Part 75: Blackwell Epiphany - Update 6

Update 6

After quite a fast start, Epiphany has brought the tempo back to a more familiar pace, or perhaps even slower than usual. In fact, we haven't even seen a single lost spirit in the last three updates, which I think would be the first time that's happened since the very beginning of Legacy. Time to continue this slow build as try to learn George's story and figure out what led up to his awful end.

Lia Pierro's House



We rejoin Rosa and Joey as they arrive at Lia Pierro's house.

So this is what a cop's salary gets you, huh? A two story in Astoria.
It's not bad. Nicer than some of the foster homes I grew up in. Anyway, shall we?
Yeah, yeah. We both know the drill by now.

The music here is re-used from The Gothic Bridge back in Convergence.



There is snow falling here, which means it's time for Rosa to leave footprints again

Um...
A little professionalism. Please.



Joey's pretty worked up about the case by this stage. Probably fair enough.



The two exchange conversation for a while.

It's hard to believe a house like this costs as much as my tiny room in the city.
Thinking of moving?
God no. Astoria's nice but I wouldn't want to live here.
Can't picture yourself doing yard work or cleaning the gutters, huh?
That, and the nearest cafe is ten blocks away.
Huh. Lucky escape.



Rosa and Joey look at the half-melted and refrozen snowman.

Whoever made this snowman made it a long time ago. Several weeks, at least.

That's a bit odd. Surely whoever made it would either upkeep it or knock it down and make a new one? Joey also checks out the tire swing.

It's nice to see that some things don't go out of style.
I think one of my old foster homes had a tire swing, but it was so long ago I don't remember.

Rosa checks and finds the door locked, and gets no response from knocking.

Locked.



Next, she tries peering in through the windows, but sees nothing of note - just a kid's bedroom. Looks like it's up to Joey to go this one alone!



Joey floats inside, and calls out for any ghosts, but gets no response. Looks like the coast is clear.

Anything?
Seems quiet so far. Lemme look around.

Sure enough, Joey scans the room.

Painting of some old guy looking out a window. Dunno if it's "art" or not, but it's okay.
There's only one key on the keyrack. The label on it says "Emil."
A dresser with some random knick-knacks on top. Nothing relevant.
One of the many variations of phone.



As soon as Joey floats past the kid's bedroom, a small voice calls back to him. I guess there is a ghost here after all!

Yeah? Is anybody there?



Oh, wow. It's a little girl ghost

Mister? Are you looking for my mom?
Er, I... yes. Is she around?
Uh huh. I have to practice. Sorry.

With that, she floats into her bedroom and starts to plink on the piano.

Kendra Plays Piano



This is the first child we've seen in the series, although Joey has mentioned having to deal with two young boys when he described a case to Rosa back in Legacy. He is clearly unhappy about it.



He floats moodily back outside. It's very palpable that he thinks it's unfair that a kid has to deal with this shit.

Yeah. Sure. Whatever. We got a spook.
Is it Lia Pierro?
No. It's her daughter. A little girl.
...



I think this is Rosa's first time having to deal with a child ghost.

How old?
Ten? Maybe eleven?
And she's... okay?
You mean besides being dead? Yeah.
She's playing the piano.
...well.
Yeah. Well.



Joey composes himself, and heads back inside to see if he can deal with the kid.



She sits by the piano, playing her haunting melody. It's not clear whether she is actually somehow playing the piano, or if the noise is just occurring through sheer force of will.

Joey looks around her room.

Looks to be some drawing of a little girl.
It's a self-portrait.
Cute, but I don't know the first thing about dollhouses.
That's okay. Neither do I. None of my dolls fit in there anyway.

The ghost girl replying to Joey's comments is a nice touch, if a little bittersweet.

That bear looks like it's been sat on more than played with.
It's his fault if he doesn't get out of the way.
Some kind of stuffed octopus.
His name is Cutethulhu.

"Cutethulhu?" Hah.

It's a stuffed panda.
She's Pandona the Giant. Her home planet is the globe ball, but she's too big to go back.
So she stays here.



