Ch.14a. Inheritance (Alex & Ivy)

[Philulhu]

This is the current situation with Prohibition (see Section 6) - https://www.historyextra.com/period/20t ... n-alcohol/

Captain Lawrence probably doesn’t have the resources for effective enforcement and could well be tilting against public opinion if he did. That said, feel free to play Alex as you like. If he’s a straight-edge teetotaller, so be it.

[Silver Priest]

"I didn't mean--" Alex blanches. "I find your contributions very useful, Ms. Ripley, but perhaps we should conduct this investigation with a bit more... delicacy. We're not in Arkham,after all. And I've just come back from medical leave, so I don't want to risk the chief receiving complaints."

Yes, I am playing Alex as rather charitably a square. He's very no nonsense, "the law is the law." But he knows when to pick his battles and is not unsympathetic to the chief despite being quietly horrified.

[Philulhu]

”You mentioned the coroner’s report? Let me get you directions to his office…” said Officer Lyon, who now seemed keen to get them off the premises, in case his own relationship with Captain Lawrence be somehow tainted by association.

”Dr Strauss is the county coroner,” he said. ”His office is on Orms Street. We can pick up a street map from the front desk on the way out.”

[jp1885]

Ivy rolls her eyes and emits a long-suffering sigh at Alex’s suggestion that she is somehow lacking in tact, as if she gets this kind of thing all the time.

However, she keeps her thin-lipped mouth shut; merely nodding and snatching a map off the desk as they leave the station.

[Philulhu]

Are you heading to the coroner’s so Ivy can annoy the crap out of a whole new group of people?

[jp1885]

Yep, I reckon so.

[Silver Priest]

Alex heads off to the coroner, thanking Officer Lyon as he does so-- hoping to at least keep civil communications open with someone in local law enforcement.

[Philulhu]

Monday, September 1st, 1930 12.15pm
County Coroner’s Office, 49 Orms Street, Providence, R.I.

The offices of the County Coroner weren’t as grand as the City Hall and there was a queue of people waiting at the reception desk. Officer Lyon must have wrung ahead, however, as a clerk was loitering and came over to greet them as soon as they came through the door.

They were quickly shown into the Coroner’s office, where Dr Strauss sat behind his desk. He was an older, thin man, with tufts of hair above his ears. He looked up impatiently, peering over the held-moon glasses. ”Well, what is it?” he snapped. ”Come along! No shilly-shallying! It’s my lunch hour!”

[Silver Priest]

Take aback, Alex quickly recovers. "Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Doctor. We were hoping you could share your notes on a Mrs. Winscott's cause of death. It may be relevant to a case we are investigating."

[Philulhu]

Dr. Strauss leaned over his desk and riffled through some files in a wooden in-tray. Pulling one out, he opened it to show a medical report. He tapped the cause of death. ”Myocardial infarction - a heart attack in layman’s terms,” he said. ”Foolish woman wouldn’t have anything to do with her local doctor. Probably treatable, but you can’t tell some people that! Now is that it? Can I have my lunch now?!”

[jp1885]

“Foolish indeed!” Ivy retorts.

“If there was no suspicion of foul play, we shall trouble you no further.”

She seems curiously unvexed by the coroner’s brusqueness.

[Philulhu]

You could try a Psychology roll.

[jp1885]

[59] = 59
Psychology 60 1d100: [ 59 ] = 59
Oof!

Ivy takes a moment to size up the coroner.

[Philulhu]

Ivy’s pretty sure that the coroner is just waiting (not especially patiently) for these out-of-towners to leave his office so he can have lunch.

[Silver Priest]

1d100

"Thank you for your time, doctor. Enjoy your lunch."

[Philulhu]

With a rather perfunctory wave, Dr Strauss dismissed Alex and Ivy from his presence. He was already unwrapping the waxed paper on his sandwiches before the door had closed…

They found themselves back in the reception area, amidst the queues again.

Dr Strauss is telling the truth. And personality-wise, he almost makes Ivy seem genial…

[Silver Priest]

"Well. I suppose the good news is there's no evidence of foul play." Alex declares, fairly well convinced. "Though I'd like to head to this restaurant and see if anyone there knows of a man, perhaps inebriated, who has a grudge against Mr. Winscott. If we find them hopefully he can offer us any evidence he believes we should be made aware of."

[jp1885]

“Yes, quite so,” Ivy concurs.

[Philulhu]

Marconi’s is a ten minute drive/25 minute walk away. Are you heading there now?

[jp1885]

Yeah, I think so, if my colleague is in agreement.