Saturday morning bus, spend the whole day, do the Midnight Tour, stay overnight at one of the motels in town, then catch the Sunday afternoon bus back to San Francisco. If you don’t have your own car, that’s about the only sensible way to do it. Imagine what it’d cost for a cab ride.”
“But kids aren’t allowed?” Derek asked, sounding disappointed.
“No kids under the age of eighteen. Beast House rules.”
“That stinks.”
“I know. But just figure it’ll give you something to look forward to doing when you’re a little older.”
“It still stinks.”
“Well, there won’t be much said on the Midnight Tour that isn’t in Janice Crogan’s books. So if you’re really interested, Derek, read the books. Speaking of which, we’ve come back to where I was heading; one of the main participants in the Beast House mayhem of 1979 was an eighteen year old girl named Janice Crogan. You’ve all heard of her, right? She happens to be a very good friend of mine, and my employer.
“After surviving her ordeal, she wrote a nonfiction book called The Horror at Malcasa Point. It contains portions of Lily Thorn’s diary, a general history of Beast House, and a detailed account of the terrible experiences she had there in 1979. It also has quite a few photographs, including those photos I mentioned of the dead beast.” She smiled toward someone at the rear of the bus and said, “Unfortunately, Marv, the photos don’t show the area you’re so interested in.”
“I’m not that interested,” he protested. “Just wondering if what they say is true, you know?”
“Well, can you make the Midnight Tour?”
“Not likely. I’ve gotta get back to Chicago on Saturday.”
“In that case,” Patty said, “I’ll let you in on a little secret. I have it on good authority that the matter you’re curious about is true. But you didn’t hear it here. For those of you who don’t know what we’re talking about, you can satisfy your curiosity by going on the Midnight Tour or by reading either of Janice’s books. One of which is The Horror at Malcasa Point, a nationwide bestseller published in 1980. How many of you have read it?”
Owen raised his hand. Looking around, he saw that only three other people had their hands up. One of them, a heavy bald guy near the back, he suspected of being Marv.
“Four out of about fifty. Not bad, considering it is a book. How many of you have seen any of the Beast House movies?”
Owen raised his hand. So did Monica. So did nearly everyone on the bus.
“Let’s not get into the movies just yet. I need to finish plugging Janice’s books. First came the big bestseller, The Horror at Malcasa Point. It only took her two months to write, which is a truly remarkable feat in itself, considering her injuries and all the horrors that she’d just gone through. I think it’s amazing that she was able to write about those things at all. But she’s such a strong person...” Patty stopped and looked away for a few seconds. Then she faced the passengers again and continued. “Anyway, the book has been in print ever since 1980, and has been published in over fifteen different languages. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, they’re available at the Beast House gift shop and at Janice’s museum. You can buy the book in paperback, hardbound, or in a special limited edition with a white leather binding that simulates beast skin. Janice is usually around to sign the books, but she’s off on an extended vacation with her husband. She did autograph a bunch of copies before she left, though, so nobody will have to be disappointed in that regard.” A grin spread across Patty’s face. “Though why anybody cares about autographs is beyond me.”
“It makes them more precious,” said an elderly woman sitting near the front. She had a soft, sing-song voice. “I’m Matilda.”
“Nice to meet you, Matilda.”
“I have an autographed copy of A Light in August by Mr. William Faulkner, and it just means the whole world to me.”
“Well, Janice Crogan ain’t no Faulkner, as the saying goes. But she is a whole lot prettier. And she did sign a pile of books before she left on her trip. If you’re interested, you’ll be able to buy autographed copies at the same price as those that aren’t. Of both books. Which brings me to Janice’s second book, Savage Times, which is also available. It was published in 1990, and...How many of you are familiar with that one?”
Owen raised his hand. So did Marv. Nobody else.
“We have a couple of real fans here. Savage Times is an absolutely gorgeous book, but it’s not cheap. It’ll run you eighty-five bucks, plus tax. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s worth more. We’re talking about a very complete, detailed history of Malcasa Point and Beast House, and it even gets into the background of the beasts. Janice prepared the book in collaboration with an old-time native of the area, Captain Frank Sullivan. If you’ve read Horror, then you know about Captain Frank. The thing is, he had special knowledge of the beasts and kept an extensive scrapbook over the years. Janice and Captain Frank worked together on the book for almost ten years, collecting information, interviewing people, and gathering photographs and illustrations. Make sure and take a look at copy of it sometime today. Even if you don’t buy one, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to thumb through it.
“Now, let’s talk about the movies. Everybody’s seen the movies. At last count, there were seven of them. They’re all available on video tape at the Beast House gift shop and at the museum. But of course, the ‘must see’ film is the original. The Horror. 1982. It was done by an independent film company that called itself Malcasa Pictures. Directed by Ray Cunningham. Screenplay by Steve Saunders based on Janice’s nonfiction bestseller, The Horror at Malcasa Point. The film starred Melinda James in the role of Janice Crogan, and introduced Gunther Sligo as ‘The Beast.’ It almost didn’t get made at all. I bet someone can tell us why.”
Owen raised his hand.
Patty smiled at him and nodded. “You are?”
“Owen.”
“Hi, Owen.”
“Hi, Patty”
A quiet grunting sound came from Monica.
“The reason it almost didn’t get made?”
“Well, for one thing, they didn’t know how to deal on film with the beast’s ‘apparatus.’”
Several passengers laughed. Monica groaned.
“But that’s not what you’re looking for.”
“It’s something I try very hard to avoid,” Patty said.
More laughter.
“What I think you were getting at,” Owen continued, “is that a couple of things happened just before they were supposed to start principle photography. For one, the guy who was originally going to direct it... I don’t recall his name.”
“Marlon Slade.”
“Yeah, that’s him. He apparently assaulted Tricia Talbot, who was supposed to be playing Janice Crogan. I guess he tried to, you know, nail her But she got away from him and left town that night. And then be disappeared the next night.”
“He’ being Marlon Slade, the director.”
“Yeah. And I guess nobody ever found out what happened to him.”
“That’s right,” Patty said. “He vanished into thin air, went kaput, disappeared without a trace and has never been seen again. There is speculation that he ran off with a teenaged girl named Margaret Blume, who was the guide for the real Beast House tours before the arrival of the movie company. Slade’s assistant told authorities that he’d gone looking for the girl’s trailer home that evening. Evidently, he was planning to offer her the Janice Crogan role vacated by Tricia Talbot. But he never returned, and the beautiful young guide also disappeared, along with her trailer. Maybe she and Slade ran off together. Maybe there was foul play. Nobody knows. Another Beast House mystery.”
Chapter Five