Joey stops to look at the girl herself.

She's left this shirt in the middle of the floor. I... guess she won't be picking it up.

Time to stop putting this off. Joey goes in to talk with her.



Oh. Hi. I'm practicing.
I can see that. You're pretty good.
Thanks.
I'll only be a minute. Then you can get back to it.
Well, okay.

Joey is gentler than usual when speaking to the child.



Are you sure you should be here?
Sure.
I'm Kendra Haskins.

At least we have a name. Kendra. Although this is Lia Pierro's house, so either this child is unrelated to her, or has a different surname than her mother.

Are you here all alone?
No. Mum's here.
Are you sure? I can't find her.
I'm pretty sure. I'd know if she was gone.

Despite Kendra's assuraces, Lia isn't here. Even if we avoid Kendra's room and search the rest of the house, Lia's nowhere in sight, yet Kendra seems pretty sure. I guess it could just be the usual ghost dissonance thing.



Like he usually does with ghosts (though strangely, not with Mary), Joey has the option to just flat-out inform Kendra of her death, but thinks the better of it this time.

... No. Not this time. Not with her.
Besides, it's not like that line ever works anyway.

Hahaha, I like the way he's now just stating straight out that the up-front approach never works



Joey continues talking to Kendra.

No. He's late.
Late? Late for what?
Picking me up. On Fridays we go to the Abacus and then I live with him until Monday.
But he's late.

Hm. Split home, huh? I guess it's most likely that Kendra has her father's surname, then.

Kendra? I need you to tell me the last thing you remember.
Why?
Just humour me.
Um... I was coming home from school, and...

She pauses for a moment before continuing.

I came here. That's it.
Are you sure?
Yes. I've been waiting for my dad.

I think it's safe to assume that whatever lead to her death happened as she came home from school, then. I shudder to think what that might be

Now, Kendra mentioned that her dad takes her to "the Abacus". What is that?



It's his work.
Your dad takes you to work?
Mm hm. He's the BOSS.

Right. That might give us a way of tracking him down, then. Though it's not 100% clear yet why we would want to. I suppose if we can actually find someone alive with links to George, however tenuous, we might finally learn something.

Your dad's the boss, huh? He must be a very important man.
Yeah, it's pretty cool.
Can you tell me anything else about this Abacus place?
It's Dad's work. TVs and computers and stuff. He lets me play with them nobody's around.

Now we just need to figure out where it is.

So where is this Abacus?
Near the subway.
Right. Do you know which subway?
Um... no. Sorry.
That's all right. We'll figure it out.
We always do.

Joey really seems frustrated that he's being forced to go through the usual runaround when a child is at stake.



You mean mom's... friend?
Yeah.
He's okay. Mom likes him.
But you don't?
Dunno.

That's right, Lia was apparently dating George, wasn't she? That's what the doorman at George's apartment said, anyway. I guess that must have happened after Lia split up with Kendra's father. This is starting to get complicated.

Do you ever go to Grace Church?
No, but Mom does.
She does?
She used to go a lot. Not anymore, though.

Hm. I guess Grace Church is important enough to Lia that even her daughter is aware of it, even though she's never been there.

Next, Joey tries to figure out why Kendra is sticking around.

Tell me about yourself, Kendra.
Dunno.

Kendra is voiced by a child named Samantha Rosen. This is notable because it is the first time Gilbert was able to get an age-appropriate voice actor for a character who wasn't a young-ish adult. Samantha does a very believable job, which highlights the benefit gained by Gilbert delegating the casting role to Shelly Shenoy.



Next up is the standard trick - moving Kendra to a different environment.

Um. Why?
Just trust me.
No. I need to practice.

She's really keen on practicing that piano. Joey keeps on trying.

Listen. I really think you need to come with me. I'm going to take you to see your mom.
I told you. Mom's right here.

And again...

I'm the bus driver. I'm taking you to school.
It's winter vacation. There's no school.

And yet again...

I'm the exterminator. You need to vacate the premises immediately.
Where's your uniform?
Eh?
You're spraying for bugs in that suit?
It's an old suit.

