Elisabeth Durst's Letter

A crumpled piece of paper on the dresser in the master bedroom of Death House, lying next to a jewellery box made for far more jewellery than it held. Osric picked it up on our second night in the house. It was passed round rather than read out, and Drew admitted she first read "unwanted fiend" as "unwanted friend".

We did not make much of it at the time. It made sense later that night, up in the attic, when Rose and Thorn told us their mother had taken the baby downstairs for "innocence and sacrifice", and the maid told us plainly: "Honestly, it's a cult." She said the master had seemed very reluctant. The letter agrees with her: Mr. Durst would not be attending.

My Dear Mrs. Petrovna,

Your advice on dealing with the unwanted fiend in my home is very good advice indeed. Tonight's ceremony will proceed as planned when the moon is at its highest peak – without, of course, the attendance of Mr. Durst. I must agree with you that, yes, with such an innocent sacrifice our proceedings may have better results. Although, "innocent" is not quite the term I would use.

My Thanks,
Mrs. Elisabeth Durst