2019-08-03 - Carte Blanche

Irene Baxter Reede, now deceased, was often fond of saying that all Reedes Dream of water.

The family follows a proud seafaring tradition that dates back to the founding of the city, so it is probably not a surprise to no one when, at the appointed time, Isabella proposes that they all meet in her houseboat to confer with Erin Addington about certain disturbing revelations about the tragedies which now link her and the other woman together in defiance of whatever bloody history they share. The venue is also mobile, and once all of her guests arrive, the green-eyed archaeologist moves to the top deck to activate the controls of the vessel, to take them out of Gray Harbor and right into a secluded, peaceful cove located in one of the adjacent islands outside of the bay. Even just getting out of Gray Harbor's air, for just a moment, rejuvenates Isabella's spirit and it shows; eyes reflective of the fiery sunset and the wind whipping wildly through her hair, she was undoubtedly made for the sea.

Anchored off the shallows, long, bare legs have her dropping, barefoot, from the top deck in the form of a rope ladder slung to the side, to land at where the outside seating area of the main deck is, fitted with everything a young woman needs - a set of comfortable rattan furniture , a bolted-down grill on the side, presently unused, and a cooler full of ice and drinks - alcoholic and non-alcoholic. She's dressed in just a tanktop and shorts, as casual as can be, her hair tumbling free around her face and half-secured by the aviators perched on her head. The moonstone pendant that she is never without soaks in the dying colors of the day - under the shade, those observant would be able to perceive just how clear the gem actually is until the light hits it; wherever Isidore found it, he managed to gift one with a superior level of adularescence to his twin.

"Thanks for coming," she tells Erin, handing her a cold, bottled cocktail should she want one. "I know the last time we spoke, you didn't want to have anything to do with Billy Gohl, of his legacy or his bones, but I'm afraid whatever leads we've been chasing have led us in a full circle back to you and your family."

Eyes lift to regard Alexander and Byron. "The two of you want anything?" she asks, as she digs into the cooler for a beverage for herself.

Alexander is here, of course, having arrived promptly in his usual sartorial disarray, still limping just a little on one leg. He seems less flushed and overheated than he has been, but still chooses the place with the best breeze for the trip, when he's not prowling restlessly from place to place. Erin and Byron are both given brief nods of greeting, but the investigator doesn't exactly do a lot of small talk, so he's mostly silent during the trip until engaged. A shake of his head to the offer of a drink from Isabella. "This boat moves beautifully," he does say, quietly, while taking careful, sidelong looks at both Byron and Erin, likely for different reasons.

Byron Thorne, despite keeping up with some of his text messages and phone calls with tenants and things of that nature for a time before he was fully corrupted by the Ring, has been trying to make things right and move from bad landlord status to 'He's alright' again. One of his top priorities was protecting his tenants and it so happens that Erin Addington was one of them. He was also too wrapped up in this serial killer situation to not be here this evening.

He's wearing a tan sports jacket over a white dress shirt with matching slacks. A lighter color for houseboat visiting. His tie is neatly done and he's wearing a gold watch this day. Over all, he looks very put-together, despite current events. His right wrist is still wrapped in a bandage, but by now, that's all for show.

"I hope that your accommodations have been decent, at the very least, Erin." He starts as he wanders over in Isabella's direction for that drink, "Sure, I'll have what you're having." He tells the Reede, before returning back to Erin, "I'm hoping that the task we were recently given will put a stop to this murdering bullshit once and for all."

Every so often, he'll eye Alexander as well, but he doesn't say anything more to the man.

It's not often Erin is in anything but one of her costly designer dresses and expensive heels, but with a concession to the house boat and heading out on the water, she'd gone for a more toned down, albeit expensive, look. The jeans are fashionably faded with the prominent stitching and decorative rear pockets that shout expensive. Rock Revival is the brand and they are paired with a one shouldered white blouse that skims her curves and contrasts greatly with her olive skin tone. Her dark hair is tugged back in a messy bun and the shell necklace and bracelet match and also speak of money. The jeans end just below her knee and show off her shapely legs from there down to the strappy, more flat heeled sandals.

Mostly, she waits in silence, not exactly certain what was going on but she was undeniably curious.

Accepting the bottled cocktail, Erin twists off the top and takes a drink of the pina colada tasting concoction, enjoying it. Even when the ghoul is mentioned. Her family though, it changes her expression to a more wary one. And then it transfers to look at Byron and Alexander briefly before landing squarely back on Isabella again. "What is it you're wanting to tell me?"

