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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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 Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:06 pm
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:16 pm
Ｗelcome to Ｔhistle Ｇrove ❝Are you, are you,
Coming to the tree?
Where a dead man called out
for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here,
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the Hanging Tree.❞
❝Are you, are you,
Coming to the tree?
Where I told you to run
So we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here,
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the Hanging Tree.❞
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 5:11 pm
 Deep in the countrysides of England, as far as the streets will take you and further, at the end of a gravel road lies the sleepy town of Thistle Grove. Surrounded by forest, and constant cloud cover, it is full of farmers and a few wealthy families who came to get away from the bustling cities. There is one way in, and one way out.
The town square lies just across a little wooden bridge at the front of the town, and consists of a few shops, the Town Hall and the Mayor's house. At the center stands an old bare tree that has been there as long as anyone can remember. According to local townspeople, a murderer was hung there many years ago. They knew he had committed the crime, but no one could ever figure out how he had done it. The authorities of the town of Thistle Grove attributed the event to Witchcraft, and burned the body after the man had been hung.
Although the incident was long since past, it was never forgotten. Ever since that day, the townspeople have been terrified of anything they can't explain. Many innocent people have been put to death at what is now referred to as The Hanging Tree on account of "Witchcraft".
In the recent days, things have begun to get worse. Another string of murders has sprouted up, each committed in explainable ways. The town is terrified, and want results, but the authorities are wary of accusing someone of the murders when there is no evidence against anyone at all. The perpetrator is very good at covering his or her tracks.
Now, with nowhere else to turn, the Mayor has called for help from the city. A detective, who he hopes will be able to shed some light on the situation, and figure out who is to blame. The townspeople refuse to see reason in this case. They are determined to believe Witches are at fault, and are quick to point fingers at the town "Witches". The detective, however, is determined to find rational evidence, being of the mindset that there are no such thing. The only problem is, there is no rational evidence.
It seems as though the only way to approach the situation, is simply to determine who is at fault, and throw rationality out the window altogether. Will the detective be able to weed out the good from the bad? The townspeople seem eager to hang and burn anyone who is accused. Will the detective be able to convince them that in a situation like this, a fair trial must be conducted?
Join the townspeople and the detective as they work together to uncover the truth, and solve the mystery of the murders of Thistle Grove.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2015 9:33 pm
Character Skeletons [imgright]yourphotohere[/imgright]
[align=center] [color=color1]╔══════════════╗[/color]
[color=color2][b]Name:[/b] [i][/i][/color]
[color=color1]╚══════════════╝[/color][/align]
[align=left][color=color3[b]Age:[/b] [i][/i]
[b]Job:[/b] [i]Position in the town.[/i]
[b]Race:[/b] [i]Human or witch.[/i]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Bio:[/b] [i]Tell us about yourself![/i]
[b]Appearance:[/b] [i]Real people pics please! The witches look just like everyone else.[/i]
[b]Username:[/b] [i]Your username goes here![/i][/color][/align]
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2015 1:06 pm
 ╔══════════════╗
Name: Alice Harborough
╚══════════════╝ Age: Twenty-One
Job: Self-proclaimed town historian, and the Baker's daughter.
Race: Witch
Personality: Alice is a very smart, head-in-the-clouds kind of girl. She is enthralled with the town's history, and can often be found with her nose stuck in books rather than gossiping in the square with the other girls her age. She loves adventure, and her usual light demeanor often distracts from her own mysterious activities.
Bio: Alice is the daughter of the town Baker, and knows almost everyone in Thistle Grove, as she performs most of her father's deliveries. She knows all about the previous murders and the history of "witchcraft" in the town, and seems to have a curious amount of knowledge about the witches themselves. Now that the murders have sprouted up once again, Alice has decided to do her own investigating of the crimes. Being a witch herself, she approaches things from a very different standpoint, and has more insight into how, why, and who the most likely suspects are. Although she is, in fact, a witch, no one in town suspects her of anything. She is very good at hiding herself, and does not direct her powers at others. She also is not quick to name any of the girls in town she knows to actually BE witches, unlike the rest of the towns people. Alice has seen many innocent people be put to trial(trials which never end in release, and always end in a hanging) and she hopes to be able to find a way to put an end to her town's Witch Craze. The first step to this, is to seek out the witch committing the murders.
