Dr. Manzano clears his throat, "Friends, I’m truly sorry for the fate thate hase befallen you, especially Len Colson. Some of you stille suferre frome dreadfulle experiencese and stille need therapy, but I don’te see neede to keepe you at the hospitale. Detective Stuckey also hase agreede to let you go. Before you leave, I wante a private coversatione with eache and one of you." Dr. Manzano sits down again.

Detective Stuckey continues, "Some of what I tell you now will be in the newspaper tomorrow, but all the references to you as person and as a group is omitted. Henry Atwater and Nick Berone was together responsible for the murders. There is a record of insanity in Atwater’s family and it struck him suddenly at the trip with his friend. The murder of his friend, Cardigan, and the attempt of murder on the old Hobo, was committed by Atwater. When Atwater escaped from the Asylum, he somehow came in contact with Nick Berone and involved him. We don’t know what Berone’s motive for doing this was. When Berone accidentally discovered that you investigated the murders he befriended you, and kept the track on you. He couldn’t prevent you from discovering their hiding-place, and he gassed you in the tunnel. Your memories are illusions, it never took place. We believe that Atwater used the underground laboratory for some time. We aren’t sure what he did down there yet, but some of our specialist believes that he thought that he tried to reanimate dead people. The deaths may have connection to this."

"When the police arrived and Berone understood that he and Atwater would be exposed, he fooled detective Grant into a trap and later killed his partner. We believe that Berone felt the ground burning under him at that his adventure in Arkham was getting to dangerous. We are still searching for him but fear that he has escaped to Canada. "

"We will continue the investigations in the underground tunnels till the end of the week. Then we will collapse the tunnels at their ends. The old, abandoned house will probably be demolished. I’ve tried to keep your names out of this, but too many people know of your investigation, so I’ll recommend that you go public with your story. If you’ll hide some of the truth, I’ll back you up, as long it doesn’t contradict the official version. Do you have any questions?

Silence, until Doc speaks, "I believe that we are too shocked. To learn that Nick was the enemy. I am good judge of character, how could I have been so wrong, so disastrously wrong?" Doc shakes his head.

Charles grips Doc’s upper arm, "Doc, we all trusted Nick. It wasn’t your fault, we all decided on letting Nick in. Besides, I can’t understand it me neither."

Detective Stuckey picks up his hat, "Well then, I want to thank you all for the support and effort you have shown. Although I wish you had acted differently in the end, I owe you my respect and gratitude. If there is something you want to talk to me about, you know where to find me."

When the detective has left, Manzano brings the meeting to the end; "I want you all to go to your rooms. There I’ll see you one by one and then you can leave the hospital."

-----

Penny searches through the box with her clothes that were put in her room with a heartbeat. Yes, it is there, the symbol. Penny embraces the symbol, as it was her dearest belonging.

‘Knock, knock’, it is Dr. Manzano at the door. Penny frenetically thinks of a hiding place for the symbol, but just puts it in the box and puts the lid on.

"Penny, it is Dr. Manzano, can I come in?"

"Yes, please enter."

After some idle talk Dr. Manzano gives his opinion on her condition. "Penny, I’m worried aboute you. You have some traumathicale experiences, which you have coped well withe so far, but I feare whate could happene if you sufferede yet more shocks." Dr Manzano leans closer to her and whispers, although there are no others present in the room, "What you and youre friends have been doinge, quite it. Continue with your normal life, and don’t see youre newe friends again, evere." Dr. Manzano sighs, because his advice was not given lightly, but as a necessity. He rises and before he leaves, "Ms. Pritchard, come and see me nexte week, we’ll continue youre therapy thene."

-----

Next on Dr. Manzano’s list is Charles. "Mr. Cochroft, howe are you doinge right nowe?"

"I’m all right the circumstances taken into consideration."

"Good. You are the luckieste of you, but also you have injuries in youre minde. I wante you to followe up one my therapy."

"Sure Doc, but I am fine...really", replies Charles and smiles bravely at Dr. Manzano. "Now that this whole episode is behind me, I'm returning to my estate for a couple of weeks of rest. After that, who knows." Shrugs Charles and gathers his coat. "How are the others doing? I'm particularly worried about Len"

Dr. Manzano sighs, "So ame I, so ame I. We are trying oute a newe procdure with heavy medicatione and electicale schocke, but so fare it hase not showne the resulte I hoped fore."

