Orne Library

Marcus is coming to Orne straight from a Human Physiology lecture, trying to get the dizzying multitude of enzyme types out of his head. This means that he is carrying with him the bulky leather Doctor's bag that his father gave him as a wishing well gift when he left the family home in Boston for Arkham, as a Miskatonic freshman.

The bag attracts more than a curious glance, austere and professional as it looks - but carried around by someone clearly several years away from being able to be a Practitioner! The bag is filled not with medical implements now, but with textbooks and notebooks - as well as a little metal flask in a hidden pocket.

Damn it, trust the great DOCTOR NATHANIEL DAVENPORT to choose a gift that would embarrass his son for the next six years! he thinks.

In fact, the figure an observer would see dragging such disproportionate, overkill bag is a youthful fellow (22, but with a much younger-looking face), shorter than average, with a slight physique, hollow cheeks and an unruly mop of dark hair. His clothing tells of good wealth, but his demeanor is nervous and self-conscious. He often bears a brooding expression.

Now Marcus steps in the silent library, glad to be finally out of sight from the campus quad outside. The old library had a calming effect on him since his very first visit. The occasion was jocular, mind you - a drunken dare with another student, to try and get permission from Doctor Armitage himself, notoriously secretive and cold, to access the Restricted Collection of the library.
Of course, he didn't even get to Armitage, let alone to the Collection.
But something in the atmosphere of the library resonated with him, and before he knew it he had chosen a book from one of the accessible shelves, had found a dimly lit nook, and had started reading.

This is his third visit at Orne. Surprisingly, he found himself intrigued by the occult books on the shelves, and by the atmospheric reading rooms. He had noticed a few others that seemed to have fallen victims to the same attraction.

Ellie slips into the third floor reading room and lets the door close softly behind her. Orne always calms her. It feels orderly, watchful, like a place where answers wait if you are patient enough.

She is twenty, an English literature major, carrying two aging books and a notebook heavy with annotations. Ink stains her fingers. She tells herself she will only stay an hour.

She is here because her latest paper is going nowhere. Every idea feels close but incomplete, and her advisor wants something original. Ellie is convinced the missing piece is here, hidden in a footnote or a forgotten text.

She takes her usual seat and, without meaning to, lets her gaze drift to the steel door of the Restricted Collection.

Ellis Hardy tromps up the stairs to the third floor of the Orne Library, carrying a small stack of books under his arm. Ellis is twenty, energetic. He finds an empty desk and deposits the books on top of it. They are all astronomy texts regarding constellational positioning.

Ellis likes to come to the third floor for the quiet and because there is usually a desk available for him to spread his materials out a bit. For some reason Ellis can't name, perhaps the positioning of the windows, the light seems better on the third floor than elsewhere in the library.

Right now Ellis is working on verifying the seasonal position of the star Fomalhaut. There's something that seems off about the star's location based on his observations from last night and Ellis can't quite get the itch out of the back of his brain. It almost feels like something is missing at that point of the sky, like there should be another body there that isn't. Ellis is trying a "back to the drawing board" approach, going through the basics and doing some geometry work to verify.

Something moving out of the corner of his eye catches his attention. It's Professor Rice, his Latin teacher, walking briskly along the aisle and towards Dr. Armitage's office. Rice has something of a stricken look to him. Ellis waves and Rice vaguely waves back, but Ellis isn't sure if Rice even really noticed him before disappearing into the stacks.

Jocelyn looks up from the chapter she is reading: "Cadzow, Donald A., Native Copper Objects of the Copper Eskimo. (Indian Notes and Monographs.)" The plates are intriguing and she is half imagining herself on an expedition to the Northwest Territories of Canada, digging up objects from the icy ground.

She watches the two young men who come in, more to rest her eyes than anything else. Undergrads by the look of them, still very wet behind the ears. She’s seen them before of course, it’s almost as if there’s a small club of folk who take the extra staircase for an extra bit of peace.

Jocelyn herself is almost a decade older than them, with lines starting to form at the sides of her eyes. She reckons she maybe needs glasses because she is always finding herself squinting, but she hasn’t got around to booking an appointment yet. Although her light brown hair is shoulder-length, it is as usual tied up in a bun so as not to get in the way. She’s dressed in a sensible skirt, with a sensible blouse and cardigan and very sensible, slightly scuffed shoes.

