Part 4, in which the mystery deepens

[Editor's note: tenkte det var på tide med et bilde av major Whitcombe også!]

The aftermath of our recent trials finds us convalescing within Edward's residence. Young Nash bears considerable injury, as does Mr. Beckett, though his wound proves more modest. I summoned Dr. Radcliffe to their aid, a gentleman who possesses both medical competence and the discretion to avoid pestering the Yard with tedious inquiries.

Leslie's journal

Whilst the others mended their wounds, I examined the late Dr. Benjamin Leslie's journal. A most disturbing document.

Leslie conducted his experiments with a perverted scientific methodology, systematically applying that abominable black substance to his victims. Unethical? Monumentally so. Evil? Without question. The man pursued unending life itself, and had no qualms in ending the lives of a string of hapless victims in the process. 

What troubles me considerably is his repeated reference to "those he serves." Whether sponsors of a financial persuasion or something darker remains obscure. The distinction may prove significant.

More unsettling still are his references to an "it" that "they" worship. As his writings progress, Leslie himself becomes increasingly devoted to this mysterious entity. The man's descent into obsession is palpable.

I confess I have cultivated an interest in occult matters in my later years, primarily as intellectual diversion. There is added benefit that Clara's more tedious acquaintances (most of them) settle into somnolent agreement when I regale them with accounts of the walking dead and creatures beneath polar ice.

But Leslie is no parlor raconteur. The man is deadly serious in his fanaticism. I must acknowledge, however reluctantly, that the impossible alterations wrought upon his victims lend his ravings credibility. The tangible results render dismissal difficult.

A theory takes shape

Whilst the others recovered, I formulated a strategy for identifying Leslie's sponsors. I must confess, setting aside Edward's circumstances, that there is nothing quite like purposeful action to invigorate one's constitution! The blood stirs, the mind clarifies, and even these aging joints move with renewed vigor. I also find myself developing protective sentiment toward Nash and young Phillip, despite Nash's infuriating habit of inserting himself into every matter.

My theory struck me as elementary: direct attention toward the female patients in the asylum system. Surely Leslie and his confederates did not sustain their care out of benevolence? The sponsors surely maintain their charges to monitor development. Such observations would be invaluable in determining the optimal approach for future "volunteers". Even with Leslie's demise, would not these sponsors seek to continue their work?

Reggie's expression proved most gratifying. His eyes illuminated immediately. Nash, predictably, narrowed his eyes in skepticism before concluding we possessed no superior course. He warmed considerably when I suggested he undertake the asylum investigations personally rather than Reggie. Powerful men lacking in moral fiber represent extraordinarily dangerous adversaries - we should take care not to rouse their suspicions unnecessarily. 

Miss Jenny and Floyd

The account below derives from Nash's narration and requires considerable skepticism.

Apparently Nash charmed a nurse into revealing that an orderly named Floyd had been instructed to report any inquiries concerning Jenny. Nash proceeded to conduct a conversation with the supervising physician. The girl exhibits alarming symptoms. Her age advances at an appalling rate whilst her flesh weeps that ghastly black substance in abundance. Scarcely the developmental trajectory her sponsors would favor.

True to his impetuous nature, Nash confronted Floyd directly. I groaned audibly upon hearing this. Yet he exceeded my expectations in the social sphere yet again. Adopting the pretense of representing Floyd's employers, Nash bamboozled the simpleton entirely.

The arrangement originated with one "Mr. Barkley." Floyd's instructions are explicit: report all inquiries to a postal box near the asylum. Moreover, Floyd had already reported our earlier inquiries regarding Jenny. I offered the young reprobate commendation for his deception, though it came with considerable reluctance.

A strategy formulated

Upon our return to Edward's residence, we deliberated upon exploiting this intelligence. I proposed we have Reggie dispatch constables to inquire after Jenny. When Floyd inevitably reported this to the post box, we would arrange for the Elephants to observe whomever retrieved the message and track them.

Simultaneously, Reggie would conduct discreet inquiries regarding the post box's proprietor, whilst Beckett and I pursued a separate avenue: direct interrogation of Leslie's mother concerning her son's relationship with Barkley.

The widow Leslie

I travelled with Beckett to the Leslie townhouse, astutely positioning him as the primary interrogator. His affable demeanor proved far more conducive to cooperation than my own forthright approach. I positioned myself in a supporting capacity, prepared to interject should the woman prove obstructive.

Beckett acquitted himself admirably. The lady blanched considerably upon learning the full extent of her son's renewed depravities. Her primary concern centered upon family reputation rather than her son's moral dissolution. A weakness I immediately recognized as exploitable.

She revealed that Benjamin's earlier confederates, Helmer Bartley and Emerson Lowther, had participated fully in his previous ventures. Her son absorbed all legal consequences whilst his associates escaped entirely. She maintained no recollection of Benjamin engaging with potential wealthy patrons.

I seized the moment to propose a bargain: we would ensure the family name remained absent from newspapers, provided we were granted access to Benjamin's quarters and correspondence. She capitulated with remarkable alacrity.

