Play@YSDC

"They had a drug business goin'. A new drug, something I had never seen or heh-ad before. Walter was startin' his pharmaceutical business back then, I think he had some reasons to investigate that drug and was... disturbed by what he found. That's how it stah-ated. Everyone of us had his reasons. For F.C., it was the money, for Vince, revenge, for Katherine, her sense of justice... for me, well, let's just say I owed to Walter, from when we were young. So we came together, and traced back the drugs to the cult, in Los Angeles. It was disguisin' itself as a sex-club, but we discovered a fa-aw more terrible truth. They worshiped dark gods and practiced black magic. And were plannin' to summon that... monster".

"In your letters to Walter, you mentioned a journal you kept about your investigations," says Holly. "Where is this journal? I think it would be of great help."

Douglas focuses his gaze on Holly with renewed intensity. He grasps her wrist with one hand, holding it strongly, but not hurting her - just enough strength to keep her where she is. "We failed, young lady. That night, we failed. The Thing appeared in this world... and for all I know, it's still out theeyur. I hid that notebook away with a secret key, it'll make y'all understand what was goin' on... and what is still goin' on. But it's a dangerous path you're puttin' yourself in... you must be sure you want to know."
Dr. Keaton seems a little worried when he sees Douglas grabbing Holly's wrist: "Douglas? I think you're making our guest uncomfortable...", he seems uncertain whether to intervene or not.

"It's all right, Dr. Keaton," says Holly. She locks eyes with Douglas and holds his wrist with her own hand while he holds hers. "Yes, I'm sure I want to know." She could not resist wanting to unravel the mystery even if she had wanted.

Douglas keeps his gaze locked with Holly for a couple of seconds, then smiles and relaxes. "If you want to find my notebook, you need to ask Frank Hickering, back at my estate. Old Hope Road, 23. Take this note and give it to the groundskeeper, he'll let you look around." He writes a few lines on a piece of paper and hands it to you.

"Thank you," says Holly, accepting the note. "There was something else about the letters you wrote to Walter. The first few had certain letters circled, lines connecting them, and numbers written on them. I guessed it was some sort of code between the two of you. Could you please tell me how to decode it? I made some notes of these markings." She takes out her transcriptions of the presumed code and shows them to Douglas.

Douglas seems genuinely surprised: "A code? What are you tawkin' about?" He picks up your notes and looks at them for half a minute, then adds: "I have no idea what this is. I mean, those are from my letters, but I put no hidden message in them. I don't know what Walter was lookin' for, but there was nothin' to find."

"I suppose Walter must have written these on the letters for some other reason, then," says Holly. "Would you like to tell us what happened that night in 1924?"

"That night... we rushed in, midway through their ritual. We had handmade firebombs and guns, Vince provided most of them. As expected, they didn't give up without a fight. There was a terrific fire, and a shootout. Then that Thing appeared, and it started tearin' them apart. I don't know what those bastards expected, but I guess it waden being torn to pieces. They were runnin'... and screamin'. Some jumped into the fire, others into our line of fire. It was a carnage. I know I killed some people that night. I..." Douglas pauses for a few seconds, then continues. "Then the Thing came for us and I saw Walter panic... I'd never seen him panic... and then all I know is that I was boltin' through the high grasses with the fire behind me. Like a coward. Like a damned coward", he hides his face with his hands and stops talking.

"I don't think anyone would blame you or think less of you for running, Mr. Henslowe, especially after you'd already done so much," Father Flanagan says reassuringly. "I don't think I could name any man, myself included, who would have stayed to face... what exactly is the Thing, Mr. Henslowe? A demon? A monster?"

Holly nods, placing a comforting hand on Henslowe's shoulder. "I would have run too, had I seen what you had," she says. "Don't think yourself any less of a man, Mr. Henslowe. I've observed similar reactions from men who had served in the Great War. They had been courageous simply to serve, every one of them, just as you showed great courage just to confront what was happening in the first place."

"Thank you...", Douglas smiles a weak smile. "It was the cult's fault. They were depraved. Fornicatin' in the name of their wicked god. Hurtin' each other for sport. It was horrible... that Thing. A huge body of flesh, with strange limbs, and mouths. It was full of mouths. Good Lord, I don't even want to think about it anymore", he crosses himself.

"You're quite welcome," says Holly. "Perhaps we'd better talk about something else, then. There was a member of the cult who survived, a Mr. Edgar Job. What do you know about him?" Though she's sure his opinion will be biased, she can use whatever information she can get before she talks to him, and she can use her own judgment to determine what the truth is about him.

"Job... that bastard", Douglas clenches his fists, a dangerous light in his eyes. "He killed Vince... stabbed him... rottin' son a bitch...".

Dr. Keaton intervenes. "Calm down, Douglas, no need to get upset. That's all in the past, isn't it? You need to look ahead. Take a deep breath and relax". He then turns towards Holly and Father Flanagan. "I don't want him to get too agitated. I think it's enough for the moment. Wait for me outside, please."

"All right," says Holly, rising. She has learned the key things she had wanted to at this point anyway. "Let's go, Father." She steps out of the room.

Father Flanagan stands, offering a final reassuring handshake to Henslowe. "I will keep you in my prayers, Mr. Henslowe," he says as he leaves. He pauses at the door. "For whatever that's worth."

Dr. Keaton joins you outside the room a couple of minutes later. "Well then, I'll set up the interview with Mr. Job. It will take 10-15 minutes, I think." He looks towards Father Flanagan, a little concerned. "Perhaps you want to take a breath of fresh air, in the meantime. Places like this... they can be quite unsettlin', if you're not used to them".

"Thank you Doctor, I think I will step out for some air." Father Flanagan looks around for a moment. "If you could point me to an exit? I've never had the best sense of direction..."

"I'll accompany you, Father," says Holly. "Thank you, Dr. Keaton."