Cassandra

[Mr. Handy]

"Good idea, let's look through them," says Victoria. "I'd also rather not place a possibly cursed ring on my finger."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

d20

After a great deal of time spent searching through Professor Stoke's extensive, if eccentrically organized, library of arcane and esoteric volumes, the investigators discover a woodcut in a Dutch volume dating back to the early 16th century. The illustration shows a man being burnt at the stake for heresy, a hood covering his features. The picture is remarkably detailed, allowing one to clearly identify the ring worn by the heretic as identical to the one discovered in the House by the Sea. Professor Stokes suggests that the style of the woodcut resembles that of the great German artist Albrecht Dürer, or perhaps a student or imitator.

[Mr. Handy]

"It seems he's been around far longer than we've known," says Victoria. "If that is in fact him in the woodcut, and he didn't simply obtain the ring afterwards. It looks like we'll have to do further historical research. The more we know about his past, the more information we'll have that could help us defeat him. If burning him at the stake wasn't enough, we have our work cut out for us. Possessing the ring itself may be of use, however. It may give us some power over him, if we can figure out how. Of course, he also will most likely want it back."

[SunlessNick]

"Hopefully he won't know we have it," Maggie says. "Is there a safe here we can put it in? Or maybe a safety deposit box."

(Is there a bank in town?)

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The Collinsport branch of the Fisherman's Savings and Loan is quite willing to secure any valuables in a safety deposit box, for the proper fee. The two women are allowed to place whatever they like within it, in privacy.

"Anybody who works in this town learns not to ask too many questions," the clerk says as she leaves them.

Once this business is completed, the pair learn that the talk around town is about the disappearance of a couple of young dock workers, one day apart.

[Mr. Handy]

"We should investigate this," Victoria says to Maggie. "I think it may be related to you-know-who. Let's read what's in the newspaper first about it, and then we can ask the police what they know."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The Collinsport Star has a brief article about the disappearance, describing both men as young, healthy, unmarried, and without relatives in the area. The foreman at the docks says that both were hardworking and reliable, "not the kind to come in with a hangover on Monday morning."

At the local police station, the constable on duty asks the women why they're so interested.

"Were you dating the guys?"

[Mr. Handy]

"No, we've never met them," says Victoria. "We just read a lot of Nancy Drew, and we thought we might be able to help. Young ladies won't draw the same kind of notice that police will."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The constable snorts a bit at this.

"Amateurs. What the heck. Look; both these guys hung around the Blue Whale quite a bit. You could check it out if you want to. Maybe you're right; folks might be willing to talk to somebody who isn't wearing a uniform. That'll keep you out of my hair while I check with missing persons reports out of Bangor, Boston, New York . . . Jeez, more paperwork." He takes a sip of coffee, frowns at it, and shuffles some papers on his desk.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, we'll do that," says Victoria. "We hang out at the Blue Whale ourselves sometimes, so we'll fit right in there."

[SunlessNick]

When the girls are outside, Maggie asks, "The Blue Whale definitely sounds like a better place to go looking for guys than mooching around the dock."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

As common sense would suggest, Friday and Saturday nights are the best for mingling with the crowds at the Blue Whale. (Those are also the times both women are likely to be free from their employment duties.) The first couple of weekends, not much is learned. A little while later, however, Burke Devlin happens to be present, after being out of town for a while. Greeting both women, he explains that he's been back and forth between Boston and Bangor, trying to track down the lawyer Tony Peterson.

"Can't find hide nor hair of the guy," he explains. "Not in his office at all, and he's been missing court dates for some time. Right after I paid him a good retainer, too. You haven't seen him, have you?"

Meanwhile, a few young men who are obviously dockworkers, just coming off work, wander in, drinking beer and eyeing the crowd. At just about the same time, Carolyn Stoddard enters with Joe Haskell, their on-again off-again relationship apparently on the upswing, although Carolyn is quick to acknowledge the interest of the dockworkers.

Shifting position so that he isn't facing the newcomers, Burke asks in a low voice, "So what's new up at the palace. Any dirt on Roger and the gang?"

[SunlessNick]

"You're not the only one looking," Maggie says. But the only she dirt she really has would hurt Sam just as much, and she's not going to give that away, even to Burke. She keeps an eye on the docker's crowd, seeing if any other girls are around them.

"Have you heard of a guy called Nicholas Blair? He's the one Tony was mixed up with before. He's really bad news."

[Mr. Handy]

"I suspect he may have something to do with Tony's disappearance," says Victoria.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Let me make a few phone calls." Burke gets up and heads for the pay phone.

Meanwhile, one of the dock workers puts a quarter in the juke box and selects a slow instrumental number, that is easily recognized as the most popular song among the patrons of the place.

Spoiler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9JfVEnFjFw

He and a buddy approach.

"You ladies wanna dance?" says the jukebox guy. He smells slightly of beer.

At about the same time, it can be seen that Carolyn leaves Joe for a while in order to speak to Burke. They whisper together for a while.

Eventually, regardless of whether the women have hit the dance floor or not, Burke returns with some news.

"Seems this Blair character had some big financial dealings with a millionaire publisher named Sky Rumson. Lives on a private island in a fabulous mansion, about as ritzy as the Collins place. Place called Little Windward Island, maybe fifty miles from here. I can't quite figure out the connection. Secret Swiss bank accounts and the like. Maybe Peterson got mixed up in that. Could mean big money for him."

[Mr. Handy]

Victoria is happy to dance with the dock worker.

"He sounds like someone who might have some answers," she says when Burke returns. "But how can we arrange to meet him? Does he ever have parties on his island?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"The guy is something of a recluse. Boats carry supplies to the place, of course, but as far as I know it's just him and his wife almost all the time. Newlyweds."

[Mr. Handy]

"Is it the dockworkers who bring the supplies in the boats?" asks Victoria. "It's curious that a couple of them have gone missing recently. And who is his wife?"

[SunlessNick]

Maggie will take a turn dancing of course. "Have any boats gone missing?" she asks in response to the line of conversation between Vix and Burke.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Is it the dockworkers who bring the supplies in the boats?" asks Victoria. "It's curious that a couple of them have gone missing recently. And who is his wife?"

"Mostly it's this one sailor who runs the boat, but he hires guys off the dock. I never met his wife. I don't know if anybody around here has ever seen her."