Read Online Adduné - the Vampire's Game by Wendy Potocki - Free Book Online
Authors: Wendy Potocki
Ads: Link
quite. Oh, sir,” Figgs gasped, his eyes fluttering shut and blocking out the memories like blinds. “Over and over, the same dream. First, it’d whisper to me and tell me to come, and I’d come. I’d walk to Weatherly in my bedclothes with just a hammer in my hand. I’d enter the house and go straight downstairs – into the basement. That’s where it was. Hidden in some sort of tunnel.”
“ How peculiar! You had the identical dream?”
“ One in the same, sir.”
“ And did you ever see a coffin at Weatherly?”
“ No, sir, and I’ve been all over.”
“ And what about this tunnel? Did you ever attempt to find out if there is a secret passage downstairs? These old houses sometimes had escape routes.”
“ No, sir, I didn’t dare.”
“ Well, if the dream was that disturbing, I can’t say I blame you, but the hidden passage may well be where this intruder is entering.” Reginald placed his hands on his thigh ready to end the conversation. He thought Figgs had finished his story. “So is that it? You’d walk here and find a coffin in a tunnel?”
“ I wish it were all, sir. The rest is the hard part,” Figgs stopped and held his head in his hands. He ran his hands through the sides of his thinning, wiry white hair. Reginald watched it spring back into position. Figgs raised his head. There were fresh tears in his weary, bloodshot eyes. His face was quivering.
“ You don’t understand, sir! It gets to ya, having that dream – night after night. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, it got worse. I started having it in the day! Only it weren’t no dream! I was wide awake! I’d come here and hear my name and …” Figgs collapsed, gently banging a clenched fist down on the table.
There was an inner struggle going on. Reginald had seen it before in witnesses and clients alike. People had boundaries, and when a piece of knowledge crossed that inner boundary, they’d act like this. They’d be torn between keeping the secret safe or letting it out. Reginald tried to do what he could for Figgs to get it out. He knew it would help him in the long run.
“ Would you like some water, William?”
“ Yes, sir, I would.”
Reginald retrieved a glass from the cupboard and ran the tap until the water was cool. He filled it and brought it back to the table. He was giving Figgs some needed time to collect himself. It was a tactic he’d often used. He placed the glass in front of Figgs. He grabbed it and drained it in several desperate gulps. He ran the back of his hand over his mouth several times ridding it of moisture.
“ Thank you, sir. That was very kind of you indeed.”
“ You’re welcome, William.”
Figgs stared into the glass. It acted as a catalyst for him to tell Reginald the rest of his story. Figgs’ eyes remained on it – staring into it as if it could capture his dream and make it go away.
“ In the dream, I’d walk down this tunnel. I’d push this one stone to get to it. The stone would move and a tunnel would be there. It scared me even in the dream, but I heard my name being called and I had to follow. I’d walk into the tunnel and inside the tunnel was …” Figgs paused. Reginald could guess the rest.
“ The coffin?”
“ Yes, sir, it were right there.
“ And where was this entrance to the tunnel? Where in the basement?”
“ In the room where Mr. Perry keeps part of his collection, sir.”
Reginald knew where he meant. Arthur kept his 19 th century European collection downstairs. There had been no space for it upstairs. Strangely enough, that was the collection Miranda planned on sending to Fairfield. They would be heading down to that very room to tag the rest of Arthur’s collection as soon as lunch was over. Reginald tried to pull-up from memory exactly what the interior looked like. He didn’t remember any loose stones, but then he hadn’t gone
“ How peculiar! You had the identical dream?”
“ One in the same, sir.”
“ And did you ever see a coffin at Weatherly?”
“ No, sir, and I’ve been all over.”
“ And what about this tunnel? Did you ever attempt to find out if there is a secret passage downstairs? These old houses sometimes had escape routes.”
“ No, sir, I didn’t dare.”
“ Well, if the dream was that disturbing, I can’t say I blame you, but the hidden passage may well be where this intruder is entering.” Reginald placed his hands on his thigh ready to end the conversation. He thought Figgs had finished his story. “So is that it? You’d walk here and find a coffin in a tunnel?”
“ I wish it were all, sir. The rest is the hard part,” Figgs stopped and held his head in his hands. He ran his hands through the sides of his thinning, wiry white hair. Reginald watched it spring back into position. Figgs raised his head. There were fresh tears in his weary, bloodshot eyes. His face was quivering.
“ You don’t understand, sir! It gets to ya, having that dream – night after night. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, it got worse. I started having it in the day! Only it weren’t no dream! I was wide awake! I’d come here and hear my name and …” Figgs collapsed, gently banging a clenched fist down on the table.
There was an inner struggle going on. Reginald had seen it before in witnesses and clients alike. People had boundaries, and when a piece of knowledge crossed that inner boundary, they’d act like this. They’d be torn between keeping the secret safe or letting it out. Reginald tried to do what he could for Figgs to get it out. He knew it would help him in the long run.
“ Would you like some water, William?”
“ Yes, sir, I would.”
Reginald retrieved a glass from the cupboard and ran the tap until the water was cool. He filled it and brought it back to the table. He was giving Figgs some needed time to collect himself. It was a tactic he’d often used. He placed the glass in front of Figgs. He grabbed it and drained it in several desperate gulps. He ran the back of his hand over his mouth several times ridding it of moisture.
“ Thank you, sir. That was very kind of you indeed.”
“ You’re welcome, William.”
Figgs stared into the glass. It acted as a catalyst for him to tell Reginald the rest of his story. Figgs’ eyes remained on it – staring into it as if it could capture his dream and make it go away.
“ In the dream, I’d walk down this tunnel. I’d push this one stone to get to it. The stone would move and a tunnel would be there. It scared me even in the dream, but I heard my name being called and I had to follow. I’d walk into the tunnel and inside the tunnel was …” Figgs paused. Reginald could guess the rest.
“ The coffin?”
“ Yes, sir, it were right there.
“ And where was this entrance to the tunnel? Where in the basement?”
“ In the room where Mr. Perry keeps part of his collection, sir.”
Reginald knew where he meant. Arthur kept his 19 th century European collection downstairs. There had been no space for it upstairs. Strangely enough, that was the collection Miranda planned on sending to Fairfield. They would be heading down to that very room to tag the rest of Arthur’s collection as soon as lunch was over. Reginald tried to pull-up from memory exactly what the interior looked like. He didn’t remember any loose stones, but then he hadn’t gone
Similar Books
