IC: Scene 13 - Murder!

[amarriner]

374 W. Curwen Street
Wednesday June 8th 1927, 9:00am

Arch, Donald, and Albert drive north through Arkham from the Historical Society to the scene of the murder on W. Curwen St. Upon getting there they see a crowd of police and newspaper people out on the street in front of the building. Amongst them is Raymond Stuckey who they met the other day at the Asylum. At first, when he sees them, he is reluctant to allow them access. After a few minutes, though, Jack, Gregory, and Rascee show up and Jack convinces Stuckey to allow them all in. Introductions are given and the six men file in through the door and are met with a smaller group of police who are processing the scene.

A couple of cops are speaking to a small-framed woman who is obviously shaken up. This, everyone assumes, is the maid: Georgia Smith, mentioned in the article. Everyone is in the living room where the body still lays on the floor near the fireplace. The poker still lies on the floor next to Mrs. Hope and since she's lying on her back, the numeral '1' is clearly visible on her forehead ...

Stuckey follows the group in and begins looking around the scene again.

OOC - The map has been updated with the location of the murder.

[zielonobrody]

Donald Lutherhagen
This is too much for me. says Donald clearly going pale. He steps out askingArch to step outside with him for a second. you know what, I just realised that since the lady has 1 on her forehead, I'm sure there's going to be more. Peabody said that he interviewed the woman, and we forgot to ask if there were any other people he interviewed on that topic. Maybe I'll run over and find out before someone else get's murdered. I'll take the phone number to the house and call if I learn anything suspicious. Should've thought ahead of time. Could be that Peabody will be next. Anyway, I'm not staying in a room with dead people.

[TakeSolo]

Arch Ackland

Stepping into the room, Arch immediately throws his hand to his mouth and nose. My goodness... As Donald motions to him, he follows. As he takes a step outside the room, he breathes easy. Good thinking, I'll stay here and see what I can find out. I think you're right Donald, Peabody seems to be more involved with this then we might think. We'll be here for a while so let us know if anything comes up.





Shouldn't we make Sanity rolls?

[Dave Syrinx]

Rascee Timms

The old tracker unfocus on the dead woman and lets the surrounding furniture, objects and disarray speak to him. Things like soot coming from the mouth of the fireplace should show if someone stepped close to retrieve the poker from its stand. A partially moved piece of furniture could, like a broken twig, show trace of the attacker´s clothing. Are the windows properly shut, or just pushed closed? Being used to hunting and gutting wild game, he examines the numeric art on the vic´s forehead. Does it look like a precision cut or a crude gash? As the others discuss, the thoughts run through Timms´head. Where had the fight begun and where had the slayer gone after the deed?

Rascee decides to check the exits for soot marks. Then the right and left ways away from the house. He assumes the killer wouldn´t have walked across the street - risking being seen. Then he returns to the investigators and reports his findings or lack of such.

[amarriner]

Maybe I'll run over and find out before someone else get's murdered.

OOC: I'll get another thread up momentarily for you to post in, zielonobrody

Shouldn't we make Sanity rolls?

Well, I'd considered that, but I figured this was a more "usual" dead body than the one most of you saw at the campsite. Thus I didn't figure the roll was necessary here. The numeral scratched in the head probably wasn't great, but I thought you were okay so far.

The old tracker unfocus on the dead woman and lets the surrounding furniture, objects and disarray speak to him

Rascee spends several minutes just walking around the area. He does see very faint prints in the soot by the fireplace, and one of the windows facing the street is not barred shut. He also sees the soot prints head towards the door. His conclusion, then, is that someone came in through an unlocked window, grabbed the poker and killed Mrs. Hope with it and then walked out the front door ... After the short set of steps down to the street, the soot is gone and Rascee can't really tell which direction they went.

The numeral etched on her forehead is definitely quite crude. Not at all fine and precise. It appears to have been made with the fireplace poker. Noticing the group looking at the poker, Stuckey pipes up, Yeah nasty bit of work there, huh? Poor ol' gal just got her brains bashed in, I guess. Dunno who in the hell woulda wanted ta do that, though. The rest of the cops are milling about and wandering here and there around the rest of the house.

[Dave Syrinx]

Rascee Timms

"Any idea how this went down? Where did the attacker come from?" Rascee keeps his thoughts to himself. He waits for Stuckey to reply.

[amarriner]

Stuckey eyes Rascee for a moment before replying. He mutters something under his breath about not seeing him previously with the group at the Asylum, but Timms can't quite make out what it is. So far we're goin' with this guy opens that window over there--old gal didn't lock it, by the way--knocks her out, runs upstairs to ransack the place, comes back down to finish the job with the poker and heads out the front door. Crazy, right? We're still trying to catalogue what's upstairs and what--or what hasn't--been taken.

[Dave Syrinx]

"Timms, tracker and forest ranger." Rasce, declares and continues, "I was asked to come along and see if I could help out as I´m quite familiar with following the steps of those who try to cover their tracks...poachers and such. It´s easier in the woods, though."
"Do you need some help in the future you can reach me at the cabin up north." He starts to exit the house as he estimates he can´t do much else and he feels his welcome has been spent.

