The Shivah Part #5 - Sharming Fashion

Part 5: Sharming Fashion

Looks sharming all right.

The clothing rack was empty. I supposed Mrs. Lauder took everything away.

And I had no need for a clothing hanger.

The design board was the only spark of creativity left in this deserted showroom.

I didn't know much about fashion design, but it looked like a skirt. Or maybe a large shirt.

The office computer remained on the desk.

I assumed that Mrs. Lauder didn't want to be bothered with it.

Naturally, the police didn't want to be bothered with it either. Why would they, really?

Hmm, I wonder what Jack Lauder's password could be.

I bet it doesn't have anything to do with his wife's family name.

Being elite hackers that we are, Jack Lauder's mailbox is now accessible to us.

quote:

from Ethan G: Business matters

Jack:

That must be an oversight. I'll look into it.

-E

quote:

from Ethan G: Hm.

J:

This is strange. The rates DO seem unusually high. I'll look into it.

-E.

quote:

from Ethan G: You're right

quote:

from Ethan G: Trouble

J:

Call me. Now. We need to talk.

-E.

quote:

from Ethan G: Meeting

J.D.M.?

A rotten deal?

Hmm.

This was worth looking into.

quote:

from Rajshree Lauder: Patterns and Producers

Hello, Partner!

I got those shirt designs done. I'll send copies out to the factory to get fit samples made.

And guess what - I GOT THEM! Spent an hour on the phone with telecharge, but I GOT THE TICKETS. Orchestra seats, too.

I'll meet you at the office at 6. No excuses this time!

Love,

Raj

quote:

from Tomo: Special offer

For your network and protection needs contact Tomo.

quote:

from Rajshree Lauder: ok

Hello hello,

The fit model canceled AGAIN? Can she be anymore useless? OK. We'll just have to find someone else.

Don't forget we're having dinner at the Goldwaters tonight!

Love,

Raj

quote:

from Kenny Lu: shipping

Mr. Lauder,

How are you? Your goods are packed and ready to ship. Wire us the funds and we'll get it on the next boat.

-Kenny

quote:

from Kenny Lu: Money transfer?

A rotten deal, financial problems... Mrs. Lauder doesn't seem to be aware of the mess her husband was in.

quote:

from RavNet admin: undeliverable

The following message was undeliverable. The reported error was:

subscriber "rstnoe" does not exist on ravnet.

Damn typos.

quote:

Message is as follows:

Hello Rabbi Stone. It's been awhile. I hope I got the correct email address. No doubt you are surprised to hear from me. I'm not sure why I'm writing, either.

I often think about what you said. It still angers me, but I can understand your motives.

You looked at us and said "Nothing is worse than when jews turn their backs on one another." I can still remember that look in your eyes. Sheer contempt. Like we were the worst sort of scum that ever crawled out of the ocean.

I love my wife, Rabbi Stone. She is my partner in everything. I regret nothing. Nothing, that is, except you.

I hated you. For years, I hated you. We both did. I joined another temple with a Rabbi who was willing to marry us, and tried to forget about you.

But when I found myself in trouble and in need of guidance, I could think of nowhere else to turn.

You called me a traitor, once. Do you still feel that way? I've seen traitors. I've seen jews turn their backs on other jews. It's not pretty. It's awful.

I am not like them.

Time has cooled my hatred. Has it done the same to you?

I need to speak to you. I feel like I am twelve years old again, preparing for my bar mitzvah and needing help with my torah portion.

So much for the mail, and the letter that Rabbi Stone, alas, didn't receive.

Next, let's check Jack Lauder's ledger.

There were a lot of personal checks written out to a "Joe DeMarco."

I wonder who he is?

It looked like Jack hired an accounting firm.

I recognized the name. It was a clothing store.

Evidently, they bought products from Jack, and paid for it properly.

All cut and dry. There was nothing unusual here.

This payment went out to a shipping company.

Nothing unusual about that.

Beth Tikvah sounded like the name of a synagogue.

It looked like Jack decided to stay devout after all.

Patter Song posted:

Beth Tikvah..."House of Hope" sounds like the sort of name you'd give a Reform synagogue... I have a feeling that after leaving Stone's apparently Conservative/Conservadox (he's definitely not outright Orthodox) shul, our man Lauder wanted to stay in the faith but in a more lax one.

Now that we've read through the mail and the ledger, we have a new set of clues at our disposal.

We can try combining any two of them, by manipulating them the same way we manipulate items:

J.D.M.

That had to be it.

A new clue appears as a result, "Joe's Meeting with Ethan". We can also examine each clue individually by right-clicking it.

Jack Lauder received a few urgent emails from an "Ethan G."

I need to find out more about this person.

Joe DeMarco

Jack Lauder's ledger showed several personal checks written out to a "Joe DeMarco."

Joe's Meeting

Jack Lauder received an email from "Ethan G.", which described a meeting with a "J.D.M."

In Jack's ledger, there were several personal checks written out to a "Joe DeMarco."

It's reasonable to assume that "J.D.M." and "Joe DeMarco" are the same person.