“But why would he own a Power cage? He was a doctor for Pete’s sake, not a marine biologist.”
Maurice lit up a cigar and drew deeply. Now the room filled with smoke as he paced, wondering what to reveal to the house maid. “I read something about this last night,” he confided at last. “Aaron imported several unnamed creatures in the last two years. My suspicion is they were a species of animals that dwelled in the sea.”
“What sort of creatures are they?”
“If only I could answer that, Madeleine. To us, earthlings, the ocean remains a daunting mystery. For all I know, it is a dark abyss, a realm as unknown as the world of the dead.” Maurice shuddered at the thought.
Madeleine’s eyes shone.
“Well, this is terribly exciting. I don’t even wish to go to the markets anymore.”
“No, no, you must go.”
She looked disappointed. “I suppose I must fetch the girls now and get going. Alfred said he would take us to town at ten-thirty. We are due to return on Monday morning. I wish you luck in your investigation. Well…good bye.”
Maurice saw Madeleine to the door, but she suddenly turned, her cheeks flushed red. “We got all carried away with the Power cage and I almost forgot to tell you. I didn’t just explore Aaron’s books, as you asked me. I was good. I searched his drawers. On my first day here, when I was dusting, I saw Vera Nightingale search everywhere in Aaron’s study. I think she was looking for this.” She handed him a tiny antique key. “I found it wedged at the back of the second drawer.”
Maurice noted the curious engraving on the ornate bow. He wondered where he had seen the same insignia before. Was it in Calista’s room? He couldn’t say.
“I looked everywhere in the study,” said Madeleine, “but I found no document box or casket for this key. There has to be one, though. I’m sure it’s somewhere in the house. Perhaps you might have a better idea, Mr. Leroux. Who knows what Aaron was hiding?” She winked.
“Well done, Madeleine,” said Maurice. He felt a tinge of emotion that surprised him. “I suppose…I must say goodbye, for now at least. And…take care of yourself.”
Before he could finish, Madeleine had raised herself to his height and laid a kiss on his cheek.
“You must come see me on the stage some time,” she suggested. “When this is all over, I mean.”
She did not wait for his answer. She slipped outside without looking back.
Maurice wiped the smile off his face. He dropped the key into his pocket, promising himself he would hunt for its casket once he had finished Aaron’s journal.
He waited a few minutes after Madeleine had left, then buttoned up his vest and headed for Aaron’s study.
Aaron’s Secrets
THERE were countless volumes on marine life. All the mysteries of the sea unfolded before his eyes. Dark, monstrous, and forbidding. Yet as much as he rifled through these scientific pages, Maurice could find no references to an Ovee.
Had this creature actually existed?
Maurice had closed the door to the study, but he could hear the maids’ vibrant voices as they prepared to leave for Reading Town. Willy’s playful barks brought a smile to his face. They would all be gone soon. Mrs. Cleary would not like it. She hated losing control.
Maurice’s thoughts drifted back to Ovee. There was much he still did not understand.
It must have been for a reason if Calista’s spirit had written this name in his journal. Why Ovee? What did she want Maurice to know?
Maurice opened Aaron’s journal. He had abandoned it since last night as he was too sickened by its contents. But he had no choice. He had to continue reading, however painful. It was the only way he might discover what had happened to Ovee. Perhaps it would finally shed light on why Calista haunted Alexandra Hall.
He picked up from where he left off.
Aaron eschewed all descriptions of Ovee. He had done so to ensure no one could replicate his grotesque research. Yet several passages caught Maurice’s attention.
It is a creature of enormous appetites, and with such a short lifespan, less than 18 months, it must live at an accelerated rate.
Ovee One is more clever than expected. Within the first week, it approached Calista readily and presented its head to her. As for me, if I near, it retreats, and even now, it does not reach out.
Like a dog, it knows boredom. It seeks to pry and to wrest objects from our hands. It attempts to flee.
It is mischievous like a child. The first time we carried it to the operating table to ascertain the best means to restrain its movements, it evaded our grasp. It climbed upon the far end of the table, seized my writing implements and smeared ink all over the desk.
In later notes, Aaron mentioned failed experiments.
Calista’s attempts are in vain. Ovee One continues to feel pain. Animal magnetism seems to have no effect during operations.
But I am not deterred.
Despite my reduction of the drug dosage, Ovee One has become more revengeful and more aggressive. In this, it will only attack me and is ever bonded to Calista.
And further down the page,
Ovee One has died. Calista wept for weeks.
Maurice flicked through the journal. A new shipment. Over the course of 1846, Aaron reached a breakthrough. Minor operations on Ovee Two were recorded as successful and painless. Then suddenly, as the year progressed, the experiments began to fail. Like its predecessor, Ovee Two began to show signs of aggression, despite receiving smaller drug doses. It, too, died soon after.
Over the Christmas period, there were no experiments. Only the following lines,
Calista
