[MaC] Seperated - Nicola, Michael & Hodges

[Knave of Amber]

On Sat, 1 Jan 2005 18:47:28 -0000, Mel Mason <goldfired at oxmust.co.uk> wrote:
> >> "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.

Michael fingered the locket, asking, "Your brother, Nicola?"