Play@YSDC

OOC,I'm keeping you three in one topic (although you will go separate ways), simply because with my limited internet access right now it's easier to monitor and update less topics! ;)

Ray and Nat:

Nat does his best to establish the basic facts about the group's whereabouts. Kane Spring turns out to be a small area on the west shore of the Salton Sea. It's a small cluster of motels, shops, cafes, built during the Salton Sea touristic boom, sometime in the late 1950s. Nat consults the road-maps: Kane Spring (sometimes marked Kane Springs on older maps) is approximately a 120 mile drive from San Diego.

OOC (Cotton),So, how do you want to gather information on Cavendish? By "local precinct", do you mean the San Diego Police Dept.? Also, please roll [b]Idea[/b]!

-----

Julie:

Julie heads over to the University of California first. The campus with all its facilities is overwhelming: there are dozens of modern state-of-the-art buildings, the surrounding parks are full of students hurrying to lectures or just chilling on the grass, enjoying the weather... Julie gets mixed feelings. On one hand, the people here are her peers, young, energetic people; but on the other hand, they are hip students, who discuss serious matters and would probably look down on her. But Julie overcomes this, and concentrates on the task at hand.

Julie knows that Elizabeth was at Revelle College, a building complex for social sciences, humanities. She also stayed at the College's dormitory. She heads over there first.

OOC (Mr. Handy),Roll [b]Luck[/b]!

Whilst Nat checks up on the town, he looks to see if there is a newspaper office in Kane Spring; if not, he'll go to the San Diego office of the paper that covers the local news. "This temple or Cavendish might have been in the news before, Mr Tovar. It's worth a look although I'm not very quick at research."

Julie is very lucky in her search.

OOC,Luck roll (60% stat) on campus: [dice]0[/dice]

Ray has an idea.

Nat and Ray:

Kane Spring doesn't seem to have its own paper. From what Nat can deduct from the information available, it's a very small place, not a proper town, but a holiday resort. It is located in Imperial County. The San Diego City Library holds back issues of smaller newspapers as well. So if Nat is not afraid of yellowed paper and faded print, he can try his luck there.

The strange familiarity of Malcolm Cavendish's name has been nagging Ray since the meeting with the Sandovals. He cannot connect it to any of the small underground cults he usually deals with, however the more formal and traditional and ordained "Revered Malcolm Cavendish" faintly rings a bell...

OOC (Cotton),Yes, Ray sounds like somebody who can have a contact at the Police Dept. Please, roll [b]Law[/b] to establish the contact! And provide some ideas on who do you imagine this contact to be? Who would Ray know in the Force? Who can he turn to? Feel free to make up sub-departments or special branches or statues as you need. If I like the idea, I will add a bonus to your roll ;)

Julie:

While strolling through campus, Julie stops by a noticeboard, and sees a faded piece of paper. It's a call for volunteers at a San Diego homeless shelter called Street Relief. There is an address, and a phone number of a coordinator.

Julie copies down the address and phone number. Reasoning that it's better to go in person than to call on the phone, she heads to Street Relief.

If there's one thing Ray knows about cops its that they love to talk. Which is why he makes a habit of visiting cop bars wherever he goes. He speaks with detectives, especially those working the missing persons unit, vice squad, or units that monitor suspicious group activity. Listens to their stories, and will get around to mentioning his own line of work. It doesn't always work out as well as he'd hope however.

Nat heads down to the city library. As he enters the doors his heart sinks. He hates research.

Library,(20%) roll: 99!

Julie:

A bumpy bus-ride takes Julie to a neighborhood rather different from the hip and modern university campus. Now she is on the outskirts of San Diego, filled with housing projects, warehouses, unfinished construction sites. She finally finds the shelter. It is a simple two-storey building, next to a vacant lot. The lot is so overgrown with weeds, the vegetation is threatening to overtake the small yard before the shelter. Other than this, the place looks clean and well-maintained. On the chainlink fence, there is a hand-made sign that says "Street Relief", with another sign underneath, detailing the rules of the place in smaller print.

