Anthony DeCarlo - Private Eye - At your service

[Kallisto73]

You go to the nearest post office and send a letter to Mr Lorgan, giving your parents' return-address. Then, you make your way towards your parents'.

You arrive at the door and ring the bell. A woman opens, it is your mother. She looks at you "Tony." she says. Then she steps aside and lets you in. "Sal! Sal, Tony's here." Your mother is tall and slender, she has long, still raven-black hair. Her 55 years don't show on her face, and the girlish beauty she was famous for in her youth has transformed into a handsomeness that sets her apart from most other women. Your father comes into the corridor "Tony! Didn't expect to see you. What brings you here?"

"I'm here on business a couple of days, and I was wondering if I could stay the night?"

Your mother lifts her eyebrows: "Business?"

[Pickman37]

Anthony has known his mother long enough to recognize her tone and identify her raised eyebrows...

"Nothing like that, ma. It's on the level. I have an investigative job to recover a stolen book and I just had to come to town to visit a few bookstores. In fact, one of them will be sending a telegram here to arrange a meeting, if that's O.K?" He knew it would be. "If you could put me up for a day or two, that would be great. We can visit tonight and share stories...."

DeCarlo did not want to mention his lack of funds. He knew his parents would offer him money and they were not exactly well-off...

"So, if it's alright, I'll have to make my way back downtown for a few meetings then I'll return....hopefully in time for supper." Anthony grinned broadly, knowing she knew about his love for her cooking...

"So, sounds good?" He leans in to give his mother a peck on the cheek....

[Kallisto73]

Your mother still does not look entirely convinced, but your father nods and says "Catch you later, then."

You make your way into town. "Where should I go first?", you wonder.

Spoiler:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3524488/ successful luck roll, pick your destination and go there, they will have good information

[Pickman37]

Anthony DeCarlo bids farewell to his parents and gets on his way. There's no use trying to convince his mother otherwise. He knows that once her mind is set, it's set...

Anthony decides to check out Charles David and Sons first. After that, time permitting, he will stop at Second Hand Books and Papers. If not, he will stop by the second place tomorrow. Hopefully by then, he will have heard from Morgan.

[Kallisto73]

The shop is not hard to find. It is kind of non-descript from the outside. It contains a couple of books in the shop-window, which also shows the name, painted onto the glass. The door has a wooden frame and a glass pane.
As you enter, a little bell tinkles as you open the door. Inside, the shop is much bigger than you had expected. You can see that it stretches far into the building and you notice a staircase and a sign saying "Natural Sciences and Foreign language items upstairs."
The place is a little dimly lit, but once your eyes have accustomed themselves to it, it is fine. Of course, you see books, you smell books and you're overwhelmed. There must be thousands and thousands of volumes here. You take a closer look at one of the shelves and you realize immediately that the shelf is immaculate, not a single speck of dust, the books are ordered, not a single one is out of line. Like soldiers they stand to attention, waiting to be picked up, bought and read.
You are shaken from your reverie by a soft voice: "Can I help you, Sir?". As you turn around, you notice a man. He is around 60, has unusually long hair and bushy eyebrows. His eyes are of a blue that is so bright that you feel for a second that they are glowing. There are lots of wrinkles around his eyes which betray the fact that he must be smiling a lot. And indeed, his face creases into a pleasant smile as he is looking at you, waiting for an answer.

[Pickman37]

Anthony greets the man with a smile. "Good Afternoon, Sir. My name is Anthony DeCarlo. I am a private investigator hired by a patron of yours, Mr. Franklin Quincey. He recently has had a book taken from him, The Scripture of Shul, and I have been employed to track it down. Mr. Quincey provided me with a list of his book dealers, in the hopes that one of them may provide some clues about the individual who is involved in this theft, and your establishment was on the list."

Anthony pauses to remove the picture of Blane from his jacket pocket to present to the man then continues. "This is the individual suspected in the case. He has been going under the name of 'Ethan Blane.' He was described by Mr.Quincey as quite fanatical and possibly being obsessed with black magic and the idea of immortality. Mr.Quincey believes this man may be searching for similar books on the occult and supernatural. We were wondering if you have seen this man around or received any inquiries concerning these topics from anyone? Books, such as...uh..."

Anthony flips open his notepad and re-reads some of the titles provided to him by Ms. McLane...

"...uh...The Egyptian Book of the Dead, De Vermiis Mysteriis and Ho biblos melos tou kraniou
to name just a few..."

[Kallisto73]

The man listens attentively. When he hears you naming the books, his eyebrows rise slightly. "Those are some very exquisite and very, very rare books, young man."
He looks around the shop as if the books would just fly out of their shelves towards him at the mention of their name. "I would be able to sell you two of the ones you named. But those would be copies, naturally, and their quality would never match the older versions." He looks back at you, "You see, books are like living beings, some are very dangerous, so people have tried to kill them for millenia. Others have decided to spread the word and have set to copying books. Sometimes, these copies are benevolent, they bring peace and happiness, sometimes, they are like a disease. But make no mistake: Once something has been written, it has been inscribed into the human psyche indellibly. Some traces will remain, will be found and will be written down again, and again and again. Even if the originals are eradicated. So, yes, I would have copies of two of these books. But noone has come in recently to ask for them. These books are not exactly light reading." He looks at you quizzically, then he shakes his head slightly: "You have not read any of them, I can tell. Mark my words: nor should you! These books are not be trifled with."
He looks at the picture: "Ah, interesting. Yes, I know this gentleman. A customer. Not a good one." He adds, as an afterthought. "What is it that you would like to know?"

