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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 3142301" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Ninety-seven, “Deja Vu”, Thursday June 8th , 1882, 7:45 A.M. Chester shouts, "Eddie! Where are you? Can you hear me?" He looks at Minerva, "Can you ask the goddess to find him?"  The rock says, "I'm right here," in Eddie's voice. He then walks back out from inside the rock. He gestures and says, "It's not real, just an illusion of some sort. There's a cave here. That's why the horse tracks stop, they went inside. Right now it's dark in there though. I can see somewhat in the dark but the rest of you will need a light source to see."  Chester says, "I don't have a lantern and you shouldn't go in there by yourself. Let's hope this cave has only one way in or out. You stay here and I'll go tell the Marshall what you found. Maybe they have lanterns or a torch.”Cassidy says, "I have an oil-filled cigar lighter. If I keep my thumb on the opener it'll keep a continuous flame. It'll probably run out of oil in around ten to fifteen minutes though, so we can't stay in there for long."  Chester says, "OK. We'll take a quick look. I imagine whoever in there is hiding out from the law. Otherwise, why stay all the way out here and have secret meetings? Eddie, you go in first, then me. Neil's behind me and Minerva will guard our backs." Chester slings his weapon on his back and draw a Remington. "Are we ready?"  Minerva cocks her rifle and follows Chester into the cave.Eduardo and Minerva take the lead. Cassidy stays in the middle with his lighter lit. Chester follows up the rear.  The initial part of the cave is a tunnel entrance. The cavern is a natural rather than man made one, without any support braces. The walls are irregular in shape and rough, with only the floor having been somewhat leveled out to eliminate potential hazards for the horses. The tunnel goes for fifteen feet ending in a Y-shaped chamber approximately forty feet at its longest point and fifteen feet at its widest. The room reeks of the smell of horse manure and horse urine. There is hay in one corner near a small tub of water. There is another corridor continuing off from the center.  Chester shakes his head. "The last time I was in a cave like this, a bunch of Cowboys on horseback tried to run me down." Standing at alert, Minerva examines the walls and floors as she listens for sounds.  From the corridor ahead she hears the distant sound of running water.  Minerva picks up a rock off of the cavern floor and prays, causing light to emanate from the rock. "She holds the rock out before her and moves cautiously toward the sound of the running water. The corridor ahead forks, the one to the right ending at hole down where an underground stream is running some twenty feet below. A pulley system is mounted on the wall with metal buckets to haul up the water with.  Chester follows Minerva. "Let's take a look down the left fork. Looks like whoever was here has flown the coop."The other tunnel is narrow, winding and irregular in elevation so horses would not have been able to be led down. They see a side chamber off to the right which has a cast iron wood stove in it as well as a blacksmith's forge. A metal pipe goes up into the stone wall which apparently vents the smoke from both the stove and forge to the outside. A pile of empty bottles and cans is in the far corner of that room and a small table near the pile has an iron frying pan and a specula. Continuing down the irregular hallway they reach a larger chamber, approximately 20 feet square with stone support pillars in the center, looks to have been used as a bedroom area. Three old army cots with wool blankets are along the right wall. Two empty trucks are near the cots. A large rock with a flat top is on the left side with wooden five wooden chairs around it. Eduardo and Chester find tracks on the floor that appear to be just a few hours old. There are no other exits from this room.Chester kicks a cot in frustration. "Blast. They're gone. Once they hear about the murders, they won't be coming back either. Let's search the place to make sure there aren't any hidey-holes. I figure 2 people stay here regularly. I'd love to know who all five who meet here were. Let's make it quick." Chester and the others tap in the walls and check under the cots and any rugs in the room for any hidden doors and the like.Chester soon discovers what is essentially a two-by-three foot window around two feet up from the floor covered over by another illusion making it look like a solid wall. Peering through with the light source they see that is a shaft, almost level with a slight down grade, that goes at least fifty feet and then curves to the right.Chester smashes one of the chairs and cuts up one of the blankets. With those he makes a couple torches. Cassidy lights them and shuts his lighter. He says, "Thanks. That was getting hot. I take it we're going down the tunnel?"   Chester says, "Yep, unless anyone has any objections. We need to follow the trail before it gets cold. Be ready for anything."  Eduardo suggests that he go first since he is smallest and has better vision. He tells the others to stay a distance back with the torches. They are able to crawl down the tunnel but the floor and walls are rough and hard on the hands and knees. After the tunnel's curve it begins to slope down. Chester estimates they have gone close to 150 feet in length and to an depth maybe 30 or 40 feet lower than the last chamber when Eduardo reaches a room.  