Dion - Chapter 20

Before we get started, there will be errors. Get over it. It's not published yet. I'll go through it and clean it up before it's released.  

Chapter Twenty

             AsElle ventured off to Edinburgh, a trip she knew would be an all-day adventure,Jack remained behind, hoping to stretch some of the kinks out of his body fromhaving shared the cold stone floor the night before with the only overlydetermined woman in his life who wasn’t trying to change him. He chuckled underhis breath when he rolled over on the mattress topper and found that Elle had carelessly placed the long-handled squeegee stick against the tomb. A tool meantfor washing away dirt and grime from windows, maybe to cleanse the dust on awindshield was now expected to rid the world of ancient layers of airy sandparticles that had taken decades to form the pristine sloping piles they had forged around the base of the tomb and against the corners of the eastern section ofthe room. The irony of everything about it crashed through the cobwebs of hismind; he hadn’t had his coffee yet, so Jack decided to go with whatever his mind was coming up with.

            Something,someone in fact, was outside the window. Due to the placement of the eleveniron bars, it was difficult to see exactly who it might be, but from theappearance, the person seemed to be a man. The man could be seen at a distancerather than when Jack approached the bars; their height made it impossible forhim to peek through. When he stood against the eastern wall of the tomb, he couldmake out just enough to put a few facts about the interloper together. Theovercoat gave him away to some degree; whoever it was, he had a little money,he wasn’t poor or impoverished. He didn’t carry an umbrella even in the type ofweather the skies were threatening, which could mean he was a confident man, oran idiot; either worked well enough in that scenario. If he realized before heset out that day that it could rain, why wouldn’t he protect himself, and if hewas one to know the forecast, and chose not to carry one, he was either probablynot going to stay long, but make his inquiries quickly before moving on towherever it was that he had come from.

            ThoughJack was certain he had seen the man before, he wasn’t convinced that the manin the graveyard was Cion Fedder, the Stirling councilman he knew was working on Elle’scase. If it was Fedder, and he all but felt it was, Jack wondered if his beingin the crypt would benefit or hinder if the man made his way over tothe vaults. The iron gates of the multi-roomed crypt had been closed at eitherend. Elle had managed to find a locksmith willing to change the locks for her,even without the proper deeds in hand, which proved she was the owner; the mannever asked, and she never verified. It was a simple request and monetary exchangeas far as everyone concerned knew. If Fedder hadn’t been made aware before, hewould certainly be so, as the new locks were modern, shiny, and were activatedwith a standard key; not something made of iron with a few “bones” attached.

            Jackwatched anxiously as the man attempted to enter the western side of the crypt.To get to the door, he needed to first climb a dozen or more stairs,cross a stone landing, and make his way across a cobblestoned ornate veranda,an original design that no doubt took months to complete. The crypt had beenlisted for quite some time with the Stirling Council, and a generous amount oftime and funds were given for its upkeep of all of its exterior façade, itsiron gates, and to some degree, the passage between the two gates. The councilor caregivers did not attempt to sweep the western room or the far eastern room, both of which were situated south of the crypt and hadtheir own iron gates to protect the tombs from vandalism.

The other roomswere essentially empty, with a number of inlaid interred bodies sealed withinthem. Each of the six rooms was full, having a couple of dozen or more Finleyor Finlay relatives stacked one upon the other on both sides of the room, beforethe sides were sealed off permanently when the last of the room’s residents waslaid to rest.  At last count, more than thirtybodies were encapsulated in each room, allowing over one hundred and twentybodies to be of record; with the two end rooms being the more recent of thefamily’s final resting place. Geoffrey Finlay’s body was the only one stillinside a stone coffin, being somewhat oversized to fit neatly in with theothers. Had Fedder, or whoever it was, known this, then the only reason for himto be at the crypt that day would be to discuss matters privately with Elle.When he found that the doors were locked, he began calling for her, hoping shewould come to the gate for a conversation.

Jack, like anyone would, had explored the crypt entirely before resigning himself to stay in the western room with his friend.  Being the only room with a window, the western room told Jack all heneeded to know about the other rooms. They were meant to be sealed off, andwith no one choosing to care for the crypt, the open doorways to each roomcould have been sealed at some point as well.  The rooms were housed, embedded within thelarge construction, with each end accessible through a wide opening; both weregated, and now both were locked.  To makehis way to the other side would be fruitless, Jack knew, but he also knew thatwhoever the man was, he might not realize that Elle was absolutely serious whenshe told Councilwoman Robertson that her land was, in fact, hers to modify,with or without permission from the council. She would see to it that she protectthe crypt and the surrounding land, to the best of her abilities. Jackhalf-expected Elle to commission a wrought iron fence to be installed, and perhapsa few Baskerville-type hounds to walk and guard the perimeter for good measure.

