"Hm. I think I will accompany you, Joseph," Evelyn decides after much deliberation. "Ralph and I did just offer the possibility of making a sizable donation, so I do not imagine it would be too unusual for me to show up again."
After dinner, the group splits up again with Joseph and Evelyn dressing up for a night at the Royal Opera House, Freddy and Amadeus going to scout out Donovan's townhouse and Anatoly dragging Ralph along to the harbor to ask around about this warehouse.
The Opera House
Dressed in their finest, Evelyn and Joseph arrive at Valletta's Royal Opera House in the hopes of ensnaring Donovan. After shelling out a sizable amount of cash, the two have excellent seats in a box overlooking the stage- and the audience. While the production of Turandot is quite good, they spend most of their time surveying the audience and looking for Donovan with their opera glasses.
Alas, neither of them spot him in attendance during the performance or during intermission. The two even remain afterwards to socialize in the lobby, but find neither hide nor hair of him. Walking around the building afterwards, they strike up a conversation with an usher on a cigarette break.
"Mister Donovan? He and his wife used to come here all the time. He still does, but hardly ever makes it through a show anymore. Something happen to him? A shame if something did. Nice folks."
At a cafe nearby, over glasses of red wine, Evelyn and Joseph get to talking with their waiter: a classy fellow with a slight lisp.
"Oh, yes. Mister Donovan takes an espresso here sometimes, usually on the patio with his entourage before he heads to the hospital. I don't think I should say more. Nice fellow and it's not my place."
With less to show for the evening than they had liked, Evelyn and Joseph start walking back to the hotel since it's a warm night. Gas lamps and electric lights twinkle in the narrow alleys and avenues, lending the city a shadowy charm.
The Townhouse
Freddy and Amadeus find Donovan's townhouse in northwest Valletta on a hill just south of Great Siege Road and overlooking the water north of Valletta. It's a building of solid stones and sturdy bricks, with no windows on the house's right or left sides except for the topmost fourth storey, which stands higher than the neighboring buildings and boasts honest-to-God stone gargoyles on each corner. The townhouse is right up against the street with an extremely sturdy looking front door and wrought iron cages on the ground floor windows.
Deciding to stake the place out, the PI and the medium climb start climbing onto a nearby roof. Amadeus' steps aren't as careful as he would like, though, and he sends a clay roof tile crashing to the alley below. With the ensuing noise and investigation, the two lose some time laying low and trying to stay out of sight. After what seems like forever, the attention dies down and they pull out their binoculars.
Every window in the house has its curtains drawn, except for the fourth storey's front windows. You see a man passing by those windows regularly, likely on patrol. After half an hour, he takes out binoculars and looks north over the water.
You see what looks like a cleaning lady take the trash out the front door to the curb, the door closing behind her and then opening again at her knock.
Around the rear of the building is a heavy garage door. A man in a suit stands outside, seemingly on watch. Around midnight another man dressed like a chauffeur opens one side of the garage and leaves, nodding to the man on watch after locking the door and leaving. The garage door seems to be the only method in through the back, besides climbing to a rear window.
Looking over the building with his knowledge of the Occult, Amadeus recognizes the decorative symbols on the house's stonework as variations on protective glyphs and wards against the evil eye.
With Freddy's knowledge of Evidence Collection, he notes that the townhouse's exterior is unusually clean and carefully scrubbed.
Besides the departing chauffeur, no one else leaves the property. The guard on the fourth storey continues his rounds, looking out to see every half hour or so.
The Warehouse
Anatoly and Ralph head down to the less romantic part of Valletta near the harbor. Sailors and dockworkers carouse the streets or shuffle tiredly home. Armed with the address of Donovan's warehouse, they find it easily and scope it out from a nearby lot through unobtrusive binocular use.
The warehouse is a simple cement and corrugated metal building with few entrances and high, closed windows. Aside from the light pouring out of those dirty windows, there's little way of seeing what's going on inside- though they can tell that's it still active well into the evening. Two men are posted on the roof and they seem to be carrying rifles. Small groups of men walk the grounds with rifles as well- after several minutes, Ralph and Anatoly note that they stay exclusively on the gravel paths around the warehouse. A private dock sits around the back, but there isn't a ship moored there.
Satisfied with scoping the place out, they spend a little time in one of the cheap bars catering to the usual harbor clientele, much to Ralph's discomfort. A deeply tanned Maltese porter is more than happy to share a story about the place when plied with a few drinks.
"I don't have a clue what they're doing in there and I don't want to know. Went up to one of the guys working there once to get a light and I thought he was going to pull a gun on me! Had it in a shoulder holster under his jacket. Those guys at that warehouse, they're hiding something. But I'm not getting involved."
Another man smoking a cigarette outside has seen the owner.
"Guy that owns that place comes in a fancy car sometimes to inspect whatever they house over there. Ships come and go from their private dock. Did he do something? Always seemed sort of scared to me, traveling with all of those guys. His warehouse people carry rifles, too. Must be high end, whatever his business is."
