Trail of Cthulhu: Eternal Lies

Game Master James Keegan

The irate patrolman looks confused for a minute, before returning to questioning. His partner by the door snickers a bit.

"No, Ivan, I don't mean I'll give you a ride, it means... ah, hell with it. Did you see anyone in that office over there?"

Before Anatoly can answer, a shrill whistle and a shouted "LAPD! STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" can be heard on the opposite side of the office complex and the cops go running down the stairs.

We'll hand-wave the chase, since it looks right now as if I'll be rolling dice against myself.

After splitting up and killing some time laying low, you each take separate cabs back to your hotel in Glendale with plans to retrieve the rental car tomorrow. A bit later in the night, Dr. Udko throws himself down on his twin bed, sweaty and exhausted from having to dodge the police.

Current clues- this Jack Pizner was payed by someone to keep an ear to the ground for anyone looking into the '24 summoning. He also had descriptions of each of you written down, with an unfamiliar phone number scrawled on the page. Also- a drug called "Nectar" was used by the cultists to reach a state of ecstasy. If someone is heading off investigation into the '24 events, maybe there's still a Nectar trade?

Would Anatloy have had a chance to run in and grab any "loose" paperwork while the cops were chasing the others, or did they leave someone behind in the room. If necessary he'll spend an Evidence Collection point to grab the right documents.

"So someone is trying to thwart our efforts. We should start asking ourselves who would be doing these things, and why. Maybe someone in the Nectar business that doesn't want their operation uncovered"?

"Perhaps we should have this Pizner guy meet up with us somewhere, and see if we can get some information from him. Perhaps pose as a potential client. And maybe some of you Sciency guys can look into this Nectar a bit".

Unfortunately, no. They leave a cop behind to secure the crime scene- I figure that's Law Enforcement 101. If Anatoly wants to try and distract them and get inside, you can try that.

I PMed Dr. Udko's player to see if he is (hopefully) still around.

Would Freddy know how to look up a phone number to figure out who it belongs to?

It would be another trip to City Hall. Bureaucracy or Library Use would turn it up while going through municipal records. Someone will also have to pick up the car from where you parked it near Pizner's office.

"So we need to pick up our car. Do we hire someone to do so, or perhaps go in disguise in case the police are watching? Maybe I could make an appointment with the PI, since I guess I'm not a suspect in the B&E"?

"The PI did have a description of you, so we may not want to confront him just yet. Maybe we could head over there after dark to pick the car up? The police probably aren't interested in staking out the place over something so minor. Though, I like the disguise idea just in case. Then, if we head over to city hall, we may be able to look up who Pinzer was intending to contact.

What do you think?"

Sorry, dot disappeared!

Amadeus scowls. "We need more information on this PI. Once we have information, we'll know where to apply pressure to get him to talk."

So you have: the phone number on the description of you four which you can look up at the hall of records, you know where Pizner's office is if you want to shadow him to see what he does/where he goes, you can arrange a meeting with him either as yourselves or in disguise or you could try ambushing him at his office if you wanted to ask some hard questions. Other plans are also viable, depending on what you guys want to do, you can also split up if you prefer.

"If one of you want to do some research on the phone number, I'm the best in the biz at trailing folks. If we find out where he is going, we may be able to figure out what he is up to."

"Too public at his office. It might be being watched now after yesterdays events. If you think you can trail him I'll go along, and maybe we can figure out another place to "question" him. Or we could phone his office, and have him meet us somewhere for a "new case", and do our questioning there. I kind of like the latter idea, as we can control the environment a little better".

Amadeus nods. "Indeed. And in your hiring idea, we can control his escape routes and who he sees."

Freddy nods. "Alright, sounds like a plan fellas. What should our story be?"

"I'm thinking my sister is missing with heavy accent. I have some money to find someone more familiar with the city to find her. Now we just have to determine where we can have him meet us. Private place, but not too sketchy so he won't be suspicious. Any ideas"?

I'm likely to have a busy day at work so I may not be able to post an update until later, but it seems like the agreed upon course of action is to call up the PI under false pretenses to establish a meeting and then ambush him and try to interrogate him? Where would you like to do this- maybe rent another hotel room for this purpose?

don't mind me. just dotting by.

Maybe while we're mulling this over, we will be joined by someone who has no connection, or description to the PI, who would be perfect to help set up the ambush.