The questions from Byron earn him a quicl nod. "They are. I've not moved anything personal there, I'm considering just moving back home. If you both think it's safe enough and things are settled, I'll just go back to the comforts of my own apartment. I appreciate the help with everything."

This boat moves beautifully.

"Daddy's a fan of all things maritime. She's named after the ship from the Aubrey-Maturin novels," Isabella tells Alexander with a quick smile - whatever tension had marked the two in the trio's last trip to City Hall seems to have softened considerably. "He spent a lot of time refurbishing and renovating her from top to bottom, spanning years, he'll be happy to hear someone's a fan." Though people would have to take his daughter's word for it; Captain George Reede of the U.S. Navy was notoriously stoic. "Are you sure you don't want anything?" A spark of faint mischief plays over the line of her mouth. "I can make you an iced coffee."

Her hand shifts, her black ribbon of mourning found coiled around her left wrist, the knot resting against the main artery that threads directly into her heart - a silent vow, and one more potent than whatever drops of blood she could spill on a headstone.

Byron's words has her looking over her shoulder at him in acknowledgment before pulling out two chilled glasses and popping the cork of a good RIesling - a bubbly, light white wine and perfect for the summer. She pours two glasses, and hands one to her childhood friend, so impeccably dressed to go out boating and now has to wonder just how many times he's boarded a yacht to wine and dine clients.

Erin's query is sound and the overt signs of a silent apology stitches over her sunkissed mien. "Your family has a connection with the very entity that has been murdering your relatives - Alexander or Byron can probably explain in more detail than I could. This came from a reliable source in City Hall. I just wanted to verify if you truly don't know anything about William Gohl? Nothing from family rumors and the like?"

When you need someone to be completely tactless and far too honest, Alexander Clayton is always here and ready to serve. He shakes his head again to the offer of the iced coffee, and says, to Erin, "It was shared with us by," a nod to Isabella, "the Archivist that it was the Addingtons who stopped Gohl before. It's probably one of the reason why so many of them have been murdered - he's probably a bit angry. It advised us to ask Addingtons, and you're one of the least intimidating ones. In general." An apologetic shrug, for that. "It's probably not something that's widely known, but there might be family records to be accessed from the early 1900s that might give us an idea of what to do next. Or perhaps other, older members of the family have heard something." He's not going to name names, but probably doesn't need to.

"I really hope you have no expectations of me filling in any blanks. I'm sure I have no idea who the murderer is. Or.. entity? William Gohl isn't a name I recognize except from the newspaper that was recently published with the story on him. The name Billy I only recognize from the overt hate I felt from that entity in the basement of the hospital. It was a palpable emotion and I felt, if it got to me and was able, it would have gladly ripped me apart." Erin shudders at the memory.

"I had begun putting feelers out for information, including to my grandmother and great uncle but they were not forthcoming and with the deaths of my cousins and my parents.." A breath is taken before she forges on, "I had other things on my mind and almost forgot about that night at the hospital. I don't really feel as if I am in danger. I did, but I'm certain I've done nothing to attract attention from anything or anyone."

"No matter what I ask my grandmother, she waves me along and says it's nothing for me to worry about. But something is going on, she's at odds even moreso than usual with my great uncle. He's even staying with her in her guest room for now. Do you think he you got him away from her, he would talk? Maybe that's why he is there, she's keeping him from saying something to someone? She's rather intimidating." Erin frowns. "So my family helped put away a serial killer and now the entity of it is getting even?"

Thorne has indeed wined and dined clients and investors alike aboard fancy yachts. He has a closet full of business resort wear as well. So he's looking slick today. He offers Isabella a grateful smile when she hands him his glass and immediately lifts it to his lips for a quick sip. While he tries not to be bothered by particular recent events, his sights are still cast off into the distance. Perhaps, he's enjoying the scenery, but he's more than likely lost in his own thoughts as well.

He seems pleased, however, that Erin has taken comfort in her new accommodations, but when she asks whether it's safe or not for her to return, Byron has no real answers to that. "If I have to be honest, Erin, and I'd mentioned this before. At this moment, no matter how well we shuffle you off from location to location, I can't guarantee your safety. Whoever this killer is isn't operating by normal (human) standards. It knows who is of the blood. It knows where to find them. It enters and leaves the murder scene without a trace and.. a witness had said they were present when one of the murders happened. They saw no one. And yet her sister died before her eyes."

It's dark talk, but it's the truth.

