First Snow of the Season

by: R. Michael Phillips

Winston Mapilton was an inventor. He had some minor

successes early, but he and his young wife, Judith, had a

difficult time of it in their first year of marriage. Eventually, his

devotion to his work drained them of all the money they had.

Destitute at one point, they were forced to give their first child up

for adoption before he reached the age of one.

Winston’s persistence finally paid off. He invented an

articulated valve used to regulate a boiler. It was far superior

to the current models in use so his fortune was thus made. He

purchased an elegant townhouse in Boston, and in the spring of

1881, started construction on Four Elms, a retreat on a lake for

he and his wife, Judith. It was a rather large rambling estate on a

private road off what is now Route 3, just north of Concord, New

Hampshire. Soon after it was completed, they had a son, Aubrey.

The wealth attained from his invention gained them entry into

Boston Society, but the Mapiltons were a generation away from

acceptance by the old money that stood watch over an exclusive

club. But others like themselves, who made their fortune during

the industrial revolution, were happy to welcome them in. They

took their place amongst the other prominent New England

families and hosted lavish parties at their summer home for

their newly acquired, and socially elevated, friends. Sadly, this

elegant lifestyle was short-lived. His wife died suddenly from

complications due to advanced stages of Chorea. Aubrey was

devastated by her death but accepted her passing in time. Winston

never recovered. Two years later, in the warm spring of 1913, he

passed away quietly at Four Elms.

Aubrey wasn’t as affected as one might think by the loss of his

father. Like many children of affluent families, Aubrey had spent

most of his young life in boarding schools, finally graduating

from Yale. His mother had doted over him and Aubrey had

looked forward to summers with her at Four Elms. His father,

however, had always been so consumed with their newfound

wealth and friends that he’d made little time for his son. He spent

so much time working that Aubrey barely knew him. The whole

experience had left Aubrey cold and detached from a normal

relationship with his father.

After he settled the affairs of his parents’ estate, Aubrey sold

the family home in Boston and moved permanently into Four

Elms. The estate left him in quite a comfortable financial position.

He had neither the desire or need to put his education to work.

Aubrey spent his days tinkering in his father’s old workshop that

was attached to the north end of the lodge. The upkeep of the

estate was also beyond the limits of what he was willing to do,

so he hired a local man, Wilson, as his valet and groundskeeper.

Boredom finally overcame him. As the Great War in Europe

escalated, he joined the army. Military service agreed with him

and he took quickly to the regimented constraints of being a

soldier. He fought valiantly and distinguished himself in France,

finally retiring after the war as a Major. He sent word back to

Wilson that he had met a French woman and intended to marry

and stay in France. Financial arrangements were made to look

after Four Elms and quarterly drafts were drawn on the estate for

his living expenses in France.

The years went by. It was the fall of ’35 that Aubrey was once

again seen on the grounds of Four Elms.

On a number of occasions his neighbor, Mrs. Norbury, tried to

introduce herself to him. She had lived on the property next door

for fifty-four years and had developed a close friendship with

his mother. She had also met young Aubrey a number of times.

Wilson explained to Mrs. Norbury that since the loss of his wife

the Major had no desire for socializing. He asked to be left alone

and insisted all communication go through Wilson.

The only person Aubrey spoke with was Jack Fitswarren

from the State Attorney General’s office...though they were brief

conversations, and only as a result of fantastic claims being made

by Mrs. Norbury.

Jack Fitswarren was a military man himself, but years after

the Great War had ended he’d taken a position with the Wilson

Detective Agency, in Loudon, anxious to make a name for himself.

Jack had the square jaw and chiseled features of a soldier, but deep

blue eyes and a kind expression softened them. He was hoping to

move into a position with the newly formed State Police, but for

the time being he had to satisfy his ambitions as a private detective

investigating cases for the State Attorney General’s office. It was

regarding one such investigation, and only by chance, that

Jack found himself at Four Elms one wintry evening. 

Read the complete story and two others in:

Stories For A Wintry Night

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