The Peculiar Case of Agnes Astor Smith Read online

  “I guess you have a point,” I said amiably, settling into my seat and allowing my eyes to drift closed. There was still a long flight ahead of us, and as much as I enjoyed my conversation with Agnes, there were some hours yet until we arrived at our destination. I needed to get some hours of sleep, especially if I wanted to be in peak condition to figure out... whatever on Earth it was that Agnes wanted me to solve. I could hear her grab her book back from the pocket in front of her, flipping through the pages and humming a tune under her breath. It was a soothing little melody, and made me feel nostalgic though I wasn’t sure exactly why. It sounded ancient, somehow, though I couldn’t explain what about the melody made me feel as such. Maybe it was from one of Agnes’ previous expeditions, a little ditty that she’d learned from the locals in some distant land. There was so much I didn’t know about the woman, but I resolved that I was going to do the most I could to grow closer to the enigma that was Agnes Astor Smith. With that thought in mind, I allowed the comforting hum of her voice to lull me into a sense of peace. Sleep didn’t come immediately, but in spite of the danger that seemed as if it could befall me at any given turn, I felt as if I’d never been more safe in my life. It was weird, but such was the eccentricities that surrounded the woman at my side, and by association, myself when in her presence. I had no idea what the future had laid out for me, and though I wasn’t usually comfortable with the concept of the unknown, I somehow felt as if it would work out for the best. Sleep came gradually, finally, and when I drifted into the unknown that is the unconscious mind, I could see flames rising higher and higher all around me. The heat lashed out at my skin, and for a moment I was terrified. Through the dream, however, I could hear the soft melody that Agnes was humming. As it grew louder in my mind, the flames began to edge away from me until I was no longer sweltering. Instead, I was comfortably warm. It was a pleasant sensation.

  Chapter Seven

  As the plane touched down, I was jolted from my sleep just in time to see Agnes flip her book closed. I idly wondered if she had gotten any sleep for the duration of the flight, but I wasn’t curious enough to ask. It would likely seem a strange question, all the same. Instead, I offered her a bright smile as the pilot spoke through the intercom, informing us that we had reached our destination. She returned the expression a bit wearily, unfastening her seat belt as soon as we were advised to do so. I followed suit, standing from my seat and stretching my aching arms out over my head. My back cracked slightly as I stretched, and I flinched a bit at the sound. It hadn’t been the most comfortable sleeping position by any means, but I could only hope I hadn’t damaged myself too much in the process. Agnes quietly slipped into the center aisle, grabbing our bags out of the overhead bin and pressing mine into my hands.

  “You look exhausted,” I said bluntly, not really caring too much about how polite I sounded. She grumbled a bit, rubbing her temples as she waited for me to fall into step behind her. I obliged, and we made our way out of the plane.

  “I am exhausted,” she finally admitted after a moment, glancing over her shoulder with a slight grimace. “I’ve never been able to sleep all that well on airplanes, so I just... didn’t sleep. I figured I can get a bit of rest once we arrive at Stefan’s estate,” she added in a mumble. I chuckled, moving to step up beside her as we strode through the destination airport.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were looking for an excuse to spend time with the old fuddy duddy,” I teased. She glanced at me from the corner of her eye, grimacing at the thought.

  “It’s fortunate that you know better, then, isn’t it?” Agnes said coolly. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I had offended her. I dismissed it as tiredness on her part, and when we emerged from the exit of the airport, I was startled to see a pristine car waiting for us. At least, I assumed it was for us, if the elderly gentleman standing beside it with Agnes’ name was any indication. I glanced towards Agnes, and she smiled a bit before approaching the elderly man. She embraced him as I stood awkwardly to the side, wondering who on Earth the fellow could be. He looked almost ancient, though maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. He did look to be seventy years old at the very least.

  “Abigail, don’t be rude. Come, come. This is Stefan. He’ll be hosting us for the duration of our stay,” she explained, and I met her gaze with a chastised expression. She smirked, drawing the man in for another brief embrace before slipping into the car.

