Part 49: Blackwell Deception - Update 8

Update 8

After quite a bit of searching, we finally have a name of someone involved in this case: Gavin. In order to meet him, Rosa needs to steal a peridot stone from the Haines Residence. But first, we'll need to steal the keys to the residence. It's time for a DOUBLE BURGLARY!!

Seagram Assisted Living



Okay, so Madison told us that Penelope denied ever receiving the keys, even though they were in clear sight in her bedroom. The first step is to figure out where Penelope's bedroom is.

There is a cleaning rotation chart here, but if Rosa tries to look at it...

Excuse me? Can I help you?
Oh, sorry. Never mind.

...the front desk lady catches her and wants to know what's up. So we'll use Joey to do the scouting instead.



The handwriting is awful, but it looks like Penelope Haines is due to have her room cleaned today. Room 12-G, to be precise.

Awesome. Penelope seems to spend most of her time hanging around in the common room, so we should be able to break into her bedroom without any issue.



Rosa and Joey arrive at Penelope's room to find a note on the door.



Hopefully they didn't clean the key away



Joey finally opens up a bit about why he hates nursing homes so much.

We'll get out of here soon.
Ain't looking for sympathy darling. Just saying. I don't like places like this.

Rosa, meanwhile, has a thought of her own.

You'd think there'd be some ghosts in a place like this. Considering.
I've thought about that, and I have a theory. You get to be a certain age, you come to terms with who you are and how you've lived. The folks who live here? They've done most of their living. And when the end comes? They have no reason to stick around.

I guess that might explain why there are so few ghosts around in general. Most people who die of natural causes come to accept their own mortality. It's only those who have had their life suddenly interrupted that seem to hang around as ghosts, and even then they often just move on anyway.



Rosa can't get in, but Joey can phase through the door. Hanging off the chair is a little key.

There's a label attached to it. It says "Madison and Scott". I guess it's a key to the apartment uptown. It's just on the edge of the chair.

Sweet, that's what we need!



The key is just on the edge of the chair, so Joey can use his magic breath to blow the key to the ground. However...

I don't know why I did that. The key isn't going anywhere now.



...the carpet on the floor makes it impossible for Joey to blow the key any further. He can't move it, and Rosa can't reach it.

What happened? Are we stuck?
Hold on. Hold on. We ain't licked yet. There's gotta be some way to fix this.



In a Sierra Adventure Game, we'd be dead men walking now (even more so than usual, in Joey's case). But fortunately we have a way to "reset" the puzzle.

Hm. Someone *should* have been up there already. I'll send someone up.

We can ask the cleaners to go up again, who dutifully return the key to the edge of the chair.



Okay, so here's what we need to do here. Rosa slides her brochure + string under the door...



...and Joey blows the brochure forward while Rosa holds on to the string.



Perfect! Joey blows the key and it bounces on to the brochure.



Pulling it back by the string, Rosa pockets the ill-gotten key!

When you're out saving souls, sometimes you gotta rob a few old ladies.

It's not just "sometimes" with you anymore, Joey



Awesomely, we get a Steam Achievement for the first of two burglaries we'll commit today!

Deception Tension



After Joey quickly checks that Madison hasn't returned home yet, Rosa uses the key to unlock the door, quickly closing it behind her after they enter.

Look at you. Cool as a cucumber.
This is a bad thing?
After all this time, I'm beginning to think you *like* breaking and entering.
It's become... surprisingly commonplace.

You ain't kidding, Rosa. We shouldn't spend any longer here than absolutely necessary, though.

You are keeping an ear out, right?
Ears, eyes, nose, whatever. If someone comes, you'll know.

I wonder if Joey's sense of smell still works, actually?

Okay. What now?
Let's just keep clam and get that rock.

We know where it is. Rosa quickly ducks into Penelope's old room.



It certainly is!



Rosa pockets the stone. I can feel our spirit growing already!!

Prelude to Tragedy



Unfortunately, as Rosa goes to leave, the inevitable occurs - the Haines family returns home.

I know. It's just been so long since we've gone out...

Husband: We don't have to go to Le Cirque, you know.

I know. One day he'll learn to behave. One day.

This scene is handled well, actually. You kind of expect something like this to happen the moment you pick up the peridot stone, but it doesn't. Just as you feel like you've gotten away with it, they return home as you're about 2/3 of the way across the room. It's subtle but quite effective at building tension.

