Dark Season: The Complete Third Series (All 8 books) (59 page)

As I get to his side, I see what he's looking at: it appears to be the foundations of an old house. Laid out before us, six large beams are sticking up from the ground. It's not much, but the only logical explanation is that at some point in the past there was a dwelling here. A dwelling isn't exactly a whole town, but it's still more than I thought we'd find, and it should be enough to boost Bill's confidence. I guess this trip won't be a waste of time after all.

"This isn't on any maps," Bill says, turning to me. I can see the excitement in his eyes. This is the kind of thing he lives for: discovering things that no-one else knew about, and digging up the secrets of the past. These past few years stuck behind a desk at the university, and then recovering in hospital from his accident, have left him drained of enthusiasm. Finally, and slowly, the old Bill - the man I fell in love with, the man I married, the man I hoped to have children with some day - seems to be coming back to me. I should be happy.

"It doesn't mean there was a town here," I point out, trying to manage his expectations. Damn it, sometimes I feel like a mother who's trying to look after a wayward child. "Maybe someone just built a smallholding, tried to live off the land, and then gave up. You can't take these foundations and extrapolate a whole community". I look about at the forest that surrounds us. "I don't see signs of any other buildings in the area".

"The actual town's another mile or two to the north," Bill replies. "This must have been an outlier. People lived here, Paula. They probably built this house with there bare hands. This is part of American history that none of us have ever seen before. This is the American Dream. These foundations have laid undisturbed for decades, maybe even a century or more. Aren't you excited? This is literally new history being unearthed".

"I'm very excited," I say, though I immediately realize that I'm a terrible actress. I don't sound excited at all. I sound bored.

"We need to get going," Bill says, standing up and hurrying back to the truck. "There might be a whole town to explore!"

Sighing, I get to my feet and follow him. It's not that I'm disinterested in the prospect of discovering the remains of an entire town. It's just that I'm not sure how much we can determine about the place from a bunch of ruined foundations. It's not like we're going to find too much left behind, not if the whole place has been covered by snow and soil for almost a century. Still, I have to keep my cynical side in check for now. This trip is about Bill.

"Think about what we might find out here," Bill says as we get back into the truck.

"My husband, the romantic," I say wryly.

"Everyone needs to be passionate about something," he says. "Come on, Paula. Get with the program".

Reluctant to say anything that might burst his bubble, I decide not to argue. Instead, I fire up the truck and we head off along the dirt road. For mile after mile we see nothing ahead of us but the dirt road lined on either side by pine trees. I start to worry that Bill's hopes of finding an abandoned town are going to be dashed. Just as I'm ready to give up, however, I spot something in the distance.

"You see that?" I ask.

He stares at the map for a moment. "It's not marked down here," he says. "It could be the ruins we saw on the satellite image".

I smile nervously. As we drive closer and closer, it becomes clear that whatever we've found, it's more than just a set of ruins. The trees have been cut back and there are whole buildings left standing, arranged in what looks to be two contra-parallel streets. Whatever this place used to be, it was clearly never a big town, but it was a town, with stores and houses. I park the truck right next to the closest building, and Bill immediately climbs out and takes a few steps toward the town before turning to me. He looks awestruck, as if he never expected to find anything so stunning. It's a small town. It must have been hidden by snow and dust for close to a century before a shift in the local conditions uncovered it. There are no historical records of the place, no firm mentions in any old books or letters. It's as if the place has just cropped up from nowhere: a hundred-year-old ghost town, ruined and abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

"This must be it," Bill says, grinning. He turns to me. "This must be Devil's Briar".

Chapter Two

1925.

