The Anikee Residence

The first posts take place on the way there.

Sebastian Bacarov
That out of the way, he holds the door pen for Warshawski and they make their exit.

"Thanks for the tip earlier. I've sent word to have a look at Rahlding...the fancy dressed gent back there." He walks along in silence, eyes sweeping the street, pleased at the more diverse crowds native to Ordelia. "How are things?" Bacarov asks finally. "Haven't seen you since that business last year."

Warshawski
''I walked with Bacarov to Anikee's home. Getting in wasn't hard. After all, we were invited. There wasn't much to search. It wouldn't take us long.''

"I don't like the games the noble play." I confessed to Bacarov. "Even if they don't call themselves nobles in the strictest sense here. Lives matter. They shouldn't rise and fall at the toss of a coin and the flash of a knife. I've been fine. Busy. Always people trying to get out of paying their fair share."

''I began searching the room, taking my time and trying not to make too much of a mess. I've never been fond of the toss and dump method of going through a place.

Vincent Marsh
"Say whatever you want I'm going to check his room. Don't move anything around I want to see what it looks like as it was left. The best place to start is always from the beginning. Besides I've got to have Sebastian's six, and yours Warshawski. You have a tendency to attract bladed weapons and nobody likes a tax collector. Luckily I don't actually hate you. One thing though. Don't hit me again unless you want help crossin over to float around with the ghosts you love so much."

"It's great to try to be all warm and fuzzy, but don't tell a mother don't worry we will find your child, because often times you don't. Don't tell em it's gonna be okay, cause a lot of times it isn't. Talkin out of your ass doesn't help anyone."

"Heh, Dalton that's a good one buddy, tell me if you seen mine."

"I specialize in hunting down men. That's why I'm here. I can't wait to see what Warshawski does if it turns out this guy did steal the gold, she'd cite her own mother for a mistake on her deductions. Let's get goin."

"Like vultures, heh heh, good one I like that."

GM
The Anikee Residence When the group (editor's note: Bacarov, Marsh and Warshawski) arrives at Jeminda Anikee's residence, she welcomes them inside and immediately ushers them to her missing brother-in-law's rented room. "Anyone want tea?" she asks, eager to keep herself busy and get out of your way. "I'm going to make tea. And biscuits.  Anyone want biscuits?  Yes?  No?  Well, I'm going to make some, so, er, do as you will.  Call if you need me."

Elias Kyle's room is about what one would expect: filthy, with clothing strewn across haphazardly and little order to anything. His records, for instance, are stowed underneath at least three different pairs of dirty socks, none of which match one another.

Bacarov's findings:

You find little of interest. You do find Kyle's lockbox, which is curiously unlocked- and empty. It appears as though if he had any savings in here, he must have taken them with him. You also find a few booklets of "adult illustrations" tucked away at the bottom of a drawer that seems well-used. Earlier, while canvassing the neighborhood haunts, you learn that Elias had not been getting out much lately, and that he had begun acting "all high and mighty" since getting his job as a tax collector, and had made a concerted effort to separate himself from his "old crowd" of surly friends.

While Jeminda is cooking, you take a moment to break away and peek into her room, which is just one door down. A quick but thorough assessment finds it clean and well-maintained, but with little of note aside from a wastebasket full of what appear to be rejected drafts of submissions to a local personals column (describing Jeminda as "quirky and voluptuous shapely kind"). An ink drawing of Jeminda and her sister, who appears very similar to her in appearance, is framed on her nightdesk. They look very happy together. A pile of bills is neatly stacked nearby.

Warshawski's findings:

You find nothing useful, but plenty of flyers for local adult clubs.

Both their findings:

An aged pamphlet about Riddleport is tucked between his mattress and bedsprings. In the back of it, a map of Riddleport has several locations circled, then crossed-out. It looks as if it has been beneath the mattress for quite some time.

Warshawski
"Order me around again, Marsh, and you and I will be having more than words, understand? You are not a trained investigator. I gave you the benefit of a doubt that you could actually do intelligence gathering. That's why I asked you to gather the damned intelligence. Instead, you're here, putting a third man on what's a two man job. Wasting time. Wasting resources. Just like you always do." 

''Yeah, I was angry. The man was not only telling me how to do my job, he was trying to do it for me.''

"Bacarov, reign him in or if this turns south, we all die because his ego will keep him from actually sticking to any actual plan."

''I turned back to the evidence. If you could call it that. He liked adult entertainment and he thought about escaping to Riddleport years ago. Given his wife's death, I didn't blame him. Assuming it was his to begin with.''