With a sigh, she turns back to her notepad. Just a couple more pages to digest then maybe she can go for a soda. She wonders if cousin Ellie is here. They do often meet here and Ellie is always good company. Jocelyn drags her wandering mind back to her studies.

The Orne Library settles back into its familiar routine - silence punctuated by the soft whisper of turning pages, the occasional murmured exchange between students, and an isolated cough from a hidden corner of the library.

Then ...

The door to the stairwell bursts open with a sharp bang, before easing shut again with a subdued whisper.

A tall, slender man steps out onto the third floor, a pipe clenched thoughtfully between his teeth. He removes his hat and smooths back thinning white hair, never once looking up from the folded newspaper in his hands. His eyes move slowly across the page, rereading a particular column with evident interest.

You recognize him immediately as Dr. Henry Armitage.

Still engrossed in the article, Armitage slowly crosses the floor toward the imposing steel door of the Restricted Collection. As he walks, he absently digs through his coat pockets, clearly searching for something. Whatever he is reading has his full attention.

"Henry," comes a voice in a careful, too-loud whisper.

A nearby librarian looks up, already prepared to hush the disruption, but lowers her eyes again when she sees who has spoken.

A second man steps out from between the stacks and approaches. You recognize him as Professor Warren Rice. He is younger than Armitage, well kept, but with a serious look to him.

The two men talk in hushed tones just outside the Restricted Collection door. Armitage turns the newspaper slightly so Rice can see the article. Rice scans it quickly, his expression tightening. He makes a dismissive gesture, as if to wave the matter away, but Armitage doesn’t seem to agree.

After a moment, Rice exhales and nods. He claps Armitage lightly on the shoulder, murmurs something inaudible, and then turns away, heading for the stairs and out of the library.

Armitage remains.

At last, he produces a heavy ring of keys from his pocket. He tosses the newspaper onto a nearby table and focuses on the keys.

For the first time in a long while, Dr. Henry Armitage stands alone - unguarded, unhurried.

Marcus' attention is piqued.
What could possibly be in that article, absorbing Armitage to this extent? he thinks.

Stepping closer with the excuse of returning a book on a nearby shelf, he tries to identify the newspaper the scholar is holding.

Ellis sees Dr. Armitage rush in and his secret conversation with Prof. Rice. He was about to try and signal Rice again, but the professor was gone much too quickly. He's caught, somewhat fascinated, by seeing Dr. Armitage about to open the foreboding locked door to the Restricted collection.

Ellis thinks to himself
I wonder what has Armitage and Rice looking so spooked. Something to do with today's paper, it looks like. Maybe they have a copy here I could look through.

As Ellis sits and ponders, he notices Marcus Davenport sidling closer to where Armitage dropped the paper and giving it a look over. Ellis waves at Davenport, hoping that Marcus is willing to share what the two men were reading.

Ellie looks up from her notebook when the stairwell door closes a little too loudly, her pen pausing mid sentence. She had not realized how completely she had sunk into her work until the sound pulls her back into the room.

She watches Dr. Armitage cross the floor, the newspaper in his hand, and feels that familiar tightening in her chest. Whatever has his attention has weight to it.

Ellie glances toward Ellis and then to Marcus, noting how both have shifted closer, drawn in despite themselves. She tells herself it is none of her business, then quietly closes her book anyway.

If something has unsettled Armitage badly enough to reach for the Restricted Collection, she wants to know why.

Marcus sees Ellis and waves back. Once his friend is close he whispers, "looks like Armitage is concerned about the missing students in Vermont, judging from that headline..." he nods towards the Advertiser on the table.

"You know... Jeffrey and Devine..." he adds. "and it sounds like Robert Blaine went to Vermont to try finding them... To no avail. But I wonder why this concerns Armitage so much?"

Hearing the whispers, Jocelyn looks up with a scowl on her face. She is about to shush the two boys when she spots her cousin Ellie. She smiles and raises a hand then sees that Ellie is also looking at the pair. Assuming Ellie knows them, she decides not to say anything. She does find herself wondering what they are so animated about, though...

"Good question," Ellis responds. After a second of deliberating he adds. "Let's see what he says."

