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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Shaman" data-source="post: 2186357" data-attributes="member: 26473">The security guard eyes Brandon’s rain-soaked figure carefully, but his demeanor is courteous. “To take photographs of the property you would need permission from the management, sir. I believe there is a fee. If you’re just taking a couple of personal photos not for publication, I’m sure that would be all right, though. He glances up at the clouds. “We have bicycle and moped rentals during the summer months, when it’s clear. This is our quiet season – not much goin’ on this weekend. As far as availability, you would need to check at the front desk, but I’m pretty sure there’s a room available.” He points in the direction of the Hotel de Haro, its white façade and green cupola a short walk away.Wandering about the grounds, it’s easy to see that the guard is correct – only a handful of guests can be found and few day-travelers. The resort includes the hotel, a collection of guest bungalows, three restaurants, some small shops, and a marina. Chatting with the staff as he makes the rounds reveals mostly information about the history of the resort, dating back to 1886 – visits by notables including Teddy Roosevelt and John Wayne come up frequently – and the fact that this time of year is probably the worst time to visit: the consensus is that orca season, during the summer, is the best time to be on the island.The insularity of islanders is tempered by the fact that few of the staff could actually afford to live on San Juan Island if they weren’t employed at the resort. Most of the staff are courteous and discrete – a few let slip barbs about island residents, the sort of “war stories” one would expect from those in the service professions about their wealthy guests and neighbors. After lunch in the café Brandon realizes he’s learned about all he’s going to from his trip to Roche Harbor, and facing a two-hour hike back to the Martin residence in the increasing rain makes staying longer an unappealing prospect.Brandon: Another Fortitude save for hiking for hours in the rain...all told it takes 5.5 hours to hike to Roche Harbor, tour the grounds and chat with staff, and hike back.Back at the guesthouse, Kristen and Decker dig into Gold’s files at Martin Pharmacology...[sblock]The two spend about three hours, not including a time-out for a tasty breakfast prepared by Luz, probing the researcher’s work in detail. A couple of facts stand out – <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Gold was pursuing a particular line of research for Project A331 for more than a year, but last summer, shortly before taking the project to the FDA for approval to begin clinical trials, he made a couple of changes to the medication. In a memo and accompanying spreadsheet and charts, Gold explained that the side-effects of the original formulation were more severe than those associated with medication eventually offered to the FDA for approval – however, a closer look at the earlier test results indicates the opposite, that the first formulation exhibited fewer side effects of less severity than that which was ultimately approved for testing. In any case, all work on the first iteration of the medication was halted.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Dr. Gold’s desktop wall-paper is a picture of a young woman, presumably his daughter Annalee based on the file name – in fact, a couple of digital photos of his daughter are the only personal information kept by Gold on the company server. (The folder marked “personal” in Outlook is empty.) The pictures show Annalee on a beach somewhere, two shots of her alone, one with a young Hispanic man with their arms around each other, smiling broadly.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> According to his Outlook calendar, Gold made two other trips since the start of the year: the trip to San Diego for the conference in April, a business trip to Atlanta and Washington in March, and a weekend vacation to Las Vegas in February.</li> </ul>The final research check score was 25: 10 + Research +9 (Kristen) + Aid Another +2 (Decker) + Computer Use and Knowledge (earth and life sciences) skill synergies +4.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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