[CofC] The Haunting (revised edition)

[Rama]

You've sat down with Russell Townsend before; his weekly luncheons are nearly famous in town, and you've been to five of them between the two of you. Although this time is the smallest crowd you've ever seen with him. Sitting at the corner booth in Roy's Diner, the waitress Malinda brings your drinks then leaves you in peace. The two of you, Russell, and his attorney - Bill Donovan, an older gentleman with a nasty reputation for eviscerating his opponents in the courtroom.

Russell takes a sip of his coffee, then sets the cup back with an audible clink. "I'm glad you could make it. As you no doubt have guessed, I have reasons for inviting you here other than the pleasure of your company. Which," he says with a smile for you both, "would otherwise be reason enough."

Russell takes another sip from his cup. "As I believe you know, I'm the president of the hunting club. We've been looking for a location for our new hunting lodge, and I may have the perfect option. A debtor of our bank has turned over the deed to his mortgaged property, and it sounds like it might be perfect for our needs. But I need to have it checked out before the club purchases the deed. I was intending to have the bank's investigator look it over, but he had a small accident and isn't available."

He nods slightly towards Harry. "I believe you are a hunter yourself, Harry? That's what made me think of you. You'd be perfect to take a look at the house for me. Look it over, perhaps spend the night and see how the ambiance feels."

Russell gestures to Malinda, who comes over to take your lunch orders. "I know you're not a member of our club Harry, but if you could help us out with this I'd be happy to sponsor your application. As you know, we don't take more than one or two new members a year. But I feel confident you could be one this year."

Russell gives Malinda his order - his usual, a cheeseburger and potato wedges. Bill Donovan, who has been quiet the whole time so far, speaks up just to order a salad.

[runestone]

Closing the menu, Harry says "I'll have the cheeseburger and potato wedges as well, please" and smiling as he hands the menu back to Malinda he adds "I don't know why I even bother looking at that. I always end up with the burger anyway"

Returning his attention to Russell Townsend, he says "I'm sorry to hear that your investigator was hurt. It's ironic. It does strike me as a particularly dangerous profession. Unless you look too closely into the credit rating of the wrong kinds of people, of course. I hope it's not too serious."

"So, you would like me to spend a night in the new hunting lodge" Harry grins "And I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I also tested the hunting grounds? That sounds like a very pleasant way to spend a weekend unless there is something wrong with the house. Should I be prepared to sleep under an umbrella or fight off rats during breakfast?" he gives a small smile at his own joke while studying Russell's reaction. This deal seemed a little too good to be true. He had wanted to be a member of the hunting club for several years, but there had never been an opening. Of course, his recent inheritance might have helped break the ice. But what was the lawyer doing here?

"Perhaps you could come too, Emelia. I'm sure it would be a great advantage for Mr. Townsend to have the lodge inspected by a woman's eye, and it's a long time since I promised to take you hunting" in fact, he wasn't sure whether his sister would care to go hunting, but it was true that he had been suggesting it from time to time "You could certainly do with some time away from the books, and if you come, I wouldn't have to survive on canned beans. Perhaps you will even find that the ambience can be improved by adding a library to the lodge"

Harry picks up the leather bound journal he brings everywhere. Glancing at Emelia for a second before opening it. He had a bad habit of writing or sketching during conversations, and he had a feeling that it annoyed her. But a writer cannot wait when inspiration strikes. And besides, it was very useful for taking notes.

[Ezeze]

Could I have a chicken sandwhich, please? Emelia politely asked Malinda. Only then did she return her attention to the conversation at hand.

Harry, please. It's impolite to presume like that. I'd hate to tresspass on Mr Townsend's hospitality.

[Rama]

Russell smiles broadly at Harry's receptive reply. If he is bothered at all by the question, Harry is unable to tell.

"Excellent my good man, excellent. You've saved me a mess of trouble, and no mistake."

Russell seizes up his cup and quaffs half the remaining coffee in one swallow. "And of course you may use the lands for hunting while you are there. I would be disappointed if you did not take advantage. I expect a report on the quality and quantity of the game when you get back! Emelia, you are welcome to stay as well, my dear. Your input would be most helpful.

