Ch.11. First Arkham Bank (Ivy)

[Philulhu]

Thursday March 13th, 1930 9.30am.
Arkham First Bank, 150 E Hyde Street, Arkham, Mass.

Ivy arrived at the bank and, ignoring the pointed glance at the clock by the head cashier, she walked through to her office. The room was in darkness, as was the office of Mr Fraser next door, so he had obviously not come into work today.

The desk opposite Ivy’s was empty. A series of secretaries had come and gone but none had met her exacting standards so the seat had been unoccupied for the past month.

Her desk was clear - she made a point of putting everything away each evening - except for the mail that had arrived at the bank over the past two days. Mr Fraser had insisted seeing each piece of correspondence personally so with his absence it had remained unopened.

[jp1885]

Ivy begins by sifting through the unopened letters, checking the handwriting on the envelopes to see if any match.

Then she ploughs through the bank records, looking for anyone who might have cause to wish her employer ill.

[Philulhu]

OOC,Can I have a Luck roll, please?

[jp1885]

Luck 60,[dice]0[/dice]

[Philulhu]

As Ivy lifted one of the letters from the pile on her desk, the one beneath came with it. Irritably, she pulled the two apart, wondering why they were stuck together. As the second letter came free, she saw Mr Fraser’s name but something had soaked through from the contents of the envelope, a greenish residue that traced a sticky, swirling pattern on the envelope.

An ice-cold shiver ran down her spine and she dropped the letter like it was a scalding iron. She looked at her fingers and with horror, saw the residue on her fingertips as black thoughts began to cloud her mind...

OOC,POW roll and actions, please.

[jp1885]

POW 75 extreme success,[dice]0[/dice]

Ivy curses, frantically wiping the substance off her fingers with her handkerchief.

Forcing down any depressing thoughts, she tries to pull herself together. Wishing to preserve the evidence, she carefully attempts to seal the letter and handkerchief in a bag or spare envelope.

[Philulhu]

From the other side of the door to Fraser’s darkened office, there was a noise, like a chair falling over...

[jp1885]

Carefully placing the wrapped-up envelope in her handbag, Ivy opens the door to Fraser’s office, nightstick in hand.

[Philulhu]

The large, well-appointed office was in darkness. It wasn’t bright outside and a quick glance to her right at the windows told Ivy the the blinds were still drawn but she wasn’t sure the room should have been as dark as it was. The light from her office seemed to do little to penetrate the gloom.

To her left Mr Fraser’s desk faced across the room towards the windows. She sensed movement in the blackness behind the desk and there was a creaking sound, like rope on timber...

[jp1885]

Fearing the worst, Ivy flicks on the light switch and bounds towards the desk. If, as she suspects, someone is trying to hang themselves, she will brace herself to hold them up while yelling for help.

[Philulhu]

Light flooded the room but as Ivy turned towards the desk there was no-one there. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement, as if part of the wall had moved. It was in the corner of the office where part of the bookcase swung aside to give access to the secondary vault where the papers of some of the bank’s more exclusive customers were kept.

It swung gently back and forth on its hinges, and there was the sound of the bank vault opening beyond...

[jp1885]

“Hey! Who’s there!?” Ivy yells, striding towards the vault, nightstick held aloft.

[Philulhu]

There was no reply from the vault. Pushing open the false shelving, Ivy could see the open vault door. From inside, there was a flickering shadow, as if someone moved in front of a candle.

[jp1885]

Ivy gropes for the vault light switch (assuming there is one. Otherwise perhaps a flashlight?)

[Philulhu]

Ivy reached out and her fingers found the switch for the vault light. She flicked it downwards, but the light didn’t come on.

The shadow paused momentarily, as if disturbed by the ‘click’ of the switch. then resumed its movement, moving deeper into the vault.

[jp1885]

Ivy isn't about to go plunging alone into a darkened vault, and so returns to her office to fetch her flashlight and thence out to fetch a guard. Once suitably armed and accompanied, she'll head into the vault, nightstick at the ready.

[Philulhu]

Amy opened her office door and stepped into the corridor. It was in darkness, and the bank was quiet.

[jp1885]

“Hello? Anyone?” Ivy calls. She walks to the head cashier’s desk, knowing that at least he (or she) is in the building.

[Philulhu]

Ivy’s call echoed down the corridor to the main cashiers’ area. She might have expected a response but there was none.

She approached the office of Mr Clelland, the head cashier. The office was in darkness, and of Clelland, there was no sign. Looking around, Ivy could see the main banking floor was in unlit and there was no-one around.

[jp1885]

“We’ll really!” huffs Ivy. “This is preposterous!”

She is about to shout out again, but stops, wagging a finger at herself.

“No need for histrionics; clearly the substance in the envelope is having a different effect on me. Gather your wits Ivy Ripley! Steel your nerve!”

She returns to her office, plonks herself in her chair, closes her eyes and breathes deeply.