Part 74: Blackwell Epiphany - Update 5

Update 5

Grace Church



Last time, we were on our way to Grace Church, the location referred to as being "unsafe" by George Ostin shortly before his spirit was torn apart.



Before heading there, Rosa quickly checks in with Durkin, but if he knows anything, he's not saying.

Church? No, I haven't. Why?
No reason. Forget it.



Rosa also confers with Joey while en route.

I dunno. We should probably explore the place and find out. You ever been to this Grace Church before?
I've walked by it a number of times, but I've never been in.
Well, there's a first time for everything.

Rosa also tries to decipher George's final words.

George said that "Grace wasn't safe..." But he was referring to Grace Church. What did he mean? Is the church in danger?
Dunno. Would a guy get that worked up over a church? I feel like it's gotta be more than that.
Churches can be more than just a building.
For some, I guess.

I still think that George just meant that he would be unsafe in the church. Anyway, that's enough procrastinating for now. Onwards to Grace Church!



Rosa and Joey find themselves in a large courtyard.

Huh. A church. Of all the places.
Really? Ghosts don't like churches?
Being a ghost has nothing to do with it.

In a return to form for the Blackwell series, the Grace Church is a real-life NYC location, and actually quite a famous one at that - it's listed as a National Historic Landmark, features an attached seminary school, and is almost 200 years old. Gilbert actually lived just around the corner from it when he first moved to Manhattan and always loved how it looked, so it's no surprise it ended up in one of his games.

I've never been much for praying. But after last night... I'd pray forever, if I thought it would help.
We'll get to the bottom of it, Joey.
Yeah. That's what we do.



Rosa stops to read the sign.

It's funny. There are hundreds of stories about haunted churches. And here I am, actually bringing a ghost to a church.
Great. I'm a floating cliche.



As we walk to the right, there are actually two entrances. Both of them lead to the same area, however, which I guess is how most churches are designed.



Before heading in, Rosa takes the time to shuffle her feet

Um...
Oh. Please. Don't let me stop you.

Grace Church



Again, although the music doesn't change here, I'll link it again as it plays throughout both the outdoor and indoor part of Grace Church. The church itself is massive, but here we are confined to just a tiny part of it.

I don't know much about church organs, but it seems nice enough.
Fancy joint like this, I'd expect something with a bit more gravitas.

A priest, presumably the Reverend Gabriel Ullman listed on the sign out the front, sits in hushed meditation.

He looks pretty deep in thought.
He's leaning forward and his eyes are closed. He's either praying or sleeping.

Rosa and Joey take the opportunity to look at each other.

He looks... edgy. I don't think he likes being here.
Can we get going? This place makes me feel all exposed.



Hopefully the priest can give us some information about George.

Please keep your voice down.
Oh. Um. Sorry. Is this better?
Yes. What can I do for you?

Rosa speaks in a low whisper here, while Gabriel is just softly-spoken.

I'm Rosangela Blackwell.
Father Gabriel Ullman.
Why the whispers? There isn't anybody around.
That makes no difference. The tranquility of this place must be maintained, whether anybody is here or not. Especially on a night like tonight.

I assume he's just talking about the weather, but the way he says it makes it sound a bit ominous.



God's house remains open, despite the weather. If anybody needs us, we are here.

Rosa tries opening with some small talk.

Could you tell me about this church?
Are you looking to join?
Um. Not really.
I'm afraid now is not the time for a history lesson.

Time to get to the reason we're here.



I'm afraid not.
He was a member of this church. Are you sure?
It is quite a large church, as you can see. I'm afraid I am not familiar with George Ostin.
Are you sure you don't know George Ostin?
I am positive. I am sorry.

Hm. That's a letdown. If Gabriel doesn't have anything for us, we're at a bit of a dead end.



Rosa tries pushing the issue a bit further.

Are you sure you haven't heard of him?
Miss, we deal with hundreds of clothing drives at this time of year. Some we arrange ourselves, while most are volunteers. It is not possible to keep track of every single one.

I guess that's probably true. Damn.

Well. Thanks. I'll be going.
Stay safe. This is not a night to be outside.



Not willing to give up just yet, Joey and Rosa look around the church. A book is featured prominently at the front.

It's a book full of hand-written prayers.

Let's see if anything in there jumps out at us.



Looks like this book was left for people to write their own prayers in. Whatever works, I guess.

There are pages and pages of prayers.

Let my uncle get exactly what he deserves.

I don't know what to do. I am so lost. If you are out there, please help.