Eduardo helps the others into the chamber, which is a natural cave shaped like a trapezoid, forty by sixty feet with stalactites and stalagmites in the room, with literally thousand of bats hanging from the ceiling. There are several smaller cave openings in the far wall leading deeper into the mountain, most of them being too small for a person to crawl into but ideal for a bat to fly through. At the far end of the room is the only non-natural item in the room, a dark colored canvas tarp covering over what they assume is a six-by-five foot table. The tarp only has a few droppings of bat guano on it, indicating that it has probably only been a few hours since it was last moved in place.Chester shivers when the light reveals the bats. He mutters under his breath, "Just like Thomaswell. Wait, there's something that brings to mind. What was that?" He goes over to Minerva, "Minerva, all these bats are reminding me of something, but I can't remember. Something like Thomaswell."  Neil Cassidy asks "Thomaswell? What's Thomaswell?"Chester says, "Remember a couple months ago, when me, Jake, Ruby, Minerva, and Nanuet went on vacation? Well we weren't really on vacation. We ended up in the town of Thomaswell because Colin Turner fled there. You're not going to believe this, but he wasn't really alive. He was some kind of blood-sucking creature who was after Ruby. We tracked him there and found another like him. We killed them there and Turner's spell on Ruby was broken."Eduardo says, "I have heard legends of such monsters. I am sorry to hear that any would venture to this place. It is good that all of you managed to return safely."  Cassidy gestures to the tarp and says, "Should we check that out?"   Chester replies, "Thanks, Eddie. It was no picnic in the park. That's for sure. Neil, let me get that. Get your guns out. No telling what's underneath." Chester draws a pistol in his left hand. He taps the butt on the tarp to see if there's something solid.The gun butt strikes what appears to be solid wood beneath the tarp.  He calls back to the others, "It's wood. Get ready." He says under his breath, "Now I remember why I thought of Thomaswell. This is probably Mortimer Turner." He yanks the tarp off the wooden object.  Beneath the tarp are a pair of wooden caskets, side by side, sitting atop a wooden platform to keep them above damp floor.Minerva exclaims, "Mortimer Turner?! as in Colin Turner? What are you talking about!?" she says grabbing Chester's shoulder spinning him toward her. "Are you suggesting that there are vampires in there?" she says incredulously, her voice going up a pitch.  "What have you drawn us into Chester?” She hisses. I did not come here prepared to fight a creature of darkness! I do not have so much as a vial of holy water or a wooden stake upon my person!" She looks at him her eyes blazing as she mutters a string of unholy oaths, oblivious to the affect her colorfully language has on the men. Chester raises his hands. "Whoa, whoa there, priestess. I had no idea this would be down here. How was I supposed to know the Cowboys were in cahoots with vampires? I thought this was over with Thomaswell. It looks like they're not here or asleep, anyway."  Neil Cassidy interjects, "Vampires? I thought those were things of myth?"  Eduardo says, "No sir, like most legends, they have a basis in fact. And during the day vampires are said to reside within their own coffins." He unconsciously takes a step back away from the pair of caskets as he states that."Minerva swings from Chester to Cassidy, her lips a thin line. "No, they most definitely are not creatures of myth." she glares back at Chester. "Deputy Martin can attest to that, as can I. It would be folly to continue on from here. I do not have the power to protect us from such evil." she holds up her hand to stifle their protests. "You gentlemen do not know what you are dealing with here. We must go back and get the Bishop and the others who have dealt with this before. This situation is much more dire than a few murderous scallywags."  Eduardo concurs. Chester re-drapes the tarp over the caskets and they begin to make their way back the way that they had come.  On the way down they see that undertaker Richard Lester has arrived. Marshall Berg has tied Wagner’s hands behind his back and placed him seated on the bench of undertaker's wagon. The Bishop and the Marshall have carried and placed the three bodies into the back of wagon. When they reach the bottom of the hill, the priestess strides over to the Bishop. "Costas may I speak to you privately" Without waiting for his response she pulls him aside and explains the situation. " I think that we should find Sr. Cook before we attempt to open those caskets. Perhaps they are just dead bodies in those caskets but I do not want to take a chance. I do not know if Sr. Cook would be willing t embroil himself in this situation a second time, but he is a quick thinker on his feet. We would not have been successful in Thomaswell if he had not been there. Mrs. Kale would also be helpful, but she is with child and I am hesitant to put her at risk."The Bishop is started to hear that vampires may be in the area. He calls Dick Lester over and suggests that they take another look at the three bodies, moving clothing and checking the wounds.   