CLAIREMBER 2022
Day 20 - Ashford

Moss blanketed the old statue, but just enough of it remained exposed for Claire to know this was it.

A twig snapped. Claire redirected the flashlight as a raccoon dashed into the bushes. She sighed.

Thank God.

Count Wilshire had been adamant that she wasn't welcome on his property. But as long as he stayed in his nice, big mansion, which he'd bulldozed the Ashfords' old manor to build, everything would be fine.

I hope so, anyway.

Kneeling, she brushed away the grime caked to the plaque. It read:

VERONICA
First Countess Ashford

Claire checked around the statue's base, brushing away more grime as she went, but found no place for three gems.

The statue held out cupped hands as though they were meant to hold something. Moss hung in pious sleeves from the arms.

Claire grabbed one and hoisted herself up. She yanked off the moss.

The statue was already holding something: a stone replica of Veronica's teacup, which held dirty old rainwater and a couple of last fall's leaves, but that was all.

Wait a minute…

Claire shone the light on the hands. Veronica wore a ring with a socket just big enough to fit a gem.

Claire dug out the three gems, all hewn from jasper, out of her jacket pocket. She placed the blue one in the ring socket. The gem clicked into place, then the statue began to vibrate.

Claire jumped to the ground. After a moment, the statue stilled. She climbed it again. She cleared away the moss blanketing Veronica's throat to find a socket where a choker would fit her neck. She popped in the red gem.

The statue vibrated again, but this time, she hung on. She yanked the moss off Veronica's face and nearly fell.

Same beautiful face. Same sweet eyes. Same delicate smile.

Veronica looked exactly like Alexia – insane, sadistic Alexia who had once tried to kill Claire.

She couldn't say why, but the idea of touching Veronica's face scared and sickened her. She had to, though, so she forced herself to feel about until she found the socket for the final gem. It was on Veronica's earlobe, where a dangly earring would hang. Into this socket she plugged the green gem.

Now the statue wasn't just vibrating – it was rumbling. It began crawling forward. Claire clung to the statue until it moved no more and the night was again silent.

Once she was back on the ground, she shone the flashlight where the shadow had stood. Now there was a massive hole. Cracked marble steps, carpeted by rotting velvet, led down.

The flashlight flickered and went out. She smacked it. It flickered again and died. Sighing, she snapped her lighter and carefully descended the stairs.

She came to a stone altar of some sort that was built into the secret room's back wall. A rusted candelabra rested upon the dark altar. She lit all three dusty candles, held up the candelabra, and almost dropped it.

Veronica Ashford – the Veronica Ashford!

The body was suspended behind glass above the altar. Dried flowers wreathed the body, which was pinned to a decaying backboard. The skin had yellowed and hardened like old wax. Long, blond hair flaked from the skull like dead grass from its mound. The thing would have looked like it was sleeping if it hadn't resembled an oversized, ghoulish doll.

The hands caught Claire's eyes. They were folded as though in prayer.

Or they're hiding something.

She pried at the glass. It wouldn't budge. Fixing the candles to the floor, she swung the candelabra into the glass. It shattered, and Veronica Ashford tumbled into Claire.

Flipping the body, Claire yanked apart the hands. A trinket fell free. She held it up to the candlelight.

It was a dragonfly fashioned out of silver and gold, with twin emeralds for eyes and opal pieces making up its gossamer wings.

This is it! Now to get back to the old Antarctic base and unlock that door to the vault.

She pocketed the dragonfly and looked at the body. Part of her wanted badly to burn it, but what would that accomplish? Veronica wasn't responsible for the atrocities her descendants had committed.

Yanking the velvet free from the stairs, Claire refolded Veronica's hands and covered her. Then she removed all three gems and watched as the statue slid back into place.

She'd let Veronica Ashford rest in peace.

Now to get the cure for the T-Veronica virus that Alexia wrote about in her research papers.