Appearance:
Username: Tigerlvr_Bailey  ╔══════════════╗
Name: Amelia Cross
╚══════════════╝ Age: Thirty
Job: Florist and Herb specialist
Race: Witch
Personality: Amelia is down to earth and tries to look on the brighter side of thing. She is friendly with most of the town, but mostly keeps to herself. While not religious, she attends mass and follows most of the beliefs to blend in and avoid suspicion.
Bio: Amelia was born and raised in Thistle Grove. Her first and only pregnancy ended in miscarriage and left her unable to have children. Her husband at the time left her soon afterwards. She turned her attention to her plants instead, caring for them as she would the children she wished she could have. Over the years her business has become quite successful allowing her to build two green houses. She also has a small shop where she sells gardening supplies. She lives in a small apartment over said shop. Due her past she is somewhat a social outcast, attending events by herself and rarely staying long. Her business also took a hit with the recent murder. Witches use herbs in their spells, and who has better reason than a lonely woman?
Appearance:
Username: Deadly_Tiger
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2015 1:07 pm
 ╔══════════════╗
Name: Henry Payne
╚══════════════╝ Age: Forty-five
Job: Officially the Town Barber. Unofficially a Fanatical Leader
Race: Human
Personality: It is not simple to say that Henry looks to stir up trouble but he has a habit of rallying people against each other or against a single individual. He has a persuasive and intimidating air about him that leads to most people either listening to him out of devotion or fear. He has an describable way of peeling someone apart with his words. He is manipulative but still a man of faith in most situations. Henry can be short tempered from time to time as well.
Bio: Henry's father died when he was young and his mother was always caught up in self pity. For reasons she didn't understand the town hated her and she couldn't get over it so Henry had to raise himself. He attended school as much as possible and spent most of his free time taking language courses. The rest of his time was spent in the church that had severed as an unofficial orphanage for him. Henry came to know many things about both religion and persuasion but saw no practical use for them at the time. He had his mind set on other things. Several years past where Henry did little other than prepare for his future before he was forced to find a job. He began work at the local barber shop. He swept the floors and picked up on some of the gossip the clients spoke about. A few years later when the owner of the shop passed away Henry took over. He quickly adapted to the trade and eliminated almost all other competition in the town. Almost everyone goes to him for their haircuts and shavings these days. Another bright side to the job was that he was always privy to gossip. That is where he is now.
Appearance:
Username: Nine1122  ╔══════════════╗
Name: Alastair Miles
╚══════════════╝ Age: Twenty Four
Job: Detective
Race: Human
Personality: Alastair often has his head in the clouds, dreaming about what the future will be like and what inventions will come out next. He spends much of his free time writing his first novel. While intelligent he is also easily distracted and suffers from 'white knight' syndrome. He is largely agnostic, believing that if there is a God mortal men cannot pretend to know His mind.
Bio: Alastair was left at the orphanage at the age of three. Even from a young age it was clear he was intelligent and was adopted by the Miles family at the age of seven. Duke Miles sent Alastair to the best school in the kingdom, however his life continued to be difficult as the dukes other children were delouse and treated Alastair poorly. All his life he knew he wanted to protect other people who couldn't protect themselves. Dispute his foster parents protests he joined the police force. Detective Miles is often given a hard time for his youth as well as his wild imagination. When the country villa of Thistle Grove deep in the countryside send a message for help dealing with a sting of murders, claiming witches of all things, Miles boss saw the perfect opportunity to test the young detective. After all finding a serial murderer in a small town should be easy compared to tracking one down in the big city
Username: Deadly_Tiger  ╔══════════════╗
Name: Conrad Aldrich
╚══════════════╝ Age: Sixty-Nine
Job: The Priest.
Race: Human
Personality: Father Aldrich judges with the great scrutiny of the Lord. He is quick to act against those he believes to have sinned, and believes any accused of Witchcraft lie with Satan himself. He is rooted in his ways and his religion, and his views are very difficult to change. He is an excellent public speaker, and good at rallying others to follow the ways of the Church, even if only to stay out of his watchful eye and have the Lord's wrath turned upon them.
Bio: Father Conrad Aldrich is the Priest of the town church, and has been for quite some time. Aldrich witnessed the age old murders that began the legend of The Hanging Tree as a young boy. He was seen by a Witch, fleeing the scene of her demented ritual deep in the forest. His own parents and his brother were killed as a result, and the Witch turned the blame onto an innocent man of the town. The whole town believed her, and the Witch remained free. For years she tormented him with what they both knew to be true, and Conrad knew he was helpless to fight her. Who would believe a reckless young boy over a high-standing lady of the town?
