Chapter 2: October 24th

[HoneyDog]

Monday 24 October, 1881. 10am

Commercial Road, Whitechapel

The companions meet at the appointed time outside a shabby-looking meeting hall, which has been commandeered to be used as the site of the inquest. The surrounding streets are some of London’s poorest; the tenement houses are clustered closely together, many in states of disrepair. The streets are crowded with people and the noise from hawkers selling their wares, random shouts in a variety of languages and the clatter of carriages is immense. The place smells terribly, as yet there is no functioning sewer system, and one has to tread warily. But Commercial Road is not as bad as some of the surrounding alleys, and the fact that the companions are quite ordinarily dressed means that they do not stick out too much.

Outside the meeting hall, a small crowd is gathering, interested in the inquest proceedings. Several groups of men are included, and there seems to be an air of anticipation. The companions are near the front though, and should be able to find a seat without difficulty.

Since they met yesterday, the investigators have had varying progress. To their horror, Vic and Alexander discovered that public libraries, and indeed most public buildings, are in fact closed on Sundays. The others though were more fortunate. Although only hearing about a multitude of different possible suspects and wild motives for the murders, they did encounter members of the East End Citizen’s Committee on patrol. It seems that the organization is growing, and as well as local business persons and their employers, is beginning to attract a rougher crowd of thrill-seekers and low-lives, including anarchists and radicals. There seems to be some trepidation in regards to the direction the Committee might be taking.

Soon enough, the doors are opened, and the announcement is made that the inquest will shortly start.

[Mr. Handy]

"Biology and medicine aren't my fields," says Alexander, "but I may still have some insights."

[Mephistophilis]

Harry slips into the back of the room and looks for a place where he can surreptitiously observe the other attendees.

[Philulhu]

Vic accompanied Dr. Campbell towards the front. Having never attended an inquest before, she is curious, but apprehensive.

She holds a lavender-scented handkerchief to her nose, to ward of any unwelcome smells, although the packed mass in the hall is doing its best to overpower the scent.

[HoneyDog]

Eventually the audience gets settled, although there is a continued buzz of nervous excitement. Several police officers are on standby, on the lookout for trouble.
The beginning of the proceedings is announced, the second day into the inquest of Andrew Clark, 43, of unknown address. The coroner presiding is announced as Stephen Partington-White. It seems that yesterday the inquest was concerned with the identity of the deceased, and today several witnesses are giving details of the last movements of the man.

Partington-White is short and stout, with white beard and hair. He is well-dressed, and the room is filled with the noxious fumes from his cigar. He is irritable and easily distracted by interruptions, and officers are directed to remove members of the public who try to disrupt the proceedings.

Among those who give evidence are three policemen. The first to be called is Inspector Martin Cleveland of the Criminal Investigation Department of Scotland Yard. Cleveland is tall and thickset, a gruff and confidant man. He is followed by Sergeant John Craig, also of CID. About 40 years old, he is tough-looking and athletic. Lastly there is Inspector William Spaulding, of H Division, which polices the local area. Almost 50, short, stout and unkempt, it is he who gives the majority of the information.

“Clark was reported by his shipmates as being out drinking with on the night of October 19th. His mates last saw him before midnight, when he left, alone, with the intention of finding a prostitute, to ahem… “hoist the old yardarm”, in his words.”

A whoop goes up from the audience at this titillating news.

“Order!” shouts Partington-White angrily. “Control yourselves!”

When the crowd have subsided, Spaulding resumes.

“About 5 o’clock the next morning, a docker discovered Clark’s body beneath a pile of overturned crates in an alley off Upper East Smithfield Street.”

“And what are ye gonna dae aboot it, eh?” shouts out a burly looking man in a thick Scottish accent. He has reddish-brown hair and a large mustache. “Whur’s thae protection fur the poor, eh?” His complaint is taken up by many of the men surrounding him, and a chorus of boos breaks out.

The crowd is looking rowdy, so Partington-White calls a break in the proceedings until tomorrow morning. The afternoon will see the beginning of the inquest into the other murdered man at 1pm at an address in Stepney. The time is now approximately 11 am.

[Snapper]

Crozier:

Crozier attends the Coroner's Court in the same good quality nautical jacket as he was wearing the day before, together with his captain's peaked cap, and a silver-tipped walking stick. (He hopes the nautical look will explain his presence to any who notice him.)

