Play@YSDC

61 Victoria Road, Kensington - London, England
5:30 AM - Sunday, September 8, 1940

Lord Rufus Colville reached his house in Kensington without incident. While the East End had been hammered last night, this neighborhood had thankfully been completely spared.

OOC,Since this is your house, feel free to describe it.

Lord Colville returned to the family home, a two story mansion his father had left him. Nothing was damaged, but it seemed the maid hadn't yet been by. He wants to tell someone about the strange people from the shelter but he has no one to speak with, like usual. He goes to look at his rabbits for a little company, petting them calming his frayed nerves a bit.

While Rufus was with his rabbits, Carstairs the butler entered. He was in his sixties, tall and bald, and had been working for the family for decades, since before Rufus had been born. "Good morning, my lord," he said. "Breakfast is ready whenever you are, and the morning newspaper has arrived."

"Carstairs old boy, it is a pleasure to see you today. I had quite a time in the shelter, we captured a German airman and a group of people colluded with the airman in an attempt to convince us there was some sort of monster outside. I can't wait to see the paper and find out how London has fared through the attack"

"Very good, milord," said Carstairs, leading Rufus to the dining room, where the maid laid out bacon and eggs, toast with margarine (butter being rationed, it was only used for special occasions), and hot, steaming tea. The morning edition of the London Times was also ready for him, and he perused it while he ate. Most of the news was about the bombing. The East End had born the brunt of it, particularly the docks, but there had been an awful lot of civilian casualties, and they still had not finished counting the dead. It was estimated that hundreds had been killed and over a thousand injured, not to mention all those who had been bombed out and were now homeless. The RAF had lost 23 planes, while the Luftwaffe had lost 41. The numbers were presented as casually as though they were football scores. A smaller article also mentioned that a madwoman had escaped from Maxwell's Sanitarium in the confusion of the air raid. Wasn't that where Anna had said she worked? The escaped patient was named Catherine Exeter, and she was known to be violent. She had been institutionalized there ten years ago after having nearly killed a man.

Lord Colville is overcome with grief. He blames himself for thinking peace with Germany had been an option, now hundreds were dead and so many more lives devastated. He hoped for the best but the future looked bleak. He got up and poured himself a stiff drink. He wondered if Professor Story hadn't been crazy but had simply seen an attack by the madwoman on the loose. The German had surely been shellshocked.

Rufus knew if he stayed at home he would just end up drunk and depressed, so he decided to go to the Sanitarium to see if her attacks were violent enough to be mistaken for animal attacks, but also to see if she had escaped already when the attack occurred.

It did not take Rufus long to reach Maxwell's Sanitarium. The ivy-coated marble building stood proud, barely damaged by last night's raid. The windows had been shattered by blast, and some of the stonework on one corner had minor chunks blown out of it. He strode up the broad steps to the front doors and went inside. A pretty young brunette sat behind the reception desk. "I'm sorry, sir," she said. "Visiting hours aren't until later."

"Hello there, I read in the papers about the escaped woman and some of the people from the shelter say a woman who had been savagely attacked. A nurse from the hospital here was there last night and I'd really like to speak to her, Anna I believe her name was."

"Anna who?" asked the receptionist. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

OOC,Yes, you do. She mentioned it in front of everyone.

"Anna Jerkins"

"Oh, she's not a nurse," said the receptionist, "she's a doctor, and a practicing alienist. One of the best." She says this with no small measure of pride. "I'm afraid she's not scheduled to work today."

"I apologize for the mistake, when she comes in could you give her my number and tell her I'm Lord Rufus Colville. I am curious about Catherine Exeter in connection to events that happened last night. Do you know anything about Catherine Exeter and her escape?"

"I've heard about it, milord," she said, "but I don't know much. The higher-ups do, but I can't imagine they'd be eager to talk about it. It's an embarrassment, is what it is."

OOC,If you want to try to get to talk to someone in charge, please roll Credit Rating.

"Is there a specific person higher up I could talk with?"