"As for our investigator," Russell grunts sourly, as Bill Donovan shifts slightly in his seat. "Tony Corelli; you may know him. He's done good work for us in the past, evaluating our new properties. Unfortunately, he managed to drive himself straight into a tree. The police think he got a hold of a bottle of moonshine and apparently he can't hold his liquor. Poor fool knocked himself right out, although the doctors think he'll wake up eventually.

"For the condition of the house itself, I haven't seen it yet. It's a bit of a drive, and I won't have a chance to get away from the bank for the next week or two. I'm hoping it's in decent shape, but the former owner is rather screwy and I don't expect he kept up on the property's maintenance. Just keep a list of anything you see that needs fixin'."

Russell pauses briefly while Malinda brings your food and refreshes your drinks, then nods to Bill. Bill unsnaps his briefcase and pulls out a single sheet of paper, sliding it across to you.

"All we need," Russell says, "Is your signatures on this. It's just a standard contract acknowledging that you are staying in the bank's property for the weekend. That way if the house burns down or something, the bank knows who to talk to." Russell chuckles at his own joke, although Bill does not look at all amused.

"But don't worry about that for now; let's eat!" Russell exclaims, seizing up his burger and taking a huge bite.

[runestone]

A contract? So would that be like a rental agreement without the rent? Harry tries to judge the reaction of the lawyer, though he has very little experience with legal matters.

When the food arrives, Harry goes to work on his burger You mentioned the former owner. It sounds as if there is an interesting story there. A madman in a house in the woods, that might be the start of a novel

[Rama]

Russell nods, pausing briefly to wipe tomato seeds from his thick mustache. Bill answers your initial question; his voice deeper than you would expect from his relatively slight frame. "Basically you are correct, yes. You will note it only covers catastrophic damage."

Harry observes Bill closely as he speaks, and notes that he seems to be a little uneasy. Not about the contract; more about the entire event. You first really noted it when Russell mentioned the investigator's accident.

Bill leans back after pointing out the relevant paragraph, and Russell speaks up again. "I don't know how much of a story there is for you there, Harry. The former owner didn't actually live there, or at least not in a long time. He rents a place on the south side of town. Don't worry about him though; he doesn't even want the house, so he won't bother you while you're there."

[Ezeze]

You've seen the house, then? Emelia asks politely.

I'd hate to sign a contract saying I'm responsible for catastrophic damage to the house only to arrive and discover that an irate ex-tenant burned it down a week ago.

[Rama]

"No my dear," Russell responds as he polishes off several of his potato wedges with gusto. "I haven't been there yet. I have it on good authority that the property is still standing, however. The tree that poor Tony rammed his car into is on the property, and the police officer that responded to the accident assured me the house exterior was in fine condition."

Russell glances sideways at Bill, and says "Although even that contract isn't really necessary. I suppose if it's a problem, we can do without. To be perfectly honest, the land alone is worth more than the note owed to the bank."

Bill appears visibly unhappy by Russell's last statement, and seems about to speak; then he subsides and goes back to picking at his salad. He hasn't eaten much at all.

[runestone]

Harry wipes his mouth with the napkin and takes a sip from his coke "But what if the house is struck by lightning over the weekend or something like that? I would hate to have to explain that to my insurance company. In fact, I think my premiums might go through the roof if they heard I signed that" he smiles apologetically "At least, I should probably ask them first, but I don't think I can get hold of the agent before Monday. I would certainly be easier, if we could make do without the contract"

He tilts his head and thinks for a second before continuing "Oh, so your investigator made it all the way to the house? That seems like an odd spot to go for a drink. I got the impression that the house is quite remote?"

[Rama]

Russell nods, persuaded by your words; he pulls back the paper and tosses it onto Bill's briefcase. "True, true my friend. I think we can do without this after all. I'm sure you will take good care of our future clubhouse." You note a particular emphasis is placed on 'our'.

