SKELETON KEY #9

27. Justine

28. Death

29. Daffodil

27. Justine

If the stories the old busybodies and gossips tell are true, and there really was once a "school for weird kids" called Reynardine, located just over the hills in a little village with an unpronounceable name that sits at the foot of Blackwoods Mountain -- well, if that were true, then Justine probably went to school there.  And if that school really did burn to the ground under mysterious circumstances, as some of the older and nosier townsfolk claim, then it's possible Justine may know all about that, as well.

But few people in the any of the villages dotting the countryside know Justine very well.  Although she appears now and then to give aid and assistance when needed, some folks grumble that she often leaves things worse than when she came.  They say that if she is only going to complain and heave heavy sighs while supposedly lending a helping hand, why doesn't she just mind her own business and let folks sort out their own problems?  Some wager that she only does an occasional good deed to impress her boss, the elusive man of mystery known as Obscurus.  It's also been said that she is friends with the somewhat spooky waif named Peculia, although others claim they are the furtherest thing from friends and that Justine has been observed spying on the other girl and reporting her activities into her phone.

It must be said, that while it's true that Justine is often seen idly wandering the hillside, chatting on her phone or napping under a tree, she has proved extremely resourceful and even brave in her encounters with some of the odder denizens of the outer villages, such as the Kensington Valley werewolves or Professor Bell's army of zombies.  

(See: PECULIA)

28. Death

No one knows where he comes from or where he'll show up next, but apparently he's been around for a long time and is to blame for all manner of trouble and problems.   Attempts to capture or kill him have been unsuccessful, so he remains on the loose and citizens are cautioned about approaching him or attempting to engage him in conversation. 

 It is considered an ill omen or "bad luck" to see him.  If you catch a glimpse of him standing in your headlights on a lonely country road or if you turn the corner in an old abandoned building and can make out his figure standing at the end of the hall, smiling at you, it is advised that you, as a precaution, quickly turn around and go the other way.

Beware especially if he removes his gloves, revealing his bony hands.  Anyone he touches will suddenly glow an unearthly shade of green, then burst into a ball of fire, leaving only scattered bones, ashes and shreds of clothing where a person used to be.

(See: PECULIA)

29. Daffodil

Bonnie Randell is a bright and enthusiastic student at Lone Mountain College, happy to have left her small town roots behind.  She plans on getting a degree in education because she loves kids - although she thinks she might like to do something with animals, too.

One night she is invited by a group of fellow co-eds to attend a meeting for young ladies who wish to "get in touch with their inner pirate."  Though it seems a bit of harmless fun at first, the meeting is actually a sinister trap set by a rather peculiar individual named Aunt Azalea - the cunning mastermind of a secret criminal organization operating out of the old Pirate Museum, located just off campus.  Before she knows whats happening, Bonnie finds herself locked up and facing various forms of psychological manipulation, mind-control, brain-washing and hypnosis.  Bonnie is indoctrinated into becoming the latest member of Aunt Azalea's pirate "crew," and like all members, she learns to follow Aunt Azalea's orders without question.  

To her pirate crew, "Auntie", is a loving but stern mother figure who promises to care for them and love them if they do as they are told. Aunt Azalea names all the girls after "the flowers in my garden" - so Bonnie becomes Daffodil - and Bonnie Randell is no more.

Daffodil proves to be a model member of the crew, and soon, because of her natural enthusiasm and other singular skills, she is promoted to "Captain".  However, although the crew has been conditioned to perceive Aunt Azalea as kind and benevolent, the truth is that the fiendish crook has very little patience for failure.  And after Daffodil makes not one, but two errors on an assignment of extreme importance to Auntie, the unfortunate girl is lured into a dark room where, after "walking the plank," she has a deadly encounter with "The Occupant of the Well."

(See: MAD NIGHT)

SKELETON KEY #8

24. Dr. Trepan

25. Kuna ~ The Wild Girl of Yosemite

26. Mr. Murmur

24. Dr. Trepan

Once a respected surgeon, Dr. Trepan had his medical license revoked due to some questionable operations and experiments on the human brain.

Eventually he became the director of a private asylum where he was able to secretly continue his forbidden research.

It was Dr Trepan who was chiefly responsible for reviving the utilization of a banned psychological test known only as "The Examination."  The notorious test was developed during the earliest days of psychological research but eventually outlawed due to the distressing effects it seemed to have on anyone who took it.