Jack, because hecould, opened the iron gate on the eastern side with the spare key Elle had givenhim. Hiding in the eastern room north of the gate gave him a perfect vantage pointto see out the open archway without being seen, as the sun hadn’t peekedthrough the clouds yet, and therefore, no light came through the long corridorto make its way to the eastern walls. With a singular twinkle in his eye,knowing what to expect, but having no idea just how much fun or trouble he couldcause, Jack purposely called out to and invited the unknown visitor to make hisway around the crypt’s enormous structure to the other side using an impersonatedwoman’s voice.

Perhaps driven byhope and curiosity, the lone man reached out to grasp the top of the iron barson the eastern gate. To his surprise, the unlocked entrance gave way, creakingopen to reveal the dimly lit world it had protected. Cautiously, he steppedinside, and the scent of old stone and damp earth filled his nostrils. He noticed another smell, a musky, almost manly aroma swirling just infront of him, as if to let him know he wasn’t alone. The guest called out toElle twice, shaking his head, as he recognized a woman’s voice before. He knew the westernside of the crypts was locked, but surely someone must be inside. If she did intend to escape through before he arrived, there would be noreason to invite him in. She could have waited for him to leave the cemetery entirely before makingher exit.

As he ventured deeperinto the vaults, the sound of his own footsteps echoed off the ancient walls,punctuating an eerie silence, but still, there was that smell. It seemed to beboth in front of him and now behind him. Using his cell phone as a lightsource, he aimed the front of his device upward and toward the ceiling of theplace, scanning for what he could, having never been inside the building before.Unaware of Jack’s presence, the man moved with a sense of urgency toward theonly other light in the place, which was in fact the window of the western roomand the gate he knew was locked on the further side of the hall that separatedthe various rooms from each other.

The flickeringlight from his cell began to cast long shadows, creating an atmosphere of suspenseand intrigue. He placed his hand on the wall to his left, thinking perhaps itwas wet or damp, but it wasn’t. The cold stone felt smooth in some spots, rougherin others, but overall, it was something pleasant, almost surreal, as if he hadstepped headfirst onto a movie set; the silence was hard to deal with, and hecalled out to Elle a second time. The man stopped, failing to notice Jack silently following him, like a guardian spirit of the forgotten hallowed space.Turning to his left and right, he decided that going further wouldbe pointless. If Elle had left, he would need to retreat from the same way hehad entered, knowing the other gate was locked.

Before leaving, theman made one last attempt to find the person he had hoped to see. Taking a fewsteps toward the open room, he noticed an electric cord plugged securely intowhat appeared to be a solar-paneled generator; the plug led directly to a smallheat source, allowing at least a small area of the room to be as comfortable aspossible. More curious now, he stepped another few steps forward, giving Jackthe freedom he needed to make noise; at this point, his captive had placedhimself exactly where he needed him to be. Standing before the intruder, Jack’ssmile broke from the corners of his mouth, covering his face entirely. Liftinghis eyebrows and shaking his head, Jack reached inwardly far enough to graspthe edge of the old wooden door’s latch, instantly closing it before placinghis spare key into the lock and turning it.

The sharp clangof the latch echoed through the chamber, sending a chill down Fedder’s spine.Spinning around only to find himself alone and confined within the room madehis skin crawl; had this been their plan all along, he wondered. Catching hisbreath, Cion tried desperately to see whatever he could out of the westernwindow, but like Jack, it could only be done when standing further away. Jack’sappearance through the barred opening sealed any thought Fedder may have hadthat he had, in fact, smelled his captor, even if he hadn’t seen him.

Seating himself a few feet from the window, which from his vantage point allowed Jack to sit on thelanding’s edge and view into the tomb, he listened as his prisoner began to askhim if he realized kidnapping a councilman was in fact a felony, and that hecould be charged with a class A crime. “Criminal? Me?” asked Jack. “Itseems to me, and probably to anyone who wanted to see my livestream on YouTube,that you made your way through the gates of a privately owned crypt on privatelyowned land, and found yourself.” Jack laughed, “Wait, I think I will streamthis.” He reiterated to himself that he had been correct; it was Cion Fedder whom he had seen through the same window, and only their positions had been entirely reversed.

“Elle isn’there. The woman you heard was me, at least you thought it was a woman, so I supposethat would be kudos to me; such a confidence booster if I do say so myself.” Jack delighted in his antics, sendingthe images of the captive man through the lofty airwaves to be seen by morethan several thousands of Jack’s followers on both sides of the Atlantic.Though the hour was just past seven in the morning on the East Coast, it wouldn’tbe too far-fetched to believe that the live stream could reach viral status withinminutes, considering the subject matter; a man trapped inside a crypt isn’tsomething everyone is accustomed to seeing on a daily basis.

