Crimson Letters.P1

Intro: Essie works part-time at the Arkham Historical Society under the supervision of Charles Leiter, Colonial History Professor. Till that fateful Friday Aug 24^th morning when she found the door locked and had to get a janitor to open. Where they found Leiter dead!

Essie Vance [Whitney]: 36yo suffers Taphephobia(fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries). She recently picked up Insane Constitution (spend 5 Luck to gain a CON bonus die). And lately, she acquired Notomania (compulsion to collect everything).

Peter Graves [Jordan]: 38yo suffers Onomatomania (irresistible desire to repeat certain words). He got over his psychosis (seeing his dead parents) but, in the process, now suffers Agathomania (pathological kindness).

Phillip Vance [Aaron]: 32yo suffers from Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and frayed nerves that require Liquid Courage (suffers penalties when his flask of alcohol runs dry). Then there is his recently acquired, Geotomania (obsession with witches and witchcraft).

Jimmy Skora [Graham]: 20yo Conman nicknamed ‘the Squirrel”. Uses his educational background as ‘face’ for the mob looking for new territory. He’s connected to Peter, each “scratching the other’s back”: Peter’s link to the police and Jimmy to the underworld. Suffers Xanthophobia (fear of the color yellow or the word). Now picked up Hydrophobia (fear of water).

Richard Richelieu [Jon]: 22yo Dilettante aristocrat born and raised in France. Now without family or focus, Riche moved to America seeking a purpose in life. And the mystical society at MU provides the thrill and excitement he craves. And hopefully his new acquaintances help him experience the unknown he has only read about.

4pm Friday, Aug 31^st, 1923 [Hoyt Admin Bldg #2]: Essie knocked on Prof Dean Fallon’s door, “You asked to see me?” The head of MU Administration offered her a chair as he explained, “It’s come to my attention a VERY important paper from the estate of the late Joshua Hobbhouse is missing. Joshua was an 80ish recluse, direct descendant of line going back to the foundation of Arkham centuries ago. His house proved to be a treasure trove (diaries, historical documents, pictures, and artifacts spanning the history of New England). Since the family allowed MU to assess its value, I assigned Prof Leiter to research and verify the collection for possible purchase by us. Now with Charles dead and The Witch Trials Papers missing, I can’t afford MU to be involved in an ill-afforded scandal; liable for its misappropriation or theft. As I understand from Dr. Armitage, you work with a group of investigators. I beseech you to bring them tomorrow as I’d like to hire them to discreetly find this valuable missing item.”

9am, Saturday, Sept 1st: Prof Dean Fallon welcomed the group, “Essie tells me you are excellent investigators who know how to be discreet. Hopefully she explained the situation as I need your help keeping my name and the university’s out of the papers. At first, we thought the papers were just misplaced till Prof Roach, whom I assigned the case, announced the papers missing along with disquieting evidence Leiter led a hidden life that suggests the papers not just misplaced. I hope I didn’t jump the gun, but I’ve already told Prof Harlan Roach and Ms Emilia Court (Leiter’s postgraduate assistant) to fully cooperate with your investigation.” Phillip was already aboard (per his obsession with witches); it was Peter who discussed pay, “We normally charge $15 a day plus expenses but will settle for $100 flat fee.” Phillip added, “Plus hazard pay!” Dean Fallon raised a curious eyebrow, “Hazardous? The only hazard I’m concerned about is to the priceless papers. Oh, and before I forget, here are the keys to his office and to his cottage.”

Prof Roach [far east side, 1^st floor Historical Society #46]: Essie had met the mousy man who worked down the hall from Leiter’s office. They knocked to find the paunchy, sweaty man (with thick bottle-bottom spectacles and thinning, oiled hair, rumpled and disheveled cloths) hunched over artifacts and books he was cataloging. A disorganized mess! Harlan adjusted his glasses as if that gave him an air of authority, “Prof Fallon finally recognized my worth and assigned me the task of finding order out of Leiter’s mess. I was able to compare what little Leiter had documented to items in storage to realize more than just the Witch papers missing. When I searched Leiter’s cottage, I discovered first-hand evidence of books and materials taken from the university without authority. In fact, I found doubles of a few items.” Harlan actually smiled with pride at besmirching Leiter’s name and reputation.

Riche recognized the man’s jealousy and let the man dig his own grave deeper. At first, Jimmy tried to intimidate the nasally wimp, “The man’s not even buried and you’re dancing on his grave. Have you no sympathy?” [Occult] When that got nowhere, Jimmy played on the man’s pride, “Do these Witch Trials Papers have anything to do with the Salem witches? Wasn’t there a famed Madson witch of lore who ate babies?!” Harlan beamed with knowledge, “Keziah Mason was her name. During the Salem witch trials of 1692, she was convicted a witch and child-killer, feasting on their souls and life essence to prolong her own life. Some say she lived to be hundreds of years old! The missing papers supposedly are her own writings and confession.” Phillip sat mesmerized as he soaked it all in. Peter jokingly offered to hire the man to gain his confidence, “We could use someone with your organizational skills in our office.” But Harlan declined, “With Leiter out of the way, surely Dean Fallon will promote me to his position.” He didn’t even hear his own words that made him sound like a murderer. They excused themselves, “Keep us in the loop if you find anything useful.”