As he grew, Conrad took solace in religion, feeling it was the only place he was safe from the Witch. The Lord was sure to protect him. He showed such promise and dedication that when the time came, the old Priest of the church gave blessing for Conrad to take his place. Conrad accepted the position with great honor, and vowed that he would never stray from the way of the Lord and the church. His first act as Priest, rescuing the town from the Devil among them: Hang the Witch. News of this woman hiding in plain sight, able to kill a man and walk free was frightening to the easily persuaded people. Conrad promised to protect them, and deliver them all safely to the Lord. From that day, any time something strange happened, Conrad found a culprit, and kept his promise to the people, sending the Witches back to Hell.
Appearance:
Username: Tigerlvr_Bailey
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2015 1:08 pm
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2015 1:09 pm
Our story begins on the day that the out-of-town help arrives... Another murder has been committed over night, and the town is at a loss. The body of a lone man was found in his cabin, burnt to a crisp. However, there was no sign of anything else having been burnt, and there was no sign of forced entry. All doors and windows had been locked from the inside, and there was no sign of the man even having moved from his bed in the night. The town has -stupidly- agreed that the crime scene be cleaned and a funeral be held for the victim, thinking that their own testimonies to the scene will be enough for the detectives to go on. The funeral has just ended.
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 4:25 pm
 Alice walked out of the funeral that had just been held for the victim of the most recent murder. She had argued at the town meeting against cleaning up the mess before the detectives from the city arrived, but this town was so set in it's ways... They were stubborn, and decided that they had taken sufficient notes on the scene, and had sufficient witnesses to answer any questions. The only problem was that everyone in Thistle Grove had a different idea of what had happened. A few even claimed to have heard or seen something strange. They were all very quick to point fingers and join forces against their fellow towns-people. The only thing they all seemed to agree upon was that a Witch was at fault.
Alice knew they were right, but she kept her mouth shut. She had gotten the chance to slip away and view the crime scene herself, before it had been taken care of, and she was very thankful she had, since everyone else's view of the situation seemed so skewed. Alice felt as though she was the only one who had the entire crime scene straight in her head. She also knew there were very few people who could explain exactly how the crime had been committed. Alice knew, but she wasn't worried about that. She was more interested in discovering which of the many Witches hiding in Thistle Grove was going to such great risk to eliminate these people. Part of her wondered if the Witch did it solely for the thrill. There didn't seem to be any common denominator between the victims. The whole case was intriguing to Alice, considering most of them were terrified of using their abilities to any extent, let alone one that drew so much attention.
The people of Thistle Grove didn't seem to care who was really at fault, though. They just wanted some kind of result. Blame was being thrown every which way since the murders began, and most of the people being accused, Alice knew, didn't even have the ability to commit such crimes. She knew who the possible suspects were, but she also knew she could say nothing. They would all be too eager to learn how she knew this information, but she couldn't very well expose herself, and she had no desire to expose any of the other Witches without knowing which one it was. It would only put those who remained peaceful in danger. She would, therefore, be left to do her own investigation.
Alice sighed and continued on, away from the church, and away from the crowd of gossipers, towards the edge of the forest where she would have some space to think. ⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛⇛
♫ ♬ ♪ We all complain if it rains or it shines
But we're never mad at the moon... ♩ ♭ ♪
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 6:38 pm
 As they travelled through the countryside and neared the town, his first impression was that it gave a melancholy air, despite the coming noon. “We can stop right here. I’ve grown rather weary of travel.” He intended to walk the rest of the way; his legs were beginning to numb from such little movement, and to be anything less than physically superior would bring him unease. He’d found minor amusement from the birds, though they gave him little solace when he recalled what he’d come for. Yes, a trail of unexplained deaths in a town living a bit late in the times.
After a respectful nod, the coachman brought the coach to a halt, and the detective stepped out. He turned to face the coachman, a stern expression, implying he was to make a declaration. “I’ll write to you when my task is complete,” he said. After all, he couldn’t remain in the town forever. He’d play out his duty, let the events unfold, and discover what he could, whatever it took to bring the overwrought town to peace. It wasn’t to be handled lightly, nor would he go without assistance. He was to meet with a new colleague, a big city detective such as himself who was looking for more experience beyond the city streets, an appropriate cause to serve for.
