The Moss Maiden of Kinderhook

Chapter Twenty-Two

Seamus MacGowan climbed into his bed at Lewis' Hotel, tired and frustrated.

His tiredness came from a late night vigil in the cemetery. He cursed himself for thinking that such an arcane approach would work. He had done this for too long and should have known better.

His frustration, however, came from not knowing what was going on in Kinderhook. Not that he expected to have the mystery solved, but he hadn't even been able to rule out a supernatural creature. That frustrated him because, despite the belief he often sowed in others, Seamus did not believe in monsters; at least not in the supernatural kind.

He had traveled all across New England, chasing every manner of rumor and legend. He had hunted in the deepest woods, scoured haunted cemeteries, braved the darkest of nights, and all he had found was nothing. No ghosts, no vampires, no werewolves, nothing.

Well, nothing supernatural.

What he had found, again and again, was that there was a rational explanation behind every so-called monster. The vampire in Connecticut was just illness. The werewolf in Pennsylvania was a sadly deranged man. The headless horseman in Sleepy Hollow was pure imagination. In most cases, however, it was basic murder; a regular person who, through purposeful trickery or wild speculation of others, was believed to be a monster.

Even though Seamus had yet to find any supernatural creatures in his roaming, that does not mean he wasn't often disturbed, even scared, by what he had uncovered. Despite his methods, his telling of frightening stories, he knew that the wickedness among men does not need embellishment. The horrific acts of individuals he had come across were as repulsive and frightening as any conjured story. But for all the evil, all the hatred and bloodshed, it was still a flesh and blood person.

In the end, Seamus wasn't much more than a traveling constable. Although he encouraged the fanciful tales, even made them up when necessary, his investigations were limited to the physical realm. All the talk of monsters kept everyone else off the proper trail and allowed him great leniency in his investigations and outcomes.

It also made him a judge and, occasionally, a punisher.

In the Pine Barrens forest of New Jersey, while pursuing the 'Leeds Devil', Seamus eventually uncovered the truth of that particular matter. A farmer had several of his livestock killed over a short period of time and the town was quick to blame the local legend. However, through many conversations and practical investigation, Seamus found that the farmer's neighbor had slaughtered the animals. When Seamus confronted the neighbor, he admitted to the crime. However, the man stated that the farmer's son had treated his daughter wickedly, and that the killing of the animals was his approach to justice. Seamus believed the man, as he had talked to the farmer's son and found him to be quite offensive, judged his actions to be reasonable, and struck a deal. The man would harm no more animals and Seamus would not report him. In turn, Seamus announced to the town that he had chased off the 'Leeds Devil' and that they were safe once more.

In other instances, the perpetrator was found by Seamus and judged to be guilty of heinous crimes. In those cases, Seamus would blame the appearance of the monster on the actions of the truly guilty person. That was usually enough for the town to act.

On very rare occasions, he meted out the justice on his own.

However, despite all his experiences, there was something very unnerving about what he had found in Kinderhook. The story by the old man, Mr. Ostrum, about seeing a shadowy figure in the low light was about as typical as could be. It was rarely more than such an account that set people off on their supernatural tangents. What was truly disturbing was the account of Mrs. Ludlow, his employer. It was not filled with the usual vagaries or unknowns. When he had talked with her, Mrs. Ludlow's story was presented with absolute certainty, clarity, and true fear. Whatever had killed her husband had been right in their path, had interacted with them, and murdered Mr. Ludlow only a few feet from where she lay. It was, in all his years, the most terrifying account he had ever listened to.

He wasn't ready to give in to the supernatural, but had to admit that he was dealing with something unlike anything he had before encountered.

Besides hearing her account first hand, the rest of his visit with Mrs. Ludlow was...interesting. She had answered the door with tears in her eyes, but it turned out they were not for her husband, but for the onions she was chopping. They may have been married, but Mrs. Ludlow and her late husband led very different lives. She reveled in the attention and benefits that her position as one of the wealthiest women in town provided: luncheons, gossip, parties, and influence. A cross word from her could make one's life rather uncomfortable.

Tobias Ludlow, however, did not care much for people or influence – unless they made him money. He was a business man that spent his time on little else. If it wasn't for his wife's insistence, he likely wouldn't have done much of anything other than work.

When asked about any possible connection with Marcus Groet, Mrs. Ludlow laughed. The Groets were farmers, not the sort that her husband would look to for any business opportunities, and certainly not the sort that she would be entertaining socially.

As she talked more about her late husband, it became clear that he was a demanding sort of businessman and not all that likeable. However, not liking someone and wanting to murder them was a very large step. Nothing Seamus had heard would point to anyone wanting to take such a step. Seamus decided that he would try and focus on Tobias Ludlow's business dealings, wondering if he had done someone wrong recently, but that tack proved impossible. Mrs. Ludlow said that he would have to go through their lawyer, Mr. Mesick, to get at any records. When Seamus visited Mr. Mesick, he was told that he would not be sharing Mr. Ludlow's business papers with some stranger.

Although he understood Mr. Ludlow a little better, he felt he was no closer to a reason for his death. Nor was he closer in knowing who, or what, had caused it.

Turning his attention to the other victim, Seamus visited the Groets. His experience with them was quite different. Edna Groet was still suffering from devastating grief. She clearly loved and missed her husband dearly. She was unable to provide much information, so encompassed she was in despair, other than repeating that Marcus was a good man.

Seamus talked with one of the sons as well, but received nothing to help him figure out why someone would want to kill his father.

When asked about any connection between Mr. Groet and Mr. Ludlow, the son could not recall any.

As Seamus lay in his bed, he muttered to himself, "Not a single piece of useful information. The two victims couldn't have been more different."

Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his mind.Unfortunately, he kept being troubled by the same disturbing thought: Could there actually be a monster inKinderhook?