Ask after the von Furchtsams
From Create Your Own Story
You'll have plenty of time to look for Michael later. Business first.
Your boss had suggested that Walfreid von Furctsam lived in his family's ancestral castle. You remember the crumbling structure you saw from the road. Not likely. Maybe there's another castle, though. And even if not, surely someone in town knows where he is, if he's still alive.
You walk down to the lobby. The receptionist is sitting behind the desk, reading a newspaper.
"Excuse me", you say. The man looks up. His glasses give his otherwise unremarkable face some definition. You glance at his nametag. "Mr. Gauman, I'm here looking for Walfreid von Furctsam. I was led to believe that he or his family lived in this area. He has inherited his family's castle. Is the one I saw as I drove in it?" you ask.
The man nods vigorously, "Yes, that's the von Furchtsam castle. No one's lived there for at least a century though, maybe longer. The place is cursed, haunted. Someone was around earlier looking for a Walfreid von Furctsam. Why the sudden interest?" He looks at you suspiciously.
"That would have been my colleague, Michael." You say. "He decided to drop the case, so I'm here in his place." You hand him a business card. As he scans it, you ask, "Is there anything you can tell me that might help? Do you know where Michael left off?"
Mr. Gauman seems satisfied with your credentials. "Maybe" he says, thoughtfully. "I don't know what your associate was doing, but I can tell you that the von Furchtsams don't live here anymore. They haven't for a long time. I don't know of any Walfried von Furchtsam myself, but there are people more acquainted with the family than I am. Some cousins of theirs do live in town. They might know something. Or you could check the courthouse. They keep records on property ownership, and they might know more. Now, you could check with the government. I imagine they keep track of their citizens."