-----

Last on the list is Doc. "Hello Mr. Slade, have you had any memore lapses latele?"

"No Dr. Manzano, apart from the blank memories from the tunnel, I remember everything that have happened since."

"Thate ise good. I cannot dismisse the thoughte thate it mighte well be ase goode thate you can’t remebere anythinge. Bute before you leave, I wante also you to come in my therapy."

"I have no problems with that, it is necessary to work through these things to put the pysche back where it belongs."

Doc continues, "What do the others claim happen in the tunnel?"

Dr. Manzano hesitates before he answers, "You encounterede somethinge note of thise worlde, somethinge evile and darke. I really don'te wante to knowe of the details. I thinke it ise beste thate you learn thise frome Charles."

*****

Penny returns to the University and sits alone in the Library attempting to catch up on her schoolwork. The events of the past few days weigh heavily on her mind. She remembers Daria's words before she left. "I need to get away," she said. "What I know now has forever changed me and I need to sort things out. I'm going to my aunt's in California." The two said their "good-byes" and embraced for a few moments. "Take care," Daria said finally. "God Bless," Penny replied.

The sound of a book falling from a classmate's arms causes Penny to jump and scream at the suddenness. She flings her head upon her arms crossed in front of her on the large table and begins to softly sob.

*****

After being released from the sanatorium, Charles looks up Doc Slade next day at the office. "Howday Doc", greets Charles as he enters the room.

Doc replies, "Greetings, Charles"

Charles gives the other man a warm handshake, before pulling up a chair and sitting down. "Doc, do you buy the bit about Nick and Bishop working together? Although it may be true, I cannot help but wonder whether we're being played for fools. Bishop managed a body swap once before. Doesn't it stand to reason that he could do it again? What if he switched bodies with Nick, just before killing him? That would explain the police finding Atwater's body with Nick having disappeared." Charles let's the thought hang in the air before softly adding, "If that be the case, we may all still be in terrible danger..."

Doc replies, "No, I do not buy the police story, but he being wanted in New York is possible. I believe the police just concocted the story to try to make sense of an unbelievable situation. Now a body switch is possible and a scary thought. If we ever see Nick again, be leery if he has a crooked back. Otherwise, it is possible that Nick has fled due to the police interest in him."

"I also have another problem, Charles adds, "Bishop, is he not supposed to be immortal? It is my understanding that he is. Is that not the reason why he was imprisoned in a bridge for all those years and why were we going to do something similar to him, if killing him would have been a much more convenient alternative?", says Charles with a frown. "There are just too many loose ends Doc. Do you know what the police did with Atwater's body?"

Doc replies, "Excellent point, we need to check that out." Doc changes the subject, "Now, at last, can you let me know what happened in the tunnel? I still have no knowledge of what happened in there or why it collapsed like that."

"Neither have I...", replies Charles, "I was busy faking a heart attack and did not see the tunnel collapse. However, the fact that it collapsed seems just too convenient for my liking. I think we've been set up. I would like to inspect Atwater's body to make sure he is really dead. For God's sake, he could be playing dead with the help of his demon. Either that or he stole Nick's body and left him trapped to die in Atwater's."

Doc face looks amazed as he comments, "So you too have suffer memory loss of what happened when we went down into the tunnel. You remember nothing of it? Are we sure Bishop was down there at all?"

"I thought you asked what I remembered when the tunnel collapsed. I remember too well what happened in the tunnel. Are you sure you want to know Doc?"

"I need to know, Charles. I need to know for my therapy." Doc grins foolishly.

Charles sighs again as he lays out the incidents in detail for Doc.

---

Doc says, "I think we should meet again, the others may have learnt or remember things that we don't know of. I'll try to reach them and then we'll meet again at your place tonight. Is that ok with you, Charles?" Charles nods. "But first we'll talk to detective Stuckey and ask to see the body of Atwater.

*****

Detective Stuckey uncovers the body. The body is riddled with stab wounds and the throat is cut. "Several of these wounds are lethal. Two stabs penetrated the heart. It is evident that the murderer felt little mercy with the victim. The wounds are 7 inches deep at the most. We will keep the body here for a while, then we'll cremate it." Detective Stuckey let's you examine the body.

