Ch.12a. Arkham

[Philulhu]

Friday March 14th, 1930 9.05pm.
The home of Ivy Ripley, Arkham, Mass.

Ivy had returned home, made a note about the people and places she intended to visit the following day, and made herself something to eat. She had washed the dishes and was just contemplating an early night when there was a knock at the door.

She opened the door to find Captain Keats standing on the step. “Miss Ripley? I need you to come with me! It seems that your colleagues have disappeared!”

[jp1885]

Ivy’s irritation at having her evening disturbed is swiftly replaced with alarm.

“I beg your pardon? Disappeared?” Grabbing her coat and bag, she bustles out, shooing Captain Keats backwards. “Well let’s not dilly-dally; tell me what happened on the way to- where are we going exactly?”

[Philulhu]

Keats lead the way to his car. As they drove off, he explained. ”We had a call from the proprietor at Oakfield House, some private nut house up in Cushing. Detective Reynolds and those two other gentlemen turned up to talk to Emily Livingstone - the girlfriend of James Fraser - and while they were there, there was some sort of incident and they ‘disappeared’. It wasn’t clear exactly how they disappeared; to be honest, the officer who took the call wasn’t sure if he was talking to one of the doctors or one of the patients!”

OOC,Are there any questions Ivy wants to ask on the journey?

[jp1885]

Ivy purses her lips at this unsettling news. Had her compatriots fallen foul of another letter?

"When you say 'disappeared', did the officer mean completely? Are there any bodies?"

She doesn't bombard the officer with too many questions, as a visit to the hospital will no doubt raise plenty more.

[Philulhu]

”Disappeared is what I was told,” said Keats. “The call was just for us, no ambulance as far as I know, so ‘disappeared’...”

The rest of the journey was conducted in an uncomfortable silence. Keats drove too fast and a couple of times had to swerve to avoid traffic that was going too slow for his liking. Ivy could smell whiskey and she guessed he’d had a nightcap before the call had come his way.

After a while and to Ivy’s relief, Keats slowed down and they turned off the main road and onto a long driveway. At the end of the drive, there was a large house, colonial by the looks of it, with lights in all the windows. He parked the car and they were met at the door by a neatly attired but clearly rattled white-coated doctor, who introduced himself as Dr Roy, the director of Oakwood House.

As Dr Roy walked them through the house, he said, ”Detective Reynolds and his two colleagues arrived earlier this evening. They wanted to see Emily Livingstone, one of our guests. I took them through to our sun room where Miss Dufresne was leading the guests in their weekly art class....”

He paused, took off his glasses and cleaned them on the hem of his coat. ”After that, things got a bit surreal... As we went into the room, Miss Dufresne asked our guests to show their artwork. They had all painted the same, some weird symbol - nothing I’ve ever seen before. They dropped their papers and when they hit the floor, they somehow joined together and there was a... a... hole... is the best way I can explain it. It just hung there, in mid-air, and Miss Dufresne ran through it. Your detective tried to run after her and then his colleagues went too... They... they all just disappeared and then so did the hole... ... ...”

Roy looked at Ivy and Keats. ”I’m a psychiatrist. If a guest told me that story, I’d assume they were hallucinating. But I saw this with my own eyes...” He shook his head and walked on, then pushed open a door marked sunroom, into a large windowed room that overlooked the sea.

[jp1885]

“If I hadn’t recently had certain experiences Doctor, I’d say you were more than hallucinating,” says Ivy curtly as she steps into the room.

Her eyes scan the floor for any remaining paintings.

“Did Miss Dufresne reside on site? If not, I imagine you have her address in your employee records? Captain Keats, I suggest you secure her place of residence.”

It doesn’t occur to Ivy for one second that she shouldn’t be taking charge of the investigation!

[Philulhu]

Keats raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

On the floor in the middle of the room there were sheets of artists’ paper in a rough semi-circle. Ivy had to repress a shudder at the sight of the all too familiar symbol drawn on the sheets, which appeared to be joined to their neighbours with some sort of withered vines.

”Miss Dufresne lived on site,” said Dr Roy. ”She is the daughter of a friend of mine and has worked for me for the last two years, but I have known her all my life. She has never done anything like this before. I am at a loss to explain it.”