Freddy takes a bite of a doughnut and passes one to Amadeus as they sit on their roof and watch. "Why do these cultists all have to be in fortified mansions with a small army?"
"Fortified islands are too cliche?"
Evelyn shows up to the opera house in a modest but lovely black dress, attached off Joseph's arm as his apparent companion for the evening. The doctor cannot help but to feel a little nostalgic - this is the kind of thing she would have done with Jeffery in the past. It was a sobering thought, but there is no pang in her chest. As long as she remembered that this was all a part of a job, she could keep it together easily enough. And so she plays the part, wearing a broad (if tired) smile and laughing when appropriate.
Unfortunately, she does not have the opportunity to enjoy the show, far too occupied keeping an eye out for Donovan. By the time all is said and done, she leaves the operahouse feeling a little dejected, the momentary high of getting to live in the past gone. No long holding onto Joseph, she walks at his side, occasionally casting cautious glances into the shadows.
Evelyn and Jospeh both get the distinct feeling that they're being watched... but whoever it is, they are very good as no amount of doubling back or sudden stops manage to shake them or force them into showing themselves.
Evelyn and Joseph take a long, circuitous route through the city until they no longer feel watched- only then do they return to the hotel. Anatoly and Ralph arrive after their stakeout, followed by Amadeus and Freddy at the conclusion of their own mission.
Anatoly explains what he discovered at the warehouse. "Very suspicious if you ask me. Perhaps we should also case the dock and his private space. If you remember there were many people at the last Mo... I mean event, so I would expect a crowd. I guess it's possible that this operation is different however, and maybe they're distributing the nectar not using it locally. Perhaps they're making or storing it in the warehouse, then using the boats to move it or bring it in"?
Evelyn nods in agreement. "Given the nectar output here, their focus is definitely on production. It only makes sense that they would be shipping it out through the docks." With a grimace, she adds, "In which case, that makes it likely that It is in the warehouse."
Not wanting to linger on her memory of the Mouth for too long, the doctor moves right along. "We did not turn up much at the operahouse. Donovan stills turns up there on occasion, but none of his activity there sounds particularly suspicious. Something definitely changed after his wife passed. He does apparently still visit the hospital, though. It might be worth a look."
"Also..." Evelyn exchanges glances with Joseph. "Someone was following us on our way back from the operahouse. I'm sure of it. I think we managed to shake them, but... it seems that our activity thus far has not gone unnoticed."
"That many people in a motorboat might be a bit suspicious puttering around. I'll disguise myself as a dockworker, and try to keep an eye on things from the ground... just in case things go south".
Evelyn chuckles. "I've been to one or two yacht parties before. But as much as I'd love to relive the experience, a yacht would hardly be subtle.
"A motorboat seems far more reasonable, yes." The doctor goes silent for a moment, looking down at the silly dress she had worn to the operahouse. "Perhaps I should I get my hands on some clothing that is a little more... pragmatic."
Amadeus smiles at the idea of pragmatic. "And what role shall I play in this drama?"
Joseph heads down to the docks in the afternoon and easily finds a business renting out motorboats to tourists. The middle-aged proprietor is friendly and heavily tanned, chatting amiably and suggesting good spots to visit around the coast. The owner tries to show you the basics on the motorboat, but Joseph proves to already be a capable hand with watercraft.
While on the docks, you notice a yacht moored out in the harbor and Joseph is familiar enough with yachting and shipping protocol to know that it's in the way out there. Borrowing a set of binoculars, you see that the name of the yacht is Elegance- Montgomery Donovan's yacht.
After acquiring a tarp to lend in disguising the motorboat, you all spend a little time puttering around with the motorboat to establish your cover. Night falls and you prepare for your "fishing expedition".
Under cover of night, you drive the motorboat through Valletta's harbor toward where Donovan's yacht is anchored. Joseph keeps the motor low and quiet as he maneuvers the boat to keep the yacht between the harbor and the investigators. You observe from far away, waiting for any movement... but there's none. The lights are out and the yacht appears to be empty.
Amadeus will look around, then shrug. "Let's do what we came to do, shall we?" He'll climb onboard.
Ralph joins them on the Yacht. Hopefully this doesn't go poorly...
Anatoly climbs on top of a tall stack of shipping containers and watches the drama unfold at sea. He lowers the binoculars and rubs his eyes briskly, before returning them to the scene.
It was not a trick of the moonlight... they are boarding the yacht... this should get interesting.
Freddy will stick with Anatoly to keep watch. "We probably should have gotten radios before they went out there. I don't know how we'll warn them of trouble from this distance."
True to her earlier remark, Evelyn wears clothing more suitable for their purposes. She wears some dark slacks, a black sweater, and for lack of a proper pair of boots, some flats (at least they weren't high heels). Her hair is tied back into a bun, if only to keep it out of her face.
The doctor watches and waits as the others climb onto the yacht before steeling herself and joining them.