We'll do a small retcon here- yesterday morning when you checked in with Janet like you do every few days on the case, she said that one of her close friends Dr. Evelyn Malley has been able to get away from the hospital to help out with the investigation. Privately, she confided that Dr. Udko's recent bout of mild paranoia is a bit of a cause for concern to her and she would like to shore up your efforts with another trustworthy colleague.

While you quietly discuss your plans, you are a bit startled to hear a knock on your hotel door. Hiding incriminating materials, you spy through the peephole that there is a woman waiting there for you.
Dr. Malley can jump in anytime.

When the door eventually opens, a small raven haired beauty stands outside. She clutches a small black leather bag in her left hand, her very pale creamy looking skin contrasting starkly against it. She smiles brightly and says Dr. Evelyn Malley, at your service. She holds out her hand before saying Janet sent me. I'm here to help in any way I can.

Amadeus is suddenly the very picture of charming, smiling warmly and taking her hand in both of his, bending over it to kiss it genteelly. "Ah, Doctor Malley, I am honored to make your acquaintance. I am Amadeus Ra, seer of seers and seeker of knowledges. So very... pleased.. to meet you." His raised eyebrow and wicked grin give the phrase a dirty feel.

Dr. Malley smiles and says Please call me Eve. There is no need for such formalities. She mentally catalogs Amadeus's grin and general mannerisms and begins to file them in her mind palace. The mind palace, a technique first described in the Rhetorica ad Herennium, which was originally thought to have been written by the great Roman philosopher Cicero, was a mnemonic technique for remembering large quantities of information in an organized structure.

Eve stands in the door frame for a moment before saying gently May I come in?

Anatoly stands from where he was relaxing on the bed and approaches the stranger with his hand out. "But of course come in. My name is Anatoly, and your timing couldn't have been better.

Anatoly then fills in the new arrival on the plan to lure the detective in for questioning, and explains how since she is an unknown, she might be the ideal bait... if she doesn't mind that is.

"And don't worry we'll be in the next room listening if any funny stuff starts going down".

Eve smiles before saying Perhaps it would be best to give me a quick synopsis of the plan. Janet was less clear on the details than I would have liked. If you wouldn't mind starting from the beginning so that I can be all caught up that would be wonderful.

An older man in a shabby suit rises to greet you.
"Ah, yes, I can get you up to speed, Doctor. Paul Udko, PHD. I was the late Walter Winston's psychiatrist, so I can give you plenty of information about the present situation."

"Now, the late Mr. Winston suffered from a sense of paranoia and acute anxiety stemming from a confrontation in 1924. But he did not consent to further treatment from me after his wife's passing, thus I was never able to get to the bottom of his unique psychosis. With Walter Winston's passing, however, his daughter contacted the rest of us to get to the bottom of what the inciting incident was that left her father alienated and anxious. Our only correspondence was to a man named Douglas Henslowe, who wrote to Winston almost annually, trying to get him to corroborate Henslowe's version of events to Henslowe's doctors."

"Thus, we were dispatched to Savannah where we made the acquaintance of Mr. Elliot our private detective. At Joy Grove Asylum we interviewed Douglas Henslowe, who traveled the country in the '20s with Walter Winston and several other armchair sleuths. Combating some nefarious menace called 'The Thing with a Thousand Mouths' or 'The Fisher from Outside'. Normally I would dismiss such a thing as an invention of the subconscious, but I found his story oddly credible. He, a cultist named Edgar Job and Winston were the only survivors of a confrontation at a farmhouse here in Los Angeles. Naturally, we spoke to Job as well and he told us about Ramon Echavarria, the leader of the debauched cult of addicts the worshipped this 'Thing'. We literally dug up Henslowe's fascinating journal about the time spent on the investigation, along with a safe deposit box key for the First Bank of Long Beach where Henslowe had hidden blackmail materials from the time. The ledger and the photos are over there, if you wish, but they are quite shocking. Quite shocking, truly perverse."

