Robert Douglas’ Will.P2
FROM THE BEGINNING:
(Essie/Whitney, Peter/Jordan, Phillip/Aaron, Jimmy/Graham, Richard/Jon)
0810, 18 April, departing Ottawa: where
we left off:
1.
Wednesday,
18 April, 1923, only 10 minutes airborne and climbing.
2.
Jimmy
and Peter are outside the airship, laying on the plank that leads to the
portside engine where they just witnessed a rigger fall from the line as it now
slaps free in the airstream.
3.
Riche
had stepped into the control cabin to confront the captain (and his aid) but
was rebuffed. “Lt Archer,
get that passenger out of my control room.” Riche retreated a few feet
to witness Essie’s (with knife drawn) confrontation with Lt. Donald Bambury
(radio operator).
4.
Essie
is at the opening to the radio room in “discussion” with Bambury.
5. Phillip finally got off his ass and also went forward to the Ward-Room and within sight of Essie.
Jimmy crawled back inside the airship, ticked off, “Why
couldn’t he hold on a little longer?!” He sought solitude to calm down. [failed
POW] Jimmy remembered a caged ladder he’d passed and thought to climb to be
alone. Meanwhile, Peter crawled back inside and took time to latch the
door before returning to the others. He was too late to see Jimmy climbing the
ladder. He didn’t hear Jimmy climbing because the compulsion to climb quickly wore off and Jimmy
stopped to assess his surroundings. Even though the area dimly lit, Jimmy could
make out the huge shape of the air bags that contained… what did they say… “each
filled with 10K cubic ft of combustible hydrogen gas.” But light above drew him
upwards as he climbed anyway, almost 200ft till he found a hatch that opened to
the top of the airship. He had no desire to get blown off the top of an airship
and thus retreated to the safety of the Saloon bar.
Phillip rushed toward the gondola cab in hopes of
convincing (intimidating) the captain to land. He reached the Ward-Room just in
time to witness… Essie drew her knife to threaten Lt Bambury, but he
caught her hand, “There’s no need for violence. I tell you, the man can’t hang
on for long.” Riche had accepted the Captain’s response as he reasoned
riggers were low-tier workers not worth the delay in flight schedule. But when
he saw Essie’s knife, excited by her actions, he drew his cane-sword to join
the threat. Bambury tried to reason, “You’ve been aboard since Boston; you’ve
seen how long it took to land in Montreal and Ottawa. Even if we wanted to, the
man couldn’t hold on for some 30-minutes. It’s the hazards of the job. He
should have known better and released the line.”
Essie pressed the matter, “Can’t you call back to the other
crewmembers and have one of them rescue the man? Reel him in or something? At
least confirm…” And that’s when Peter arrived, “He’s gone. We tried to reel him
in, but he slipped off the rope.” Essie kicked Bambury in the shin and stormed
off to collect her thoughts. She didn’t hear Bambury make a radio call back to
Ottawa to report the loss, “Yes, be advised one of your riggers held onto his
rope as we climbed. He fell to his death. You’ll need to hire a replacement
before we return.”
Essie sat at the dining table stewing. She absentmindedly
(per her mania) stuffed dinnerware knives and forks in her pocket before
pushing away from the table to go change in her sleeping berth. While smoking a
cigar, Peter watched her leave and knew better than to interfere. Let her cool
off. Riche sat at Peter’s table and ordered wine and newspaper to pass the time,
considering they still had 6+ hours till they reached Timmins. Peter joined in
the silence as he pulled out his journal and added notes and details of the
event. Phillip was just as pissed at the loss of life and ‘don’t give a shit’
attitude of the crew. He bounced from the lounge to the bar then back toward
his own berth where he ran into Essie coming out of her room. She proposed, “Care
to take a stroll with me? Check out this airship?”
Essie and Phillip were surprised by Jimmy’s late return, “Where
have you been?” He explained the caged ladder and meaningless climb, then
headed to the dining room. [failed Luck to find a single lady passenger] He
found a married couple who had boarded at Ottawa and joined their table for
light conversation to pass the time, “What can you tell me about Timmins?”
Friendly couple; the husband didn’t seem to notice Jimmy eyeing his wife and mostly
conversing with her. “Timmins? Known for gold mining, lumbermill, fruit
farming. Population- 6,000.” Peter leaned back in his chair, his back against
the wall like a true detective for best perspective, and watched his newest
partner work the couple for information. A sly smile creased his lips.
