Play@YSDC

Place holder for all investigators to meet up at end of the day, feel free to start posting.

Liz enters the pub with Jacob and looks around for Greg and Clayton.

Let us sit over there
Jacob says to Liz and begin a casual conversation about the weather

Greg eventually meanders in, looking lost.

Clay walks in shortly afterwards and buys himself a pint and then walks over to where Jacob and Liz are already sitting.

"Right, I don't know how good or bad your day has been, but I think I've got a real break. Turns out the tattooist I saw isn't our man but, he gave me a solid lead to a place nearby. Its in Ealing, about a mile from the A406 North Circular, I wandered about for ages looking for the place, its just off Pitshanger Lane its at the end of a short parade of shops, the window is all covered in newspapers so you can't see inside, but a blue 4x4 with a big scratch down the side was parked up outside and two guys came out of the place one of whom could have been the old boy we are looking for."

"That is a good break," says Liz, waving to Greg so that he'll find their table. "Did you happen to see the license plate number? Or get the exact address of the place?"

Clay nods, taking out a battered ciggarette packet which he's used as an impromptu notepad. "I've got both"

"Good show!" says Liz with a smile, reading the information on the packet. She takes out her laptop, boots it up, and connects to the Internet. "Let's see what else we can find out online in the public records. I'll search for the registered owner of the vehicle and any historical information about the building and its ownership - floor plans too if I can get them."

In the UK there is no legal way for Liz to find the current registered owner of the car.

The building is apparently managed by a solicitors/Barristers called Reddrup and Vosper.

"Well, I can't find out who owns the vehicle," says Liz. "Not legally, anyway. But we could tip off the police with the license plate number, letting them know that this was the vehicle at the scene of the fire, and they could find out. The building seems to be managed by a law firm called Reddrup and Vosper." She checks the Internet to see what public information is available on them.

Give me the license plate number and I'll see what I can do.
Jacob takes out his cellular from his pocket and dials to the private investigator he work with, asking him if he can find out who's registered on this car.

Liz passes on the license plate number and the other information she has learned. "Perhaps your investigator can also find out who actually owns the property, though it may be one and the same person," she says.

Jacob dials the number and after a few rings Andrew Milton anwers. The private investigator listens to Jacob's explanation and after warning him that there is no way he can find out this information without breaking the law asks him wether he still wants him to continue?

OOC: Jacob,Assuming Jacob says yes, Milton says someone will be in touch in a couple of days, but that the information will cost

It’s almost impossible and my job is on the stake over here. We can't find the owner of the car.
Jacob replies to the other as he hangs up on Andrew after saying no to the man
We should try the address Clay found

"All right, what's the plan?" asks Liz. "If we're going to go knock on the door and talk to them, we'll need to know what we're going to say, and it would help if we had some gold to offer them."

Greg ordered a drink at the bar - which took a while (O_O;) and he found his way to the table. "I'm sorry. Seems my efforts were rather fruitless. The professor didn't have time to talk to me directly, and his right-hand man thought I was a lunatic."

"Perhaps I should try to get in to talk to him," suggests Liz. "I'm better with computers than I am with people, but I'm a student and I know academia and how to stroke a professor's ego. I've already done the preliminary research on the Verbetoi, so I know enough about the subject matter to start things off. Plus, no offense, I'm prettier than you."

Greg smiles and lifts his glass, "No argument there." He sipped from his glass, and said, "I think I would have gained more ground with the professor directly, but he was called away for more pressing matters apparently."

Greg sighed and slumped his shoulders in mild defeat. "It isn't all bad though. John, the professor's assistant, will be more likely to cooperate if we can follow up with something more definitely substantial from the tattoo expert."

Clay takes a sip from his drink then looks around the table. "I'd like to go up there mob handed and have words with the bloke. On the otherhand friends of friends have told me the Albanians are a nasty bunch, so we should take some precautions I guess."