"The house is outside of Harwick, which is about an hour's drive northeast of here. It's not completely isolated; I understand there are a couple of neighboring properties, and then the township itself. There's a rather large acreage attached to the property, which extends into some unowned forest land - perfect for our hunting needs. I figure Tony took up a jar of moonshine and planned on enjoying himself while he was there, but got into his stash a little early." Russell shakes his head sadly. "Fool enough to be drinking illegally, particularly when you can't hold your liquor."

Russell reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a cream colored envelope, handing it across to Harry. "The front door key and directions are here. Just bring them by the bank when you get back in town. Let's say next Tuesday?"

[Ezeze]

It is a pleasure to be of assistance, Mr Townsend. I'd be delighted to give you a ladies perspective on your property. I'm sure Mrs Townsend will appreciate it, if she ever has the opportunity to join you.

[runestone]

Harry had been busy taking notes, but he looks up to accept the envelope "Thank you, Mr. Townsend, I'm looking forward to seeing the house -- and grounds in particular"

"Oh, one more thing, did you tell us the last name of the former owner? It might be useful if we need to ask for directions when we get there. I don't suppose the house itself has a name, does it? And I don't suppose you have a floor plan or something like that, do you?"

[Rama]

Russell frowns briefly in thought. "His name...oh, yes. Cooper. Ryan Cooper. I'd be careful dealing with him though, he's a bit of a brute.

"I don't have a floor plan handy, but there may be one I can let you have in the loan documents. If you want to swing by my office this afternoon, I'll leave a copy with Sharon if I find one."

I don't have a floorplan handy atm but will add a link to the OOC thread this evening.

Russell daubs his mouth with his napkin, dropping it in the remnants of his lunch. "I can't tell you how glad I am you've agreed to take care of this for me. But now I must bid you farewell; it's back to the bank for me. Bill, take care of anything else they need. Come by my office when you're done here."

With that, Russell rises to his feet and strides away from the table - stopping briefly to greet an older gentleman eating in a booth next to the door.

[runestone]

"Thank you very much, we'll come by this afternoon to pick up the plan" Occupied by taking notes, Harry realizes that Russell is leaving just a little too late to get up to shake his hand. Attempting to do it anyway, he almost drops his journal in the remains of the burger, and Russell is gone before he get's his things sorted put. "Yes ..er .. goodbye then Mr. Townsend"

Sitting down and looking a little sheepish "Is there anything else we need? I can't think of anything right now"

[Ezeze]

Only to pack.

I admit that I'm quite excited. It has been a while since I've had cause to leave the Shop for more than a few hours at a time. I do hope we don't miss too much while we're away.

[runestone]

Harry gives his sister a quick smile "Me too, and I'm sure the shop will do just fine in your .. er ... our absence"

"Very well, in that case, I'll bid you farewell Mr. Donovan. It was a pleasure to meet you"

[Rama]

Bill Donovan mutters "I'm sure," and stands, leaving his salad nearly untouched on the table. He tosses a few dollars on the table to cover the cost of the meal and walks briskly towards the door.

After a couple of steps though, he hesitates and slows for a moment. Looking back over his shoulder, he says quietly, "Do be careful out there." He accelerates and leaves quickly.

[runestone]

Watching Bill leave, Harry frowns "I wonder what that was about. He almost looked scared. And why was he suddenly so concerned for our wellbeing?"

He shakes his head "Well, no time to worry about that now. We need to prepare! First of all, I need to get some things from home: a lamp or two in case there is no light, a crowbar in case some of the house is boarded up, and of course food and water" He uses his fingers to count the items as he goes along "I'm sure, I'm missing something" He frowns for a second before his face lights up "And my hunting equipment, of course. Is there anything else I missed?"

"I don't care what Mr. Townsend said, I think there might be material here for a short story, and I'm not giving up on that. However, I would like to know a little more of the background of this madman with the house in the woods before we go. Just to have some inspiration. Do you mind, if we swing by the library before we go to the bank?"

[Rama]

You can head to the library easily - it is not far from the diner, about a quarter mile to the east. It's slightly past midday at this point - that means Miss Samantha Easton should be heading the staff there now.

You've had regular dealings with the library professionally in the past, and have noticed that Miss Easton has exhibited symptoms of a minor crush on you (Harry) in the past.

