Ch. 16f Tomorrow is Another Day

[Mr. Handy]

"First, why do you keep trying to run?" asks William.

[jp1885]

“Carving snakes in a house of God? Are you running from vandalism charges, hm?” Ivy adds.

[Philulhu]

”That wasn’t me! That was Brian, my friend! But he wasn’t of his right mind!” Haggerston spluttered, clearly offended at the suggestion. ”I would never desecrate the church in that manner!”

He took a deep breath and looked at them for a moment. ”Brian was lead astray but by whom, I don’t know. He was obsessed with snakes and I think it was a snake that killed him. He said someone - something - was haunting him! I didn’t trust you because I think those that haunted Brian are now haunting me!”

[Mr. Handy]

"Some of us have tangled with the haunters before and lived," says William. "What's been happening to you that leads you to think they're haunting you?"

[Philulhu]

”The snakes! They’re everywhere since Brian died! I hear them in the grass when I go to church! I see them in my dreams!” Haggerston cried, with a haunted look on his face.

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, those people are crazy about snakes," says William. "We came prepared for them. We brought some antivenom with us, if you'd like a dose to carry, just in case. Does the name Nyatanga mean anything to you?"

[Philulhu]

Haggerston nodded eagerly. ”Those damn snakes!” He looked around, as if they might somehow be in there with them.

”That name doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t know about Brian - if it meant anything to him, he might have written about it in his journal.”

[Silver Priest]

"You're right to be cautious," Alex advises, "Some of us have dealt with snakes before, and they seem controlled by a higher power. We're actually here trying to fight against that, and whom we believe to be the ringleader; this Nyatanga.

"Do you know where his journal could be? And when did Brian fall in with a bad crowd?"

[jp1885]

“Was Brian obsessed with snakes when he started here, or did something happen to him while you were working?” asks Ivy.

[Philulhu]

”I’m not sure when exactly it started, as he was already here when I arrived, but we became friends because we come from the same town, though we didn’t know each other then.” He smiled briefly at the memory of his friend, but that soon faded away.

”Snakes didn’t seem to bother him much at first but as the weeks passed he was more on edge. Eventually he became paranoid about them, refusing to go outside unless someone - usually me - had checked there were no snakes around… …” Haggerston’s voice trailed off. The loss of his friend was clearly very painful for him. He sniffed loudly and pilled a handkerchief from his pant’s pocket, rubbing at his eyes angrily.

”Brian said he family back home - a wife and kid - so I asked my mom to try to track them down so I could return his belongings to them. I asked Henry Jones if I could look after them, but he refused and said they could only be returned to Brian’s family and he’d be holding onto them until he was told what to do. As far as I know, they’ll still be locked away in his office.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Can you help us get access to that journal?" asks William. "It could be the key to defeating the ones responsible for all this."

[Philulhu]

”I dunno,” replied Haggerston, warily. ”His office is just like this but it’s in the middle of the site and he keeps it locked. You go poking around there in the middle of the day and someone’s bound to see you.”

[jp1885]

"Ugh, Jones - ghastly man!" exclaims Ivy "Is there anywhere we can secrete ourselves until he leaves the site? I'd rather he didn't know we were here, and I suspect he'll make you and your colleagues' lives even more unpleasant if we're discovered."

[Philulhu]

Haggerston shook his head. ”He lives on site, we pretty much all do, except he’s got his own place,” he said. ”Not his office, that’s separate, but it’s nearby.”

He looked pensive but said,”Look, I can meet you tonight but you’ll have to wait until it’s dark and people have settled down. Say 11.00pm?”

[Mr. Handy]

"That sounds good to me," says William.

[Silver Priest]

Alex also nods. "Until then, try to stay inside as much as you can," he advises. "and away from snakes."

[Philulhu]

”Not many snakes here in the compound. I think the noise of the drilling disturbs them. It’s out there, that’s the issue,” said Haggerston nodding in the direction of the town, which could be seen through the window. ”I’d better go before I’m missed. I’ll see you tonight. Come to the gate and I’ll look out for you.” He nodded and slipped out the door, making sure no one was watching before he stepped outside.

OK, what are your plans for the rest of the day?

[jp1885]

“One last thing: what was Brian’s surname?” Ivy asks.

If it’s possible, Ivy wants to look into Brian’s background and reports of his death.

[Philulhu]

”Tucker, Brian Tucker,” said Haggerston as he leaves.

[Mr. Handy]

I'd like to help with the research too, and if there's time also talk to the priests about Brian Tucker.