[June 8th] [Perry Mason] Lux Aeterna, 8

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Title: Lux Aeterna, scene 8
Day/Theme: June 8th - A wandering light
Series: Perry Mason
Character/Pairing: Hamilton Burger, Jefferson Pike
Rating: T/PG-13

Considering the name of this theme set translates to "The Eternal Light" I probably should have done something lovely and inspiring for this prompt. Instead, I wrote something ... much different.

Takes place probably early into Florence's reign. (Not that she'll reign very long overall.)


By Lucky_Ladybug

It seemed that when Florence had used the Forbidden Box to set herself up as the Dark Queen over the world, she had also, inadvertently, brought a number of unearthly phenomena with her.

One of the stories that began to circulate soon after her ascent to her self-appointed throne involved what people had started calling the ghost light. It was generally seen late at night in the canyons and throughout the woods. Some people had followed it and never returned. Others claimed that if you did not follow it, it would pursue you until you either gave in or until you crossed an invisible border over which it could not pass. No one was certain where the border was; its location seemed to vary depending on where the light was first visible.

Of course, Hamilton scoffed at the tales. It was all ridiculous, the product of over-active imaginations and probably a few fireflies. Not to mention people who wanted attention.

And they got it. The ghost hunters were intrigued. They were camping out in droves, hoping to see one of the elusive lights and follow it. Sometimes their wishes were granted. Some of them went missing too. Others came back, with more wild stories.

The various resorts and lodges in the canyons were overflowing with such people. Hamilton thought little of it until Jefferson Pike called him one afternoon.

“Jeff,” he said in surprise when Leon announced the call. “What’s going on? My secretary said you seemed upset about something.”

“Well, yes, Mr. Burger, I am.” The anger and frustration in Jeff’s voice was unmistakable. “Have you heard about that ghost light people have been seeing?”

“Who hasn’t?” Hamilton said dryly. “What about it?” He knew that Jeff would not call up just to shoot the breeze about ghost stories.

“The dad-blamed thing is hanging right around the gun club,” Jeff moaned. “The lodge has been losing a lot of business. Hunters don’t want to come up here and get chased around by a phantom light. And Mr. Grand doesn’t really want to see those ghostbuster people around here. They’ll only bring us bad publicity.”

“I see,” Hamilton frowned. He tapped his pencil on the desk. “Do you think there’s something I can do to help?”

“I was kind of hoping . . .” Jeff trailed off and started over. “Well, see, Mr. Burger, I thought maybe if you came up here and looked around, you could find out what’s behind all this. I saw the light myself last night and tried to follow it, but then it just disappeared! And I couldn’t see anything that could’ve caused it.”

“That’s strange,” Hamilton said. “Sure, Jeff. I could get up there after I get out of the office today.”

“Thank you, Mr. Burger.” The relief in Jeff’s voice was evident.

“Is there any particular time it seems to show up?” Hamilton asked.

“Oh, just any time after dark. People have been seeing it as early as nine-thirty and as late as two A.M. It was after ten when I followed it.

“Mr. Burger, do you have any idea what could be causing it?”

“No, I don’t,” Hamilton sighed. “Maybe if I was more up on my physics I would.”

“I thought maybe it was a cruel trick being played by one of the resorts to draw business away from here,” Jeff said. “But I don’t know.”

“Well, maybe tonight we’ll finally have some answers,” Hamilton said.

He frowned to himself as he hung up. Of course, he still did not believe it was some sort of paranormal activity. Even though they had all been stranded once again in a disaster created by that blasted Box, that did not mean that every strange thing happening was supernatural. He refused to believe that.

But he was nevertheless concerned about what was happening at the gun club. Jeff was a reasonable man, except when he allowed his temper to get the better of him. He did not believe a ghost had caused the mysterious light. And now it did not seem likely that it was only a firefly, either. Maybe someone actually was trying to cause trouble for the lodge and the club.

That angle was enough to warrant some kind of investigation. But Jeff being a valued friend warranted it much more.
****
There were very few people at the lodge when Hamilton arrived. Two more were just leaving. He frowned, catching snatches of their conversation as he headed up the path.

“I didn’t want to come here in the first place,” the woman ranted. “Hunting is your passion, not mine. But at least I thought the only real dangers were rifle accidents and unseen cliffs. I never once dreamed that we’d be in danger of being spirited away by a mischievous ghost!”

“There is no danger,” the man growled. “We’re only leaving because I’m sick of you nagging me about it. This is the best spot in the county for hunting!”

“Who knows,” the woman sneered. “Maybe it’s the ghost of your last target. Maybe the ghosts of all the slaughtered animals have banded together to lead the hunters off to oblivion as punishment. It’d be poetic justice, I’d say! Poetic justice!”

“You’re talking nonsense!” the man cried.

Hamilton passed them by and their words faded into an indistinguishable mass.

He shook his head. The man was right; he had rarely ever heard such nonsense. And the woman had her priorities mixed up. She was more worried about the phantom light than she was about the possibility of accidents with guns or cliffs?

