Goat Mother and Others: The Collected Mythos Fiction of Pierre Comtois by Pierre V. Comtois, Charlie Krank, Nick Nacario Page B

there a mistake?
    “Miss Cobb?” said the man whose graying hair indicated that he was nearing fiftyish, an age that Darlene still considered attractive in a man.
    “Yes,” she said, turning to face him more fully.
    “I’m Dr. Sayers,” said the man, extending a hand. “I treated your uncle.”
    “Oh, right. How are you? It was good of you to come.”
    “Well, actually, I came to see you more than to pay my respects,” Sayers said with some embarrassment.
    “Don’t worry about it,” soothed Darlene. “So, Mr. Whitney said that my uncle died peacefully?”
    “That’s a relative term,” Sayers hedged. “There was no pain or discomfort at the end…it was a heart attack suffered in his sleep…but your uncle was not without a share of agitation and anxiety over the years, which I think reached acute levels in the last few weeks of his convalescence. I dare say they were a major factor in weakening his heart.”
    “Anxiety over what? He had no money problems, I’m sure…and he wasn’t married,” Darlene added with a short laugh.
    Sayers chuckled at her little joke.
    “No, you’re right, nevertheless something bothered him.”
    “He was expecting a guest from overseas…in fact, he’s supposed to arrive any time now,” offered Darlene.
    “That could have something to do with it,” mused Sayers. “People who lead reclusive lives often exaggerate the importance of anything that threatens to upset their quiet routine. Your uncle could very well have worried about this visit more than it deserved.”
    “In any case, he doesn’t have to worry about it any more,” Darlene said, looking over at the coffin.
    “You’re staying out at the house?”
    “For now; I figure I should stay at least until my uncle’s guest arrives, it’s the polite thing to do.”
    Sayers nodded. “Funny thing about the night your uncle died. Whippoorwills had been gathering around the house all that day and it seemed the moment your uncle passed away…whoosh!…they all took flight at the same time, all screeching like the dickens. Whitney mention anything about that?”
    “No.”
    “Well, I guess for Dunwich folk, those things are normal,” Sayers laughed.
    After the doctor left, Darlene decided that she’d fulfilled whatever duty she had to her uncle, and said goodbye to the funeral director who reminded her that there would be no service for the deceased and that the interment would take place the next day in Dunwich.
    Leaving the funeral home, Darlene drove over to Main Street for her appointment with her uncle’s attorney, a Mr. Roland Humberton.
    “It seems that your uncle was quite fond of you, Miss Cobb,” Humberton said after reading her the will. “Leaving you his house and all its possessions. Unfortunately, there is very little in his bank account.”
    Darlene was a little stunned about the revelation (money or no money)…she hadn’t come to see Humberton about any will, just to find out what would happen to the house. But as she considered it, who else was there that her uncle could have left it to? Which presented her with another problem: what to do with it. She had no intention of moving back to the area, let alone Dunwich! So selling was her only option. Unfortunately, however, that would have to wait until she could get rid of her uncle’s expected guest.
    “Mr. Humberton,” she said. “I want to put the house up for sale as soon as possible.”
    “That can be arranged.”
    “The only thing is, I have to stick around long enough to welcome a guest my uncle was expecting from overseas. Can a sale be delayed until after he leaves?”
    “Not a problem, it’ll take some time to transfer ownership of your uncle’s property to you and arrange paperwork for the sale,” said Humberton. “And besides, it being Dunwich, well…don’t expect a quick sale, that’s all.”
    “I didn’t,” laughed Darlene. “But will it be necessary for me to stay in Dunwich until the paperwork is taken care