At the adjournment he turns to his fellow Seekers with a grin. "That Scotsman had a lot to say. But I might leave him to someone else to talk to." Crozier crooks an eyebrow at Flores and Brown but says no more. "I thought I might try talking to that Inspector Spaulding."

As the crowd disperses, Crozier looks for the inspector, with a view to introducing himself and politely inviting the man to lunch.

[HoneyDog]

OOC,Spaulding will need a successful Law roll and an explanation of your interest in the case before he is prepared to divulge anything.

[Snapper]

Crozier:

Law 25%,[dice]0[/dice] [ooc]Fail.[/ooc]

As a matter of interest,[b]Crozier[/b] would have explained that he is a merchant captain, is concerned about greater violence against sailors on the docks, heightened tensions etc then droned on about merchant shipping being the lifeblood of the Empire etc.

[HoneyDog]

OOC,So Crozier will make no attempt to talk to Spaulding?

[Snapper]

Well if he still can,I guess Crozier doesn't know he's failed his law roll, so why not?

Crozier looks for Inspector Spaulding in the departing throng. Approaching the inspector, he politely raises his cap and says, "Inspector, my name is Captain Crozier, I'm a merchant mariner. I wonder if you would allow me to offer you lunch? If there is anywhere here-abouts that offers a good lunch? I am open to recommendations, I may add." Crozier smiles hopefully.

[HoneyDog]

Without changing his expression, Spaulding touches the brim of his cap.

“Thank you Captain, but I’m in a hurry.”

He leaves in the company of one of his constables.

OOC,There should be other opportunities to try. The other characters can act now if they wish, or congregate to talk.

[aine]

"Nice try, Captain but it looks like the Inspector has his pockets full of worries." Isolde watches the retreating policemen with chagrin. "Maybe you might have better luck with Inspector Cleveland; he is a better class of policeman who might more appreciate your point of view. What we really need is a look at the symbols on the bodies; if only one of us was a medical man. But for now, I suppose we could view where the bodies were found; we might just have time before the afternoon session starts."

[Philulhu]

”That seems as good an idea as any,” replied Vic. “Do we know where to find the site of the murders?”

[Mr. Handy]

"Aye, I'd like to examine the scenes of the crimes as well," says Alexander. "I could try talking to my fellow Scot. Being one myself could help, but then again, maybe not."

[Mephistophilis]

'I'd say a stroll to Upper East Smithfield Street and a few choice questions of the locals would identify the location as well as any other method' says Harry.

[Philulhu]

“Lead on then, Mr Brown, if you will,” said Vic. She imagined Harry would have the right no-nonsense attitude for asking questions in the rougher parts of town.

[Raiko]

"That Scotsman had a lot to say. But I might leave him to someone else to talk to." Crozier crooks an eyebrow at Flores and Brown but says no more.

Melody nods and attempts to makes her way over to the burly red-headed Scotsman.

"'Hello! Do you 'ave a minute t'spare?

Once she attracts the man's attention Melody says, "We've bin asked, t' investigate the murders, and care more than the police ever will for the poor."

[HoneyDog]

Melody,The man’s eyes narrow with amusement as he regards [b]Melody[/b]. The men around him look on in interest. [color=#0040FF]“Oh aye? And who asked ye tae investigate then, pet?”[/color] he asks.

Everyone else,[ooc]You don’t have time to visit both locations if you want to attend the next inquest. We can go to the nearest one.[/ooc] The investigators take a carriage to East Smithfield Street, near St. Katherine’s Dock, a bustling scene of nautical industry, where ships are being loaded and unloaded, and a steady stream of goods and people are moving to and from. Asking around, the companions are able to find the location of the murder. It hasn’t rained and there is still evidence of the killing in the form of blood stains on the ground and surrounding debris. The alley itself is full of trash; it stinks and rats are seen running around. The amount of blood indicates that the victim was probably killed there.

[Philulhu]

Vic held her handkerchief to her nose, trying to ward of the smell. She stepped tentatively forward, trying to see into the alley, to see if there were any further clues as to what happened.

Spot Hidden,Spot Hidden (25%) - [dice]0[/dice]

[aine]

Isolde looks at the blood stains. “Well that overturns my first theory- that the man was killed as a sacrifice and then the body dumped here. Why was he killed here, of all places?” She takes out a large crystal from a pocket and holds it up as she spins slowly round. She looks carefully at the buildings as she turns to see if there might be any occult reference or anything unusual.

Spot hidden,40 ,[dice]0[/dice]