 “Most of my followers are in America andCanada, some in Australia, so it’s not likely that anyone will recognize you,so I’ll have to dox you a little, and tell everyone that I have successfully entrappedStirling Councilman Cion Fedder this morning, as he was making his way througha very privately owned property while attempting to discuss how he and hiscronies at the council are trying to rip the land out from under its rightfulowner, who, no, I won’t dox, and in not doxing her, I’ll let her know, sinceshe was pinged the second the video started, that she is expected to return as quicklyas she can, because I now…oh, now, I fear for my life…” Jack reeled back infalse pretense, throwing his hand over his forehead and gasping loudly. “Ifear for my life if I should release the man to be freed from having purposelywalked into the legal domain of someone without being invited, without beingexpected, and without being wanted, as far as I know.”

In Falkirk, justoutside the Kelpie’s and the Water Wheel, Elle was doing her best to saygoodbye to two of her favorite internet vloggers, known to the world as Annieand Zach from their personal YouTube channel, Simple Scottish Living.The two had married a few years after meeting at an American youth camp, whereboth were counselors. Annie, a petite and charming American-born Georgianwoman, had fallen instantly for the tall, handsome Scotsman she had beenassigned to work with; both were taken aback by just how quickly their relationshipdeveloped.

 Soon, they began dating, spending more timetogether, taking a chance on the odds that such a relationship would take hold,and hoping it would grow. They became engaged and eventually got married. Tokeep his bride and her family happy, Zach moved to the States, where the two begana family. They moved completely across the country to Southern California aftera few years. After a few more years of living the American Dream, the Scottish allure had them happily packing; they moved their young familyback to the land and people where Zach was raised. Because their lives seemedinteresting to others, it made sense to video their progress and send shortclips to their friends and family, who suggested they share their adventureswith the world.

When Elle’s phonesimultaneously pinged with Zach’s the two looked at one another, with Anniecocking her head to one side. “That’s the ping Zach gets when our favoriteScottish vlogger is live streaming; do you follow Jack Abercrombie, too?”She asked Elle, who by this time had glanced at her phone to see what she couldonly hope was a joke or at least something that could be explained. When Jackstated again that he wouldn’t dox the woman who lived in the crypt, but thatCion Fedder of Stirling Council had been caught red-handed entering her “home”without cause, Zach laughed to add his two pence to the matter. “Jack…oh, he’stoo much. He’s captured a man in an old crypt!” Zach’s words seemed toscrape the skin off Elle’s neck, as she wondered what would be the fastestroute back to Finlay, and if she could even make it happen before thecouncilman had chalked up enough criminal charges against Jack and possibly herselfsince the man was trapped inside her crypt.

“You’ll excuseme, guys, I need to make my way back to Finley as quickly as I can.” Shestated, turning to her new friends to answer Annie’s question. “Yes, Annie,I am a fan of Jack’s, but right now I’m not so sure if he’s going to be alivemuch longer, so his next live stream may be him showing not only how I killedhim, but where I chose to bury him. Because I own that crypt and so much of theland around it, I do have options.” She laughed without laughing. Annie’sface was stunned, flushed with a tinge of shock, but when her eyes met those ofher husband’s, she quickly reached for Elle’s arm.

“Before youleave, take my number. Call me when it’s over and tell me everything. I want toknow literally everything about it. You don’t get it; I’ve loved Jack Abercrombiefor a while now. He’s just too funny. You have to be the woman he’s in lovewith, don’t you? He calls you Tigress! You’re her, aren’t you?” Annieasked. “Call me; I want to do a vlog with you two, if that’s okay,” Annieasked. “Down the road, you don’t have to answer now, but I want to know how this ends. I’ll send Jack a comment telling him you’re on your way.”

Less than asecond had passed when Zack glanced back at his wife again and said, “We’lldrive you. There’s no way you’ll make it to Stirling and then to Finlay withina few hours. We can make it in twenty or twenty-five minutes. We don’t mind. I’llcall my parents and let them know so they can keep the kids a little longer.This couldn’t have worked out better for any of us,” he laughed, his eyesshining at his wife. “We love Jack! Now we love you.” The thought of allthat was happening seemed to take control over Elle’s mind; she couldn’t turnthem down, and she didn’t know exactly where to start trying to explain whatall she believed had caused this particular fiasco.

Photo Credit: Annie and Zach from YouTube (Simple Scottish Living)