In Arthur's Flat (Richard/Gary/Reg/Maud)

[Mr. Handy]

"I quite agree," says Reg. "I just hope the pawnbroker is still open at this hour. I can go with you there, and perhaps Miss Marrick can investigate the theatre crowd." He offers her the program. "Mr. Maurice could escort her. If we lock the flat up behind us, nobody should disturb it. The 'narrow man' that Mr. Borelli described is one of the lads in green. He said the man was dressed in green rags with a white face - and no eyes." It only took a second for him to recall Travisham's first name.

[royya]

Idea roll (1d100=37) - Success.

I prefer to remain here for now, skim Arthur's reading material and speak to the violinist.
Richard reply
I will send my driver to take you wherever you want but he will come back to pick me up later. I suggest we'll meet at my mansion later for a tea and some honey rolls and to discuss further out next steps.

[aine]

Keeper,Idea (55) [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3264014/]1d100=82[/url]

Maud wanders into the studio and looks at the pictures with Gary. "You're right, they are quite good to start with but these last ones are awful and very unpleasant. Can I take this one with me?" She picks up the drawing of a lady. "These others, the cityscapes, do you think they are relevant?" Maud looks carefully but the brushstrokes are too jumbled to make out any landmarks: Know (75)1d100=90 She walks over to the easel and pulls off the white cloth.

OOC,Is it getting very late at night? Do we continue through the night or head home for some sleep? What's the usual proceedure? Also, how would one go about ordering a cab at this time of night? Telephone or small messenger boy?

[BenTheRat]

"I don't see why Arthur would object. It is to help him. I didn't realize the hour, perhaps it is better to finish up here tonight and hit the pawnshop and theater tomorrow. I would not wish for Maud or any of us to go to either place alone. As for the drawings I think they are mainly of the park across the way here, but as you can see the later ones are too deteriorated to tell what they are." Gary says, then he turns to Reg, "A man with a white face and no eyes. More likely wearing a mask to protect his identity. Something the theater might have handy if you ask me."

idea,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3264207/]Idea roll target = 75 (1d100=92)[/url] obviously Gary never heard the first name.

Gary then goes back into the hall making sure we have covered every room.

apartment,is there any rooms we have not searched.

"We should now go through the rooms again in case we missed something of some importance. I'll look through the front room. Since it is too late to go else where."

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, the theatre should still be open now, at least," says Reg. "When we do go to the pawnbroker's, we should bring that letter with us. But, yes, let's finish searching the other rooms in the flat before we go. And a mask was my thought too regarding the narrow man's white face."

[aine]

Maud puts the portrait in her large bag. "As my flat is in the West End, it's not much of a detour to the theatre district. Mr. Maurice, could your driver drop me off at Piccadilly Circus? I think there is little chance of hailing a cab around here now. I'll speak to some fellows there and then head home. I'll be at yours first thing or should I come back here? Or I could meet Reg in the East End and go on to the pawnbrokers with him."

[royya]

Nonsense, I would not instruct my driver to drop a lady far from her home. He will take you to your apartment. I think I will take the reading material to my mansion.
Turning to Gary and Reg
Join us and my driver will take you to your apartment as well.

[Dr. Bloodworth]

Maud reveals an odd painting beneath the easel, only partly finished: it is a crudely-done painting of Christ on the cross, with Arthur's face on the crucified figure. Approaching him is a female figure bearing what appears to be a severed arm. A large red wound gapes in its palm. The green man figures so familiar from the other paintings and all sorts of other demons cavort in the background.

OOC,the painting is subtly disturbing in a Hieronymous Bosch sort of way; make a Sanity roll (you'll lose only 1 point on a failure).

Reg and Richard,You recall that Travisham's name was Abner.

Gary,There aren't any rooms you haven't looked through.

[BenTheRat]

Gary cringes at the picture

San,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3267083/]Sanity roll target = 50 (1d100=75)[/url]

"What a horrid picture? This is libel to give me nightmares tonight."

[Mr. Handy]

Reg finds the painting disturbing, but he has seen far worse in his time in the Sudan, men shot and stabbed and torn apart. This pales in comparison. "I just recalled Travisham's first name," he says. "It's Abner. He could very well be A.T."

[aine]

Sanity,Sanity (75) [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3267706/]1d100=66[/url]

Maud takes one look at the painting and turns away feeling faint. "This can't be Arthur, I can't believe this is Arthur's work; it must be that horrid Narrow Man. Oh what has he done with him?" She starts to cry. "I'm sorry, it's just I can't understand, oh I don't know." Maud takes a hanky from her bag and mops her eyes. "Yes please Mr Maurice, take me home. I think I've had enough of this place for one night."

[royya]

This is disturbing
Richard remarks and turns away from the paintings
Come with me dear Maud.

San roll 70% - (1d100=70)

[Dr. Bloodworth]

As the four recoil in horror at the vision of the surreal painting, they note the sound of a carriage driving down the street. It stops somewhere along the road and a door slams.

[BenTheRat]

"I think its time to call it a night, I believe we have discovered all we can from Arthur's apartment." Gary says.

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's make sure we lock the door behind us," says Reg. "We don't want anyone else poking about here, or at least we don't want to make it easy for them. People have locks on their doors to keep honest people out, after all. I am curious about who is arriving outside at this hour. Shall we have a look?"

[royya]

Richard takes the rear and locks the door to Arthur's flat behind him, he fights the stubborn lock for several moments since under his second arm he piled the books, notes and letters.
Bill should be in the street.
He remarks

[BenTheRat]

Gary goes down into the street trying to see whoever was in the carriage that just pulled up.

[aine]

Maud follows the others down, glad to get out. She's still feeling wobbly so lags behind in the search for the new arrival.

[Dr. Bloodworth]

Gary arrives in the street first, soon followed by Reg, Richard, and a moment later, Maud.

On the steps outside the front door sits the young woman the four last saw in the company of Mr. Travisham earlier in the evening; a few doors down the street sits a second carriage. A largish man smoking a cigar sits in the driver's seat, looking rather sullen, clearly waiting for someone. But what the four almost immediately notice is over at Richard's carriage, where the driver Bill is speaking with a man none of the four recognizes. Tall, with short-cropped dark hair, dressed in a rather worn-looking suit jacket, he looks over at the four.

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