The fourth missing page found was stuck off the side of a bridge. With some inventive skills, they fixed up a fishing pole to snag it and bring it to them. Dupin was able to use his cane to knock another page out of a bird's nest. A sleeping cat was bribed with some milk to get the sixth page it was laying on. With half of the pages down, they continued their relentless search.
"The graveyard is next," he said calmly, as they walked.
"Of course," she agreed. He had forced himself to distance himself from her. He was trying to get back into his old routine with her, but it was hard. He liked holding her close. He wanted to put his arm around her again. I'm half-hoping for us to be encountered just to give me that very reason to do it! Clearing his throat, as though to remind himself of why he was truly there, he scanned his eyes over the area before him. When she pointed to a grave, he saw one of the pages in front of it.
"Seven down," he muttered and picked it up. A gust of wind suddenly shot through the graves and knocked off his hat. He scowled when it settled on the roof of a house. "What ill luck!"
"We can make a ladder," she said calmly. "I saw some boards and a rope not far from us."
"A rope ladder! Absolutely genius, my dear!" he smiled. She blushed softly, as she always had. He chuckled and paused at a familiar feeling he got on leaving the cemetery before. A feeling that something wanted more. Or, was it myself that wanted that? When he glanced over at her making the new rope ladder, he caught his breath. He put it all into perspective. She was something more. I want her to always be at my side.
At the sound of a soft, ghostly chuckle, he sighed. Did her past relations set me up with this? Did they know something that I didn't? The dead always did seem to know more.
"Detective Dupin?" she asked dutifully. She noticed him watching her.
"A moment, my dear. I need to rest these old bones for a bit. Keep working on that ladder," he ordered lightly. She nodded and continued to work. She had a few more boards to do. Deciding to meditate for a little bit, he was able to carefully sit himself down on the ground and set his cane close by. Taking a few deep breaths, he closed his eyes and cleared his mind.
"Can he hear us?!" a female ghost whispered.
"It's possible. Detective! If you can hear us, we want you to break this cycle. Get our descendant out of town! Do not delay! Once you get your answers, you MUST leave! If you don't, she will perish!" a male ghost seemed to shout at him to be heard.
"The others are bound here. Cursed as we are. Our town made an oath. A debt to be paid for all eternity. You need to take her and go!" another male voice shouted.
"If you fail to do this before dawn..." the female ghost whispered.
"You will both be trapped with us. Unable to leave..." the first male ghost seemed to say sorrowfully. "You paid us respects. None have done such in years. She is a good girl. Please...take care of her. She's all...we have left...to help us..."
When the voices faded off, he snapped his eyes open. He couldn't believe what he heard. He glanced over at Marjery. She was just finishing up the last of the ladder. She didn't hear anything at all. Why was that? Thinking hard, he nodded to himself and rose up to stretch. Using his cane a touch, he walked over to her. "Good job! I want my hat back. Damn that wind! We need to hurry. Dawn will be upon us soon enough. I don't want them to wake up to see what we are doing. I'm also hoping to be out of this town before that happens."
"I just finished it," she said and rose up with the ladder. He walked over to the house that held his top hat, and she managed to hook the top of the ladder around a sturdy post. She was able to climb it and retrieve it. She also found, much to her surprise, another page that was right next to it. He smiled at their luck, put his hat back on and they collected the ladder. Who knew when it would be needed again? When they neared some farmland, she seemed to pause. She sensed something.
"Marjery?" he asked lightly.
"This is Stanley's area. His home. We must tread carefully," she warned. "He has various alarms and triggers for thieves. I think that, if he really did destroy my diary, most of it would be here."
"We'll tread lightly," he agreed. She guided him through various vegetable gardens, a pasture for goats and a small section for berry bushes. "How do you know your way?"
"I didn't realize it at the time," she said in a soft whisper. "but he would bring me here to play with him at times. He also insisted that I hide my diary here. When I started to write it, that is."
"Would he read it?" he frowned.
