Chapter One - Day 3 - An Early Morning Meeting

[Cearlan]

There are two students sitting on their own, one deeply engrossed in his lecture notes ... what looks like engineering of some sort, is bespectacled, acne ridden and has buck teeth; his clothing is non-descript. The other student is sitting by the window gazing into space his biology notebooks left untouched on the table. He is moderately well dressed with a snazzy dickie bow tie and a pair of half moon reading glasses perched on the end of his nose as he looks out onto the sidewalk. The other tables are all either full or nearly full and it is these tables that provide nearly all of the noise within the establishment.

[Mr. Handy]

"Shall we divide our efforts between them?" asks Katherine. "It would seem odd if we all converged on one anyway. I'll go with the group that talks to the biology student."

[DrPeterson]

All right, you two go talk to mr Science over there, I'll see what the other one is about.

Calamy goes over to the table with bucktoothed kid and puts on his winning smile.

"Hey there, junior, mind if I sit down and ask you some question in exchange for a free breakfast?"

[Priest]

Smiling at Henry's approach, I move over to where the 'daydreamer' is staring out the window, "College work blows yeah? Mind if we ask you a couple of questions?"

I take out my notebook and pencil stubb and lick the end, professionaly.

[Mr. Handy]

"Please excuse my companion's brusque manner," says Katherine to the student. "I am Sister Katherine O'Neill, and this is Mr. Jimmy Vecchio. I work at St. Mary's Hospital. I'm afraid my own knowledge of biology is merely of a practical nature."

[Cearlan]

Katherine & Jimmy,The young man looks closely at you both before nodding and gesturing you both to sit opposite him. As you sit he half rises out of his seat, he speaks with an easy Southern drawl. [color=#0040FF]"Sister O'Neill, Mr Vecchio. I'm not sure how I can help you but ask away; I'll do what I can."[/color]

Henry & Sharon,[color=#0040FF]"A free breakfast is not something I ever remember a student refusing."[/color] Sharon adds "And the questions we want to ask are nothing to be concerned about. [color=#0040FF]"It will be a full breakfast I assume?"[/color] she asks and when the student nods in assent she heads over to the counter to place the order, and gives Henry time to quiz the younger man.

[Mr. Handy]

"Have you heard about the boys who had gotten lost in the woods?" asks Katherine.

[Cearlan]

Katherine and Jimmy,The boy thinks for a moment or two before responding. [color=#0040FF]"Well the talk on campus is that they were killed for their specimens ... can you imagine that? Killing two students for a few samples. Sounds like utter rubbish to me but there you go. Had they been anything other than botanists, I'd have probably suggested a girl may have been involved, but, as you might know, them botanists are more interested in their plants than other people if you know what I mean."[/color] He straightens his bow tie as he looks straight at the pair of you.

[Mr. Handy]

"They were found yesterday," says Katherine, "but one of them, Henry Atwater was still alive, though he was in a terrible mental state. He was sent to the sanitarium, but he escaped. It looks like he headed into town, but I'm not sure where he would have gone."

[DrPeterson]

Henry watches the student as Sharon leaves the table.

He puts on his cop voice and starts:

I'm Henry Calamy, I was hoping you could point me in the direction of some people who knew Henry Atwater and Richard Cardigan.

[Cearlan]

Henry & Sharon,The young kid just looks at you as though you spoke Ancient Greek to him. After a few moments he says in a nasal whiny tone - the poor kid ain't got a lot going for him you reflect as he says. [color=#0040FF]"Well I know of them, sure. Everyone on campus knows that they went missing somewhere by the river, but other than that I don't know a great deal about them. They were supposed to be attached to the natural science faculty but I ain't sure what they were studying."[/color]

Katherine & Jimmy,[color=#0040FF]"Henry's alive you say - that's interesting." [/color]he drawls before his gaze is drawn outside once more. [color=#0040FF]"The only place I can think of his going might be back to his dorm."[/color] he adds as he continues to look outside. [color=#0040FF]"He was supposed to help me with my work ... but; well that's by the way now I guess." [/color]

[Priest]

I glance out the window to see if I can see what he is looking at, "So, may I ask what it is you are working on?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Where is Henry's dorm?" asks Katherine in a casual tone.

[DrPeterson]

Henry leans back in his seat, hoping the others are more in luck than he is.

"Thanks for the info, kid. Enjoy your breakfast."


He looks at Sharon and says,

"I'm going to have a coffee at the bar."

And he does so.

[Cearlan]

Henry & Sharon,[color=#0040FF]"Well Henry, what did you manage to get out of him? Not much by the short length of time you spent with him I guess." [/color]When the waitress passes by she orders two coffees and sits at the bar, politely ignoring the looks she is getting from the teenagers. As the waitress pours their coffees she asks [color=#0040FF]"Did you know the two boys that went missing down by the river?"[/color] The waitress nods towards the young man sitting with Jimmy and Katherine. [color=#0040FF]"One of them used to come in and help Little Lord Fauntleroy over there with his assignments. Always sat at the same table. Not the brightest of kids that get in here, but daddy's rich so he got help from others on his course."[/color]

Katherine & Jimmy,[color=#0040FF]"Working on ... Oh I am studying Botany at the University."[/color] He looks slightly embarrassed. [color=#0040FF]"To be honest, I sometimes find that I am struggling with the workload a bit. Henry used to help me out now and again - as a friend you understand."[/color] He furrowed his brow a moment, seemingly lost in thought [color=#0040FF]"His dorm was located on campus somewhere, I'm not sure exactly where as I live off campus with my folks - probably the main dorm building I'd guess."[/color]

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, young man," says Katherine. She looks to Jimmy to see if he has any further questions.

[DrPeterson]

"Nothing we didn't already know."

He nods his thanks at the waitress and gratefully drinks some coffee as he listens to her answer.

"Good thing our colleagues are doing better. Rich boys usually tend to talk a lot more to nuns than to detectives."

[Cearlan]

Once you have finished interrogating the two boys and the waitress, you are surprised to find that it is not long before the Historical Society is due to open.

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's head back to the Historical Society," suggests Katherine. "By the time we get there, they should be ready to open."

[DrPeterson]

"All right, let's go."

Henry lights a cigarette on their way to the car, inhales, coughs, and inhales again.

"What did the kid say?"