The four investigators climb onto the dark yacht. Evelyn indicates that everyone should be careful with their flashlight beams and try to stay low as she leads the way.
The yacht isn't especially large- three modest cabins, a galley and a sitting room- made out of gleaming light woods and white-painted slats inside. There's plenty of seating on deck, both fore and aft. The bridge is on top and the engines are accessible beneath doors both in the aft deck and below decks.
It seems the place has been cleared of valuables and locked down for safety's sake. Joseph notices that the bar is all but dry- row after row of empty bottles suggest not that it's been cleaned out for storage but that someone drank the supply down to nothing. Unwashed glasses and mugs are scattered about the boat. Evelyn takes a quick sniff of the glasses and confirms that each was used for alcohol, mostly without mixers.
Joseph and Ralph spot mountings on some of the walls for paintings and prints, all of them empty now. But it leads them to notice a symbols painted on the walls in an almost clear liquid, visible only at certain angles. They would have been covered by the now-absent paintings. With Ralph's esoteric knowledge of the Occult and confirmation from Amadeus, he can tell that these are wards against witchcraft and magic.
The closet in the main cabin is crowded with fine dresses, both formal and casual. You can tell that these are the work of top-tier designers from France, Italy and the Americas. In the back of the closet is a guitar case containing... a Spanish-made guitar.
The other two cabins are probably for guests, decorated as they are with generic nautical tchotchkes and bare beds. Their closets are empty.
The galley is cleaned out. All that's left on the shelves of the main room are popular novels- mild romantic dramas and children's adventure stories- though most of the shelves are empty.
Anatoly and Freddy watch from the shore, smoking and trying to look casual. If they didn't know someone was on the boat, they would have trouble noticing. Beyond the occasional group of sailors passing on their way to a pub or warehouse workers on the night shift, few people are around.
But you feel that prickling on the back of your neck, like you're being watched. It comes and goes throughout the lookout session, but it's tough to put your finger on it.
Amadeus sniffs at the warding paint to see if he can identify it.
Freddy turns nonchalantly as if he's doing a normal sweep of the area but spends more time facing away from the harbor. In the shadowy streets, it's hard to get a solid fix on anyone but he's sure he catches a glimpse of an older man (60s at least) with a bushy beard dressed in black and watching from an alleyway behind one of the older buildings in the area. He nods his head by way of greeting the PI, before turning and walking into the shadows.
Amadeus sniffs at the warding paint to see if he can identify it.
The scent is faded but Amadeus can get a hint of... honey, maybe? But more pungent. It must be Nectar, dried on the walls.
Freddy jumps up. "Anatoly, I just spotted a man in the alley watching us. I'm going to go after him and see if i can get any answers. Do you want to come with me of keep watching?" The PI begins climbing down the stack of shipping crates before he gets an answer.
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"Nectar." Amadeus spits. "They wrote their wards in that disgusting fluid. If we're lucky they 'wrote' it with their hands..."
I give a shudder. I wonder what it wards against. Not us, hopefully...
"Yes, if we're lucky," Evelyn replies, trying not to think about the implications behind Amadeus's colorful remark.
Spotting the mostly empty shelves, the doctor saunters over and pulls out a few of the remaining books, flipping through them for any possibility of them not being exactly what they seemed. If that does not turn up anything, she'll take a closer look at the shelves themselves.
Sense Trouble
Anatoly quickly moves his binoculars to where Freddy is pointing. "I'm sure you're imagining things. We can't leave the others without someone to watch their backs. Particularly since they've made the fool move to board the yacht".
"Yes, if we're lucky," Evelyn replies, trying not to think about the implications behind Amadeus's colorful remark.
Spotting the mostly empty shelves, the doctor saunters over and pulls out a few of the remaining books, flipping through them for any possibility of them not being exactly what they seemed. If that does not turn up anything, she'll take a closer look at the shelves themselves.
The books are exactly what you've judged them to be by their covers: light reading suitable for a lady and a young boy to keep them entertained on a boating excursion. You pull on the shelves, examine how they're put together and they seem to just be mostly empty shelves.
Freddy jumps up. "Anatoly, I just spotted a man in the alley watching us. I'm going to go after him and see if i can get any answers. Do you want to come with me of keep watching?" The PI begins climbing down the stack of shipping crates before he gets an answer.
Freddy runs off into the dark alley, trying to catch up to the old man- but he seems to have vanished into one of the buildings or nearby cellars.
Freddy looks for any visual cues that could give away where the man passed. Scuff marks from a recently opened door, knocked over trash bins, etc..
The street slopes uphill and so you start seeing basement doors below street level as you go further up back toward Valletta. Each one is locked, however and you don't see any noticeable signs of passage.
Freddy heads back to Anatoly and shrugs his shoulders. "Guess you were right. Couldn't find a sign of anyone. Anything exciting happen yet?" Freddy asks as he looks out to the yacht with his binoculars.