Play@YSDC

Tuesday, April 2nd, 1929

9am

Arkham, Massachusetts

The investigators awaken to another fine morning in Arkham. Today however, their thoughts are preoccupied with the mystery surrounding the death of Richard Cardigan. Alice is given permission to keep on the case – the university is reeling due to the murder, which was announced in that mornings papers.

Emily and Henry make enquiries as to missing persons, but are unable to come up with any leads. Nothing is reported in the newspapers.
At the hospital, the companions find Detective Stuckey already in attendance, consulting the doctor who turns out to be treating the mysterious man found on the riverbank.

Stuckey nods a greeting.

“Have you heard?” he asks.

”Have we heard what, Detective?” asked Bruce.

Stuckey absently takes out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, but then realizes where he is and puts it back.

“Atwater skipped. Yesterday evening. Would any of you know anything about that?”

He glances around the group, watching how the companions react.

Bruce was genuinely surprised. ”Skipped as in bailed out?” he asked. “He didn’t look in any fit state to me!”

Stuckey shrugs.

“Nonetheless, he’s gone. Guess he was faking it, huh. How well do you know the guy?”

"I don't know Atwater that well but he was definitely off when we saw him yesterday. I would venture to say that in his altered state of mind, he is probably still a danger to himself." Harrison replies. "I do hope he turns up again soon."

"How did he escape?" Henry asks. "He did seem not himself."

"I didn't know him at all," Emily says, "but I would sworn he wasn't up to going anywhere."

OOC,She's been completely honest about that.

"It makes it more important than ever to try and get something out of this other man."

”He was a member of the debating society at the University but outside of that, I hardly know anything about him,” said Bruce.

Stuckey nods.

“Well, we checked his home, and he hasn’t been there. If you hear from him, let us know.”

He sighs.

“I thought you might want to talk to this guy. That’s okay, but we’ll be in the room.”

“Only for a short time” says the Doctor sternly. “He’s very weak, suffering from shock, dehydration, exposure and just general exhaustion. He has a severely deformed spine, and is highly delusional.”

"What form does his delusion take, Doctor?" asks Alice.

"He thinks he is Richard Atwater" the doctor replies.

"That's all we've managed to get out of him so far" Stuckey continues. "He doesn't match anyone who's been reported missing locally, so who he is and how he got in that hole is a mystery."

"What I find even more mysterious is how he could have survived in there" the doctor tells him. "He was buried, and underwater? Incredible!"

He shakes his head.

"Would you like to see him now?

Fort walks into the room as directed by the doctor. As he passes he asks,
“Excuse me, Doctor. If the man has a deformed spine will he be able to walk again?”

A bit bewildered by the turn of events, Bruce enters the room.

”Mr Atwater - do you know who I am?” he asked the man.

"Fascinating," Henry mutters, also heading into the room. He decides to play along, for now.

"Hello Henry." He tells the man. "What can you tell us about how you came to be here?"

OOC:   I'm starting to think I should have given my character a different name.

Emily has thought and asks the same question as Bruce - "Henry, do you know me?" - as the real Atwater would not, but a fake one might pretend to.

As it appears that there are lots of questions being directed to the patient, Harrison will hang back in the room and just listen to the responses.

The wasted, emaciated figure is propped up in bed. He looks ancient, and very, very tired.

As the companions enter and speak, he slowly opens his eyes and looks around at them.

“Henry Appleton?” he says weakly. “And you’re Professor Patterson. Nice to see you.”

He closes his eyes again.

Henry, This sounds more like the Atwater you know.

"I'm Alice Stanton," says Alice. "I don't think you know me, but you may have heard of me. I'm one of the ones that found and rescued you. I'm here to help, if I can. Can you please tell us what happened and how you ended up in that hole?"

However, the figure in the bed doesn't stir again. After a quick examination, the doctor ushers everyone out of the room.

"Well, he seems to know some of you" says Stuckey, once they are outside. The doctor remains in the room.

"Who is he?"

"He sounded like the old Henry Atwater," the aspiring doctor admits. "Unlike the other one with the unusual accent. But of course that's not possible." Eyes narrowed in contemplation, he seems deep in thought.

“No, that’s not possible” says Stuckey. “Unless there’s some kind of scam going on. Maybe the old guy is going to take the fall for killing Cardigan?”

”He recognised Mr Appleton and myself straight away,” mused Bruce, “Though that’s by no means a conclusive argument for that old man in there being Henry Atwater. Are we really suggesting that he and the old man somehow swapped bodies? That’s impossible!”

Stuckey pokes a stubby finger into Bruce's chest.

"No-one's suggesting anything apart from you, mister" he says sternly. "Keep your crazy theories to yourself, and try and help us figure this out. You're supposed to be a professor."

Fort has been thinking.
“The Professor might be on to something. I once saw this film where a chap banged his head; lost his memory but was convinced he was someone else; Chap B.
It was only when they let him out of hospital and he got on the ‘bus back to his old home that he realised he was actually Chap A!”
Fort chuckles in recollection.

Bruce pushed Stuckey’s hand away irritably. ”Do you mind?” he snapped.

“I’m all ears to hear what you think happened, Detective. I merely stated that the man in their recognised me and that it seemed impossible, nothing more that that!”

At this point in time, Harrison is not willing to speculate about anything. Although it would appear highly improbable that Henry and this man switched minds or bodies or if there were some other highly probable reason for what was going on, it was a mystery that needed investigation and it was far more interesting than his doctoral work at the moment.

"I do believe that we must focus on finding Henry Atwater. If he was capable of leaving, he will be capable of answering more questions when we find him."

"He didn't claim to know me," Emily puts in. "And if he was faking he probably would have. I never met Henry Atwater," she clarifies to Stuckey. "I could try again, pretend to be a friend of his... if he's really... he'd know better."

The doctor reappears.

"He's sleeping now, and I would request no more visits for today. He's still very weak and he needs plenty of rest if he's going to pull through."

He turns to Fort.

"As to your question about the deformity, I don't know. It could be from birth, or some undiagnosed condition."

"It's plainly a ruse of some kind" says Stuckey. "Some convoluted plan to do away with Cardigan. I'm going to post a guard on this door, Doctor. This man is a suspect, whatever his condition."

"We should get over to the sanitarium," says Alice. "We'll need to find out what Mr. Atwater did there and how he escaped, and see if we can find and follow his trail. Some of those dogs that were used in the search could be useful for that."

Henry nods in agreement.

Stuckey shakes his head.

“Slow down Miss, we’ve already been over it. He’s gone, we’re not sure how, but he probably just walked out. He wasn't locked up. It doesn’t make any difference anyway. And as for dogs, he’s wearing new clothes, see? Why don’t you all go on about your business, and we’ll be in touch if there are any developments you can help us out with.”

OOC, Shall I move things on?

Fort looks at his watch,
“Cripes, I’ve got a match to get to. I’ll hook up with you all later.” He smiles jovially and then rushes out the door.