TT: Turn back
From Create Your Own Story
Really? You disappoint me! Well, it's your adventure.
"So Michael wasn't waiting here when you went to pick him up? Well, at least I have a last seen location for him. I'd better call the firm about that. They can probably arrange a search and rescue with the authorities."
Hans looks at you funny. "They won't find him, miss. Not if he's been missing that long in these parts."
You shrug.
Hans drives you back down the mountain as you place the call to Lager and Hays. Your boss is none too pleased to hear that Michael's gone missing, but he agrees that the officials should do the searching. "We'll take care of that end. You get back on the case, Melissa! I want you focusing your energies there!"
Hans drops you off in front of your hotel. Now, where to start your inquiries?
You approach the innkeeper. "Excuse me", you say. The man looks up. 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."