Hahahaha.

This place is depressing. You need to get out of here.
I'm fine. Thanks.

Then Joey stops and thinks about what Kendra has told him. She's waiting for her dad, who's late. Perhaps there's an opening there?



Dad?
Yeah. He couldn't make it, so I was asked to take you.
What should I have for breakfast?
Eh?
Breakfast. What should I have for breakfast?

That's... a strange thing to ask. Joey is completely unsure of how to answer.

I have no idea.
Hm. I have to practice.



Recognising there is an opening there is he can figure out how to work through it, Joey tries again.

What should I have for breakfast?
Eggs?
Hm. I have to practice.

Joey keeps on trying...

Toast?
Pancakes?
It's way too late for breakfast. How about dinner or lunch instead?
Whatever you like, kid.



Finally, he gives up. Without having any idea what Kendra is talking about, it's hard to know how to respond to her.

Hm. I have to practice.



In hopes of learning something about Kendra, or for that matter, where Lia is, Joey continues to search around the house, including into this basement.

An old fusebox.
Just an empty shelf.
A painting of some miserable old dame in crinoline.
Just a poster for some old junk car.
A Christmas tree. Plastic, naturally.

But there's nothing useful there. Frustrated, Joey returns outside to Rosa.

Lia Pierro's House



What's wrong?
Nothing. Just a feeling. We've seen some pretty nasty stuff in our day, but there's something about this house... Eh. Forget it. I don't know what I'm talking about.

Something about Lia's house has really put Joey off-kilter.



Really?

Or perhaps it's just the whole Kendra thing? Joey opens up with Rosa.

I know life and death ain't fair. But kids? They should get a spook-free pass. No kid should ever be lost like that. Cold and alone.
...yeah. That little girl... She's hiding from something. Burying herself in creativy.
Really.
I... kinda know the signs.

It's easy to forget that Rosa was an emotional wreck back at the start of Legacy



Back on task, Rosa and Joey set about figuring out where the Abacus is.

That's what she said. Abacus. Sounds kind of old-fashioned. I like it. We should probably track him down.
Still got a strong a signal on my phone. This new model is pretty great.
Could you stop staring at that screen for five seconds? No wonder you need glasses.

That's a pretty blatant clue to use Rosa's phone to find the Abacus...



...but when she tries, it's just too common a search phrase. We'll need something cleverer than that.



As is her usual M.O. when she's stuck, Rosa resorts to petty thievery!

There's a letter in here. It was wet and stuck to the side of the mailbox, but I got it.

Let's see what it says.



That address on the top-left is the missing link for helping us find Kendra's dad. Looks like Kendra's dad works at a place called "The Wired Abacus."



Sure enough, a quick Oogle search later and we're in business.

Hey Joey. What do you think of this old, wet envelope?
Do you really want me to answer that?
Not really. Never mind.
Smart girl.

I love the way Rosa and Joey banter about all of her questionable inventory items in Epiphany

Maybe while we're at the Wired Abacus, I can pick up a new battery for my phone.
Sure. Because the one thing you need is to stare at that thing MORE.
Be quiet.



May as well head there and see what we can find.

The Wired Abacus



Rosa and Joey arrive at The Wired Abacus, where a lone clerk is manning the front desk. Looks like this place is just a generic small business version of Radio Shack or something. Judging by it's appearance and the advertisement Rosa found on her phone, it's clear that The Wired Abacus is a franchise - I wonder if Kendra's claims of her dad being "the BOSS" really just mean that he runs this franchise? I guess it doesn't matter either way.



Joey is immediately unimpressed with the bevy of modern technology surrounding him.

So Kendra's dad is the boss of this place? This is just a bunch of junk.

Rosa and Joey quickly scan the room.

I hope she's not thinking of buying any of this crap. The last thing she needs is another gizmo to stare it.
Flatscreen televisions. Much more recent models than the one I've got.
Those things get bigger and flatter every year.
I remember that old cartoon. It must be on DVD now or something.
Dunno what that is, but it's giving me a headache.
Union Square is usually filled with people at all hours. Not tonight, though.
Union Square. It hasn't changed to much the last fifty years or so.
Some celebrity is being interviewed on a late night talk show. I have no idea who either of them are. I guess I've been a bit out of touch lately.

