[MaC] Seperated - Nicola, Michael & Hodges

[Mel Mason]

>> "Now that's curious.  Rude, even for an American." Hodges commented.  He 
>> picked up his own 'file' and opened it.
>>
>> "I beg your pardon, Mr. Hodges! Rudeness is not a feature of any one 
>> nationality- even mine!" Nicola snapped as she reached in and pulled her 
>> own pile of papers out. She began to leaf through the papers.
>>
>> "I should say, present company excepted, Miss Douglas."  Hodges stried to 
>> smile apologetically, and coughed obviously embarassed by his faux pas.
>>
>> The files appeared to contain details of all their comings and goings, 
>> their regular daily routines, they thinks they said and did and - rather 
>> more alarming - some of Braham's reflections on it all.
>
> James picked up his own folder, opened it, and spent a few moments, 
> leafing through the contents.  His face didn't betray anything, but he 
> pointedly put down the folder without looking at it again, as if he 
> expected it to be a gorgon of some sort.
>>
>> (OOC - I'll leave Tara to add a few more pertinent details from your 
>> individual files if she wishes!)
>>
>> They next moved on to Marion Mauberley's flat.  The journalist's home was 
>> neat and tidy, although the dining room had been converted to a study. 
>> Wall charts were in evidence, including what appeared to be a timeline 
>> and diary combined, marked with various dates and information from 1938 
>> onwards.  This cross referenced to several diaries oon the desk beneath, 
>> it appeared, which in themselves contained intriguing information, such 
>> as from 1938: "Int Moseley Thurs."
>>
>
> "Interview?" James ventured, aloud.
>

(OOC - no problem here - but has James joined this group?)

They moved on to the next floor, where there was an unoccupied flat again 
(the Bonar-Laws, and it was in a similar state to the Carter-Rucks).  Then 
they visited Tabitha's.

On Tabitha's desk in the lounge there were two piles of letters; one pile is 
from her son, the other, considerably smaller pile from her husband. One of 
the letters from her husband was lying open on her desk and the ink was 
smudged in one or two places from Tabitha crying on it.

Poking out from under this letter was one Tabitha had begun to write to her 
son -- but she's only got as far as writing "Liebster Karl".

There was also a rather sharp letter opener.

There was a menorah on the table in the lounge, with candle stubs in all 
nine holders, even though Chanukah ended over a week ago.

In the first bedroom there was a small rocking horse and a few other 
children's toys, as well as a bed.

In the second, Tabitha's room, her nursing uniform had been thrown on the 
floor most untidily. The photograph of her family was on the bed, and there 
was a violin with a string missing standing against the wall in a corner of 
the room. There was also a shelf with a few books in English, German and 
Russian, but all the books were by Russian authors.

>From here they moved to Nicola's flat.

The first theing they were aware of was an extraordinarily yappy dog by the 
moniker of Mr.Bob who did his best to drown out any conversation had by 
anybody in the flat until Nicola hurriedly locked him in the pantry.  After 
that, his barking was at least muffled.

It appeared that Nicola's maid had been given the evening off.  Assorted 
shopping bags and clothes with pricetags still attached lying helter-skelter 
around the flat, and several full bottles of good-quality brandy were to be 
found in the kitchen.

In the lounge, close to the piano (a rather smaller one than Anton 
Barowenski's - a baby grand, in fact) there was sheet music to approximately 
twenty songs. The one lying on top of all the others was "Frankie and 
Johnny."

Hodges and Michael were able to see into her bedroom while she was locking 
Mr Bob away.  There was an open jewelry box on her dresser with gobs of jade 
jewelry and a silver locket with a picture of two older people inside, as 
well as a picture of Nicola on the arm of a shady-looking man a high-society 
party in New York.

Her diary was open to the last entry (Dec. 23, 1940).  The entry read as 
follows: "I must find him as quickly as I possibly can. I fear the 
consequences to be dire if I don't." Before they could read any further, 
Nicola came back into the room and hastily closed the diary.