[Scene II] The second killing...

[Mr. Handy]

"The late Mr. Grobbam hardly strikes me as the sort to be a bookworm," says Amanda. "But perhaps he stole these books because they're valuable. Perhaps these aren't even all of the books that were here. The killer could have easily taken or burned one or more of them, and we'd never know it was missing. Maybe even a copy of the same book that Mr. Hornely had. If so, that could be a link between the two murders."

[Tabs]

Felix studies the bookplate for Dagworth Library. He slowly translates the Latin, and then he reads aloud: " 'The Way, The Truth, The Life'--sounds to me like a quote from the Bible, and this other motto 'ab animo calignem dispellere,' " he struggles to construe the words, "I think it says . . . Ms. Broadacre, can you translate it? Something about 'dispel from the mind.' "

"All roads lead to Oxford, Detective Grimes?" he states whilst looking at the books. "Did Grobbam reconnoiter books at the Dagworth Library--hence the fine clothing--in order to steal them?"

Felix holds Thaumaturgical Prodigies in the New England Canaan and De Vermiis Mysteriis. "Now these two will make for interesting reading!"

[Priest]

Millicent concentrates on the phrase, "Hmm, interesting. The majority of the phrase is, as you guessed, from the Latin, ab is to; 'animo' can mean mind but it also has many veb usages such as fill; I can think of no translation for the word calignem; and 'dispellere' has the litteral translation of drive. So yes. I would imagine it tranlates as 'to dispel, or drive, something from the mind', but what something?"

Millicent indicates the cases that Grimes is looking at, "The clothing in those cases, I know this may be grasping at shadows, but they are the same sizes I presume?"

[Dave Syrinx]

Still holding the front cover of the book. He walks over to Felix and the finds in the cases. "This goes not with any of the others..."
He ponders and takes a seat in a vacant stool. "Can we assume this gentleman Grabbam, acted on a client's behalf. Grabbam seems to have been a burglar fancying disguises. Most probably he's been relieving libraries of their written treasures. Books a hundred years should catch a good sum to the right collector. Professor Blexham must have had the proper knowledge of what books could be worth stealing, right? He could have paid Grabbam to steal the book. But I guess he had someone kill Grabbam instead of paying him. Grabbam got shot while stealing the books in Oxford. He tried to clean himself up but met with the killer.
The killer only took one book. The Path - something poetic with rhymes, was what Fitzgerald said. This cover must have gone with the book Hector was reading." He looks at the others. "The reason for this seems amiss. I'd say it makes no sense. Why would Blexham get a book and hand it to Hector? Was he afraid of reading it himself? I guess we must ask him personally. The other idea that Blexham told Hector to get his hands on the book, hiring a thief and killing him seems out of the question. We should ask Blexham why required reading was of a sort hard to get by?" He checks Felix and Millicent. "Are those works rare or common? Expensive?" He checks the map for marked places, to get an idea what area Grabbam was interested in. To Fletcher he asks. "Mr Fletcher have you had an increased number of break-ins since Mr Grabbam moved here?" He points to Felix to fish up the lock picking pins.

"Yes, Oxford it is - but we have to retire for tonight. Document all you can. Let's bring the cases."

[Airbornexo]

OOC:   Please don't read too much into the Latin on the bookplate - I crafted that handout (the scenario doesn't come with one) the writing is appropriate but not specifically important to the scenario. I just googled bookplate and picked one I liked Piecing together the bookplate, one can assume that it has been scraped from De Vermiis Mysteriis (the scrapes match). All the clothing is of the same size. Note - Anyone stepping into the room needs to make a normal (4+) San roll - failure indicates a single point loss from seeing the corpse (which no-one has fully gone over yet). Please roll if you have entered the room...

Theo Fletcher answers the detective: "To be honest, he's hardly been out of his room. That's partially why no-one had noticed he had been sitting in there for..." He looks at the doctor, "four days?" The doctor nods response to the question.

[Dave Syrinx]

Realizing he'd taken the doctor's word for how Grobbam bought it, he steps over and stoops by the body checking for defensive wounds and other leads to what had happened. Not too disturbed by the state of Grobbam, Grimes says, "This won't hurt..." as if reassuring the corpse he'd be gentle.

[Priest]

"Oh dear, how awful" mumbles Millicent suddenly getting a view of the corpse, unlike the stoic detective and the resolute reporter, her stomach is delicate and unused to such an awful sight that confronts her, not to mention the aroma. Her stomach rumbles, ominously, her eyes water profusely and for a few moments she thinks she might be sick.

Sanity,1d6 → [1] = (1) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4588471/

[Airbornexo]

Bending over rotting corpse Grimes is able to confirm much of what the Doctor has already described. Like Hector Hornley, Grobbam has had his eyes gouged out and his throat cut. The weapon lies on the table extracted by the doctor from a blood-stained breast pocket.



The pocket knife is of the kind that folds out of its handle for convenience, the blade is stained with black blood and looks sharp. The blood soaking through Grobbam's clothing shows the bullet wound in his side, where a shot grazed his ribs. Grimes' experience suggests it was a small-calibre pistol.

