The Mystery of Banshee Towers (Discontinued-Nearly Finished)

Ern's strange discovery

Fatty had studied the owner of Banshee Towers, and had decided that he didn't look to be the type that usually bought old places just because they were beautiful! He's a sharp businessman, if ever I saw one! thought Fatty. It beats me why he bought this out-of-the-way place. He can't make much money out of visitors, except maybe for a month or two in the summer. I wonder if he owns the pictures as well.

  The owner was sitting on the big settee behind which the children had hidden the day before. He was studying a catalogue of some sort, frowning over it. He was big and burly, with great eyebrows and a big nose.

  Fatty went up to him, and spoke in his politest voice. 'Excuse me, sir, for interrupting - but I believe you own this magnificent old place?'

  'What - er - dear me, you startled me!' said the man in a very deep voice, with a decidedly Austrian accent. 'Yes, my boy, I own it. But, alas, it was a bad bargain. So few visitors come to see it.'

  'I suppose they come because they hope to hear the wailing banshee,' said Fatty. 'We heard it yesterday - a very fine performance, sir. Very fine. Best wailing I ever heard! How is it done, sir?' 

  'Done? My boy, who knows anything about the poor, poor unhappy banshees?' said the man. 'Who knows how or why they wail?'

  'Well, in these days, sir, I expect they wail because their machinery is started up,' said Fatty, unexpectedly. 'I mean - modern banshees are all pretence, aren't they?'

  'Certainly NOT,' said the man, angrily. 'You think I am a fraud? You think my banshee does not exist? I own a very fine banshee - poor, poor thing, how she wails! It rends the heart!'

  'Let me see now - banshees are supposed to only wail because they want to warn the owner of the place that something terrible is going to happen to him, aren't they?' said Fatty, putting on his most innocent expression. 'You know, sir, I heard her wailing yesterday, and I hoped somebody would warn you that trouble and unhappiness might be coming to you. Of course, that wouldn't be so if it wasn't a real banshee - but simply some kind of machinery, sir - but you are certain it isn't?'

  'My boy, I give you leave to go into every room in Banshee Towers, and to look into every hole and corner and cranny there, to see if there is any machinery,' said Mr Engler, solemnly.

  'Oh, thank you, sir, that's very kind of you, but I'll take your word for it that you've no machinery hidden in any of the rooms,' said Fatty. 'Let's change the subject, sir. What wonderful sea pictures there are here! What collection are they from, sir? I don't recognize any of them.'

  'Well, you seem to be an intelligent boy,' said the man, obviously struck by Fatty's ready conversation. 'So I'll tell you. They are from a famous collection of pictures in Count Ludwig's castle from Austria. He is a cousin of mine, and he has lent me the pictures to attract visitors to Banshee Towers. A truly wonderful collection - but, alas, few people look at the pictures. Just a few artists come to copy them - and one or two visitors like yourself notice them.'

  'They are worth a lot of money, I suppose?' said Fatty.

  'Oh yes, yes - thousands of pounds!' said Mr Engler.

  'I wonder you dare to risk the chance of some thief coming here to steal them,' said Fatty.

  'Now, my boy - use your sense,' said Mr Engler. 'It is not so easy to take great pictures like these from their frames and carry it off unnoticed! Ha, would you be able to do it?'

  It was at this very moment that Ern decided to go and find Fatty. Mr Engler jumped when Ern's voice came into the room, sounding urgent.

  'Fatty! Fatty, here! I've got something to ask you!'