Resurrection City III: The Breconshire Horrors

[Andrew D. Gable]

Trevor loiters distractedly at the edge of the group, perusing notices and posters on the wall.

From what he can hear, the young man thinks that Scotland Yard has maintained some files on a relative of his, and would like access to them. He seems to be taking on quite an indignant attitude at the reluctance of the clerks to allow a civilian to browse police documents. Sometimes, he glowers at the clerk menacingly and Trevor fears that a fight will break out, but no matter how perturbed he gets, the young man always maintains a gentlemanly demeanor.

Meanwhile, the clerks, recognizing Bond and Diggory, permit access to the necessary files. "We'll have to be informing Commissioner Fraser of the London Police and Superintendent Arnold of H Division, as it was their case, after all." After a few moments, the clerk returns with telegraphed confirmations of access from both Fraser and Arnold, and Bond, Diggory, and the others are shown into a back sitting-room. Another clerk disappears into a seemingly unorganized system of files, and returns with a rather large cardboard box, which he puts on the table.

"The Ripper files, sirs," he says as he turns away. "Best of luck to you. Catch him if you can," he chuckles to himself.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Diggory opens the box and picks up the first folder/stack of papers there. "Well, best get started then...I'll see if these," he raises the papers in his hand slightly, "can reveal anything about this Yesset chap."

 

[Jarval]

Richard takes another sheaf of papers and takes a seat at the table.

"It does rather look like we've got a lot to work through." He says as he dubiously eyes the files still in the box. "We'd best get started..."

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"I suppose I'll be helping, as well," Dr. Bond says, picking up more files. He places a heavy stack on the table before him and begins looking through them as he looks up at Trevor, nonchalantly walking around the office and listening to the young man at the counter. He looks through the files, which seem roughly organized by the particular murder they're relevant to. "Bloody hell," he says after leafing through several papers. "This is all so bloody confusing. No wonder you fellows never solved this. Not a mention of any Yesset, or of Bethlehem Asylum. Not in this file, at any rate," he says, reaching for another.

*****

Out in the lobby, the young man takes notice of Trevor and, seeing a fellow man of the gentry, introduces himself. "Good day to you, sir, and whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?" After Trevor introduces himself, the young man bows. "The name is Langan, sir, Edward Langan. Born in Wales, though that's not a very Welsh name, I admit." Through further conversation, Trevor learns that Mr. Langan was sent away very young to live with a family in the Midlands. The young man casts a brief glance at the door to the study-room where Hewitt, Diggory and Bond are as he pulls out a newspaper with an obituary for John Kelly of the Scots Guards. "I was led to believe the Yard may have documents relevant to him. He was my uncle, you see."

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

The group combs through the files. It is slow and tedious work, but eventually they come up with several references to Bethlehem Asylum, where McCarthy said Yesset worked. Apparently, the five victims had all spent time there in the past. There are no apparent references to Yesset, however.

*****

Trevor raises his eyebrows at the young man's words. "Inspector Diggory! Bond! Come here!" Once they are there, the young man tells them the same story he told Trevor.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

"Curiouser and curiouser, gentlemen." He turns to Mr. Langan, offering a hand. "Inspector Jamison O'Fingal Diggory, Metropolitan Police. Are ye looking fer something in particular, Mr. Langan?"

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"Mr. MacAllistair here tells me that you've already been told about John Kelly," Langan says, "so doubtless you know who his sister was. I had wanted to see the files on my aunt in hopes that maybe they would serve to shed some light on what happened to my uncle. But by the looks of you fellows, I'd say they didn't serve to shed light on much of anything." He pauses, eyebrows raised a bit. "Tomorrow morning," he says after some consideration, "I am planning on heading out to the Kelly estate in Breconshire, in Wales. Perhaps you fellows would be interested to join me? Perhaps I can find my answers about Uncle John, and maybe you can find what you're searching for about Aunt Mary."

"I think, unfortunately, we've found all that we can here. We've gotten some leads on where to go, I suppose," says Dr. Bond, replacing the files in the boxes and giving them back to one of the clerks.

Here's a picture of Edward Langan.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

"Perhaps we could find something out in Breconshire. I've actually not been to Wales. I wish I could say that this trip would have been made under better circumstances. What do you think, gentlemen?"

As he waits for a response, Diggory mulls over the name Yesset for a while, eventually breaking out into a wide grin. "Ye know, I think we may be lookin' fer the wrong thing here, anyhow. I am certainly willing to accompany ye out to Wales, but fer the while, I think I've tripped onto a lead in our work here an' I'd like to be lookin' back over some of these files. With your leave, of course." Jamison offers a hand. "Anyone who wishes to join my research, I can explain this to ye when ye're ready."

Spoiler

Returning to the files, he starts to pore over them, looking for any mention of EIECET, in combination or otherwise, which, phonetically, Diggory reasons, could be pronounced "Yesset."

OOC: I've spoilered the last bit on a lark. It seemed appropriate.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"I think I've tripped onto a lead in our work here an' I'd like to be lookin' back over some of these files. With your leave, of course." Jamison offers a hand. "Anyone who wishes to join my research, I can explain this to ye when ye're ready."

"Of course," says Edward. "I have to make the appropriate arrangements, anyway. Meet me at Paddington Station at, oh, say at a quarter to eight tomorrow morning," he says, bowing slightly. "The trip to Breconshire will take two days or so, so pack appropriately. I bid you farewell for now, gentlemen."

"I'm afraid I shan't be able to accompany you to Wales," says Dr. Bond. "Duty calls. I'm consulting to the Metropolitan Police once more. But I can help you out for today, anyway. I aim to go down to Bethlehem Asylum and check the records for the, say, last decade or two before the Ripper murders, and follow up on the lead in the files," he says. "Care to join me, Dr. Hewitt? Two would make the work go faster."

Diggory and the others comb over the files again, which the clerk obediently brings back to the table, and

Spoiler

begin looking for the name EIECET. You're somewhat surprised and somewhat not that there is mention of the mysterious figure in almost the most unlikely of files. The reference is in among the letters written to the police by Roslyn d'Onston Stephenson, a man who was apparently heavily interested in the occult. Diggory recognizes him as one of the many people who wrote to the police with advice on how to conduct the Ripper case. Stephenson's reference doesn't help much, though. He mentions him somewhat archaiacally as "a Dr. V---, a man I know as EIECET, whom I have seen several times at the hospital".

Just so you know in advance, your research has taken up the majority of the day already. It's nearly 5:00 now.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

"Of course. I have to make the appropriate arrangements, anyway. Meet me at Paddington Station at, oh, say at a quarter to eight tomorrow morning. The trip to Breconshire will take two days or so, so pack appropriately. I bid you farewell for now, gentlemen."

"Excellent, Mr. Langan, I'll be seeing ye over at Paddington Station in the morning."

After working through the files with Drs. Hewitt and Bond, Diggory grins. "Well, we've at least begun to get an idea of who this EIECET fellow is. The question then becomes whether or not Dr. V is a physician and whether or not we can use that information to hunt him down." Stifiling a yawn, Jamison rises from the table.

"I do appreciate yer help, Dr. Bond, and, of course, understand yer obligations here." He bows slightly. "We should be thinking about what we may wish to do. I should like to investigate this Dr. V a bit, but I'm a little bit confounded as to how I should start -- simply put, I've not the resources nor contacts with the inclination to start an exhaustive research project. Well, excepting the Metropolitan Police, but I'd like a third party looking into this, I think. Thoughts, anyone?"