Near the entrance of the building, two people are sitting on a sunbed. One of them is a middle-aged man, with a long unkempt beard, wearing camouflage patterned pants and vest (but no shirt under it). The other person is a young woman, with braided hair, dressed in jeans and a simple shirt. She is holding some fabric in her hands, and there is a sewing kit on the sunbed beside her. She is patiently conversing with the man.

OOC,Post for Nat and Ray coming soon!

Nat:

"Not so fast, boy!" a security guard halts Nat at the library entrance. "Library's closed for today. Broken pipes," he adds, angrily. It seems like he blames Nat personally for these problems...


Ray:

Ray pays a visit to a couple of haunts of San Diego's finest, but only meets beat cops and police department accountants.

As he sips his drink of choice, he, however, has an insight: Revered Malcolm Cavendish was a name much spoken about in religious circles a couple of years ago. He was a successful new school Baptist preacher, with a significant following. The reason Ray couldn't recall his name on instant is because Reverend Cavendish was pretty much a mainstream person, not connected to any of the fringe movements that Ray is usually interested in.

"Hi," says Julie, greeting them with a smile and a wave. "I'm Julie. Do either of you know my friend Elizabeth Sandoval? She used to volunteer here." She proceeds to describe her.

Ray sits around and drinks, occasionally making small talk, but mainly considering his next move.

Ray:

OOC,Roll [b]Luck[/b]!

Reverend Cavendish was active in California. He was a charismatic Baptist preacher who started his own convention. He was extremely successful for some time, with people from all over the state travelling to hear him preach. But then he sort of disappeared off the radar.



Julie:

The description isn't even necessary: both the woman and the man recognize Elizabeth's name.

"Yes, of course! Lizzy used to be a regular here. It's a pity she stopped coming..." the woman says. "Of course, things like this aren't rare in our line of work. How is she doing?"

"Well, I'm not sure," says Julie. "I haven't heard from her in a while either. She went off and joined the Temple of Concordance, run by a Malcolm Cavendish. That seems to be why she's dropped out. From what her parents told me, I don't think she wants to be there any more, but she can't exactly leave for some reason. I was wondering if someone she met here might have gotten her involved in it."

Julie:

Mr. Handy wrote:"Well, I'm not sure," says Julie. "I haven't heard from her in a while either. She went off and joined the Temple of Concordance, run by a Malcolm Cavendish. That seems to be why she's dropped out. From what her parents told me, I don't think she wants to be there any more, but she can't exactly leave for some reason. I was wondering if someone she met here might have gotten her involved in it."

"Wow... That's... Unexpected, and, frankly, quite alarming," says the woman. She indeed seems genuinely concerned and stops fiddling with needle and thread. "She wasn't the religious type. She had been getting very insecure, though, before she stopped coming around. 'How can I help others if I cannot help myself,' that was almost like a mantra."

"Malcolm, you say? Huh, a fellow with that name hung around these parts some time ago. He didn't come to the shelter, but would find us on the streets, give us blankets, preach some. Christ stuff. Finding yourself. Saving yourself. Used to ask about our lives and hopes. He did meet Lizzy at least once I know of! Saw them chatting," says the man.

Nat scowls at the security guard, turns on his heel and stalks off with his hands in his pocket. There would be no point in trying to break in; he wouldn't know where to look once inside. Instead he asks around for a used car hire/sales place and heads off to have a look at what vehicles they've got. He has in mind a four-seater pick-up as Ray's city car would be a bit obvious out in the country.

"I'm worried about her too," says Julie. "Thank you, that helps. Whatever this Malcolm was preaching, it wasn't real Christianity. The whole point of Christianity is that we can't save ourselves, Jesus Christ has to do it. Can you describe Malcolm, please?"

Julie:

"A-men, sister, amen," says the man, stroking his beard. "Sure: younger than me, very smooth looking. Long dark hair, but well-kept, none of that hippie stuff. Clean-shaven, too. I don't blame Lizzy, for listening to such a charming fella!"