[jp1885]

“Perhaps our first priority is the well-being of the missing persons,” says Ivy, tearing her horrified gaze away from the paintings. “Captain, circulate their descriptions; perhaps your contemporaries will spot them. I am sure Mr. Fraser will be glad to know you are looking for his employees,” she continues, shamelessly name-dropping to spur the man into action.

“Doctor, perhaps you could show me to Miss Dufresne’s room? With your permission I will take a look; in the meantime you can arrange an interview with Miss Emily Livingstone if you please,” she asks Dr. Roy. “Unless my colleagues spoke to the girl before this... incident. In which case I would like to see any notes that may have been taken.”

“Oh, and perhaps this room should be sealed off and a photographer called to document the scene before the paintings, paints, brushes and such are gathered up and sent to the university for analysis of possible pathogens. Based on personal experience, avoid all skin contact with anything!”

[Philulhu]

”That’s already been done,” replied Captain Keats evenly. ”Any sign of any of the missing persons is to be reported to me immediately and Amesbury PD are sending a photographer.” There was an edge to his voice. Taking control of the investigation was one thing; telling him how to do his job was something entirely different!

Perhaps sensing the tension, Dr Roy took Ivy’s arm and said, ”Let me show you Miss Dufresne’s room.” He lead her out of the sunroom and down a corridor, through a locked door marked ‘Staff Only’ and to the end of a series of doors. As Dr Roy unlocked the door, he said, ”Maria - Miss Dufresne - liked this room. She said she was inspired by the views.”

Ivy could see what she meant. The room was a good size, with a bed and chest of drawers. Windows overlooked the coast to the east and north and French doors lead to a small patio area outside. By the doors, an easel was set up with a partially completed painting. More canvases were stacked against the wall nearby.

[jp1885]

Oblivious to the Captain’s chagrin, Ivy gives satisfied nod before following Dr. Roy to the room.

“May I take a look around?,” she asks, before inspecting the painting on the easel without waiting for a reply.

“Tell me, does the name Brophy mean anything to you?”

[Philulhu]

”I had not heard it before today,” replied Dr Roy. ”But I think it was the name your colleague called out before he disappeared with Miss Dufresne.”

The painting was good, executed with a fair degree of talent. It caught a morning sunrise just right and Ivy, despite herself, marvelled at the way the the colours had been captured.

[jp1885]

"Miss Dufresne is certainly very talented," murmurs Ivy as she scrutinises the painting for anything resembling the symbol. "An artistic temperament perhaps? Have you noticed any changes in her behaviour recently Doctor?"

[Philulhu]

There were no obvious signs of the symbol being incorporated into any the artwork on display.

”I had not noticed any changes in Miss Dufresne’s behaviour,” said Dr Roy. ”She was well-liked by staff and guests and I had no reason to think anything had changed.”

[jp1885]

“Hm. Any noticeable change in the behaviour of your patients? Especially those in the art class?”

Ivy asks this while perusing the other paintings.

[Philulhu]

”Given the nature of what we do here, unusual behaviour is not unexpected,” replied Dr Roy. ”But I don’t recall anything that resembled the events earlier tonight. The guests appeared as if they were under some type of mass delusion or hysteria. They acted as one, which is not in itself unusual. Groups can adopt collective responses to certain stimuli but it isn’t something we have experienced here before.”

[jp1885]

Ivy nods, before continuing to examine the other canvasses. If she finds nothing of interest she’ll start on the chest of drawers and bed.

[Philulhu]

The bedside drawers were full of sketch pads, pencils, charcoal sticks and what appears to be a journal. “Should, ah, you be looking through her private papers?” asked Dr Roy hesitantly.

[jp1885]

“Of course I should,” snaps Ivy, not deigning to look up from her search. “Clearly something very strange has happened to the girl and we need to discover what; unless people disappearing through holes in the floor is an everyday occurrence here.”

[Philulhu]

”It wasn’t a hole in the floor,” said Dr Roy, somewhat defensively. ”It was... I’m not sure how to describe it. It was in the middle of the room, hanging in mid-air...” He shook his head, as if he still couldn’t believe what he had seen.

[jp1885]

"Then perhaps the time for semantics is past Dr. Roy," Ivy replies, her tone softening a little when she sees the conflict in the man's expression. "We need to get to the bottom of the phenomenon you witnessed and perhaps the key lies with Miss Dufresne; hence this invasion of her privacy."

If the poor Doctor is willing, she will bid him to help her search the room for clues.