Part 45: Blackwell Deception - Update 4

Update 4

Last update, Rosa visited her old work colleague Jeremy Sams, at his request, only to find him dead. He still seems lucid, but he is either unaware of his death, or putting on a good act of being unaware. Either way, something strange is going on here.

Prelude to Tragedy



It's just the flu. Nothing to worry about. I'll be fine in a few days. I just want to get this article submitted before it's too late.

I don't think you'll be fine in a few days, Jeremy Rosa keeps persisting.

Are you sure nothing seems... off?
This flu is making everything seem off. Why?
Oh, no reason.

One last try.

Out of curiosity, what's the last thing you remember before... getting sick?
Why do you want to know?
Oh, I just wonder where you picked it up from.
Hm. You know, I don't know. I had some interviews lined up. I went for a walk...
Yeah. That must have been it. I must have caught a bug outside somewhere. Serves me right for not putting on a jacket.

This is starting to look a bit more like the way ghosts usually act. Something happened on that walk, something leading to Jeremy's death. His worried expression, followed by the immediate handwave, gives that much away.



We can try to get Rosa to push Jeremy further, but she just can't bring herself to do it. Poor girl sounds really lost here.

All right, Jeremy. Tell me about this article of yours.
Brilliant. I knew you wouldn't let me down. Do you know where the City Post news office is?
I think so.
This flu is making it hard to remember everything, but I kept pretty good notes. Just go up there and tell them I sent you. My notebook is on my desk.

Sounds easy enough. Jeremy follows this up with...

I'd go myself, but...
I'm not exactly up to snuff.
Snuff is the word.
Joey!
What?

Hahahaha, Joey



Jeremy asks hopefully for Rosa's help.



Rosa looks at Joey, who has no objections, and she agrees to help Jeremy out.

So what should I do?
The first thing is go over to the City Post news office and grab my notes from my desk.

Alright, we'll do that. Before leaving, though, Rosa quickly catches up with Jeremy.

So, Jeremy. Tell me about yourself. We never got much of a chance to talk, back then.
Me? Um... I was born upstate. Moved here after college, wrote freelance for a bunch of papers including the Village Eye.
Not much else to tell, really.



Time to get moving.

Thanks. I really appreciate this, Rosangela.
Yeah, look. You can call me Rosa.
All right. Rosa it is, then.

She asked Jeremy to call her Rosa Obviously she likes Jeremy too, or at least feels comfortable with him. Mind you, it is pretty fitting that she would be more comfortable with a ghost considering what her life has become. I guess it's better than when she decided she liked Claude only to have him die almost immediately.

Jeremy and Rosa



I guess... he always will, now.

Rosa has no idea how to feel about all of this. She obviously likes Jeremy, but hasn't seen him in years, and now he turns up dead. At this point the music changes to Jeremy's proper theme, which is more melancholy and reflective that the Prelude to Tragedy music.



Despite Rosa's worries, Joey is pretty sensitive here.

Young guy, about Red's age. Looks the bookish type. He seems pretty bright. For a spook, anyway. I think, for once, I'll let the kid field this one. She's the one with the history.

Even he has picked up on the tension between Rosa and Jeremy.

She keeps stealing glances at that Jeremy fella.



Of course, nothing can keep Joey from "stealing glances" at the view in his usual underwhelming fashion. Creepily though, he follows this line up with:

Maybe when this is over we can squat here for a while.

I'm really not sure Rosa would go for squatting at her dead colleague's apartment, Joey On the pinboard near Joey, there are a bunch of Jeremy's articles.

Those look like articles Jeremy wrote for The City Post. None from Village Eye, though. Can't say I blame him.
He's tacked up a bunch of newspaper articles on this thing. He's got the byline on all of them. Must be proud of himself.

On the wall near the front door is a religious painting.

I never knew Jeremy was so religious.
Oh, I'm not. Not really. It belonged to my grandmother.

Most interesting, however, is the coffee table next to Rosa, where a pile of photographs is stacked. The top photo catches her attention.

Oh my God!



A photo of a young and delightfully awkward-looking Rosa with Jeremy is on top of the pile.

