Free Death Mask by Michael Devaney

better acceptance. Victor looked up from his paper to see Andria’s stern face and rose to greet them, smiling. “Ahh, Andria, my dear. What’s all this fuss about?” he asked.
    His hopeful enthusiasm was short-lived however, because neither Andria nor Finn replied. Instead, they quickly advanced toward him and took seats in adjacent chairs facing Victor’s desk. This alarmed Victor. He’d never seen Andria behave this way. He sat back down in his chair and braced himself for what they had to say. Without hesitation, each of them took turns spilling their portions of the story.
    Victor’s first response to their news was, naturally, one of disbelief. But the more he listened, the more he believed…or wanted to believe. Then, almost immediately, his demeanor changed from excitement to concern. Although what they’d unearthed seemed legitimate, Victor’s analytical mind churned with the negative possibilities; predominantly that the particulars of the case could take years to verify and consequently tie up his investment for decades…if not indefinitely.
    Victor let them finish their story then posed a question regarding the current whereabouts of the mask. The answer, thanks to Andria’s earlier quick thinking, was that it was now lying securely in a bucket beneath a mound of sand in the museum’s storage area where it hopefully could do no further harm. This information gave Victor comfort. And without the concern of it causing more havoc, it also gave him much needed time to think and develop a plan.
    There was no doubt the mask was about to become one of the most valuable objects in the world. Whether he kept the mask and milked it for its incredible marketing appeal or sold it outright to the highest bidder, Victor didn’t think he could lose, but it wasn’t the money that concerned him; it was the malevolent nature of the mask itself. Based on what he had learned today, combined with the mask’s progressive stunts over the past few weeks and its mysterious, haunted background Victor was skeptical, at best, of the positive endgame possibilities it offered. Making money was one thing, but who knew the problems the mask could cause him in the future; or cause the next owner…or the next owner after that? Yes, Victor was a businessman, but he was also a conscientious human being and no amount of fortune was worth someone else’s blood on his hands.
    There was still another option, although probably not the most popular. He could destroy the mask and never reveal its secret. After all, without the mask as proof, who would believe such lunacy? But forever eliminating a priceless piece of history, particularly one with the magnitude to solve one of the world’s most famous, unsolvable crimes posed its own set of dilemmas, especially for someone entrusted to act as a responsible steward for all things past.
    At the end of their long conversation, Finn, as a favor to Andria, gave Victor three days to make a decision about the fate of mask before he went public. It was a reasonable agreement under such extreme circumstances. Although Victor’s lips agreed to the three days grace period, his heart already knew the answer.

Chapter 18
    It was less than a week after the museum’s final bloody episode and Finn and Andria’s subsequent discovery of the mask’s “Jack the Ripper” identity that Victor Gaines decided to sell his biggest claim to fame. Although the mask was an irreplaceable marketing prize, it was also loaded with legal and moral liabilities. Not only could further incidents with the mask deter more customers than it attracted, it could also get more people killed. Although unable to bring himself to destroy it, the mask needed to be stored away from the public eye, permanently.
    Victor sat at his desk for nearly an hour before pulling Andrew Game’s business card from the top drawer. He studied the card for a moment trying to recall the details of their first meeting. The last offer from Andrew