What we discovered proved extraordinary. Leslie possessed the intellect of a Renaissance master. He had apparently designed the transfusion apparatus himself. His draft sketches bore remarkable resemblance to the infernal machines we encountered in that hideous basement, though considerably more primitive. His journal detailed his experimental progression with methodical precision. It became evident Leslie initially envisioned his device for beneficial application. The occult dimensions must have come later.

Most significantly, we discovered reference to an address proximate to Edward's shop in Bloomsbury, where Leslie had constructed and tested his apparatus in earlier years. The structure burned approximately one year hence, though has since been reconstructed nearby. Beckett maintains acquaintance with the current proprietor. The correspondence referenced Helmer as a trained mechanical engineer of considerable accomplishment.

Helmer Bartley

Our secondary operational initiative proceeded apace. The constables duly visited Jenny. Floyd reported the contact to the post box. Nash somehow managed to enlist the Elephants in our cause. Two young women subsequently arrived at Edward's residence, bearing intelligence that a gentleman in his late twenties, fashionably dressed with bowler hat and overcoat, had collected the deposited message. They followed him to a residential building and noted his apartment location.

Nash announced his intention to investigate the premises the following day. I perceived no legitimate objection to his design.

The apartment belonged, unsurprisingly, to Helmer Bartley. Nash observed his movements throughout the day. First to the Engineers' Society, then to Holcomb Engineering, that vast industrial concern monopolizing locomotive and railway trades. After his labors concluded, Bartley departed with four colleagues bound for a public house. Nash established a certain rapport with Bartley, though the engineer proved fairly evasive.

Concurrently, Beckett conducted his own investigation, visiting Ivy Weston, proprietor of the mechanical shop where Leslie had previously constructed his apparatus. The intelligence gleaned proved modest, save for one curious detail: Emerson Lowther apparently pursues artistic and poetic endeavors. Extraordinary! What connection could such a fellow maintain with these mechanical enterprises? An occult dimension, perhaps?

Weston theorized that competitors deliberately incinerated the original workshop. Leslie and his associates purportedly approached a breakthrough that would have elevated them to considerable wealth whilst denying rivals the same advantage.

Fire and death

That very evening, we established surveillance near Bartley's apartment building, positioning ourselves in a nearby public house. Hours elapsed without incident until suddenly a catastrophic fire erupted from the ceiling of Bartley's residence with violent force.

We rushed from our positions immediately. Nash, predictably, charged forward with reckless abandon, whilst my accursed India-wounded left leg severely impeded my ascent to the third floor. Bartley's apartment was engulfed entirely.

Nash hurled himself into that maelstrom of flame and smoke. The fool located Bartley's remains. Identification was grimly straightforward: the man's neck had been twisted at an angle that defied natural possibility. A massive aperture had been torn through the ceiling. The mechanism of its creation remains utterly obscure. Nash managed to retrieve certain documents before withdrawing, his garments and hair beginning to smolder. We extinguished the flames and I extended genuine commendation to the poor, coughing fellow. 

Upon our return to Edward's residence, we examined the recovered papers. They bore the Holcomb family insignia. The technical drawings depicted an advanced iteration of Leslie's device, massively more sophisticated. The apparatus designed to infuse subjects with the viscous fluid displayed geometries that strike one as decidedly alien. Deeply disconcerting.

A second death, and something more troubling

The following morning found us contemplating our severely limited options. I curse myself for not confronting Bartley whilst opportunity remained. Fortuitously, Reggie received intelligence that the Yard had located Emerson Lowther's residence, though the man himself has apparently departed this mortal existence by his own hand approximately one month hence.

We proceeded to the apartment. The landlady, upon Reggie's identification, granted us entry. The woman herself teetered upon the precipice of complete mental deterioration, her memory fragmentary at best. Lowther had maintained a substantial studio adorned with paintings and artistic works scattered in considerable profusion.

The landlady demonstrated marked affection for Reggie and confided her absolute conviction that Lowther would never have taken his own life. A cheerful fellow, she insisted. She then departed to prepare tea.

This is where the matter becomes most deeply troubling.

Whilst conducting our investigation, both Reggie and Beckett swear with genuine conviction that they observed a figure external to the window, situated on the third floor, engaged in what can only be described as flight. An elderly gentleman, they maintain: properly clothed in suit and top hat, a cape adorning his shoulders, a walking cane in hand.

Preposterous. Utterly impossible.

And yet, where did that cavernous aperture in Bartley's ceiling originate?

We maintained heightened vigilance, weapons drawn, throughout our subsequent investigation. The mysterious figure did not reappear. However, we located Lowther's journal, hopefully containing intelligence sufficient to pierce this increasingly maddening obscurity.

One inescapable conclusion emerges: the conspiracy extends far beyond Leslie and Barkley. Holcomb Engineering's involvement suggests resources of considerable magnitude. And if this thing that circulates through London's skies represents reality rather than shared hallucination born of stress and fatigue, then we confront something transcending conventional criminal enterprise entirely.

I find myself profoundly grateful for the journal's discovery. Perhaps Lowther's writings shall illuminate the fundamental nature of the darkness we pursue.