Night Mask Read Online Free PDF

neither of them could ever touch the bulk of the estate. They would receive a check each month for the rest of their lives. A very substantial check, I’m told.”
    â€œThat’ll be easy to trace,” Lani said.
    â€œWrong,” Dan said bluntly. “Police around here gave up on that years ago. You see, the boys changed their names. They just vanished. But they’re alive. Bet on that. They’re too evil to die. You’re here because of what the newspapers are calling the Ripper case, right?”
    Lani nodded her head.
    â€œJack and Jim. I’d bet a place in Heaven it’s them.”
    â€œBut Jim—”
    â€œWas the careful one,” Dan cut him off. “The cautious one. The charmer. They were good-looking boys. They would be very handsome men ... in an effeminate way. But not big men. The Longwood family was short, traditionally. They would be five-seven, maybe. Maybe less.”
    Dan looked up as the door opened. “Ah, Sally. Right on time. Sally, handle things here for a time. I have to run some errands.”
    â€œGlad to, Mr. Jennings,” she said.
    â€œLet’s go,” Dan said to the cops.
    â€œWhere are we going?” Leo asked.
    â€œI’ll show you,” he replied mysteriously. “We’ll take my car.”
    They drove out of town and turned down a winding county road, finally stopping in front of a locked wrought-iron gate. Inside the walled estate, stood the house.
    â€œThe Longwood mansion,” Leo said.
    â€œCorrect,” Dan said. “To the best of my knowledge, not a living soul has set foot in that place in fifteen years.”
    â€œWhere are the Longwoods buried?” Lani asked.
    â€œNo one knows. And I’m not kidding. No one knows where they are buried. If they’re buried.”
    â€œAnd you think Jack Longwood killed his parents?” Leo asked.
    â€œOr Jim. Jim is just as capable of doing that as Jack.”
    â€œThe boys are mentally ill, then?” Lani asked.
    The ex-priest shook his head. “No, they’re not. They’re just evil.”
    * * *
    Back at the motel, over lunch, Lani said, “I want to go inside that mansion, Leo.”
    â€œYou’re reading my mind. We’ll have to break in.”
    â€œThat bother you?”
    He grinned.
    * * *
    The two California cops parked behind the estate, in a clump of trees and thick brush, and went over the walls, making their way to the rear of the huge mansion. They carried flashlights—but would not use them until they were in the building—and had extra batteries in their pockets. There was enough moonlight for them to avoid falling into the long-emptied swimming pool, and to dodge the many statues that were placed about the grounds.
    The ex-priest had told them that no one had ever broken into the mansion, for the security system was an elaborate one. It took Leo about sixty seconds to bypass the alarm box, and then Lani jimmied a back door, and they were inside.
    Sheets covered the furniture and a thin layer of dust lay everywhere. Cobwebs hung in corners. Rat and mice droppings were very much in evidence. Lani cast the small beam of her flashlight along the walls. They both could see where the valuable paintings had been removed—either to be sold or stored; they had no way of knowing.
    â€œDo we split up?” Lani asked.
    â€œNo,” Leo said quickly. “I don’t like this place. And I have a hunch those two weirdos just might have left some unpleasant surprises behind. Be very careful in moving about.”
    â€œI’m with you on that.”
    As they began their search of the huge old home, the word that popped into the minds of both cops was: Spooky.
    They expected to find nothing on the first floor, and that is exactly what they found.
    Lani and Leo stood at the base of the stairway and looked up into the darkness.
    â€œDan said the parents were axed to death while they slept,” Lani