In The Examination, the subject is shown a series of four photographs taken over a century ago in the caves of Mt. Diablo by the explorer Gustuvas Nacht.  Viewed individually the photos appear quite mundane, but when placed side by side in a very specific arrangement, they reveal something ~ something extraordinary.  

So extraordinary, in fact, that once the average subject gazes at the arrangement, they are suddenly struck with what can only be described as an overwhelming sense of terror - followed by a quick descent into writhing, gibbering psychosis.

However, it has been proven that certain individuals are able to view the arrangement with little or no ill effects.  The purpose of the test is to find those special individuals.

Dr Trepan and his assistant, Nurse Christina, have themselves never actually seen the pictures in the proper arrangement - they have never dared, having witnessed the unfortunate effects on the average subject, many of whom go on to reside permanently in the dank cellar of the Doctor's  private asylum, locked away and heavily guarded, due to their propensity for ferocious violence.

(See: Peculia)

25. Kuna ~ The Wild Girl of Yosemite

A young runaway named Karla is camping in the giant, dense forests of Yosemite National Park when she stumbles onto a murderous moonlight ritual being performed by a coven of satanists.  In her flight from the pursuing killers, the young girl falls down a rocky hillside and hits her head, resulting in total amnesia.  

The dazed and injured girl is discovered by an old survivalist hermit - a somewhat eccentric former park ranger, who has gone "off the grid" to live peacefully deep in the woods, unknown to park officials.  He nurses the girl back to health and takes a kind, fatherly interest in young Karla, who he names Kuna after the majestic Kuna Crest.  The girl can't remember anything before witnessing the murderous satanic ritual.  The hermit, who is also aware of the presence of devil-worshiping covens in the woods, teaches Kuna how to survive and defend herself.

When the satanists discover that the witness to their crime still lives, they murder the old hermit and Kuna finds herself on her own in the woods, with only her loyal companion, Gulo Gulo the wolverine, for company.

 Meanwhile a friendly female park ranger, residing in an isolated station, has seen Kuna, but can't get her supervisors to believe her.  Park officials warn her she will be fired if she insists on reporting the existence of a wild girl in the forest.  The young ranger becomes obsessed with capturing Kuna herself.  The two engage in a cat and mouse game as adversaries before eventually being thrown together in mutual danger and, as a result, becoming friends.  

Kuna has variety of adventures and often has to use her wits and survival skills to fight off wild creatures, blood-thirsty devil-worshipers and various rude and belligerent campers.

26. Mr. Murmur

On a street with no name sits a house with no number.  Inside, the enigmatic figure of the night known only as Mr. Murmur sits at his desk under a lone green lamp and sorts through a stack of mail.  The letters have been delivered to him through a variety of messengers or means (a one-eyed street dweller, a trained night jay, a special unmarked drop box located at the back of Dr. Erdling's Crime Museum) and each one is a request for his assistance.  

To many, Mr. Murmur is a fairy tale, "twaddle" or "balderdash".  Some say he simply doesn't exist.  But to those who believe, and who are desperate enough to write to him, he is very real indeed!

He takes on those cases the police can't - or won't - solve.  He specializes in investigations that involve elements of the weird or uncanny.  His often merely observes, waiting patiently, allowing events to unfold and only intervening at the precise moment when he is needed.  He is the deus ex machine, swooping in suddenly, out of the shadows, to rain down justice or vengeance, and perhaps offer some hope to the hopeless.

Occasionally, special cases are sent his way by the elusive individual known only as "The Man on the Phone" or Mr. Upstairs.

Although the authorities will never admit it, Mr. Murmur is responsible for bringing down a number of evil-doers, fiends and creeps.  His rogues gallery of villains includes:  Captain Squab, the Pirate Emperor of Carnival Island;  Klorimandus, The Mad Mummy; Equinoxious, The Crocodile King; The Devil Damsels; Mongor, The Snow Gremlin; the murderous knife-throwing team of Eyeless Jack and Linda; the living head of Zolok, the mesmerist; and that inhuman creature responsible for "The Corkscrew Murders" known only as The Wheezer.

(See; Thirteen O'Clock and The Diabolical Dr. Q in the book MANIAC KILLER STRIKES AGAIN)

SKELETON KEY #7

21. Mother Claude

22. Professor Sovac ~ aka The Iguana ~ and The Brain of Cagliostro

23. Phoebe Duprey

21. Mother Claude

The vile, black-hearted, monstrous Mother Claude was a high-ranking member of a secret organization of criminals known as The Obtainers.  She ran one of their largest orphanages ~ which were actually schools where children were raised from infancy to be expert thieves, pickpockets and cat burglars.  The children were terrified of disobeying her and those who did learned that she took a sadistic glee in their punishment.  She promised those who longed to escape that they never could because The Obtainers were everywhere and would catch up with them eventually.

