you bastard you knew the breaks were faulty you let her die PUO barred his path control yourself doctor vigilante justice AIDS no one later as Constable Hardy took statements quo examined the I ax observe Hastings the blood is fresh but the rust here he pointed to the handle suggests it was taken from the greenhouse days ago premeditation then miss Hartley's story about grabbing it this morning is a lie or the killer wishes us to think so he Peeled back the linen revealing a smudge of lavender oil on the handle
the same scent worn by two women in this house a maid scurried p past her arms piled with Linens PUO halted her Melle who requested fresh towels for the conservatory this morning Mrs vainer said she needed to air out the damp Poo's eyes narrowed a curious task for a guest come Hastings we must pay the conservatory another visit chapter 4 portraits of the Past the conservatory skeletal frame loomed under leaden Sky its shattered paines rattling like old bones in the wind poo picked his way through the debris of witcom Hall's forgotten Grandeur a cracked Sund
a fern strangled by Ivy while I trailed behind my breath fogging the frostbitten air a mosum of memories Hastings he murmured pausing before a shrouded easel and here I think we shall find the key to two murders he pulled the dustcloth free Revealing a portrait of a young woman with storm gray eyes and Orban hair the inscription on the guilded frame read Elena sish 1898 Mrs Vain's twin I said though the truth struck me even as I spoke her younger self poo corrected Lord wit's first fiance presumed drowned but very much Alive come we must
invite her to revisit the past we found Mrs vain in the morning room her needle work abandoned she stiffened at the site of The portrait but did not flinch you are Elena Standish poo said not unkindly Lord witcom staged your death to marry Cecilia montigue for her Fortune you reinvented yourself as Isabella a vain Widow of a Venetian count and returned to haunt him her composure cracked like fine porcelain yes I came to confront him to force him to Z me but when I arrived he was already a ghost of the man I'd loved Haunted
paranoid he spoke of making amends but I wanted no part of his guilt yet you stayed I pressed to remind him that the past cannot be buried she said her voice trembling but I did not kill him or Mercer PUO studied her you we lavender water Madame a scent also found on the ice act that kill Mr Mercer she blinked I spilled my perfume vial yesterday the maid can attest to it a partial truth but PUO let it linger we returned to the lake now Thoring at its edges PUO knelt where M's body had Lain
tracing faint bootprints in the slush two sets Hastings one large one small Miss Harley slippers match the latter but the former he produced the ice axe its rusted handle smudged with lavender oil the killer wore boots planted the axe and fled Miss Hartley hearing the commotion grabbed the weapon in panic leaving her prince at top The Killers But the lavender oil a ruse the killer doused the handle to implicate Mrs vain or lady saraphina yet observe he scraped the rust with his pen knife this axe sat Outdoors for weeks only someone who frequented the greenhouse
like doctor Graves would know its location in the study poo reconstructed Trent's charred diary page the decoded entry read Mercer to expose graves's malpractice demands £1,000 silence Graves killed Trent to Protect his secret I said then Mera fearing exposure confronted him and was silenced poo finished but the strick nine a distraction Graves wished us to believe Wickham's death was his work while mera's murder was passion two crimes two methods linked by fear dusk found us in the conservatory once more PUO lifted ellena's portrait revealing a hollow behind the frame a stack of telegrams detailing Graves
malpractice cover Up he orchestrated it all I said but why frame Mish heartly her Feud with witcom made her an easy suspect but haste breeds error PUO pointed to a telegram's date sent an hour after mera's death Graves could not have dispatched this from a snowbound estate an accomplice no a miscalculation as night fell a figure slipped into the woods a man's silhouette limping slightly Graves fleeing toward the Village PUO sigh the doctor's guilt is plain but the why eludes me what drove a Healer to kill chapter five the cufflink and the blacksmith The Village
Pub huddled at the edge of Marlo Heath like a wary Sentinel its sagging Timber beams and smoke stained Windows a testament to centuries of whispered Secrets inside the air hung thick with a Tang of Ale and wood smoke the Hearth crackling with a fire that did little to Dispel the chill seeping through the stone floors PUO brushed a cobweb from his sleeve as we settled into a corner Booth the Villager stairs prickling the back of my neck two whiskies I said to the barkeep a Burly man with a scar bisecting his brow make it coffee