Ellis walks closer to Dr Armitage, "Is something wrong, Dr Armitage?" he asks point blank. "You seem troubled."

Surprised by Ellis' directness towards the legendary scholar, Marcus finds himself quickly grabbing a random book from a bookshelf and sitting down within earshot, feeling a little like a child caught red-handed doing something bad.

He sees the two young women that are also in the room looking in his direction, and makes a quick embarrassed grin.

Ellie looks up as Ellis steps forward, her expression sharpening despite herself. She had not meant to listen, but Marcus’ whisper had carried just enough to snag her attention.

She closes her notebook quietly and rises, moving a little closer under the pretense of reshelving a book. Close enough to hear, close enough to see Armitage’s face when Ellis speaks.

Ellie offers Jocelyn a small, questioning glance, then turns her eyes back to the scholar. Whatever answer comes next feels like it will matter, and she does not want to miss a word.

Robert Blaine was well known to the student body. He came from money - old money. Tall, lean and powerfully built, Blaine was an athlete, as well as an intellectual. He was member of the university's wrestling team, and debate team. He was confident, sociable, and popular.

Things changed after the expedition. Blaine threw himself into the search for the missing students. He was there when Boyd Patterson was found. He was never the same afterwards. He continued to search, even after the official search dwindled, but eventually returned to campus empty handed.

These days, Blaine spends most of his time deep in the bottle. When he is seen in public, it’s usually in the Orne library - especially the third floor. He seems obsessed. Searching for something.

Jocelyn can't help herself. She has to stifle a giggle at the boy being so self-conscious. With Ellie close to whatever is going on, she is sure she will find out eventually what is going on here, so she looks back down at her monograph so as not to attract attention.

That object could almost be a listening horn, she finds herself thinking.

Ellis takes the newspaper and reads the article, being careful to try and collect everything he can from the words on the page. After a moment thinking, he hesitantly responds in a low voice, hoping it won't carry too far beyond himself and his elder.

"One student dead from a fall. Fall from where? What could he possibly be climbing? And two others missing. How? What could they possibly have been doing where one person could fall from a great height while the others just disappear? Was anything even left behind? A tent? Car tracks? It says no trace was found. I have no idea what it might have been, but I would think something happened there."

Ellis stops and takes a moment. Did he maybe go too far? Was he missing something much more obvious in front of him? After a beat, he finishes with a question.

"What do you think about it, sir?"

Ellie remains still as the locks click shut, the sound echoing longer than it should in the quiet room.

She meets Jocelyn’s eyes for a moment, then looks back to the steel door, her expression thoughtful rather than frightened. Authorities do not ignore things without reason. Neither do men like Armitage offer half answers by accident.

Ellie closes her notebook, already certain she will not be able to stop thinking about why those students were there, or what someone does not want found.

Marcus steps to Ellis, having overheard his exchange with Armitage.

Keeping his voice low, he says, "What was that? I can't believe it... Did Armitage just drop a... challenge to look into the disappearances?"

He looks at the newspaper article again. "I guess, with the authorities dropping the search..." he leaves the phrase hanging.

He pats the newspaper on the table with his open hand, causing a thump that is too loud for the reading room. "We should look into this! If we managed to find something out... We'd be in Armitage's good books, right?..."

Thinking for a moment, he adds, "We need to talk to Blaine... But I don't know the fellow... "

On a whim, he steps to the young women in the room, showing the paper. "Apologies, ladies... We were wondering if any of you personally knew Robert Blaine, the Miskatonic student mentioned in this article? I think he frequents this reading room, sometimes?"

"That's him there," Jocelyn replies softly. "May I read that while you talk to him?" She holds her hand out for the article, her mouth taut.

"It does seem that way," Ellis responds. "I think it might be worth the time to look more into Cobb's Corners and this 'history' he mentioned before we do anything else. But I'm definitely in favor of checking it out."

Ellis stands by as his friend addresses the others in the reading room about who might be familiar with Robert Blaine and flinches as the loud bang of the opening door surprises him. He stares as Blaine himself enters, sits, and starts making notes with the books in front of him.

Ellis turns to his friend and speaks softly, "I'm not much of a talker, Marcus. If Robert there is anything like me, he's going to be extremely focused. Perhaps you could try and get his attention? I think Dr. Armitage might be interested in seeing that Blaine is here right now."