As the coachman turned, the detective set three fingers from his left hand over the coachman's forearm to gesture that he wasn’t quite through. “Don’t forget to take the southeast route, lest the highway men rob you penniless during nightfall. Understood?” After he agreed, the detective let go, the two departing in opposite directions. His right briefcase contained paraphernalia to assist him, while the left contained simple essentials for his temporary stay in the town.
He was clad in a buttoned-up, gray frock coat, white dress shirt, black vest, gray ascot, and black trousers. His shoes were a polished black, matching the black leather of his gloves. From his waistband was a silver stopwatch, hanging by a chain. It wasn’t all there was to his countenance, as his eyes were an icy shade of blue, hair in smooth, shadowy curls, and only a small amount of facial hair, hardly perceivable, decorating the lower half of his face.
When he arrived at the manor of the town mayor, he’d introduced himself, and after some words were spared, he settled himself in the room, unlatching the briefcase on his desk and pulling out pieces of a cane that needed to be assembled. He simply twisted the pieces together and set it down. It was topped with a steel wolf’s head, rather sinister in appearance, though the cane itself served more than just a gentleman’s accessory; it concealed a narrow blade. It wasn’t necessarily because he expected conflict, but he was a cynical man, and he didn’t like any feeling of helplessness.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 8:13 pm
Amelia followed the line of people out of the church, but while most stopped not far from the doors to discuss the recent event, Amelia continued on in the direction of her shop. She noticed she wasn't the only one leave however. Alice was also quick to make a get away. If that girl wasn't careful she would get herself in trouble. Maybe get all of them in trouble. She drew way to much attention to herself. Of course Amelia understood, as did they all, the sooner the real killer was found the better. Not only to stop the murderer, but to prevent the town folk from blaming the wrong person. They all knew the lesson of The Hanging Tree. Already rumours of witchcraft ran rampant. Amelia simply thought Alice should leave the investigation to the detectives and stay out of the way. They could explain why destroying the crime scene was a bad idea instead of drawing attention to herself. She found the thought of detectives coming to the town unsettling. Trained to notice things others didn't and piece together evidence others wouldn't, what if they uncovered the secret of Thistle Grove. One wrong word from Alice to the detectives could see them all hanging from the tree. She would have to talk to Alice when given the opportunity, but following her into the woods wouldn't look good on either of them. Arriving at her small store, Amelia immediately headed up the stairs to the apartment above. She changed her clothes from those she wore to the funeral to a simple grey wool dress perfect for working with her plants. Back downstairs she put up her sign indicating any customers could find her out back and headed to the greenhouses. Nothing made her as happy as working with her plants. Here everything was so simple. No murders, accusations or rumours. No looks of pity or whispers behind her back. Just the songs of the near by birds while she lost herself in watering, weeding and pruning.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 8:58 pm
Henry had chosen not to attend the funeral. Instead he remained behind in his two floor barber shop. The bottom floor was the shop itself where he would cut hair and shave any who could afford it and occasionally those who couldn't but had other ways to pay. The second floor was his loft and that was where he stood now, hovering over the sink with a straight edge razor in one hand and a black cloth in the other. He ran the razor under the water and then dried the blade with with cloth. There was an up side to murder for a barber and that upside had just occurred. People had a tendency to try and look presentable for funerals and to do that they would need a shave or haircut. When they wanted one, they came to him. Business had been overwhelming in the last few days but that was a good thing. Once the blade had been cleaned, Henry pushed it back down into the wooden scale he had carved in his free time and slid it into his pocket.
He walked down the stairs from his loft into his store and moved directly to the front window. Outside he had a perfect view of the Hanging Tree. It looked dark and ominous but that never bothered him. It reminded him that witchcraft needed to be punished. Ideally within the next few days he would see another witch hanging from that tree before being burned. After a few moments of basking at the sight of the tree Henry turned his attention towards the Mayor's manor. Rumor had it that there would be a detective coming in from out of town to look into the murder. That bothered Henry more than the tree but he would never let just anyone know that. He had to appear cooperative. He had to appear helpful. He knew how these things worked, when the people had a target they became blind to anyone else. If one wanted to survive they had to point the finger. That was the only way to avoid having it pointed at you. One thing was certain, life in this little town was about to become far more complicated than it had been in some time.
