Dragons of London
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Re: Dragons of London
"Professor Hawthorne, Ms. Bly is quite right, the naked Simon Higgins is not an appropriate sight for a young lady, even if he is dead!" exclaims a flustered Klevendon. As is his habit, he peers over the rim of his spectacles and looks at the corpse. "He is so young," says he, almost admiringly, "ahem!"; he wonders at 'A slight catch in the professor’s voice' and compares it to his own, admittedly base, first impression of the naked young man. An obvoius question springs into Klevendon's mind, "Professor, why is Higgins naked and where are his clothes?"
Re: Dragons of London
At both Miss Bly’s obvious discomfort and Klevendon’s admonishment, the professor looks aghast.Tabs wrote:"Professor Hawthorne, Ms. Bly is quite right, the naked Simon Higgins is not an appropriate sight for a young lady, even if he is dead!" exclaims a flustered Klevendon. As is his habit, he peers over the rim of his spectacles and looks at the corpse. "He is so young," says he, almost admiringly, "ahem!"; he wonders at 'A slight catch in the professor’s voice' and compares it to his own, admittedly base, first impression of the naked young man. An obvoius question springs into Klevendon's mind, "Professor, why is Higgins naked and where are his clothes?"
“Please accept my apologies my dear Miss Bly. I know it is little comfort but in my defence I must say that I simply did not think. Again apologies to all of you for my carelessness”
From the reddening of his face you are certain that his apology is sincere.
“You ask why he is naked? The search for a wound to explain his death, possibly from the bite of some venomous snake or something similar showing that the eggs occupant had been of the reptilian species, necessitated the removal of his garments. However no evidence of a wound was forthcoming in fact the only odd thing to mar his body is the look of sheer terror that death has left frozen upon his features, so awful is it that I confess I found it necessary to cover his face with a cloth.”
He continues to stand in the doorway showing little intention of approaching the body.
“His clothing I have placed on that shelf there” He points towards a neatly folded pile of clothing on a nearby shelf beside which stand a pair of lace up boots.
“You will find there is nothing therein that sheds any light on Simon’s fate”
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
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Re: Dragons of London
Wellington pats the professor on the shoulder and exclaims,
"Good man, for a moment I feared you'd discarded his clothes!"
The man barged into the room, seemingly indifferent to the undressed state of the dead young man.
Horatio looks over the partially covered remains of the young assistant and twists his toe. He then produces his glass from his pocket and check under the young man's nails for traces of soil or tissue and examines the exposed pieces of the corpse before removing the face cloth.
"Good man, for a moment I feared you'd discarded his clothes!"
The man barged into the room, seemingly indifferent to the undressed state of the dead young man.
Horatio looks over the partially covered remains of the young assistant and twists his toe. He then produces his glass from his pocket and check under the young man's nails for traces of soil or tissue and examines the exposed pieces of the corpse before removing the face cloth.
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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Re: Dragons of London
Roxborough stares incredulously as the callous detective enters the room.
He puts a caring hand on Miss Bly's shoulder to offer some comfort and whispers some soothing words, sounding more like he's trying to calm down his horse than a person.
He puts a caring hand on Miss Bly's shoulder to offer some comfort and whispers some soothing words, sounding more like he's trying to calm down his horse than a person.
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
Re: Dragons of London
The abrupt removal of the face covering cloth by the detective causes the entire assemblage to loose a collective groan, for in doing so Wellington had allowed the full horror of the young mans last moments to be seen by all within the room.
The features are frozen by death into a rictus of fear. Dead eyes have almost burst from their sockets, the mouth strains open as if in mid scream, the volume of which must have been enormous.
“Dear God sir, have you no sympathy for the dead?” mutters the professor obviously shocked by the detectives lack of societal niceties.
The features are frozen by death into a rictus of fear. Dead eyes have almost burst from their sockets, the mouth strains open as if in mid scream, the volume of which must have been enormous.
“Dear God sir, have you no sympathy for the dead?” mutters the professor obviously shocked by the detectives lack of societal niceties.
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
- Anais Nin
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Re: Dragons of London
Klevendon's first thought, gentleman that he is, is: "Ms. Bly, whatever you do, don't look at Higgins' face"; next, reaction sets in, and he begins to hyperventilate himself.
"Mr. Wellington," says Klevendon carefully,--concentrating on his breathing--"did you discover anything?"
Klevendon checks out the dead man's clothing and boots.
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Re: Dragons of London
Wellington sucks his pipe as he stares at the terrified face for a few moments before covering it up again. Most unsettling to a lesser mind, he suspected.
He cocks an eyebrow as he gives the professor an almost condescending stare.
"I respect the dead so much I try to clear the fog that surrounds their passing, Professor, I am quite sure Mr. Higgins has little objection to that."
He puffs his pipe, notices it has gone out and puts in his coat pocket.
"And yes, Mr. Klevendon, I have observed that Mr. Higgins is indeed deceased without discernible wounds or lesions. Given his expression, one would be tempted to say he was scared to death."
Wellington moves the fingers on Higgins's right hand and then his toes to establish if the rigor mortis has passed from the rest of the corpse.
He cocks an eyebrow as he gives the professor an almost condescending stare.