PUO corrected his nose wrinkling at the sticky table strong if such a thing is possible in this establishment the barkeep Grunted slamming down two chipped mugs you're the ones from The Manor e come to stir up more trouble PUO ignored him withdrawing the silver cufflink from his pocket its initials SM glinted in the Fire Light tell me mure do you recognize this craftsmanship a grizzled man hunched at the bar turned his Spectacles perched on a nose veined with broken capillaries let's see he snatched the cufflink squinting through a Jeweler's Loop I I made this for
Samuel Webb 10 years back fine hand he had to wickom ruined him Poo's eyes sharpened the initials of Zia the engraver jabbed a gnarled finger at the script see the SF here that's a w done fancy likee web's father was Samuel senior the lad kept the name though there's little left of his pride now where might we find this Mr Webb the barkeep snorted try the Old Forge he's been Hol Up there since witcom seized His land mad as a March hair that one the forge crouched at the Village outskirts its chimney belching acrid smoke
into the slate gray sky rain lashed the cobblestones as we approached the rhythmic clang of hammer on iron growing louder inside Samuel Webb worked shirtless at the Anvil muscles corded like Ironwood his face Streed with soot and sweat Miss web PUO called Over The Den the blacksmith wheeled around tongs gripping a glowing horseshoe who's Asking porro held up the cufflink this is yours null a momento of better days web's eyes narrowed what of it you forged it for Lord Wickham's staff yet kept one for yourself a small Rebellion the Horseshoe hissed as Webb plunged it
into a water barrel a reminder of what he took from me Pirro stepped closer his voice low you tampered with the manner's clock bent the pendulum Why web's laugh was a dry rasp to watch him squirm every chime a little torment but I didn't kill him death's too kind for the likes of him and the cufflink stolen from my workshop weeks ago reckon the real killer wanted to point you my way a gust of wind rattled the forge's shutters web's gaze drifted to a rusted portrait on the wall a younger prouder man and standing beside
a forge now reduced to Rubble he took my livelihood my name Broke the clock to break him but murder he spat into the coals I've sins enough without adding that night had fallen by the time we returned to Wickham Hall the mana's silhouette a jagged wound Against The Storm as we shook the rain from our coats a frantic knock echoed through the ground grand hall Mrs Hodges the housekeeper burst in her face Ashen it's come again that Devil Bird on the doorstep lay a raven its feathers slick with rain a scrap of Parchment tied to
its leg PUO untied it his lips thinning as he read three down who's next lady saraphina drifted down the stairs her P ghostly in the Lamplight what does it mean it means means poo said quietly our killer is not yet finished in the study PUO spread the note beside the cufflink and a sketch of the sabotaged pendulum web's confession explains the clock but not the poison and this he tapped The Raven message Suggests a mind fond of theatrics could Webb have an accomplice I ventured none his hatred is solitary like his Forge but the cufflink
Thief knew his his history and ours rain drummed the windows each drop a metronome counting down to the next tragedy somewhere in the house a floorboard creaked Poo's eyes gleamed the Killer plays a game Hastings and we are the porns chapter six the Forgotten Air the solicitor's office in Lincoln's Inn was a relic of another era its Oak panel walls steeped in the musty scent of yellowed parchment and Beeswax PUO and I had taken the early train to London and as we stepped inside dust modes pirouetted in the thin shafts of afternoon light filtering through
grimy Windows a grandfather clock loomed in the corner its pendulum slicing The Silence with a Relentless tick talk I shifted uncomfortably in a horsehair Chair its prickling upholstery of Far Cry from the plush Comforts of witcom Hall Mr Reginald Thorne the solicitor adjusted his pants Nay with inkstained fingers his voice quavering as if the weight of the lore itself pressed upon him you understand M PUO This is highly irregular Lord wit's will was sealed upon his death to breach its confidentiality now PUO leaned forward his cane striking the floor with a crack that made Thorn
Flinch a Man Lies Poisoned another strangled and the truth mure is inomed within these papers you shall unseal it or I shall summon Scotland Yard to do so Thorne blanched but complied slicing the dossier frayed ribbon with a bon handled letter opener the document crackled as he unfolded it it scripped a spider's web of loops and flourishes to my beloved niece Genevie Hartley I leave the sum of £500 thorn read his voice trembling to Dr Lucien Graves my gold pocket watch to Silas Mercer he trailed off squinting ah A peculiar Clause here the entirety of
my estate including Wickham Hall and its Holdings shall pass to ew my first and only true Heir I leaned forward the chair creaking beneath me ew but lady saraphina is his wife Elena Wickham PUO interjected his eyes gleaming well the woman he claimed drowned 25 years ago the woman who in Fact became Mrs Isabella V Thorne blinked ow likee behind his spectacles I I was unaware of any such beneficiary the will was amended 6 months prior to Lord wit's death but the initials were never expanded poo Rose abruptly his movements precise As A Clockwork figure