With Isabella referring to the Archivist as a reliable resource at City Hall, Byron's brow lifts giving her this 'really'? look. It's one of amusement as well. Alexander, at least, mentions the thing by name? Title? Probably the latter. It's when Alexander doesn't name names of particular Addingtons, this is when Byron speaks out, "The Archivist told me to speak to Thomas Addington." That much the slimy fish thing made clear. "It wouldn't hurt to know what any of them think."

"There may be more to it than that. More than just revenge. The bones were buried at an asylum in the place where the Shadows hunt," Alexander says, his eyes going half-lidded. His fingers twitch back and forth, as if trying to flip through files. "The bones were excavated at the request of the Carr family, who claimed to be family of Gohl. This seems...unlikely, as they were not on the family tree the Archivist showed to me, nor have any of the family line's I've researched included a Carr. But the excavating of the bones wasn't wanted by anyone. Not the bones, not the staff at the facility. And no one knows how they got from being excavated to where they were found. It's a gap in the timeline and motivation that intrigues me."

His eyes flick back open and he refocuses on them. "That seems like it's promising," he murmurs to Byron. "If Thomas Addington might be willing to talk with some of you about the matter, if he can be extracted, it would be helpful. Otherwise, we might have to try to convince your grandmother to share information she doesn't want to share. And I'm...skeptical of our ability to do that." Because that woman is terrifying.

"In the apartment next to mine. I heard about that. But how was that related to Addington or Baxter? And how are the Baxters now involved as well? Why did Isabella lose her mother?" Erin widens her eyes. "Thomas. That's my great uncle. So that is why my grandmother is hoarding him close to her and not really allowing him out without her."

Putting the bottle to her lips, Erin takes a deep drink from the bottle, affected by everything, that much was clear. Rising to her feet, she walks over to the railing and wraps one slim hand around it, the bottle in her other hand as she looks back in the general direction of the city. "Now I want to talk to him too. I'm sure she's ordered him to silence, but it could also be why they are fighting. He may want to talk about it."

Then the connection is knitted firmly into place. "The Carr family are relatives of William Gohl? It has to be true. Why else would would her sister be killed? And .. why wouldn't she herself be also? It's like my parents were. but it skipped over me. I'm grateful of that, but.. my parents had me then left. I was not raised by them, I barely knew them except the visits they'd come to town. My grandmother is more my mother than anyone and even she keeps me at arms length."

Yes, Byron had mentioned the Carr incident and now Alexander speaks of that family as well. Lowering to set his glass onto a nearby counter, he reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. He keeps much of his notes there. He opens up one of the apps, whichever document that he was looking for isn't hard to find. It's practically the first thing on his list. "I'd asked Rebecca Carr to do some research on her family line due to her sister being killed in these murders. We needed to know the connection. We needed to know the connection between the Carrs and the Gohl's."

He pauses, hand lifted as he slowly reads what he had input into that document, "I didn't quite the get answer I was looking for. However, according to Rebecca's brother, back in 1952, their great grandfather, Kenneth changed his name from Baxter to Carr. This was after the family had already left Gray Harbor." There's probably more, but he'll let that settle in for now.

She's heard about the asylum, but not the details, and Isabella listens intently to what Alexander says about the place where the Shadows hunt. Eyes lid faintly, fingers unconsciously toying with the multicolored gem hanging around her neck. She has managed to slip back into the meeting after her phone call, but she didn't venture far - she has lingered by the sliding doors close enough to hear what they're saying.

The idea of straying back through the doors that her twin brother had opened before has her recoiling inwardly, fingers trembling at the memory before she fists the gem within her palm. It used to be a place of wonder when they were young.

Isabella's green-gold eyes fall on Erin next, describing her grandmother's behavior and how she keeps her great uncle close, and then Byron's revelation that the Carrs seem to be a cadet branch of the Baxters. "That might explain the Carr murder. The Baxters and the Addingtons have a history together and they were connected long before William Gohl was even born," she speaks up, her voice quiet and contemplative. "Like I said, if we could go all the way back to the beginning, we should. But it's been a dicey proposition since we started. But maybe if we know what the older generations of your family know, Erin, then maybe we can use that as a springboard to get to that point. The question is how to get access to your great-uncle....by the sound of it, your grandmother is the harder nut to crack between the two, if she's having him watched."

She falls silent at that, long lashes lowering.

"Maybe we need to do a bait and switch," she says after a pause. "Half of us distract your grandmother, while half of us uses the ruse to gain access to your great uncle. I don't have enough details about what goes on in your family home to put together an adequate plan, not yet. But you're an insider...if we could figure out what the routines of those living in the house are, maybe we can formulate a plan to keep the two separate."