Please help my family through this horrible time. We have already been through so much.

Is there a light at the end of this tunnel? Is darkness all there is?

Is suicide the only answer? I don't really want to die. Let me find another way.

I love him. Does he love me?

Please let my father wake up so I can tell him I am sorry.

If my son is with you, God, tell him I love and miss him and his baby daughter will want for nothing.

I want to always be as happy as this.

I lost my job. It's all my fault. What do I tell my wife? What do I do?



I don't have time to read them all. If any of these handwritten prayers are useful, flipping through blindly isn't the answer. I need to narrow it down, somehow.

Rosa just loves cross-referencing things.



For some, silent prayer isn't enough. They want to write it down and make it real. That is what that book is for.

Perhaps George Ostin wrote a prayer in there? Considering he seemed a very desperate man (and with good reason!) it's quite possible. We'll need to find something to help us narrow the search parameters though, since Rosa is apparently unwilling to flick through the book looking for any instance of "HELP MY SOUL IS LITERALLY GOING TO BE RIPPED INTO SHREDS OF ECTOPLASM."



On their way back to George's apartment, Joey and Rosa discuss the prayer book.

It was a book of prayers, all written by hand.
Were any of them illuminating?
Not really.

Joey then jumps to the conclusion that George would have written in the book as well.

George must have been pretty desparate to resort to praying.
Can you blame him? Look what happened to him. If I thought it would do any good, I'd leave a note in that prayer book myself.
I don't think praying will help us with this one, sweetheart.
And besides. With your handwriting, who could read it?
Be quiet.



The trick here is to get a sample of George's handwriting. Each prayer is handwritten, so narrowing it down by his handwriting should help Rosa to find his prayer, if he left any. Fortunately, George has a hand-written note above his clothing drive box. Joey is able to blow it off the hook, and send it sliding along the floor towards Rosa.

Whatever Joey did, the doorman doesn't seem to have noticed.



Displaying her finely honed version of tact, Rosa bends down and "discretely" picks up the piece of paper while the doorman looks on.

Grace Church Prelude (Bonus)



On their way back to Grace Church, Joey has some more thoughts.

The music I've linked here doesn't appear in the game, but since the Grace Church theme is pretty boring anyway I thought I'd include it. Sounds like it was supposed to sound like some kind of church organ.

Meanwhile, Rosa is feeling embarrassed about having the piece of paper in her inventory.

I don't know what's more confusing. The fact that you blew this onto the floor, or the fact that I picked it up.
I'm sure you'll find some use for it.

I guess this dialogue was written so it would make sense if you picked up the paper before you went to Grace Church and read the prayer book, but given that I already know why we took it, it seems out of place.



Let's give this a go.

With this sample of George's handwriting, I might be able to find something written by him.



Gotcha.

Rosa turns up this prayer, which certainly sounds like the words of a desperate man. Usefully, the prayer mentions "Lia and the others", so at least we still have a trail left to follow up on.



Rosa takes some time to cross-check her clues.

Lia's name was mentioned in George's prayer at Grace Church. Was she a member?
George wrote Lia's name down in a prayer. Whatever kind of relationship they have, he must care for her a lot.



Maybe Gabriel will know who Lia is?

Even if she was, I'm afraid the name eludes me. I'm sorry.

Gah, of course he doesn't. So far, he's proven exceptionally unhelpful.



Hopefully she can tell us more about him.
As leads go, it's a slim one. But it's better than nothing. We gotta track down this Lia person. One way or another.

Well, we do have our "pet cop" to check in with! Maybe he'll be more helpful this time.



... Lia who?
I'm not sure.
Well then.

Durkin is very clearly hiding something here. This is starting to get frustrating.

George's Lobby (Alternative)



In desperation, Rosa decides to speak with George's doorman again. I've linked the alternative version of the George's Lobby theme that didn't make the game, which is a pity since I think it's probably an improvement.

Lia? You mean the police officer?

Finally, we're getting somewhere. If George was close with a police officer, that might explain why they're being so secretive about things.

Police officer?
Yeah. Haven't seen her around for a while, though. Did they break up or something?
I have no idea.
Too bad, if so. I liked her. She was good for George.



Rosa decides to push the issue a bit further.

You said Lia was "good for George." Could you tell me why?
Er... yeah, I probably shouldn't have said any of that. You're not a cop or anything yourself, are you?
Well...
No, you're not. You would have shown me your badge if you were. Forget it. Sorry.

Gah. Oh well, at least we got something out of him.

