Play@YSDC

Queensway, Bayswater- London, England
7:30 AM - Sunday, September 8, 1940

As Lord Rufus Colville stood outside the Queensway Tube Station and looked around, he happened to see Anna Jerkins approaching from down a side street, and she saw him too.

“Hello there. How’s your day?” Anna said pleasantly in good cheer.

"No worries there. I've been pulling my hairs out here too. I'm more or less the representative of our sanitarium here. I lead the team...some of the time, and I suppose I need to help out with incidents like this. Are you ready to interview Mrs. Steadman?" Anna replied as she made a tired sigh. Trudging down the streets, with lichen growing from some of the cracks. She stumbled slightly, before regaining her balance as though nothing happened.

"Great. Let's go, then." Anna said energetically.

Following the directions Anna had received, she and Rufus made their way to Madeline's house, which was one of several similar-looking two-story houses in a row on a side street. It was on the left side of the street, and light was visible through the windows which were crisscrossed with tape, the blackout curtains having been drawn aside.

Anna knocked on the door.

A minute later, the door was opened by a pretty woman with black hair in her early twenties, wearing a checkered red and white dress. "Good morning," she said.

"Hello, mind if we come in?" Anna said, smiling.

"Are you Anna Jerkins?" asked the woman. "You got here quickly. I was just getting breakfast ready. Please, come in." She stepped aside. "And who are you, sir?"

"Thank you." Anna said, as she took off her shoes and pulled on slippers.

"Lord Rufus Colville, pleased to make your acquaintance" said Lord Colville.

Madeline bowed, then closed the door after her guests entered. They passed through a small vestibule, empty but for an umbrella holder and coat rack, and into a living room. The room was narrow but long. A sofa, an armchair, and a wireless set were present in the room. A staircase led up, and an archway led to the dining room.. "Welcome, Your Lordship," she said. "Would you both like some tea? A bit to eat?"

"Do you have any Eastern import? I heard the oolong was getting popular." Anna asked, smiling as she sat down in the couch. The living room was of a good design. Better than the one at her place, at least. "But of course, I'm fine with a less exotic blend. I already had breakfast, so, none necessary."

"Nothing for me, thank you. I've already eaten" says Rufus.

"I'm afraid all I've got is Earl Grey," said Madeline, leading the way into the dining room through the archway. "It's hard to get tea from the Orient, what with the war." The dining room featured a long mahogany table and six chairs in the middle. An open door led further back, and another one was in the left wall. "Feel free to have a seat. I'll be back in a few." She went through the open door.

"Earl Grey's fine, I suppose." Anna said, taking a seat. "So, milord, where do you want to start? Do you want to by askibg a few questions first, or do you want to look around a little bit? Mrs. Steadman seems to be very cooperative so far. The probability of Catherine hiding out here is slim, and I assume that we could ask her about her mothers' past contacts. She might be hiding elsewhere."

A few minutes later, Madeline returned with a silver tea tray and set it down on the table. She took up the teapot and filled the three cups on the tray, then distributed them to her guests and kept one for herself.

"Have you seen anything suspicious last night? Perhaps on your way to one of the bomb shelters, have you seen anyone of note? And do you mind tell us of a few people that your mother keeps in contact with? It might be possible that your mother had gotten help on escaping." Anna asked.

"I didn't see anything suspicious," said Madeline. "I wasn't in a public shelter. I stayed in the Anderson shelter out back. It turns out I needn't have bothered. No bombs fell on Bayswater. As far as I know, I'm the only one who visits Mother - well, my husband's gone with me to see her before, too, but he's been awfully busy lately. If she has any contacts, it would have to be someone on the sanitarium staff. The way I see it, she had to have help from someone on the inside in order to escape. She's always been very good at convincing people to do what she wants. God knows she's done it to me plenty of times growing up."

"I see. So there's no friends or acquaintances that she keeps in contact with except you? This..it's certainly unusual. Where do you think will be the most likely place your mother will visit aside from your place?" Anna said, carefully examining Madeline's face.