After a short pause, Ellis adds "And he might be interested in those books, as well."

After nodding at Marcus, Ellis walks towards the metal door of the Restricted Section, intending to knock on it.
Hoping he's too focused to notice the noise, he thinks, although he's not entirely sure why that would be a problem.

Ellie watches Blaine from the edge of the stacks, her attention caught by the care with which he handles the books. She leans toward Jocelyn and murmurs, just low enough to stay polite,
"That’s him, isn’t it. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days."

Marcus nods at Jocelyn and Eleanor, passing the newspaper to the former. "Thank you for pointing him out to me... I am a freshman here, still don't know many people."

Then, replying to Eleanor, "Yes... He looks like a nervous wreck..."

Moving discreetly, Marcus takes a place at Blaine's table, diagonally opposite, and puts his medical bag on the chair next to him, well in vision. From it, he takes a notebook and a pen.

After a few moments observing Blaine from the corner of his eye (trying to get a sense of what books he is so absorbed in), he glances once at Ellis by the locked door, then...

"My apologies," he starts sotto voce, addressing Blaine from across the table. "I couldn't help but notice you are looking very fatigued... Are you alright, Mister? Excuse the intrusion... I am a medical student here, and you are presenting the symptoms of someone about to pass out..."

Silently cursing himself, Marcus hastens to pack his own bag and stands up in turn.
"Yes, nice to meet you... But forgive me, I haven't told you my name... Marcus Davenport. And you are?.. I'll walk downstairs with you, I was also leaving..." He says softly, awkwardly offering Blaine his hand to shake.

Unusual choice of books, is the thought that flashes in his mind.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Armitage," Ellis responds, "but I thought you might want to see this." At this, he turns to give Armitage a better view of the reading room and gestures towards Blaine, who is now making his exit.

"His choice of reading material in particular seemed to be in your field of interest, although he seems to have packed it up at present."

Ellie watches Blaine rise, her eyes lingering on the way he grips his bag like a lifeline. The titles Marcus glimpsed echo faintly in her mind, strange and heavy with implication.

She steps closer to Jocelyn, lowering her voice.
"He is running from something."

As Marcus moves to follow Blaine and Ellis speaks with Armitage at the door, Ellie remains where she is, caught between curiosity and caution, unsure which path she should choose next.

Having scanned the newspaper piece, Jocelyn has been packing up. She slips that in with her own things, almost adding the monograph to her own possessions. Grabbing that and smiling at her cousin, she follows Blaine and the other boy.

"As it happens Mister Blaine, I spotted one of the books you are reading and I think I might be able to help. Name's Jocelyn, but people call me Jo," she extends a hand to be shaken and sees he doesn't want to, "Never mind," she says, "I'm a grad student here, Archaeology, and I do actually know something about that topic, would you like to have a cup of tea?"

She keeps going, not letting the poor boy get a word in edgeways.

MARCUS & JO
Robert Blaine looks at Marcus's extended hand as if studying a problem he's not sure how to solve. He slowly, tentatively, reaches out a hand and takes it. "Nice to meet you." He says quietly, almost a whisper. "I'm Robert."

He pauses for a second, giving Marcus time to collect his things, before starting towards the exit. He is quiet. Pensive. Thoughts clearly racing behind his bloodshot eyes. "I ... I was going to get a drink." He mutters after a few steps. "... if you want to come."

They've nearly reached the exit when Jo intercepts them. Blaine stiffens immediately, taking a defensive step back, bag pulled instinctively to his chest. He looks from Jo to Marcus, then back to Jo again.

"You ... you know?" He begins, then stops himself. His face flushes. "Not here."

---

ELLIS
Dr. Armitage peers across the library. His gaze finds Robert Blaine standing a short distance away with Marcus and Jo.

His expression changes somewhat - a look of mild concern crosses, but is soon gone. Replaced by the composed restraint that Ellis is used to.

"This whole business has hit Mr. Blaine hard." He says quietly, watching the trio. "Grief can be hard to process at his age."

Armitage finally looks back at Ellis. "He has been doing research. Asking questions. He has asked more than once to be given access to the Restricted Collection, but I am worried about what it might do to him in his current fragile state."