a ruse Hastings the will is no Testament it is a provocation Lord witcom knew his killer sought not wealth but Retribution by naming elanar he forced her hand luring her into the light later in the dim glow of the office's green shaded lamp PUO spread the charred remnants of Lord wham's diary across the solicitor's desk the fragments painstakingly salvaged from The Hearth resembled a jigsaw puzzle scorched by malice observe poo said aligning two brittle edges the script though fragmented hissed with accusation Graves approved the faulty breaks covered up The report my silence bought I stiffened
the word striking me like a blow Dr Graves knew the trains were unsafe but his sister died in that crash pry zore Poo's gaze sharpened Lord witcom bribed Graves to conceal the truth that his own negligence killed his sister the doctor's guilt festered until Vengeance became his only Bal Thorne dabbed his brow with a handkerchief the clocks ticking swelling In the silence but why leave such a damning record to torment poo replied Lord Wickam was a man who collected Secrets as others collect art this diary was his gallery and his downfall as dusk crept over
poo stood at the window the fog weaving a shroud around the spires of the Inn of court I watched him the weight of Revelation pressing heavily in the dusty air it is as I said Mon Ami he murmured his reflection ghostly in the glass the Truth is a mosaic even broken it reveals the picture I frowned at the diary fragments but how do the will and the diary connect if Graves sought Justice for his sister why kill Trent Trent discovered the cover up poo said turning to face me he blackmailed Graves forcing the doctor's hand
and Elena Mrs vain her return threatened to expose wit's original sin faking her death to marry Cecilia monague two crimes Hastings born of one man's Avarice the clock's ticking swelled a drum roll for the final act as we exited the solicitor's office the fog clung to the streets like a mourner's veil PUO paused beneath a gas lamp its feeble glow carving Shadows into his face you are troubled Hastings it's the cruelty of it all I said witam manipulated everyone Graves Mrs vain even his own niece what kind of man orchestrates his own Destruction Poo's cane
tapped the cobblestones a man who believes himself Untouchable but Pride Monami is the Anvil upon which all hubris is shattered chapter 7 the unmasking the storm outside raged with a fury that rattled the ancient Timbers of witcom Hall rain lashed against the Windows like a thousand accusing fingers and the wind howled through the chimneys an eerie accompaniment to the tension that thickened the air inside the dining Room the guests now prisoners in this decaying manner sat huddled in uneasy silence as the grandfather clock restored to its proper function struck the hour PUO stood at the
head of the long dining table his hands clasped neatly before him his small frame exuding an air of quiet Authority his sharp green eyes swept over the assembled company pausing for just a moment longer on each face as if Peeling back their secrets layer by layer I sat beside him my nerves Tor with anticipation I had seen this before this slow deliberate buildup before the final blow poo took a measured breath before speaking mesami the Time Has Come For Truth a murmur rippled through the room Miss Hartley's fingers tightened around the lace cchie she held
in her lap while lady saraphina pale as the storm racked Sky outside kept her gaze fixed on the Candlelight trembling in its sconces Mrs vain ever composed sat with her hands neatly folded her expression unreadable three men have died PUO continued his voice a measured Cadence Lord witcom whose life was ended by a carefully measured dose of strick nine Victor Trent bludgeoned with an ice axe in the boat house and Silas Mercer his throat cut at the edge of the frozen lake I saw lady saraphina Flinch at the words though she said Nothing there has
been much misdirection poo went on his voice sharper now and yet the facts they do not lie let us examine them one final time he turned pacing toward the Heth his hands behind his back the poisoning of Lord witcom was not an impulsive Act he said no it was methodical precise it required knowledge of both chemistry and human physiology his eyes locked on to doctor Graves who met his gaze unflinchingly strish mesami is a poison of great cruelty poo continued its victim suffers a slow agonizing death his muscles seizing his breath stolen from him in
spasms and yet he raised a finger our murderer took pains to delay the symptoms Lord witcom drank his Sherry well before midnight the poison did not take hold until the stroke of 12 why a pause no one Spoke because PUO said answering himself the killer needed a spectacle a grand performance he wanted all of us to see witcom die to witness his suffering the words sent a shudder through the room and who I ask would have such knowledge of poisons Poo's voice turned sharp as a blade who would understand the precise dosage the delay of