*****

Penny rides with Doc, they are late and are speeding. When they arrive there are no others there except for Charles. "Where are the others?" Doc asks.

"There are no others", Charles explains. "Pierre has gone home to Canada. Daria has left town, I believe she is travelling to an aunt in California. Len has still shown no improvement, I'm afraid, and Nick, as we all know, has disappeared." Charles pauses, "It's kind of creepy, don't you think?"

Charles takes you in to the living room, where you are served hot tea. After sipping to the tea for some time, Charles takes the word again. "Friends and companions. The purpose of our gathering here today is to determine whether the threat from Bishop is dispelled. Secondly we have learned things about the nature of this world and the universe that is not easily disregarded. How I wish that I was the old ignorant Charles W. Cochroft, but I can never be that person again. The old Cochroft had clear goals, plans, and ambitions. Right now, this is of no matter to the new Cochroft." Charles puts his cup down on the plate, signalling to you that he wants you to say something.

Doc comments, "I do not know how Bishop died, but I suspect it was not Nick's doing, so he may be hanging around still in another body. Now about what we saw, I am horrified that such evil can exist in this world, I am in favor of doing all in my power to eradicate it from the world."

The young student appears if she has not slept well the past couple of nights. None-the-less she intently listens to Charles. "I am at a loss as to what to do. I only know that the sights of that hideous tunnel haunt my sleep. I only know that there has been no closure on the events of that night and without such I see no way in defeating my fears to regain what sanity I have left."

She sets her cup of tea to the side. Her hand shakes slightly as it nears the table. "But know this. I will help in anyway I can."

"Very well.", says Charles and takes Penny's hand in his own. He glances at briefly at Doc and continues, "I believe that Bishop yet lives. If this is the case then we must all be very careful. Penny, I have spoken to Nell and we would both be delighted if you would come and stay with us at the cottage until things have cleared up. Tom will come and live with us as well. With him and the dogs around we will all be reasonably safe. If you need to go to the university by day I'll have one of the hands drive you there and back. Besides, I have some ancient Babylonian texts that have been giving me a hard time. Perhaps you would like to help?" He smiles reassuringly at the young student before turning his attention to Doc, "Doc, will you be safe over at your place? There's plenty of room around here and think we need to be together at this time. If Bishop is around, it won't be hard for him to find out who we are and when he does I believe he will come for us. It all depends on how he interprets our involvement in this case. If he thinks we were merely after Henry Atwater then he might leave us alone, but if he suspects that we know who he really is, he will most definitely seek us out..."

"I wouldn't want to trouble you, but I will accept the offer." Penny thinks for a moment and adds, "Maybe I'll take off a semester from school."

Doc replies "Charles, I have to protect my family if he comes around. Better that I am home with them, rather then being away if he comes visiting."

Charles smiles weakly, before continuing, "That brings us to the next matter, one that needs to be resolved and that is the matter of the Carnamagos Book. What shall we do with it? We could use it as bait in a final attempt to snare Bishop, or we could seal it away in a safe place, or perhaps even better yet...burn the hellish thing."

Doc replies, "As much as it deserves to be burned, it does not belong to us. If we could legally acquire it, then yes burn it. If not, we can not act immorally against its owner as that would drive us closer to evil and makes us more vulnerable."

Charles Pauses briefly, a faraway look in his eyes, "Whatever the future may hold, one thing is certain and that is that Charles Cochroft will never be blind to the horrors and dark recesses of this world. If we who see, do not protect those who are oblivious, who then will?"

Doc replies, "I agree - we have an obligation to protect others from this nightmare we encountered."

-----

Lots of time later

The investigators are still perplexed about what really happened down there in the dark of the tunnel after the tunnel collapsed. They neither get a lifesign from Nick nor have more murders. Things are claming down in Arkham and all of the investigators follow the therapy of Dr. Manzano. The rumours of the Arkham butcher, however, are thriving. All of the investigators are mention by name, but they refuse to comment on them.

Charles standing has dropped, because the gentlefolk of Arkham disapprove of Charles involvement in the case. Penny's popularity has increased, but it is an attention she could have done without. There are days when she prefers to stay at Charles' resident rather to go the University. Doc's firm is experiencing a significant increase in enquiries and he is fully occupied.

Time pass and life is returning to the normal routines again.

{end of scenario}

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