Byron's contribution gets an interested look from Alexander. "Another Baxter. What IS it about that family?" It's not necessarily a question meant for the group, but more a musing to the world in general. He wipes his forehead and hums. "1952. That would have been about a generation or two after Gohl's death. And the Carrs didn't request the bones until the tenure of Dr. Marshall at the hospital, which would have been in the last thirty years or so, because Dr. Marshall was upset about the request, and used to tell his nephew stories about the facility being haunted by William, which stopped after the bones were excavated."

He flickers a smile towards Isabella. "Admit it," he teases gently, "you just want to be able to play the Mission Impossible music while we infiltrate the estate."

It really was a lot to consider and Erin voices even as she thinks it. "I wish I could input more. I know you were wanting answers but to my family I'm more the frivolous one so it's understandable they wouldn't confide much in me." Turning back from the view she walks back over and has a seat, crossing a leg over the other.

"What I could do is try and distract my grandmother to get her away from him. I'm not sure that's the best thing for me though. Getting her suspicious of my moves when I'm the closer to her than my cousins. I wonder if Hyacinth could get her over to Addington House under the guise of something needed and I could call when she is out of the house, and you all could come over and question my great uncle."

"It was Rebecca's grandfather who ran away from home as a teenage. Ran away to Gray Harbor. Returned home with a wife and child in tow. Rebecca's father." Byron adds in, though he doesn't expect it to have much relevance. There's something of interest on his screen or perhaps he's wants to get a second opinion on something he'd jotted down, but with his phone in hand Byron steps towards Alexander to allow him to view the screen on his phone.

"Does that help with your documentation? Seeing dates and name?" He asks, giving him some time to absorb the information and write down his own notes if he wants, he retracts the phone and turns back to the others as he reaches for his glass once more.

What he /is/ surprised by is all this talk about espionage and trickery to get passed Margaret Addington so that they had private access to Thomas. He looks amused when he brings that glass to his lips for a long sip. "You all know that game for this kind of underhanded excitement." And it was to thwart Margaret Addington too. Something about that makes him secretly gleeful.

Alexander's quip earns him a brilliant smile, Isabella tilting her head and flashing him a surreptitious wink. "Mission Impossible, or Ocean's Eleven. If we do get insider information about the routines in the house, we might have to ditch the spy route and go for the rogue option of bluffing our way to our answers. Luckily, in that regard, we have a ringer." Her eyes settle on Byron at that. "Byron's been planning a city-wide festival for months, gathering sponsors to make sure the entire town gets an economic boom and we could fold that in to your suggestion, Erin, as I believe Hyacinth and Byron have had contact about the festival."

She pushes off the frame of the door, pacing around the deck, long legs and bare feet making quick work of the wood. "There's also the straightforward route of coming forward to Erin's intimidating grandmother and telling her that we have information about someone who wants to kill her and we're trying to stop it. It's close enough to the truth for it to be credible, but as with the way of old families, that has the unfortunate side-effect of having to take her information with a grain of salt. People don't get to positions of wealth and prestige without knowing when to exploit an opportunity when they see one...if we do the latter, we'd have to be prepared to be used by whatever machinations our presence inspires. Either way, if I have to choose between talking to Margaret Addington or Thomas Addington, I'd pick the latter based on what Erin's been so kind enough to tell us."

Byron's cat-in-the-creamery expression has her smile broadening, before she shakes her head and looks over at Erin. "Are you confident about Hyacinth's ability to get her out of the house?" she wonders. "If we're going with that avenue, we would have to plan it carefully."

Alexander takes a look at what Byron shows him, and makes a thoughtful noise. He pulls out his own phone, and taps a few quick notes, with a nod in the other man's direction. Isabella gets a dry, "There is such a thing as overcomplicating a goal, you know." A pause. "Some overture should be made to Mister Addington to ensure that he actually is willing to talk to us, before we commit. It will be somewhat embarrassing if you all sneak into the Addington Estate only to have the cops called on you by Thomas, himself."

And, in case the phrase 'you all' didn't twig it, he adds, softly, "I'm not sure I should be involved in this part. Purely aside from my lack of social graces, I'm related to Gohl and there is some sort of metaphysical connection between us. If Thomas does know that, he might not talk at all if I'm involved. And we don't know exactly what that connection is, or how it might be used. If the Addingtons really are our best hope of finding out how to stop Gohl, and Gohl knows that, and he and I have a connection," a short, sharp breath, "maybe putting me in the same room with our best hope for a solution isn't a great idea."