[Ezeze]

Perhaps we should bring some camping equipment? Emelia offers gently on their way to the library. I shouldn't like to make assumptions about the state of the house, seeing as how so little is known of it. Water, too, since we shouldn't assume that the plumbing is working well - or working at all, for that matter.

Good afternoon, Miss Easton. Emelia smiles when she sees the librarian.

[roll0](Target 85 to know what to ask for)

[runestone]

"Yes, the camping equipment is a good idea. I have a tent back home, we can use. Mr. Townsend probably expects us to stay in the house, but I guess he wouldn't know the difference"

You're also right about plumbing, of course. I hadn't thought about that. Actually, we had better bring a shovel as well. You know, in case ... Harry lets the sentence trail of without completing it as they enter the library where he lights up in a smile as they approach the desk of the librarian "Oh, hello Miss Easton. How are you? I'm even happier than usual to see you today. You see, my sister and I are looking into some peculiar events surrounding a house outside of Harwick, and I .. I mean we .. would greatly appreciate your professional assistance" Harry opens his journal to check his notes before continuing "We would be very interested in anything concerning the property of one Ryan Cooper outside Harwick. History, former owners ... scandals -- anything really" He looks up and gives her another smile "You see, I'm researching for a new short story, and I think this might be the perfect setting for mystery, romance and ... madness" - putting perhaps a little too much stress on the word romance.

"Oh, and we would also like information about a recent car crash involving a man named Tony Corelli which occurred on this property. I don't remember ... is there a local paper out there which might mention that sort of thing?"

[Rama]

Miss Easton looks up from the book she is studying as you enter, appearing slightly flustered. "Oh, hello Emelia. And...Harry."

She quickly stuffs the book into a stack at her left elbow, and stands hurriedly. "Of course, I'm always happy to help you." She listens intently to your needs, then frowns briefly in thought. "Harwick...they've got a small weekly paper that covers that area, it might have what you need. The Springdale Patriot I believe. We should have copies of the most recent edition in the reading room, and back issues down in the basement. If there was a police report, you might want the Pittsburgh Press as well.

"For property and owners, the newspapers might help also. Or the property records books on the second floor. Those aren't as comprehensive as we would like, but it might have some useful information."

Miss Easton will lead you to both locations, then leave you to do your research. In total, it takes you about an hour to find the information on the car accident and about four hours digging through dusty tomes to find information on the property.

The Car Accident

In the Patriot, under the byline Thomas Montgomery, you find a brief article:

'Sheriff Decries Further Violations of Prohibition Act'

The Sheriff's department announced yesterday that an automobile accident outside Harwick nearly claimed the life of its driver. Tony Corelli, resident of Pittsburgh, was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital in a state of near death caused by blood loss.

The accident was first reported by Mr. Oscar Hillam, who heard'a scream and a metal crunching sound'. The accident occurred at the unoccupied residence adjacent to his own property, and no others were harmed.

Sheriff Peterson stated that Mr. Corelli was found with his car smashed into a large oak tree, and was visibly drunken in manner. "This incident, the third of its kind this year, just gives further evidence that the governor is not doing enough to prevent the flow of illegal liquor from Canada into our state. Unless stronger measures are taken to enforce the law, our folk cannot be properly protected against the evils caused by alcohol."

(further results of research to follow shortly)

[Rama]

(Research part 2)

The Property

It takes some digging, but in the four hours you are currently working with you do find a few interesting articles. A summary of the information found is as follows:

September 4, 1903. Mr. George Cooper, Jr., 26, was murdered in his residence at 4847 Oak Hill Road; his throat was cut in his bedroom. His wife, Meredith Cooper, was arrested for the crime but later freed due to lack of evidence against her. George was survived by his son, Ryan, and his daughters, Rebecca and Janice.


May 17, 1884. Mr. George Cooper, Sr., 31, was murdered in his residence at 4847 Oak Hill Road. His wife's sister, Anne Lawrence, 15, was arrested and charged with murder in the vicious stabbing.

July 6, 1884. A follow-up to the previous article notes that Anne Lawrence has been committed indefinitely to River View Sanitarium for the murder of her brother in law.

