Alyssa

[kabukiman]

-Right. Go them with that detective and be extra-careful, ok? I doubt that the antiquarie and his collegues will be of much help; after all, they can be a respectful group, but they don't know nothing about criminals.

[Mr. Handy]

"I will take every precaution," says Alyssa to Mr. Haynes. "That's one reason I asked the police to send a man along. I know better than to meet this fellow alone! Thank you again, Boss. It's very kind of you to worry about me." She collects her camera and makes sure it's loaded with a fresh roll of film, then takes her purse with her press pass and notebook inside. Once she's ready, she checks to see if the detective has arrived yet. It kind of makes me feel sorry that I want to get a job at a big city paper, she thinks. Everyone here is so nice, and the boss genuinely cares about my well-being. I really like it here, but I'm sure he'll understand why I have to move on once I make the big time, and at least the Advertiser will be able to brag about how I worked here before I made it big.

[kabukiman]

She sees a man looking casually. He is of medium size, unshaven, a cigar in the corner of the mouth, and an old hat.
-I'm detective Stuckey, i'm looking for a Miss Allyss-he asks to Jimmy.

[Mr. Handy]

"That's me," says Alyssa, striding forward. She smiles and extends her hand. "I'm Miss Alyssa Valentine. After I got off the telephone with Detective Harrigan, I also called Mr. Marmont. He and a few of his associates will be meeting us at the Benjamin Hotel to negotiate the amount of the reward with this Jack fellow. The Advertiser is also prepared to match the reward up to fifteen dollars, possibly twenty. I'm ready to leave any time you are. We can talk further on the way."

[kabukiman]

-Let's go then.
He exit and in the street opens a door from a car
-After you miss.
-What are those associates suppose to do? Harrigan never told me about other people medling in this affair. And this is a police job, not for a bunch of amateurs.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," says Alyssa, sliding into the seat. "I had told Detective Harrigan I was going to invite Mr. Marmont to accompany us, and he had raised no objection at the time. Mr. Marmont said he was bringing these associates right before he hung up, but I don't know who they are. Perhaps they're putting up some or all of the reward money. There did seem to be people with him at his home when I called."

[kabukiman]

-We will see that. I just hope this informer isn't someone trying to get easy money. Anyway, we arrived.
They had left the fancy zone; this was entering in a complete different city. Old buildings were in ruins, many were destroyed. The Benjamin Hotel wasn't much better, but at least it was open. The few people who were near by, looked at them with suspicion.

[Mr. Handy]

"I don't see Mr. Marmont out here," says Alyssa. "Either he's already gone inside, or he hasn't arrived yet. Shall we enter, or would you rather we wait out here for a little to see if he shows up?"

[kabukiman]

-If the deal was to wait, we will wait some minutes before entering.

[kabukiman]

A man appears and offers a hand.
- Bon jour,- he says,-my name is Bruno Kirby. I was told that I would meet a lovely woman and an escort, who would have questions for an old, if irratic man. I was further told that they would be seeking the company of a certain antiquarian and have need of some.... ahh... lubrication to help the man speak?

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," says Alyssa, offering Bruno her hand. "I'm Miss Alyssa Valentine. You must be one of Percy's friends. Has he arrived yet? This gentleman is Mr. Stuckey." She looks at Detective Stuckey. "Would you have any problem with offering something like that to the old fellow?"

[welsh]

Bruno smiles, "Enchanted."

Bruno offers his hand to Detective Stuckey, and says, "It is good that the police are protecting such a lovely lady." Bruno also tries to get a read on the man. Is the policeman an loyal and trusted policeman, or does he read like a crooked cop?

"Mister Marmont is inside with a particular priest. You know him perhaps, yes? I had suggested that he stay outside but he thought that.. well... perhaps you had gone in." Bruno shrugs, as if to say that it was beyond his power to stop a man determined to do a thing, regardless of its consequences.

"As for the bottle, I confess, it was mine." Bruno offers an embarrassed smile," You see, perhaps, that I have had some of it. I am French Canadian by birth, and this whiskey was made before your law was passed. I have not had a drop in many years so I am glad to put it to good use in prosecution of this terrible crime."

"You will probably wish to go inside. I, on the other hand, will remain outside to provide, what is the word... added security. I do not wish to, errhh... alarm the man with my more brutish manners when he anticipates the company of a young, beautiful lady. But should he make an." Bruno offers a look of repugnance, "untoward action or if the situation becomes too dangerous and you feel threatened, let out a little yell and I will be glad to come to your protection. A friend is waiting at the back entrance as well."

"Ahh.. there is one more thing. If you would not mind asking a question? I am looking for one of my crew, a sailor who sold Mr. Marmount a dagger. He has not been seen for quite awhile. Perhaps it is nothing and he is doing.. what sailors do when he is at port. But it would be a comfort to me, my crew and his family, to know if your contact has any information as to his whereabouts."