"Yes, you should talk to Dr. Abner Stoddard," said the receptionist. "He's the administrator. You can find his office at the top of the stairs, at the end of the hall. I'm sure he'll speak to a personage such as yourself, milord. I'll let him know you're coming." She pushed a button on the intercom on her desk. "Dr. Stoddard, Lord Rufus Colville is here to see you."

"Does he have an appointment?" asked a crackly voice.

"I'm afraid not, Doctor."

"Well, no matter, my schedule is free at the moment. Send him up."

"Very good, Doctor." The receptionist released the button. "You can go on up."

Lord Colville heads to Dr. Stoddard's office.

"Hello, I'm Lord Colville and I'm here about Catherine Exeter, I suspect some foul play seen by some of the others in the bunker with me during the bombing might have been her. I hope to find out a little about her before I take this to the police"

Dr. Stoddard was a thin, white-haired man in his sixties. He frowned when Rufus mentioned Catherine Exeter. "Yes, that's a black spot on our otherwise fine institution," he said. "Catherine Exeter has a violent history, and I fear for what she might do now that she's on the loose. She's been here for ten years. She hasn't done anything violent during her stay here, but that's what led to her being institutionalized. She and her late husband, a professor who worked at the British Museum, were both quite mad, and they led a small group of equally mad men of Egyptian origin. Ten years ago they had kidnapped a chap and were going to kill him in the basement of a warehouse when some concerned citizens and the police interrupted them. One of those citizens, a British Museum security guard named Gareth Hayes, got shot in the back three times by Mrs. Exeter for his trouble. He survived, somehow."

"You wouldn't have a way I can contact Mr. Hayes, would you? This wasn't an attack with a firearm, this man looked like he'd been torn apart by an animal. Did she have any history of things like that? What did they do to the man they kidnapped exactly?"

"I'm sorry, but I've no idea what happened to Mr. Hayes afterwards," said Dr. Stoddard. "You might want to check with the British Museum. Catherine Exeter didn't have any known history of violence before this incident. The chap they kidnapped, some sort of treasure hunter named Grit Wilson, they had tied to an altar in the basement of a warehouse. They were planning to kill him in some sort of bizarre ritual, but fortunately the others found them and intervened. There was one particularly brave woman who saved his life, in spite of having been grievously wounded by a gunshot to the head. Her name was Elizabeth Young. She survived too, though it was touch and go for a while. So did Mr. Wilson, thanks to her. He had been badly beaten, but he was a tough fellow."

There was a gentle knock on the door. "Dr. Stoddard?" came a woman's voice from outside. "There's a telephone call for you. It's Dr. Jerkins."

"Thank you, I'll take it in here." He gave Rufus an apologetic look. "Sorry, milord, but this could be important. I don't expect this to take long." He lifted the receiver of the phone on his desk. "Yes, Dr. Jerkins?"

"I quite agree," said Dr. Stoddard after a pause. "In fact, Lord Rufus Colville is in my office right now inquiring after her. Catherine Exeter was last seen down in our shelter in the basement. Somehow she escaped during the raid. We had a WC set up in one corner, and she went into it, but she didn't come out. When the matron escorting her checked, it was empty."

Dr. Stoddard waited again for Anna Jerkins to reply. "I'm afraid news has already gotten out," he said. "At least it will most likely be buried considering yesterday's other events. There was no window in the WC. It was just a corner of the basement, which has solid stone walls. The only way out was the way she went in. The matron was assigned to pay attention to her precisely so that nothing would happen. She insisted she was watching the WC the whole time, but obviously she must have had a lapse of attention. Needless to say, she's been sacked."

After another pause, the doctor continued: "She didn't switch places with anyone, for there was nobody at all inside. The basement is ventilated, yes, but there is no vent in the water closet itself. There are no holes big enough for her to have escaped through. She could not possibly have fit down the drain, and she did not get out by walking through the walls. The door is the only way in and out, and the WC has already been examined, but you're welcome to take a look yourself if you like."

There was another brief delay before he continued: "That's true, Dr. Jerkins, but I wouldn't expect to find anything there. Is there anything else?"

