Ch. 11. Paper and Ink

[Bullfrog]

"I've seen a lot of odd things, but that symbol is not among them.
Lawrence says, almost taking the piece of cloth, but William's warning not to touch it stops him in his tracks.
"Do you think the ink could be poison or something, William?"

[Mr. Handy]

"It's possible," says William. "It could be poison ink, or simply toxic. I read about a poison pen letter in some mystery novel or other. It might have been an Agatha Christie."

[Philulhu]

Whatever ink there was on the cloth was dry, so much so that the symbol and numbers had faded from view almost entirely.

[jp1885]

“The ink is fading and yet it still compelled the detective here to flee in terror,” muses Ivy. “If poor Jacob got the full dose, perhaps he was maddened enough to smash his head into the cabinet...”

“Perhaps the next person to hold it will experience less severe effects. Pass it to me, if you please, but make sure I don’t do anything foolish.”

[Silver Priest]

Frowning, Alex hands her the cloth. "Be careful. I don't know if that's what affected me, but I can't explain my reaction otherwise. One of us should probably restrain her in case she has a reaction."

[Mr. Handy]

William watches Ivy closely to make sure she's all right.

[Philulhu]

Ivy,POW roll, please.

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence keeps a watchful eye on the secretary, ready to act if she does anything strange.

[jp1885]

POW 75,[dice]0[/dice]

Ivy grasps the cloth, trying not to look nervous.

[Philulhu]

Ivy took the cloth expecting the worst but experienced no ill effects from touching it.

It was a roughly-torn, white piece of cloth approximately five inches square. The image and numbers had all but vanished.

[jp1885]

“Hmm, nothing,” says Ivy as she inspects the cloth. “Perhaps it’s worth copying the design before it fades though.”

Rummaging in her bag for a notebook and pencil, she will attempt to do just that.

[Philulhu]

Ivy,I’ll take a relevant skill check, if you have one.

[jp1885]

OOC,Hmm... maybe Art (shorthand)? Insomuch as she can write (and possibly draw) at speed? Bit of a push, and it’s not a very high value to roll against (29%), but I’ll give it a go on the understanding that you might disallow It :) [dice]0[/dice]

Ivy tries, and fails, to copy the symbol.

[Philulhu]

Ivy,I’d have allowed Art at the base of 5%, but no matter.

OOC - All,What are you going to do next?

[Silver Priest]

"The way I see it, the two leads we have at the moment are the number- 3235, and the empty envelope. Perhaps after some research one of those clues wills end more light on things."

Alex looks at the party. "Regardless, I'm afraid this is a police matter, and you should let us handle it. We'll get to the bottom of things, don't worry. Criminals always make a mistake, and we'll use that mistake to bring the perpetrator to justice."

[Mr. Handy]

"Were there any watermarks on the paper?" asks William. "That might help us trace it. I suspect that the effects of the note have worn off over time. The butler was the first to handle it, so he must have gotten the worst of the effects. Perhaps it actually drove him to kill himself."

[jp1885]

“That is exactly what I postulated a few moments ago; were you not listening?” snaps Ivy.

“To whom was the note addressed to? If we know the intended target we might be able to extrapolate the sender.”

[Philulhu]

The envelope that had been retrieved from under Jacob’s body was heavily blood-stained but otherwise intact. It looked to be a standard No. 10 envelope, with Gerald Fraser’s name and address on the front, with a 2c Braddock’s Field stamp and an Arkham post mark.

The envelope itself was empty, seeming only to have contained the cloth that lead to Jacob’s demise.

[Bullfrog]

"What I really want to know is this: what kind of person has access to stuff like that cloth?" Lawrence states, a bit perturbed by this thought.

[Philulhu]

OOC,The cloth itself is common enough, or did you mean the symbol?