Looks like this guy really is from Ravensfair!
Roy and Jennifer exchanged a glance, and Jennifer continued questioning.
"Mr. Ashen, we're on a mission and need to head to Ravensfair. Please cooperate with us."
Jamie Ashen wasn't too difficult to deal with and quickly gave in.
"Alright, do you have a map? I can mark Ravensfair's exact location for you."
Roy handed over the map he carried, and Jamie circled a spot with a pen.
"It's roughly around here."
Then Roy asked another question.
"Mr. Ashen, thank you for your help. Have you ever heard of someone named Mary Shaw?"
Jamie's face changed, and he began reciting a poem:
"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw;
She has no children, only dolls;
If you see her, don't scream or shout;
Or she'll rip your mouth and tear your tongue out."
Hearing the poem, a memory surfaced in Roy's mind.
Holy crap! Isn't this from James Wan's biggest flop, Dead Silence?
Dead Silence was the film James Wan made after leaving Lionsgate, teaming up again with writer Leigh Whannell. It was Wan's first stab at psychological horror.
The movie wasn't a box office hit, probably because its style was such a departure from Wan's earlier Saw films. While Saw used narrative tricks, it was still a classic American gorefest. Dead Silence, on the other hand, had minimal blood and leaned hard into psychological terror.
Though it flopped, the film laid the groundwork for Wan's later hits like Insidious and The Conjuring. Plus, it actually has a pretty solid rep online in communities.
Fun fact: Leigh Whannell, the writer, later directed The Invisible Man.
No wonder Mary Shaw's name sounded familiar to Roy. But in America, having the same name is super common—especially a name like Mary. Yell "Mary" on the street, and a dozen heads will turn.
Roy recalled the plot of Dead Silence. In the movie, Mary Shaw was a ventriloquist and puppeteer who performed with her handmade dolls. Around the 1940s, she was accused of kidnapping and murdering a young boy, and the enraged residents of Ravensfair killed her.
The townsfolk tortured her, forcing her to scream, and tore out her tongue. To prevent her from returning for revenge, they buried her with all her dolls.
Ravensfair stayed quiet for decades until, just before the movie's events, Mary Shaw somehow returned as a vengeful spirit.
[Note to readers: Bookmark our domain, 101kan.com]
That was the movie's plot. In this world, things were likely different.
Mary Shaw was a documented witch in the Witches' Union. Unless her witch talents were as weak as Zoe's, she wouldn't have been easily caught and tortured by ordinary townsfolk.
Roy figured there must've been some capable people in Ravensfair back then who discovered her identity and possibly called in Church demon hunters for help. In those days, America was still pretty conservative, and remote areas often persecuted witches.
"You know Mary Shaw?" Jennifer asked, looking excited.
But Jamie shook his head. "I don't know any Mary Shaw. Hearing the name just reminded me of that poem my mom used to sing to me when I was a kid."
Mentioning his mother made Jamie visibly sadder.
Jennifer studied his expression and felt he wasn't lying. He genuinely seemed unaware of Mary Shaw.
Roy patted her shoulder. "He's probably telling the truth. I'm guessing Mary Shaw's long dead."
Jennifer looked at Roy in shock, and it seemed like Lilith, inside her, was about to burst out.
"Dead? How? Then isn't this trip a waste?"
Roy patted her head to calm her, mainly to soothe Lilith's emotions. Lilith was banking on Mary Shaw's dolls, so her reaction was understandable.
"Jennifer, relax. A dead person can still help us solve problems."
Roy remembered that in Dead Silence, Mary Shaw had created a "perfect puppet" that looked and acted indistinguishably from a human, complete with lifelike expressions and behavior.
Lilith quickly calmed down. For witches, death was just the beginning.
"You mean Mary Shaw's become a vengeful spirit?" she asked.
"I think so, but we'll need to confirm."
Sheriff Hoffman and Jamie looked bewildered by Roy and Jennifer's conversation.
Jamie, especially, seemed agitated. "Did you just mention a vengeful spirit?"
Roy nodded. "I suspect a spirit named Mary Shaw killed your wife, and she's the one I'm after."
"How could this happen? Why would she target my wife for no reason?"
Jamie's face was full of pain. He and his wife were deeply in love and had been planning to start a family.
"Mr. Ashen, don't be too upset. I'll help you catch this spirit. But I'd like to visit your house. Didn't you say someone sent a strange doll there?"
Jamie's eyes widened. "My wife's death is connected to that doll?"
Roy nodded. "I suspect the doll might be a medium."
The barrage of revelations overwhelmed Jamie. He nodded numbly. "I just want the truth. Nothing else matters."
Roy glanced at Sheriff Hoffman. Technically, Jamie's house was a sealed crime scene, and Roy would need Hoffman's permission to enter.
Hoffman hesitated. He'd already reported the case, and the Seattle FEA had approved sending agents to investigate. Roy, while an FEA agent, wasn't assigned to this case, and Hoffman worried about potential conflicts with the Seattle agents.
As a small-town sheriff, stability was his priority. He didn't want to jeopardize his pension over this.
"Maybe we should wait for the Seattle FEA agents?" Hoffman suggested.