Armitage sighs heavily, considering the situation. "He must have picked up some books on his own. They're not easily obtained, but not impossible if someone is determined."

He nods his head as if agreeing with an unspoken question. "I will have a talk with him. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Mr. Hardy." Armitage gives Ellis a serious look. "Discretion, if you please." And with a nod closes the door.

Jocelyn hangs back a little to look back at Ellie. She gestures with her head for her cousin to come with.

Marcus is surprised at Jocelyn's bold move.
She also must be intrigued by the disappearances... Like me, she wants to know more, he thinks.

He follows Robert to the speakeasy, that is well known to him for many previous visits. He also gets a drink, and asks Jocelyn if she wants one.

He then sits at the table with Blaine. "The students' disappearances. It's a disgrace, that the authorities gave up so soon the search... " he says shaking his head slowly, treading cautiously to take the measure of Robert Blaine and his burning obsession, whatever it might be.

He dares a quick glance at Jocelyn, inviting a comment, or something to get Blaine in a talkative mode.

Jocelyn introduced herself properly to Marcus on the ride and has ordered a soda in the Speakeasy. She's not really comfortable here, but she focuses on the task at hand.

Sipping on her drink, she looks over it at Blaine. "Let me see the books and I'll explain," she says calmly.

Marcus observes the exchange. Waiting for a lull in the conversation, he says softly, making his voice convey that he regards the matter as a serious one. "You were there on the search, Robert. You must have known some of the missing students personally?.. Do you have any theory, about their disappearance? Something the authorities might have overlooked?"

That's a lot of information, Jocelyn thinks to herself. She holds Blaine's eyes for a moment, she turns her attention to the books, feeling a faint dread at what she might see.

Marcus reacts in shock at this revelation. Damn. No wonder the fellow looks like a broken man... he thinks. He surely has a better excuse than me to drink...

"Oh. I am... I'm so sorry, Robert. What a horrible situation. I don't blame you for refusing to give up the search. People don't just... disappear without a trace. Not in the Twentieth century, right?... "

He feels the familiar anger towards authorities growing within him. "I can't believe the police is dropping this! Do you think that... some fresh pairs of eyes could be of help? Sometimes, coming fresh to a problem it is possible to see details and patterns that those deeply involved might have missed?" he offers, tentatively.

He glances at Jocelyn, wondering what she will make of those old -and expensive, by the sound of it - books.

Yes, Discretion, Ellis thinks to himself as Armitage closes the heavy metal door.

He watches as Marcus and Jocelyn chat up Robert Blaine and follow along with him to grab a drink. I'll have to catch up with them later, he thinks to himself.

Ellis checks the card catalog and peruses the local history collection for anything about Cobb's Corners and whatever this "history" is that Armitage was referring to.

His focus broken, Ellis yawns and cracks his knuckles. When he takes a look around the library he finally notices that night has since fallen. Mercy, it's gotten later than I thought, he says to himself. He notices Ellie is also still there at the library, engaged in her study.

"Miss Ward?" he says, trying to get her attention without scaring or surprising her. "I've been rather engrossed in some research and I failed to notice how late it's become. If you would enjoy an escort to your dormitory, it would be my pleasure to oblige. I also found this," he says, showing the scrap of paper from the book. "It appears the missing Miss Devine was doing research of her own into the history of Cobb's Corners. I'm planning to leave a note for Marcus that I'd like to speak to him during breakfast tomorrow, if you are also interested in pursuing more information on the missing students."

Ellis returns the books to their proper places and prepares to step out into the night air. If Ellie takes her up on his offer, he walks her to her dormitory building before going back to his. In his room, Ellis writes out a card to Marcus explaining what he's found and that he'd like to meet and talk during breakfast. He deposits the card at Marcus's dormitory.

"Well... You've been there on the site. How remote is it? Would a search require the University's backing? In term of logistics... Equipment and such. I am wondering if one could get some... tents, walking gear... Independently, I mean. I dont know. It clearly depends on how wild is the place. "

He thinks for a moment. What if his mind snapped. You hardly met this man. What if he was obsessed with Daphne, stalked her against her will?

He puts a gentle hand on the desperate man's shoulder.
"Maybe I will... But I have some questions, Marcus. Tell me about Daphne... Did she reciprocate your feelings for her?.... And... These books... You seem to have gone to great expenditure and effort to procure them. Why? What have they got to do with her disappearance in Cobb's Corner?"