Emilia Court [smaller office next to Leiter’s #46]: With her mentor dead, Ms Court had no reason to hang around the Historical Society. Luck that they found her packing her belongings in her side office adjacent to Leiter’s. Emilia paused to console Essie, “It must have been horrible to find Prof Leiter like that. I can’t bring myself to view his body at the morgue. Poor man, heart attack. Those last weeks he seemed so paranoid and tense as if someone was out to get him. Did you hear about the break-in at his cottage about a week before his death? Scared him plenty; talked about new locks he’d bought. If you ask me, it was Anthony Flinders. Jealous undergraduate who wanted my job. Always obsessing about witches and how he the expert. He had his chance during the interview, but Prof Leiter chose me for my professionalism.” Jimmy sat quietly as he soaked her in, blouse to brow, before speaking, “We’re just getting started. Can you give me your number in case I need to ask more questions?” Peter smirked at the conman (20yo) hitting on the 23-year-old grad student, “We’ll be next door in Leiter’s office if you think of anything else.”

Leiter’s Office [northwest corner, 1^st floor #46]: Harlan had already described how he and Fallon had closed the room together after gathering what remained of the Hobbhouse collection. Everything else was left alone as when Leiter was found dead. [Spot] Each took a different corner of the room to search. 

Peter checked the ashtray on the desk and found a matchbook from Hibbs Roadhouse (a speakeasy on the west side of town). So, the man smoked and drank. Peter opened the book to light his own cigarette and only then found the note inside… the penned name “Lucy Stone”. 

Essie poked around the desk and found a poker chip slipped into the crease of the chair, “From Borgota cassino in Atlantic City! Didn’t Dean Fallon mention Leiter had a hidden life? I always wondered why his long trips south and fancy clothes and watch. He must have been a lucky gambler." Phillip looked up from the file cabinets, “There’s a lot of empty folders. The labels imply personal records rather than museum or collection items. And if you look at the fireplace, remains of a lot of burned papers. Do you suppose the professor was burning evidence?”

[Spot-97] All the while, Jimmy poked and prodded around bookcases as if looking for a hollow wall for a safe. An odd chill caused his neck hairs to stand [failed opposed POW: till next sunrise, Jimmy would suffer from Evil Eye- his Luck and DEX halved and weapons jam at =>75]. Meanwhile, Riche took interest in a broken full-length floor-standing mirror. [Spot-01] Some broken pieces on the floor looked as if their edges melted. He looked at the shards still remaining on the mirror frame and froze… (-1 Sanity) … as he swore, he saw movement within the glass. Not a reflection… movement INSIDE the glass! “Worms?!” Anyone else would have backed away. Riche was drawn in as he gazed deeper as if looking at angles to see if he could find whatever was inside the glass. And that’s when he did see a reflection. He spun around and just saw the tail of a large rat scamper inside a heating vent. “What was that?!” Peter followed Riche’s eyes and rushed to the wall where he knelt to peer inside the vent. 

And came face-to-face with the rat… with the face of a man! [-1 Sanity] Out of reach as the thing scampered further inside the ductwork. [all failed Occult] Peter’s description creeped Riche out, who suggested, “Maybe we should ask Harlan about those burnt papers in the fireplace.”

Roach’s Office: This time they entered without knocking and found Harlan slaving away at another stack of books. Documented then placed right back on the same stack only to be pulled off again for inventory and then realized it already documented. Yeah, a great filing system. Essie startled him as she asked, “What do you know about the burnt papers in Leiter’s office?” Harlan tried to show composure as he replied, “I’m sorry little lady but I don’t have time for such questions.” THAT pissed Essie off! Peter intervened as he played both parts of ‘good cop, bad cop’, grabbing Harlan’s collar to pull him within foul breath range, “What did you just call Mrs. Vance? We’re asking the questions around here.” Peter smoothed Harlan’s shirt as he turned pleasant, “We know you are busy, but if you could spare a minute.” Harlan was already sweating before the confrontation. His armpits now gushed, “It could have been that Flinders kid who was always hanging around. Or that other man Prof Leiter chatted with late in the evenings over the last months. Never got a good look at him. All secret whispers. Leiter always checked the hall before he let the man leave. Haven’t seen him in weeks.”

Back to Fallon: Jimmy made certain to say ‘hi and goodbye’ to Emilia before they left. Prof Fallon took the report, “Back so soon? An undergrad student, named Flinders? I’ll have to get another student to research.” Jimmy offered, “You wanted to keep the circle of people small. Since she’s now unemployed, might I suggest assigning Ms Court. She’s already proven to be a valuable asset in this whole affair.” As they left Fallon’s office, Peter nudged Jimmy, “Found yourself a new girlfriend did you? Does she know? Isn’t she a little too old for you?” If looks could kill.