[Pickman37]

Anthony DeCarlo listens to the old man's soliloquy about books and would usually shrug it off, but something in the old man's description and his tone convinces Anthony otherwise. Besides raising his hackles, it also gets Anthony's mind racing...

"..Uh...What do you mean 'not a good one' ? Has he been in recently or does he show up here often?" Anthony inquires. "..And what is he looking for?" He awaits a response from the old man but has many more questions after this...

[Kallisto73]

The man looks at you: "He comes every so often, and he does buy. But the payments take a long time to come in. We have decided not to sell anything to him anymore without full payment on delivery. You see, these books here", he gestures towards the shelves, "appeal to many thousands of people. We have it all: Shakespeare, the Bible, Dryden, Schiller, Goethe, physics, maths, history, Plutarch, Caesar, Aristotle, Plato, Herodotus, Farmer's Weekly bound back issues. We have them all. People come here, and they find a book they like, but these books are not necessarily cheap. So, we agree to lease them to our customers, they make a down-payment and then pay on a weekly basis, but they already take the book home. Mostly students, you see, they could never afford the new books, and even the used books have their price. It is a trust business. But most of our customers respect that.
Then there are the books you have mentioned, they are not for everyone, they are invaluable, they are priceless in that they will sell for whatever people are willing to offer. And the man in the picture was ready to buy at high prices, but his payments were always late. So, we refused credit."

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo's mind is racing. He tries to remain focused on the task at hand, which is absorbing the old man's information, before designing elaborate schemes to trap Blane...

"You said books can be purchased with payments and Blane has attempted to employ this method? How are these payments received? And is there an address or location where these payments had came from, back when you accepted his credit?"

[Kallisto73]

The book seller looks at you amused: "Why, yes, the money is wired once a week. And I do have his address. I once sent books to him. He received them because he wired me acknowledging receipt. Would you like the address?"

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo's heart nearly jumped into his throat!

"Good sir, If you could! That would be a great help to myself and my employer, Mr. Quincey."

Anthony was excited that maybe he had a lead. Even though the case was still in its early stages, he was beginning to worry over a lack of tracking this miscreant and was starting to devise schemes to attract Blane. He would mentally file these plans away in case he hit a snag and hoped this information could take him in the right direction...

[Kallisto73]

"Certainly. Wait here." The man turns around and walks towards the counter, and then around it. He rummages around and gets out a big ledger. He leafs through it and then takes out a piece of paper and a fountain pen.
He writes down something, closes the ledger, puts it back and picks up the paper.
He walks towards you, smiles, and hands you the sheet. On it, you find the name Ethan Blane and an address in the really bad part of Arkham.
"Here you are, young man."

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo takes the piece of paper from the book seller but, before scanning it, speaks again to the old man...

"Thank you, Sir. This information may prove very helpful. I will be sure to pass on your kindness and generosity to Mr. Quincey. He'll be very grateful." DeCarlo returns the old man's smile.

He reads the address on the note. Even though he has only lived in Arkham for a few months, he attempts to recall if he recognizes that neighborhood or any specifics about it...

[Kallisto73]

You do indeed recognize the address: It is one of the seediest parts of town. Noone with any money would want to live there.

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo thanks the man once more before leaving the shop.

Once outside, he considers his options...

This information is crucial...but I'm in Boston already at the moment so I might as well check out the other book sellers and at least wait and see if that Morgan character gets a hold of me.

Anthony considers the time and decides whether he can reach the Second Hand Books and Papers shop before closing. If not, he will head back to his parent's home to see if James Morgan sent a letter...

[Kallisto73]

You decide to try your luck and make your way to Second Hand Books and Papers. The store is easy to find. It looks a little brighter than the one you have just come from, but that may be because the lights are on.
You open the door. A little bell rings. The shop is distinctly different from the other, it is much smaller, and only very few shelves line the walls.
You walk up to the counter, behind which a young man is standing. He is looking at you and greets you "Good evening, sir, how can I help you?"

[Pickman37]

DeCarlo is anxious about his present lead but manages to contain his enthusiasm, just in case he finds more information here...

"Good afternoon sir. The name is Anthony DeCarlo. My employer, Mr. Quincey, is searching for a book that was recently taken from him. He provided me with the name of your establishment in case the culprit has shown his face here..."

Anthony fumbles for a second before producing the picture of Blane.

"He has been going by the name of 'Ethan Blane.' Have you seen this man around your establishment?"

"He has stolen a book called The Scripture of Shul and would seem to be interested in discovering eternal life. He has been spotted consulting books pertaining to that matter..."

"Any information you could provide would be of great interest to both my employer and I..."

[Kallisto73]

The man frowns for a second. "The name is not familiar, the man's name, I mean. The book's however..." he smiles, "Well, I suppose someone in my line of work would be expected to know the book's name. Although I have never had a chance to look at the book itself."
He looks at the picture of Ethan and it is clear that he is giving it his full attention. Then he shakes his head, "I am sorry, but this man has never been in the shop when I was here. I also can't recall seeing his name on our mailing list."

[Pickman37]

"Thanks for reviewing the photo. My employer and I were just playing a hunch and we appreciate your time in this matter. Hopefully, we have not taken you away from more pressing matters. I'll be sure to mention your help to my patron..a regular client of your establishment. Thank you very much for your time."

DeCarlo decides to return to his parent's home to spend the night and to see if a message has arrived from Morgan,the last book dealer. If so, he'll meet with the gentleman but if not, he'll return to Arkham tomorrow to investigate the address he's obtained.