Part 116: Robert Evans

Who'd have thunk a painting was under there? That's an angel, ain't it?
Sure is.
An angel...
You ever see this painting before, Louie?
Naw, man, didn't spend too much time in church as a kid, ya dig? Wait a minute...

Music: Rainy Night
No way! Yo, Hyde! Is...is that it?
One and the same, Louie. This is the angel painting Bradley stole from Nile.



But what... How... What's it doin' here?
It's like I said. THIS angel painting was created by Dunning.
Yeah, but... How ya expect me to believe that?

Who painted it doesn't important if you only care about practicality. You can just sell it.

Hey, Louie, you know the name of this painting?
Ain't it Angel Painting? That's what Danny always called it.
No offense to Danny, but it's called Angel Opening a Door.

To be fair, Grace also refered to the painting as that and she was a museum curator.

Angel Opening a Door? Sure, why not? If I gotta buy that ol' man Dunning painted, I can believe anything.
You're getting loopy on me, Louie. Now listen. The rest of the world thinks this was painted by a guy named Osterzone. Osterzone was an artist born in the nineteenth century. Or so the story goes. Couple dozen or so of his paintings were discovered forty years after he died. And then all the artsy types went gaga over 'em. Angel Opening a Door is supposed to have been his masterpiece.
So, wait. This Osterzone cat really did do an angel painting? And then Dunning, like, copied it?
This isn't a copy, Louie. This is the original.
The original? But...I... That can't be right. You said this painting is one'a Ostertoes.. Er... Oserman... Ozzie... Whatever!
Still don't get it?
Get WHAT?



...Oh, trip...
This is like findin' out your girl's your sister or somethin'. It's messed up.

Doesn't seem to bother much.

Three years back, my pal Danny got plugged over this painting! Thought he could sell it and get enough scratch for us to break outta the city. And...and here it is.



What a weird place to found the painting, huh?

This blows my mind. ...Why?
WHY?! The HELL is it doing here?
Louie-
Don't Louie me, man! Tell me!
You want to know how it got here? I think Bradley returned it to the man who painted it.
What? Bradley RETURNED it? What's that supposed to mean?
I think Bradley knew the truth about Osterzone.
Aw, you're killin' me, Hyde.
He knew Osterzone was just a painter somebody made up.
Wait, but you said-
Look, Osterzone's story is that he was a painter who died before his work was valued. Truth is, no one ever heard of the guy at all. Not until somebody wrote a book about him. Thanks to the book, he went from nobody to somebody overnight. And his paintings started selling for a whole lot of dough.

Maybe I should try that sometime...

What kinda book is it?
It's called "Osterzone, the Phantom Painter." It was published in 1963. You know who wrote it? Robert Evans.
Robert Evans? That's Mila's pops, ain't it? But that means... OK. OK. I think I follow. So Mila's pops is part of this whole angel painting thing, too?



The thing I haven't figured out yet is why.

Why everyone wanted the angel?

Why did Evans and Dunning create Osterzone in the first place? And how did Bradley stumble into it?

Oh, and I suppose those too.

More mysteries? You know, I used to like mysteries. Not anymore, man. Ya got it figured out?

Music: Insomnia


Here's what I got so far. Evan's book on Osterzone came out sixteen years ago. Then Mila and her old man came here ten years ago.
Yeah, that's when the hotel closed up for a bit.
And the story about the girl going missing from the hotel? Ten years ago.
Oh! Oh! And that's when Mila went into a coma and got put in the hospital!
And it's when Mila's old man bought the hotel. A lot happened ten years back.
Wait, wait. Mila's pops used to own the Dusk?
Yeah. Robert Evans used to be the owner. But seven years ago, he suddenly closed up his art gallery and disappears. And then Dunning buys the hotel.
Hold it. Woodward said Mila's pops always came to see her in the hospital. And he only stopped comin' six months ago, yeah?



If you want even more dates: Helen meet Alan when Hotel Dusk first opened. 10 years later they meet again and Helen gave Alan the pen. Sometime later Martin stole Alan's manuscript and pen, then Alan disappeared. 19 Years ago there's a plane crash that killed both Iris' mother and Mila's mother. 5 Years ago Rosa started working in Hotel Dusk, around the same time Dunning reopened it. 2 Years ago Kevin got sued for malpractice, then Grace met up with Iris before going to Hotel Dusk. 6 months ago on Melissa's birthday (June 29th) Grace disappeared. On December 27th Jeff robbed his father's safe. Then he fled to Hotel Dusk after meeting Mila and seeing her brochure. The rest of the dates are either already mentioned or going to be mentioned.

It don't add up, man.
When did Dunning reopen the Dusk? Five years ago, right?
Yeah, and Bradley killed Danny three years ago. Then you went and shot Bradley right after.
...Yeah.

Music: Midnight


Hyde, I've got bad news. It's Bradley. He... He's on the take.





Music stops
Yo, Hyde. Can I ask you somethin'?
Sure.
Why'd you shoot Bradley? I mean, you guys were partners. And friends, too, yeah? You the kinda cat what hunts down a pal if you think he did you wrong? Just line him up and put him down? Cold, brother. Real cold.

Music: Violet Sky
...I don't know.
How don't you know?
I heard what he did. Heard he went rogue. ...I tore up the city looking for him. I finally caught up to him at the docks. I was mad as hell, Louie. I could barely see. I pulled my piece and yelled at him. Asked him why he did it...
So what'd he say?



There was a message there, but I couldn't read it. It was all too fast. Then he turned, and I thought he was going to make a run for it. I... My gun was out, and I... I pulled the trigger.



Whoa... Hey, um... Sorry I asked, ya know? But I get it, man. You didn't get to talk to him, never got to hear his side of things. That's why you're lookin' for him. Tryin' to make your final peace, yeah?
Enough about that. We need to focus on what's in front of us.
Yeah, man, sure.
When did Dunning reopen the Dusk? Five years ago, right?
Yeah, and Bradley killed Danny three years ago.
And then Bradley vanished with the angel painting. Which brings us to six months ago when he checked in here as Kyle Hyde.
Right... And that's when Mila's pops vanished. And Bradley came to town.
Yeah.
But man, none of this means squat!



Unless... Unless you got this all figured out.
Most of it. At least, I think so.
C'mon, Louie. We have to find Dunning and Mila. We talk to them? I got a hunch this'll all come together.
Whatever you say, Officer.

And NOW something will happen when we go to the not-so-hidden door. But before that let's look at our new items first.

Music: So Noted










Music: The Last Sleep


A brief moment to appreciate the masterpiece that ruined people's lives before we go to the final room.

Huh?
What is it, man?
Check out the wall.
Huh?
There's a strange line running through it.



You're in a basement hidden with a whiskey-based puzzle. And you've seen a room hidden by a wall. Do you really don't know what this is?

It's a door, Louie. The wall's a door.
Aw, man! This is like that cartoon with the dog and the dude what's always hungry!

I don't get it.

Edit:

I don't know why I didn't think of this. And Louie actually says what's instead of that's. His grammar isn't the best.





*The door unlocks, then opens*