Ch. 11. Paper and Ink

[Bullfrog]

"It's not a perfect copy, but it's the best I could do. There was a number with it, too: 3235."
Lawrence takes a seat, presenting his hand-drawn copy of the symbol to Professor Jackson.

[Philulhu]

Professor Jackson took the image from Lawrence and smoothed the paper on the desk in front of her. She picked up a pencil and jotted ‘3235’ in the corner.

“And where did you find this? Some context might help me narrow down my search.”

[Mr. Handy]

"It was on a piece of cloth, in green ink that faded rapidly, sealed inside an envelope," says William.

[Philulhu]

Professor Jackson nodded and smiled. “I think what I meant,” she said kindly, “Is why it was sent. I must admit it isn’t something I instantly recognise so knowing why it was sent will help me narrow down my search.”

[jp1885]

“It was found in the grip of a man we believe had just killed himself, somewhat gruesomely I might add,” Ivy states matter-of-factly. “It also caused someone else severe distress before the ink and presumably the effects faded away. If you don’t recognise the symbol, do you know of any legends regarding sigils and the like causing people to harm themselves?”

[Silver Priest]

"That would be me," Alex admits. "I touched the cloth and never felt anything like that, not since the Great War. I was overcome with feelings of inferiority and hopelessness. Took me a few minutes to overcome it."

[Mr. Handy]

"The ink faded rapidly," says William. "As it did, so the effects seemed to as well."

[Philulhu]

Professor Jackson looked thoughtful. ”Sigils and symbols have a long history of being used as both a curse and as a defence against such curses. They have been used for millennia in the Americas, in Europe, in Africa and Asia,” she said. “The addition of the poison is unusual, however. Normally, such symbols rely on the belief of the victim that some ill will befall them. Obviously, this works in more primitive or superstitious communities - we live in more enlightened times!”

“It may take some time to trace this,” Professor Jackson continued. “But my interest is piqued, so I will see what I can do to help you.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, Professor," says William. "Please let us know if you find something. I suppose it's best if you call the detective here, as he's in charge of the investigation." He indicates Alex.

[Silver Priest]

Alex gives her his phone number. "Please do not hesitate to contact me if you learn anything, no matter how minute it may seem." He tells her.

[Philulhu]

Professor Jackson assured them that she would be in touch as soon as she found anything and summoned a Porter to show them back to the front entrance.

Outside, dark clouds had moved in, and the wind gusted, bringing with it the first drops of rain.

OOC,What would you like to do next?

[jp1885]

Ivy will take some time looking through local directories for any addresses or telephone numbers containing the number 3235, noting any that might have a link to her employer.

[Bullfrog]

OOC,do we have the blank cloth with us? I was thinking of trying to figure out where the cloth itself came from.

[Philulhu]

OOC,Ivy - Where do you plan to look? Or are you just going to find a directory in a call box? Lawrence - I presume you have the cloth with you. How do you plan to find out about it? Alex/William - Any lines of enquiry you want follow?

[Bullfrog]

OOC,I aim to ask around at local tailor shops and other related places about the piece of cloth. Arkham isn't a particularly large city, so it hopefully it shouldn't be too difficult of a process.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,That's a good idea. I'll consult legal records to see if anyone has filed lawsuits against [b]Gerald Fraser[/b] or vice versa to check for potential enemies, even if [b]Fraser[/b] doesn't consider them such. I can start by calling [b]Fraser[/b] himself to see if he recalls any legal disputes.

[Silver Priest]

ooc,Alex would be interested in trying to trace the envelope's handwriting. Is there any records office that would have signatures that he could compare it to? If not, he'll go with Lawrence and try to find out more about the cloth.

[jp1885]

OOC:   I assume as a secretary, Ivy would have her own copy of the local directory, but otherwise she’d borrow a copy from the library or indeed a phone booth.

[Philulhu]

Alex,[b]Alex[/b] returned to the station to consult with his Chief of Detectives, [b]Luther Harden[/b]. He made his way across the office and knocked on the Chief’s office. [b]Harden[/b] looked up and beckoned him in. [color=#0080FF]“Hey [b]Alex[/b], what can I do for you?”[/color] he asked.

Ivy,[b]Ivy[/b] made her way to the Public Library. Moving through the stacks, she quickly found the directory for Arkham. Glancing around, she spotted a free reading desk so she carried the directory over, sat down and started to read. [i]OOC: A Library Use roll will be required.[/i]

Lawrence,[b]Lawrence[/b] wasn’t exactly familiar with clothes shops so his first port of call was Adams general store. With [b]Rider Adams’[/b] help, he soon found himself standing outside Hattie’s Boutique shop, at 42 West Church Street. From inside, a neatly attired woman watched him through the window.

William,[b]William[/b] made his way back to the offices of E.E. Saltonstall on Gedney Street and let himself. His office was quiet, untouched since he, [b]Howard[/b], [b]Lawrence[/b] and [b]Thomas[/b] had made their way to Louisiana to try to rescue [b]James[/b]... ... After a moment, he called through to one of the secretaries who, after she got over the surprise of him being back in the office, brought him a cup of coffee and a stack of files detailing the firm’s dealings with the [b]Fraser[/b] family over the years... [i]OOC: Library Use required.[/i]

[Silver Priest]

"Hey Chief. Have you heard about the Fraser case? Someone sent him a cloth with some kind of symbol on it. His butler picked it up and apparently the ink was poisonous, led to him to go into some sort of hysteria and crash into a glass cabinet.. Faded before we could properly examine it, though I'm consulting with a professor now to help me track down what it could be. In the meantime, I think we should take a look at the envelope-- There's no return address, but I'm hoping to compare the handwriting with signatures of those in Arkham, and see if we can get a match or at least narrow down our list of suspects."