Husband: Look, I'll go make something for us to eat. You let him run around until he gets tired. Then we'll have the evening to ourselves.

It's a date.



Joey sums up the situation.

I can't go out there now. They'll catch me for sure! Do something, Joey. They could come in here any minute.
Don't get in a lather. I'm on it. So... the window?
No!
Just a thought.

What level is this apartment? It might not be that bad a thought...



Rosa bitterly regards Joey.

Damn it, does she have to breathe so loud? You'd think she'd have learned the ropes of sneaking around by now.

Fortunately, there is no immediate reason for Madison and her husband to come into Penelope's room, so we're safe for the time being. Joey decides to go and see what's happening.

I'll go scope things out. Just hang tight.



Madison is watching over Chris. It doesn't look like she'll be moving any time soon. We could probably just wait it out until she goes to bed, but that's risky.

In a clever move, Joey can blow on the thermostat.

Hm. The numbers on this gizmo went down a bit.

Presumably Joey's breath is icy cold. The heater kicks in...

Hm. You know, Chris. I think it's getting a little hot in here. What do you think? Should we open a door? Yeah, I think so too.

...and Madison opens the door to the left to improve the circulation in the room.



Now that the door is open, Joey can try to draw Chris out of the room.



Sure enough, Madison follows after Chris, leaving the living room empty.



Rosa is able to duck out, though the game doesn't force her to immediately leave, so we can dick around for a while Madison doesn't come back out, though.



The perfect crime(s)! Rosa and Joey check out the spoils of war.

Just between you and me, that peridot is not your color.
I wasn't planning on keeping it.
Good.

Let's take this bad boy over to Penelope and see if our spirit has grown enough yet!

Common Room



Yes. That's mine, all right. You actually went into that place and took it?
Er, yes?

"I also broke into your room to take the key. Please don't call the cops."

Imagine that. I thought you were just humoring me.
So, about Gavin...?
Oh, that's right. You wanted to see him.



Finally, we're getting somewhere.

The one you seek is named Lisa Tenzin.

Unfortunately, we still don't actually get to contact Gavin directly. Instead, Penelope gives us another contact.

Who is Lisa Tenzin?
She's a healer. She is the one who introduced me to Gavin. I sent your friend Jeremy to her as well.
I see.

Jeremy obviously spoke to Lisa as well, so perhaps he'll know something about her?

So where can I find her?
Her office is in midtown. Here's the address.
Thanks.

Well, at least we're one step closer.

Deception Tension



Rosa and Joey visit the address to find a shopfront for a street psychic.

Keep on your toes. This could get messy.
I think I can handle a psychic. I am one, after all.
Just be careful, is all I'm saying.

You're more of a medium than a psychic, Rosa. This place looks tacky as fuck, but Rosa seems somewhat impressed at the idea of running a psychic business.

Should psychics really advertise themselves like this? Maybe I've been going about this the wrong way.



Joey, of course, is less than impressed.

If she ever decides to hang up a shingle it better not be one like this.

Finally, the two of them voice their thoughts.

What an eyesore this place is.
I know. And we passed three empty storefronts just walking here.
Joints are shutting down all over the city, but this place stays open.
I guess people just like being suckered.

Suckered is right. Penelope went here and ended up handing over her inheritance. Jeremy went here and wound up dead.

Legit psychic or not. That neon sign is so tacky.
Says the girl with the lava lamp in her bedroom.
What's wrong with lava lamps?
If you have to ask the question, you already know the answer.

Hahahahaha



This being an Adventure Game, I am immediately compelled to search through the trash can, but Rosa isn't having a bar of that. Instead, she rings the buzzer.



Hi. Is this Lisa Tenzin?
That's me.

Awesome. Let's see if we can get a face-to-face meeting happening here.

Penelope Haines gave me your address. I was hoping I could talk to you?
Penny sent you? Of course. Come on in.

Well. That was easy.



Inside we see a charming little street psychic setup, complete with incense, a crystal ball, and mood lighting. Rosa sits down while Joey watches on suspiciously.

So. What can I do to help?
I'm Rosangela Blackwell.
A pleasure. I'm Lisa Tenzin. You said Penny recommended me?
Yes. I was hoping to talk to you.
I am here to help.

She seems pleasant enough so far.



Rosa starts off with some small talk.

I work with life energy, mostly.
And that's important?
Think of it like exercise for the soul. Just like maintaining a healthy body, you also need to maintain a healthy spirit.
Healthy spirit. Right. If I was healthy I wouldn't be dead, would I?