Rummaging carefully through the rest of his pockets Grimes finds a bus ticket in an inner pocket, from Oxford to London. It’s dated two weeks ago.

The Doctor sighs loudly and pats the pale Millicent on the arm. "Right, a nightcap then off home to Mrs. Guinn! This is enough excitement for me at this time of the night. You look like you could use a stiff drink as well young lady, it will clear that smell right out of your pipes!" With that he turns, putting his hat on and heads for the stairs.

[Tabs]

OOC:   Well, you couldn't have chosen a better bookplate for a Mythos tome!

Felix picks up the tools, and rests his hand upon Millicent's arm. "Take a few deep breaths, Ms. Broadacre."

[Priest]

Millicent flashes Felix a withering look and shakes her arm free of his hand, "Indeed"

After a few seconds she starts to feel normal once more, "So, Miss Somerville will you be staying at my place tonight, before we make the journey to Oxford?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, and thank you again," says Amanda to Millicent, offering her her own arm. "Come on, let's get away from this place of death."

OOC,I certainly didn't intend to go inside and look at the crime scene, in which case I'd be talking to the others through the open doorway. If I had to enter, let me know and I'll roll.

[Dave Syrinx]

"From what I can tell..." Grimes keeps the the ticket stub and stands up again. "...he arrived to London from Oxford two weeks ago. He's been shot by small calibre gun... here or in Oxford, I can't tell. Probably here as he's been trying to bandage himself here." He shows the stub to the others.

He walks over to constable Albrighton and says, "Cordon off this apartment and see to it that doc's people care for mr. Grobbam. I'm afraid I have to do some desk work before turning in. Ladies and gents, we're leaving this locale."

Grimes waits in the room for all to exit then shakes Albrighton's hand. "Good police work, constable."

[Priest]

Millicent smiles at Amanda, "Of course my dear. I think the good inspector is ready to leave"

As Grimes leaves the room she turns to the police constable who Grimes has just congratulated, "Excuse me, but may one ask? Did no one hear any altercation within, surely it would have been impossible to carry out an attack like this in silence? Also if Grobham was indeed shot here did no one hear a gunshot. I know very little about guns, but surely such a small calibre weapon would make a noise loud enough to raise a neighbors curiosity?"

[Tabs]

Felix exits the apartment, still holding the books. He surreptitiously tucks them away in his jacket and is about to descend the stairs, but hesitates and decides to knock on a neighbouring door. [Presuming that the door opens] "Friendly with Mr. Grobbam?" he enquires.

[Airbornexo]

OOC:   Felix employs his Oral History and/or Streetwise to speak to the neighbours, many of whom are still peeking out of their doors trying to get a glimpse of what is going on...

Felix picks up the common knowledge from the locals that Grobbam had arrived a week or two ago. Rumours claim that he was on the run from the law, or was an escaped lunatic, or that he was a British lord who fled England after a scandal.

People had seen him holding his side with a pained expression for the whole time he stayed in number 56. He had no friends in the building, but a few days ago, a detective was asking questions about him. No- one told the detective anything, down in this part of London, people were very wary of the law...

[Tabs]

"This Detective, what did he look like?" asks Felix.

He'll pass on any info. to his friends.

~

"Sir," he says to Grimes, "did you know that another Detective was here asking about Mr. Grobbam?"

[Dave Syrinx]

"A detective? I'll pass that on to Atherton. Might be something about his chosen profession. It goes in the report and I'll track down who paid him a visit." Grimes jotts down what they have uncovered in his note pad.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm guessing he wasn't shot at home, then," says Amanda. "My guess is he got that bullet wound while out 'working,' then came here and bandaged himself up. Could be that's why that other detective was looking for him."

[Airbornexo]

With that the hour was approaching midnight, the rain had finally eased off as the party left Hesperus Crescent. A dank, foggy fugue hung over the London streets smelling like a wet animal. There was an Oxford train at 12:20pm the next day and Grimes had grudgingly accepted that the companions might tag along to follow the case.

The writer and reporter ostensibly where thinking about collaboration on a crime volume, perhaps to include details of the case. Sam, although quiet, suggested his expertise with antiques might come in useful in Oxford and Grimes had to agree. There he was well and truly out of his depth, but the old book seemed to be important somehow. The singer was a odd choice of companion, but the death so close to her home had provoked her to insist on accompanying them. She made some excuse about a Great Aunt she had neglected to see for several months, it sounded like an excuse - but the others seemed to let it slide.

Moreover, the detective thought, she had offered to help with enquiries at the university...

As each made their own separate ways to their various homes, or in Grimes' case to speak with his superiors and complete yet more tedious paperwork, they formed a rough plan of attack...

OOC:   Right from here can you please post the lines of enquiry that your character intends to follow up on in the morning. All the characters have agreed to meet at Paddington Station and to travel to Oxford around lunch and catch the train together. I'll let you have a decide then if I think you've missed any really important lines of enquiry I might prod someone via PM Once people have decided where the different characters are going etc... I'll post up some new threads so the information can be kept relatively secret!

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,I can go to the university and talk to [b]Professor Blexham[/b] to ask him about the book that [b]Hector[/b] was reading.