Yorick Vaughn's Residence

Ewan Cromwell INT: 29

There was no visible sign of entry. The grass had not been mowed in weeks, and there were several newspapers lying on the porch. There were cameras set up around the area, but they did not appear to be activated. It was quite likely the city had already cut off the electricity flow following his demise. All in all, it looked like Ewan was the first person to really take the time to visit since the owner's passing.

Ewan Cromwell FIN: 16
Ewan Cromwell INT: 42

It takes the Great Detective a minute, but doorlock slides open. It is interesting to note Dr. Vaughan did not buy a state-of-the-art electronic lock, though there is not enough evidence to suggest why.

Ewan Cromwell INT: 42

The house's first floor appears very typical for a retired gentleman who lead an active life. There are pictures everywhere of his colleagues and family, with the 'American Einstein' easily recognizeable after the decades of hero worship in Ewan's new home. Ewan notes several pictures of what appears to be a younger Hans Willingham, judging by the oft seen sci-fi references on his clothes. Ewan can tell precisely which pictures were taken before and after the Reign, by simply counting the stress lines.

Curiously, a third unknown figure is also regularly depicted. The Asian man is tall and refined, never seeming to break his eternal scowl in any picture, and almost always in a white lab coat. His hair is white in several photos, but otherwise lacks the same stress patterns of his colleagues. Ewan can assume this man to be Dr. Kazuo Ogami, the third so-called 'Father of Interdimensional Travel.'

There are other pictures, none of which seem relevant. There are a few of a younger, happy Yorick with a woman who does not appear in any later pictures. There are at least two of him recieving two separate Nobel Prizes, with him seemingly aging fifty years between each. There are dozens of Vaughn mingling with various world leaders.

Ewan finds a room filled with nothing but scientific rewards, including the two Nobel Prizes. In a dustbin, Ewan finds the remains of a shattered glass award from Trustwell for his lifelong work. It is dated just after the end of the Reign.

Ewan finds the kitchen, but nothing peculiar beyond evidence that Vaughn suffered from congestive heart failure, judging by all the medicine. Much of the refrigerated food has spoiled.

The first floor also consists of a dining room that seems never to be used, and two bathrooms that are no longer functioning since the water flow was cut off.

Ewan Cromwell INT: 33

The second floor has a study, another bathroom and two rather large bedrooms, only one of which appears to have been lived in. Ewan deduce that Vaughn was a fastidious man, who even at 78, still felt the need to make his bed neatly every morning. By his bedside are several piles of letters. Some are bills that will never be paid, the others are from admirers and critics. There are plenty of death threats from those claiming to have lost much in the Reign of the Supermen. From the creases and their location, it is likely these were often the last things Vaughn looked at before going to sleep. There is nothing that appears relevant to the case, merely a study of a man slowly drowning in his achievements.

The study is locked.

Ewan Cromwell FIN: 16

Eventually, he unlocks the door, certain he has not triggered anything untoward.

Ewan Cromwell INT: 37

The room, in contrast to the bedroom, resembles a bedlam cell. The floor is covered in torn papers and what may be weeks old food, the smell striking Ewan like a slap in the face. Every drawing board in the room is covered in what appear to be scientific calculations that would require far more than the architect's natural genius to understand. The book shelves are disorganized, with books on string theory placed beside beside collections of essays on eschatology. On the wall, Vaughn has painted what appears to be the Vriskae vessel that brought the Agents to our reality. Beside it, he has apparently taken a hammer and smashed a hole in the wall, then beneath it written out,

Lo! ’t is a gala night
Within the lonesome latter years!

The significance of the words beyond their psychological meaning is lost on Ewan, if there are any at all.

There is, almost like a bastion of order and sanity, a top model computer untouched by the trash and madness. Ewan, an architect, immediately recognizes it as the type that uses holograms to map out and display complex 3-D designs, though he can tell the processing power of the drive is far beyond what he has ever had access to in his brief career. There is a traditional flat screen beside the holoprojector for more mundane activities. Beside it, Ewan notes what appears to be a miniature generator of some kind, another product of the scientist's personal wealth. The computer remains connected to the house's power socket, suggesting the generator was only used during emergencies.

Kiyiya Haskie, corporate problem solver, arrived in front of the Vaughn residence with a sense of subdued curiosity. The trip had taken him longer than expected, having had to walk, but the house appeared to be as dead as the reports stated.