Jeff was standing on the porch, staring forlornly after the couple. But he snapped to as Hamilton approached. “Oh, Mr. Burger,” he greeted with a sigh. “I’m sorry you had to hear that. There were hardly any guests here at all. Now with those two gone . . .”

“I know,” Hamilton nodded. “Don’t worry; I’m going to find out what’s really behind the light. Can you show me where you saw it last night?”

“Sure thing.” Jeff headed down the steps and led Hamilton around to the back of the lodge. “I was over at the club, just closing up, when I saw it. It was floating around right here!” He gestured at the back of the building. “I followed the dad-blamed thing all the way to the edge of the woods there.”

Hamilton walked the path, narrowing his eyes as he reached the stand of trees. There was nothing along the way that could explain what the light had been. “Did anyone else see it?”

“The couple that just left,” Jeff said. “It went right past their room when Mrs. Lee was looking out.”

“Why did they wait until now to leave?” Hamilton wondered. “The way she was carrying on, I can imagine her pushing her husband to pack up and go right then.”

“Oh, she tried,” Jeff nodded. “But he was insistent that he wouldn’t drive back in the dark. Then in the morning he went hunting again and she had to wait for him; he’d taken their car.”

Hamilton took several steps into the woods before abandoning that idea. The sun would be setting before long. He wanted to be near the lodge when night fell. “Where else was the light seen around here?” he wondered. “It wasn’t always in the same place, was it?”

“Oh no, Mr. Burger. It was all over—in the parking lot, on all sides of the lodge, at the gun club, and even on some of the hunting trails.” Jeff sighed. “None of us know what to do anymore.”

“It’s a bizarre situation,” Hamilton frowned. He glanced to his friend. “If the light shows up everywhere, then I guess the best thing to do is keep on the move until we see it.”

Jefferson nodded. “We can probably start looking when it’s twilight. Have you had dinner yet, Mr. Burger?”

“No, I haven’t,” Hamilton said, perking up.

Jeff smiled. “Come on in then. There should still be food in the kitchen.” His smile faded. “Probably a lot more than we should have right now.”

Hamilton followed Jeff back to the front and into the lodge. Now he was not only troubled, he was quickly growing angry. Ghost or not, he was going to find out what was responsible for this terrorizing and make it leave this place alone.
****
The light had its own ideas. Hamilton and Jeff wandered around the property for the better part of two hours without success. At last Hamilton exhaled, exasperated and discouraged, as he leaned on the sign at the head of one of the hunting trails.

“Does anyone do much night-hunting around here?” he queried.

“Sometimes,” Jeff said. “No one’s been doing much of that since the light first came.”

“Has anybody, though?” Hamilton persisted. He turned, gazing up the path. From here it seemed to be in complete darkness.

“A couple or so,” Jeff said. “Mr. Lee was one of them. He wasn’t scared by the light at all.”

Hamilton chuckled. “Maybe he should come back by himself.”

“He wouldn’t do that,” Jeff quickly said. “He knows Mrs. Lee is worried about him and would probably go making a fuss if he left to come back. So he’ll stay in town.”

“Maybe we should check the trails anyway,” Hamilton said. “Whoever rigged the light might put it out there knowing people come.”

“Maybe,” Jeff said slowly. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to check, anyway.”

But that was when a small glowing orb floated past them both, heading towards the lodge. Both men started at the sudden movement. Then, almost instantaneously coming to life, they gave chase.

“Can you tell what it is at all, Mr. Burger?!” Jeff gasped. It was leading them past the lodge, the club, and towards one of the other trails.

“No, I can’t,” Hamilton had to admit. “It really looks like a ball of light.” And it was, he further had to admit, an eerie sight.

Jeff never took his eyes off of it. “You don’t think . . .”

“That it’s made by a ghost? Of course not!” Hamilton scoffed. “But coming to think of it, why aren’t any of those ghostbusters out here? I would’ve thought they’d be surrounding the lodge, in spite of Mr. Grand’s objections.”

“They have to be sneaky,” Jeff said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them are hiding in the woods somewhere.”

By now they were on the hunting trail, following the light deeper into the trees. It ambled along, not seeming to be in a great hurry. Hamilton took out his phone, trying to snap a picture.

Without warning the light swerved, jerking to the left. Hamilton started to copy it, half-automatic in his movements. But then the ground started to disappear. He gasped, flailing and grabbing for a tree at the same time Jeff grabbed for him.

“Mr. Burger!” he cried in alarm.

Slowly, Hamilton gathered his bearings. “I’m alright, Jeff,” he said as he stared to his right. He had been led towards a steep and rock-strewn hill. Several more steps and he would have fallen without a doubt. A chill ran up his spine.

Jeff was staring too. “I knew this hill was here,” he gasped, “but you didn’t. Mr. Burger, that light was trying to get you to fall. You could have been killed!”

“Well,” Hamilton gulped as he pushed away from the tree trunk and steadied himself on flat ground, “it’s a weird coincidence, anyway.”

The light, he noticed, was gone.

It was the next day, and over the next several days, when the reports began to trickle in of the missing people who had followed the lights. They were being found.

Or at least, their bodies were.