"I honestly see no problem in getting my grandmother away under the guise of the city wide festival and while Byron and Hyacinth have her separated, they question her while Isabella, Alexander and myself question my great uncle." Erin considers it though, listening to the others, and ... she realizes what Alexander had said. "You are related to Gohl?" Though she follows what he says, she adds, "An hour ago you thought I was your best hope for a solution and nothing happened. You have to trust yourself, Alexander. As much as we trust you."

Yes, Byron caught Alexander's 'if you all sneak into the Addington Estate' statement somewhere in mid-sip. Finally, the glass is lowered and he wipes his lips with the back of his free hand. He might dress all posh, but he's a small town boy at heart. At first, the idea that Alexander was a coward comes to mind, but once the man starts talking, much of what he says makes sense. At least in regards to his lack of social graces.

"For the actual sneaking in to speak to Thomas Addington, the less that are there to be caught, the better anyway." Byron will at least say that much. "But yes, I can Hyacinth set up a meeting with Margaret Addington on the day that you want to try this. I can then pitch the festival to her, hope to gain some of the Addington family support and sponsorship. If your grandmother has any interest in helping the town's economy or the beautification project or (so many ors) she just wants to promote the Addington name by helping to sponsor the festival, I can't see why she wouldn't agree to meet." Aside from the fact that he's a Thorne, but he's sure she doesn't care about that.

"That's really why we need to know more about the routines of that house," Isabella tells Alexander. "If we did know, we might be able to straight-shot meeting Thomas, and there's always a chance that, if Margaret insists on attaching Thomas to her hip, anywhere she goes, she might insist that Thomas go with her. We should probably concentrate, first, on trying to figure out if Margaret ever goes somewhere without Thomas during her daily routines. Though I think Alexander's concerns are sound also - we should make sure that Thomas is willing to talk to us. Erin, I'm afraid you're our best hope in confirming that, at the very least."

Her mind splits in different directions - the green-eyed scholar tends to think in webs, already considering something else while speaking of the first topic. "As for Kenneth Baxter Carr, I'm trying to figure out just what his relationship is to William Gohl. William Gohl's father, also named William, married a Baxter, but any other progeny would be carrying the Gohl name, not the Baxter name-- " She pauses. "Unless Kenneth was born from a line Elizabeth produced out of wedlock. I'm relatively certain wherever Kenneth Baxter Carr came from, he didn't come from my branches of the tree."

She falls silent as Erin provides Alexander her encouraging words, and she shoots the woman a grateful look, for saying such things to him. But it comes with the following strains of apology, also, as she pulls to a stop by the woman's chair and, if allowed, rests her hand on her shoulder.

"I do trust him," she says, lifting her eyes to meet Alexander's across the way. "Which means I also trust his judgment. Alexander's the closest to the physical and metaphysical effects of William's presence out of all of us, if he has concerns about being close to Thomas Addington, I think we should listen to him. Which means talking to your great uncle will have to fall to us, Erin. It's symbolic in a way, really. Whatever bad blood's been between our families for generations, we can defy it now by working together."

Alexander nods to Erin. "My great-great-great grandfather, apparently." A sharp, self-mocking sort of smile. "Explains a lot, right?"

"I do not believe that I have felt any compulsions regarding Gohl. But the unfortunate thing about compulsions," a brief glance towards Byron, "is that you aren't aware that your cognitions and decisions have been compromised. Since we discovered my ancestry, I have been trying to interrogate my own decisions, all the way back to starting to want to research the Baxters in the first place and...I do not see any obvious irregularities. That aren't just me."

A ghost of a smile at the two thirds vote of trust. "If I were to go, someone would need to be tasked with being able to put me down, as fast as possible, if it became necessary. If either of you two feel comfortable with that, then that's fine. If not, then it's best that I stay away. You already know the questions to ask, anyway. The only thing additional that I could provide would be," he taps his temple, "and that may or may not be of use. I'm not saying it will be a problem. Just that I don't like being ambushed by this son of a bitch, and I'd prefer not to be the tool he uses."

Erin does manage to look confused as the talking continues. "If you get Margaret Addington, my grandmother out of the house, I can request audience with my great uncle, or we can go directly to speak to him. I'm the in, into the house, there's no need to breach it, or break in. In fact, I'd rather you not do that. It's my family's home, I'd really not appreciate anyone approaching it like that. I never intended to break in, but to get her away so we can all just go speak with him."

Some of it.. was a lot to take in. "The Baxters and the Gohl's are all one and the same? As are the Carr's?" Catching the look from Isabella, a smile is offered in return. Erin was sort of partial to Alexander. Her car was proof! Though Isabella gives good representation to omitting him from the discussions, she reluctantly nods. "I will leave that to Alexander. If he chooses to keep back, I will trust him to do that, then. It will be us who approach my great uncle." A glance is given back to Isabella. "I am not entirely certain I would be able to put Alexander down. Are you?"

