Play@YSDC

Ian feels Buchwald is being honest with them, and he really wants to be left in peace. It has happened to Ian before, to have witnesses or sources leaving something unsaid, something they felt was unimportant, or just plain strange, and they didn't want to complicate things. That's the feeling he gets from Buchwald. So Ian presses a little more, and finally gets Buchwald to say: "Do you know what the strangest thing was that Mr. Echavarria ever said to me? One day, when we were sitting together in his study going over some accounts, he looked up out of the blue and said to me, 'Abraham, would you like to know something truly perverse? Those who follow me in the way of Gol-Goroth are deceived. My work goes deeper than any of them know. Prepare yourself, Abraham. Prepare yourself to that end".

He pauses for a couple of seconds, then adds: "I never quite understood what he meant with that. Prepare myself to what? As I told you, I was in for the money, not the occult stuff. Why did he tell something like that to me? Perhaps because he knew I would not understand it - while some others might, and get angry for that. Perhaps he trusted me after all. I don't know, and I'm fine with not knowing".

Ian Morin

"Strange indeed, Mr. Buchwald. I wonder what he meant by that..." He says. "Was he lying to his followers? Maybe in a moment of feebleness he saw in your lack of interest for the cult an opportunity to unload part of the heavy burden of lying to his own friends? Or maybe he was just crazy... Anyway, thank you for telling us that, Mr. Buchwald."

OOC:   I think I'm done here. To auction services upstairs?

You leave Buchwald, still a little shaken, and walk up one floor to the offices of the Magnificent Villa Auction Services. They are much bigger than Buchwald's, as the firm seems to employ a staff of at least a dozen people. You are welcomed again by a young, blonde secretary, who asks you with a smile: "Good morning. How can I help you?"

Cameron

Cameron braces himself for yet another round of deception. He puts on his most gentle and friendly face again.

“Hello Miss. Actually, we have some enquiries to make about the sale of a property that your company handled. We’re interested in that property ourselves and we’re looking to negotiate for it. Is their somebody who can help us?”

The secretary directs you to a middle-age man called Jonathan Ferris, a senior associate of the firm. The man listens to you, then says: "Well, if it's only related to the sale of the estate, that is public record, so there should be no problem in providing you with the information you request". He asks you to wait and returns a few minutes later with a short file containing the information you requested. The property was sold to a Mark Scott, for a high but reasonable price. Everything seems to be in order, as far as you can tell.

Cameron

Cameron takes the sketch from Ian and shows it to Ferris.

"Does this man look familiar to you?"

The man practically doesn't even look at the photo, instead focuses his attention on you three: "I'm sorry, are you with the police?"

"No sir, we are not with the police. However, I am a private detective ..." I flash my licence / credentials towards him; "...and on behalf of my client I am looking into certain stolen items that Mr. Echevaria may have come by illicitly. Somewhere along the line, it is possible that this gentleman may be involved." Putting my wallet away I continue;

"It's interesting to note that you said that Mr Scott paid a higher than expected price."

OOC:   Sorry I ain't been around much the last couple of days - problems with my computer.

The man checks Clarence's credentials and looks mildly annoyed, but in the end yields: "I don't like you PIs, always the troublemakers. But exactly because I'm not looking for troubles, especially with the police, and considering these records are really old... well, I'll make an exception. Just wait here". He leaves the room again and comes back with a second file.

He keeps talking as you read the new papers: "I was in charge of that auction back then, but as you can understand, I don't remember the details. The estate was sold at a high price, yes. If I remember correctly, it was a beautiful villa in an excellent position, and that was before 1929... properties were more expensive then. Selling the man's belongings looked more troubling... he had all sorts of... weird stuff. But I was surprised to discover that even this sort of stuff has buyers. In the end, we could liquidate his possession without trouble, and quickly. A good work".

The documents report an information of particular interest, in fact. Echavarria owned a certain number of books of value, old and rare editions. All of them were bought at the auction by a Samson Trammel of Pasadena. There's a list of them: Adrift in a Storm-Tossed Sky, The Gaze of Azathoth, The Temple of Furtea-Nya, The Last of the First: The Ends of Occult Dynasties, Lights in Their Eyes: Wisdom and Lunacy 1840 to 1899. Lights in My Eyes: Wisdom and Lunacy in the 20th Century, Collected Sermons of the Float'd Tongue Vol. II.

Cameron

“Yes, these are some of the items we were tasked to investigate. You wouldn’t have an address or telephone number for Trammel, would you sir?”