Charlie Mortimer

(Rich Steed)

    Of the trip around Europe, so far England had been the most interesting for different reasons. First of all, there had been the comet and the meteorite shower. You had been in London then and it was most entertaining watching the people gather in the streets and parks, all eager for the show of light. The newspapers had reported the shower following Aelfred’s Comet for a couple of days, partly to inform but mostly to stop people from worrying about the lights in the sky and bothering the police about them. A few stray trails of fire in the heavens leading the way of the main shower had already got a flurry of calls. God knows what would have happened if the public had not been warned. They might have thought they would all go blind and walking man eating plants would take over the land or something. A number of people had a few rocks crash land in their gardens or through their houses, one even went through the roof of the Greenwich Observatory, and the shower itself played havoc with the radio, causing interference that all but obliterated the BBC’s evening broadcast from Alexander Palace.

    Then there had been Carter the Great, back in town after a stint in America. He was a magician of some skill by all accounts but a bit of a showman and known for being keen on excess publicly. Last year he spent six whole hours suspended above the Thames in a wicker basket with little more than a chamber pot and a dry Martini. It was done to provide a spiritual focus for all mankind, according to him. You thought he was an idiot then but when you read his story that he had planned to stop the comet from hitting the earth with the power of positive thought you had upgraded him to a total loon. Still, it provided a source of amusement.

    Now you were going to Llangadfan in Wales. Lord Curtis had suggested to Miss Strauss about land and property there which would be ideal as a country retreat for two. You were pleased to get out of London – things were going odd in the capital. There had been another vicious murder.

    At midday you reach and enter The Cann Office public house in Llangadfan for a gentle rest from the long journey while Lord Curtis and Miss Strauss enjoy food and drink. You notice 3 people, a lady and two men, sit at a table with their backs to the wall, almost trying to keep to the shadows. Their actions seem odd, and you wonder what it is they could be afraid of. Two more men enter the pub, one of them seemingly recognising the lady, and they speak in hushed tones. They go silent as the door opens again, and much to your surprise it is Carter the Great himself. You wonder if he is here to do any magic but given his haggard look and rapid glances, you think again. He seems to approach the group furtively, and the man who knew the lady does not look best pleased to see him. Your musings are interrupted as Peter Roberts, an estate agent, joins Lord Curtis and Miss Strauss. He has been appointed by the estate of the late Mr Joseph Lewis to sell his land and property and he had planned to show it today. However, the key holder has advised him that the chap who recently rented the property for a week has not returned the key and by all accounts may still be there. He is going to speak with the police about removing the trespasser, he says, and if on clue an officer of the law turns up along with a shifty looking fellow. The estate agent goes and speaks with him, interrupting a conversation which looked like it was becoming quite heated.

    A few moments later Roberts comes back, informing that there would be a number of other people going to the cottage as well. The fellow who rented the cottage has not been in contact with the other group for a while now and they were becoming extremely concerned for him. The only person around at the moment who knew the route through the maze of trees in the forest was the shifty looking chap with the policeman, so with one guide there was no choice but to all go together.

    Setting off, you all drive in your vehicles to the entrance of the forest before setting off on foot in search of the cottage, the land, and someone called Professor Richard Harker...