Act VI: 'The London Electric Company'

[Tabs]

"In the basement--where you directed us to not ten minutes ago! Did you not hear the gunfire woman?"

[Priest]

"Ahh!" she mutters her face taking on a look that is a cross between disbelief and panic. Suddenly she swings into action, lifting the brass tube and blowing furiously down it, for a moment Klevendon half expects her to scream "Abandon ship!!!", but instead she shouts with a voice rising in volume. "Herbert!!! Fetch the nearest constable, and advise company security that criminal activity is afoot. And be quick!!!"

[carnage_lee]

Horatio Wellington

Wellington accedes to watch guard over their would-be attackers. Taking a scrap of petticoat from Nellie to press on the wound trying to stop the bleeding.



Nellie Bly

After checking that Wellington isn't that badly hurt and is able to take charge of their 'prisoners' Nellie crosses over to the unmoving form of Hargreaves the store manager. "Is... is he ... she asks fearing the worse.

[Priest]

As Nellie stoops to the form of the Store Manager, she notes that he still breathes despite a very bloody wound to his temple. For a moment his eyes flicker with life before clouding over with renewed unconsciousness. In that brief moment he whispers, just loud enough for Nellie to hear, "27".

[carnage_lee]

Nellie Bly

"He's alive!" Nellie says, thoroughly relieved. She tends to the poor man's wound and makes him as comfortable as she can.

"He... he just muttered something... he muttered '27' then passed out... what could he mean? she turns to look at Roxburgh puzzlement writ on her face.

[Priest]

OOC:   Nellie may try a peception roll of 8 if she likes

[carnage_lee]

Nellie Bly

Nellie ponders on what the meaning of '27' could be...

OOC:   [dice]0[/dice]

[Papa Gateau]

Roxborough quickly glances down the storeroom thinking to himself

Roxborough thinking:   Hmm...row 27?, shelf 27, box 27......generator 27...think man! Think!

Can't say anything comes immediately to mind Nellie. How is he...will he live?

As he looks around his eyes alight upon the sack the thugs were stuffing, he moves over to it and examines the contents and the box the were they filling it from.

[Priest]

Nellie's pondering pays off, and she has a 'eureka' moment. On the shelves fixed to the left hand wall she spies a large collection of ledgers on the spines of which numbers are emblazoned in gold lettering. Inside No 27 she finds a long list of transactions for various electical components. Each is recorded with the name of the item, to whom it was sent, and the address to which it had been dispatched as well as the order number.
It looks to be a long job to match the recorded order number found on the box to that recorded in a spidery, barely legible hand within the ledger.

OOC:   To search through the ledger takes two hours of diligent study. However skim reading takes one hour Investigation Roll TN2

As Nellie begins the laborious task of matching box number to item number, life begins to return to the defeated thugs, although the sight of the grim faced detective with his blood soaked bandage and large barreled pistol keeps then suitably subdued.

Roxborough looks through the contents of the sack. It seems that the intentions of the thugs had been to steal the ledgers.

[Tabs]

Klevendon rushes back downstairs (now the gunfire has stopped).

[Papa Gateau]

Roxborough moves back to Wellington

Looks like they were after the ledgers. he turns to the last thug that he apprehended and gives him his fiercest gaze

Right you horrible little scrote - who put you up to this?

Speak now and things might go a little bit easier for you.

[Priest]

OOC:   Papa G: I'm not sure 'scrote' was common parlance in the 1890s but I get the drift. Please roll 4d6 (plus any style points you wish to spend) to intimidate the thug TN 2+. 2 are charisma and 2 for size and ferocity

[Papa Gateau]

OOC:   You are no doubt correct - poor old Roxy doesn't really have a handle on the vernacular used by the lower classes Intimidate 4 + 2 style: [dice]0[/dice]

[Priest]

The thug gulps nervously, starts to shake his head and then with a resigned grimace starts to blurt out,
“’Ere’s ‘ow it went down, mate. Me and me chums 'ere was having a quiet drink when this gent approaches us and drops a bundle of five quid notes on the table. ‘E tells us in his posh voice that ‘e wants books stolen from this 'ere company at the first chance. ‘E says the books is to be destroyed, and that ‘e’ll know if we don’t do as we’re told. Said ‘e would make us pay summit rotten if we crossed ‘im. 'E didn’t look much of a bruiser, but summit in ‘is eyes said ‘e was serious and not to be messed with."

He licks his lips nervously, sees the resolve in the big mans eyes and continues,
“I never seed the bloke before, and doubt I could recognize ‘im if he walked in here now—too busy gawping at the notes, we was. Now, what say I gives yer a few of the notes to let me go like, pretend I was never ‘ere?”

He favours you with a weak smile.

[carnage_lee]

OOC:   Nellie will go through the ledger

[Priest]

OOC:   I presume she skim reads it? She needs TN2 investigation, which she has as an average.

[Tabs]

Klevendon returns to the basement in haste. "Oh Lor'!" he says, reverting to prep. school language in his agitation.

[carnage_lee]

OOC:   Yes, Nellie will skim through the ledger looking for the reference from the crate.

[Priest]

After what seems an age, during which time the police arrive and cart off the three living but battered thugs and the corpse of the fourth; and Klevendon assisted by Wellington and Roxborough make tea despite a shortage of cups and saucers, Nellie perseveres with her task of attempting to match the order reference number on the box to one within the ledger.

With an excited cry of success, she holds the ledger aloft, "Professor Henry Nightingale of 27 Avenue Road, Primrose Hill."

[Tabs]

"Good show, Miss Bly!" says Klevendon.