Resurrection City 2: The Adventure of the Iron Knives

Insp. Diggory said:

"Well, no, actually -- it all happened in the dark."

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Longtree nods. "Should have guessed. Still, I'll need you gents to come by the station a bit later, to fill out some paperwork and things. I'll need to be bringing in those other two who were sitting near Cartwright. He examines another business card fished from the briefcase. "Wonder what our Mr. Cartwright was doing here rather than Mortlake or Brentford? O-ho, what's this?" He looks casually at the envelope Diggory found.

Meanwhile, Grantham nods to the doctor and thanks him as he leaves the compartment for the corridor.

The four hear the sounds of another man approaching through the gravel. Longtree walks over to the door of the train and leaps out. He is speaking with a heavyset, fairly tall, bespectacled man with a grey beard and mustache and quite an impressive head of grey hair for a man who appears to be in his late 50s.

"Dr. Westcott," says Hewitt, identifying him. "It's an honor, sir."

Westcott begins with a cursory examination of the two bodies, pausing on the blind man. "How long did you say this man's been dead, Longtree?"

"Only moments, sir," the inspector replies.

"Hmm. Interesting. And perplexing." He looks up towards the others of the group - where does Diggory know his voice from? - and Longtree. "It would appear mild rigor mortis has set in. Not severe by any means, but that should not be troubling a newly-dead corpse. And this is highly unusual, as well," Westcott says, indicating the newly-vacant sockets. "We'll need to be getting these bodies back to the mortuary to examine them more closely." Obligingly, Longtree's men start carrying the corpses over to Dr. Westcott's carriage.

"You, Inspector Diggory," says Longtree, "I think we should pool our resources on this case. I'll take the bodies to the mortuary." He gestures toiwards the envelope in Diggory's hand. "You and your men go see what you can learn from this Oldacre fellow. Mayhap he can help solve this case."

Diggory: Intelligence check DC 12 to recognize the voice.

Sgt. Robinson

Sgt. Robinson said:

"Yes, that unpleasentness. It be years ago. Wasn't even in country, and besides, what's a few more murders around 'ere?"

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"Naught," McCarthy says. "Naught. Still..." he looks sad for a brief moment, and then continues. "At any rate, this man at th' Needle'll be an elderly gent, mostlike. Lookin' rather like an elder version of that Holmes feller up Marylebone way. Tall, thin, big-nosed bloke." He nods to himself. "Aye, I'm sure Davey'll be sendin' Rowse." He nods again, confirming his statement. "Ye'll be paid a guinea on deliverin' this to Smythe."

The seal on the letter is a simple affair of white candle-wax pressed with McCarthy's thumb. The box is rather oblong, and on shaking it, Sgt. Robinson hears several items rolling, vaguely heavily.

Sgt. Robinson

Andrew D. Gable said:

"Naught," McCarthy says...

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"Rowse. Right then, I be off. Back when I made the delivery for that guinea." Will tipped his hat to McCarthy and headed for the door, the letter in his pocket and the package under his arm.

Sgt. Robinson

ShortAssassin said:

"Rowse. Right then, I be off. Back when I made the delivery for that guinea."

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Robinson makes his way through streets he knows like the back of his hand, walking off his drunkeness. Down Commercial Street, out Whitechapel High Street and eventually into the City and out of the squalid East End. Past St. Paul's, up the Strand - getting into the even more fashionable West End, and finally to Cleopatra's Needle, rising off the riverbank. A man sits on one of the sphinx-emblazoned benches at its base. As Robinson approaches, he gets up, folds the paper he's been reading, and extends his hand.

"Jonas Rowse," he introduces himself. McCarthy wasn't lying - the man does resemble an older version of the famous Sherlock Holmes. "You have the deliveries for Mr. Smythe? Excellent."

Jonas Rowse walks over to the wall at the edge of the bank, and begins descending the stairs towards the riverboat dock, indicating a metal door set in the dock wall.

He pulls out a lantern, fumbles with a key, and casts the door open. The space beyond is dark. Rowse enters the doorway and rummages through a pile of junk to reveal a rough-hewn passage. "Come on then, McCarthy should have told you Mr. Smythe likes his security."

The picture is Cleopatra's Needle.

Insp. Longtree said:

"You, Inspector Diggory, I think we should pool our resources on this case. I'll take the bodies to the mortuary." He gestures towards the envelope in Diggory's hand. "You and your men go see what you can learn from this Oldacre fellow. Mayhap he can help solve this case."

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Diggory nods. "That sounds fine with me. We'll get in contact with you when we know something." Blast! I've heard Westcott's voice before, but where from? Drawing a blank, he shakes his head.

[Intelligence check against DC 12, roll of 5 on d20, +1 Int, total 6, failure]

OOC: If any of the others object to Diggory's willingness to work with Longtree, Jamison shrugs. "I've not much choice, you know. Same line of business and all. Plus, what've we got to worry about?" He smirks good-naturedly at this last.

Diggory, Shaw, Hewitt and Miller catch another train from Clapham to Victoria Station. Once they disembark, they stroll the rest of the way through the pleasant Westminster streets, pausing briefly at Buckingham Palace. Eventually they reach Jermyn Street, a respectable little thoroughfare near Piccadilly.

At the head of the street, a young boy stands on the street corner, selling papers and crying out headlines. "Mystery in Pimlico!" the boy shouts. Stories of the bodies on the train couldn't be leaked already, could they?

The four men proceed along Jermyn Street until they reach No. 23, a simple rowhouse of two stories. An iron gate along the side of the house leads into an alley.

As they draw up to Oldacre's home, a man opens the garden gate and exits, heading for a carriage parked on the other side of the street. He clutches a large black object of some sort. He looks at the four, and breaks into a half-jog.

This guy's you, ShortAssassin. It's a bit late, but here's a picture of Dr. Westcott.

Sgt. Robinson

Andrew D. Gable said:

Robinson makes his way through...

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Will looked around to see if anyone was watching them enter the tunnel. Seeing no one, he turned and followed Rowse through the door, turning to close and latch it behind him. "So what does Mr. Smythe do exactly?" he asked Rowse. He tried to make a map in his mind of the turns in the tunnel, in case things went bad and he had to get back to the exit.

Nevermind, mis-post

The story in the issue of the Times the boy is selling:

MYSTERY IN PIMLICO
Bizarre Find in the Post

Alerted by strange noises emanating from a parcel in his van, a railway guard last night discovered that it contained two unconscious children, a boy and a girl, neither of the pair more than a few months in age.

The Metropolitan Police are most interested in speaking to anyone who can shed any light on the matter.

The babies were both alive and the little the worse for wear after their ordeal, provisions having been made for their breathing. They have been taken to Dr. Barnardo's in Flower-and-Dean Street, Whitechapel. Anyone interested in aiding in the matter of their parentage should here apply.

The parcel was addressed to Mr Serge Verdain, Avebury, Wilts. It had been sent from London.

Pastor Andrew Miller

Andrew reads the paper he mutters to himself "Hmm indeed, this is a strange story... and the poor children, well I must see if my parish can't do something for them..." as they walk towards the flat. When he sees the fellow trying to run off and acting a bit suspicious, he says to his companions "What's this all about? I like not the look of that chap, mishaps we should stop him? Hmm."