King of Clubs Restricted File - Matthew Weeks

Matthew Weeks - Haunting House Cultist

05 November 1892
Compiled by Colonel William Deasy

A Twisted Plot Explained

While the efforts of the cabal attempting to assassinate young Prince Albert and replace him with a skinwalker have failed, subsequent information has come to light which makes this case still an active concern.

Matthew Weeks is a thief, occult scholar and a fence in London who discovered the legends of the skinwalker and bucca years ago during his research at the British Museum. He discovered the Beethoven "key” poem in his research on the bucca but did not know where to look for treasure chest the poem was rumored to open. He also traveled to Old Grimsby on Trecaw Island - hunting down the location of an alleged skinwalker - where he met a "man of most outrageous talents" who was forced to stay on the island because he could travel over water only in a box of his native soil.

A month ago, Weeks learned of the Bucca Book's location in the Longships Lighthouse from criminal acquaintances within the Haunting Hand. Whether he "discovered" or "was fed" the information is unknown. It is thought that the book was hidden on the island decades ago to keep it from the buccas who rarely traveled off the mainland.

After contacting the bucca to tell them of the book, Weeks discovered that the bucca knew of the copper coffin of the skinwalker – an accidental discovery they made exploring the Crowns Mine Diagonal mine shaft. The buccas have been luring the miners forward for months – as they needed the miners to extract the copper for them.

A deal of some sort was struck. The buccas would give the location of the coffin to Weeks in exchange for the silver book. The skinwalker would give Weeks a "duplicate" Royal to do his bidding in return for the coffin of earth.

All Weeks needed was the silver book to start the chain of events. Weeks used his powers to summon Mythos sea creatures to search the lighthouse. Unsuccessful at solving the poem and finding the silver book, Weeks needed another approach to get the book.

Weeks’ underlings (Eliza and Phoebe) have limited powers to control dreams of men and women who are attracted to them. Weeks sent the girls to London to ingratiate themselves with Arthur’s mother about this time last year. This is when the boys started having visions of buccas. During our adventure, it was clear that they controlled Horace Beedle (huntsman), Arthur and Robgoblin. A clue given by the mystics put us to work on the poem's solution - exactly what Weeks wanted.

The dogs and pig - being able to sense the buccas - had to be destroyed before the buccas could get on the train. And Henry Bridlesman needed to be eliminated because his romantic predilection didn't include the alluring Miss Eliza or Miss Phoebe. So many deaths to set up a complex plot!

What Weeks didn't expect was our discovery of Eliza and Phoebe, the destruction of the earth that he placed on the Lady Sophia while we slept at the Barrow, and the trapping and execution of the skinwalker.

Epilog

I did spy Matthew Weeks several times during our return train visit – once on Trescaw Island as the boat was pulling away from the shore and again when we went to retrieve the copper coffin from the mine. With Phoebe dead and Eliza imprisoned, he was without accomplices. The girl's hold over Horace seemed to weaken with time - which will spare the young man a lifetime in prison.

The Bucca Book has been returned to Baring House - the buccas followed us throughout Cornwall but were lost as we neared the City.

The copper coffin was reported missing - although I'm pretty sure the buccas ate it after returning empty-handed from the search for their silver book. The soil from the coffin had already been removed and dumped overboard, so the most dangerous aspect of that artifact are gone as well.

I will put Matthew Weeks on our Haunting Hand list as a master cultist. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him.

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