Play@YSDC

The Russians crouch down beneath the stairs as they wait to see what transpires above, their weapons at the ready in case they need to lend assistance. On the landing above, Richard raps at the door. After there is no answer for a few moments, he knocks again - still receiving no answer. Reg leans in and attempts to peer through the window, but there's not really much to be seen aside from some furniture in a dimly-lit room.

"I don't see anyone through the window," says Reg. "Perhaps he's not home. I hope she hasn't already taken him, but we may find some useful information here. Is the door locked?"

Richard tries the door knob and if it won’t budge he steps to the side.
Reg, let's see if we can find a key somewhere around before we force the door.

"Good thinking," says Reg. He very thoroughly checks the usual places where a spare key might be hidden: under the doormat, above the lintel, in a potted plant's pot, and so forth.

The two begin searching, and after a few moments, Reg produces an old-looking key from above the doorway. The key unlocks the front door, and the two find themselves in the front room of what actually appears to be a large area, likely a warehouse at one time, sectioned off into "rooms" by curtains. The area in which Richard and Reg stand at the moment seems to be a sitting room, although it appears to be used only rarely, if at all: although a leather chair sits in one corner, the tabletop beside the chair is completely empty save for a battered penny dreadful novel. To the right is an art studio.

"Shall we check the studio?" suggests Reg.

Richard takes his hunting rifle from Reg and scans the room. He motions for one of the Russians to guard the street and to the other one to come along.
Richard nods to Reg as the later suggest checking out the studio but not before he stops for a moment at the table to read the title of the novel. Once did, he takes it with him as it might holds more clues.

ooc,can you sketch us up a crude layout map of the warehouse ?

The novel proves to be a copy of the latest recounting of the "adventures" of Sweeney Todd -- it's really rather surprising that London hasn't forgotten about that fellow yet. Varcholek ascends the stairs and cautiously enters the apartment.

The artist's studio proves disturbing in the extreme -- artwork in all stages of completion covers not just the walls, as it did at Arthur's, but every conceivable surface. Paintings, which all seem to use the same selection of colors, cover the walls, pillars, and even the windows, allowing an extremely subdued light to filter through. All manner of art supplies are scattered all over the floor -- it isn't clear whether the room was ransacked or Maxwell was just an exceedingly messy housekeeper, but based on the half-eaten bits of food and empty tins scattered about as well, it looks like it may be the latter.

Map,[img]http://dc539.4shared.com/img/RjoBJBmK/0.11209987505632746/maxwells.jpg[/img] Red lines are curtains; text is what you think the room is by peering into it.

Reg takes a thorough look inside what seems to be the bedroom, looking especially for a diary or something written down that might give them further leads.

Nothing.
Richard place down the novel and follows Reg to the bedroom, helping the big man to search the place.