ARMOIRE
You sling open the doors of the armoire, revealing a horrid display of deteriorating dolls, all facing you and set about as if you had just caught them doing something they weren’t supposed to. A doll’s disjoined head hangs by a chain from the upper shelf, casting a shadow on the display below. You notice an old leather briefcase resting on the top shelf.
You take a look at the dolls in the armoire, expecting at any moment for one of them to make a sudden move. You give the floating head a little push, and it sways back and forth on its creaky chain. You notice the mouth of the head has been sewn shut. *click* You look down to see that one of the dolls heads has tilted over. You fix it, and realize that each doll’s head can be titled left, right, or balanced straight.
You take a look at the dolls in the armoire, expecting at any moment for one of them to make a sudden move. You give the floating head a little push, and it sways back and forth on its creaky chain. You notice the mouth of the head has been sewn shut. *click* You look down to see that one of the dolls heads has tilted over. You fix it, and realize that each doll’s head can be titled left, right, or balanced straight.
As you fumble with the dusty briefcase, you can’t help but let out a sneeze! When you recover, the apparition of a middle-aged man in a suit and hat appears before you.
“Fancy my wares, do you? I’ll give you quite the deal.”
“Ah, so you’re the salesman?”
“Then my reputation precedes me? Otto’s the name, at your service. Do you have any children? A daughter perhaps? I’m sure they’d love one of these timeless dolls. They’re all the rage these days you know. Excellent gifts! If you don’t like what you see here, I’ve more in my car just outside! You might not like these dolls anyway, they… have a mind of their own, it seems. Anyway, how many can I put you down for?”
“You know, I like your straightforward attitude, so I’ll tell ya. I was on my way out of town. Not a lot of buyers in these neighborhoods and things were getting a little… it was time for me to go. On my way out, I came across the McDermott’s vehicle on the side of the road, engine was busted from the looks of it. Doing the right thing, I offered them a ride back. There was Mrs. McDermott, with her boy, of course, and another lady as well, the Aunt. Also that shady lodger fellow had tagged along. I knew there was a daughter in the family, and thought maybe my good deed would be rewarded with one last sale before heading out. Well, we arrived here just as a storm was settling in overhead. I was invited in for some refreshments, so I grabbed a few bits of merchandise and unknowingly headed into what would become my tomb!
“I was murdered! In fact, we all were. A murder-suicide, I believe, though I’m afraid I don’t know enough about this accursed family to pinpoint who. The crazed father, Charles McDermott, insisted it was a murder! He thought I might have done it because of… well, we all have a past. He set up that altar over there, and intended to use it to punish the murderer! I think it all comes down to the first victim, Elsie. If I had to guess, I’d say the lodger had something to do with it all.“
“Well, we all have a past, and some of us aren’t too proud of the things we’ve done. Are you so innocent, after all? We all know the authorities will arrest anyone for anything just to show that they’ve “got their man”. I didn’t do anything awful, I’ll tell you that much. Certainly not anything amenable to a murder charge! The use of an alias was prophylaxis on my part, a preventative measure!“
You try to force open the locked cabinet, but it won’t budge! You’ll definitely need a key to get in. Once you’ve found it, input the key ID here:
As you fumble with the dusty briefcase, you can’t help but let out a sneeze! When you recover, the apparition of a middle-aged man in a suit and hat appears before you.
“Fancy my wares, do you? I’ll give you quite the deal.”
“Ah, so you’re the salesman?”
“Then my reputation precedes me? Otto’s the name, at your service. Do you have any children? A daughter perhaps? I’m sure they’d love one of these timeless dolls. They’re all the rage these days you know. Excellent gifts! If you don’t like what you see here, I’ve more in my car just outside! You might not like these dolls anyway, they… have a mind of their own, it seems. Anyway, how many can I put you down for?”
“Ah, so you’re the salesman?”
“Then my reputation precedes me? Otto’s the name, at your service. Do you have any children? A daughter perhaps? I’m sure they’d love one of these timeless dolls. They’re all the rage these days you know. Excellent gifts! If you don’t like what you see here, I’ve more in my car just outside! You might not like these dolls anyway, they… have a mind of their own, it seems. Anyway, how many can I put you down for?”
“You know, I like your straightforward attitude, so I’ll tell ya. I was on my way out of town. Not a lot of buyers in these neighborhoods and things were getting a little… it was time for me to go. On my way out, I came across the McDermott’s vehicle on the side of the road, engine was busted from the looks of it. Doing the right thing, I offered them a ride back. There was Mrs. McDermott, with her boy, of course, and another lady as well, the Aunt. Also that shady lodger fellow had tagged along. I knew there was a daughter in the family, and thought maybe my good deed would be rewarded with one last sale before heading out. Well, we arrived here just as a storm was settling in overhead. I was invited in for some refreshments, so I grabbed a few bits of merchandise and unknowingly headed into what would become my tomb!
“I was murdered! In fact, we all were. A murder-suicide, I believe, though I’m afraid I don’t know enough about this accursed family to pinpoint who. The crazed father, Charles McDermott, insisted it was a murder! He thought I might have done it because of… well, we all have a past. He set up that altar over there, and intended to use it to punish the murderer! I think it all comes down to the first victim, Elsie. If I had to guess, I’d say the lodger had something to do with it all.“
“Well, we all have a past, and some of us aren’t too proud of the things we’ve done. Are you so innocent, after all? We all know the authorities will arrest anyone for anything just to show that they’ve “got their man”. I didn’t do anything awful, I’ll tell you that much. Certainly not anything amenable to a murder charge! The use of an alias was prophylaxis on my part, a preventative measure!“
You try to force open the locked cabinet, but it won’t budge! You’ll definitely need a key to get in. Once you’ve found it, input the key ID here:
