Play@YSDC

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 2:10 am**

Friday March 14th, 1930 11.45am.
Main Street, Amesbury, Mass.

At Ivy’s request, they had swung by the precinct and picked up the photographs taken by Carl Waites. They were in a stiff, card-backed envelope in her bag. She couldn’t bring herself to open it to check how they had turned out for fear of triggering a repeat of the episode in the bank vault the previous day.

Alex drove them up-country in one of the departmental cars and they made good time. As they arrived outside Mrs Webster’s house a police saloon pulled up opposite them and an older cop climbed out and walked over to their car.

As he approached, he pulled an envelope from inside his tunic, pulled the seams straight and held it out to Alex. ”Detective Reynolds? Here’s your warrant,” the cop said. ‘I’m not coming in with you but if there’s anything you find that I need to know about, you just holler.” He nodded to Alex, tipped his hat to the rest and then turned back to his car.

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 3:13 am**

"Let's start with the letters in the mailbox," says William.

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 5:05 am**

"Thank you officer, duly noted," Alex says. He nods at William's suggestion.

Posted: **Fri Jan 01, 2021 5:25 pm**

“Be careful when you go through that mail,” says Ivy, uncharacteristically nervous about opening envelopes all of a sudden.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 12:42 am**

When William opened the mail box, he found the same letters that he and and Lawrence had seen on their visit the previous day. Six were addressed to Mrs Webster - Emily’s landlady - and two to Emily herself.

There was no sign of any mail that matched that sent to either the bank nor Gerald Fraser’s home. However, judging by the postmarks on the mail that was there, it didn’t look as if it had been touched in over a week. Mrs Webster’s mail was routine; including a church circular, an invoice for the supply of coal and a letter from a sister in Chicago. Emily’s letters consisted of one from her mother and the second from a school friend who was now in service in Kingsburyport.

Of any sanitarium, there was no mention.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 1:15 am**

"Find anything of interest, William?" Lawrence asks, itching to head into the building and have a look inside.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 6:30 am**

William tells Lawrence what he found. "No clue yet as to where she was taken," he says. "Let's go inside the house."

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 12:53 pm**

As previously, when William tried the front door to the house, it was locked.

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 6:52 pm**

"Shall we try the back door?" asks William. "If that's locked too, we'll have to force our way inside, unless someone can pick a lock."

Posted: **Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:54 pm**

"It's worth a try," Alex says. "I'm not happy about forcing the door, but given the severity of the situation we may have no choice. Still, I would prefer to do it as a last resort."

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 5:45 am**

"Do you think they could have a spare key hidden somewhere?" Lawrence proposes. "The problem is that we'd have to actually find it, if this key I'm thinking of even exists."
He diligently inspects around the front door for any place a key could be hidden.

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 11:02 am**

“It’s save us the indignity of bashing the door down, warrant or no warrant,” sniffs Ivy. “I’ll help.”

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 2:02 pm**

A search of the door and its surroundings failed to turn up a spare key but then Ivy spotted a flowerpot that was offset from the mildewed ring that circled its base. She lifted the pot and sat underneath was a key for a mortice lock that appeared to match the front door.

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 3:58 pm**

“Voila,” Ivy says, holding up the key with a rare smile.

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:55 pm**

"Have you done this sort of thing before, Ms. Ripley?" Alex inquires, the hint of an amusement visible on his face.

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:08 pm**

"Well done," says William. "Let's go inside."

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 10:59 pm**

"I'm not just known for my shorthand Detective," Ivy replies to Alex with a wry smirk.

She hands the key over and follows the men inside.

Posted: **Sun Jan 03, 2021 11:53 pm**

The key fitted the lock as expected and William pushed open the door. He was instantly assailed by the strong smell of rotting fruit, with a decidedly rank undertone.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2021 1:10 am**

Lawrence follows William inside, grimacing at the godawful stench hanging in the air. Whatever was in this house, it was not going to be very pleasant, judging from that smell.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2021 4:47 am**

"I hope the landlady isn't dead in here," says William, holding his nose. "The smell of rotten fruit may be masking something else. We should track it down first."

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2021 5:06 am**

"I'll take point," Alex says. "You're all civilians." He pulls out his gun and heads deeper in, trying to locate the source of the smell.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:59 pm**

Ivy follows, ready with a handkerchief in case William’s warning holds true.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 12:48 am**

It wasn’t difficult to determine the source of the smell. As he moved forward into the house, it was just a few steps past the living room door unto the doorway into the dining room.

It was here that they found what appeared to be Mrs Webster. It looked as if she had pitched forward, with the soles of her shoes facing them and her putrescing body stretched out on the dining room carpet, in an advanced stage of decomposition...

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 2:19 am**

"Christ almighty-" Lawrence utters in a mix of disgust and horror, hesitating before he enters the dining room. He'd seen worse, but discovering a corpse in such a state of decay isn't something you can just shrug off.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 2:53 am**

Having expected to find Mrs. Webster dead helps William steel himself for the sight.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:55 am**

Alex is about to bark instructions, but something about the state of the body disturbs him enough to force him into silence. He stares at it in silent horror, frozen.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:33 am**

Despite the fact that she expects the worse, Ivy is still completely horrified by the sight of the decaying corpse.

She screams and staggers backwards.

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:19 pm**

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 7:54 pm**

Fighting to regain her composure, Ivy forces herself to survey the scene.

"Good job we are with a police detective," she declares. "I suppose you'd better handle this," she says to Alex. "Although I'm sure we could all take a look around, especially for any suspicious letters."

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:06 pm**

"Right," Alex says, Ivy's words bringing him back to his senses. He had a job to do.

"Everyone stand back. I'm going to examine the crime scene."

He moves forward, leaning down to inspect the area around the body, careful not to touch anything at present.

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 12:53 am**

Close up to the late Mrs Webster, the smell of death was even worse. Trying not to gag, Alex looked for any signs of a struggle or violent death but the advanced putrefaction of the body rendered that task nigh impossible. He’d have to get a medical examiner to take a look and see what they could come up with.

Standing up again, he looked around the room. It was a reasonable-sized kitchen, with a small dining table in one corner. Under one of the chairs, he spotted a piece of paper - or was it cloth? - as if dropped by someone as they fell. In his mind’s eye, Alex could picture the scene. Mrs Webster walking back from the hall into the kitchen after collecting her mail. She’d already opened a letter and had started to feel unwell, she stumbled across the threshold, the letter dropping from her nerveless fingers. It span towards the floor but the force of old lady crashing to the ground caused it to tumble like a leaf in an autumn zephyr, before coming to rest under the chair... ...

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 2:36 am**

William looks to see if there is a telephone.

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 4:24 am**

"It appears our killer has struck again," Alex says, pointing out the cloth. "She opens the letter, gets the substance on her hands, and starts to get sick. She stumbles on the carpet, falls to the floor and likely dies on impact. That's just a guess though. We'll have to get the medical examiner out there. Ms. Livingstone likely targeted Mrs. Webster due to her sending her away, which means her vengeance is not solely focused on Fraser. This could mean that more than her boyfriend's father is a target of her rage. "

"I'm going outside to report in to the officer as a common courtesy. Don't touch anything,." he says, but it's rather half hearted, and one gets the impression he'd not necessarily mind his companions doing a little more digging.

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 6:35 am**

Lawrence leaves the dining room to look around the rest of the house in search of Mrs. Webster's and Ms. Livingstone's rooms.

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 3:09 pm**

Ivy volunteers to locate Ms. Livingstone’s room and search around there.

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 6:43 pm**

As William fruitlessly searched for a telephone, Alex made his way outside. The older cop was sat in his car, making notes. As Alex approached he glanced up, his look instantly turning into one of concern as he saw his hollow-eyed expression on the detective’s face. ”I take it that it isn’t good news?’ he said, as he pushed open his car door.

Inside, Lawrence and Ivy made their way up the narrow staircase and onto a small landing. Three doors lead off, one into a bathroom, and the other two doors into two bedrooms. The larger front room appeared to be that of Mrs Webster, with the smaller bedroom at the back belonging to Emily.

Posted: **Wed Jan 06, 2021 11:25 pm**

"I'm afraid so. Mrs. Webster is dead, looks like she was affected with the same contact poison that struck down another man back in Arkham and it caused her to lose her balance and topple over onto the floor. Advise caution when the medical examiner gets out here; the poison is known to cause fear induced hallucinations.."

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 2:21 am**

With no telephone in the house, William begins to check the downstairs rooms.

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:55 am**

Lawrence heads into what he assumes to be Mrs. Webster's room first, looking around it in search of anything of note whilst touching as little of the things inside as possible.

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 10:58 am**

Maintaining the same precautions, Ivy searches Emily’s room.

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 10:47 pm**

The older cop nodded soberly. ”I’ll call it in. We’ll get the doc to come and see to her,” he said to Alex.

Posted: **Thu Jan 07, 2021 11:14 pm**

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 3:37 am**

William can't find anything of interest.

Posted: **Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:35 pm**

Nothing catches Lawrence's eye.

Posted: **Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:22 am**

Posted: **Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:13 am**

Posted: **Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:47 am**

As Alex watched on, the cop put a call through to local station and asked for a medical examiner and a morgue wagon. “On their way,” he confirmed. “Anything else I can do for you while we wait?”

Inside, the three investigators explored the house further. Downstairs, William carefully searched the sitting room but found nothing of interest. He made his way back towards the kitchen, stepping over the body of Mrs Webster so he could see more of the room. As he looked around, he saw that Mrs Webster had been in the process of writing a letter, when she had presumably been disturbed. Dated seven days earlier, it was addressed to Emily’s mother:

Dear Mrs Livingstone,

I am sorry to have to write to you with bad news. As I said in my previous letters,
Emily took the news about James very badly. It upset her greatly.

She was very melancholy for a number of weeks, at least until recently. She said
she had some good news but didn’t explain, even though I asked her about it. She
just said that there she hoped to see James again. I would have told her that
it seemed very unlikely but her mood was so much improved that I didn’t have the
heart to.

Her mood seemed to last for a few weeks but then, when this good news failed to
include James returning home, Emily’s mood changed again. She became
melancholy again, started to refuse to leave her room, started to dwell on some
unfathomable things.

I felt that I had no option to to ask my doctor - Doctor Morris - for his advice. The
Doctor visited and spoke to Emily and he was extremely concerned about her.
He recommended a stay at Oakwood House, a small sanitarium to the North of

The letter ceased abruptly and William could only surmise that it was at this point that Mrs Webstermust have heard her mail being delivered and had gone to collect it.

Upstairs, Lawrence looked around Mr’s Webster’s bedroom. She had been a neat woman with few possessions so there was little to look at. On a bedside table there was a Bible and a framed photograph of an older gentleman. Unruly hair with wild eyebrows but a twinkling smile, the wedding band placed on the table in front of the photograph suggested that this may have been the late Mr Webster. Other than that, he saw nothing of interest in the room.

Ivy entered the small bedroom to the rear of the house. It was dark, with the drapes still drawn, despite the hour. Instinctively, she crossed the room to open them, letting light into the room. Blinking she looked around. On the dressing table in front of the window were a few cheap cosmetics and as Ivy ducked her head to take a close look, she caught sight of her reflection in the dressing table mirror. Looking over her shoulder was the old man she had seen at Fraser’s mansion and behind him, in a sickly green glow, was the symbol from the letter, writ large on the wall... ...

Posted: **Mon Jan 11, 2021 1:26 am**

William points out the letter to the others. "We need to find this Dr. Morris," he says. "He should be able to tell us about Oakwood House."

Posted: **Mon Jan 11, 2021 5:37 am**

"I think I should go back inside and make sure the others are doing okay and not too shaken up," Alex reports. "If you don't mind, could you wait out here until help arrives?"

Assuming this was agreeable, he heads back inside to see what the group found.

Posted: **Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:52 am**

"Do you suppose he could be the local doctor? Most people wouldn't travel very far to go see a doctor, unless it's absolutely necessary." Lawrence observes, having returned from Mrs. Webster's room after finding little of practical use.

Posted: **Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:21 am**

Not for the first time today, Ivy yells in alarm at the sight of the reflected scene.

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:32 am**

Ivy heard a dry chuckle from behind her. The older man winked in the mirror, turned and left the room.

Downstairs, Alex had just re-entered the house to see William and Lawrence discussing what they had found. Before they could even catch him up, they were disturbed by A scream of fright from upstairs...

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:15 am**

When Ivy screams, William comes running.

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 6:22 am**

Lawrence comes rushing up the stairs as well, hot on William's heels.

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:40 am**

Alex also rushes up the stairs, gun already drawn.

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:03 pm**

“Hey! Stay right there!” Ivy yells, spinning round and racing out in an attempt to follow the man.

Posted: **Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:34 pm**

Ivy ran from the room and almost collided with the others as they ran up the stairs. Of the man she had seen in the mirror, there was no sign.

Posted: **Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:54 am**

"There's someone in the house?" asks William.

Posted: **Wed Jan 13, 2021 6:16 pm**

“H-he was here, briefly,” Ivy stammers. “The man in my vision: I saw him in behind me when I looked in the girl’s mirror. The sigil from the letter was glowing on the wall behind.”

Posted: **Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:53 pm**

"Are you feeling alright?" Alex asks. "It's possible you've been exposed to the same toxin that Mrs Webster was struck by." It's clear he thinks she suffered from a hallucination.

Posted: **Wed Jan 13, 2021 9:24 pm**

Ivy glares at the detective.

"Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps you gentlemen could help me search her room and perhaps we'll find out. Starting with that wall."

She jabs a finger towards the wall on which she saw the glowing green symbol.

OOC: I guess she'd be too rattled to remember and draw the symbol as she saw it in the mirror?

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 3:23 am**

"Did you touch anything when you came in?" Lawrence concernedly asks, aiming to scope out a potential threat before it becomes one. "As far as we know, the poison takes effect with contact, unless you were affected by some kind of airborne version of it."

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 3:34 am**

"Like the letter," says William. "That would easily do it." He begins to examine the wall.

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:39 am**

Alex also enters the room, careful not to touch anything as he looks around.

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 3:58 pm**

“I don’t think I touched anything, but it’ll pay to be careful,” says Ivy.

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:26 pm**

Posted: **Thu Jan 14, 2021 8:19 pm**

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 4:20 am**

William doesn't find anything.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:16 am**

Lawrence enters the room to join in the search, but turns up nothing.

Posted: **Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:29 pm**

Alex stood still in the middle of the room while the others searched fruitlessly. He tried to think where a young woman might hide something she didn’t want found but it looked as if those places had already been checked, without success.

Carefully, he turned around, eyes scanning for anything that seemed out of place, and then he saw it, the corner of an envelope that looked as if it had been wedged between the back of the dressing table mirror and the wall behind...

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:38 am**

"There!" the detective points out the envelope. "Do you think you brushed against that, Ms, Ripley?"

"It's odd though. We suspect Mrs. Webster was drugged by the letter she received in the mail, yet this would suggest there was another placed here. Perhaps it was an early expierment of Emily's before she was sent away?" He speculates. "At least we'll have more evidence."

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 11:28 am**

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 1:25 pm**

Ivy peers at the envelope tucked behind the mirror.

“No, I didn’t touch that, though perhaps I breathed something in? That’s a worrying thought... I’d use gloves or tweezers to take it out, just in case.”

She pauses for a moment, shuddering at her recent, unsettling experience.

“By the way, the symbol I saw on the wall was exactly the same as this...”

She pulls the photograph from her bag.

“We should show this to the folklorist too.”

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:53 pm**

"Agreed," says William. "We'll need to handle that letter with care, without touching it with bare hands. We should photograph it before the ink fades."

Posted: **Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:27 pm**

"Indeed. Everyone be cautious. If it could influence Ms. Ripley without her touching it it could potentially affect all of us. Perhaps we should step out until the examiner arrives." he suggests.

Posted: **Sun Jan 17, 2021 3:40 am**

"I agree with the detective; I'd prefer not to spend any more time in here than we absolutely need to, lest I get exposed to that poison myself." Lawrence concurs, backing out of Ms. Livingstone's room.

Posted: **Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:13 am**

William nods and also exits the room.

Posted: **Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:31 am**

Ivy needs no persuading and also exits. In an attempt to calm her nerves, she decides to keep busy and take a look around the bathroom.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:51 am**

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:46 am**

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:21 am**

OOC: Did we ever find the letter Mrs. Webster was drugged by? If not Alex will look for that. If yes he'll just go downstairs and wait for help to arrive.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 6:49 am**

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:54 am**

OOC: Ivy will have a mooch around the bathroom and then go downstairs to wait with the others.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:22 pm**

Ivy looked around the bathroom and come up empty-handed; likewise Alex and his search for the letter. It had started to drizzle outside so they were contemplating going to wait in the car to escape the smell when the policeman pushed open the door and shouted, ‘Doc’s here.”

Looking outside, they could see a smartly-dressed man in his forties, climbing out of his car. He put up and umbrella against the rain and made his way up the path. On the threshold he paused to furl his umbrella and said, ”Ma’am, Sirs, I am the medical examiner. Dr Morris at your service.” And he clicked his heels and bowed his head with a flourish.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:40 pm**

Ivy is about to answer, but realises that it’s more appropriate for the detective to take charge.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 8:12 pm**

"Detective Alex Reynolds, Arkham P.D." Alex holds out a hand. "Glad you are here, sir. The body's just in there. We strongly suspect she was infected with some sort of chemical that was placed inside a letter's writing and it led her to enter a terrified state which resulted in her falling and unfortunately expiring. A similar event happened back in Arkham. Myself and Ms. Ripley over there were also exposed to the substance, and can attest that it leads to hallucinations and feelings of great despair. We've sent one of the letters for testing at Arkham university, but have not received results yet. I would advise great caution-- Ms. Ripley was infected again here by a letter she did not even touch hiding in the upstairs bathroom, and we have reason to believe this pathogen may somehow be airborne. ". He looks to the others to see if they have anything else to add.

Posted: **Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:31 pm**

"Pleased to meet you, Dr. Morris," says William. "I'm William Preston, attorney at law. We'd like to ask you about Emily Livingstone and her current whereabouts when you have a chance. Mrs. Webster mentioned in her final letter that you arranged for Miss Livingstone to be taken to Oakwood House, presuming you're the same Dr. Morris."

Posted: **Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:00 am**

Dr Morris raised a questioning eyebrow. ”Pathogens? Poisoned letters?” He shook his head. “Mrs Webster was elderly and had a heart condition. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the cause of her demise. But -“ he raised a finger, “I will complete my examination before I reach any conclusions.” He nodded to himself, fetched a pair of gloves from his pocket and put them on as he walked down the hall.

Stopping to address William, “I was Miss Livingstone’s physician and yes, she was placed at Oakwood House, but unlike the late Mrs Webster, I must abide by the doctor-patient code of confidentiality for living patients...” He knelt by Mrs Webster’s body, seemingly unaffected by the smell. He leaned forward for a closer look before he looked back and said, “Would one of you gentlemen be able to help me turn her over?”

Posted: **Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:12 am**

"Understood, Doctor," says William, "but surely it wouldn't breach confidentiality to tell us where Oakwood House is, or to give us a letter of introduction for when we go there later. The police may also require more information from you as part of the cases they're investigating. I'd gladly lend you a hand, but I think my friends here are stronger."

Posted: **Tue Jan 19, 2021 2:04 am**

"Have you got any spare gloves, doctor?"
Lawrence, being the largest and (second) strongest person in the room, wills himself to assist Dr. Morris in turning the corpse over, though hopefully he gets some gloves first.
"I assure you, whatever's in those letters, it's very dangerous; it's already killed one person, and two of us have already been poisoned by it."

Posted: **Tue Jan 19, 2021 12:40 pm**

Already rattled more than she cares to admit, Ivy quietly steps back while Mrs Webster is turned over, ensuring that her fellow investigators block her view of the corpse by-and-large.

Her thoughts turn to the envelope found behind Emily's mirror: is it too much to hope that it's merely a love letter from the Fraser boy?

Posted: **Wed Jan 20, 2021 12:08 am**

Having donned the gloves provided by Dr Morris, Lawrence followed his instructions and carefully helped him turn overMrs Webster’s body. There was a slight ripping noise as she was eased up and he realised that in her state of decomposition, she had started to bond with the rug she was lying on...

Posted: **Wed Jan 20, 2021 3:38 am**

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 12:39 am**

How Dr Morris might be able to determine anything from the petrifying mess that had been Mrs Webster, Lawrence had not the faintest clue, as he eased the corpse onto its back. As he looked on however, his attention was immediate drawn to something she had balled up in her hand. Badly discoloured with putrescent body fluids, it looked like an envelope...

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 5:45 am**

"Detective, I think we've found the letter that got her." Lawrence uncertainly notifies Alex, trying to determine if the fluid-stained crumpled ball of paper actually was an envelope. Hoping to God that whatever kind of poison is in the letters can't seep through his gloves, he attempts to gingerly extract the object out of Mrs. Webster's hands.

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 6:53 am**

"Excellent work, Mr. Gilman," Alex says, and hurries over. Not wearing gloves himself, he attempts to read over the man's shoulder and scans the letter. It was likely Emily knew this would kill the elderly woman. Given she had such rage for her, hopefully she would reveal something within her words.

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 4:03 pm**

Ivy watches the proceedings with interest, although she tries to avoid looking at the woman's corpse too much.

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 4:56 pm**

Whatever had been written in the letter was lost to history as, soaked in the body fluids of the unfortunate Mrs Webster, the ink had run to the point of illegibility.

The printed letterhead was a different matter. That was still clear - beneath the spreading branches of the quercus robur were clearly visible the words ‘Oakwood House Sanitarium’.

Posted: **Thu Jan 21, 2021 5:21 pm**

“Let’s see what the letter behind the girl’s mirror has to say,” suggests Ivy.

Posted: **Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:10 am**

"Let's have the camera ready, so it can be photographed before the ink fades," says William.

Posted: **Sat Jan 23, 2021 4:10 am**

"It looks like the gloves should be enough to keep any poison from getting to me, though I should probably wash the... liquid off these before I handle any other letters." Lawrence adds, carefully handing the Oakwood House letter to Dr. Morris, who he assumed would know what to do with it.

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 1:01 am**

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 1:24 am**

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 2:27 am**

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 4:01 am**

OOC: If no one has one, Alex will go outside and ask the officer to get someone down here with a camera, though it will likely take time.

Posted: **Sun Jan 24, 2021 6:42 pm**

OOC: Ivy doesn’t carry one.

Posted: **Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:40 am**

Dr Morris took the letter from Lawrence and peered at it carefully, angling this way and that before declaring, somewhat redundantly, that the ink had run beyond the point of comprehension. ”It’s a shame we cannot read it,” he said. “It may have given us an insight into the circumstances that lead to her death.” He placed the letter on the floor and continued with his examination of the corpse.

Alex had in the meantime been back outside to ask the local cop to summon a photographer and one duly arrived twenty minutes later, closely followed by the mortuary wagon. The photographer knocked on the door and waited to be let in. He introduced himself as Henry Hendrickson, a gum-chewing, fresh-faced kid who looked straight out of college.

“Hey, Doc,” he said as he saw Dr Morris. “You want me to take a snap of the corpse?”

Posted: **Mon Jan 25, 2021 6:17 am**

"There's also a letter we'll need you to photograph," says William. "The ink will start to fade as soon as it's exposed to the air when it's opened. It's also toxic, so you'll have to avoid touching it."

Posted: **Mon Jan 25, 2021 9:18 am**

Dr Morris said he wasn’t finished with his examination so he asked Henry to deal with the investigators’ request first.

Henry shouldered his camera bag and nodded. ”Lead on,” he said.

Posted: **Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:37 pm**

“This way young man.”

Picking up some gloves, Ivy leads the photographer to the girl’s room. She carefully fishes out the letter from behind the mirror.

OOC: I think we left the envelope there.

Posted: **Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:58 am**

William watches with interest.

Posted: **Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:36 am**

Lawrence follows Ivy and Henry the photographer up to Emily's room, observing the photography process with vested intrigue.

Posted: **Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:00 am**

Henry obviously knew his job, despite his young appearance. He carefully photographed the envelope in situ before clearing a space on the dressing table.

As he adjusted the settings on his camera, he said, ”Can one of you remove the envelope and place the contents on the dresser for me to photograph?” He looked up from his camera expectantly, waiting for someone to take the lead.

Posted: **Wed Jan 27, 2021 3:44 am**

Protect and Serve.

Taking a deep breath, Alex does so, but makes sure to find a cloth or handkerchief to grab the envelope with before placing it on the table. Then he looks around for a knife or something else he can use to remove the envelope without having to touch it with bare skin.