He observes the man's eyes and mannerisms, looking for clues of his honesty.

Realizing his wording might be misread, he hastens to add, "wait, wait... don't get me wrong... I can see your distress and feel for you, and I do want to help you. But... I need to understand some things first, does it make sense?"

Emerging from the books, Jo tries to catch up with the conversation. She gets the feeling the Blaine boy has lost his marbles, with these books on witchcraft and demonology - she can't see what that has to do with his missing companions. But Marcus asks the question for her.

"And what was the objective of the original field trip?" she asks, "A geology student, a history student and an anthropology student...

Not wanting to upset the man any further, he nods reassuringly. "Yes... I will do all I can to help you find Daphne and the other missing students."

Then, as an afterthought, he adds, lowering his voice: "The Professor who tried to kill the expedition... It wouldn't be Armitage, by any chance?"

He rubs his chin. "Shame not knowing who the anonymous Professor is... It would have been good to ask them some questions."

"It doesn't sound like the people of this Cobb's Corner helped much, so far. I wonder if it's the police they were nervous about, or if they keep quiet with any stranger. That's what we'll be, once out there. Strangers who asks questions."

Looking at the drink in his hand, " I wonder if we need to bring something to loosen their tongue... Do you think some... fine booze from the city could help? " he asks Robert. " In Vino Veritas, as they say..."

Jo has been following along, but the brief glimpse of the books has given her an itch to scratch.

"If you think there's something in those books," she says, "why don't you let me have a better look? A fresh pair of eyes might find something you've missed. Same goes for looking up about Cobb's Corner at the library."/b]

[b]"It doesn't hurt to.prepare a bit before we go," she says, aware that she hasn't given him what he wants, the agreement to embark on his wild scheme.

"That is sound advice. It sounds like you are in your natural element, among books and such?"

---

"Yes... of course. Perhaps we can help you find more heads willing to come along too... How can we contact you?"

Marcus makes sure he has an address or other form of getting in touch with Robert.

Ellis is definitely going on the trip to Cobb's Corners.

Before the expedition, he gets a map for the area and studies it. He's trying to get a good feel for the area and hopefully find suitable areas to begin a search.

Ellis has some experience tromping around at night trying to get good views of the night sky, so he's bringing camping gear, a compass, and a flashlight with a red glass cover (stargazers use red lighting to prevent losing their night vision).

Ellis also picks up a box of ammunition for the old 12-gauge shotgun he keeps in the car. He brings it with him on nighttime jaunts in the countryside, in case he runs into any wild animals. He spends some time cleaning it, also. Just in case there's trouble and he needs it.

In the spare time between lessons and studies, Marcus will try to find out who is the anonymous Professor who cut the search funds. With the excuse of some irregularity in the paperwork about his enrollment at MU, he will approach the University administration offices, trying to figure out who to talk to to try to steer the conversation to the disappeared students and the research trip the MU organized. He hopes to get some gossip.

Marcus is sitting on a bench in the hallway outside Professor Harrold's office. From the muffled voices inside, he knows the scholar is in, finishing a meeting.

As the door eventually opens and a student walks out, he makes his move.
Before the door can close again, he rushes to talk to the Professor.

"Professor Harrold? Do you have a moment please? My name is Marcus Davenport, I study Medicine here at MU... I am very concerned about the missing students, up in Vermont... I was close to Daphne, one of them. I am desperate to help the police to find them, but they are ready to give up the search. Their families are also in great distress, as you can imagine... My understanding is that you know the area, and were recommending to take precautions, perhaps even to cancel the field trip at Cobb's Corner? Can you share your concerns, I wonder if what you know might be of use to try find the poor folks missing? Please? "

"Professor... If you have even the vaguest idea of what could have happened up there, it would be more than those incompetent country police have! You've got to help me... What could have caused Boyd Patterson's death by fall? And... Daphne and John Jeffrey. People don't just... disappear like this, leaving no trace, for no reason... Please, Professor! "

Marcus observes the reaction of the academic, and is about to reply. Then he decides that silence could be the best approach, after irking the man.

He mumbles an apology and withdraws from Harrold's office.

Damn... There goes a bridge in flames, he thinks walking away.