The Illusion

[Ebiris]

It's a somewhat windy, but sunny Spring morning that greets Frederick Gamby this day.

Reading the morning paper over breakfast reveals little of interest. The big story of late involves a Conservative MP known for his firm belief in family values being revealed as a frequent customer of an S&M parlour down in Soho. No doubt he'll be looking for a new job by tomorrow.

And speaking of jobs, Frederick has is own business to look out for...

OOC: Ok, Merc, feel free to describe your house/apartment & shop as you like. Within reasonobviously.

[Merc]

Gamby sighs as he puts down the cup of coffee he had been drinking, as well as the morning paper, both onto the modest wooden table decorating the center of his kitchenette. Pushing the chair back as he stands up, he stretches as he drags himself towards the door to the side, leading to his room.

There, he grabs some random clothes from his dresser, a light yellow collared shirt and some brown dress pants, before tossing his pajamas onto his bed. Once dressed, he exits through the kitchette and down the stairs leading to the shop below, his pride and joy.

Today would be an interesting day, as he would have to leave his assistant, one Sarah Robertson, alone with the store for the first time. The 18-year old girl had expressed interest in magic and the pay he offered had satisfied her, but most importantly, was capable and willing to work most of the hours the shop was open. He felt he could trust her to watch things while he dealt with his side job, having gotten to know the young girl over the past few weeks since he'd hired her. Of course, she would not start for a few hours still, leaving him to the process of opening shop by himself.

Locking the door to upstairs behind him, he pushed some red curtains aside which hid the back wall to the store where the stairs were. This was the "stage" he occassionally performed from, and as he walked towards the front of the store, he passed some book racks filled with book of magic, followed by rows of open merchandise to one side, with the cash register and a glass case on the other, the glass case holding his collection of magic rarities such as autographed items from famous magicians and expensive props.

Unlocking the security gate and sliding it upwards, he opens his doors to the warm British outdoors, before taking a seat besides the cash register, and making the usual wait for some potential customers.

OOC: I'll give you some basic bio for the Sarah NPC once I wake up, or feel free to make something up yourself. G'night, Usagi-san! >_>

[Ebiris]

The morning passes quietly enough. A few mothers with young children, and the occasional grandparent searching for a gift make up the most of your business on weekdays when everyone else is either working or at school.

It's getting towards lunchtime when a middle aged man in a dark brown tweed suit enters, sparing little time for the items on sale as he approaches the till directly. He's tall, and thin to the point of cadaverous, yet wears a disarming smile beneath his Chaplin-esque mustache.

"Good morning, Mr Gamby," he greets you, "Or should I say, The Illusion? For I'm afraid this isn't a social visit."

Of course, you recognise him as the man who recruited you into the British Library, although the only name you have for him is 'Mr Jack' which you aren't sure is a pseudonym or not.

[Merc]

Though not having expected an assignment today, Frederick Gamby rises from his seat besides the cash register and greets his British Library co-worker.

"Good morning, Mr. Jack," Frederick Gamby says as he starts to move towards the front door, fiddling with a sign in his hand. "I'll be with you in a moment. My assistant won't be here for another hour, so I need to close my shop for the moment."

Upon reaching the front door, he hangs one of those "Out to Lunch. Will be back at:" signs with a clock drawn on it. Its arrows point to 1pm. Locking the door behind him, he motions his companion towards the back of the shop.

"Let's talk upstairs."

[Ebiris]

Mr Jack nods, allowing you to lead him upstairs. He begins before either of you really have a chance to get settled, however. "Not to beat around the bush, Mr Gamby, but the British Library was robbed in the early hours of last night."

He waits after that statement, as if to gauge your reaction.

[Merc]

Gamby frowns, and looks at Mr. Jack as if he were joking or had antlers coming out of his head. "What do you mean robbed? It's the British Library, for god's sake. It doesn't just get robbed!"

