Resurrection City IV: Et In Arcadia Ego

[Old Fezziwig]

Diggory thanks the officers and Inspector Charles. "Thank ye, Inspector. Let me know if I can be of any more help. Fer the time being, though, I'm ready to call it a night. I'll see meself home from here."

After the group leaves, Diggory turns to Walsingham. "So what do ye think, Baron? I'm thinking we should be ready to head out to chat with 'Yesset' — he'll probably have a few answers, eh?" Jamison will, after Trevor's response, fill the Baron in on the results of his meetings with Wield, Yeats, and Charles.

 

[JimAde]

Diggory thanks the officers and Inspector Charles. "Thank ye, Inspector. Let me know if I can be of any more help. Fer the time being, though, I'm ready to call it a night. I'll see meself home from here."

After the group leaves, Diggory turns to Walsingham. "So what do ye think, Baron? I'm thinking we should be ready to head out to chat with 'Yesset' — he'll probably have a few answers, eh?" Jamison will, after Trevor's response, fill the Baron in on the results of his meetings with Wield, Yeats, and Charles.

Trevor pours brandy for himself and Diggory and suggests they make themselves comfortable. "I don't know what to think," he says leaning back in an overstuffed chair. "I certainly want some answers, but at this point I'm not even sure what questions to ask." He sips his brandy for a moment. "That scarab thingy they had in Wales...We saw a reference to that at Pellgraine Manor. Do you suppose they were looking for anything we may have taken from there? Didn't you take a diary or something?"

 

[Old Fezziwig]

"Yes, something like that — had that spell in it. That could be what they're looking fer. But it could be something else, too." Diggory meditates over his brandy for a while.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

It begins to rain as Willie and the servants engage themselves in straightening up the sitting-room. Trevor and Diggory talk amongst themselves. After a short time, they are startled by a ring of the doorbell.

"It's Inspector Charles," comes a muffled shout. After the door is opened, the balding detective bustles in, pulling a number of documents from under his coat. He holds them up in his hand. "I've found some things you may be interested in about your young friend Mr. Langan."

Nodding to Bridey as she takes his raincoat, Charles walks over towards Trevor and Diggory. He unfolds one of the papers and gives it to Diggory. It is an arrest log, written in French. Diggory notices the names Langan, Serge Verdain and Jack l'Eventreur.

"In October of 1888 -- yes, during the Ripper," Charles says, "the Yard received word from France, from the port of Boulogne. A vagrant had been picked up, and found to bear a resemblance to sketches by folk who'd seen Jack. We questioned him, and found that he had an alibi that washed. He was released. But here's the part you'll find interesting. He gave previous addresses. One was in Partrishow, Wales. Which was near what you say was the Kelly estate." He chuckles. "I'd wager that Charlie Warren's still kicking himself over that one. Letting the Ripper go."

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Diggory's face turns white. "Langan may be the Ripper? Begods, Baron. That's a new mess entirely." He drinks a bit more of his brandy and shakes his head. "Every blasted thing seems to circle back on that fall."

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"No, no, no," says Charles. "Not he. Everything I've heard indicates that the Langan who was here earlier is in his early twenties. That would put him only in his mid-teens at the time of the Ripper. Folk seemed adamant on the Ripper being in his thirties -- quite a deal older than your man, I'd say.

"The French police, here," he points out a part of the form, "said that the man arrested -- a John Langan, not Edward -- was also known as Serge Verdain. Of course, Langan didn't admit that. But it seems everyone knew him as that."

That little bit's my fault entirely. I completely forgot to put in the name of the arrested guy. Whoops.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Diggory exhales. "That's a relief, but then who's John Langan? Aside from Serge Verdain."

OOC: No need to apologize. It's little moments like that that make role-playing neat, I think.

 

[JimAde]

"Well assuming the name is real it seems likely he's a relative of Edward's," Walsingham observes. "Hold on. I believe Edward said his deceased uncle's name was John. The age would be about right."

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"Interesting," says Inspector Charles as he gathers up the papers. "But what on earth could the nephew of Jack The Ripper be doing breaking into your home. At least he doesn't share his uncle's... hobbies.

"At any rate," he continues, "what are you fellows about now? Seems we're running into a bit of a stand-still here."

I've put a question up on the OOC thread; I'd appreciate your input.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

"Well, we don't know he doesn't share his uncle's hobbies. The lad's a bit...touched, I'd say. What do ye think, Walsingham?" More brandy. "As for what we're on about now, I'm not sure that we could even begin to explain it properly. It's a right mess, and ye've got about as good an idea of it as we do, certainly."