Murder in Babbage - part ten

Last night, there was another death in Babbage. In the gallery of the old Imperial theater the body of Edler Reifsnider, the old man who ordered demolition of the theater, was found, hanged, but again - knife stabbed in his back. Seems the old Opera house is safe from a demolition for a while, but, no matter how rude that old man was, it shouldn't have ended like that... Refsnider tried to hang himself before, but Mayor cut him down, saying only “he didn't want to play this way”. McKay told me about last evening, since I wasn't there at the time. There was some fighting, arguing, shouting... Three notes was found near the body, correspondence between Reifsnider and some masonic “Grand Lodge”. When I went there the other day to see the place of the murder, I found a card lying on the floor, proving Edler Reifsnider was detective of their masonic investigative department.

The letters brought some new informations. Maybe it's good moment to summarize it all, hope this will help me, since I'm getting lost again, walking in circles:

The Grand Lodge. Powerful society, they financed Elliot's experiments as a part of “The Thirteen” group of scientists. They want to find the device and destroy it. (Refsnider shouting at Prof Nishi overheard by Loki - “when it happens, and by god it will happen, no one can stop it” - seems now more like warning than threatening.) They have agents, two of them dead in Caledon already, but at least one in Babbage, woman, still unknown. Refsnider was their agent too, entrusted to arrange the demolition of the theater. Because of the paintings on the walls? Could someone learn something from them? Or is there some bigger secret hidden in the walls of the theater? I've looked there for some part of the Porta Terrarum device and found nothing, but it doesn't mean it's not there somewhere...

“The Thirteen”. Group of scientists, financed by the Grand Lodge, Prof. Eliot was one of them. They believed in pure scientific explanation of all. For them, Elliot's device was a way how to find a new unlimited materials for industry. The disaster at Sunrise probably killed some of them, but several stay hidden somewhere. They have sent Giles Canning to Babbage, to find some parts of the device, with list of people he should have contact, probably. In my opinion, they want to find the device and continue the experiments, but I don't quite believe they would be able to kill for it.

Van Greed society. Still mystery to me. Elliot was frightened of them, so is The Grand Lodge, they killed two of their agents in Caledon, maybe they are behind the murders here in Babbage. Most dangerous player here, because nothing is known of them...

Jason Moriarty. Former participator of Eliot's experiments, suffering from some sort of side effects, probably lycantrophy. He started experiments of his own, but involving mysticism and “Old Gods”, unlike “The Thirteen”, who believed in pure science and decided to get rid of him, maybe even kill him. He wants the device for his own experiments, which, in my opinion, could be extremely dangerous, if the indications about “old Gods” are true...

Prof. Nishi. Again a little mystery to me, but she seems to gather a group of people around her who are trying... what exactly are they trying to do? I don't know, but I hope they are doing the right thing. Maybe I'll have to just ask her, as she told me once... And Babbage orphans do believe her, and that's most important for me.

But, as always, everything said above could be just my speculation...

(to be continued)