Read Online Goat Mother and Others: The Collected Mythos Fiction of Pierre Comtois by Pierre V. Comtois, Charlie Krank, Nick Nacario - Free Book Online Page B

now.”
    “Oh…well, okay. But what was it that my uncle was to give to you in return? One of these statues or a book….I can tell you he left very little money in his accounts.”
    Shuri smiled. “All in good times.”
    Now Darlene was worried. It didn’t sound as if Shuri intended to leave any time soon, and the last thing she wanted was to have to entertain him indefinitely.
    “Well, as much as I understand the unexpected circumstances of your arrival and the problems they might make to your travel plans, Mr. Shuri, I feel it is my obligation to tell you that I have no plan to remain in Dunwich. As a matter of fact, I had intended to leave for New York as soon as possible.”
    “And I have no desire to hinder your departure,” Shuri soothed. “As a matter of fact, it is my intention to leave soon also. Tomorrow, I hope. Will that be suitables?”
    “That would be fine,” said Darlene, relieved.
    “Well, then, if I may be shown to my room?” Shuri said, getting up.

    Later in the evening, Darlene found herself in her uncle’s study, a small room at the back of the house that had once been what folks used to call a mud room. Windows all around allowed-in plenty of sunlight during the day and cool breezes on hot nights. She had already gone through the desk, and found little to explain where her uncle’s money had gone to, or why he’d decided to pay her way through college when it seemed he may have had so little. There were, however, lots of odds and ends: correspondence to antiquarians and scientists around the country, bills of sale for books and art objects, even a notebook that her uncle obviously used to record what he learned about Dunwich history. But nothing about her, or the family they both had shared.
    Suddenly, the telephone resting on the desk buzzed and she picked it up.
    “Cobb residence.”
    “Darlene?”
    “Bill!”
    “You don’t sound happy to hear from me.”
    “I’m neither happy nor unhappy. How’d you get this number?”
    “That doesn’t matter, I’m calling to find out if you’ve had a change of heart.”
    Darlene sighed. “I…no, I haven’t had time to even think about it.”
    “Well, I’ve decided not give up on you yet. I can be a pretty persistent guy when I want to.”
    “That’s fine, Bill, but if you’re going to be obnoxious about it, then forget it.”
    “I’ll take that response as a positive one, then.”
    “Take it any way you want to but right now I have to say good night.”
    Darlene returned the receiver to its cradle…
The nerve of Bill calling me here
…then noticed that the message indicator light on the telephone was blinking. Pressing the replay button, she waited a few seconds before the first message came on. There were a number of them, most inconsequential, and one even featured the voice of her uncle talking to a travel agent. Listening, she learned that her uncle had made all the arrangements for Shuri’s visit as well as paying for his trip. No wonder he had no money left in his accounts!
    But the real surprise followed with the final recording. It happened when her uncle apparently waited too long to answer the telephone and the following conversation was automatically recorded by the answering machine.
    “…are much eager to make transaction,” said a voice whose accent was similar to Shuri’s.
    “No less than I am,” replied her uncle. “Is the book complete?”
    “Yes,” said the person on the other end of the line. “Many of my peoples work on different parts of book according to different knowledges. Then a translation must be made from Elder Tongue to Inglaise…English…but be warned…much knowledges secret, untold, until puts in book. Must be kept secrets lest the High Lama of Leng learn of it. Many years has my peoples kept work secrets. Must not be careless now.”
    “I realize that and agree with you completely regarding the need for secrecy,” replied her uncle. “I have been preparing for this trade for