SKELETON KEY #5

15. Mr. Ixnay

16. Peculia

17 The Twinge



15. Mr. Ixnay

Those of you who have heard the name of Mr. Ixnay believe him to be a tall tale or urban myth, a bogeyman invented to frighten children.  But there is another world - an underground world of lowlifes, scoundrels and crooks - and to those people, he is terrifyingly real - a phantom avenger who has returned from hell, who appears out of nowhere and kills quickly and without mercy and who then vanishes in a puff of smoke to the echoes of hollow, mocking laughter.

The dwellers of the underworld know that, years ago,  a man named Aldo Ixnay was a founding member of the Global Association for Sabotage and Homicide (G.A.S.H. ) ~ a league of professional killers ~ and was both respected and feared.  They know that when he announced his intentions to leave G.A.S.H. and retire from the assassination game, the other members held a secret vote and conspired to do away with him.  But he proved a difficult person to kill.  Many attempts were made, and all failed, until he seemed to finally meet his doom in the spectacular Harrisville train wreck, an abominable act of G.A.S.H. sabotage.  

But then, five years later, there were whispers that he was back, that he'd been seen lurking in alleyways, peering in windows.  No one really believed it, of course, ~ or at least not until the remaining members of G.A.S.H. were all suddenly sent to hell themselves in a single bloody night.

(See: The Chuckling Whatsit)

16. Peculia

Little is known about Peculia, other than what the local gossips and busybodies say.  They say that although she appears to be a street urchin or waif, she actually lives in a big house behind tall iron gates and thick thorn bushes.  They say that she lives there all by herself, with only the company of a loyal (and remarkably resourceful) butler named Ambrose.  They also say she went to the infamous "school for weird kids" called Reynardine, which, according to someone who knows someone who knows, has since burned down.

She can often be seen strolling through some of the more out-of-the-way villages that dot the hilly countryside, dreamily humming to herself and leaving bread crumbs for birds.  

But some mutter darker things about her, saying she is bad luck, an ill omen and that trouble, heartache and death seem to follow her wherever she goes…

(See: Peculia and Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires)

17 The Twinge

The loathsome creature known only as "The Twinge" is a notorious fiend, a mysterious demented super crook who haunts the city nights.  

He is a master of disguise, and a twisted romantic who often leaves dead flowers at the scene of his crimes.

After one of his most notorious murder sprees ~ eliminating a number of local art critics ~ he mysteriously vanishes.  But is he really gone ~ or merely in hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike?

A woman known as Penelope X claims to have met The Twinge and writes several paperback romances which portray him as a rather dashing and heroic figure, resulting in ladies everywhere swooning at the mention of his name.

(See: The End Of The Street in the book MANIAC KILLER STRIKES AGAIN)