Adam took the report that was handed him in silence, extending his hand gracefully to the Lady indicating she should join them and partake of whatever interested her. He had merely shrugged, internally, at Ben. He had fulfilled his duties, what the other man chose to do was up to him. Instead Adam read the report in silence, tallying up the extreme lack of anything unexpected. Which was, in itself, something of a concern. So he had been right, there were three problems to be addressed. He hoped his next theory, that all were connected, was incorrect but the only way to tell was to investigate the issues. He finished his breakfast with deliberate care, waited for the servants to remove his plate, poured another cup of coffee, he too enjoyed the darkly bitter drink, and leaned back in his chair. “Well it seems as if all who intended to come are now here” he said without further preamble. He cast his eyes about the room which for all appearances seemed empty. He preferred to have this discussion out of the ears of the servants; as well trained as they were that did not always prevent gossip. Much of the time it was harmless, but he would rather not test that today. He heightened his Talent to aid him in seeking out discrepancies in the patterns around him, there were patterns in all things after all, light, sound, scent, even psychic energy had patterns which he could “see” if he put his Talent to it. “Forgive me a moment” he said politely and strode to the window. Opening the shutters he spoke to someone outside, a muffled response was all that could be heard as Adam re-directed the gardener to tend other areas at this moment. He then strode to a nearby door, shooing the servants away, and returned. “I prefer an overabundance of caution” he said simply as he returned to his chair. “Now then it seems as if three separate issues have come to my attention that require investigation. Some seem, on the surface, to be unimportant, and I sincerely hope that they are. The other is disconcerting. I would ask your opinions, as well as your assistance in investigating them.” He did not mention his concerns, what he believed the incidents meant, or his belief that they were all connected. He wanted to see what conclusions the others drew without his influence. “As you know the society investigates and handles fraudulent claims of psychic or paranormal abilities. What you may or may not know is that we also investigate darker issues that are possibly genuinely psychical in nature. Things the police and others lack the ability to handle. It is that category that we are dealing with this day.” “First report comes across my desk from the stews, the slums and poorer districts of our fair city. As you know many of those who dwell there are beneath the notice of the police and those who may give them any help. So there is nothing defined on this save what my “eyes and ears” have reported back to me.” “It seems that people, men actually, are disappearing from these areas. What makes this particularly interesting is that all have several things in common: male, believed to be between the ages of 25-35, physically very healthy and fit, and perceived to -most- women to be considered handsome. In fact many made their living off their looks. So far 7 have gone missing in the last month.” “People seem reluctant to talk about these disappearances; even my eyes and ears have had trouble finding out details; just that the men vanished over night, always at night...they were seen at the beginning of the night and never again. And that no trace of them was ever found, no bodies washed up in the river or left in the trash heaps, no clothing left behind, nothing.” “Now it is possible they were collected for certain clientele as exclusive male courtesans” Adam was one of the few people who admitted the trade in male flesh was just as prevalent, though a bit more secretive, than the trade in female flesh. After all high-born ladies often got as bored in their formal pairings as the gentlemen did. “And if that were the case they will turn up somewhere. Or we could have run of the mill killer on our hands; specific in his or her tastes but nothing particularly out of the ordinary. Or a Talented individual seeking out these types for things that can only be guessed at. There is much left unfinished in this pattern.” He laid a large stack of papers on the table next to him as he finished, the reports and sketches dealing with this particular incident. He would hand them off to whomever chose to take up this part of the investigation. His eyes and ears, his network of spies and informants, were well paid for their information and gave him detailed reports but in this case the pickings were slim. They would have their work cut out for them. He was lucky enough that he had managed to get sketches of the missing men. And it was not only the lack of information that bothered Adam, his eyes and ears were all businessmen (and women). Their business was information. Adam paid them well but if someone paid them better they would sell their information to whoever paid the most. Adam kept wondering if they had found another buyer. “Next is something brought to me by some