Psychology 75%,[dice]0[/dice]

"Mother hasn't been in the outside world in ten years," said Madeline. "I'm not sure where else she might go. Perhaps the British Museum. That's where Father used to work, and there are a lot of memories there. I'm the only family she has left. Father was...killed during the incident. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

Anna Jerkins,[b]Anna[/b] could tell that [b]Madeline[/b] was holding things back and trying to deceive and misdirect them, though she was mixing in the truth with it to make it sound convincing. [b]Madeline[/b]'s description of her mother's persuasive ability was accurate, but she was lying to protect her mother and divert their attention on wild goose chases by trying to deflect suspicion onto the sanitarium staff and directing them to the British Museum. [b]Madeline[/b] had a subtle tell where she blinked whenever she would do this. [b]Anna[/b] could also sense some fear from [b]Madeline[/b], and also some of her mother's madness, though she was not as far gone as [b]Catherine Exeter[/b].

OOC,[b]Rufus[/b], you may roll Psychology as well.

Anna tried not to let concern and suspicion show on her face, as she nodded along. She'll have to call her boss afterwards. A followup visit needs to be arranged, and she deduced that Madeline must've suffered from child abuse during the past.

"My lord, perhaps we should go out and take some air, I'm afraid the living room is a bit...stuffy." Anna blinked at Rufus, tilting her head at an angle as she addressed him. She turned back towards, Madeline and gave small smile, brushing her hair back slightly. "Mrs. Steadman, do you mind telling me more about your father?"

Rufus nods at Anna, "I suppose I could use some air, I'll be back shortly."

Lord Colville looks around the outside of the house, checking for a basement or celler with an entrance or window outside the house.

"I loved my father," said Madeline, looking sad, "and he loved me. People kept saying he was mad, and a maniac, but that's not the father I knew. He doted on me and raised me well. Father just wanted what was best, even if he went about it the wrong way."

Rufus went back outside. There didn't look like there were any windows or doors leading into the basement in front of the house. The houses in this block were flush with each other, and there were no gaps between them. If he wanted to see the back of the house, he would have to get behind them. Fortunately, the house was not far from the end of the block.

Anna Jerkins,[b]Madeline[/b] believed what she was saying about her father, and she was glad to divert [b]Anna[/b] from the subject of her mother.

Lord Rufus Colville,[b]Rufus[/b] could tell that [b]Madeline[/b] was holding things back and trying to deceive and misdirect them.

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss. Do you mind if we take a look around your house? We promise we'll leave afterwards." Anna said.

Madeline frowned. "Why would you want to look around my house?" she said.

Anna Jerkins,[b]Madeline[/b] was getting nervous. She clearly had something to hide.

"To make sure you aren't in harm's way, or course. As a psychiatrist, I have to make sure that someone who escaped from the sanitarium wouldn't be able to harm you. It's just a brief assessment. It's entirely procedural." Anna reassured Madeline, who wasn't a terribly skilled liar. For someone who has something to hide, she sure wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it or feeling self-confident at all. "Madeline, is everything okay? You sound stressed."

"I assure you, my mother would never harm me," said Madeline. "She's too smart to come here, anyway. If I sound stressed, it shouldn't be a surprise. I spent last night in a little tin shed wondering if a bomb was going to drop on me, and now I have to wonder what will happen tonight if they come back."

Anna Jerkins,While [b]Madeline[/b] sincerely believes her mother will not harm her, and she did find last night's air raid stressful, there was more to her stress than just that. It probably did have to do with her mother's escape, considering her eagerness to get off the subject.

Lord Colville goes to the end of the block and comes back at the back of the house to inspect it.

"Of course, I don't mean to insinuate that your mother is criminally insane. It's a misconception at best and a stereotype at worst that all mentally ill patients are a threat. No, I'm worried that your mother might end up being in harm's way if she's out unsupervised. I need your cooperation to help me help her." Anna said, trying to placate Madeline. "Madeline, you can trust me."