"I respect the dead so much I try to clear the fog that surrounds their passing, Professor, I am quite sure Mr. Higgins has little objection to that."
He puffs his pipe, notices it has gone out and puts in his coat pocket.
"And yes, Mr. Klevendon, I have observed that Mr. Higgins is indeed deceased without discernible wounds or lesions. Given his expression, one would be tempted to say he was scared to death."
Wellington moves the fingers on Higgins's right hand and then his toes to establish if the rigor mortis has passed from the rest of the corpse.
Last edited by DrPeterson on Mon Oct 14, 2013 8:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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Re: Dragons of London
"By Jove!"
With strong hands, Roxborough turns Miss Bly away from the scene. He had no stomach for dead humans and was glad to have the lady present as an excuse to not be in the room.
With strong hands, Roxborough turns Miss Bly away from the scene. He had no stomach for dead humans and was glad to have the lady present as an excuse to not be in the room.
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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Re: Dragons of London
Nellie takes the time to write a few more observations into her trusty notebook. She leans against the wall to one side of the doorway and listens to the action in the 'cold-room', her face drains as she hears the gasps and low mutterings followed by the Antiquarians somewhat unnecessary warning.
Nellie too a couple of deep breaths to steady herself. "His face? You said he bore no discernible marks upon your poor unfortunate assistant Professor."
Re: Dragons of London
[ooc: Re. examining the clothes, is it worth for Klevendon to roll vs. "Investigation"? Here goes anyway: [dice]0[/dice] ]
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Re: Dragons of London
Mr. Wellington steps away from the corpse to stand by Mr. Klevendon and adds:
"It has been observed by my good friend Dr. Alexander Bell that the facial muscles of a body can contort after death, forming what is a known as a death grin, typically the result of tetanus or strychnine poisoning."
"It has been observed by my good friend Dr. Alexander Bell that the facial muscles of a body can contort after death, forming what is a known as a death grin, typically the result of tetanus or strychnine poisoning."
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
Re: Dragons of London
“Indeed it is so Miss Bly, whatever had killed him had caused the lad such fright to have contorted his features most hideously. But as I said after a thorough investigation of his body, I could discern no indication of foul play or means of poisons introduction”carnage_lee wrote:Nellie too a couple of deep breaths to steady herself. "His face? You said he bore no discernible marks upon your poor unfortunate assistant Professor."
“And he is right" Interrupts the professor, "Or so I am led to believe, yet when one looks at the expression of sheer terror on young Simon’s face, surely it can not be the result of mere rigour? And as you yourself have observed there is no evidence of any puncture where such poison could be introduced to the body.”DrPeterson wrote:"It has been observed by my good friend Dr. Alexander Bell that the facial muscles of a body can contort after death, forming what is a known as a death grin, typically the result of tetanus or strychnine poisoning."
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
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Re: Dragons of London
"That is true, but syringes are not the only way of administering strychnine, it could be consumed or inhaled, the latter being more likely in this case. If there is case of such poisoning, which I am not claiming there to be."
Once Klevendon is through with the clothes, Wellington gives them a cursory examination, feeling and smelling the fabric.
Once Klevendon is through with the clothes, Wellington gives them a cursory examination, feeling and smelling the fabric.
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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Re: Dragons of London
Nellie gives a pained but thankful smile to Roxborough for his comforting pat and supportive words.
Hearing the Consulting Detectives conjectures...
.. gives Nellie some half formed idea, some way of rationalising the unfortunate events in the Museum.Wellington wrote:"That is true, but syringes are not the only way of administering strychnine, it could be consumed or inhaled, the latter being more likely in this case. If there is case of such poisoning, which I am not claiming there to be."
Nellie thinking: 'What if the egg contained some toxic substance and reacting over time with the heat from the steam-pipes or perhaps some other mechanism casing the egg to 'hatch' breaking and then exposing the deadly poison to fill the room, killing the Professor's assistant. And if so was this some kind of assassination attempt...' Nellie's mind raced ahead. |
Re: Dragons of London
"Oh, well thought out, Ms. Bly," praises Klevendon.
He remarks: "I could not discern anything noteworthy about the clothes."
Re: Dragons of London
The professor shakes his head, "Not that I was aware of the nest contained nothing more than pieces of the egg shell, whether Mr Wellington or Mr Klevendon found such evidence they have not said"carnage_lee wrote:"Was there any evidence downstairs of broken glass, perhaps in the nest? Nellie enquires.
We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
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Re: Dragons of London
"Indeed I have not, nor have I discerned anything amiss in young Higgins's attire apart from some lacking imagination. Might I suggest we adjourn to your office, Professor Hawthorne, it helps to be in a calmer environment to get our facts straight."
Wellington wipes his hands on his kerchief and starts making for the door again.
Roxborough coughs, the thought of leaving the dead man was sharpening his appetite. "Might I suggest afterwards retiring for a spot of lunch, perhaps at the King's Head Inn?"
Wellington wipes his hands on his kerchief and starts making for the door again.
Roxborough coughs, the thought of leaving the dead man was sharpening his appetite. "Might I suggest afterwards retiring for a spot of lunch, perhaps at the King's Head Inn?"
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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