Apparently Gilbert used to live near a tech shop that had a big window overlooking Union Square which is what he based this place on.



Hilariously, while Rosa recognises the headphones for what they are, Joey just thinks they're a really ineffective pair of earmuffs

Those don't look terribly warm.
Those are noise-cancelling headphones.

An advert for Rosa's model of phone is plastered on the wall.

Looks like the hunk of plastic that Red carries around.
There's a new model already? Figures.



Aha. This must be the name of Kendra's father. Emil Haskins. If you recall, there was a key hanging up in Lia's house with the name "Emil" on it.



Finally, Rosa and Joey turn their attention to the clerk.

The tag on his shirt says "Jordan."



Hi. Can I help you?

Let's see if he knows anything. Rosa starts off slow.

I'm surprised you're open, with the weather this bad.
Yeah, me too. But I only live two blocks away, and I could use the overtime.

Next, she asks about Emil.

I'm looking for the manager. Emil Haskins, I think his name is.
Mr. Haskins? He's not in. Taking time off for personal stuff, I think. I'm not sure when he'll be back.
Thanks.
Sure.

Rosa decides to try entering Emil's office, but...

Locked. Of course.



There is a keypad here, but obviously Rosa doesn't know the password.



Fairly brazenly, Rosa decides to just ask Jordan to let her in.

Mm hmm?
Is there a way I can get into the manager's office?
Um. Did he give you permission to go in there?

Rosa can actually choose whether or not she wants to lie here, though it doesn't make any difference. If she says yes:

Yes. Yes he did.
Oh. Then he should have given you the code.

If she says no:

No, but it's important that I get in there.
Well, it doesn't matter to me whether you have permission or not, but you need the code to get in.

It's pretty clear Jordan doesn't give a damn either way, but without the door code, we're not going anywhere.

Code?
Yeah. For the keypad next to the door.
You wouldn't know what the code to the door is?
No. Nobody ever told it to me. Sorry.



Fortunately, Joey doesn't need a code - he goes wherever he pleases! While Rosa browses the latest technology, he heads in for some snooping.



What will Joey find in Emil's office? Will we be able to track him down, and hopefully figure out what happened to Kendra? And of course, the big question - will we eventually find out what happened to George? We'll continue blazing our way along this trail tomorrow.




Back in Convergence, we learned that The Countess, despite being dead, was still being instructed by a false guide as to who needed "saving". Initially, her real guide was Madeline. Then, she somehow shifted the link to Joe Gould, who in turn passed it on to Joseph Mitchell when he died.

Joseph Mitchell quickly discovered the awful power he now wielded, and resolved to never write again. However, he died in 1996, and it wasn't until over ten years later that the events of Convergence occurred, with Charlie Meltzer responsible for three deaths that we know of. At the time, we were asking in this thread - was Charlie Meltzer the third false guide? Or were there others between him and Mitchell? Gilbert provides the concrete answer.

Charlie Meltzer was, indeed, the third false guide

Certainly it makes sense for Charlie to be the third. The first two only passed the link on when they died, and immediately found an echo of their essence trapped in the metaphorical diner. If there was any other guide in between, they should have been there too.

But there are also reasons why Charlie being a guide for more than ten years doesn't make sense. Surely he would have killed bucketloads of people? After all, he worked in the same office as Joseph Mitchell, part of the print media, so presumably he was writing things all the time.

Apparently not! Gilbert explains that in his mind, Meltzer was not employed in a writing capacity at the New Yorker, and was well into his mid-30s around the time Joseph Mitchell died. He wasn't someone who needed to write much in his daily life, and especially not people's names. While he was probably responsible for a handful of deaths without even realising it, it wasn't until his brother started a venture capital firm and asked him to be involved that he finally realised the power he wielded.

It's a reveal that is not shocking - but it's nice to have it finally cleared up once and for all.