"Thank you for all your help," says Julie. "Maybe what you've told me will be useful to help Lizzy. I don't blame her either. I just want her back safe. Was there anyone around here who spent a lot of time around Malcolm and might have listened to what he was saying?"

The longer Ray ponders this Cavendish character the more he recalls.

Nat:

Nat checks in at Avis and National Rental, and finds a good selection of station wagons, even a few jeeps. However, pick-ups are not readily available for rent. The used car lots have the type of pick-ups he has in mind, but their condition is questionable. The smooth-talking salesman assures him that his vehicles are all road-ready, but Nat is not so sure.

OOC,Roll [b]Mechanical Repair[/b] if you want to check the cars' condition!

Ray:

Ray hangs around some more in one of the pubs (probably already switched from alcohol to fruit juice or sparkling water!!). He is about to give up, when one of the men sitting at the bar overhears his inquiry:

"Wait, Cavendish? Reverend Cavendish?"

The man looks like an accountant or departmental archivist. Middle-aged, balding, with thick glasses.

"My wife used to be a big fan, you know! Had some of his sermons on tape, and a signed Bible. When he disappeared, it really bummed her out. She even said 'One True Church my ass!' once, and she never usually swears."


Julie:

"Don't think so, sweetheart. Most of us hobo types just take the alms and doze off when the sermon starts."

"Well, thanks again," says Julie. "I need to go now, but God willing, I'll come back some time and help out - and bring Lizzy with me."

Ray perks up, finally a bit of luck. He signals the bartender for another of whatever the man is drinking and says, "Yes exactly that Cavendish. Did you and your wife attend his old church?"

Ray:

The waiter brings around another shot of whiskey. "Cheers," says Ray's new "friend" and drinks up. "I only went once. The One True Church. I have to give it to the man, that Cavendish, he's a born preacher! Lots of fiery talk, but, you know, not just theatrics. He had depth. My wife was really moved by it all, haha, I was even jealous! She wanted to go to a two-week retreat with the Church, but we didn't have the money back then. There was this very dedicated group around Reverend Cavendish, like an inner circle, you know, they even formed a commune, started building their own small town and everything."

Ray, happy to finally be getting somewhere, continues, "A commune? What is the world coming to? Is that when your wife, uh, decided to find another church?"

Ray:

"There were some rather strict rules if you wanted to belong to the inner circle, giving them money for one! Well, my wife likes Jesus, but she also knows that Jesus wouldn't want all of her money. Or take her away from her family. But there were plenty of people who followed Cavendish. Acquired land somewhere up in Alameda County, started to build this huge church and everything. But then Cavendish just abandoned them one day? Strange story. It was in the papers."

Nat isn't impressed with the station wagons; they're no better than what Ray has already. He likes the jeeps and asks what model, if they're 4x4 and how much for a two week hire. He's not sure whether Ray would be happy in a jeep though unless it had a roof!

Then he heads to the used car shop and follows the sleazy salesman round the lot to his selection of pick-ups. He listens politely to the sales talk and eyes up the old cars. He then says, "I'm not too bothered about the upholstery or who had it last; I'm more interested in what's under the hood. Mind if I take a look myself?"

Mech roll,(60%) roll:31%

"Hmm. So it seems his plan all along was to take all his most loyal follower's money and disappear, or do you think something more... sinister happened?" If the man has finished his drink, Ray will call for another. "Also would you happen to know where I could find some of those recordings of his sermons that you mentioned?"

Nat:

The salesman assures Nat that all cars are in mint condition, but the boy is adamant on checking it himself. After about half an hour, he emerges covered in oil and soot, but with the knowledge of just which jeep to pick. It looks beaten-up from the outside, but Nat knows that on the inside it is in a much better condition than the others. And the price for a two-week hire is in the mid-range: something they can cover with the money from the Sandovals. The salesman awkwardly shakes Nat's dirty hands, and files the paperwork.