of the local hunters.” Adam bought wild game and other things from those who made their living off the land. In return he was privy to a plethora of information on the lands around the city. Most of it was useless but this one was on the weird side and bore investigating. “It seems that a rabid bear is hunting the forests around the city. At least that is the theory most are working on. It seems that larger game, boars, deer, etc, are being killed and left in the forest. They are ripped open and only the hearts removed. That seems far to specific for any typical wild animal, much less a rabid one. Whether the hearts are eaten, collected, or any other myriad of options is unknown” He put a much smaller stack of papers next to the larger one, this one had even less to go on because all he had were vague hunter's reports and a map with the dead animal findings marked on it. “Finally it seems one of our long standing members has somewhat of an odd issue. Several days ago I received a missive from the Lady Isabeau D'Allende. She, and her husband while he lived, were long time members in good standing. Both had Talents that aided them in medicine and medical research, indeed the Lady herself is a very gifted doctor and a very modern thinking one in many ways. She also has some more archaic ideas and is a devoted student of Alchemy and the quest for THE panacea. The pair worked devotedly researching this ideal medicine together; during which time they discovered many other more mundane things that were, in their way, very remarkable. Her husband was killed in a lab accident about 6 months ago; and I should clarify that he was quite dead. I was called in myself when it happened and can vouch for that fact. Indeed there were...pieces...scattered about the lab such that I suspect cleaning it was quite cumbersome. Additionally I know Lady Isabeau very well; she is not known for flights of fancy. Given those statements I will pass around the letter I received from her.” He pulled it from the envelope and handed it to the others to look at while he double checked the report from Lady Adriana again. The missive was short and the paper, not parchment, it was written on, was fairly unremarkable. In fact the only odd thing about it was the message itself, penned in a deliberate careful hand. In the first place the Lady addressed Adam far to informally for an acquaintance; in the second place everything else that was said. ---- Adam, My husband never left me, though his life was unexpectedly cut short. He stands beside me once more, beautiful and strong. How can I fear...he is my soul-mate. And yet I do fear. How do I answer him? Isabeau D'Allende ---- Adam looked up again and waited till people had perused the letter before continuing. “I must pay the Lady Isabeau a visit it seems; and figure out just what is going on there. She is not prone to flights of fancy or too vivid an imagination. Indeed she is generally a very rational woman. And of course people genuinely rising from the dead is simply absurd. That leaves something paranormal going on, and that plus her membership in the society puts it squarely as my responsibility.” He didn't mention just how much he didn't want to go. Ever since her husband's death the Lady had made some rather too bold advances in his direction. He was not looking forward to it again. “I am hoping, Lady Adriana, that you will consent to accompany me. I believe there may be things that the Lady Isabeau wishes hidden that you might be able to discern. And I don't believe she would dare turn both of us away; while she might refuse me entrance were I to call upon her alone. Or worse.” Adam left that hanging without elaborating and just continued on speaking. “Ben, I also hope you will accompany me. Your expertise in the fields of Alchemy might help the Lady to relax and perhaps even open up in our company. And even if she doesn't, there still may be nuances of things that might be meaningful to one of your knowledge that I might otherwise dismiss. It comes to my mind that there is more to her research than she perhaps claimed; and that it is related to or perhaps even the cause of her husband's death.” “As for the other two issues perhaps those remaining might endeavor to investigate and perhaps evaluate if they fall into the realm of the Society's interests? I will ensure you have every supply you might require, including bribe money if you feel it might be needed.” He needn't really ask. It was part of the members duties to investigate should he tell them too. That was one way he differed from his father however, he rarely told people to do anything. He found they were far more brilliant and able to accomplish truly great things when they were willing and undertook tasks they actually wanted to. In his view being forced to do something only made people stupid. If those gathered refused he would call on others rather than try to force the issue. He had really hoped that Roger would have joined him. The man's talents at hunting criminals would have been ideal for investigating either of the other issues. He still hoped he might join them at a later time but that hope was growing slimmer as the morning passed.