Ch.11. Amesbury Re-visited (All)

[Silver Priest]

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.

[Bullfrog]

OOC,I recall [b]Alex[/b] found the letter that killed [b]Mrs. Webster[/b] right after we discovered her corpse. [b]Lawrence[/b] will wait for the medical examiner.

[jp1885]

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

[Philulhu]

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.

[jp1885]

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

[Silver Priest]

"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.

[Mr. Handy]

"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."

[Philulhu]

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?”

[Mr. Handy]

"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."

[Bullfrog]

"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."

[jp1885]

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?

[Philulhu]

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...

OOC - Lawrence,CON check, please.

[Bullfrog]

CON 18 (×5=90),0

[Philulhu]

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...

[Bullfrog]

"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.

[Silver Priest]

"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.

[jp1885]

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

[Philulhu]

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’.

[jp1885]

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

[Mr. Handy]

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