October 31st (Wednesday)
I have conducted some
minor investigations into the Mrs Winston-Rogers, her father, and his
company. Nothing particularly alarming
has turned up. George tells me that he
mostly lost touch with Mr Winston in 1924 when the latter retired from
business; but that on one occasion Walter had re-emerged and asked about
forensics – specifically how to trace documents. George had sought no further details, not
wishing to intrude, but had been curious at the time. There is no agency file on Janet , but Mr
Winston’s business was (not unusually) investigated for possible criminality or
tax fraud (as were many above a certain level of income).
I arrived at the hotel in New
York last evening and spent the day acclimating to the bustling city. I was informed a car would arrive at 6pm,
which it did quite promptly. I was surprised
to find myself travelling with three others, two gentlemen and a “lady” (I use
the term loosely, in the manner I imagine she would prefer). We spoke little on the drive, and I have much
yet to learn of them. All three are
European, and travelled over on the same zeppelin, but do not seem to have
become more then acquaintances.
The drive took us 45
minutes to depart the city, and an additional 45 minutes to reach the Floyd
Bennet [air] Field. There was one set of
floodlights (attracting large moths) surrounding a single open hangar
door. A single airplane sat unassumedly
nearby the little posh sitting lounge set in the hangar. We were seen from the car by men in white gloves
(a nicely planned detail designed, no doubt, to leave an impression).
We there met a fifth
gentleman invited like ourselves, and Mrs Janet Winston-Rogers, a beautiful
woman in her forties, blonde and polished.
Mrs W-R apologized for all the mystery, and we were introduced to
Richard, the head of her service, who conducted the research to select each of
us. She repeats to us that all of this
is to do with her father, the late Mr Walter Winston.
Mr Winston invested in
hospitals during the war, and those which continued to treat recovering
soldiers long after. After he’d made his
fortune, Mr Winston spent a few years travelling the world and developed an
interest in local folklore – which blossomed into an interest in the occult.
It was then his family
began to notice a change in Mr Winston.
He became focused on “battling something”. She didn’t understand it, nor would he speak
of it to his family, but the obsession went far from unnoticed. When Mr Winston wasn’t travelling, he held
secret meetings with people she and her mother didn’t know. Her mother didn’t like it, couldn’t
understand it, and began to drink heavily.
Mrs Winston passed in 1932.
In 1924, Mr Winston
travelled more and more, most of that year “on the trail of bad people”. He
would be gone for months at a time. At
this time, the German gentleman who had accompanied us interjected and showed
Mrs W-R a list of books being researched particularly in 1924, but she did not
recognize any of the titles. What
remains of Mr Winston’s collection of books are held here in this hangar. None of us were able to pick out any of
particular interest: most were reference books, but a few did have a similar
theme of folklore and even occult fantasies.
Historic nonsense, really.
When Mr Winston returned
in 1924 from his final trip he burned what she assumes were the more
interesting titles, along with any journals, notes, and travel documents. He was changed once more, and held no more
secret meetings. He was unwell, jumped
at shadows, and even sought the help of a psychologist (mostly in his own home
we understand). He never spoke of his
travels, however, or of what he feared.
The only words he would speak on the subject were “nothing mattered
anymore”.
Mrs W-R found a bundle of
letters after her father’s passing, all from a Douglas Henslowe. She believes he may have been one of those
strange men who attended her father’s secret meetings. She does not believe he ever responded, and
has provided us with the letters. Among
those who frequented the meetings there was a man in a wheelchair, and maybe two
other men and two women. The letters
continued to come after her father passed. She does not believe there
was anything unnatural about his death, but wants to know what her father was
mixed up in, and whether there’s any remaining danger.
Mrs W-R has offered us
each a stipend to look into the mystery, as well as the use of her plane and
reasonable resources at her disposal. We
are to deal with Richard directly, and she will provide us (per our request) a
few letters of introduction.
After an inspection of the
plane and wrapping up a few more details, my new colleagues and I made some
brief arrangements. The four of them
would travel to the Boston area to visit the family home, and I to Virginia to
put my affairs in order. We will meet up
at a hotel in Virginia on November 3rd at 6pm, and travel from there
to Savannah. We hope to meet with Mr
Henslowe, himself, and/or Mr Henslowe’s doctor, and further hope to obtain the
journal.
* * * * *