[Ebiris]

"It does," your guest affirms. "We simply happen to be very thorough about regaining what we may lose." He smiles, "Don't look so appalled, Mr Gamby, it's not as serious as it may sound. No international gang of thieves penetrated the heart of the Library here in London. No, it was a far more common theft."

He produces an a4 sized manilla folder from his jacket and places it on the coffee table. "We are in the habit of lending our rarer items to musems around the world, after all. And in this case, it appears that local security arrangements were at fault."

[Merc]

Ah, that I can understand. The British Library itself getting assaulted would require an amazing amount of...

Derailing from the negative thoughts, Gamby nods to his companion, now believing his robbery claim. Leaning over the table to grasp the folder, he begins to browse through it with a serious expression, curious to see what they've found out so far about the thieves and who he'd be working with, if anyone.

[Ebiris]

The folder contains photographs of what appears to be an unloading area/garage built into an old style brick building. You can't see much of anything to infer the actual location, though.

The first three photographs all show the area from the same vantage point, with a clock in the bottom left indicating it's likely CCTV stills. The remaining ones show the outside and inside of the garage, the light levels looking like they were taken in the day, compared to the darkness of the CCTV stills.

Nothing particularly illuminating, however. There's also a typed report of some sort, but before you have a chance to read it, Mr Jack speaks.

"We were lending String Quartet No. 2 in D major - the original sheet music, by Mozart to the Vienna museum of art and history. However, from the looks of it, the security staff at the museum were all incapacitated before the truck carrying the manuscript arrived. Delivery went off without anything suspicious, and the thieves then likely escaped sometime between 11pm and midnight, local time.

"We have our suspicions as to who is responsible, but the local police are being stubbornly incompetent - which only serves to heighten our suspicions."

[Merc]

"So, what are your plans for me then? To infiltrate the police and find suspicious activity?" Gamby asks curious if that was their best lead at the moment.

[Ebiris]

"Perhaps that avenue may be worth exploring," Jack acknowledges. "Especially if our suspicions are wrong. However, first we would like you to investigate a Mr Henriech Meyer. He's a wealthy oligarch with strong ties to the Austrian government - notably their justice department. There's more details in that file there, but the gist of it is that he's been peripherally associated with several art thefts in the last two decades. Nothing directly suspicious, and certainly no evidence ever recovered, but you know how it goes with these types...

"Notably, he is known to have an extensive collection of his own, which he takes great pains to keep out of the public eye."

Pausing a moment, Jack adds, "I must admit, all this exposition is leaving me dreadfully parched. I don't suppose I could trouble you for a cup of tea?"

[Merc]

"Oh, of course," the embarrassed German replies as he stands up and heads towards the electric stove. "My apologies, Mr. Jack, you'd think I'd be a better host given how long I've lived in this country. I'll start boiling some water right away."

Doing just that, he turns around and asks, "Do I have an identity set up for me, or will I have to manage something on my own?"

[Ebiris]

"This isn't an undercover assignment, The Illusion," Jack replies, shaking his head. "We don't particularly care about getting evidence or bringing Mr Meyer to trial. We simply want our manuscript back.

"Once you arrive in Vienna, you'll liase with Inspector Bertrand of Interpol. He's one of our men, so you can trust him. His own investigation is somewhat stymied by the local authorities, but he'll offer full support in our own more... unorthodox methods.

"If it becomes necessary, you can of course request further assets from head office. But we'd like you to get the lay of the land, so to speak, before committing too much."

As he finishes his little spiel, your kettle emits a low whistle as the water is boiled.

[Merc]

Gamby nods as he turns off the heat and pulls the kettle away from the heat. Pouring it slowly into two cups, with some tea bags, he then places the kettle back on the stove, on a cooled spot and carries the tea cups to the table.

"When will I have to leave then?" he asks once he's seated once more.

[Ebiris]

Jack takes one of the cups and takes a few sips. "Ah, good show," he nods approvingly. "Yes, we've booked you on a flight to Vienna at half past eight tomorrow morning - should give you time to get things in order, here. What's the name of that girl you have running things?"