Ray:
"A lot of that money went on the construction works. Would have been the biggest church building in the state! Now it's unfinished, just a concrete skeleton, they say. So who knows?

"Those sermons? Uh, you can check second hand shops, or some of those Christian bookshops."

Nat looks at the clock in the tired office while he waits for the paperwork and wonders if he has time to get a map of the Kane Spring district before he is due to meet the others. "You ever been to Kane Spring?" he asks the salesman conversationally.

aine wrote:Nat looks at the clock in the tired office while he waits for the paperwork and wonders if he has time to get a map of the Kane Spring district before he is due to meet the others. "You ever been to Kane Spring?" he asks the salesman conversationally.

"Uh, Kane Spring? My cousin went there with his family a few years ago on holiday. Hated every minute, the Salton Sea is not what it used to be, he said."

Ray calls the bartender over once again, and pays for the drinks he's ordered. To his acquaintance he hands one of his business cards and says, "Thank you sir, you've been very helpful. If you ever have need of my services or happen to come across more information about Mr. Cavendish don't hesitate to call." He'll leave the bar and if he has time before he needs to meet the others he'll look for a Christian bookstore.

Ray:

OOC,I'm making this roll, just to move things forward a bit! [b]Luck 70%[/b] [dice]0[/dice]

Ray has just enough time to visit a Christian used bookstore he knows, The Redemption Central. He digs around in some crates labeled "Baptism, misc.", and eventually turns up a few cassette tapes. Looks like they were dumped here by an ex-fan of Reverend Cavendish, because there's an old flyer and a photo stuck in the boxes next to the tapes. The photo might be of Reverend Cavendish himself.

Ray will buy these cassettes, and then head to meet the others.

It's 4 o'clock, and Ray, Nat and Julie meet up in a diner to share their findings and make plans.

OOC - Nat,The salesman can't give any more information. Nat has heard that the once popular holiday resorts near the Salton Sea are rapidly losing costumers, mostly due to the increasing salinity and the dying fish population.

Nat arrrives in the old, rusty jeep and parks up outside the diner. He orders an extra large all-day breakfast, extra chips and a beer. (Do they sell beer in diners?)

Julie breezes in and sits down with Ray and Nat. "Well, it looks like it was probably while volunteering at Street Relief that Elizabeth came into contact with Malcolm Cavendish," she says. "He was known to work the neighborhood looking for recruits to his church, before he dropped out and set up the Temple of Concordance."

OOC,Edited.

Ray greets Julie as she comes in, he had just been explaining to Nat about Cavendish's audio sermons and had the cassettes on the table in front of them. He responds to Julie, "I see. So you heard about Cavendish's old church as well. Do you know if Elizabeth
was part of that congregation as well?

"I don't know," says Julie. "I'm not sure how much of his congregation went over with him when he started the Temple of Concordance."

Ray knows that Cavendish leaving behind the One True Church happened five or six years ago.

Ray says, "Hmmm. More than likely not, on second thought. It also might be difficult to track down any other members of the One True Church at this point. It might be best just to move on to attempting to get you, Julie, in contact with Elizabeth in preparation for your "joining" the cult. Unless I'm misremembering some other step we could take?"

OOC:   Also I don't believe I've ever been to a diner that serves beer, but I wish they did.

"No, I think we just need to make preparations for me to go inside," says Julie. "I should wear a wire so that you can hear everything that goes on. You can set up a listening post nearby, and if you hear me get into trouble, you can come help. We can also come up with a code word I can say if I need to let you know that I need help in case it's not obvious. I could also carry mace. Even if they found out I had it, it wouldn't arouse suspicion for a young woman to be carrying it in this day and age. The wire, on the other hand, would, but I think I'm safer with it. If they're searching me for a wire, I'm already in over my head."

The diner serves no alcohol, but the hash browns and the tuna sandwiches are very tasty.

The Investigators ponder the possible courses of action. One question remains: how to get the microphone, receiver, and related gear that Julie needs to infiltrate the cult?

