Westland, NY, Thursday, July 18, 1929
At the Kovacs House
Eric and Otis found the book taped inside the center drawer underneath the desktop. After perusing the book, Eric told the others that it appeared that they were not the only people involved in this kind of investigation. He noticed that the book was dated 1923 while Kovacs had disappeared in 1915.
Sam suggested checking in on Longborough in the morning to see if he could fill in any of the gaps. He noticed that Roger Furlong was the last one of Longborough’s group to die, and it that was in 1924, the year before the book was written. He checked the taps in the sink and observed that the water was clear, indicating that someone had been in the house recently.
Mookie suggested that he watch the house while the others visited Longborough in the hospital in the morning. They restored the house to the condition when they arrived. Eric left a note with his name and office address stating that he needed the reader’s help. Eric, Otis and Sam went home. Mookie camped out by the bank behind the house behind some shrubs where he was well concealed from the road.
While looking over the book dozing off in bed, Eric noted a watermark on the Forward page of the Theron Marks Manual. Searching throughout the book, he found watermarks on the first page of each chapter. The watermarks corresponded to symbols on the Restricted Collection Vault Combination Pad. He found 10 symbols in all.
On The Way to Saint Michael’s Church Rectory
Otis was accosted by three toughs in a familiar alley that we used frequently. They demanded money, but he informed them that he had none, and managed to persuade them to give up their sinful ways. One of the three even volunteered to escort him, but Otis declined.
Once back at the rectory, he examined the sarcophagus more closely and attempted to decipher the glyphs on the outside. He did not gain any additional insights.
Westland, NY, Friday, July 13, 1928
At the Kovacs House
The group met up again at the Kovacs House, where Mookie had camped out without incident. He was waiting for them in dining room, hoping they would bring some coffee. He was in luck, Eric brought a thermos of coffee and some cups.
Eric informed the others of his watermark discovery. Mookie asked if they were the same as in the sarcophagus. Upon examination they noted that there were characters from the combination pad on the sarcophagus, but not the ones in the book.
At the Hospital
They went to the hospital and learned that Jason Longborough had passed away in the night. Wilson Longborough demanded that they return they box his father had given them to him. Eric informed him that the box was given to them prior his death, so it was no longer part of his estate. Sam said a flat no. Mookie intimidated Wilson into backing down.
Sam approached the nurse on duty and asked about Mr. Longborough’s last moments. She asked who he was. When he told her, she produced an envelope addressed to them. The letter informed them that the sarcophagus had contained about three times as much amber before the ceremony then remained inside.
The letter also mentioned that Longborough had arranged conditions to address the circumstances of him being the last of the Cabal to survive. He had ensured that Inviolati Conditori Pueri was retained by the university, that the farm remained in his custody, and that they had been assembled on account of their varied skills. He also wrote that he did not know if the death of the Cabal would release the entity, or merely allowed the barrier to degrade. Finally, he wrote that help was available, if they could find it.
Sam asked the nurse if she had noticed the man who they had been listening in on their conversation. The nurse said that he had been seen around the hospital over the previous few days, but had not appeared that day.
They decided that the next step was to send Otis to speak to the Dr. Feldman about Inviolati Conditori Pueri.