  “Abigail, hmm? It’s very nice to meet you. Agnes hadn’t told me she’d hired on a new assistant, but she is rather forgetful sometimes,” he smiled, winking as he opened the back passenger door of the car and allowed me to get in as well.

  “Abigail here is a rather bright young woman who was the first to answer my advertisement in the newspaper. I know what you’re thinking, but I had such poor luck searching for help on the internet. Everyone kept referring to me as a troll, though I haven’t the slightest idea what they could have meant by that,” she sighed. Stefan laughed, a dry and hoarse sound as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

  “Well, having a youngster around will certainly help you become a bit more internet savvy, I’m sure,” the older man joked. Agnes rolled her eyes, and I found myself a bit confused by the exchange. Agnes didn’t seem old enough to be having trouble catching on the to the more modern amenities of our era, and she had mentioned correcting those missing files I’d referenced in our first meeting. She did seem somewhat abashed by her inability to grasp why people would be accusing her of trolling the web, but I could see why people might have been a bit put off by her presence, even if it was just her web presence.

  “A lot of teenagers spend too much time on the net, trolling around and making people feel bad. They’re not exactly used to an awful lot of educated people in their midst. Perhaps you were just looking in the wrong forum—though, I have to say I’m kinda glad. If you’d found someone online, I wouldn’t be here!” I grinned. Agnes smiled as well, though she still looked a bit confused. “You know, trolling? Like tricking someone on the internet? It basically means they’re having a laugh at you for no particular reason, besides their own low self esteem,” I sighed. Agnes pressed her lips tightly together, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “I can’t imagine why anyone would accuse me of such a thing,” she huffed.

  “Well, I thought your ad was a joke at first. Not many people can catch on to the sort of puzzles and such you’ve laid out for me... not to make myself sound extraordinary by any means,” I said carefully, quickly correcting myself when it seemed like I was ‘tooting my own horn’, so to speak.

  “You are much brighter than most I’ve encountered in Seattle, perhaps for the entire duration of my stay there,” she admitted. I didn’t ask how long she’d been in Seattle, or where she had resided before. I didn’t want to press the issue too deeply, for fear of being a bother. Stefan seemed entertained by our conversation, watching me through the rearview mirror before returning his attention to the road.

  “So where are you ladies planning to spend your first day in Naples?” He asked, giving pause as Agnes raised a hand and pointed down a little side road.

  “I’m planning to spent some time resting in your guest quarters. In the meantime, I thought we could allow Abigail to explore the local scenery a bit,” she murmured. I stared at her, a bit startled by the idea of being set loose on my own. “Oh don’t look so nervous, you’ll be fine. Most of the people in the area we’re dropping you off speak fluent English, and if you have any trouble, one of the tour guides should be able to assist you,” she said dismissively upon catching my look of fright.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked nervously, fidgeting with the fabric of my blouse. Agnes and Stefan exchanged a look, and the older man shot me a reassuring look.

  “I assume that Agnes wants me to drop you off at the Villa of the Papyri,” he said, turning down another side road. “It’s a popular tourist attraction, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the
experience,” he assured me. Agnes hummed her agreement, turning to look at me from the front seat.

  “I’m not just turning you loose for a good time, however. You should know better than that. I’d like for you to examine the ruins and challenge yourself. I want you to take in the sights, the sounds, the smells, and determine if there may be some... deeper, hidden meaning,” she explained. I raised a brow, unsure of the implication of her words.

  “Hidden meaning? Why would there be any hidden meaning?” I implored, receiving a reprimanding look in turn.

  “Part of the reason I’ve brought you on this trip is to challenge your worldview. I don’t want you to accept things simply as they’re presented to you, I want you to look beyond the surface. You’re a bright young woman, Abigail. You have a lot of potential. I just want to gauge if you’re bright enough to warrant my guidance,” she said smoothly. I felt my eyes widen in disbelief, sinking into the back seat even as we pulled into the parking area for the tourist attraction.