Ray considers the group's next move while he eats. He wonders allowed if there would be a good electronics store nearby where they could go to pick up the gear they would need for the undercover mission. While he had some experience with using this sort of equipment, Nat had always more of a mind for that sort of thing.

"Is this the sort of stuff we can get at Radio Shack?" asks Julie.

Ray isn't sure about the technical side of the needed electronics, but he does have another idea.

Julie knows next to nothing about what they'll need.

OOC,Electrical Repair roll (10% base skill) about the electronics gear: [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,Nice roll, Cotton! I'm taking some liberties with legal terms and stuff, because I don't know much about 1970s US law, but I think what follows is sort of logical in the game world.

Ray might not know a thing about microphones and devices, but he is quite an expert in the legal issues and police procedures concerning such operations.

He knows at least three precedents when taping of a conversation was ruled legal (mostly due to the conversation being classified as non-private), and Ray is sure that he and his team can get away with basically spying on Cavendish.

And Ray has some insider information from the basements of the San Diego police. After wire taping operations, the techies are obliged to return and sign for all pieces of equipment. However, this is not always the case. Ray knows a guy who knows a guy who sells "surplus" recording devices, magnetic tape, microphones, transmitters... Getting in touch with him would require some time, and would delay the Investigators' departure until early morning.

ooc,Just realised my last post didn't upload on Tuesday, so sorry.

Electrical,(50%) roll: 11

'I can get what we need from Radio Shack - that's a great idea." Nat beams at Julie. "Look, I didn't find out anything at the library as it was shut; but I did hear sommat about Kane Springs. Seems that as a holiday destination it's really taken a dive. Something to do with the seawater going too saline. Oh and the fish dying. But we could go as poor tourists; I got us a ride so we can fit right in." He points to a battered and tired-looking jeep parked outside.

Nat knows how to make a wiretap from commercially available materials.

The Investigators have a choice:
1. wait for Ray's contacts to sell them a high quality, police issue wiretap; BUT only go to Kane Springs next morning,
2. or swing by the Radio Shack, get stuff for Nat's home-made device, and reach Kane Springs today.

"Thank you," says Julie. "I wouldn't know where to begin putting something like that together, of course. We could pick up the gear, and you could assemble it on the way to Kane Springs. I don't like leaving Elizabeth alone in that place a minute longer than we have to."

Ray says, "I understand how you feel Julie, but if we wait until tomorrow to leave I know a guy who can get us much better equipment. Trust me when I say that this sort of gear is the last thing you want malfunctioning in a situation like this." He then turns to Nat, "Good idea on that car, Nat. Anything too flashy and we'd stick out like a sore thumb. How does she run?"

"Oh, she's sound under the hood. Just won't win any beauty pagents. She's filled up with gas, the spare is almost bald but useable and I've got the papers here. If we can get the latest SNS wire from your guy, Ray, it'll be much smaller than anything I can devise and the range and battery power are much better too so it'll be worth the wait. You'd still better wear something loose to hide it though, Julie." Nat grins, "All those hours of scouring techy magazines as a teenager is really paying off!"

"Good thinking, Nat," says Julie. "When I play roller derby I wear something tight so that nobody can grab onto me as easily, but I have some loose, casual clothes. All right, we'll wait until tomorrow to get the better equipment. It wouldn't help either me or Elizabeth to have it fail or be discovered at the wrong time."

The Investigators make plans, finish their meals, and agree to leave for Kane Springs early in the next morning.

Ray makes a few calls and sets up a clandestine meeting with a shady police techie. Money exchanges hands (a big bite out of the Sandoval budget!), and Ray receives a microphone, batteries, and a receiver. The techie assures him that with this they will be able to listen in on Ray's cheating wife from a mile away (he is positive the whole cult problem is an elaborate cover story).

OOC,New topic for the next chapter coming tomorrow!

The story continues here: viewtopic.php?f=428&t=6361