Posted: **Wed Jan 27, 2021 3:54 am**

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 2:07 am**

"These ought to suffice, though you may want to clean them off first."
Lawrence offers the gloves he was wearing to Detective Reynolds.

Posted: **Thu Jan 28, 2021 4:56 am**

Alex takes them with a nod of gratitude.

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 1:53 am**

Alex carefully withdrew the letter from the envelope and unfolded it on the dressing table surface. The paper was good quality, with neat copperplate writing. It was addressed to Emily but had no return address. It was dated not long before Lawrence and William had embarked upon their fateful journey south.

It read:

Dear Emily,

You do not know me so first let me introduce myself. My name is William Brophy and I am a friend of James.

You may have been told some lies about me - that I am evil and harmed James but nothing could be further from the truth! I am his friend and protector and I only wish to see the two of you reunited again. He speaks of you so often that I swear you must occupy his every waking thought!

James has told me all about you and his plans for your life together and how his father has tried to prevent it. He confided in me the real reason for his father’s displeasure. Forgive me, but I must tell you his father wanted you for himself! He had made his own plans to have you employed at his house where he could take advantage of you but flew into a jealous rage when he heard about budding romance with James. He knew he could never compete with his son so he had you banished to Amesbury to try to break your bond.

It didn’t work. As James told me himself, your absence made his heart grow fonder and you still kept in touch. His father was livid when found out and in his lustful rage, arranged for James to be murdered! It was only with my intervention (and that of my brother Robert, who was sadly killed in the attempt) that James was saved. He was badly injured however, and has spent some time regaining his strength. Only now is he showing signs of improvement, although he has a long way to go.

I beg of you - do not show this letter to anyone! His father has already hired men to try to find James (if they come to see you, you must disavow all knowledge of where he is). They may seem pleasant and concerned for James’ welfare but they cannot be trusted. Understandably, James is afraid for his life and, as painful as it would be for him, he has told me that if you tell anyone of this letter, then I am afraid he will cease any attempts to have further contact with you.

As I said, James’ health is slowly improving but there is more that can be done for him. My family has long since practiced natural healing arts and that would surely be of benefit to him. Unfortunately, in order to save James’ life, we had to leave in a hurry. In my haste I forgot my great-great grandmother’s book which contains much learning about ancient ways that I believe will help James in his recovery.

Were it safe for me to return, I would do so but I cannot risk leading them to James. If you could recover my book for me, that would undoubtedly be a major step forward in bringing James back to full health so that the two of you may be re-united. I understand that this is a big thing I ask of you, but it is the only way.

I lived at the Squatter’s Lake Hotel - you can find it on a map - and the book was hidden beneath the floorboards of the living room off the main reception. If you move the furniture in the corner furthest from the door, you will see some of the floorboards don’t look quite even. They will lift up and you will find the book beneath.

I will caution you once again that you must talk to no-one about this. James’ father is an evil man and there is no saying what he, or his agents, will do if they find out that we are working together! Go with speed and I will write to you again soon, to tell you what we must do next.

Sincerely yours,

William Brophy.

Posted: **Sat Jan 30, 2021 5:13 am**

"Brophy did more damage than we ever knew," says William. "He's the one who poisoned her mind and gave her the instructions for poisoning others' bodies. She must have retrieved that book, which may have taught her how to do it. But where's the book now? Did she mail it to him? Or is it still here somewhere?"

Posted: **Sun Jan 31, 2021 2:16 pm**

“Brophy certainly seemed an unpleasant and manipulative fellow. I sincerely hope the figure I’ve been seeing really is a hallucination and not the man himself...” muses Ivy, somewhat disconcerted.

“How far is this motel? Could we go and look, or send someone?”

Posted: **Sun Jan 31, 2021 9:25 pm**

"It's a decent drive," says William. "We've been there before, but we never found anything like the book described. Chances are Emily already got it some time ago."

Posted: **Sun Jan 31, 2021 10:33 pm**

"Whatever has become of that book, she isn't likely to have it now, unless she was able to take it into Oakwood House. Emily probably hid it somewhere; either somewhere in this house, as William suggested, or maybe back under the floorboards at Squatter's Lake."
Lawrence asserts, not particularly excited at the prospect of returning to the Squatter's Lake motel.

Posted: **Sun Jan 31, 2021 11:21 pm**

"Let's search the house thoroughly first," says William. "Now that we know what to look for, we should be able to find it if it's here."

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 1:26 am**

Reasoning that the most logical place for Emily to hide the book would be her bedroom, that was the first place they searched. Checking everything thoroughly, it didn’t take long to find what looked to be her hiding place.

William picked up the bedside chest of drawers to check underneath and Alex spotted something unusual. A closer inspection revealed an empty, cut-down cereal carton secured to the underside of the chest, making a pocket into which a book might conceivably have been hidden.

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:58 am**

"This Brophy seems an incredibly dangerous man. I don't approve of vigilantism, but suspect you all did a service getting rid of him. He played this girl like a fiddle.""

"Look; over there!" Alex points out the carton and gloved up, takes a look at what's inside.