And that’s when Peter noticed the mousy man coming from the
berths, clutching a package to his chest. “Oh my, that was a bumpy liftoff. Knocked
me off my feet. Thank goodness my package secure. Wouldn’t want to break these telescope
lens I just bought. Peter invited him to his table, “I know a thing or two
about telescopes. Looked thru one once… and wished I hadn’t.” Martin Biller
spent the next few hours blathering about astronomy, “I live out on the lake. I’d
been lugging my heavy telescope up and down the mountain slopes, trying to get a
perfect spot for night viewing. Slipped a few too many times, I think I broke
the internal mirrors as the view has been occasionally distorted this past month.
My luck, it was just output from the new burner at the lumber mill. These
optics were very expensive!” Riche pondered why the man flew to Ottawa rather
than just mail order the things. Which made him suspicious of this Martin
fella. [Riche didn’t understand the airship’s cheap $40 pricing was cheaper
than mail ordering.]
Essie and Phillip pressed deeper into the airship, past the caged
ladder Jimmy mentioned, and past the corridor that led to the portside engine.
They poked their heads into the empty crew quarters and worked their way further
back towards the cargo area. Where they finally ran into more crewmembers, “Restricted
area, crew only. You must leave.” Dimly lit area but enough to see crates labeled
as generators or other equipment bound for the sawmills and mines of Timmins.
Timmins (arrive 3pm): At least Lt Bambury didn’t
hold a grudge and called ahead for a taxi for the group. He and other
crewmembers helped them exit the airship and unload their baggage. They settled
for the first hotel they came upon per Jimmy’s request, “Busy day. I need to
hit the sack.” Peter opened the phonebook and leafed thru the pages, “Bothnall’s
Law Firm. Here it is.” He dialed and got a secretary, “Please let Mr. Bothnall
know Mrs. Vance and her brother-in-law and friends are in town and will be
present for tomorrow’s reading of the will.”
They split up. Peter and Phillip took a late-night stroll
checking out the pubs and bars. [failed CON] It wasn’t long before Phillip was
drunk and thus tucked into bed early around 10pm. Meanwhile, Jimmy suddenly
found new energy when Riche mentioned checking into local gold mining
operations as an investment opportunity. Following Peter’s lead (he’d never
done this before as he had hired help for such things), he opened the phonebook
and looked up Mining Companies. He called, got an answer, and soon coordinated
a meetup, once he established his wealthy status. Essie tagged along to learn
about investing. Jimmy tagged along because he had his own investment ideas.
19 April, 9am: They arrived early at Charles Bothnall’s
office in the town center. The secretary instructed, “I need you to sign these
release forms. I have the Vances’ forms ready but I’ll need the rest of you to
fill out these blank forms.” Essie signed and quickly sought Ellen Douglas
already in the conference room to offer condolences and support. The others soon
entered to overhear the conversation after offering their condolences too. Ellen
continued, “He was a changed man, fear of heights, after his return from that
1921 polar expedition. Distraught, paranoid, hiding from someone or something. Then
August of last year (1922) he received a package. A week later he was gone.”
The lawyer, Charles Bothnall, finally entered with
his briefcase, “I’m glad you could join us. I understand our letter only
arrived days ago. Sorry for the slow Canadian mail service that caused you to
miss his funeral four days ago. It was a solemn gathering with little
attendance as Robert was a loner. I didn’t know the man till the day before his
death when he came in to write his will and left that sealed package. I think
that’s why the police suspected suicide.” Ellen burst into tears, “I could
see suicide with a gun or pills but not climbing a tree.”
Charles waited for emotions to settle before he pulled out the
will and began to read, “I Robert Douglas, of sound mind and body…bequeath all
my possessions to my wife Ellen. And to my best friend’s brother, Phillip Vance,
I leave this sealed package.” That was it. Awkward minutes till Charles
remembered and pulled the key from his briefcase and handed it to Ellen, “The
police found this cabin key in his pocket. Here’s the address: 132 Hawk Drive on Night Hawk
Lake.”
Jimmy tired of the morbid ceremony and silently rose to
leave. Peter overheard him calling for a taxi and slipped out to join him.