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you again, Mr. Kirby," says Alyssa. "I appreciate your help. We'll ask this fellow about your crewmate. Could you please tell us his name and what he looks like?"

[kabukiman]

-In a situation like this we may forget some... procedures. Just give a description of the man.

[welsh]

Bruno smiles at the young lady, who reminds him of some of the pretty brunettes from France.

"Ahh. The sailor? There is not much to say. Portuguese, speaks with an accent, and like most men who fish, smells a bit like fish. We just put in to port and apparently he was hoping to sell this dagger he won in a game of chance. You know how sailors are. Gamble at sea and try to find a good time on land. His name is Miguel De Souza, goes by Miguel, and he's the one who sold the dagger to Mr. Marmount for a little bit of cash to spend as sailors do. Well, since he left this morning we haven't seen him and, with the news in the paper, we're a bit worried he's come to some.." Bruno thinks of the appropriate word.... "hardship among the same people who caused Mr. Marmount such trouble. We've heard rumors that he's met with some trouble."

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, dear," says Alyssa. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope Miguel is all right and we can locate him. It's a good thing I was wary of this meeting and took precautions, and I really appreciate you looking out for our safety. These men must be desperate if they would go to such lengths. I wonder why they did not simply purchase the dagger from Mr. Marmont. I had suspected before that they might be sailors because they smelled of fish as well, and the fact that the Benjamin Hotel is near the docks bears that out. Perhaps the sailor who lost the dagger to Miguel got a couple of his friends and decided he wanted it back, or he might at least know the dagger's significance and origin and have some ideas about who else might want it. Did Miguel say from whom he had won the dagger? Well, since the others have already entered, I think we should go inside too."

[kabukiman]

OOC: If you want to enter, go to Percy thread.

[Mr. Handy]

Alyssa returns to the offices of the Arkham Advertiser, looking for her boss so she can fill him in on what she's learned and the planned next step of the investigation. It's late afternoon, so he should still be there. There ought to be enough time to write another article and develop her pictures for the evening edition before going through the "morgue," the archives of the newspaper's old issues, for more information.

[kabukiman]

Mr Handy: Write a small article of maximum of 10 lines about the situation. Then make 2 library rolls to see what you can find of useful (and what is actually Alyssa looking for?).

[Mr. Handy]

[OOC: The first roll failed, but the second was a natural 1! That should get some excellent results and more than make up for the initial failure.]



Alyssa sits down at her desk, inserts a piece of paper into her typewriter, and bangs out the following article:

CRIMINALS SOUGHT FOR KIDNAPPING, THEFT
THREE MEN HAIL FROM INNSMOUTH
by Alyssa Valentine

This morning, three men from Innsmouth vandalized and robbed the shop of local antiquarian Percy Marmont, and they are also believed to have abducted the sailor who sold an antique knife to Mr. Marmont that the men stole from his store. The sailor is a Portuguese man named Manuel de Souza and was last seen being forcibly taken away by these men. The Arkham Advertiser, aiding the police in their investigation, has learned that the men had been staying at the Benjamin Hotel, registering under the names of Jim, Jack, and Brad Gilliam from Boston. They were observed leaving the hotel carrying a huge bag in which the sailor is likely to have been concealed, and driving away in an old Ford Model T. The men all have a persistent odor of fish and a peculiar scaly skin condition that marks them as coming from Innsmouth, a town on the coast with a reputation for corruption where the Marsh and Gilman families dominate. It is probable that the men registered under false names, though the surname they gave is similar to Gilman. A painting of the stolen knife, a photograph of which can be seen on this page, was found in the room where they had been staying. Also found were burned pieces of a letter written by someone named R.M. instructing them to obtain the knife and to use force only if they could not purchase it for $250 or less, as he did not want attention drawn to "the order." The men have most likely returned to Innsmouth with the captive sailor now that they have obtained what they sought. Anyone with information regarding these crimes is encouraged to contact Detective Harrigan of the Arkham Police.

Alyssa includes her photograph of the painting of the knife with the article and submits it to the editor for inclusion in the evening edition. Then she heads to the Advertiser's morgue, where copies of back issues of the newspaper are stored. She looks for any references to Innsmouth, Obed Marsh and the Marsh and Gilman families, and any disappearances associated with Innsmouth. When she finishes at the paper, she heads over to Miskatonic University's excellent library to look for more information on the above subjects and also to find a map of Innsmouth and navigational charts for its harbor. She has spent a lot of time in the library as a student, and continues to find it an invaluable resource while working full time as a reporter. Today is no exception. While she finds little to aid her in the old issues of the Advertiser, she discovers a treasure trove of information at the library.