"There's nothing here that suggests he ditched and ran." ''I poke to Bacarov. He was at least a colleague.'' "If he did, he went to Riddleport but even then he wouldn't have done it until after he got the coin. Which means we're still going to Ravenmoor."

Vincent Marsh
"Heh, you don't know crap about my past Warshawski. Should have checked with records. You're showing cracks in your fact checking, but I appreciate you admitting that coming here was important. I learned a lot about both players here. It eliminated a lot of possible motive, but opened a few more. I wonder if the trail will actually lead back to town Sebastian. Should be an interesting chase."

"We do need to follow his footsteps closely."

Warshawski
''I couldn't help but smirk. Just like that, the anger I felt towards Marsh evaporated like dew under the morning sun's glare.''

"Coming here wasn't important." I shrugged my shoulders and patted Marsh on the cheek. "And I never said it was. You're going deaf and senile, old man. But don't worry, when it comes time to eat your mush and b~!%% at the kids who don't exist on the lawn that isn't even there? I'll make sure the nurse gives you the good alchemical formulas."

''I walked out. There was nothing else for me to find here and I needed to stop by the office and let them know I'd be out for a few days.''

Vincent Marsh
Marsh called after the fleeing woman.

"What? You don't want to stick around for what comes next?"

Sebastian Bacarov
Sebastian is so rapt in his observations he only hears the song at its crescendo. He strides after Warshawski but stops with Marsh. "At some point you'll learn to shut your mouth before you drive everyone away. You don't always have to get the last word, Vinnie."  He realizes his hands are bunched into fists and relaxes them. "I know it's not your style, but there's others out there who've seen the wrong side of death, you haven't cornered the market. I've seen it, experienced it...but she communes with it." He looks down the street where Warshawski is departing. "You ever think about what they have to say when they're on the other side? All those dead?"

He looks back to Marsh and stuffs his hands in his pockets of his coat, sighing heavily. "Time was I only saw the lives I'd been assigned as...as redemptions. Seeking justice for their untimely exit. I'd see a body, a crime scene, a life in the past..." He gesture down the road. "It was her what taught me about the spirits left behind. Like as not, each case I worked meant I probably had the victim's spirit close on my heels, cheering me on..." Bacarov pulls his pipe and starts filling the bowl with tobacco. "...heh, sometimes I'll bet they're slapping their faces when I pull up idiot."

"Just give Warshawski her due. She'll return the favor." The heady scent of tobacco suffuses his lungs and he finds his anger ebbing, even offering a sidelong grin. "Thanks for watching my hoop in there with Anikee, no telling what she might have done with that tea set of hers." Bacarov chuckles and nods in the opposite direction of Warshawski's departure. "C'mon, you horse's arse, I need to start asking some questions over across the river in Rag's End. They've got sharper tea sets over there, I'll need my stubborn friend at my side." He smiles and heads into the night, angling for the foot bridge across to Lowcleft. "We'll go pay the Rook a visit. This time, try not to piss off his dog." Bacarov shares what he learned from Elias' room and from what he saw in Anikee's.  He's not surprised to find Marsh found it too.

The Rook is one of Bacarov's underworld contacts. Works with the Sczarnis - the Tower Girls to be precise - running one of their taverns. Well, when you say 'tavern' it should really read 'brothel'. Even for a person in his work, the Rook treats the girls well. That's how he stays connected. If anyone was giving wind of a quick score, even a small pinch like 500 gold, chances are they'd try to make use of the robbery to make a name for themselves. They might even attempt to settle old debts as a way to get in good with a local boss.

"I'm thinking if Elias was keen on separating himself from his old life, but made a show of it, some of his old pals may have thought they had a ticket to the show. Ex-hoodlum makes it big, sort of thing." Bacarov is listing again. "The Riddleport map is curious,  old and unused for some time...but the locations..."  He pulls the map from inside his coat pocket, giving Marsh a hurt look. "What? Did you think I'd pass up on good evidence while you were being a mule?" He passes it over. "Those locations mean anything? Bars Elias had to skip? Gambling halls?"

"Then there's the debts Anikee seems to have...I'd hate to see that it's Elias, finally getting his act together only to be waylaid for 500..." He shrugs. "Better than the alternative that Elias was double dealing his dead wife's sister. I'd rather it be he's a moron."

As they depart, Bacarov keeps am eye out for anyone paying undue attention to Anikee's flat...or to them.

