CHAPTER ONE: Murray's Journey: Following

[Laraqua]

It's early in the morning when Mr. David Ashby slams into your office with the news that you'd been fearing ever since you'd given her that reprieve for the sake of her daughter. Apparently, Cara Ashby left her husband two weeks ago after a rather vicious fight with only some hand luggage and the car taken from the family home. She hasn't called in since though she's certainly rung up quite the debt on her shared credit card. Her daughter, Liliana, is absolutely devastated and her husband alternated between fury and fear when they called in to your office about a day ago. He'd meant to cancel the credit card but just couldn't bring himself to do it - partly because he feared any further confrontations it would bring but also because he didn't want to leave her stranded in the middle of nowhere. At first he'd thought she'd fled to her mother's, Dora Whittleby, over in Shepherd's Glen because that's what wives do, right? But he'd never seen Dora, not once, since Liliana had been born and from what little he'd gathered, the two hadn't parted amicably. Now with the credit card expense list (which he grudgingly handed over), he's pretty sure that Cara's shacked up with another man.

Mrs. Ashby's credit card trail shows her expenses at Pete's Bowl-O-Rama, Heaven's Night (a male leisure club, no less), Lakeside Amusement Park, Annie's Bar, and a room the recently refurbished (after the fire) Lakeview Hotel. At least it's not far to go from Shepherd's Glen to Silent Hill. It's just a pity that Mrs. Ashby had to run out on her husband and child. So much for motherly love meaning he should leave her alone and lie to her husband. It turned out cheaters couldn't change their spots.

When David Ashby left you to find her (tears welling up in his eyes), you had a quick of the map and found that you can take County Road 73 to Shepherd's Glen to see her mother and then either follow the road right around the lake to Silent Hill or you could simply take the ferry that crosses Toluca Lake. It'll take you awhile to drive to the area, though, as it's a fair way away from San Francisco so you have plenty of time to decide which way you want to go or make any phone calls to break up the monotony of the journey. With your day bags packed, and happy at least that Mr. Ashby was willing to provide such a generous retainer, you head off for Shepherd's Glen.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray gets behind the wheel of his Ford Focus and sets out on his journey to Shepherd's Glen. When the time comes to go to Silent Hill, he is leaning towards driving around the lake instead of taking the ferry. He'd prefer to have his car with him, and the ferry might not be the sort that could transport it. He considers phoning Cara Ashby's mother in advance, but decides against it. If she is staying there, her mother might tip her off, and she could be gone by the time he arrives. Better to just drop in unexpected. If Mrs. Ashby isn't there at the time, he might be able to tell if she has been with a quick look around the house. The use of the credit card at Heaven's Night is puzzling, but it's possible that her boyfriend was stepping out on her and borrowed the card to go there. Nothing would surprise him any more. Whatever is going on, he knows he will get to the bottom of it. He regrets having given her a second chance now. She wouldn't get a third, that was for certain.

[Laraqua]

It's a long, dreary car ride to Shepherd's Glen though the weather starts to clear up the closer he gets to the area and the local radio stations are largely blocked by the hilly terrain, leaving him to listen to patchy tunes on staticy channels or return to his CD player. There's plenty of traffic on County Road 73 when he reaches it (well, about a dozen or so) but they must all be heading for Silent Hill because no one else takes the off-ramp down into Shepherd's Glen. It doesn't take long to find out why.

Despite Shepherd's Glen being on the banks of Toluca Lake, and therefore a potential resort town as well, the patchwork asphalt roads, flaking paintwork, and peeling weatherboards mark out the Shepherd's Inn that is your first introduction to the town. There's a couple cars parked outside, however, so there's obviously some residents inside the town. Driving further in, Murphy sees that several businesses are boarded up, including the Shepherd's Glen Police Station, Dr. Fitch's Office, a bakery, pharmacy, and even a few houses. One odd point, however, noted as you descended the sloping road, was that Shepherd's Glen has a rather impressively large cemetery.



Checking your G.P.S., you see that Whittleby lives at 6 Walton Avenue.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,I'm [b]Murray[/b], not Murphy. ;)

Murray drives directly to 6 Walton Avenue, checking out the house to see if it looks like someone's home.

