                         Margot Matthews

You are Margot Matthews, "Maggie" to close
friends.  You never seriously went to college. 
You never needed to.  Columbia Prep did
everything for you.  Your girl friends went to
Mary Washington, and you went to Washington
D.C.  You met plenty of new friends of about
the same age, mostly from GW or GW Law. 
While they were working in classes, you were
just working, getting in on the ground floor.  
At first you were interested in fun.  You took up
with a young intellectual named Grant Cochran,
who was a minor literary prodigy.  He wrote all
sorts of grim supernatural shit that you never
understood his interest in.  But he was an
excellent short term source of that wonderful
Bolivian powder.  And you never forget an old
friend.  Never know when you might need them
again.

You took the Elizabeth Rae career trail though,
which was still easy in those days.  You took up
with someone a little more career oriented, like
Darrington Ripley, a prodigy at State.  He was
appointed with the incoming administration in
`80, and you came in with him.  

Ripley wasn't big into drugs, but the
administration didn't say much about them at
that time.  A friend of Sam's named Avery
Carson offered to give you free coke if you
could make sure "Rip" developed a habit.  You
made it abundantly clear to Rip that your
womanly needs for fine white things did not stop
at lace, and he was delightfully responsive -
which is more than you can say of him in bed. 
Rip was a bit older than yourself.  At any rate,
he was a very sweet man, though he had a wife
on the side.  

Carson used his position as Ripley's dealer to
extort a position on the Ambassadorial staff
when Rip was named Ambassador to Sweden. 
He used the ambassadorial office to run weapons
and diamond smuggling and you helped out as a
courier.  It was exciting, exotic, and you liked
the money.  The truth is you have gotten very
fond of the color of money.

Avery eventually reduced your salary, and
threatened you with blackmail.  You went along
because you had already cut a few lucrative side
deals Avery didn't know about, but you
managed to seduce one of his Belgian arms
dealer contacts, and got the goods on him in
case you ever needed them.  You were able to
get half a dozen forged Embassy Weapons
Export Permits, which had been tampered by
Carson.  

Carson's contact in the Arms smuggling business
is someone who probably knows you, but who
you don't know.  You have figured out just
from how much they know about you and Avery
that they probably are at least distantly affiliated
with your old social group, but you aren't at all
sure who they are.  It might be Avery himself,
just trying to throw you off.  You used to carry
packets of orders between Avery and other
couriers, and the person at the top of this
organization.

You'd like to buy in, on a little higher level than
you are now.  Since you have gotten back to
Washington, you are getting your orders through
Linda Kane, who you knew in school.  Again,
you know this must be somone who you know,
because so many of the old circle of friends are
involved.

You were about ready to take on Carson
yourself, but then he blew up Ripley.  Rip had
been having some financial problems, and of
course you were sad when you heard about the
"car bombing by Basque revolutionaries" but
you were also kind of relieved.  You found that
nearly twenty years of coke, cheating and
blackmail had left you with very little in the way
of emotions.  You identified his body, bloated
red and shredded black, and were very polite to
his wife at his funeral.  

Still, you decided an indirect approach to Carson
might be best.  He is dangerous, and you need
your body for your career...can't afford to have
it all cooked.  So you asked your old friend
Grant Cochran to blackmail him for you. 
Cochran is obnoxious as hell, and belligerent,
which should give him an advantage over
Carson.

Apparently Grant called Carson, and warned
him that he better show up because of some
information that he had.  You bitched him out
about this somewhat loudly earlier this
afternoon.  Neither you or Grant is a very mild
mannered sort.  You thought only Thomas was
around, but there were actually a few other
people who had just come in, so you hope you
didn't make too much of a scene.

Grant is a situation unto himself.  You dated
him years ago, before more interesting offers
like a future ambassador came along.  He was
always somewhat wealthy.  A number of months
ago, his chronic alcoholism caused an ulcer to
do something ugly, and he wound up in the
hospital.  You had sent him a note letting him
know you were in the country, which you did
with all of your friends (the Nancy Reagan
school of how to win people, and cash them in
for valuable prizes.)  Tres Dale Carnegie.  

Thomas called you when Grant was put into
rehab, and you visited him, mostly to be nice
(you are nice on very rare occasions, when there
is only an outside possibility it will get you
something.  

In this case it paid off.  You heard only a few
weeks later through Linda Kane that Grant's
Publisher may have a movie deal for his novel
Trinity, a major motion picture with royalties
well into the triple digits.  Since your meal-
ticket ended up well done in a Belgian
intersection, you are not going to turn up your
nose at any possibilities. When you first got
back,  you got an apartment with Emily
Breezewood because you figured between her
divorce and her father she could pay for it. 
Unfortunately, she was more broke than you, so
you "reluctantly suggested" that she go to work
for Avery running drugs or whatever.