Vincent Marsh
"Death doesn't really bother me much anymore Sebastian, but I recognize most people still struggle with it. It's all good."

"It's not her tea sets either Sebastian, it's the back trail. Guy goes missin right, then our client gathers up some folks, starts askin questions, now she's hired us and we're up an runnin all around town. People will start wantin and needin to know why we're so keen on knowin about this guy."

"I'm not blind and I'm not an idiot. I know there are more pokers in this fire than just one. I know you saw the people at the bar."

"Anyway, Warshawskis a b!#%~, whatever she's got useful talents. I actually don't hate her . . . Well at least not that much, but she can grate a little bit alright. She means well I guess. Besides, she just said she'd take care of my future long term care needs, then I can haunt the s*!* out of her when I'm dead. Heh heh heh. That'll be some fun."

"Heh, we could make a cute couple her and me actually. I mean I can make dead people and she can see em. Who knew we had so much in common?!"

The big man gives his companion a backhanded rap on his shoulder in a joking manner.

"Heh heh, hey lighten up Sebastian. Jeez, besides right now this really isn't about a murder or taxes . . . Well, yet anyway. It's really just a missing person case so far. That's my specialty."  "I'll head over with you to Rook's place in a minute. I got one last piece of business here."

GM
Vincent's insight: Other than that it looks like Anikee's been paying off a number of lingering debts from not only her own schooling (more than a decade past), but also Elias' gambling debts, and her late sister's medical bills, which had ballooned to ludicrous proportions by the end of her life. You are able to confirm that her accounts look to be just about empty.

On your way out of Anikee's residence, she seems a bit disappointed that she made all that tea only for no one to take her up on her offer to drink with her. "Story of my life," she mumbles glumly as she returns the tea set to her kitchen.

Vincent Marsh
Vincent doesn't leave Jeminda's house. He walks back in towards the kitchen where she is putting away the tea service.

"I saw you were makin tea, didn't figure you could drink all that yourself. I'd be happy to have a sip if yer offerin. But, uh, what I really came back here to do is apologize. I let Warshawski get under my skin. See I'm not always the best at talkin to good normal people. I spoke too harshly. I shouldn't have called your brother in law lover boy. That was rude. I appreciate you lettin me in to look around. I also wanted to mention you hired some good people. Warshawskis weird, she sees dead people, but not your brother in law. Means he's quite possibly still alive. Sebastian he's kind of like my handler you could say. I find people that's why he brought me. I can see you are doing this for the right reasons. I wouldn't even take what yer payin if I didnt need it just to survive. You won't have to pay me anymore than my share ya already offered."

"So Ah, in short I'm sorry I rushed to judgement and said what I did. Yer good people."

GM
Jeminda is pleasantly surprised at your apology and happily pours you a cup of tea. It's actually rather good. "Well, thank you," she says. "But don't let me hold you up. I appreciate you taking the case. Be careful out there."

GM
As you leave Jeminda Anikee's residence and make to catch up with Bacarov on his way to The Rook's, you hear someone call out to you from behind. Jeminda runs up to you, smiling nervously. "Listen, Mr. Marsh," she says, "I didn't mean to sound as if I was running you off, but... Here. I got something for you to show my appreciation for what you said earlier." She hands you a small package; when you open it up, you find it filled with a few bags of the tea she served you earlier, as well as a small vial filled with purple liquid."You might want to have Mr. Jodare take a look at that, but it's a bit of a souvenir from my wayward youth. I don't have any use for it, but I think you just might. Anyway, well... thanks again. And tell the rest of the group that I really appreciate this."

Vincent Marsh
"Thank you ma'am, that tea will really hit the spot out on the trail. Heh, this looks like a potion. Did you ever do a little adventuring?"

"Hey look, I dont wanna spook you, but I want you to be safe. If someone comes around askin you about why we were around I want you to just tell em it's about taxes and bills. Make sure you tell em Sebastian and Warshawski are on the case. If they ask any about me and the others . . . Tell em to take their questions up with the Rook. Don't say nothin else. If they start really pressin ya, you tell em that they'll get a visit me personally."

"Hey another thing, take care of yourself, huh. Go do somethin for just you while you're waitin for us to get back. If you just sit around and think and wonder about ho things are gonna turn out your imagination and thoughts just get the best of you. Sounds like you've spent a lot of time care taking for everyone around you. Don't forget to take care of yourself."

"But hey, anyway, I'd ah better get goin. I gotta catch up with Sebastian."