The Portland Thornbys

51.

"Doris the next time George Carmichel calls, tell him I'm unavailable." Gilbert came into the office angry. He and Clarissa had been up at the Carmichel farm for three hours looking for goblins, they hadn't found anything. They found field mice, little ones that didn't even deserve a regular exterminator.

"So no on the goblins?"

"No, no goblins, no werebadgers, no cockatrices or fucking anything, if there was a hypochondria for monsters, Carmichel has it." Gilbert hadn't even noticed the woman in the flowing white dress sitting patiently in the waiting room.

"Where's Clarissa?"

"Going to the Double O, I discovered I'm out of a couple of useful salves and ointments, in a way I'm glad Carmichel is crazy as shit otherwise I wouldn't have had anything to do anything for him." The woman coughed and Gilbert turned around. The woman in the dress stood up and offered her hand.

"Melissa Thornby of the Portland Thornbys." Gilbert shook her hand, but he was so confused.

"I'm sorry Ms. Thornby I've never heard of your family."

"Its ok, we've heard about you, good things, big things."

"You have? I don't have a lot of money so if this is some kind of investment thing." Gilbert had dealt with several people coming to him to ask for money, he didn't know why, its not like monster exterminators are known for their endless cash reserves. Melissa Thornby just started laughing, it was the laugh of someone with more money than sensibilities.

"Heavens Mr. Dunkley you are a man of great humors." Gilbert had never heard someone talk like that ever. He was even more suspicious of the woman than he had been previously.

"What do you want Ms Thornby?"

"I need you to clean out some tunnels of whatever disappeared my work force, I've been told that's what you do."

"In Portland?"

"Yes a new branch of I believe they call them 'shanghai' tunnels, was discovered on my estate, I'd like for you to clear them out." Gilbert had heard of the shanghai tunnels, usually just bullshit stories an exterminator knew an exterminator says someone got eaten by the darkness down there. Never any names though. That was the trouble with rumors, you never had an actual name to what was going on.

"How big is your house that you found tunnels on it?" She laughed again and Gilbert found himself uneasy in how it seemed without mirth.

"Very large as our what I'm willing to pay Mr. Dunkley, I can count on your services yes?"

"Sure, lets work out payment arrangements."

****

"You need to get better hand writing or there needs to be less things that could be something you wrote." Clarissa was frazzled, she'd spent the last two hours at the double O trying to discern Gilbert's list of things he needed and failing mightily. Gilbert and Doris were both in the office in a bit of a daze when she got there, the office also smelled like rotten meat. "My god what did you guys do in here it reeks something terrible?"

"Wha? What do you mean it smells in here?" Gilbert looked like he'd just been woken up from a nap.

"The smell? How can you both not smell that? It's terrible." Doris shrugged and looked at Gilbert who also shrugged.

"I guess I must left something open, I dunno I don't smell it."

"Well open a window or something gosh you two." Clarissa set down her bag of supplies and went to open a couple office windows despite it being in the twenties outside. The cold air flowing in woke both Gilbert and Doris up fully from whatever stupor they had been in.

"Good lord Clarissa its freezing outside, you want to give me pneumonia?" Clarissa closed the window, the smell had mostly gone, but she could still smell it lingering, like cigarette smoke clinging to a smokers outside jacket.

"Thank you, now come over here and help me find this Thornby Place on a map, I hate driving in Portland." Clarissa had no idea who the Thornbys were or what they were doing in Portland, she was more worried about the smell and why Gilbert and Doris did not smell it, it was an uneasy feeling, that continued throughout the morning as she helped Gilbert find the Thornby place.