When a great fire consumed the orphanage, Mother Claude was officially declared dead.  However, many of the children refuse to believe she really died in the fire and swear they have seen her peering in their windows at night.

(See: Cat Burglar Black)

22. Professor Sovac ~ aka The Iguana ~ and The Brain of Cagliostro

While on a research expedition on a remote mountain village, Professor Egon Sovac discovers the ancient hiding place containing the living brain of the dark sorcerer Cagliostro.  The brain's powerful thoughts easily  overwhelm the professor who becomes a slave to the brain's evil desires and schemes.

Eventually, The Brain of Cagliostro succeeds in sucking all the personality and memory from the professor, turning him into an empty shell, a mere puppet doomed to do the brain's bidding.

Together they spend years traveling the endless Red Desert Valley in search of a cave that, legend has it, contains the doorway to another dimension.  Sovac survives the journey by eating insects and becomes known to local tribesmen as "The Iguana."

The pair eventually return to civilization. and the brain, more powerful than ever, embarks on a campaign of crime and terror.  They are finally defeated and captured due to the efforts of telekinetic teenager, Phillipa Knicely.  The two are confined to a single padded cell in an isolated asylum, which is tragically washed away when a nearby dam bursts, for reasons still being investigated.

23. Phoebe Duprey

The story goes that a kindly traveling surgeon, Dr. Vogardus, rescued young waif Phoebe Duprey from a life on the streets of Paris, and brought her back to the village of Crow's Creek were he raised her to be a well-adjusted and proper young lady.  The truth is ~ a bit more complicated.

(See:  The Chuckling Whatsit)

SKELETON KEY #6

18. Nicola

19. Judy Drood ~ "Girl Detective"

20. The Black Provost

18. Nicola Karnstein  

Nicola is a new student at the local high school, having recently moved into town with her two sisters and her Grandmama from a small village in the Carpathian Mountains.

Dislikes:  sunlight, Hawthorne trees, nosy little boys, girls who are too clever for their own good, gypsies.

(See: Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires)

19. Judy Drood ~ "Girl Detective"

The entire town is in shock when Judy's father, lovable old Colonel Drood, a leading member of the community, is arrested for a series of unusually vicious murders.  Though the evidence against him is strong, Judy, a student at the local high school, believes he is innocent and sets out to prove it.  However, the more her investigations uncover, the more Judy inadvertently proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that her father was actually a fiendish master criminal!

But Judy is blinded by loyalty and does everything she can to prove him innocent, including tampering with evidence and harassing witnesses.  Eventually, however, her father is sent to prison for life, leaving Judy somewhat psychologically scarred and jaded, with a cynical distrust of law enforcement and some rather severe anger issues.

While still in high school, Judy becomes obsessed with solving mysteries and uncovering crimes - often where none exist.  Her unorthodox (not to mention illegal) methods annoy and antagonize the local police.  However, she does manage to solve enough real crimes that the local papers refer to her as the "teen girl detective"  - a label Judy despises, but which, unfortunately, sticks, even after she graduates from high school and becomes a student at Lone Mountain College.  Judy is a loner who doesn't trust anyone, except perhaps her hapless childhood friend, Kasper Keene, who often finds himself, against his better judgement, assisting Judy on one of her "cases".

(See:  MAD NIGHT and THE GRAVE ROBBER'S DAUGHTER.  Judy's first appearance was in 1993 in the book BLACK CAT CROSSING, in a story reprinted in MANIAC KILLER STRIKES AGAIN)

20. The Black Provost

In the late 1800's, shortly after Lone Mountain College was established, the original board of regents, reacting to the rowdiness of the post-Civil War student body, appointed one of their own to administer discipline.

Known as The Black Provost, he soon began abusing his power, delighting in sadistic torture in his hidden chamber of horrors, assisted by six tongueless nuns.  He is believed to be responsible for the deaths of over a dozen students.  His reign of terror ended when the truth was discovered and he was hung for his crimes.

Since then, it has been said that his spirit still haunts the campus and many people over the years have reported seeing The Ghost of The Black Provost,  stealing across the quad in the moonlight, a bloody hatchet in his hand.

More seriously, authorities suspect that the same deranged individual who stole the hood and robes of The Black Provost from the Anthropology Museum, may have been responsible for the recent rash of violent murders on and around the Lone Mountain campus.

(See: MAD NIGHT)