The Brief, Short History of Webster and Ralph

She was one of the most [beautiful] and [dangerous] women in 1913 [New York City]. Webster had been warned about her, but that didn't put him off the case. Instead, it drew him deeper into the [mystery]. Dames were always Webster's [weakness], and he freely admitted such to the [bartender] while sipping [whiskey] alone at the bar. Yet, in the end, Webster always proved himself to be [stronger] than any spell they wove over him.

"My husband disappeared four months ago.
No one had heard from him since.
He left behind his bird and it talks [incessantly]."

"A [parrot]?"

"No. A [raven]."

Webster had certainly never met a talking raven, and according to his [scholarly] studies, no such thing really existed. The case aroused his deepest [curiosity|curiosities], and he was ready to charge forward with all his resources.

"I must meet this raven."

She led Webster to her home via [taxi]. Her home across town was a well appointed [manor], letting Webster know that she either came from [money] or had married into it. This made her husband's [disappearance] more interesting. He would not have run out on such a [plush] lifestyle. The man had either met with an [accident] or [foul play].

The bird in question was [perched] on a wooden stand inside a large metal [cage] in the middle of the [sitting room]. Webster examined it and found it to indeed be a raven. After all, his knowledge of [avian|avians] was [unsurpassed] by any of the era. The bird said nothing. It just stared at Webster with [menacing] dark eyes, and in his mind Webster could hear its [anguished] screams of "free me... free Ralph."

"Your raven wants to go free."

"No. He cannot."

Webster said no more and asked to [examine] the house. He found little of interest and [bade] the lady [permission] to depart. He found himself at the library brushing up on his study of [witchcraft] and [the black arts]. Having learned that the woman's [missing] husband's name was Ralph, the bird's [telepathic] speech indicated to him that either the bird knew where to find Ralph or that he was himself Ralph. Webster needed more information before demanding [possession] of the bird.

Able to consume huge amounts of [information] in short periods of [time], Webster reached his conclusions within twenty minutes after [digesting] a hundred volumes of text on witchcraft, spells and [Once every thousand years a little bird comes to this rock to sharpen its beak.|the nature of birds]. There was no known [history] of telepathic birds, so Webster's logical mind decided that Ralph was indeed the raven. His study of magic spells convinced him such a thing was far more possible than a bird [Telepathic Interview|communicating telepathically].

Webster returned to the [mansion] and demanded possession of the bird "[Nothing could be further from the truth|for further study]." His client's [reluctance] convinced him something was wrong with the [scenario]. She said the bird belonged to her [husband] and hinted that she did not like the bird very much. Why then would she be so [insistent] on it not leaving her home?

Webster took the raven back to his office and called in many [necromancer|necromancers] and [spellcaster|spellcasters]. None of their spells produced any change in the bird and [eventually], after many years, the bird died. To this day, in Webster's mind, he hears the [I Got a Message for You|telepathic message] the raven spoke to him for years before his death.

"Free me... free Ralph."

"Is your name Ralph?"

"[Sometimes]."

The case was never solved. It has [haunted] Webster to this day. The raven was [stuffed] and [mounted] by Webster's friend Omar the [Taxidermist] and remains on his [mantle]. He still stares at it for hours, having gone [mad] with [frustration] over the mystery he never solved.

Source: Secret parchment diaries of Omar the Taxidermist
and "Dames My Father Has Known" by Webster's illegitimate son Chino Merriam.

Further information and reading on the subject is available at [Webster and the case of the Zookeeper] which alludes to this case. Will anyone ever know the true story? Webster isn't talking and we have only the legends to go by. The truth may never be known.

Ralph (idea)