Play@YSDC

Your attempts to gain a better look at the medallion draws a reaction from the girl. More of an automatic reflex as opposed to a definite response she slowly raises her right hand towards the necklace - “NNNo!!”
Other than the ineffectual defence of the piece, and the forlorn cry, she makes no other movement.

In the limited light of the Ford's interior you can see that the silver chain holds a circular medallion roughly the size of a dollar coin, It has a serrated edge and bears a series of strange raised symbols. To all intents and purposes it looks like some kind of coin, but if it is it is the coin of no Nation you know, and the symbols bear no relation to any form of writing you have ever seen.

OOC:   Barty, you may roll Appraise and History

Luther, startled by the young lady's reaction to Mr. Carter's inquisitive glances, leans over his companion's shoulder and peers at the medallion curiously.

"An interesting piece, wouldn't you agree Mr. Carter?"" he remarks.

"INDEED IT IS MY FRIEND!"
Barty, feeling the weight of the expectation of his colleagues,remembers something that his friend Dr.Forfitt told him while they discussed antiques and Antiquarianism back in France............History roll 14% appraise 62%
"We must talk to the others at once,I am none too sure,but I think.................."

Barty,It looks as if it has age, but as to how old you cannot guess. As i said it has no historical meaning and therefore no historical value. To your eyes it is merely an enigma. If it has any value you cannot determine.

Luther,From where you are the necklace looks nice, a curio perhaps worth maybe $60 - $100.

Luther's cool eyes narrow in the dim light as he examines the necklace. The craftsmanship is crude to be sure, still it's enigmatic nature reveals it as worth more than perhaps a hawker's trinket. He frowns thoughtfully.

"I cannot place the piece's origin." he announces to the car's occupants before adding definitively. "However in my line of work, I've developed something of a sixth sense for determining value. The necklace is certainly authentic in it's craftsmanship. I'd estimate it to be worth no more than $100. Does it strike you any particular way Mr. Carter?"

From his place the Model T's rumble seat he leans forward towards the driver's seat.

"If there are no objections from Mr. O'Connell or Mr. Monroe..." he says diplomatically, casting a wayward glance at his fellow riders. "...I would highly recommend we be on our way. Things outside are looking a bit..."

He watches the flotsam and various debris wash over the nearly invisible road outside in the squall with muted concern.

"...rugged."

OOC:   Not exactly right, no rain or lightning, but it gives you an idea of what you can see outside the car.

"Sadly ,no.I rather thought that I had an idea for a moment,but no.I am affraid it means nothing to me"
Barty,feeling rather cold and wet and tired looks out of the car window and shivers.He glances at the girl once again and wonders why she reacted as she did when he touched the medallion
"is that a light up ahead?"
Barty is starting to feel rather anxious about the situation that the group of travellers have found themselves in and he reaches into his jacket and lightly brushes his hand over his revolver for reassurance.
"may I ask if any of you gentlemen are armed?.....if this young lady has indeed encountered some kind of shocking situation,then perhaps we ought to be prepared,in case we are not alone on this road"

Lance looked out of the car window and shivered. "I don't know about anyone else but I agree with our friend here, we need to be getting a move on, while we still can."

Tobias, being a bit cautious as he was, leaned over and lightly nudged Luther's shoulder, "I agree but let's try to take it slow. Even the car's lights cant shine too far. I can hardly see the road... If there even is one."

The starter motor turns several times before, with some hesitation, the Ford’s engine stutters back to life. Thomas Furman revs the engine several times until the motor is running much sweeter.
With limited vision supplied by the inadequate headlights reflecting off the rain slick road surface, he begins to slowly edge the car forward. Realising that any sudden movement with the roads in this condition could see the car amongst the trees.

It takes a while a nightmare journey fraught with the threats of flood and storm debris threatening disaster at any moment, combined with the idea that the dark wind whipped woods on either side of you may contain an unknown danger from which the now sleeping girl had been fleeing. Every flash of lightning causes your blood to pound – is this ‘the light’ she was babbling about?

About two miles from where you had found the girl, the small township of Orchard Run suddenly appears ahead. First little more than blurred lights on the windshield, they soon become solidified as a collection of three buildings off the main highway.

