Track Two: The Rain, the Park & Other Things

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Oh, this and that. Russians landed some kind of gizmo on Venus. Riot at some college in Wisconsin. Local hippie chick gone missing, with her clothes left by one of the canals. The usual."

[jp1885]

"That doesn't sound good... Please may I borrow your paper for a moment my good man?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"No problem, pal. Just lemme keep the comics. Linus is still waitin' for the Great Pumpkin."

Venice Police are investigating the disappearance of Mary Lou Bronstein, nineteen, of Los Angeles. Items belonging to the young woman, including clothing and narcotics, were found near one of the city's famous canals. A source who prefers to remain anonymous claims that she may be the second victim of a murderer the authorities are privately calling "The Embalmer." There is no official word as of yet if the case is being treated as a homicide. Investigators are sweeping the canals for any sign of the woman's body. Bronstein was last seen frequenting Sospiri, a local hangout for nonconformists. Police are seeking a group of individuals seen leaving with the facility with her last night.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz reads over Tony's shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "We'll need to go find the others after we return the boat," she says. "They've got to know about this."

[jp1885]

Tony sighs when he reads about Moonflower's disappearance. If only he had managed to snag the diver with his cane last night...
He returns the paper with a nod of thanks, before turning to Liz. A worried look replaces his usual bonhomie.

"I agree. There's also a chance that the young lady may still be alive and is being held in the park. Let us make haste!"

He tells the Big Kahuna to warn any female friends to stay away from the canal before heading to the front entrance of the park with Liz.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz hurries with Tony to the front entrance once they've returned the boat.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Tony and Liz are easily able to make their way through the broken turnstile, now that the others have entered that way. They find Jack and Zara at the Diving Bells. It's not immediately obvious what area the others are exploring.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz fills them in on what they've learned. "She may still be alive for now," she says, "but we'll have to move fast if we're to find her before it's too late. The police are also looking for us because we were seen leaving with her last night. We'll want to go see them, before they find us the hard way, but first let's see if we can locate her here. Were you able to find the scene in the painting?"

[Starspawn338]

Lew and Bill wander the landward perimeter of the park until they reach the entrance.

OOC,If we see the others, we will join up with them.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

All of the investigators eventually wind up together at the Diving Bells, sharing what information they have.

[jp1885]

Tony listens intently as the others describe their experiences. Nothing doing at Fisherman's Cove whilst Neptune's Courtyard seems to have been full of punks, which means the killer is unlikely to lurk there. The same can be said for the Enchanted Forest, but for an entirely different reason...

He raises an eyebrow at the description of Jack's 'ex-wife'. Fortunately, his need to save Moonflower overrides his desire to stop Natasha. However he fixes Jack with a meaningful look.

"It seems we have a mutual acquaintance my dear boy - perhaps we can discuss the matter at a more convenient time?"

He smiles ruefully at the group.

"Well my plan of splitting up seems to have failed spectacularly, so I am happy for someone else to suggest our next move."

He strolls over to the diving bells, leaving the others to debate this. Scanning the dirty water, he idly pokes his stick into the pool.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Spoiler:

WIS = 11[dice]0[/dice]

The end of the walking stick catches upon a drifting piece of trash that had, up to now, gone unnoticed. Once retrieved, it proves to be a black leather glove covered with deep red stains.

Some time having gone by during all of this, the sun is near to setting. The rain falls harder as a cold wind blows in from the Pacific.

[jp1885]

Tony fishes the glove out of the pool and, keeping it on the end of his stick, shows the others.

"I say, look what I've found. Zara, didn't the chap in your painting wear something like this?"

[SunlessNick]

"Yes he did," Zara replies. "Maybe he throws them in here if they're too... if he can't clean them. Moonflower was nice. We have to stop him. It's going to be dark soon... what Liz said about being bait... I can do that too.

[Mr. Handy]

"Are you sure, Zara?" asks Liz, concerned. "It''s very dangerous, and I wouldn't ask you to do it - not that I'm so eager to do it myself, but I'm willing. First maybe we can find the killer's lair. It's probably here in the park, perhaps nearby considering that the painting shows this scene and his glove was here. Perhaps the Diving Bells could actually take us there? Well spotted finding that glove, Tony. We'll want to get that to the police. They have fingerprint experts. Did you know that you can take fingerprints from the inside of a glove?"

[jp1885]

"You're a mine of information Dr. North - I didn't know that." Tony grins. "I should definitely brush up on my forensics. Perhaps someone has a plastic bag we could put the glove in?"

He inspects the diving bell, giving it a light tap and trying to ascertain if it's been used recently.

"I'm also a bit of a dunce when it comes to mechanics, but if we could get this working I agree that we should see what lurks in the deep. We know from experience that it's very difficult to access the park via the surface of the sea, so our scuba diver would have to get here from underneath - perhaps this is how he gets up and down."

[Rooter]

"I'll take care of that," Carson says, taking the glove and putting it away in one of the plastic evidence bags he keeps on his person.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

As darkness falls, red flashing lights illuminate the park. The shriek of a siren approaches, then grows silent when quite near. The sound of car doors opening and being shut can be heard, followed by multiple footsteps heading in the direction of the investigators.

[SunlessNick]

"I don't know," Zara replies to Liz. "It's scary, but... now we're here, I can't just-" - at the sirens, "Wait, is that cops?" - she looks at Jack as she asks.

[jp1885]

"Yes, I'm afraid we might be the prime suspects..."

Tony sighs, wiping down his walking stick.

"Oh well, faint heart never won fair maid eh?"

He clambers into the diving bell and inspects the inside.