"No. But, I'm sure he did after I left," she sighed. "I was right. There's the binding."
They found it at a base of a tree. The weak lock was easily snipped with a set of wire cutters to show the vandalism that was done. The other pages they needed were torn to pieces around it. It was likely that the wind did the same with the pages they found around town in blowing them around like his hat just a bit ago. He was just glad that the shredded pieces were all there. He studied the fine shreds and scowled softly. "We'll need some tape."
"I did bring some. But, it's at the hotel room in my luggage," she said.
"Then let's go," he nodded. When they got off the property to the main street, she took in a deep breath for control. He knew that feeling all too well.
"Not far now," she smiled.
"Good. And, just in case," he muttered. He finally slipped his arm around her and pulled her close. He had been longing to do just this, too. "Just stroll with me. Make it seem like you were showing me some of your old haunts. And I did like them."
"I'm glad you liked them," she said in a soft whisper. "I'm surprised that I remembered them."
"I am fairly sure that they'll look different in the daylight," he chuckled casually. She leaned into his frame, and he smiled down at her.
"I'm usually not accustomed to this," she admitted softly. "But...I fear it's growing on me."
"I must admit that I've made the same assessment," he said lightly. She looked at him with a blush, and he squeezed her gently.
"Do we still plan to go to the event tomorrow night?" she smiled. She was wisely avoiding what it was called. At the thought, he grinned softly.
"We may be able to make it. A detective's work is never done."
"That it isn't," she agreed.
"I did think over what your father said during supper," he muttered in a casual way in case anyone was listening in. "He did offer us a chance to move back here."
"You were thinking about it?" she asked.
"It's a very nice town! I'm sure that something could be arranged," he said a bit loudly. He was throwing them off. There was no way that I'd want to come back. He was going to heed the advice of the dead. He'd be a fool if he didn't. At the small wink he gave her, she caught on.
"I did miss this place," she nodded.
"That you did. But, we need to retire. It's much too late. Come, my dear. Let's go," he said, as he led her into the inn. She followed him dutifully. When they got to their room, he held her back. Their room door was kicked open. Narrowing his gaze, he took her by the hand and cautiously entered the room. Their belongings were all over the floor. The bed was overturned. Nothing was stolen, but he realized something. We were being looked for relentlessly.
"I was right...to stay away..." she trembled. "To keep us away..."
"Let's collect our things," he said calmly. "This isn't the first time it happened."
"No. It isn't," she agreed. As the room was set back to rights, they were able to piece their baggage back together. She found the tape they needed, and he had the newly cleaned off table set up to place the pieces on. They worked the scraps together and taped the last five pages up. She organized them and motioned for her lighter. Each page had a specific engraving that she did with a hard pencil. Finding the lines first with the flame, she took the pencil and carefully coated over them.
He saw the odd shapes and pondered over them. They looked like ancient runes. Now that they had the code, it was time to see to the library. He was sure that they could be watched. "You still have that rope ladder, my dear? It may be time to use it."
"Yes, Dupin," she nodded. He smiled softly at her with a nod. They were able to secure it and leave it where it was. They would have to get back into the room this way for their luggage. She was able to lead him to the library near the edge of town. At the simple steel lock, he frowned.
"We don't have a saw, do we?" he asked. "Or a file."
"Um...I gave you a key," she smiled. He blinked and laughed softly at his denseness. Taking out the small, steel key, he used it in the lock.
"So, this is the secret?" he smiled.
"Yes. In case something happened to me. You would learn the truth, at least," she said. "As well as clues to my whereabouts."
"I said that you weren't leaving my side. Didn't I?" he muttered and tossed the opened lock aside. "I won't give you up so easily."
"Thank you," she whispered.
"And thank you," he said gently. "Let's find out what we can. Then we need to leave."
"Oh?"
"It's important that we leave before dawn. Half of the night is gone now. Time is against us. We need to be swift," he said. At that, they entered the old building to learn its secrets.