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 9:54 am**

Ivy watches with interest as Alex retrieves the book.

“I wonder if the girl has been dabbling in things she shouldn’t be...” she muses.

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 2:00 pm**

Although it seemed likely that it was the hiding place for the book, there was no book present. The only thing Alex found was an empty envelope, addressed to Emily in the same copperplate hand as the letter they had just read.

”You want me to photograph that as well?” asked Henry.

Posted: **Mon Feb 01, 2021 2:41 pm**

“Yes, please do,” instructs Ivy. “But I will make a note of the postmark and date first.”

Posted: **Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:49 am**

The envelope bore a Baton Rouge postal mark and was sent three days after the first letter.

Posted: **Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:29 am**

"She probably already shipped the book to Brophy in Louisiana," says William, checking the envelope's return address to see if it matched the new hotel he had started there.

Posted: **Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:07 am**

"There wouldn't be very much we could do about it in that case, unless you plan on taking a trip back to Louisiana. It probably burnt to ash with the second hotel." Lawrence states, gazing at the envelope with apprehensive curiosity; just how deep did Brophy's deception go, and what did that book have in it?

He almost didn't want to find out.

Posted: **Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:05 pm**

There was no return address on the envelope. If - unlike the first letter - there had been a return address on the second, the absence of the letter made it impossible to tell.

Posted: **Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:46 pm**

"I believe the next logical course of action would be paying a visit to Oakwood House," Alex suggests. "If Ms. Livingstone has answers about Brophy we need to get them out of her, and the extent of this fiendish plot."

Posted: **Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:16 am**

"We can give her James's final letter to her when we go there," says William. "Hopefully it will bring her to her senses."

Posted: **Wed Feb 03, 2021 10:04 am**

“Agreed,” concurs Ivy. “Though, if the girl has been dabbling with - for want of a better word - magic, we should be on our guard.”

Posted: **Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:29 pm**

"Manipulated or not, she's responsible for at least two deaths, so will need to face justice. Perhaps the court will go easy on her due to her impaired state, but either way we must put a stop to this."

Posted: **Wed Feb 03, 2021 9:39 pm**

Lawrence gives Ivy a strange look over her "magic" comment, but ultimately decides not to entertain that topic of conversation, at least not in front of the detective.
"What I want to know is how she was able to send poisoned letters out from the asylum without anyone finding out; surely, the staff must keep an eye on those things."

Posted: **Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:57 am**

"That's an excellent question," says William. "I can see them allowing her to write and send letters, but how would she have gotten the poison in there? Maybe they actually released her, or she escaped, and she might not be there any more. There's a strong case that she should be committed to an institution for the criminally insane rather than sent to prison or executed. She's clearly not in her right mind."

Posted: **Thu Feb 04, 2021 7:57 pm**

Henry glanced between them as they discussed what they had found. ”Do you need me for anything else?” he asked. ”Otherwise, I’ll get busy downstairs.”

Posted: **Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:00 pm**

Ivy pauses for a moment.

"A photograph of the girl's mirror, and the wall opposite, if you please," she asks.

Posted: **Thu Feb 04, 2021 8:08 pm**

”Sure,” replied Henry. ”Stand back... ...”

Guided by Ivy, he took the pictures requested. ”Any more?” he said, looking up from his camera.

Posted: **Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:38 am**

"Thank you, I think that's everything, unless one of the others wants another picture," says William.

Posted: **Sat Feb 06, 2021 6:53 am**

"That should be all."
Lawrence shrugs and shakes his head, having nothing to request of the photographer.

Posted: **Sun Feb 07, 2021 1:10 pm**

Henry glanced at his watch. “It will take a while to develop these. If you need them in a hurry, I’ll work later and you can have them first thing in the morning,” he said. He bid them goodbye and left the room.

From downstairs, Dr Morris called, “Detective? We’re about done here. Have you any further questions before I depart?”

Posted: **Sun Feb 07, 2021 7:55 pm**

"Can you please give us directions to Oakwood House and a letter of introduction, Doctor?" asks William.

Posted: **Sun Feb 07, 2021 11:11 pm**

“Oakwood House? It’s out on the coast, near the village of Cushing. Dr Roy believes in the therapeutic benefits of nature and the sea air. I must say, I’ve always found it most refreshing when I’ve had reason to visit.” Dr Morris smiled, almost wistfully.

”As for a letter of introduction, please drop by my surgery later and I’ll have one ready for you.”

Posted: **Mon Feb 08, 2021 1:10 am**

"Thank you, Doctor," says William. "We'll stop by for it."

Posted: **Mon Feb 08, 2021 2:12 am**

"I'd like to know more about this Dr. Roy fellow; it's best we make a good first impression, you know?" Lawrence says as he descends the stairs. He wasn't going to say it, but Oakwood being near a body of water reminded him of a certain motel down by Squatter's Lake. Just a coincidence, he hoped.

Posted: **Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:38 am**

"No further questions," Alex says, though he himself is also curious about this Oakwood House. The fact that one of its patients could smuggle out deadly letters did not speak much to its security measures.

Posted: **Mon Feb 08, 2021 11:14 am**

Ivy has nothing further to add.