Yeah. You remember the '05 Christmas party?
Oh... yeah. That was a while ago.
I was going through some old pictures when I came across yours. That's why I thought to call you.
I see.



Seriously, this photo just needs Jeremy to use hoverhands and it could appear in goons.jpg. Rosa has come a long way!

Ugh, what a horrible picture of me. I don't even remember getting this picture taken. This was really five years ago? I barely remember it.



We can try to go into Jeremy's bedroom, but he asks us not to.

The bedroom's a total sty. I've been too sick to clean up.
Sure. No problem.

Presumably Gilbert couldn't be bothered getting Jeremy's bedroom drawn up, though it's also possible that Jeremy's dead body is in there and he somehow knows subconsciously that if we enter, he won't be able to deny his death any longer.



Rosa and Joey go to leave, but Jeremy stops her quickly to say one more thing.

Before you go, I just want to... well, apologize. I know it's a bit weird, calling you up and asking you such a big favor like this.
Don't worry about it.
Well, when I'm over this flu, I'll make it up to you. I promise.
No. You don't have to do that. Really.

Oh man.



He's all but asking her on a date, and Rosa knows he won't be able to deliver on that promise, but knows she can't explain it to him. Along with the music, this scene is gently melancholy.



Yeah, I suppose.
You know where that newspaper office is?
Yeah.
Then let's hop to it.

We could head straight there, but let's go back to the apartment first and talk this through a bit.

Rosa's Theme



Technically, you still haven't.

This is our first introduction to Rosa's new theme, which I quite like. Even Regin's soft "ahh"ing throughout is easy on the ears.

How did Jeremy get my number, anyway? Is it some kind of ghost thing?
I doubt it. He probably always had it.
And he calls me now? When he's dead?
He didn't need your help before. Now, he does.

The bigger question here is how the hell did he call us at all? Between Ryan being able to control a boat, and now Jeremy being able to literally send a phone signal through the air, ghosts suddenly seem to have a lot of new powers in Deception.



Okay with what?
Our spook. Jeremy.
What do you think? It's weird as hell.
But I guess it was bound to happen someday.
It's bound to happen to everyone, someday.

Joey is sensitive in his own way, but of course there isn't much that can be said here. Rosa, on the other hand, finds herself reflecting on Jeremy's career path.

I can't believe Jeremy got a job at the City Post.
You're not jealous, are you?
No. Maybe. A little bit. He got lucky, I guess.
Lucky? The guy's dead.
I know. Just... oh, never mind.

I guess Rosa is still unhappy with how her journalism career went.



My take? He seems like a nice enough kid. Keeps his cards close to his chest, though.

Actually, I would have said the opposite. He was far more willing to discuss matters than most ghosts, who usually seem to be extremely one-dimensional in their thought process.

What do you mean?
You know spooks, sweetheart. They make no sense, half the time. It's like their minds have snapped. They try so hard to deny their own death that they can't think straight. But your Jeremy? He's a sharp one. Completely lucid.
You're right. It was easy to forget that he was dead. It was like we were having a real conversation.
Yeah. That's what worries me. Goes against the rules, such as they are.

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed it. Jeremy certainly didn't talk like the last eight ghosts we've dealt with.



There was nothing to say. He just a guy at the paper.
We barely spoke. I've probably said more to him dead than alive.
And yet he remembers you.
Maybe... I made an impression?
Could be.

Obviously he likes the silent, demure girls who look away when they're being photographed.

So how well did you know that Jeremy kid, anyway?
Not that well, really. I saw him sometimes when I dropped my articles off at the paper, but we barely spoke. I wonder why he reached out to me?
You're the only one he can reach out to. Maybe somehow, he knows that.
Maybe.

Joey puts in one last attempt to support Rosa.

Don't worry, we'll get Jeremy sorted.
Joey, for the last time. I'm not worried. I'm fine. It's just like any other night.

You're a bad liar, Rosa

The City Post



A receptionist is at the front desk, but this place looks pretty much closed for business. I guess it's well into the evening. The receptionist's portrait was actually modelled on a Wadjet Eye fan, Shany Rose, who has been active on the Wadjet Eye forums since the beginning. Apparently Gilbert used a few of his more hardcore fans as inspiration for portraits in Deception, with their approval of course.