Hahaha, I'll never get tired of Joey whinging about people using the term "spirit"

How does it work?
Through medidation. That's something I can offer you.
Me? Do you think I need it?
I can tell that your spirit is weak, and could use my services.



Rosa actually sounds concerned about her weak spirit here.

Something is blocking it. It can't function and flow like it normally would.
What would cause that?
In your case, I'd say it was a recent tragedy. Something happened to you recently, didn't it? Something that affected you deeply.

Rosa stops to think about what tragedy might have affected her spirit so dramatically. She can suggest Lauren's death:

My aunt died a few years ago.
And you were close? I can tell.
She kind of raised me. For a while, anyway.
Say no more. Being confronted with death - any death - makes you confront your own mortality. If you aren't careful, it can generate negative energy that damages the spirit.

She can suggest Jeremy's recent death:

Someone I know has recently died.
And you were close?
He's someone I knew a few years ago. I just found out about it.
I... see. Say no more. Being confronted with death - any death - makes you confront your own mortality. If you aren't careful, it can generate negative energy that damages the spirit.

Hilariously, she can bring up her recently-published book being a commercial flop:

I sold a book recently. It... didn't do well.
Say no more. You put all your hopes into it, and now you are confronted with the possibility of failure. You are confronting the choices you have made and have doubt about whether you made the right ones. That kind of doubt can have a negative effect on the spirit.

Or, she can just say that she can't think of anything:

Nothing that I can think of.
And yet you felt compelled to come here. You are uncertain, but don't know why. That kind of eternal questioning can damage the spirit more often than not.

Whichever way we go, it's obvious that Lisa is going to take whatever Rosa says, and turn it into some kind of spiritual fracture that only she can heal. This lady is very clearly a snake oil saleswoman.

You aren't buying this crap are you?
But if you like, I can help you get better.

Yep, she's a con artist alright.



Your blockage is strong, but not insurmountable. I can meditate tonight on the problem. That way the best course of action will be revealed to me.

How generous of her.

If I asked you to do this for me, what then?
it take a great deal of spiritual energy to medidate on this kind of problem. I need to light a special candle in order to replenish it.
So I will need to charge you $200 for the service. Then we can create an energy work plan.
Hmph. And you doubted her sincerity.

Or not, hahahahahaha. $200, geez.

I... am going to have to think about this.
Of course. There is no hurry.

Amusingly, when doing "research" for Deception, Gilbert actually visited a street psychic, and had a conversation that went pretty much exactly as this one has, $200 candle for meditation and all. He even packed a hidden camera inside his shirt pocket to film her, but apparently he bumped it early on by mistake, so it ended up filming the wall the whole time. He did still capture the audio though, so at least he got this dialogue out of it.



Rosa is obviously not going to drop $200 into this scam, but while she's here, it's a good chance to ask after Jeremy.

I wouldn't tell you one way or the other. Like any healer, I believe in confidentiality.
Could you tell me why Penelope came to see you?
I'm afraid not. Our sessions are private.

Unfortunately, Lisa's lips are very much sealed.

Do you know anything about the High Line?
I know no more than anyone else, I'm sure.

She won't say much about anything.



Let's try this angle.

Penelope said you introduced her to him.
Those sessions were supposed to be private.
Even still, I would like to him.

Lisa isn't too hot on the idea, however.

The spiritual process must not be rushed. Penny was ready, and needed to take the next step. But you? You will need several months of sessions before you can even begin that journey.
Thanks?
It is not a judgement. It is what you are.

I'll bet every one of those sessions will involve a $200 candle, too

Are you sure you can't tell me about Gavin? I think it could be very important.
Be that as it may. I have said all I will say on the matter.



Rosa tries one more approach, which prompts Lisa to launch straight into her usual spiel.

I'm sorry to hear that. A death often brings us in contact with our own mortality.

Rosa is coming at this from another direction, though.

No. It's not that. There's no confidentiality if he's dead, right?
There are other worlds than these, Miss Blackwell.
Yeah, we know.

I don't think confidentiality ceases to be in effect after death, Rosa. Either way, we're going to get anything more out of this lady yet.

Thanks for listening, Lisa. I'll get back to you about fixing my... problem.
Of course. Have a good night.




More and more leads are opening up, but nobody's really saying anything yet. Join me tomorrow as we continue to work our way through this mystery!