Roy didn't mind. A little delay wouldn't hurt. Mary Shaw was likely waiting in Ravensfair for Jamie, the "protagonist," to return so she could kill him and complete her revenge. She wasn't going anywhere soon.
But Jennifer—or rather, Lilith—was anxious, probably worried this long-awaited mission might fall through.
Roy reassured Lilith. "It'll be fine, Jennifer."
Lilith nodded, but her expression remained uneasy.
Roy stood and shook Hoffman's hand. "Sheriff, we'll wait at the station for the Seattle FEA agents."
"No problem. I'll arrange a break room for you. When the agents arrive, I'll let you know right away."
They waited until the middle of the night.
The Seattle FEA agents finally showed up, looking disheveled.
"Sorry, a car accident caused by the storm delayed us," one explained.
At that moment, Hoffman was chatting with Roy in the break room. He was a huge fan, having watched all of Roy's competition videos, including the Cowboy Cup and Santa Monica Cup finals.
Roy answered Hoffman's questions halfheartedly when he noticed a middle-aged Black woman and a young white guy—a classic veteran-rookie duo.
The young guy was pretty handsome, catching Madison's eye for a moment. But after a quick comparison, she decided Roy was still better-looking.
No man could outshine Roy in the looks department.
"Hey there, I'm Sheriff Hoffman. I'm the one who contacted the Seattle FEA," Hoffman said, shaking hands with the woman.
"Saja Anderson. Nice to meet you."
"Jack Schmidt."
The two agents introduced themselves. The young guy's name was Jack, too.
Roy felt like he'd been meeting a lot of Jacks lately.
Saja noticed the others in the room. "Are they involved in the case?"
Roy's group didn't look like cops. They were too young, more like college kids, even younger than Jack.
"No, actually, Mr. Roy Black here is also an FEA agent. He's here for a separate matter that might tie into your case. To avoid any issues, he wanted to wait for you before proceeding," Hoffman explained.
"Roy Black? I don't know any agent by that name in Seattle. Can I see your badge?" Saja asked, eyeing Roy curiously.
Senior FEA agents who could investigate independently were rare, and she knew most of them. Roy's age made it unlikely he was one—unless he'd been solving cases since he was a teenager.
Roy handed over his badge. "I'm actually with the Los Angeles FEA, not Seattle, so it's normal you haven't heard of me."
Saja inspected the badge, confirming it was legit.
Still, Roy was young, and his badge showed he was only a standard agent, not authorized for cross-state investigations.
But Roy's good looks and his professionalism in waiting for her team impressed Saja, so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"The badge checks out. Mr. Black, can you tell me what you're investigating?"
"The suspect mentioned a doll at the crime scene. I'd like to take a look at it."
Saja nodded. "Alright, let's head to the scene now."
Hoffman blinked. "Ms. Anderson, it's 1 a.m. You've had a long trip—don't you want to rest?"
In truth, Hoffman was itching to clock out. He'd stayed late waiting for Saja and Jack and wasn't keen on more overtime.
Saja picked up on his hint. "Sheriff, you don't need to come. Just call the officer guarding the scene to let them know."
"No trouble at all!" Hoffman said, though his eager expression and quick phone call betrayed his relief.
"Roy, what's the plan?" Jennifer asked. A big group tromping to the crime scene could mess things up.
"I'll go with Jennifer. You guys find a hotel and study the map to figure out the best route to Ravensfair."
Taking just Jennifer was enough, but Roy wanted to keep Madison and the others busy. Left idle, the Apocalypse Society witches might stir up trouble.
Madison's eyes gleamed as she patted her chest. "Leave it to us!"
When Ravensfair was mentioned, Jack, Saja's partner, had a subtle flicker in his eyes, but no one noticed.
Madison drove off in Bumblebee, while Roy and Jennifer hopped on Claudia.
As they prepared to leave, Roy's ivory-handled Smith & Wesson M629 revolver vibrated, as if Francesca, the spirit inside, was stirring.
Roy glanced around the quiet, empty station lot. With Saja and Jack already driving off, he released Francesca.
"Francesca, what's up?"
"When I was hiding in your gun, I sensed something familiar."
"What kind of familiar?"
Francesca frowned, looking pained. "I can't remember, but it's really familiar!"
Spirits lingering in the mortal world gradually lose their humanity and memories. Some, driven by obsession, forget why they're even clinging to existence.
Francesca had been dead for over a decade, so memory loss wasn't surprising.
"Take your time, Francesca. No rush."
The Latina spirit returned to the M629, and Roy revved up Claudia, catching up to Saja and Jack.
The rain had stopped, but the ground was still slick.
Roy soon reached the cordoned-off apartment, joining Saja and Jack as they headed upstairs.
The officer on duty had gotten Hoffman's call and let the four enter without issue.
As Hoffman had described, the apartment's entrance was soaked with water stains, now trampled into a mess by police boots.
The rest of the apartment was unremarkable, except for some bloodstains near the bedroom door and a blood trail on the floor.
It seemed Jamie's wife had been stabbed, dragged into the bedroom, had her tongue removed, and died. Her body was then posed sitting on the bed, covered with a sheet.
But that wasn't the creepiest part of the case.
(Details of Jamie's wife's death scene)