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Tigerlvr_Bailey Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 12:19 am
Father Aldrich Now|I|lay|me|down|to|sleep|I|pray|the|Lord|my|soul|to|keep
If|I|should|die|before|I|wake|I|pray|the|Lord|my|soul|to|take
Father Conrad Aldrich followed behind the crowd of people exiting the church after the funeral of the most recent victim to the Devil's spawn. It seemed that whenever he rid the world of one Witch on behalf of the Lord, another arose to take the Demon's place. The Devil was crafty like that, always keeping him on his toes... It was his burden to bear, since he first witnessed the evil that resided in these women. He knew it could be any of them. He had seen the loveliest girls fall to the temptation that the Devil's power offered.
The Father walked to the stoop of the Church, fingers crossed over one another in his robes. As he stood, keeping watch on the lingering grief-stricken townsfolk, a woman approached him. "That was a lovely memorial, Father." She said, commending him on his Lord's work. He nodded his head in thanks, and approval of the compliment. "I do only as my Lord would ask of me, in regards to any of his children." He responded with a kind but matter-of-fact smile, before moving out further into the crowd, warmly greeting each of the Lord's followers.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two ladies of the town -Alice Harborough and Amelia Cross - hurrying away from the lingering crowd. He raised his brow, finding it quite curious. Amelia was already considered somewhat of an outcast, and that Alice was quite imaginative. They might find it in their favor to put greater effort into blending in, when such mysterious activities were afoot. He had also noticed the absence of Henry Payne. Making a mental note to address the matter later, he continued making his rounds.
Finally, the crowd dispersed. Father Aldrich knew that the outsiders.. or rather, detectives, were due to arrive in town today, for the Mayor had been exempt from attending the funeral in order to receive them properly. The Father made his way up the gravel road towards the Mayor's home in the center of the square so that he himself could give a proper greeting to the newcomers. Although he did not approve of taking matters outside of the jurisdiction of the town, he would be respectful of the Mayor's decision. It was only right in the eyes of the Lord.
Conrad climbed the steps to the large manor-like house and rapped lightly on the door. When it opened, he nodded politely to the Mayor, who stepped aside to let him in. Then he waited in the front room until the detective already present had finished settling in. In the meantime, he busied himself relaying the memorial service to the Mayor.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us of our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever,
Amen.
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 7:26 pm
When he proceeded downstairs, he didn't have his coat on, as it was on the coat rack. He didn't quite interrupt, only giving a quiet nod when he was seen approaching from behind the priest. His gesture was a wave of an open hand to insist he'd wait. It was only when they were through, that he'd begin speaking, both to the priest and to the mayor, including a firm handshake. “Delighted to meet you. As you are likely aware, I am Detective Lee of the Investigative Bureau of Birmingham. I've been lightly informed of the occurrences back in the city, so I will need further evaluation. I'd like to begin as soon as possible, starting with the earliest murder to date.” He was going to need to know of the site of the murder and murders, so that he could inspect the site. He'd also have to establish a list of possible suspects, one that he established himself, not based on the potential misdirection from the locals.
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Eloquent Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2015 10:10 pm
Detective Miles. That had a rather nice ring to it, didn't it? Detective Miles off to solve his first case. Of course he had worked on several cases as a constable assisting which ever detective he was assigned to, but this was HIS case. Sort of. He was to meet Detective Lee at Thistle Grove, known in law enforcement circles for solving two rather famous murders. Rather than feel intimated Alastair saw it as a learning opportunity. The carriage came to a halt in front of a large manor. Alastair stepped out of the small single horse carriage and carefully straightened out any wrinkles in his black coat from sitting for so long. This town was certainly out of the way for everything. He felt like he had stepped back in time. The towns people he could see were wearing clothes long out of fashion and the buildings seemed equally old. With the drivers assistance they unloaded his small trunk. Something told him this case would take longer than everyone assumed, and he felt it was better to be prepared for an extended stay. If he was wrong he would look the fool, but Alastair had learnt to trust his instincts over the years even if it sometimes countered what was logical. Thanking the coachman and giving a wave goodbye, he then turned to the mayors house and knocked on the door. He introduced himself to the man who answered the door and was informed Detective Lee had already arrived. The Mayor offered to have someone bring Alastairs trunk upstairs, while guiding him down the hall where two other men stood quietly talking. “Sorry to interrupt gentlemen.” the Mayor said to the two other men. “Father Aldrich, Detective Lee” He gesture to each of them respectively. “Please meet Detective Miles. “Pleasure to make you acquaintance.” Alastair offered a hand shake to each of them.
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