Posted: **Mon Feb 08, 2021 11:39 am**

”Dr Roy, eh?’ replied Dr Morris. “He’s had that place in Cushing for about seven or eight years. He’s French-Canadian but studied in Boston and then settled locally. He worked in private practice for a while before he opened Oakwood House. Some of his ideas seem a little ‘contemporary’, Morris struck them as a rather old-fashioned, traditional doctor, “But I can’t deny that those patients I have sent to him have benefitted from a stay there.”

“Hopefully, Emily will be improving. She really was quite distraught when we had to send her there.”

Posted: **Tue Feb 09, 2021 4:57 am**

"Have you ever visited her there?" asks William.

Posted: **Tue Feb 09, 2021 10:57 am**

Dr Morris shook his head. ”I haven’t, but I spoke to Dr Roy in the last few days and he said Emily was making progress after a difficult start.”

Posted: **Wed Feb 10, 2021 7:10 am**

"Clearly it wasn't going as well as he thought, considering that Emily is our current suspect." Lawrence soberly declares. "I think we ought to get going; we haven't exactly got a surplus of time on our hands."

Posted: **Wed Feb 10, 2021 10:31 am**

Posted: **Wed Feb 10, 2021 9:27 pm**

OOC: Ivy would like to see the developed photos, but if that takes time she’s happy to move on for now.

Posted: **Thu Feb 11, 2021 12:31 am**

Posted: **Thu Feb 11, 2021 2:53 am**

Posted: **Thu Feb 11, 2021 4:41 am**

Posted: **Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:59 pm**

Posted: **Sat Feb 13, 2021 1:12 am**

Posted: **Sat Feb 13, 2021 8:09 pm**

Posted: **Sun Feb 14, 2021 12:41 am**

Posted: **Sun Feb 14, 2021 1:18 am**

Posted: **Sun Feb 14, 2021 4:22 am**

Posted: **Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:19 pm**

Friday March 14th, 1930 6.05pm.
Police Precinct, School Street, Amesbury, Mass.

As good as his word, Henry had stayed late to process the photographs although he had taken some persuading by Ivy to release them before the morning. He tutted audibly as she had taken them from him, cautioning against touching them as they were yet to set and he visibly winced as she demanded an envelope to send them off to Arkham University.

Leaving the envelope with Henry to be mailed, Ivy made her way out onto School Street. Outside, the sun was low in the sky and the shadows were long. A cool breeze, threatening to send Ivy’s hat down the street.

Posted: **Tue Feb 16, 2021 10:55 am**

Having supervised the sending off of the photographs, Ivy finds herself at something of a loose end. After a moment’s thought, she decides to report back to Fraser. The old man will no doubt be pleased that the girl is their number one suspect.

Taking note of all the details she’s learned about this Brophy character, she also resolves to learn everything she can about the man. If he ran a hotel, then there must be some official records at least.

Posted: **Tue Feb 16, 2021 12:06 pm**

Finding a taxi to take her back to Arkham at that time was something of a challenge and Ivy was less than impressed than the price quoted when they arrived at Fraser Mansion.

She was shown into Fraser’s study, where her employer was sat, brooding in front of the fire, with a whisky glass in hand. He had at least shaved since she had seen him last and he looked more presentable. He glanced towards her as she entered. ”Well, Miss Ripley? What news do you have for me?”

Posted: **Tue Feb 16, 2021 6:16 pm**

“You were right to suspect Emily Livingstone,” Ivy replies. “We found her landlady dead, clutching another of those poisonous letters. The girl has been carted off to Oakwood House sanitarium, so the others are going there to speak with her. It appears this unpleasant Brophy fellow was writing to her before his death; getting her all riled up. He asked her to locate a book of his and send it on, but I can’t help wondering whether she kept it and used the information therein to create these murderous notes.”

“The letters and photographs are in the lab, as it were. I thought I’d look into Brophy’s background, unless you have other work for me,” she continues.

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:04 am**

”No, not at present,” Fraser shook his head. “With this Brophy fellow dead, however, that doesn’t leave a lot of loose ends, does it?”

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:42 am**

“So it may seem, but if Brophy wrote to her, who else had he written to?”

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2021 1:06 pm**

“That would depend,’ said Fraser thoughtfully. “It seems from what you have said that the girl may have written to anyone she blames for her and James being separated. Apart from myself and her poor landlady, I’m not sure who she might blame?”

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:00 pm**

“Oh I’m not talking about the girl; but who else has Brophy written to? Are they also posting poison letters?” Ivy replies. “I want to look into the man’s background. If he ran a hotel, there will be license applications, birth certificates and the like.”

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:40 pm**

”Very well, Miss Ripley,” said Fraser. ”You make your enquiries and let me know about this Brophy fellow and his brother.”

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:49 pm**

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:59 pm**

Posted: **Wed Feb 17, 2021 10:39 pm**

Posted: **Sat Feb 27, 2021 1:46 am**

Thanks for your patience.

Ivy’s investigations will continue here: https://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/vi ... 438&t=7385.

Play@YSDC

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