The Lurker in the Dark Chapter 1: Part I, a misc. games fanfic

The Lurker in the Dark

By Triptych

Man doth not yield himself to the angels, nor unto death utterly,

Save only through the weakness of his feeble will.

-Joseph Glanvill

It is quite certain that everyone will tell you that they have met at least one remarkable person in their life. Most people will answer that it may be one of their relatives, such as a cherished uncle, maternal grandmother or wise father. Others may even say that the most remarkable people that they have met are politicians, celebrities and other famous people. Yet a small minority of people may answer you in a quite unexpected way, that the individuals who they have experienced and judged as remarkable are people just like you and me. These types of remarkable individuals are not famous or related to them, but are rather eccentric in some ways.

I must therefore relate to you how I have met such a person as well as the horrific events that had unfolded from the course of this meeting. You must take great care that the tale I am about to tell you might be quite uncanny in regards to what I have to say about the supernatural and of things that should never be discussed, but I trust that you read this tale with an open mind.

First of all, I must tell you that I have never been a believer in ghosts or vampires and of other things in which relates to the world of the dead. I was raised in a secular family and had quite a normal boyhood. Although horror movies had fascinated me as a child I gradually outgrew these diversions and focused my life's energies unto the real world. Women, food, money; it was these things that occupied my time and I had no other cares in the world.

My thirst for the thrills of the real world made me choose law enforcement as an occupation. I served with the Los Angeles Police department for seven years, gradually rising from uniformed patrolman to a detective in the homicide division. For awhile I had an utter sense of satisfaction with my work until my inevitable spirit of adventurism drove me to resign from the Department and pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a private investigator.

Another reason why I had decided on this new course of career at that stage in my life was that my mother had passed away and her will had bequeathed me the ancestral home of my family in Arkham, Massachusetts. I did not want to sell the old mansion for the one promise my mother asked of me was that the house would never leave the guardianship of the family. It must forever belong to someone of our blood. My early childhood memories were spent in that house and I had decided upon keeping it. It was an old house, with over ten bedrooms on the second story and had grounds in which I played with my two brothers across old gardens and gazebos. That house carried pleasant memories for me and I had decided to move back there since I no longer wished to stay on the West Coast.

And so for the next two years I had moved back to Arkham and set up my business as that of a private detective. Most of the cases that I was involved with were pretty mundane: divorces and extramarital affairs took most of my time. From jealous wives to suspecting husbands, they would come into my office and ask me to place their spouses or lovers under surveillance to see if they had been cheated upon. With no better excuse other than the money I was making, I decided to pursue this type of career until I planned to retire in the next twenty odd years or so. That was my plan of course, until the day that Mr. Valdemar came into my office asking for an appointment.

Mr. Valdemar was a thin, spectacled man with a small mustache. If he were not a potential client of mine, I would have dismissed him as a weasel; he had the look of it. Valdemar came into the office and after exchanging some pleasantries with me, sat down on the guest chair.

"Mr. Marlowe, you are a private investigator, yes?" He asked.

"That's what it says on the sign outside." I replied smugly. He didn't seem so smart.

"Oh yes, I am sorry for asking the obvious." He adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. "Mrs. Rourke had told me that you were the proper person to help me with my little problem. She said that you were dependable and discreet when you handled her affair."

"Oh yes, Mrs. Rourke. How is she doing by the way?"

"She is quite better now, thank you. After that nasty little spat with her late husband's lover, she is finally free of her conscience as we say. She thanks you once again."

"You may tell her she is welcome the next time you see her. Now, what can I do for you Mr. Valdemar?" I was eager to get this going.

"Ah yes, now we get to the point. I must tell you a little bit about myself first, Mr. Marlowe."

"Please, call me Ace. All my friends and clients do." I answered.

"Ace, what a terrific nickname. All right. I am a sort of semi-retired man Ace, what I do nowadays is mostly buying properties and either renting them out or selling them. There is one property that I have recently purchased several weeks ago and I would like you to check it out. It's called the Corbitt house, along Hill Street." Valdemar then paused and waited for the effect.

He got me. "Ah, the Corbitt house."

"Yes, I am quite sure you are aware of that nasty little incident."

"Oh yes, who hasn't? It was all over the news several weeks ago. A family of four moves into an old house and then both parents become committed into an insane asylum a year later. Both claimed that the house is haunted." I recalled.

"Yes, that is the story. Well, it so happens that I had recently purchased the property from the previous owner due to the fact that it was a terrific bargain to begin with. What I need is someone to investigate it and put the rumors of this house being haunted to rest."

"Mr. Valdemar, I'm a private investigator. Most of my caseload involves divorces and affairs. Are you quite sure that I am the person for this?"

Valdemar smiled as he adjusted his glasses. "I really can't think of any other professional that would be able to help me, Mr. Marlowe. There isn't a listing for ghost hunter on the telephone directory now is there?"

"Quite right. I may have to clear the other cases on my desk for this."

" I am prepared to pay you your usual fee plus a bonus once you've checked it all out, Ace."

"Very well, you have me. Tell me, have you spent any time in that house?"

"Other than looking at it a few weeks ago, no."

"Let me ask you one last question, why is it called the Corbitt house?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, Mr. Marlowe." Valdemar answered.

"Fair enough. Let me get to work then."