June 2, 1859. Seven men killed in a construction accident at the property of 4847 Oak Hill Road. The accident occurred when the south wall collapsed suddenly, burying the property's new owner (Mr. Hamilton Cooper) and six laborers assisting him in the construction. The new building was being constructed on the foundation of the former structure, which had burned several years previous.


At this point, the hour is drawing late; it is nearly 6:00, and Miss Easton comes to inform you that the library will be closing soon. However, it will open tomorrow (Friday) at 7:00 if you wish to resume your work.

If you have any questions about the articles uncovered so far, let me know and I will provide more detail if available. If you wish to continue research tomorrow, you may with a fresh library use roll; there may or may not be more information available.

[runestone]

"Oh, how time flies. I hadn't realized that it was that late. Thank you very much for your help, Samantha. You've been amazing as always"

As they leave the library, Harry is lost in thought "Well, I wasn't wrong when I thought the house might have an interesting history. Eight deaths, two of them by murder - and a near fatal accident. That's incredible. Incredibly tragic, I mean. I'm starting to understand why Mr. Cooper isn't interested in living there"

"I wonder if we still have time to pick up the loan papers from the bank. It's probably too late, but let's give it a try. Then we can discuss our next move over dinner"

"Anne Lawrence was 15 in 1884, so she is probably still alive, and she might still be in psychiatric care. I wonder if it would be possible to talk to her about the past. We could also pay a visit to Mr. Corelli, just to check if he found anything interesting in the house - before he found his bottle, I mean"

[Ezeze]

Really, Harry, you want to talk to some poor distressed woman in a mental institution? If you must you can, but you should really do that after we have done Mr Townsend his favor.

What I think is more interesting is that of the eight deaths and one near fatality, all of the deceased are men. Emelia smirks playfully Perhaps the house is a feminist sympathizer?

[runestone]

"Oh, and here I thought people were overreacting when they accused the suffragettes of wanting to violently replace all men. Hopefully the house has been appeased now that you have the right to vote"

Sighing, "But you're right of course. I have no business pestering the poor woman with my questions. I guess, I got a little carried away. You know how it is" he gives a small apologetic smile and takes a moment to wipe a stain from the hood of his new Mercer Coupe before opening the door for Emelia "Do you want to come with me to bank to get the loan papers. Then we can discuss our next course of action over dinner? Or should I drop you of somewhere else instead?"

"I guess there would be no harm in visiting Mr. Corelli in the hospital. His story just doesn't seem quite as interesting as the other one"

[runestone]

Harry starts the car saying "Actually, I guess we could go to St. Vincent's first. Mr Corelli probably won't mind an evening visit. Do you know a good place to pick up some flowers on the way?"

[Rama]

As it happens, there is a flower vendor outside St. Vincents. As the only hospital within an hour's drive, almost everyone in serious condition ends up here. A particularly enterprising young man, apparently in his early teens, has set up a makeshift stand and is selling bundles of local flowers for ten cents each.

St. Vincents is housed in a large, three-story tall brick building. Corinthian style columns flank the entry way, four to each side of the large double doors. The main entryway opens into a vaulted rotunda, with a raised section in the center upon which the administrative desks are set. To the right and left, through slightly smaller versions of the entry double doors, are the two wings of the hospital.

Three women, nuns by their attire, sit in the administrative section. Two are working on paperwork; the third, a middle-aged, matronly looking woman, stands as you enter.

"Blessings be upon you this evening. I am sister Margaret. How may I help you?"

[Ezeze]

Emelia discretely nudges Harry towards the nuns. This was your idea she mutters under her breath. Clearly she is of the opinion that it should fall to her Brother for explaining their presence.

[runestone]

Obviously unaccustomed to the greeting, Harry responds with
"Thank you sister and on you too ... or ... err ... good evening"

Composing himself, he continues "My name is Harry Wright ... and this is my sister, Emelia. We have come to visit a patient who is in your care. His name is Tony Correlli. He was involved in an automobile accident outside Harwick"

He holds out the flowers they bought outside as if to present them as evidence.