symptoms who else but a doctor All Eyes turned to doctor Graves he gave a derisive snort that's Ridiculous he said flatly plenty of people could have obtained strick nine perhaps poo allowed but not many would know how to use it with such control I saw Grave's fingers twitch slightly against his chair a small tell but PUO had already seized upon it you were seen near the greenhouse days before Wickham's death PUO said you claimed you were gathering shears for the roses and yet he produced a small glass vial from his pocket holding it Delicately between
two fingers a this was found beneath the floorboards of the Stables your stolen medical bag and inside a vial of strick nine Dr Graves sat perfectly still his expression carefully neutral PUO tapped the vial against his palm ah but this was not your only crime was it MCH doctor he turned abruptly his eyes flashing fck to Trent his murder was messy violent unlike witcom it was not premeditated why the room held its Breath because PUO answered he found something Miss Hartley let out a sharp breath yes he found something PUO repeated something in Lord wit's
files something that put his life in danger a record of payments blackmail bribes he had been keeping secrets had he not Poo's gaze bore into grave and one of those Secrets was yours Graves jaw was set like iron whitcom knew poo went on he knew that the railway crash which killed your sister Was caused by a cover up a falsified break report approved in your very own name I started Graves signed off on the faulty breaks PUO gave a small nod we Hastings he was complicit perhaps not at first but when the tragedy struck he
accepted a bribe to keep silent Trent uncovered this he tried to use it to his Advantage poo side but blackmail monom is a dangerous game Graves gave a short laugh you think I killed him to keep him quiet I know you did poro said smoothly And Mera he let the name hang in the air he had proof as well did he not perhaps a ledger a letter whatever it was he became a threat and so you dealt with him as well silence Graves shook his head but I could see the stiffness in his shoulders PUO
knew it too you are a man of science Dr Graves PUO said quietly but you let your Emotions rule you the poison was careful the ice ax that was rage the doctor was very still PUO leaned forward his voice dropping to to a whisper you wanted revenge for your sister but you did not stop there you became the very thing you despised you became a killer Graves looked at PUO for a long moment then with slow deliberation he exhaled damn you he muttered poo straightened Hastings fetch the Constable Graves gave a short mirthless Laugh so
this is it then he leaned back in his chair and and what now PUO Justice PUO met his gaze unflinchingly Justice mure is not always found in a courtroom but it will find you nonetheless a crash of Thunder echoed through the manor as Graves was led away poo dusted his hands adjusting his cuffs and so Hastings we have our answer the storm had begun to wne the wind retreating into the night and in witam Hall the long stopped clock ticked Once more I frowned something still unsettled in my mind PUO had exposed Dr Graves as
the murderer yet one detail remained unanswered PUO there's something I still don't understand I said he turned to me expectant The Raven I continued the note three down who's next but by then all three murders had already taken place why would grave send such a thing it makes no sense poo smiled faintly no Hastings our murderer would not announce His intentions the note came from someone who suspected the truth but feared speaking it aloud I scanned the guests my eyes settled on Miss Genevie heartley her hands clenched in her lap you knew something PUO said
gently she swallowed hard I I wasn't certain but after Uncle Aller Victor Trent and merca were killed I felt the danger wasn't over I had no proof just a feeling but why a raven I asked she Hesitated Uncle Aller was superstitious he said Ravens were Omens I thought if I sent a message that seemed like a warning the killer might slip PUO nodded and indeed Dr Graves did he panicked moved too quickly but by then merca was already dead Miss Hartley gasped I I never meant you are not to blame Mademoiselle PUO reassured her you
sensed danger before it struck silence stretched across the room the storm outside fading I Exhaled and the Raven itself just coincidence PUO smiled coincidence is a rare Hast ings but the true warning came from Miss Hartley herself the guilty mind fears Shadows where none exist PUO adjusted his cuffs and so Hastings Justice is served our case is complete the grandfather clock chimed the last storm clouds drifted away leaving Wickham Hall behind with its long Kept Secrets thank you for tuning in to Cafe stories if you enjoyed the Intrigue and Suspense be sure to subscribe and
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