Jimmy tried to explain his need to get away, “That’s just not my thing. I’ve
seen enough in my line of work.” [opposed POW checks] Peter was persistent,
even as he began to feel a headache coming on, “You’re trying to ditch us aren’t
you?” Jimmy relented, “Fine. Just remember our pact is based on trust. Do what
I say else you’ll find yourself dumped on the curb.” They drove off east out of
town.
All remaining eyes were focused on Phillip and the string-bound
package on the table before him. Awkward minutes till Bothnall excused himself,
“Unless you need anything else, you have my number. Take your time.” Essie
tried to console Ellen, validate her feelings, “I know how stressful this is
for you as I too lost my husband. My friends happen to be Private
Investigations and other sleuths. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Ellen
stared at the package, “Well, aren’t you going to open it?!”
Phillip unwrapped the package and dumped its content on
the table. While others looked at the pictures, Phillip opened the folder that
contained a collection of news cuttings concerning a number of unsolved murders
across North and South America. He divvied them amongst the group as each read
about:
1.
Deaths described as decapitation; the head never
found.
2.
Bodies found in high places (roof-top, church
steeple, hill, cliff-top).
3. A list of 10 names and locations, each matching one of the news clippings.
Phillip began to wonder about Robert and asked Ellen, “I’m
sorry to ask, but was the funeral services open casket? Did Robert’s body still
have his head?” Ellen grabbed the box of tissues as she whimpered her answer, “It
was closed. The coroner’s report listed massive head trauma by impact from a
fall. Or suicidal jump as the police determined. But I tell you, last I saw
Robert, and his paranoia, climbing and heights were the last thing he’d willingly
do.”
[hard Credit Rating] Riche studied the one photo of men with
goggles on their foreheads, “I recognize that face. He was in the newspapers
when I arrived in America back in 1921. I don’t remember the details, but I
remember him as the philanthropist, Edward Chandler. Something about him
financing an expedition.” Essie studied the same photo and suddenly gasped, “That’s
him!” She pointed, “That’s Lt Bambury!!” Essie looked at the other picture with
most faces crossed out; only two unmarked, “This one here is Robert! Ellen, you
said he came back from a polar expedition. Do you recognize any of these names
on the death list? I think these 10 crossed-out faces are the listed dead. Do
you recognize this other unmarked face?”
Ellen found composure as she asked for the sealed letter
addressed to her late husband. Silence as she read the letter from someone
named Chester who apparently was on the same polar expedition. Chester the one
who collected all the contents of the package he’d forwarded to Robert as a
warning. Ellen pushed the letter for the others to read as she realized, “He
must have left to protect me from whatever these men feared.” All quickly
realized the other unmarked face of the riggers must be this Chester fella.
Meanwhile, Riche opened the book by William Shakespeare. The
inside page signed as owned by Donald Bambury. Dog-eared pages directed him to
various marked sonnets. [INT- regular] Riche’s educational upbringing included
study of famous French authors, so he was able to find reasoning within the highlighted
words. He remembered the letter from Chester saying the book arrived in the
mail, “If I was to guess, this Lt Bambury we meet on the airship is trying to
describe feelings of imprisonment…’being slave to someone else’s desires’… how
he longs for sleep/slumber if not death. Doesn’t make sense; the Bambury we
meet seemed normal. Well, except for his and the crews’ apathetic reaction to
the loss of that rigger.”
It was almost 2 hours at the table as they studied the contents before Jimmy and Peter returned and quickly caught up on the reveal. Jimmy apologized for his abrupt departure; he didn’t reveal his feelings of the matter boring but with a mystery before him, he now focused on the group effort to solve the case. Peter asked about the coroner’s report and got a copy from the lawyer.
The report included more details: pine needles found in clothing,
tree resin and bark found under his fingernails. All indications Robert DID
climb a tree. Whether he jumped or fell or thrown…
Noon: With key to the cabin handed over
by Ellen, they rented a car and rode out to the lake. Essie drove as Phillip
navigated [extreme] per the map he’d bought at the rental lot. The lake only 10
miles away but the drive included passage up and down mountains that bracketed
the lake. They soon arrived at the cabin set some 30 yards from the western
shore of the lake.
