"Are you certain that we're talking about the same man?" asked Dr. Gramheist.

He had remained in the sitting room with Augusta and Albert while Dr. Fossey had accompanied William upstairs to examine Minnie.

Augusta shot the portly man a dry glance. " 'Menelaus Winslow Groat' is a rather distinct name, don't you think?"

Dr. Gramheist slowly nodded, though the look on his face was one of reluctant agreement.

"Doctor," Albert remarked, "you said Mr. Groat was performing terrible experiments in the past? Such as what?" He couldn't explain it, but something inside Albert seemed to be pushing him to learn more about the strange lighthouse keeper. Almost as if, somehow, the man could be connected to Sophia's untimely presumed demise. It was an odd sixth sense to have but Albert knew better than to ignore such internal nagging.

"Well, as I said, he was a keen practicer of vivisection. He was trying, if I can remember correctly, to study the possibilties of human-animal hybrids or some such nonsense. But science simply doesn't support such theories and I'm afraid many poor animals lost their lives to his mad ideas."

"Human-animal hybrids?" Albert repeated. Once again, the nagging inside was nudging. "For what purpose would he want animal-human hybrids? To make the perfect army?"

"No, I think he just was super lonely and wanted to literally make himself companions," Doctor Gramheist shrugged. "None of us liked him and his only friend- if one can call it that- was a squirrel he had tamed named Mr. Nutspuppy. But then he foolishly tried his experiments to make Mr. Nutspuppy more human and the unfortunate squirrel met a cruel demise as, once again, his techniques failed."

"Ghastly man," muttered Augusta.

"But then..." Albert started and paused. Was what he was thinking possible? "Do you...you don't think in time, after years of trial and error, he could have succeeded? Do you suppose he COULD have mastered his technique and managed to create a human-animal hybrid? Such as...a sealman?"

The room remained quiet. Then, Dr. Gramheist chuckled.

"Don't be ridiculous. As I said, there was no way his experiments could ever have scientifically succeeded. He would have needed to cast a magic spell for anything like sealmen to become reality." He did, however, shoot Albert a sympathetic look. "I understand your cousin's suicide is hard to believe but the sealmen she claimed to see were surely just imaginations in her head. They could not have been anything that Menelaus Winslow Groat created."

That said, the doctor turned to the window and to the direction of the Phoque King Lighthouse.

"I am quite curious now to see if he really is the same Menelaus Winslow Groat who went to Medicus University so many years ago. That he has become a lighthouse keeper would not surprise me in the slightly. He was quite the weirdo."

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"And certainly still is," replied Augusta, "He looks the part of a mad man, and has a leer to him around young women."

"Especially around Sophia," added Albert solemnly. "I think he had a bit more than wholesome thoughts when it came to her."

Dr. Gramheist suddenly seemed to perk up. "Wait a moment, did you say Menelaus fancied Sophia?"

Augusta glanced to her son. Albert slightly nodded. "It seemed that way, he called her 'dear' and 'lovely'..."

Dr. Gramheist rose to his feet. "I shall like to change into my day clothes and go see this Menelaus Winslow Groat at once. If he is indeed the same man from years ago-"

"-which, as his name is so unique, there's no doubt he is-" interjected Augusta.

"-there may be more afoot after all!"

Both Augusta and Albert stared at the doctor, now animated and serious.

"What do you mean?" Augusta ventured.

"When we were in Medicus University, years ago, Menelaus developed a fondness for Miss Veronica Voorhees, a young lady who worked in the university library. She was a lovely woman and of course had many suitors. Oh, it was well-known on campus how desperately Menelaus wanted the woman to choose him and, like anyone with common sense, she knew better than to return his affections. Well, Menelaus was determined, it seems...I have to admit, not being particularly close to him I cannot speak to this in much detail, but the rumors circulated that Menelaus was trying to ruin Veronica's reputation through slander that made her seem undesirable to other men. That would leave her really only one option if she wanted a romantic partner- himself."

"He sounds quite sleazy," said Augusta, "though I'm not sure I understand what this tale has to do with your sudden fervor."

The doctor was shaking his head and wringing his hands behind his back. "Don't you see, my dear woman? It seems I may have made a mistake in my diagnosis of Sophia due to my lack of information!"

"I could have told you that," replied Augusta, "but it's too late now, the poor girl is dead. I still don't follow your tale."

Albert, however, seemed to be a bit more atuned to the doctor's thinking. "Do you suppose that Menelaus- wanting Sophia for himself- tried to somehow isolate her from us to pursue her romantically?" It was a far-fetched idea, but it was also possible exoneration for his beloved cousin.

The doctor nodded. "My understanding in the case with Veronica was that Menelaus would plant evidence to make it look like Veronica took things, or moved things, or said things that she certainly did not in an attempt to make her appear unstable or unappealing to the other men. Luckily, Professor Jules Botkins, whom Veronica was secretly already being romanced by, caught wind of his schemes. Menelaus had to withdraw from Medicus University before he could be expelled for harassment; just as well as his experiments were going nowhere. I wonder...with how close the lighthouse appears to your home, could Menelaus have snuck here and planted the idea of sealmen in Sophia's mind, hoping to make her appear insane?"

Augusta, now following, seemed equally quick to believe the theory as Albert. "He must have! Sophia had never behaved as she did until we arrived at Sharpy Island! But how on Earth did he accomplish convincing her sealmen exist?"

"And how did he manage to get into this house and frame her for murdering Jane without any of us noticing him?" added Albert.

"These are questions I cannot answer, but if this is the same Menelaus Winslow Groat up to his same old tricks, he has succeeded in even fooling me, a great psychologist, into believing Sophia as insane."

Augusta rolled her eyes. "You aren't great-"

"-if only you had told me you knew him sooner!" The doctor was rushing towards the stairs. "Oh, what a tragedy that his plans no doubt backfired with her suicide. Surely he was hoping this time to win the woman of his desires. But please, allow me to dress and then I insist we head over to Phoque King Lighthouse to see him at once! If he is to blame for all the trouble here he must certainly be held accountable!"

Dr. Gramheist then paused. "Provided, of course, that this even is the same Menelaus Winslow Groat I once knew."

"It is," Augusta and Albert cynically replied in unison.