The Question Remains Open
K.D. St.Cross is a horror author. That much can be stated with reasonable confidence.
His manuscripts exist. His books have been published. His name appears on contracts, correspondence, packages, and several documents the Editor has been advised not to reproduce publicly.
The man himself is more difficult to verify.
Photographs exist, although none show his face clearly. Reported sightings have placed him in roadside motels, railway stations, unfamiliar cities, and once outside a closed bar several hours before a manuscript was delivered.
Witness descriptions are inconsistent. K.D. has offered no correction.
FILE 001 · VERIFIED
Confirmed Facts
K.D. St.Cross writes horror in many forms, including supernatural thrillers, psychological horror, strange mysteries, and occasional works of science fiction.
His stories often follow ordinary people who discover that the world is not behaving properly.
At least some of his work is connected to the Hellshine Lounge. He communicates irregularly. He prefers typewritten pages. He has delivered manuscripts without summaries, instructions, or concern for the Editor’s schedule.
Beyond this, certainty becomes less cooperative.
THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH
The Official Photograph
A photograph was supplied for professional use.
It shows a man wearing a fedora. His face is obscured.
The image was accompanied by a note stating:
This should be sufficient.
The Editor disagreed, but used it anyway.
The Manuscript Delivery
K.D. recently dropped off a box of manuscripts for future publication.
No inventory was included. No release order was provided.
Several manuscripts were complete. Others contained handwritten revisions, clipped notes, maps, photographs, and materials that may or may not belong with the stories.
The Editor is still cataloguing the contents.
FILE 002 · UNDER REVIEW
Contradictions in the Record
Some correspondence suggests K.D. has lived in the same city for years. Other documents place him elsewhere.
One photograph appears to show him outside a railway station in winter. A second image, reportedly taken the same evening, shows a similar figure beside a motel several hundred miles away.
A bookseller remembers meeting him. A bartender insists he never speaks. A former neighbor described him as polite, private, and terrible at returning borrowed tools.
The neighbor would still like the ladder back.
From the Editor
I have worked with authors who miss deadlines, ignore emails, change titles without notice, and submit revised manuscripts after publication.
K.D. has managed to make all of them seem organized.
He appears when he chooses. He leaves material behind. He declines to explain himself. And, despite repeated requests, he has never provided a usable biography.
This page is the compromise.
—The Editor
CORRESPONDENCE · UNCATALOGUED
Correspondence
Use the second ending.
Do not open the blue folder first.
The photograph is not relevant.
Tuesday remains preferable.
I have left the rest where we discussed.
The Editor does not recall discussing where “the rest” should be left.
What We Know
K.D. St.Cross writes books.
The books are real.
The manuscripts continue to arrive.
The photographs prove less than they should.
The sightings prove nothing at all.
The Editor is still looking into it.