The Cabin: Essie headed straight for the
lakeshore with Riche following (drawn to her adventurous spirit and her storied
past of frightful encounters which he hoped for himself). Peter and Phillip
cased the outside of the cabin while Jimmy used the key to enter (first looking
through the windows to confirm it empty).
[hard Spot] Peter and Phillip found wooden shingles laying
on the eastern side of the cabin. The lack of moss implied they recently
dislodged. As Phillip backed up to get a better view of the roof, Phillip
climbed a tree close to the cabin and soon saw the line of missing shingles
that created a straight line to the peak of the roof. “Robert recently climbed on
his roof. For a man frightful of heights, what was he trying to spot?”
Essie and Riche studied the trees along the shore. [Spot:
Riche failed, Essie- extreme] “Over here.” Essie pointed out the broken
branches at the base of one particular tree, “These are recent breaks; see the resin
still pliable. And look at all the pine needles, as if Robert jarred the
branches above.” She gazed up the 20+ foot tall pine tree truck and noticed
missing bark in a line as if someone climbed. And that’s when Riche was
confronted by a woman in athletic gear, “This is private property. What are you
doing?” Riche tried to charm her with his French accent, “We are guests of the
family.” [failed Charm; tried to use his good looks: Appearance- failed] Essie stepped
in to take over the conversation, “I actually knew Robert Douglas and his wife
Ellen. We came from the reading of his will and have keys to the cabin. And
what concern is it to you?”
Jean Simpson apologized, “I head your car coming down
the hills while I was out jogging. I met Bob months ago when he moved in. Bob
never told his last name or married although I did notice his wedding ring. Quiet
and well-mannered man. Well, till months ago when he became withdrawn and
paranoid. Found him one dusk standing on his roof with a pair of goggles on. I
thought him sleepwalking the way I startled him as he quickly climbed down and
rushed into his cabin. I actually spoke with him the day before his death. He
was distracted and bleary-eyed, lack of sleep. Said there was a great pressure,
like a dark cloud, bearing down on him. The last thing he said to me, ‘Old
secrets; they always come back at you in the end’. I was called to identify his
body a fisherman found on the shore up near my cabin. I can show you later if
you give me time to shower.”
[Spot] Before they left, Essie found rocks along the
shoreline under the tree that still had dried blood on them. “This must be
where he landed headfirst. Was he trying to jump further out into the lake but
failed?”
As everyone entered the cabin, Jimmy was exiting the back bedroom with a photo in his hand. “The picture was knocked off his nightstand, the glass shattered. [Spot-regular] And I found this partially burnt address book in the fireplace. Apparently, Robert was trying to cover his tracks or protect that Chester fella."
"Lousy job of destroying evidence as here’s Chester
Whittle’s address back near Arkham (403 Lake Washington Blvd, Kingsport, MA).” None
were surprised at the picture of another airship named Bellinghausen associated
with the 1921 North Pole Expedition. The fact it also had a unique 8-fin tail
configuration was surprising, “A sister ship or just renamed?” They’d pieced
together enough evidence to associate the list of riggers as those of the list
of the dead. Riche recognized the name of another officer, “Lt Archer. The
captain of the Terra Nova directed another officer by that name to get us out
of the control cab.”
Jean’s Shoreline: Enough time had
passed to warrant a visit with the noisy neighbor Jean. “Yes, let me show you
where his body was found.” [Spot: extremes by Jimmy and Phillip] There wasn’t
anything particular about the shoreline spot. No bloody rocks like Essie had
found under the tree. But in the surf itself, stuck between rocks, Phillip
found a pocket watch with its glass cracked. The time stopped at 1:11 (am or pm
not known). Jimmy reached into the water and tugged at a pair of goggles with
its strap stuck on rocks. “Looks like the same goggles the officers wore in
that photo.” Jean recognized them, “He was wearing those when I found him atop
his roof. Bob said they make the obscure more apparent.”
Jimmy was putting them in his pocket when Peter asked to see
them and put them on. As if wearing glasses of the wrong prescription, he soon
began to get a headache. “Oddly tinted and manufactured in Germany by its
labeling. I would have thought them snow-goggles per the artic picture. These…
nothing apparent about them.” Jimmy put them in his pocket.
TO BE CONTINUED: https://wjr5oakley.blogspot.com/2023/03/robert-douglas-willp3-conclusion.html
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