Noon, School of Medicine #8: They passed on Riche’s thoughts of lunch and drove to the morgue. Maybe thoughts to avoid a full stomach when viewing a corpse guided their decision. They were a block away when Peter’s car began to sputter and suddenly stop. Peter was shocked his little baby was being temperamental, “Essie, you’re the mechanic, check under the hood!” Phillip joined her as Riche stepped out to look for the nearest phone, “I’ll call Claude to bring the limo.” Jimmy was already pulling on Riche’s sleeve, “Don’t be so insensitive. Can’t you see Peter babies his car.” Peter paced beside his car as if an expecting father outside the delivery room. [Mechanical] Essie checked the engine from stem to stern but couldn’t find anything. [Electrical] Phillip tugged on the battery cables and found the ground wire burnt, “Looks like a short or surge. Enough slack to cut out the bad spot but you’ll need to get a replacement cable soon.”

They looked at the registry inside the school and found Dr. John Wheatcroft’s office. The elder Physician/Tutor/Coroner with a walrus-mustache was in the middle of lunch (eating a sandwich) and reluctant to talk at first. This time Riche stepped forward as spokesman. [Or should I say mimic of Peter’s ‘good cop, bad cop’ persona. In that interaction, he failed miserably.] [Charm] Essie interceded, “We have Prof Fallon’s permission to see Prof Leiter’s body. Charles was my supervisor, and we are investigating if there was foul play in his death.” Wheatcroft relaxed in his posture as he offered the death certificate between bites, “As you can see in my autopsy report, none of my findings are normal or explicable by any outside cause. Prof Fallon was the one to suggest I label the cause of death as massive heart attack causing almost instantaneous death.”

They read the report: The body suffered violent muscular spasms and severe thermal damage of the optic tissues. Simultaneous organ failure and even his gut flora are dead, which is slowing the rate of decomposition.

Riche remembered the melted mirror, “Could an electrical shock cause such damage? Maybe an exposed wire.” Dr. Wheatcroft gave it consideration till he dismissed the idea, “In such case I would have found burn marks at contact and exit at his grounding source. Much like victims of electrical storm strikes. I can show you his body so you can see for yourself.” Peter declined the invite as he was still concerned about his car, “I’ll be outside for a smoke.”

The Morgue: Wheatcroft led the others down the hall to the stairwell to the basement morgue. As they descended two-flights of stairs, the temperature suddenly dropped 20 degrees. Wheatcroft didn’t give it much thought as he surmised the morgue freezer was the cause. The others bristled with concern, especially when they reached the basement and saw moisture on the concrete floor. It was like the ground after a hard summer rainstorm and worms came forth. 

But these worms were in bunches, clumps! [Sanity] Essie panicked and called for Peter (too far away and outside the building). Dr. Wheatcroft paused, “Little lady, you sure you want to see the body? If worms are going to scare you…” Essie stomped forward and pulled the morgue door open, “Just show us the slab with the body!”

[Sanity] After the doctor uncovered the body, they stood aghast staring at Leiter’s face frozen in agony and terror at the moment of death (a screaming visage of horror). His eyes a whitish-grey mass of colorless tissue swollen and bulging. [Picture Marty Feldman who suffered Graves' ophthalmopathy, causing his eyes to protrude and become misaligned.] Riche focused on the man’s hands while Jimmy checked his feet for possible burn marks. Essie showed her calm and composure by asking the doctor to describe in detail the autopsy process, “Why that ‘Y’ incision? What do you do with his organs? Can I see those?”

Phillip asked about the eyes, “You said optic nerve damage.” Wheatcroft put his sandwich down on the corpse’s chest so he could place his fingers either side of an eyeball and ever-so-gently pushed: the eyeball popped out. [Sanity] Phillip stumbled backwards as the doctor pointed, “You can see the optic nerve now. Notice the blackened fibers behind the eye. If this the point of electrocution, the eyeball itself would have exploded.”

[Sleight-of-Hand] Whether Jimmy was actually looking for burn marks, he used Phillip’s and Essie’s distraction to go thru Leiter’s personal effects gathered in a bag at his feet. The fancy watch fit nicely on his own wrist. The inventory note fit in his coat pocket. The wallet with $1000 would be remembered even without the inventory and thus reported missing.

The overhead lights began to slightly flicker before settling back to normal brightness. [Sanity] But the flicker lasted long enough for Riche to sense an almost heartbeat to its pulsing rhythm. Essie was more focused on the slab door next to Leiter’s. How the door seemed to ever-so-slightly warble. Imbalance from a passing large truck’s rumble? Dr. Wheatcroft protested when she yanked the door open, “What are you doing? I haven’t had time to examine the poor woman yet. Died of emphysema or some potential contagion!” Essie ignored him as she stared at the now still door and slab. No vibrations. She complied and closed the door.

Meanwhile, outside on the steps, Peter lit another cigarette off the fading embers of his first. He gazed at the flow of students obviously between classes and called out, “Anthony Flinders! Anyone know Anthony? Seen him? Anthony, if you’re out there…” [Spot] Only because the man moved, did Peter see someone behind the light pole across the street. A brief moment of eye contact before the man bolted and ran. 

TO BE CONTINUED: https://wjr5oakley.blogspot.com/2023/03/crimson-lettersp2.html