  “So this is some sort of test? I thought we were coming here because of my interest in the area, you had put me under the impression that I had already sealed the deal as far as the job,” I said weakly. I felt almost betrayed, but Agnes turned to rest a hand on my knee and smile warmly at me.

  “I’m ninety nine percent sure you’re a perfect fit for this job. In most cases, that would be enough. However, it’s crucial that I know without any uncertainty that you’re the one I want to hire. Don’t feel as if there is a lot of pressure behind this, I don’t require that much from you, just a bit of digging on your part... Not literally, of course,” she smiled. I pouted a bit, hating myself for how much I doubted myself. Moreover, I was angry that I’d allowed myself to trust her so easily. “At the very least, you should enjoy the time we’re spending in the area. You did express an interest, and it was killing two birds with one stone, really,” she explained. I nodded, quietly unfastening my seatbelt and sliding out of the car.

  “Well... I’ll see what I can discover. How long will I be waiting for Stefan to come back and retrieve me,” I said, feeling torn between excitement and distress. The two exchanged another look and Agnes glanced at her watch.

  “He will be back in two hours. That should be plenty of time for a bright girl like you,” Agnes assured me. I nodded, stepping away from the car and waving as they pulled out of the parking spot. “We’ll see you soon, Abigail,” she called out, and I nodded silently before making my way to the ruins.

  The area wasn’t particularly crowded, but there were a few tourists milling around. I made note of where the tour guides were standing, debating whether I wanted to be led around or look around a bit myself. Deciding to take the more proactive approach, I began to wander the site of the ruins, examining everything that was laid out for me to see. I took note of every stone, every marking and every scent that wafted beneath my nose. Nothing seemed particularly out of place besides the spicy scent of some sort of lunch a tour guide seemed to be enjoying. The young woman was mulling about with a bowl gripped in her hands, bringing bite after bite to her lips. I mused that it must have been an entertaining job at the least. At least this girl had some measure of job security where I did not. No one was going to lose interest in these ruins any time soon, but it only seemed a matter of time before Agnes lost interest in me. It was a bitter thought, and not one I wanted to contemplate too deeply. It was unavoidable, however. I meandered towards the young female tour guide, pausing as a particular marking just to the left of where she was standing caught my eye. I drew my lip between my teeth, my eyes widening in disbelief. It wasn’t a mark plastered all over the place, and it wasn’t one I recognized from any of my studies either. Something about the marking drew me in, however, and it took me only a few minutes longer to realize why it called out to me. When I realized the significance, I rushed towards the symbol, pressing my fingertips against the deep indentation where it was laid in the stone. The tour guide watched me curiously, but blessedly didn’t reprimand me for getting a bit handsy. I’m sure she had no idea why I was expressing such a sudden interest, but in my mind, I knew this was what I was meant to find. I had seen this very symbol scrawled on a number of Agnes’ personal documents.

  Chapter Eight

  I approached the tour guide nearest the symbol, who continued to watch me with a rather intrigued expression. I considered how to pose my question, not wanting to seem entirely strange. It wasn’t as if the average tourist stopped in to decipher a mysterious puzzle that arguably didn’t even exist. Just as well, the tour guide seemed fascinated with my interest in the symbol. It was as is if she were longing for someone to notice it in the same manner that she had, but perhaps I was reading too deeply into things. All the same, I couldn’t stifle the desire to approach her and reach out in some way. Maybe she would think I was foolish, and perhaps I was some sort of simpleton for putting so much stock into the implication Agnes had made—the idea that there was something beneath the surface there. There was nothing to gain by simply standing by and wondering what might have been, in any case.

  The tour guide continued to enjoy her lunch as I stood in front of her, the young woman standing a good few inches taller than me. I offered her a nervous smile, receiving a much more confident one in turn.