Lawrence was a good boy. Really, Lord, he was. Such a good boy, which makes whole this business all the more unpleasant and regrettable. He might have made a few mistakes under pressure, but in general he was a good, honest boy who had time and a happy smile for everyone. His one flaw was the ladies. Oh, how Lawrence's head could be turned by a pretty girl. I understand how the temptation of the flesh can turn a man's head, Lord, but for Lawrence it was almost impossible to ignore the arrival of a new woman in town. He'd become besotted, some might even say obsessed. I know he tried to fight his urges, and I know he prayed and prayed to you until his knees were sore, but something in that boy was unable to summon up the necessary strength. And so he sinned.

May the Lord have mercy on his soul.

"Mayor Caster?" calls out a meek voice at the door, accompanied by a faint knock. "May I enter?"

Opening my eyes, I sit up straight and pause for a moment to compose myself. "Come in, Adelaide," I say eventually.

"Good afternoon, Mayor Caster," Adelaide says as she steps into the room. A quiet, mousy woman of late middle age, Adelaide is so timid she can barely even make eye contact with me. I believe it must be my masculinity that frightens her; it's understandable, really, that such a delicate woman would be overcome by my strong, powerful presence. "I was asked to tell you that a man has arrived at the hotel and has been asking after you, "she continues. "Henry said you ought to know".

"A man?" I say, frowning.

She nods, glancing briefly at me before looking back down at the floor. "He arrived this morning. A tall man, wearing black. He told Henry he plans to come and introduce himself to you later today, and Henry thought you really should be forewarned. Henry thinks there's something unsettling about the man".

I take a deep breath. "Henry should be careful to judge others," I tell her. "After all, Henry is certainly not without his own flaws".

"Yes," she says quickly.

"Tell me, has this man done anything to offend anyone?"

"No," she says.

"Has he said anything untoward or ungodly?"

"I don't believe so," she says.

"Is there something objectionable about his character, or about his business? Does he smell bad?"

She shakes her head.

"Then what business does Henry have in condemning this man?" I wait for Adelaide to answer, even though I know she won't say anything. I don't know if she has the mental fortitude to form opinions of her own; if she does, she keeps them to herself. "Henry should focus on his own business before he starts criticizing the lives of others. I'm sure the stranger would be more than capable of finding my office without help, but perhaps on this occasion I shall make an effort to come and seek him out myself". Rising from my chair, I walk slowly over to the door. and take my walking cane from the rack "Come and show me this man," I tell Adelaide, "but first, will you join me in a prayer for poor Lawrence?"

"Poor..." she starts to say, looking puzzled. "Of course".

"Kneel," I tell her.

Slowly getting down on her knees, Adelaide clasps her hands before her face and closes her eyes.

"Dear Lord," I begin, "we beg your mercy for the soul of our dear comrade Lawrence Evans, that he might be forgiven by his fellow men. We implore you to give him the strength necessary to face his current struggles, and we ask that you give us the same strength and enable us to ignore the pleasures of the flesh. Amen".

"Amen," Adelaide whispers.

"Now get up," I say. "I'm a busy man".

Having dressed for the street in my finest fur coat, I lead Adelaide out of the building and pause to take a long, deep breath of air. It's a slow day in Devil's Briar, with just a few of the townspeople going about their business. The shops are all open, though, and the commerce of the town seems to be rumbling along at an acceptable pace. Striking out across the wide, open square toward the hotel, I greet several passersby and - in turn - I am greeted warmly. It has taken me some years to establish myself as Mayor of Devil's Briar, but in that time I have earned the respect of most of my fellow citizens. Whenever I am out and about on official business, I feel that I am doing good work. In these troubled times, when people worry about sin and evil, I have the added responsibility of providing guidance and moral authority. Fortunately, these needs fall within my natural abilities.

"Good morning, Henry," I say as I enter the foyer of the hotel, with Adelaide scuttling along behind me. "I understand we have a visitor in our midst".

"We do indeed," Henry replies sourly. Standing behind the reception desk, he makes little effort to disguise his dislike of my person. "The gentleman is through in the bar at this very moment".