OOC:,Giles as Clay as NPC

I agree with Clay, who knows we are going to deal with, the last thing that we want is someone to beat us up.
He turns to Liz and Greg and adds
Dealing with people and convincing them is my area of specialty as a lawyer.

"Then maybe you should have came with me rather than let me head off there alone," Greg commented. "I am persuasive... but there are just some stories people simply don't want to believe."

"Yes, Clay's right," says Liz. "I know I wouldn't want to set foot in that place, and I'm not much use if a fight breaks out. Perhaps I should go with Jacob tomorrow to try to see the professor."

OOC: Greg left the university with the distinct impression the professor wont be seeing anyone until after he has got his latest academic paper published.

Greg cleared his throat and said, "I don't think anyone is going to be seeing the professor any time soon. He has a paper to publish, and that really seemed to be his priority. John, the man I did talk to, was an assistant of sorts to the professor. I'm not sure going back to him will bear any fruit at this juncture." He lifted an eyebrow and raised a finger as he said, "But if we manage to get anything strange on video or in a picture and send it to John, just maybe the professor will reattribute his priorities."

The doctor opened his checkbook and balanced it while they continued talking. "Anyone know where I can buy some gold trinkets? I think they'll come in handy later."

"Good thing I'm a dab hand with a camera," says Liz. "Well, if we can't talk to the prof, maybe we can get our hands on a copy of his book somewhere."

OOC: Gold,A quick Google brings up a number of places in central london where one can buy gold wether its jewelry, coins or even small gold bars. What exactly is Greg or anyone else for that matter looking for.

Clay drinks the rest of his pint. "Well people, the day is getting on most shops will be closed by now, so whats the plan? We going to swing past the place tonight in Jacob's car, or waite until we've bought ourselves some gold and go along tomorrow?"

"Maybe we shouldn't use a car that belongs to one of us to go there," says Liz. "They can't trace us legally, but these are criminals we're dealing with. What about getting a rental?"

"There's always public transportation," Greg commented. "Not the most convenient way to get around, but a good sight safer and more agreeable than back in the states."

I agree with Greg. Better leave a noite somewhere if things will go bad
Jacob suggest

Clay turns to face Greg and and nods "There is a bus stop within sight of the shop, so it would give us an excuse to hang around. But the buses aren't exactly frequent one every twenty minutes maybe, and what if we want to follow them or something?"

"Yeah," says Liz, "and if we're running for our lives, we don't want to have to wait twenty minutes for a bus. We need our own transport."

"Look" says Greg "I can get us a car, a familly saloon, not a hire, not traceable, but it'll cost us a couple of hundred and we'll only have it for tonight."

OOC:CASH,As you have a Solicitor and a doctor in the party this is well within their means. No Credit Rating rolls required.

Sure, money is not a problem.
Jacob replies
Let's do it

Greg nodded, "A car of our own is preferable for obvious reasons, sure. But I do want to get some gold trinkets before we get much further along with this. Can we stop by a jewelers first?"

"Sure, if there's any still open at this hour," says Liz. "If the purity of the gold doesn't matter, we should get 14 karat stuff, as that's cheaper because it's not as pure. On the other hand, they may test the purity and be offended if there's impurities in it. 24 karat gold is as close to pure as you can get."

OOC:

Its to late to get your hands on some gold unless people are going to raid their own jewelry stashes (Liz's mother for example has several hundred pounds worth of gold in jewelry). Getting your hands on it tomorrow is relatively easy, rather than role play it through I just need an idea of how much you intend to spend and wether you are after jewelry or bullion (small bars or coins)

Clay leaves to arrange the car having got Jacob to pull a load of cash from a "hole in the wall"

OOC: Jacob can bring granny’s wedding ring and some savings.

OOC: Doctors pay/Bullion,Consider then that Greg becomes the proud owner of 4 Gold Sovereigns the next day. Typically junior doctors in the UK earn about 1/3 less than those in the US. I'll start a new thread tomorrow AM GMT.

Every one should go here for the Next day

if there is anything anyone wants to do in the intervening hours please just add to this thread.