Two of the buildings are brightly lit and from signs you can see they are a gas station and a diner. As you look you can see that a flat bed cattle truck has been slewed across the road at an angle where clearly it has skidded to a halt in the mud, seemingly abandoned, its driver’s cab door is left open to the elements.
The truck almost, but not quite, blocks the road to Bolton. Its wheels rest half sunk into the thick, wet mud.
There is a single, two-seater Ford roadster parked out in front of the diner and another, older Packard lodged by the gas station office. No other vehicles are evident.

Through the rain blurred widows of the brightly lit diner you notice the shapes of people. The gas station looks empty, closed up…

Thomas Furman

Looks like the road to Bolton is blocked, lets head towards the diner. There should be someone in there that knows where we can find medical attention for the girl.
Maybe someone knows who this girl is .
We could also use a warm place to get back up to strength.

Tobias began to think to himself. There was something on his mind and he couldnt let it go, "Luther, could you stop the car for a second?"

"Thomas Furman" shifts his head over in Tobias direction "No problem, by the way the name's Thomas"
He steps on the break and the car turns to a stop.

As Thomas slows the car to a halt, Luther wears an expression of thinly veiled annoyance. His eyes shift between the still muttering young woman and Tobias.

"What seems to be the matter Mr. O'Connell?" he inquires, his face lingering somewhere between curiosity and impatience.

Tobias got out of the vehicle and told Luther, "You can go ahead and park somewhere safer, I need to look at something."

He had then closed the door and approached the vehicle that had its door still open. There was something very suspicious about a new looking car with its door still open in the rain.

At last,Barty thought to himself,someone thinking,before stumbling blindly into God knows what predicament.
Barty also got out of the car and walking beside the young man said
"Earlier,no one answered me when I asked if anyone was armed.Personally,I would have prefered to stop the car further back down the road and reconoitre the situation with rather more care."
Barty,once again put his hand to his revolver and while not revealling it, was now very comforted that he had it with him.
His service in France had given him a new outlook on life more cautious and yet with more willingness to be decisive and like many others of his generation,who had seen death and used weapons on an allmost daily basis,he felt himself slightly apart from the man he was before the war,Now, he would be prepared to act in a manner and do things,he would have baulked at before the war.He had been widowed by the Influensa epidemic that seemed to be spreading rapidly through Europe and had fully accepted mans mortality
He said no more but now dropped back a few paces from Tobias and looked cautiously around for any movement

Outside of the car once the rain pursues its relentless assault as Tobias and Barty leave the relative shelter of the Ford and move toward the abandoned truck, suspicion rising in Tobias’ mind. Within those brief moments clothing that was still soaked from your earlier foray are made even wetter if that’s possible.

In the few yards between the idling Ford and the truck, Thomas, Luther and Lance watch through misted glass as Barty slows and drops back several paces behind Tobias…

Tobias,The drivers door to the truck is open to the elements as if the driver had quickly abandoned it. However other than the fact that it appears to have slewed off the road leaving the rear wheels stuck in the soft mud that borders the road outside the gas station, you can see no evidence of anything untoward. A quick glance tells you that without assistance the truck isn’t going anywhere…

Barty,Tobias O’Connell moves through the heavy rain toward the abandoned truck. For a few moments, he seems to disappear in the rain, before reappearing standing on the trucks step at the driver’s door looking inside. From the brightly lit diner comes the muted sound of voices, at times drowned out by distant rumbles of thunder.

Inside the Ford, its engine still rumbling with life, the girl opens her eyes wide in a terrible stare and screams at the top of her voice “The light!!!” before collapsing into insensibility once more. As if prompted by her cry, lightning flickers and dances like a wild thing in the dark woods.

Tobias the climbed up so he was at least in the car door. If he needed clues. They'd be inside the car. He examined the seat and dashboard, "Strange..."

OOC:   Just in case: SPOT HIDDEN = 51

As the young woman's hysterical wailing intensifies, Luther momentarily recoils before regaining his composure and taking hold of the woman's shoulders.

"Mr. Furman!" he barks, "I must insist you deposit us at the diner where we can at least bring this poor woman in out of the storm!"

Pushed to the point of open aggravation, the normally prim claims investigator looks edgy and prepared to spirit the woman the distance between the car and diner on foot if necessary.

Barty looks around anxiously,hoping that no one heard what was said,then runs back to the car.

"Please,give us a moment.Have you considered the possibility that this may be the very place the child was fleeing and that something very wrong maybe going on here?"
" I suggest,that perhaps we should leave her in the car and go into the cafe ourselves,to find out what reaction we receive"