"She has a daughter, Madeline Steadman," said Dr. Stoddard after a short pause. "She was twelve at the time the incident happened, but she's grown up now. Married an RAF officer. She's been visiting her mother frequently over the years."

"It's Mrs. Steadman," the doctor said, "and that is a possibility. Nobody has contacted her yet, as it's quite early. She lives at her parents' old house in Bayswater, W2." He gave the exact address. "It's just north of Queensway. You're welcome to contact her yourself if you like, Doctor."

"Do you need directions?" asked Dr. Stoddard. "Hmm...seems she's hung up." With a shrug, he does likewise. "Now, Lord Colville, do you require anything else?"

"Forgive me for eavesdropping, but I heard the escape was rather mysterious. I'd like to see the WC, see if I can shine any light on this escape."

Lord Colville attempts to memorize the address he heard Dr. Stoddard give for Mrs. Steadman.

Rufus was able to memorize the address easily enough.

"You're welcome to have a look," said Dr. Stoddard. He tapped a button on his intercom. "Megan, would you mind giving my guest Lord Rufus Colville a look at the basement shelter?" Though he phrased it politely, it was clear that it was an order and not a request.

A moment later, the secretary appeared at the door. "This way, milord," she said.

Rufus follows Megan to the basement

Megan led Rufus down the main stairwell which he had ascended, continuing beyond the ground floor to the basement. The walls were concrete, and it was easy to see why it had been adapted as an air raid shelter. The basement itself was huge, able to contain many people. Various boxes had been stacked against one wall, out of the way. At the rear of the basement, there was a boiler in the far right corner, and a small area of the far left was blocked off by wooden walls with a door in one of them.

"Here's where I spent last night," said Megan. "We were packed in like sardines in a tin. We squeezed in all the patients, but there wasn't room enough for all the staff."

"So, she escaped over there behind the wooden walls? Would you mind if I examined the room? There must be something you've missed, a woman can't just pass through solid stone."

"Be my guest," said Megan.

Rufus opened the door easily enough. The toilet itself looked perfectly normal. The concrete walls continued to the corner. The left wall of the WC had a vertical seam stretching straight from the floor to the ceiling.

Rufus inspects the area the best he can. He is still upset about the impossible monster stories and he has no intention of believing in a woman vanishing into thin air either. He even does his best to check for a tunnel underneath the toilet, asking, even insisting to remove it to be sure. He is not concerned about damaging the room in trying out every escape he could think of.

There was no tunnel that Rufus could find. The only other way out besides the way he came in seemed to be the drain, which was far too small for a person to enter. The only unusual feature of the WC was the seam in the concrete, which did not quite mesh properly. Still, the space between was paper thin, so it looked impossible for anyone to have squeezed through it.

"They were right to fire the woman who was watching, I can see no possibility but that the woman watching must have been distracted. She must have left through the door." He tries to reassure himself. How could she have snuck past everyone else? He wondered.

"Well, I think I've seen everything I can here, I greatly appreciate the kindness and patience you've shown me"

Rufus intends to go to the house of Mrs. Steadman now. After that, the police.

"It was my pleasure, milord," said Megan, escorting Rufus back upstairs. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more help."

OOC,[b]Rufus[/b], if you head to [b]Mrs. Steadman[/b]'s house now, please roll Navigate.

It was hard to find his way around due to the fact that all street signs had been removed months ago due to fear of invasion, but Rufus had lived in London long enough to know that Bayswater was north of Kensington Gardens, along the northern edge of which was Queensway. In fact, there was an Underground station called Queensway that was on it, on the Central Line. At first he went to Bethnal Green Station, which was not too far away, but he found out the hard way that the eastern extension of the Central Line was not yet complete, and the rails had not been laid there yet - nor were they likely to be for the duration of the war. This meant a long walk to Liverpool Street Station, currently the eastern terminus of the Central Line. The line had not been damaged by the bombing and was in good service, so he took it to Queensway Station and emerged onto the surface. However, at this point he was unable to locate the exact address due to the lack of signage.

OOC,[b]Rufus[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

House Call