contact information, if possible. He might have more background information not available in the archives.
Six months after the fire and the murders, Adam Senft killed his pregnant wife, Tara, in the exact same manner that LeHorn had murdered his wife twenty years earlier—by pushing her out of the attic window. At his trial, Senft claimed that the baby was half human and half goat—the malignant offspring of a satyr. He’d killed his wife to prevent its birth. He also claimed that the creature had been summoned by none other than Nelson LeHorn. Despite the best efforts of the district attorney, Senft’s defense lawyer was able to secure an insanity plea—something that was normally very difficult to do in the Pennsylvania court system. He was remanded into the custody of officials as a “forensic”—basically criminally insane—patient and currently resided in the White Rose Mental Health Facility in East York.
Nelson LeHorn had murdered his wife because he believed she’d slept with the devil. Adam Senft had done the same because he believed his wife had slept with a satyr. The psychoses were remarkably similar. Could both be linked to the hollow’s Goat Man mythos?
Maria was intrigued. There was far more she could do with this story than just a fluff piece in the local paper. The possibility of a true-crime book, or even a series of them, was tantalizing. The more she uncovered, the greater the possibilities became.
Her headache forgotten, Maria glanced at her watch. She still needed to meet with the Ghost Walk’s own er, Ken Ripple, later that evening. It took her another hour to make copies of all the articles. By the time she was done, she’d decided on her next course of action. She’d finish the write-up on the Ghost Walk and get it turned in on time, but then, she’d start collating her information and put together a book proposal.
She also decided to track down Ramirez, the detective who had originally cleared Senft in the first murder, and then try to secure an interview with Adam Senft himself. She anticipated a lot of red tape with the security hospital, but was sure she could cut through it. Maria had been lucky enough to nurture some professional relationships and contacts among several individuals employed within the county’s medical system.
Maria packed up her copies and hurried out of the newspaper’s offices without saying good-bye to Miles. She whistled on her way through the parking garage. Her headache had vanished. For the first time in a long while, she felt excited by an assignment. She couldn’t wait to dig deeper. Her gut told her that there was more to this story—a hidden narrative woven between the newspaper articles and records. The public details were dark, no doubt, but she suspected that beneath the surface, it was even darker.
CHAPTER FIVE
There was no danger of Richard Henry being missed, but Sam Freeman and Rhonda Garrett had families and friends who would note their absence. Like some of the others among the Thirteen, such as Ob of the Siqqusim, Nodens had the ability to pick through its victim’s memories and experiences before it devoured them. It had done so with Sam and Rhonda, scanning their lives and the moments leading up to their arrival at the doorway. The teenagers had arrived at the hollow that morning in Sam’s car, a Mustang GT. The vehicle was parked at the edge of the forest, along with those belonging to the other volunteers. Nodens had Rhonda retrieve the car keys from Sam. Then, to prevent discovery, Nodens sent Rhonda to move the automobile while Richard and Sam stood guard around the circle. There were too many humans in the woods now. Sending its pawns out to collect more of them was too risky. If they abducted another, it might arouse suspicion. They could be overpowered.
Instead, it would wait. Nodens knew patience well.
Nodens was hungry. The desire to totally consume these three, to drain their physical forms of energy, to snuff them
Six months after the fire and the murders, Adam Senft killed his pregnant wife, Tara, in the exact same manner that LeHorn had murdered his wife twenty years earlier—by pushing her out of the attic window. At his trial, Senft claimed that the baby was half human and half goat—the malignant offspring of a satyr. He’d killed his wife to prevent its birth. He also claimed that the creature had been summoned by none other than Nelson LeHorn. Despite the best efforts of the district attorney, Senft’s defense lawyer was able to secure an insanity plea—something that was normally very difficult to do in the Pennsylvania court system. He was remanded into the custody of officials as a “forensic”—basically criminally insane—patient and currently resided in the White Rose Mental Health Facility in East York.
Nelson LeHorn had murdered his wife because he believed she’d slept with the devil. Adam Senft had done the same because he believed his wife had slept with a satyr. The psychoses were remarkably similar. Could both be linked to the hollow’s Goat Man mythos?
Maria was intrigued. There was far more she could do with this story than just a fluff piece in the local paper. The possibility of a true-crime book, or even a series of them, was tantalizing. The more she uncovered, the greater the possibilities became.
Her headache forgotten, Maria glanced at her watch. She still needed to meet with the Ghost Walk’s own er, Ken Ripple, later that evening. It took her another hour to make copies of all the articles. By the time she was done, she’d decided on her next course of action. She’d finish the write-up on the Ghost Walk and get it turned in on time, but then, she’d start collating her information and put together a book proposal.
She also decided to track down Ramirez, the detective who had originally cleared Senft in the first murder, and then try to secure an interview with Adam Senft himself. She anticipated a lot of red tape with the security hospital, but was sure she could cut through it. Maria had been lucky enough to nurture some professional relationships and contacts among several individuals employed within the county’s medical system.
Maria packed up her copies and hurried out of the newspaper’s offices without saying good-bye to Miles. She whistled on her way through the parking garage. Her headache had vanished. For the first time in a long while, she felt excited by an assignment. She couldn’t wait to dig deeper. Her gut told her that there was more to this story—a hidden narrative woven between the newspaper articles and records. The public details were dark, no doubt, but she suspected that beneath the surface, it was even darker.
CHAPTER FIVE
There was no danger of Richard Henry being missed, but Sam Freeman and Rhonda Garrett had families and friends who would note their absence. Like some of the others among the Thirteen, such as Ob of the Siqqusim, Nodens had the ability to pick through its victim’s memories and experiences before it devoured them. It had done so with Sam and Rhonda, scanning their lives and the moments leading up to their arrival at the doorway. The teenagers had arrived at the hollow that morning in Sam’s car, a Mustang GT. The vehicle was parked at the edge of the forest, along with those belonging to the other volunteers. Nodens had Rhonda retrieve the car keys from Sam. Then, to prevent discovery, Nodens sent Rhonda to move the automobile while Richard and Sam stood guard around the circle. There were too many humans in the woods now. Sending its pawns out to collect more of them was too risky. If they abducted another, it might arouse suspicion. They could be overpowered.
Instead, it would wait. Nodens knew patience well.
Nodens was hungry. The desire to totally consume these three, to drain their physical forms of energy, to snuff them
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