Byron had always left it up to the others to keep track of the various family trees that connect the many a member of this town in some intricately dark web. So he just quietly listens when Isabella speaks family lineages, figuring out where in all of this the Baxter Carrs fit in regards to the Gohls. "I was curious about that myself for that was my question to Rebecca Carr. What her connection was to the Gohls, but it turns out that the Carrs are just Baxters. Somewhere along that line, maybe their kind of Baxter married a Gohl." Here he comes out and mutters, "The Archivist brought up that yes these murders were connected. All related." He now turns to Alexander, "Has Dr. Faust looked into her Henderson family origins yet?"

It doesn't help that when he's looking at Alexander that he brings up the fact that one would most likely be unaware if they were ever gripped by any sort of compulsive force. He knows that it's not quite a dig at him, but he takes another small sip from his glass either way.

"As much as I would like you there because you have the most information out of all of us, I'm not confident in my ability to put you down," Isabella tells Alexander straightforwardly, answering Erin in her address as well. If her pride chafes at the idea, signs of it are nonexistent. Green eyes fall on her fingers twisting over her pendant. "I have the potential, but not the practice, and Alexander has both - if he decides to use his gifts....really use them, neither of us will stand a chance. I haven't really used my abilities seriously in years. I don't remember the last time I used them to find the doors to the Otherworld, or to enter them. Not since..."

Her expression twists, sharp, savage heartbreak visible in remembrance, but the glimpse is brief when she turns away to retrieve her glass of Riesling and takes a thirsty swallow.

Byron manages to pull her from that deep dive, as he asks Alexander an interesting question - she hasn't forgotten about the Hendersons.

"He drives," she say, suddenly, reminded of something else she hasn't told her group.

Her jaw sets, eyes brimming with pain and fury at the realization her remembrance presents. "The same tire treads in the Gregory Addington murder were also found in front of my house. Whoever Billy looks like now, he has a body, and if he has a body, he can be trapped, if he needs to use ordinary vehicles to get from Point A to Point B. We just need to get there."

"I don't know," Alexander says, softly, to Byron. "I've only seen her once since everything, and she was looking," he takes a breath, "I didn't press her. Inefficient, but." He shrugs. He'd gotten Penny involved in the whole mess with the bones, and from the twist of his features, a part of himself still clearly blames reaching out to her for the death of her brother and her own near demise. He rubs the handkerchief across his face once more.

He's about to say something else, but Isabella's additional information makes his eyes widen. "I knew it." It's surprised and savagely joyful, the kind of exclamation that would be accompanied by a fist pump if Alexander was a fistpump kind of guy. "That means that he's probably using two abilities in conjunction. Something like mine to locate the target, then healing to kill them. I theorized that you could do that, but never had any proof!" The fact that this isn't the point seems to have escaped him for just a moment.

"I've had my abilities for years, but I've not practiced them enough. not the negative side, only the healing. In fact," Erin lowers her voice as if someone could hear them even now. "I have concentrated on the healing and I've been taking classes in Seattle for nursing. I've just not let that out yet. Especially to my family.. or close friends. I'm wondering some about my grandmother. I adore her, but she does worry me. I wonder if I've been her favorite because I actually let things slide. I don't ask questions, I stay with status quo and as long as she gives me money and pays the bills, I stay out of her hair. I don't want her to think or realize anything has changed. I figure she won't be around forever, unfortunately, and one day.. I will have to take care of myself. So I've been working towards that goal with school."

It was all off subject, but she's told someone at least. "At my aunts house there were also tire tracks and I've not seen Penny as of yet. Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Byron doesn't completely fault Alexander for not asking Penny to research her family lineage for him. Even if Thorne, probably would have asked. "There could be records to be found without even speaking to her." He brings this up, his attention on Alexander. "You learned about /my/ family history." Even if the Thorne family wasn't what Alexander was looking into when that bit of information was found. "Why not the Hendersons?"

The news from Isabella has him surprised, "He drove a car? That doesn't sound like a specter at all. Which is what Rebecca Carr's statement almost made it sound like." Licking idly at his lips, tasting that Riesling residue, he says with a sigh, "If either of you would like to speak to her regarding her experience, as traumatic as it is because she was there and unable to stop it, I could try and set up a meeting with her for you."

