proportions for some reason.
They all sat still in various large seats at
various angles, in seats found in the surrounding rooms, in front
of what must be the largest fireplace Bryson had ever seen, with
the logs blazing away with a high temperature from all the logs
someone had piled into it, surely to fit it in there without making
it too small.
Mitchell resumed his pacing across
their path, leaving a faint trail over the late nineteenth century
carpet there, which the whole castle had as well as main other
modifications that allowed people to live there, which had been
added later on – including electrical lighting, kitchens, toilets, proper beds
...
They had found a generator that powered
everything, when they had tried to connect the generator that the
helicopter had brought in. Yet even with all the later technology
the castle remained the same, lost in time and trapped in a warp in
time.
Mitchell ’ s expressions barely ever altered
but now showed there was trouble ahead, and some of the time he was
in deep thought not quite mentally there.
Bryson wondered if any of them had been
confronted with such crimes before, and why they had?
In fact, after a careful examination of all
the people there he realized that he and the two psychic
researchers must have the most experience, especially from the
murders at the last castle! And he realized why they had wanted him
there and Merton had taken Mitchell up to get him, and he realized
that he could have a lot of problems ahead of him!
They were not experienced enough to conduct
an investigation, and the last time it was the police that had been
doing things and he had helped.
He was sure that Mitchell had some facts
about the killing that he was not revealing, and he tried to think
of what he would not say and what he would do! Yet there was little
to go at the moment and he left it for later.
There were many hidden facts to it and he
would wait until they surfaced, and stopped troubling himself.
The others were mainly discussing the
death but knew little, going by what they said. They were waiting
for something to occur and come to some conclusion – perhaps even
waiting for an argument to occur. Then perhaps they might get some
information to enlighten them about it.
Bryson gave occasional shudders from the
cold that came through the opened door. His lungs felt as if they
had sandpaper grated over them from breathing in the cold in his
room.
Merton and Mortimer sat at his sides,
silenced by the whole event, glimpsing the window as if they were
waiting for something and did not want to say anything.
Mitchell turned and coughed into a
handkerchief.
“ I don ’t understand, ” Merton argued, “ why someone would
want to kill the guy? What did he not want us to find out by being
caught in the kitchen ...? ”
“ You could be right! ” Mitchell replied. “ Why did he not
want to be caught so much? ”
“ How did a stranger know about this
place? Who do you think he was? ”
“ I don ’ t know, but we ’ ll have to make sure it
doesn ’ t
happen again! Now knowing this place ... I could imagine him easily
as a lunatic ... ”
“ Are the cops coming
then? ” Bryson asked, seeing the meeting there was to get everyone
informed on what was happening.
“ They ’ ll be arriving later today by
helicopter! ” Mitchell answered, showing the situation was nothing to do
with him.
“ It ’ s going to be really tricky explaining the
place and the situation to them ...? ”
The police obviously might not accept the
full account and of what had happened to them in the wood, and it
clearly involved a horrendous crime ...
Mitchell turned his face away from the
fireplace and its yellow radiance flickered over his back, and
Bryson watched gray wisps of smoke rising up the chimney.
“ Anyway,
I wanted to ask you all ... Did anyone see anyone near
this place? ” Mitchell spoke, standing, and watching nobody move in the
room, and they all nodded that they