They conclude that Jasper Ordway and Nick Thayer perished from the gunshot wounds as originally indicated. Deputy Sheriff Colin Hunter's corpse however reveals something else entirely. While the Deputy's shirt has been punctured by four bullet holes and the chest is covered with blood they discover that Hunter's vest managed to stop three of those bullets and slowed the fourth. The Bishop states to the group but out of earshot of Wagner "His vest must have been magical. The final bullet did penetrate the chest and lung but did not go very deep. So those shots might have incapacitate him but wouldn't have killed him." They check his neck but don't see any marks. Marshall Berg points out that Hunter is wearing a pair of leather gloves, which is something he has never seen the man do. The gloves are removed to reveal puncture wounds above the veins of both wrists. They go back to check the large pool of blood that Hunter was lying in, discovering that it is blood that had come from the dead horse, apparently poured by the killer or killers beside Hunter to give the appearance that he had bled himself to death.    Minerva becomes a little paler and her eyes grow a little wider when she she's the puncture wounds in the man's wrist. "I examined this man, I didn't think of pulling off his gloves." she berates herself. Minvera once again prays over the man. "You are with the gods now. It is far better to reside in Olympus than to be condemned to becoming one of them. She whispers thinking of the vampires.   When the undertaker takes the body, Minerva picks up the bloodied vest and places it in her saddle bag. "There is no point in leaving this behind. It will not do him any good now and we may need it soon enough." she sighs. When the other's are ready she mounts up and heads back to town in search of Jake.The group arrives back in town at approximately 10:30 A.M. Marshall Berg advises the group to keep the investigation quiet. The Bishop agrees but does suggest that Chester and Minerva clue in their friends. Neil Cassidy and the Bishop go with Richard Lester to help move the bodies. Eduardo goes to bring Wagner to the jail and also fill in Deputy Barker. Berg says that he has a few things to investigate on his own in town for the next hour or two. Minerva stops home to check on Nakomo but finds that he has already left for school. She digs out magic rounds for her rifle and fills a small pack with 1/2 a dozen holy water vials. As she leaves the room the icons of Jupiter and Minerva seem to beckon to her. She stops, lights the candles and prays for strength, guidance and wisdom. "I don't know why any of this keeps happening but I am trusting you to help me deal with it."  She admonishes the statues. her last thought before walking out the door to search for Jakes is that at least Nanuet and Ruby are out of harms way. She knocks on Jakes door but gets no response. Thinking that he must still be sleeping she pounds harder but eventually gives up when he does not come staggering to the door. The thought dawns on her that perhaps by some 'miracle' he could already be up and about his daily business. If the gods are on my side I will find him at the Lucky Lady.  She hurries over to the Lady where she finds a bleary eyed Jake sipping his morning coffee. "Thank the gods!" she practically shouts as she looks to the sky. “Senor Jake, I must speak to you, now, in private."Jake is slouched down in the wooden chair with his feet up on the table, his hands cradling a cup of coffee. "Thank the gods?" He slides his feet off the table. "For Jake Cook? Heh. That is a first." He stands, still holding his coffee, and indicates with his hand the direction of the stairs, "Most of the rooms are empty."  Minerva smirks at the comment and says in mock seriousness "But I thank the gods for you every day. If not for men like you, the townsfolk would find my presence unnecessary." she chuckles. She stands aside so that he can lead the way up the stairs."Ah, so I do have a purpose," He replies good naturedly and leads her up to an empty room. Everyone needs to tell Jake something in private lately, he thinks to himself as he walks the stars. "Now Senorita, what could possibly be such trouble this early in the day?"Jake opens a door and motions for her to go through it. Minerva enters the room and shuts the door behind them. "I would feel better if we could ward the room against listening ears." she looks around the room as if checking to be sure that they are alone and then shrugs her shoulders. "This will have to do." she turns and begins to pace " I was asked to accompany Chester and Marshall Burg up into the hills this morning. Apparently there were more murders and they asked me to go along to investigate, in case they found trouble and needed healing...."she continues to unfold the sequence of events. "and then we found a cave, whose entrance was concealed by magic. When we entered we found two wooden caskets.”She turns and looks at him "Two! I refused to go further until we had the right weapons and more experienced people with us. "she looks at him meaningfully. "I am asking for your help Jake. You know me and you know that I cannot allow these abominations to walk the earth. Of course it could just be that someone felt the need to just hide a couple of bodies up there in the hills." she smiles disbelievingly at her own words. She pauses and watches his eyes, attempting to anticipate his response.</blockquote>

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