Scarecrow of 1889
Chapter 46: Another murder!

Chapter 46: Another murder!

When Dr. Colin Hall returned to the basement room, where everyone awaited Sylvester’s appearance, his eyes locked with his senior’s. After a tense moment, he shook his head. That simple gesture shattered the silence, plunging the room into commotion.

Mayor Andrew, who was being briefed by his guards, walked over to Dr. Hall and demanded, "What is going on, Dr. Hall?! Was Sylvester Crowley moved to another ward?"

"He wasn’t. Your guards saw him in the assigned room yesterday, the same room I just came from," Dr. Hall responded with a deep frown, clearly perplexed about how Sylvester had managed to escape.

"Then where did he go?" Mayor Andrew’s voice was filled with frustration.

In the corner, a reporter had already begun broadcasting the news. "It seems Sylvester Crowley, the wanted criminal whose much-anticipated death sentence was imminent, has fled the asylum!"

"Shut up!" Mayor Andrew snapped, glaring at the reporter, who looked back at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"Mayor Andrew... you’re on live radio," the reporter murmured.

But Mayor Andrew was in no mood to entertain the reporter. He shot a look at his assistant, who quickly ordered the guards to clear the room.

"Search every room in the asylum and scout the grounds. He couldn’t have gone far!" one of the men commanded as the group bustled out of the basement to begin the search.

"How is this possible, Wright?" Mayor Robert questioned, his displeasure evident. This was unprecedented; there had been executions before, but no one had ever escaped.

"Maybe someone forgot to lock the door last night?" Mayor Andrew suggested, turning to Dr. Hall, who met his gaze steadily. "You were the last one to have a session with him, weren’t you?"

"Mayor Andrew, I have worked here for years under Dr. Wright, adhering strictly to protocol, unlike some in other professions. The door was locked and verified by your guards," Dr. Hall replied calmly. "No one has entered the corridor since last night."

"Then how did he get out of the room?" Mayor Robert demanded. "He’s not a magician who can disappear into thin air. If he could have escaped, he would have done so long ago rather than spending all this time here."

"I want to take a look myself," Mayor Andrew declared, heading towards Sylvester’s room, with Mayor Robert and the two doctors following closely behind. They thoroughly searched the room, knocking on every wall and floorboard, but everything was solid. Now convinced that the doctors were not involved, Mayor Andrew issued new orders.

"I want every nurse questioned. Someone must know something. And what is this damn toy doing here?" he exclaimed, pointing to the scarecrow doll on the bed.

Dr. Hall spoke up, "This was here when I arrived. It’s the same type of scarecrow doll that appeared—"

"Yes, I’m aware of the scarecrow dolls. But why is it here? I thought Crowley only left them next to his murder victims," Mayor Andrew interrupted, his discomfort evident as he stared at the doll. "Did Crowley know he was being executed?"

"No. The entire matter was handled discreetly because we didn’t know how he would react," Dr. Wright replied, his voice steady despite the tension in the room.

After two hours of searching every nook and cranny of the asylum, they found no trace of Sylvester Crowley. The mayors left, and so did the other men, wearing expressions of confusion and disappointment.

"Tell me, Colin..." Dr. Wright asked the younger doctor. "Did Sylvester suspect anything?"

Dr. Hall shook his head, "I believe not. I don’t understand why he placed the doll here..."

A sigh escaped Dr. Wright’s lips. "How did he get out?"

Far away from the asylum, back in England, Jane sat in silence in front of the radio. Despite her initial decision not to listen, she couldn’t tear herself away from the broadcast.

"It looks like no one knows where Sylvester Crowley is anymore!" The reporter exclaimed, the same person who had been kicked out of the asylum. "The mayors seem to have put a check on the trains and carriages that will be crossing the country’s borders. But what if Mr. Crowley plans to commit murders in another place? Has he already left? Where is he now, and what is he doing?"

The telephone on the wall suddenly blared, breaking Jane’s attention from the radio to look at the device. Getting up, she walked up to the wall and then picked up the receiver.

"Jane?! Did you hear the news??" She recognised the voice that belonged to Charles, who had helped her with the case.

"I did..." Jane didn’t know what to make of it.

On one side, she was glad that Sylvester wasn’t dead yet. But there was another side, which made her question how he had gotten out of there. Was there someone helping him?

"You should be careful. I have a feeling that he is going to come and visit you," Charles warned her. "Thankfully, I won’t be in Riddleford for a while as I have taken a transfer from work."

"When did you do that?" Jane frowned.

"A minute ago. I think a new town would be nice," Charles nervously laughed. "You take care of yourself, okay? I will talk to you again."

But Sylvester didn’t visit Jane.

Weeks turned into months, but they couldn’t find any trace of Sylvester Crowley. It was as if the man had disappeared without a trace. Some blamed the asylum for helping the criminal run, while others blamed the law, who had not immediately hanged the man when he was found guilty.

Initially, the officers paid frequent visits to Elizabeth Button’s residence as well as keeping an eye on the family, as she was the last remaining family of Sylvester Crowley.

And then it happened.

One fine morning of the snowy winter, a woman’s body was found lying cold in the alley. The eyes gouged out and the heart pulled out after the throat was slit. It once again stirred the public, and soon Sylvester Crowley’s face was plastered on every wall of Riddleford.

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