Play@YSDC

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.