[Laraqua]

The curtains are opened and there's no lacy curtains in the way so Murray can quite easily see an old lady sitting on a rather elegant arm chair, watching something that is likely to be a television. Behind her sits a roaring fireplace with a marble mantlepiece. Compared to the rather crumbling stone facade and the front yard strewn with weeds, the interior appears to be positively decadent. Strange then, that there should be about ten decaying newspapers lying by the front stoop. Despite the distance, he can quiteeasily see that the woman seems to have aged poorly over the years. Her gray hair has been put up in rollers in a fairly unkempt way, her skin sags with wrinkles from a fine-boned face that make her look to be about ninety, which is impossible because Mrs. Ashby is in her mid-thirties. Unless Mrs. Whittleby was in her late fifties when she gave birth to her? Or isn't this Mrs. Whittleby? The phone directory had pointed to this house (Mr. Ashby never knew his mother-in-law's address) but in a town like this it wouldn't be surprising if it hadn't been updated in awhile.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray decides that the direct approach is best. He parks the car in front of the house and walks up the front walk. Maybe that's Mrs. Ashby's grandmother, he thinks. If she's really ninety, then she was around my age in the 1940s. Most people think I'm old-fashioned, but my fondness for the era might be an advantage here. He climbs up the front stoop, avoiding the newspapers, and knocks gently on the door.

[Laraqua]

There is no response or reaction from anyone inside the house. The television seems to be blaring The Gilmore Girls, if he's not mistaken, but there's no curious call out, nor foot falls, nor any other sign that the occupant of the house has heard him. Perhaps she's deaf? Perhaps she saw him coming up the drive and decided to ignore him anyway? It's hard to tell.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray knocks again, louder this time in case the old woman is hard of hearing. If that doesn't get her attention, he'll ring the doorbell if there is one.

[Laraqua]

Murray finally hears the television switch off and a few moments later the door pulls open but holds at the three latched chains. A suspicious-looking woman peeks out at you with narrowed eyes. "What're you doing here? I don't recognise you!" she snaps in a growl of a voice. "What're you want? Some kind of salesman? Tourist in the wrong place? Pah! I ain't gonna let you in, y'know!"

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am," says Murray politely. "My name is Murray Archer. I'm looking for Mrs. Dora Whittleby. It's about her daughter, Cara. Her husband and especially her daughter Liliana are worried sick about her." Though Murray is usually glib, this elderly lady seems immune to his charming nature. He studies her as she responds.

[Laraqua]

"She ain't here no more," grumbles the old lady, obviously lying. In fact, her eyes seem to positively light up at his mistaken assumptions. "Moved out when all the troubles started." She starts shutting the door (which still has a few latched chains in place).

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,I think you forgot to check Psychology on my character sheet.

"Please, wait!" says Murray. "What troubles? I'm not from around here. I came all the way out from San Francisco. If Mrs. Whittleby isn't here, where is she?"

[Laraqua]

Oh,okay!

The old lady simply shuts the door and Murray can hear the lock click shut.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray takes out his smartphone and calls the house. Since he found the address in the phone book, he already has the number. Even if the old woman ignores it and lets her machine pick up, the recorded message will probably tell him who lives there.

[Laraqua]

There is an answering machine, luckily enough. "Hello, this is Dora Whittleby's telephone. If you can leave your name and number after the beep, I'll get right back to you." A few moments pass. "How do I stop it?" comes her voice in the background, moments before a click and a beep sounds. There's no doubting it. It's the voice of the woman who had answered the door.

[Mr. Handy]

"I know you can hear me, Mrs. Whittleby," says Murray. "Please talk to me and drop the act. There's no point in lying to me any more. I've been honest with you, and you should pay me the same respect. I know you think you're protecting your daughter, but I only want what's best for her. Your little granddaughter misses her mommy terribly, and this is breaking her heart."

[Laraqua]

The telephone is snatched up and the voice snaps, "I haven't seen my blasted daughter in twenty years when she went and ran away from home. I ain't seen her and I ain't want to see her. I didn't refuse that damn wedding invitation for nothing. If she went and disappeared on that damn fool of a San Francisco faggot, than good riddance to them both." She slams the telephone down. Itshard to tellif she's being honest over the telephone.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray shrugs. Whether or not Dora Whittleby is being truthful, he knows he won't get anything more out of her, and staking out the house could be a huge waste of time. Instead, he gets back into his car and drives towards Silent Hill, where he knows of several places where Cara Ashby used her credit card. He feeds the address of the Lakeview Hotel into his GPS, reasoning that she has most likely been staying there - and if her mother was lying and does decide to tip her off, he wants to arrive before she has a chance to flee.

[Laraqua]

Murray hops into his car and takes County Road 73 all the way from Shepherd's Glen around to the southern part of Silent Hill. The road is terribly winding and narrow around the hills but in the clear, sunny day it's at least fairly easy to navigate without any further problems. Toluca Lake is a glittering jewel forever to his right as he makes his way along the road, passing an Observation Deck on his way through to the tunnel that leads down onto Nathan Avenue and follows it through the southern smattering of streets and then up around the curve of the beautiful lake towards the majestic Lakeview Hotel.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray drives into the hotel's parking lot and parks as close as he can get to the hotel's front entrance.