The Corruption of Innocence

Chapter 2

"I swear I had it a second ago, and now it's gone!"

"You've been drinking, Mr Caesar, go home."

"I ain't going 'till I've been given my wallet back!"

The doorbell of the pub rang, and Oliver burst through, striding up to the bar, where two men sat, speaking to the barmaid who was serving.

"It's probably one of the Devils of Wiltshire, Simon, ooohhh!"

"The Devils of Wiltshire?"

The man who had been laughing looked in annoyance at the intruder who spoke to him with such desperation.

"Yeah, Jack Edgar and his pal Philip Device."

"We don't speak of them around here," the barmaid interrupted with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"Please, my child has gone missing and a young lad has told me one of those two boys may be responsible for her disappearance. I do not know if those tales are true, but I can tell you that it is very strange of my child to wander off. Please help me."

The barmaid's face turned pale and tears welled up in her eyes. The men at the bar looked at each other sorrowfully, and Oliver stared after them.

"Please help me! I will do anything to save my child!"

"You can't summon Edgar, he must come to you, if he wants to," Simon said grimly.

"Well he must, I want my child back!"

"There's nothing much you can do other than wait for him to come to you," his friend added honestly.

"Where can I find him, is he here?"

"Here, in this building, lurking around as we speak. But watch out, sir. He won't greet you nicely. He's a bugger is that Edgar. You know what he and his pal did, don't you?"

"Nobody will ever forget it, but please can we stop speaking of that crime?" the pretty barmaid complained before sighing. "Look, sir, if you want to get your child back, we'll support you here in Chippenham, because this place has strong connections to that awful crime. Stay overnight here for a bit, a week say, and see if he comes to you. That's all you can do."

The man swallowed the giant lump in his throat but forced himself to nod.

"I must pay you for my room, then," he said, reaching into his pocket with a shaking hand.

"No, sir, please, you needn't pay. It's the least I can do for someone like you." She paused and a downcast expression shadowed her youthful face, as dark as her hair. "Here are your keys, and I'll take you to your room. Follow me."

Oliver followed the barmaid into the back of the pub where she led the way up a dark staircase and on to a long corridor where the rooms were situated. However, the company walked up another flight of stairs and stood in awkward silence outside an old, grim door. The woman appeared nervous as she unlocked it. The man stepped inside, and the barmaid told him to make himself at home, before closing the door behind her hastily.

The room was in the attic; more long than wide and was all wooden, with beams on the ceiling, a fireplace, a wooden chair and a wooden bed that had nice bedding on it. A few pictures hung on the walls, but none of them were of interest to Oliver, who was anxious as he sat down on the bed, Charlotte's happy face haunting his thoughts.

Then, suddenly, a piece of newspaper laid on the floor caught the man's eye. He sighed, disinterested, but curiosity took hold of him and he slowly bent down to pick it up.

Devil of Wiltshire Number 2 said to be responsible for several horrific deaths at Chavenage Manor

The ghost of Jack Edgar, one of the two boys responsible for the murder of Henry Smith of Bowood on March 16th 1866, is said to have made a terrifying return and killed off another one of Jennet Preston of Chavenage Manor's children a couple of nights ago, it has been reported.