Early October in Arkham

 

The Miskatonic Valley northwest of Arkham

Pollack, Jeremiah, Baker, MacNamara, Alter, and Lake returned to Arkham on the late afternoon of Tuesday, September 13. They were all in need of rest, and in certain cases, recuperation. Fortunately, circumstances allowed for a couple of uneventful weeks, although the intrepid investigators were kept busy.

Jules Pollack was happily still going through boxes of goods brought up to Arkham with the MacNamara Expedition. It was good to back in the store and to sleep in his own bed. Mrs. O'Flaherty was still a gem, and both the store and the living questers were kept in ship-shape. The Mexican and Caribbean items from as far back as the early 1600s were selling like hotcakes, and all seemed good. However, on the morning of Friday, October 2, a beaming Burlington Jones came into Pollack's office. He was carrying a sealed envelope. "Mr. Pollack, I am handing in my resignation, I'm afraid. You are a great employer, and I have really enjoyed my time in Arkham, but it is time to move on. I am moving to Washington to start a position with the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Jules Pollack was flabbergasted. "But, my boy, what shall I do? I do, of course wish you the best of luck, but you will be sorely missed."

Felix Jeremiah had also made some profit from the MacNamara Expedition, mainly by taking percentages of some of the deals he helped haggle for Pollack. He and Alter were renting a room each above Lakeview Books, and there was plenty to do, including some odd jobs as a bicycle messenger and general busybody.  Edgar was recovering from the excursion to Rochester, and it was better for him to have the apartment to himself for a bit. Arkham was incredibly quaint to the urbanite Jeremiah, but boy, there seemed to be some weird stories going around, and quite a few of them centered around MacNamara and Pollack in particular.

Franz Alter was debating. He had two alternatives for his future pharmacy. One being the former Blackwood's on West Armitage Street, just across from Richard's Bakery, provided a central location, but the space was just a bit smaller than he had envisioned. The ceiling height was amazing, though.

The other location was on West Hight Street, across from the Uptown Park. It was a bit off the beaten path, although the storefront was nice. The plumbing was, however, sub-par. Decisions, decisions...

Howard Lake had been left in the caring hands of his mother Melissa. Howard's sister, Violet, set up a schedule with Dr. Henrietta Queeg. Queeg, who had previously treated, amongst others, Moira Baker, assured Mrs. and Ms. Lake that he would be well taken care of, and after a couple of weeks he seemed to be on the mend.

Violet Lake

Moira Baker realized that she was back in Arkham just as the Fall semester started. She spent some time together with Mackie and at the registrar's office, but she was uncertain what courses to take. Actually, she even had the option to enter a M.D. program at the Miskatonic University Medical School, but also had enough acumen to get her accepted into most programs, with the exception of the Miskatonic School of Economics.

Mackie MacNamara enjoyed working from her home office while Karen spent time in her small coop. There was still quite a bit of follow-up work from the MacNamara Expedition, and she gave interviews to several journalists from all over the country. On Friday, October 2, Fall really seemed to be starting in earnest. The doorbell rang at exactly 9 a.m., and although Mackie wasn't expecting any visitors, she decided to open the door nevertheless, something she wasn't necessarily in the habit of doing. She was quite surprised to see Special Agents Smith and Jones on her front porch. "Dr. MacNamara, we have some questions."

  

Driving back from Rochester

“Why do we always end up in these wretched situations?” Jules Pollack broke the silence as he spoke to his friends in the crowded car heading down from Rochester and the Blackwood cabin. They were all worse for wear, with injuries mixing with dirt and grime from their ordeal in the old cellar. Lake was sleeping, having been sedated by Franz Alter after Moira Baker tended to his wounds. Mackie MacNamara was awake, but in no pain despite her arms being doused with lye through the misguided efforts of Franz Alter. Short sleeves would really not be an option in the future. The mysterious ring that was found in the cellar was now on Howard Lake’s right ring finger, and that had made whatever horror they had been facing disappear. So, Lake’s mother’s family had some 18^th century forefather that bound malign forces to cabins in New York State? Jeez…   

Jules Pollack continued, despite the deafening silence in the car. “Ok, let us get back to that lawyer, Joseph Klein, provide him with the evidence that Howard’s uncle Arthur Blackwood didn’t kill his wife, bid our adieus, clean up at the Waldorf, and then take a nice train trip back to Arkham and one of Mrs. O’Flaherty’s legendary dinners? Let's have Klein deal with Harvey Dent, that NYC prosecutor who was after ole' uncle Arthur.” Moira nodded slowly, while Felix just shrugged. Franz Alter was looking out through the window, and he was methodically reviewing some of the spots he had reconnoitered for a pharmacy. His mother would be ok, he told himself. After all, she had the cat.

Joseph Klein

Karen had finally calmed down, and Mackie was leaning over the cage. She would worry about her job and her future later, after a nap. The MacNamara Expedition was still weighing her down, and she kept on going over what could have been done differently over and over again. Perhaps she’d just devote her remaining career to quiet research and publishing before… she was out as a light before she could complete her thoughts.

The Blackwood cabin

Jules Pollack looked at the dormant figure of Howard Lake through the rearview mirror. He remembered the dashing young antiquarian that he had met on the train to Los Angeles, where he was to purchase a book for his bookstore, Lakeview Books. The original store had been destroyed by that automaton that had chased Howard Lake due to something that might take place in the future, in 1929. Fortunately, Lake’s mother, Melissa, and sister, Violet, were not in the store when it blew up, and a new Lakeview Books had since opened. Lake really didn’t look all that dashing now, but Jules hoped that perhaps the psychiatric skills of Dr. Henrietta Queeg might help him get a grip and return to a semblance of normality. Funny, though, this entire story about Mrs. Lake’s brother Arthur and their heritage…  

The cellar below the Blackwood cabin

Tentacles in the cellar