"I'm never heard of this 'Trimble, though he sounds worthwhile to talk to if we had the time. In any case, the fact is," Poto says, then pauses to take a long pull of his ale, "I'm part of a bigger organization. I am able to contact them for assistance, and this seems like a prime time to do so. There are few items around as dangerous as this scythe, I fear. I will come to the stables, er, your 'quarters' in the morning & let you know what I've found out, if anything. Good night."
Ogrin pokes around that evening a bit more on Poto. He finds out only things he already knows, that Poto owns a magic shop, and has an eccentric, though kindly, reputation. One halfling stable boy, however, whispers to Ogrin that he thinks Poto is actually a halfling, not a gnome. He certainly can speak the halfling language anyway.
I'm going to skip to morning, but let me know if there's anything else you want to do.