[amarriner]

"Timms, tracker and forest ranger." Rasce, declares and continues, "I was asked to come along and see if I could help out as I´m quite familiar with following the steps of those who try to cover their tracks...poachers and such. It´s easier in the woods, though."
"Do you need some help in the future you can reach me at the cabin up north." He starts to exit the house as he estimates he can´t do much else and he feels his welcome has been spent.

Ah yeah, good ta meet you, Timms. I'd be interested in knowing whatever you do end up finding out.

No need for Timms to leave just yet, Syrinx.

[Samuel]

Gregory Atkinson
I don't see anything else we can learn here, anyone have any ideas as to where to go next?

[Dave Syrinx]

Rascee Timms:

Hesitating at Atkinson´s words, Rascee stops in the door way. "Are we allowed to see what the victim had been up to the last couple of weeks? Like correspondence, trash bins and newspapers lying around... There might be notes or memos somewhere. It´s standard procedure when tracking down poachers to go through their camp for leads to their contacts. They usually have contacts to sell off the surplus kills. Maybe our vic was in to something that got her in trouble? It´s not sure she just got robbed - and killed." To Stuckey, Timms says, "I found no soot traces in the stairs... Why do you think the murderer went upstairs? The prints are only down here and leads directly out through the door. Maybe someone else have searched the upstairs? The neighbour maybe wanted something in the vic´s possession? Have you sketched the print marks by the fire place?" Timms leans back against the wall facing the street with his arms crossed.

[TakeSolo]

Arch Ackland

Admist all the ruckous, as soon as a moment pops up, Arch chimes in. Officer, mind if I take a few snapshots for the road? He gives a goofy smile of dry humor.

[Dave Syrinx]

Still disturbed by the conclusion at a robbery gone bad, as the police deduced, Rascee walks across the room to the stairs. He meticulously examines the steps for soot traces. "Get a flash over here, Arch, was it? Makes it´s easier to discern traces..." Timms leans towards having a predator ahead of him who got interrupted and fled the scene...

[amarriner]

Rascee Timms:

Hesitating at Atkinson´s words, Rascee stops in the door way. "Are we allowed to see what the victim had been up to the last couple of weeks? Like correspondence, trash bins and newspapers lying around... There might be notes or memos somewhere. It´s standard procedure when tracking down poachers to go through their camp for leads to their contacts. They usually have contacts to sell off the surplus kills. Maybe our vic was in to something that got her in trouble? It´s not sure she just got robbed - and killed." To Stuckey, Timms says, "I found no soot traces in the stairs... Why do you think the murderer went upstairs? The prints are only down here and leads directly out through the door. Maybe someone else have searched the upstairs? The neighbour maybe wanted something in the vic´s possession? Have you sketched the print marks by the fire place?" Timms leans back against the wall facing the street with his arms crossed.

Stuckey replies, Yeah we've had a sharp eye upstairs as it appears that the murderer ransacked the old gal's personal library. Lots of books up there all strewn about. Must've been looking for something, I guess, but I sure as hell can't figure out what. You're welcome to take a look if you'd like. Might be something up there you can make sense of.

Admist all the ruckous, as soon as a moment pops up, Arch chimes in. Officer, mind if I take a few snapshots for the road? He gives a goofy smile of dry humor.

Erm, well I suppose so. Just don't take none of the body itself. Don't want that ending up in the papers, you know?

[Dave Syrinx]

Timms grunts something like, "Thankers!" and shuffles up the stairs to look for evidence of someone wearing sooty shoes having disrupted the library upstairs.

[TakeSolo]

Arch Ackland

Thanks! Arch walks over to the stairs and takes a few snapshots. He paces the room a little more taking a few pictures of anything of interest.

[Dave Syrinx]

While up in the library Timms tries to find a log or something where the vic could have scheduled meetings and such.

[amarriner]

The library is in a shambles. Books are strewn all over the place obviously thrown off the shelves in haste. A couple of policemen are looking around here, too, but they don't appear too interested. The room itself is rather large so it takes some time to go through it and find anything. After close to an hour, though, Timms finds a small book which contains an extensive catalogue of the entire library.

Most of what's contained here is encyclopedias, novels from many contemporary authors as well as a fairly prodigious section on the American Civil War. Another book that Timms spots after the this first one is stained with blood. Fresh blood. One of the first pages titles it: "The Booke of Thoughts of Ethan Williams, for the Year of Our Lord 1814." It appears to be the diary (at least one volume of it anyway) of Ethan Williams. Also of note in the catalogue book is a tome that catches Timms eye as something that's relevant to the area. It's called Thaumaturgical Prodigies in the New England Canaan,
written by the Reverend Ward Phillips of Arkham and has a very extensive history of Arkham and the Miskatonic Valley in general. Timms finds it undisturbed on one of the shelves using Mrs. Hope's book.

[Dave Syrinx]

Knowing some about the surroundings of Arkham, Timms unshelves the work by Ward Philips. Then he points at the stained book and asks Arch to take a couple of snaps of the blood covered book. "It´s some kind of diary...might have some clues to what occured here..." He checks the book of magics in Arkham county and browses the dedication and index of the reverend´s work.

[TakeSolo]

Arch Ackland

Arch steps into the library with Timms pacing in front of him. He's a bit taken aback by the mess. He immediately raises his camera and takes a few snaps of the area, making sure to cover the whole room.

As Timms mentions the diary, Arch takes a few more shots.

Did we just give up on rolling for anything