All this talk about the way spiritualist can just wreck people, these healers of theirs, has Byron quiet once more. A few of them in this room have taken the brunt of such an assault. Some worse than others.

Then when Erin asks, he looks to the others and says, "Your being here and your willingness to help us gain access to your uncle is a big deal as it is." He tries to think of any more he'd want Erin to do, but she's an Addington and one of his tenants, so he's not about to bombard her with various tasks just for the sake of doing so.

At Erin's quiet confession, Isabella's green-gold eyes wander towards her, her expression softening. She gives her shoulder a squeeze. "I'm glad you're her favorite, then she won't be none the wiser if Hyacinth and Byron lure her out of the house. Our plan, Erin, like Byron says." Mischief returns, albeit briefly, winking towards the other woman.

Alexander's exclamation has her furrowing her brows at him. "Healing to kill? It can be reversed?" That is new to her, clearly, she was a far cry from a Glimmer savant, but she does take the opportunity to learn in an effort to keep her head above the water. Draining her glass, she sets it down so she could give herself a refill, finally slipping away from the Addington heiress' seat so she could lean against the railings of the houseboat.

Byron's words has her gawking at him openly, the first sign of surprise on her features in a while. "Wait, she witnessed her sister's murder? She saw who did it?" she asks, incredulity on her features. "Is she recovered enough from her ordeal to handle that kind of interrogation? It would be helpful if she could provide the details, unless you were able to get them from her."

She takes a breath, and another sip of her chilled white wine. "Alright, so to reiterate the plan. We attempt to get Margaret Addington out of the house using Hyacinth and Byron's entreaties to listen to a sponsorship pitch about the festival. Should we be successful, Erin contacts me and we both seek an audience with her great-uncle in the main family homestead. Without any additional information, I think that's the best we're going to come up with at the moment. And then follow up with the Carr and Henderson leads." She gives Byron a sidelong glance.

"...you really are looking forward to pulling the wool over the grande dame's eyes, aren't you?" she says, a light tease.

There's a flicker of irritation at Byron. "They didn't come up in the initial researches as you did, Thorne, and I have been just a touch busy of late to be doing advanced genograms looking for how one particular family morphs into apparently half the town. It just hasn't come up as a priority compared to," a wave of his hand to indicate everything else.

He blinks at Isabella. "Oh yes." It's soft. "Yes, Isabella. Miss Winslow's violent reaction was an example, but it's nothing compared to what a true," he grimaces, "master of the art can accomplish with nerve, muscle and bone." One hand creeps up to rub at his other forearm. "And, of course, the benefit is that when you're finished, you can heal--" he stops there, shakes his head, briefly. "Anyway. Obviously, this isn't entirely relevant. But it's possible that someone who combines two abilities could tear someone apart without even being in the building with them. No security, no traces of entry." A glance at Byron, again. "But a statement would be useful. Just to confirm the facts."

"What is not being told to me?" The irritation from Alexander, the glee from Byron and the comments towards it, Erin feels like everyone else is privy to something she is unaware of. "Please, going in to this, I would like full disclosure, especially if it affects myself or my family. I don't want to regret putting my trust in each of you. If there is something I need to know, you would tell me wouldn't you?" It's short and to the point, but it's all she has to say for now.

Alexander's sudden flare up at him has Byron just staring at the man with a blank expression, sipping slowly at his glass in the process. He'll wait til the other is finished with his complaint, before he speaks. "I didn't expect you to have it done already. It's why I'd suggested it. In case it never came to mind." His shoulders lift, "I could ask Magnolia Jones to look into it, god knows that she could use a new phone," or is it car? Or both? "right about now." But even he knows that he owes her a lot. He doesn't remember her being at the stone bridge, but he's heard tales.

Isabella is up next and Byron gives her a slow nod, "She was there and yet she saw no one performing the act. At the moment, I didn't want to pry or ask for too many details. She'd just returned back to town from the funeral." He then adds, "Vivian also mentioned something similar. This doctor she was speaking to, one in that mysterious mental institution, he was killed right in front of her and yet saw no assailant." When he speaks of Vivian, there's this sound of exasperation in his tone.

Then it's Erin's question that has him taken aback. He's not quite certain as to what exactly she is referring to. Maybe there's several secrets milling around. Some more important than others. "What do you mean, Erin? We've relayed what relevant information that we could to you."

"You'll have to forgive them," Isabella tells Erin with a quiet sigh, gesturing to both men on either sides of her both. "They have a history, thrown together into this grisly business. I'm sorry if all of this sounds confusing, to be honest, I'm not even sure if I see the big picture just yet. I didn't know about the details of the asylum that Alexander described until today, for instance. We all have pieces - like what you provided us regarding your grandmother's suspicious behavior. I guess we really are at the point where we simply have to hunt down the people who have the rest in order to make sense of the puzzle before us."