Are you sure you can't tell me about Lia and George?
Not unless you're a cop. Which you aren't.



Rosa decides to head back and try to pin Durkin down.

*sigh*
That's it, isn't it? All the secrecy. It's because the police are involved.
...

Durkin appears in two minds here.



Of course not! I want to help you. Look what I discovered alreay.
Look, I keep my distance from you for a reason. I know you got your sources. I don't know who they are, but you... have a way. That goes without saying. Lia Pierro was... IS... a fine detective. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Maybe you can help. Maybe you can't. But I know you're gonna stick your nose in no matter what I say.

Durkin lets Lia's full name slip here. Lia Pierro. I'm not sure what to make of the "was... IS..." part though. Maybe she's missing, or she's been temporarily stood down from active duty?

Sorry, but I have to.
Yeah, I get that. I can't stop you, but I can't help you either. You're on your own.
...



It's nice to see, if there was any doubt left, that Rosa really considers herself a part of a team, with Joey having her back

Well, just be careful.
Can you tell me anything about Officer Pierro?
I told you. I can't help you on this one. Sorry.



To illustrate her frustration, Rosa decides to leave footprints out the front of the police department

Um. No. You probably don't.



So Lia was/is a police officer, hey? Joey heads inside to see if he can find her workspace.

Huh. This must be Lia Pierro's desk.



He takes a closer look...

I assume it's a telephone. Although it's hard to tell these days.
This journal is labelled "Midtown Jaywalking Citations: 2001-2004." Interesting light reading.



Most useful, however, is this envelope sitting on her desk. At least we have a new address to check up.



As Joey exits the station, and Rosa turns to leave, Durkin speaks up.

I don't know where you're going, and I ain't going to ask. Just don't step on any toes, okay? We cops get pretty touchy when it concerns one of our own.

Rosa hesitates just a moment before responding.

Yeah. So do I.



Exactly what it sounded like. Whoever George was, he was one of us.
... "Us?"
Yeah.

Joey is silent for a moment, prompting Rosa to speak up again.

Come on. It's a long way to Astoria.

On that poignant note, we'll stop for today. Tomorrow we'll drop by Lia Pierro's house and see what we can find out. Hopefully we'll figure out what happened to George soon!




The story about Joseph Mitchell and Joe Gould sharing a bond was based on real life, as readers of the Convergence LP may recall. As I discussed at the time, the real-life Mitchell interviewed Gould and wrote extensively about him, finding him at first to be fascinating, but eventually, intolerable.

Now, Charlie Meltzer was obviously a fictional character, but what about Jocelyn/The Countess herself? She was used as an in-game explanation as to why Gould and Mitchell both stopped writing, but was she merely a fictional creation invented as a plot device?

The Countess was based on a mention in Mitchell's writings

Much like The Deacon, whose story Gould told (and presumably fabricated) and Mitchell recorded, The Countess was actually mentioned by Gould as well.

Gould was known as Professor Seagull because of his wild claims (and willingness to "demonstrate") that he had learned the language of seagulls. One time, while Mitchell was continuing his long series of interviews with Gould, he found that Gould had disappeared without a trace. Nobody knew where he was. Finally, he reappeared and the only explanation he would provide was "I was discussing seagulls with a Countess." Gilbert found the story charming enough to invent the character of The Countess and go from there.

And while we're at it, why was the link (seemingly a fragment of Jocelyn's soul) hiding in an oven in a metaphorical diner? For this question, Gilbert provides an answer, but a less concrete one. Gould was reknowned for loving diners (usually asking patrons to buy him drinks in exchange for him providing entertainment), and Gilbert figured that the character of Jocelyn would be an eat-out kind of girl as well. It just seemed natural that they would have met in a diner - and when Jocelyn successfully shifted the link, it presumably happened in one such diner. It seems likely that it happened very quickly and without Gould's knowledge, since he appears to have quite a fondness for The Countess judging by his dialogue in Convergence, although he is clearly insane, so that could mean nothing.

As for the oven itself? Gilbert didn't cover it, but my guess is that it was merely a convenience to make a puzzle work (so Rosa would need to get Gould's cigarette because the fragment only liked hot places).

Of course, none of these little explanations are really sufficient reason for the existence of the various characters/locations. Gilbert has since expressed some regret at becoming too enamoured with the real-life story and refusing to compromise on it, even when it led to scenes that didn't make sense or anticlimaxes. Fortunately, The Countess was handled so well in Unbound and Convergence that she stood up on her own merits, so it didn't end up mattering either way.