Scene 1 - Celestial Books, downtown Boston, 6:30 AM, Tuesday
Celestial Books is a small collector's shop in the downtown of Boston. The sign out front features an open book full of astrological writing (Sirius features prominently with the label, "Stella Canis"). Nearby, possibly in an upstairs apartment, an eerie melody can be heard being played on a flute in repitition, perhaps part of a warm-up. (I had envisioned using a theme from Andrew Lloyd Weber's Requiem.) Breifly, through the early morning commuter traffic, the one investigator's lost pet can be glimpsed as they are being let into the crime scene. (How much will they risk to try and grab their pet?) The officer on duty is Reg Maloney, a no nonsense PD vet. He'll fill the investigators in on the details of the case with some annoyance - he doesn't know why they've been called in.
Known Details
Known Details
- Store owner - Celeste Levett, owner of Celestial Books.
- Standard break and entry. The front door was jimmied as was the inside gate; someone knew what they were doing. The glass case inside is smashed with what looks like a blanket used to muffle the sound.
- Celeste left the shop around 7pm yesterday. Locals within earshot heard nothing all night but no one was awake from 2:30am to 4:30am which is when the crime is suspected of occurring.
- Only one book was stolen, the Regum Sinester Mysterium.
Inside, the scene is as described. A very tidy and neat bookstore - few shelves but very old books. There are quite a few glass cases, also. One of the shelves holds the lost cherished book for one of the investigators. CSI is here taking prints and Celeste is waiting for questioning.
Celeste Levett is a taller woman in her mid 30's with long, curly dyed blonde hair and glasses. Thin and dressed in a grey skirt suit. She seems very much to be a business woman.
- She arrived at the shop around 6am to prepare for opening when she saw the damage and called the police.
- The stolen book is worth about $5,000 or so to the right buyer. She isn't aware of any other significance nor has she read it. Has to do with an old cut or something.
- She will admit that the book itself was being returned to the Miskatonic Library today as she had just discovered that it was their stolen property. She is receiving a reward for returning it. She knows little about the original theft and refers them to the original case file.
- About the investigator's cherished book; she will simply say that she purchased it from one of her usual contacts and unless a charge was being filed she'd prefer to leave it at that.
Interlude 1
Initial searches for information will yield the following results:
- Fingerprints - belong to Darron Crawford. Has a rap sheet a mile long for petty theft and drug possession. Has been clean for the past two years. Current residence is 1650 Shrewsbury Rd in Arkham - the Power of Self Society hall. DOB 8/12/1973, Arkham.
- Celeste Lovett - Also has a rap sheet for fraud and receiving stolen property. Apparently she has a history of knowingly buying stolen books.
- The Book - was stolen from MU six months ago. Celeste was in the process of selling it when notified of this. She has provided the name of the seller, Bryant Walker, and agreed to return the book for a $1,000 reward. She paid $2,500. Office Dan Feely oversaw the case.
- Bryant Walker - A graduate student at MU in anthropology. Was reported missing a year ago by his family. Missing persons case filled with strange stories of him popping up here and there, namely in graveyards, a mugging in Boston where he stole a woman's tampon and an incident at a Wal-Mart where he was screaming incoherently. Not sure how he got his hands on the book - it was checked out under the name "Charles Ward" but no one remembers doing that.
- No info on the Power of Self Society besides the leaflets.
Charges can be filed at this point or hereafter about the cherished book but it will take time. It will also affect Celeste's disposition.