Psychoanalysis 90%,[dice]0[/dice]

The alley behind the houses sloped downwards, so that it was about ten feet below the level of the street in front of them. Rufus found the back door to Madeline's house, but there were no windows at ground level on this side. There were some higher up, as well as a drainpipe that could potentially be used to reach them. The lowest windows were ten feet above the ground here, the curtains spread wide open. There were more windows some twenty feet up, and the blackout curtains there were still drawn. The back door didn't look quite as strong as the front door, though the lock was still decent. There was also an Anderson shelter in the alley opposite the house.

"Well, she isn't here," said Madeline to Anna, blinking, "so looking round the house would be a waste of time."

OOC,Psychoanalysis would only help if [b]Madeline[/b] were undergoing treatment, and she's not willing to do that.

OOC:   Alright, got it.

"Of course, then we'll arrange another meeting in a few days' time then. Pleasure to meet you." Anna said, still smiling, and reached up to shake her hand.

Madeline shook her hand back, her grip weak. "Likewise," she said. "Just give me a call when you want to meet again."

Anna leaves the house and regroup with Rufus.

When Anna stepped outside the front door, there was no sign of Rufus anywhere she could see.

As curious as Rufus is, he isn't going to break into this woman's house. He heads back around to the front yard.

Anna saw Rufus coming around the corner. "Lord Rufus, did you find anything of note?"

Anna frowned. "It would be improper to break into someone else's house on a light suspicion. I'd say we alert Maxwell's Sanitarium and move on with our next clue then. According to Madeline, she had spent last night in a tin shed down the block. I think we can all agree that she's hiding something. Perhaps heading down there will offer some further information."

"...I'm assuming the tin shed right over there's where she spent the night. I think it would be a good idea to have a look around." Anna quickly added.

Rufus and Anna went around to the alley behind the house. The Anderson shelter was actually composed of corrugated steel rather than tin, which made it very strong. It was about six feet high, so tall occupants would need to duck in order to fit inside, though once seated they would not risk bumping their heads. It went about the same distance back, and it was a little less wide. Inside the shelter were two benches, one on either side, stretching to the back of the shelter upon which the occupants could sit or even lie down. It seemed rather ordinary, similar to other Anderson shelters in this alley and throughout London.

Anna peered closely, searching for a clue.

Spot Hidden 40%,[dice]0[/dice]

There was nothing unusual about the Anderson shelter that Anna could see. It looked like any of a million others.

Rufus looks around the shelter. "I'm afraid we may be coming to a dead end in our investigation, it may be time to let law enforcement know the little we do know, unless you have another lead."

Rufus could see that the shelter did show signs of recent occupation.

OOC,Sorry, a Luck roll won't help here.

Anna sighed. "Well, this place is a disappointing dead end."

"If we are truly going to figure out what's going on, we need someone with the authority to search the house. I've also been wondering if you believe it was the madwoman who murdered that girl, I initially believed so, yet, while the woman is dangerous nothing suggest she would mutiliate someone to the point it would be mistaken for an animal attack. I find it hard to believe the two are coincidence, however. Perplexing." Rufus rubs his chin in thought.

"Perhaps there are some vital piece of the puzzle that we're missing. Catherine Exter couldn't have possibly escaped on her own, and I feel certain that Madeline is hiding something. Unfortunately, we have no physical evidence to back up our suspicions. Perhaps we could visit the museum where Catherine had been involved in 'The Incident'. They may offer some additional clues or details that we're missing." Anna replied in frustration, she was sure that there's something happening amidst the chaos. She feels uneasy about all this.

"Perhaps it would be a good idea to meet up with everyone else from the shelter first. The museum opens at 10AM. We probably have the time to go and have a lil' chat. Hmm. Now, where did they say we would meet up again?" Anna said, sighing. She's not much of a detective. She does, however, happen to have a sharp memory.

"Perhaps heading back to the church would be a good place to start. Some of them may be there." Anna suggested.

"I think heading back to the church is a excellent idea, we can enlist the help of some of the others tangled up in this." Rufus said.

Rufus knew that Anna was correct about when the British Museum would open. They both took the Central Line back to its eastern terminus and walked the rest of the way to the church.

OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below:

The Plot Thickens