In our second instance of music being poached from Convergence, The City Post uses the same music as The Park Gallery from Convergence. I guess Regin really liked the stuff he wrote for Convergence!

What do you know about Jeremy Sams?
Jeremy? He works here. His office is just up there, on the second floor. But I haven't seen him in a few days.

Given that Jeremy mentioned he'd been sick for two days, and the receptionist mentions that it's only been a few days since she saw him, I guess he died very recently. Perhaps that's why he's so much more lucid than normal ghosts? He hasn't had time to fall to far into his own delusions yet.

So you don't know where he is now?
I have no idea. If you'd like to leave him a message, I'll let him know you stopped by.

Jeremy said to tell them that he sent us, so maybe he let them to know to expect us.



Sorry. I wasn't told anything.
Really? I need to go inside and pick up some notes.
Sorry, but if you don't have permission to be here, then I can't let you in.

I guess it was too much to hope for that he would have called them, considering he's dead. But then, if he could call our phone, there shouldn't be any reason why he couldn't call the office as well. Perhaps when he called us, Joey was able to relay his ghost phone signal or something?

I really do need to see Jeremy's notes. Maybe you could get them for me?
No, I can't.



This is going nowhere. Rosa decides to dive right into it.

Huh?
Jeremy's death. I'm kind of looking into it.
Jeremy's dead? Are you serious?

Oh geez. This could get ugly.

You mean you don't know?
Of course not! What happened to him?
I'm not sure.

Smooth, Rosa.



Of course, the receptionist is very concerned.

I... don't know.
Where is he now?
I don't know.
Right.

By this point, she's understandbly pissed off at Rosa.

This is sick. I think you should get out of here before I call security.
That's my girl. Making friends wherever she goes.



Rosa really doesn't know how to quit while she's ahead. Or at least, not irreparably behind.

Are you done? Or do I need to call security to escort you out?

No, I think we're done...

Could I ask you a few questions?
I don't think so, no. Just leave, please.

Rosa, come on. We're done here.

I'll be going, I guess.
Bye.



Showing just how much more daring she has become over the course of the series, Rosa decides to brazenly disregard the receptionist and just call for the elevator to Jeremy's office. Mind you, I guess this isn't any worse than when he shorted out the power in the hospital, probably turning off several vital medical machines, just to trick the security guard into leaving his post.

Unfortunately, the elevator requires the receptionist to buzz Rosa in.

Using the elevator?
Not unless I buzz you in, first. And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not doing that.

This could probably be going better.



Rosa takes a minute to reflect on the lobby for The City Post. I guess this was her dream job, a couple of years ago.

Maybe if I'd worked in a place like this, he would have been more impressed.
She keeps looking around the room and sighing. Jealousy, maybe?



A waterfall? At the Village Eye we had one plastic plant.
Snazzy. I guess that kinda thing impresses some people.

Joey's not really sure what to make of the receptionist.

Is it normal for such a young woman to be working this late? Hm. She must need the money.



Sometimes I wonder why I bother bringing you along.

Of course, Rosa can't go to Jeremy's office, but nothing is stopping Joey from taking a look around.



I'm guessing that's where Jeremy's desk is.

That's where we need to be!



Joey floats on up...

Jeremy's Office



...and enters a darkened office. Of all things, this room recycles the theme from the corner of 53rd and Lex, the former site of Mavis's apartment all the way back in Blackwell Unbound. Off to the left here is a tiny little blob of pixels which Joey informs us is a press pass.



In the central cubicle, Joey finds what he came to find. Unfortunately...

It's closed right now. I can't read what's inside.

...the notebook is shut, and is too heavy for Joey to blow open with his magic breath. We can't read Jeremy's notes yet. However, there is a little post-it note on his monitor.



The High Line, hey? Perhaps that will shed some light on things.



Good to finally get the actual meat of Deception started! Tomorrow we'll look up the High Line and see if we can start to figure out what has happened to Jeremy.