"In the bar?" I reply, a little shocked. "I do hope he is not -"

"Of course not," Henry says with a calculated smile. "He is merely taking tea with his companion".

"He has a companion?" I ask.

Henry nods.

"You didn't tell me about a companion," I say, turning to Adelaide.

"I wasn't aware of any companion," she replies, looking scared. "I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

I sigh. "You must ensure you have all the facts before you come tittle-tattling to me in future. Otherwise, you risk setting me up to look like a fool, and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

She shakes her head.

"Very well," I say. "You can go on your way". Turning, I walk toward the bar, pausing at the door to ensure that my tie is straight. It's a rare pleasure to welcome visitors to Devil's Briar, and I feel it's my duty to greet every new arrival personally, no matter how brief their time here with us might be. I consider myself to be the public face of the community, and I hope to set the tone and ensure that outsiders not only feel welcomed, but also understand that they are to treat our little town with the respect and courtesy that we deserve. Finally, taking a deep breath, I walk through the door and enter the bar, which is empty apart from a figure sitting over by the window.

"Good morning!" I say, grinning as I approach the visitor. "My name is Albert Caster, Mayor of Devil's Briar. I most humbly welcome you to our little town!"

"Good morning, Mayor Caster," says the man, getting to his feet and extending a hand. He's a fairly young fellow, with dark, brooding eyes but an easy smile. He's well-dressed, and he has about him the air of someone who has a considerable fortune. He is, I imagine, the kind of man who might appeal to the ladies. "My name is Thomas Paternoster," he continues, "and I must apologize for not having come at once to introduce myself to you in person at your office. I'm afraid I was quite exhausted after the long journey, and I felt the need to take a brief refreshment before imposing upon your time. I hope you'll understand".

"Please," I say, shaking his hand, "don't apologize".

"Will you join me?" he asks, indicating an empty chair.

"I would be honored," I reply, taking a seat just as Henry enters the bar. "Bring me a tea," I say, and Henry heads through to the kitchen. I carefully lean my walking cane against the wall. "I believe," I say, smiling at Mr. Paternoster, "that I was told you have a companion with you?"

"Yes," he says. "A young lady. My niece, in fact. She lost her parents in a fire when she was younger, and I have been looking after her ever since. She's a lovely girl, very obedient. Very God-fearing, and very intelligent. She's currently up in my room, unpacking my belongings, but she'll be down shortly and I'm sure you'll be charmed by her. I'm afraid she's one of those girls who seems to attract the attention of gentlemen. Through no fault of her own, it can be quite a struggle ensuring that she remains chaste until I can find her a suitable husband".

"I'm sure," I reply. "Might I ask what business has brought you to our fair town?"

"A matter of some delicacy," he says, sipping from his tea. "In fact, I was hoping to get a moment with you this afternoon in order to discuss a matter of great importance".

"I should be only too happy to listen to anything you have to say," I reply, as Henry brings over a pot of tea and sets it in front of me, along with a cup. I wait until he has left the room before I continue speaking. "I run a very informal office, Mr. Paternoster. Some men prefer formality, but I find it stiffens the soul. I prefer to speak freely, and I like others to tell me what's on their mind. I trust you'll find I'm a most amenable -"

"Devil's Briar is dying," Paternoster says suddenly.

I stare at him. "I beg your pardon?" I say after a moment.

"It was evident from the moment I arrived," he continues. "The whole town is in a terminal decline. You have no industry to speak of, you have no trade routes, no reason to exist at all. Forgive me for being frank, Mayor Caster, but how much longer do you foresee Devil's Briar remaining a viable community? Ten, perhaps fifteen years?" He sips from his tea. "As I walked from the edge of town to this hotel, I passed twenty-seven people in the street, and not one of them had any vitality. It was like seeing dead-eyed corpses wandering from door to door. Few of the people I saw were young, and few had any passion in their eyes. Devil's Briar has the unstirred atmosphere of a ghost town. It's as if the people here have given up on life".