She exhales a quiet breath; for a split-second, she looks exhausted, her hand falling from her pendant and towards the ribbon tied around her wrist, snapping it once with a thumb. She can only imagine that Erin feels the same way - it wasn't all that long ago that her parents were buried.

"One thing at a time, though," she murmurs. "If we try to keep leaning back to try and see more of what we can't possibly at the moment, we're only going to end up tipping over. Attempting to pry Margaret Addington away from Thomas is a good start."

She pulls out her phone, furrowing her brows a little as a thought slips through her mind, and sends a quiet text.

"If I knew anything relevant, Miss Addington, I'd share it with you," Alexander says, quietly.

And then Byron speaks up, correcting his overreaction, and he winces. "Sorry, Thorne. I thought you--" a pause. "Never mind. It's a good idea. I'll see if it can't be done, one way or the other." He stands up, then, rubbing nervously at his forearms. "I'm going to step away for a moment. Catch some air." Never mind that it's not something that the boat is short on. "But it sounds as if we have about as much of a plan as we need for the next step, anyway." A sympathetic grimace at Isabella and Erin. "Perhaps we should table the discussion and let you two get some much-needed rest? This can't be easy."

Either way, he excuses himself for the moment to go take some deep breaths somewhere else on the boat.

"Isabella just stated it. You are looking forward to pulling the wool over my grandmothers eyes. I thought it was for this.. issue. Yet somehow that sounds more personal." Erin finds herself frowning, tilting her head and studying Byron. "If I thought for a moment you had a personal vendetta against my grandmother and are using me to accomplish some sort of clandestine mission against her, this would be the last we spoke about any infiltrating. In fact, I would rather alert her to it than allow anything to come near her that could harm her." Blood is thicker than anything apparently, and loyalty among the Addingtons is real! There's a smoulder of fire in her eyes at the very idea of actually putting her grandmother in danger. "My grandmother is the only parent I have left.. though if you all say there is nothing, I am going to trust that. And trust you."

When Erin is looking at /him/ of all people instead of at Alexander, Byron's brow twitches. "Isabella stated what? That Clayton and I merely tolerate one another? I'm not going to say that I've ever hidden that fact. We /do/ have history." There's emphasis there. "That said, he knows far more about any of this than I do." Which is why he keeps in contact with the man. This talk of her grandmother, however, has that brow kept arched, "It is for this issue and I'm curious to know why you would think otherwise. I mean, I don't /know/ your grandmother at all. And in truth, I could use the Addington backing for the festival."

"Isabella said to you, and I quote... 'You really are looking forward to pulling the wool over the grande dame, aren't you?" Erin counters Byron. "That has nothing to do with Alexander. I was just curious what she meant and what that meant for my grandmother."

The explanation from the heiress clears it up. The look on Isabella's face is reflective of her realization. "Erin, we were just bantering with one another," she says. "I think I mentioned in my letter to you that Byron and I know each other quite well. I was retorting back to his earlier quips on espionage games." That's where she was coming from anyway - she has been operating under the assumption that her childhood friend was looking forward to being in the kind of misdirection often written about in movies and television.

Her smartphone dings. She furrows her brows as she looks down at it. "I have to take this, please excuse me," she says as she steps away to return the text.

If Byron had heard that comment from Isabella, he very well may have dished something back in response. But his mind was preoccupied at the time as he had his hands full with Alexander. "Aren't we talking about this rouse to get your grandmother out of the house?" He does shoot Isabella this brief, yet annoyed look, before he rolls his eyes. "If you let her mouth run, she'll say anything and everything to make me look bad. This is what it was like in high school and yet someone /still/ hasn't grown up and out of it."

There's this apologetic look that he gives Erin, "Don't let our one-upmanship against one another, no matter how playful or childish bother you any. The longer that you spend in our company, the more you'll take notice of it." Much to Byron's chagrin. He does add, "And she's not the only one..." He then states, "I'm sorry if it sounds like we're making light of this whole thing. Some of us are still children, but... speaking to Thomas Addington is important. If we're wanting to find a way to stop this killer."

"Like I said, I trust you all not to hurt my grandmother. I want to do this because I want the truth. There are things sometimes that don't add up and I would feel like a traitor if I'd start listing them. It's enough that I have taken notice though." Erin gets to her feet again and finishes off the drink before going to find another one, "We can do this.. I'm ready to."