"From there, we've done some footwork her in Los Angeles, managing to pry the safe deposit box contents from Roosevelt's goons at the FDIC, canvassing UCLA for information about George Ayers- another highly placed member of the cult who appears to have disappeared in Ethiopia on an archaeological dig, discovering Echavarria's full name and tax rolls. That lead us to an Abraham Buchwald- that's his name on the ledger there- he was Echavarria's accountant and he tracked the man's "Nectar" trade, selling drugs to sybarites across the country. I think the actor Richard Spend's sister- what was her name, something Jewish?- clarified that her brother used the stuff and he died at the barn summoning that night. We had the address for the farmland where it took place, so we took a look at it. Burned down, bullet holes, the whole thing. At the construction plot next door, they said the place gave them the creeps and the foreman was being shifty."

"That's where we got the address for this Jack Pizner, PI. He had payed the foreman to keep an eye on Echavarria's plot and to call him if anyone like us called to ask about what happened in '24. So we.... may have broken into his office yesterday, where a very close call with the police ensued. Our hand has been tipped a bit, but we may be able to corral this person into a situation where we can get some real answers out of him. He had descriptions of us already, very unflattering language. Likely a very hostile man with deep seated issues, misanthropic if you ask me."

I think that's the pertinent points, feel free to correct me.

Eve takes it all in before saying Wonderful. So you wish me to set up a meeting, perhaps to discuss catching my philandering husband of impropriety with his secretary or some such nonsense, in order to lure him into a situation for questioning? Assuming someone nods in the affirmative she says Very well. Do you have a date and time in mind for this endeavor? Dr. Malley gives the impression of cool confidence but you get the feeling that she has dealt with a great deal of tragedy in her past.

Evelyn will try to set up a meeting with Pizner at the location you all decide on, right? Then the rest of you pop out from the room next door or out of the bathroom to get the drop on him?

Describe what kind of hotel you're looking for/any notable features that you need for your plan and we can quickly narrate your location scouting trip. And since Evelyn and Anatoly weren't seen by the police or aren't suspects, either or both of them could go pick up your rental car. Dr. Udko will remain at the hotel, since he's quite beat from trying to evade the police yesterday during the aborted break-in.

Anatoly will go get the rental car. He will try to piece together a uniform, just in case there is any question, he will pretend to be hired by the rental car company to fetch their property.

I would guess that if we can get a slightly upscale suite, without spending a fortune that would be better. Pizner might let greed overcome any suspicions if he thinks his client might be well to do. Plus that would give another room to be concealed in. One covering the front door to stop any quick exit, and the others in the bedroom?

Anatoly, Evelyn says as they make their way to get the car, Perhaps you could pretend to be my valet? That way there would be no question as to why you were heading up to the room with me. You could even be in the room when I meet with Pizner and I will introduce you as my butler. How does that sound?

Anatoly finds it easy enough to cobble together something that looks to him like a uniform and he easily retrieves the rental car. While in the area of Pizner's office, he notes a few more patrol cars, but it's tough to say whether that's usual for the area or not.

Shopping for hotels, Dr. Malley finds a decent hotel called The Sunset downtown- it's the kind of place that a respectable woman like herself might use, catering to upper middle class professionals in Los Angeles on business or pleasure. A little closer to the Strip is The Biltmore, a luxury hotel with a beautiful gilded lobby and Spanish-Italian Renaissance style.
The Sunset is appropriate for Credit Rating 4 clients- it's nice without being luxurious. If you wanted to project wealth and a higher pay day for the detective, the Biltmore suits Credit Rating 5+ characters, so it would require a point spend from Credit Rating or possibly Bargain/Flattery to get a reservation right away. A Disguise roll could also help in establishing Dr. Malley as an heiress or someone else of the monied set. The Biltmore will later become famous for hosting the Oscars in the '40s and '50s.

Freddy, Amadeus- anything you want to add or pursue?

Amadeus would like to take an adjoining room in the same hotel as Dr Malley, for the purposes of listening in on the exchange, of course.

While Anatoly is not under suspicion from the police, the PI does have a description of him, so it might now work for him to pose as a valet, or be associated with Evelyn... unless somebody is really good with a make-up brush?

Freddy's got two in Disguise and I think he's the only character that has it- but he can roll first and then spend the two points to fix a failure due to his occupation.

It'll be easy enough to get adjacent rooms- do you want the luxury hotel or the credit rating appropriate one?

Well Anatoly can't speak with his wallet, as it is might flat... however the Biltmore might keep Pizner from being suspicious, but will probably have better security, which could be a problem. The Sunset might make him a bit suspicious, but will probably be more lax if things get loud.