  “Hello, welcome to the Villa of the Papyri,” she said warmly, her voice deep and melodic. I nodded my head by way of acknowledging her, rubbing the back of my neck as I reconsidered whether I should push the issue. She seemed friendly enough, and likely wouldn’t laugh me out of the ruins for asking an admittedly strange question.

  “Hi, thank you,” I began a bit awkwardly, glancing towards the symbol almost subconsciously. She followed my gaze, slurping up a bite of her food as she turned her attention back towards me. “So... I’ve never seen a symbol like this one, before,” I continued, rocking on my heels. I hoped that if I hinted enough, I wouldn’t have to outright ask about it. God knows why I felt so nervous. I suppose it had a lot to do with the fact that I was in this strange new world and didn’t feel entitled to asking any questions. It was silly, but I had longed to come to this place for so long... I felt like I should know more. Then again, Agnes had insisted that I try to challenge myself. “Do you know what it means? I mean, I’m sorry, that’s a stupid question. Of course you know what it means..., I just... can you explain?” I sputtered out. The tour guide raised a single well sculpted brow, holding up a finger and meandering to the nearest waste bin to toss her lunch in. I trailed behind her like some kind of lost puppy, reddening in embarrassment when she looked confused by how closely I was following.

  “Hmm. Not many people think to ask about it. No one notices that it’s out of place among all the other symbols,” she said thoughtfully, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you some kind of archaeologist in training?” She grinned, and I shook my head fervently, torn between lurching away and pursuing more information.

  “Oh! No! Of course not, I’m nothing that special. It just caught my interest,” I explained weakly. She looked entirely entertained, gesturing for me to follow her. I continued to lag behind, trying to muster some confidence as she stepped up to the symbol again. She traced her fingers along the surface, humming quietly under her breath. Strangely enough, it seemed reminiscent of the very melody Agnes had been humming on our flight. I tried not to think too deeply into it, standing up straight and smiling when the tour guide turned to face me again.

  “I’m of the opinion that everyone is special in their own way. Maybe that makes me foolish, but...,” she trailed off for a moment, offering me a broad smile. “It’s interesting to get to talk about this with someone else. You see, like I said, this symbol doesn’t exactly belong,” she continued, tracing the point of the symbol and following the direction it led to.

  “How do you mean, doesn’t belong?” I inquired softly as I followed her, startled to find a similar symbol several feet from the first. It was tilted slightly askew, and she seemed proud to see my awed expre
ssion.

  “I’ve been around this ruin my whole life. I was born here, raised here, explored these ruins since I was old enough to walk. As you can guess, I wasn’t exactly the most favored visitor. Everyone seemed to think I was too curious for my own good... but isn’t curiosity what brings out the best in life?” She asked. I nodded, continuing to follow her as she made her way deeper into the ruin. “When I was a child and first noticed these runes, my mother told me a story about a man who appeared shortly after these ruins were discovered. Or, well, rediscovered, in the eighties. He was very mysterious, stayed for a short time, and in what seemed no time, he was gone. We call him the ‘other man’. I’ve always had a feeling that he had something to do with these symbols, but I can’t exactly confirm that. Most of my friends think I’m a bit of a nerd for being so interested in this place...,” she chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. “Not that they’re wrong.”

  “Do you know anything more about this... other man?” I inquired as we continued into the depths of the ruins. We finally reached a dead end of a corridor, where the symbol seemed to point straight towards a wall.

  “No one ever knew his name. There was one thing that was unique about him, and that was the tattoo of a crescent moon beneath his left eye. Not entirely unique, but I’ve not seen it on anyone else. I’d kill to meet the man and talk to him. God knows where he went off to, though,” she sighed. For a long moment, we stood side by side and simply stared at the symbol at the end of the corridor. “Anyway. As long as I’ve been here, I’ve never been able to find anything beyond this corridor. Maybe you’ll have better luck. My break’s over though, so I’d better get back to my station. It’s been nice talking to you...,” she trailed off, and I remained quiet for a moment before realizing that she was waiting for me to supply my name.