If you wanted a place that won't have any interference, Streetwise can find you a place in East LA that won't ask questions in a neighborhood where no one calls the cops- but getting him there might be tougher. Alternately, time spent shadowing him might get you his home address if you just want to rough him up.

And there's still the phone number from his notes on you- a trip to the records office might also help.

Disguise Roll for Anatoly: 1d6 ⇒ 2 Yeah, I'll spend two points to make it a solid 4.

"I think the original plan works, let's go with the Sunset. In our line of work, we PIs meet folks in all sorts of seedy places. The Sunset will be a nice reprieve from the dives he normally visits, I'm sure.

So the setup is one thing, no big deal. What are we planning once we have him here though? I'd rather things didn't get violent, but what else do we have on him to get him to talk? Maybe it would be prudent to figure out who this number belongs to before we meet with him?"

Also I'd like to know specifically what sort of information we want to get out of him. What questions we want answered. We don't want to be trying to come up with those on the spot.

"Probably calling the phone number is a good idea. Does anyone have the ability to find our from the phone company what that number is too before we call"?

"Basically we want to know why he has descriptions of our group, who hired him and why".

"City Hall would have the number in their municipal records. Gotta get the car first though."

Freddy could use Library use to dig it up.

"Yeah, if we could figure out who Pizner is working for and why he's watching that farm, it may open some new leads for us."

Anatoly already got the car.

If you want to look up the number (which you note is local to Los Angeles), Bureaucracy at the Records office will get it for you.

Evelyn and Anatoly are the only people that have Bureaucracy, so I'll fast forward to you getting the information.

While Amadeus and Freddy look into securing a room and discussing security precautions, with Dr. Udko's input, Anatoly and Evelyn drive to the Los Angeles Hall of Records with the phone number scrawled in Pizner's notes. They spend some time in line before a clerk is able to quickly tell them that the number is local to nearby Pasadena. She's about to suggest you drive out to Pasadena yourselves to see what's in their records, when Evelyn cuts in to argue that she should take the liberty of calling for them as she begins filling out a visitor evaluation card and lingering over the "helpfulness 1-10" line.

Within a few minutes, the clerk returns with an address in Pasadena and a name- Samson Trammel. She also notes, with a glance toward the evaluation, that the number listed is actually for a carriage house and not the house itself.

On the way back to meet up with the others, Anatoly chats with Evelyn.

"Well I guess questioning Pizner will be easier, since we probably know who hired him in advance. Still useful, as maybe he knows why.

He then starts to whistle an old Russian tune. "So tell me a bit about yourself. It is fortuitous that you showed up just when we were in need of assistance".

Evelyn smiles and says The fates were aligned in my favor then, as I was looking for a chance to help out in some way. She shrugs her shoulders when Anatoly asks about her and says What would you like to know?

So you have the unique name Samson Trammel and an address in Pasadena. From the fact that there is a carriage house with a separate phone line you can imagine this person has quite a bit of money.

If you want to pigeonhole Pizner, just give me a plan that most of you can get behind- you have two hotel options but you can come up with alternatives. You can describe what you're looking for and where (for example- a mostly empty hotel in a neighborhood where people don't call the cops or a middle class hotel with back alley access, then you have to convince the PI to go there to meet you.

If you're shying away from ambushing/questioning Pizner, you have Trammel to research or you can see if this "Nectar" stuff is still being sold.

Once Anatoly and the doctor have gotten back.

"Well we have this Samson Trammels name and address. Maybe we just ignore Pinzer for now. Chances are, he's just a PI sent to spy on us and Samson is who we really want anyway. We can probably just go straight to the source here."

Evelyn smiles and says The fates were aligned in my favor then, as I was looking for a chance to help out in some way. She shrugs her shoulders when Anatoly asks about her and says What would you like to know?

"Nothing in particular... just small talk, you know... where you're from, why you chose medicine, how you know the boss, family? That type of thing".

"Yes I agree. We can always come back to Pinzer later if needed or we just decide it's time for somebody else to get threatened. Should we find out what we can about Trammel before we go busting in"?

"Maybe you guys could try to find out that information, and another couple of us, can try to find out if this "Nectar stuff is still available"... maybe a police contact, or someone with underworld connections?

Amadeus sighs. "Perhaps it would be best for myself and another to look into this Nectar? I believe I have experience dealing with shady sorts."