You decided on a test, just to see what Grant's
current financing was like.  You had heard from
Gary Morant that he was doing "quite well."  So
you asked Toni Randall-Smith (can you keep up
with people!) if there was some nice little farm
in the triple digits near her place where Grant
could recuperate.  You suggested the place to
him, and he bought it without a second thought. 


So Grant is nice and isolated where you can
keep an eye on him, and you can work at your
leisure.  If you decide to land him, you should
be able to have him in a box within a few years. 


At any rate, you spontaneously decided to
launch a birthday party, and invite all the old
crowd.  This provided a chance for Grant to
confront Avery.  Just to make sure, you
arranged for plenty of distractions.  Just for a
little camoflage, you made sure to invite not
only the man Emily Breezewood is living with,
but her most recent lover, Craig Webber. 
Webber is an arms merchant, who you know
through Avery, and you are very interested in
sounding him out about the possibility of setting
Avery up.  

School: You attended Columbia Prep from
1970-73.  You know Linda Kane, Emily
Breezewood, Sara Lamont, and Toni Randall-
Smith from there.  

You attended George Washington University in
`74 and `75 You know Gary Morant,
GrantCochran, Avery Carson, Mike Ballistis,
and Matthew Allen Carter from a circle of
acquaintances there. 

Special Instructions

You should be overheard arguing with
Grantsomewhat loudly, though it does not need
to be apparent what the argument was about.
THE OTHERS

What they know about you:

Margot Matthews: Margot was a friend of
Grant Cochran, and several other attendees in
college, but went on to become a prominent
Washington socialite who rose out of the ranks
of minor political followers due to her
connections with the late U.S. ambassador to
Sweden Mr. Darrington Ripley.  Margot is
giving this party in honor of Grant Cochran's
birthday.

Margot is currently employed by the Department
of State, where she is rumored to the mistress of
a powerful political appointee.  She was
mentioned in People magazine shortly after the
inaugural ball, and her fortunes have definitely
been on the rise with the Reagan government. 

PEOPLE YOU KNOW WELL:

Mike Ballistas:  a wealthy international
consultant with impressive offices downtown. 
Ballistas has numerous prominent government
contacts, and is generally known to be an
influential businessman.  He donated heavily to
the Reagan Campaign.

Anthony Blaine:  A New York writer
considered a protege of Grant Cochran, Blaine
is handled by Jonathan Drake, the same
publisher as Cochran.  It was rumored that
Blaine and Cochran had a very serious argument
while appearing together at a promotional
convention after the publication of Sightless
King.  Blaine is best known for his Fantasy-
Horror novel Wunderking, and his most recent
work The Dinner Guest.  

Emily Breezewood:  a fairly close friend in
Prep school days.  She made the mistake of
marrying Matthew Allen Carter.  Proved a
longstanding point you had about not marrying. 
Says Matthew is very violent.  You could have
told her that.  Emily was your roomate until
she moved out to live with Mike Ballistis. 

A college friend of Grant Cochran, and a prep-
school friend of Margot Matthews, Emily is the
daughter of Senator Breezewood of Connecticut,
a very powerful senior U.S. Legislator.  Emily
was married to Matthew Allen Carter, and
divorced him, in a particularly messy case
during which Mr. Carter was represented by
Gary Morant.  They are reported to be on barely
civil speaking terms now.  Emily is living with
Mike Ballistis.

Avery Carson: attended George Washington
University and has many acquaintances from that
period, and immediately afterward.  Avery met
most of Grant's circle of friends in the seventies
while they were working in Washington after
graduation.  Mr. Carson occupied a position in
the staff of the late Darrington Ripley, U.S.
Ambassador to Sweden.  Currently employed by
the State Department, Avery Carson is rumored
to actually work for the Company, or No-such-
agency.

Matthew Allen Carter:  A well known mystic,
Carter is associated with decadence, drugs, and
bizarre mysticism.  It is unclear where his
money comes from, though he is known to be at
least moderately wealthy, and eccentric.  
M.A Carter provides spiritual consultation to
some of Washington's most prominent social
figures.  He has appeared on several area talk
shows, notably Panorama in July 1979 where he
was involved in an altercation, and declined to
appear on Good Morning America in August of
1982 on the topic "Senators who follow the
Horoscopes."  He has assisted Federal
authorities as a consultant on "Cult Related
Cases", and appeared before a Senate
Subcommittee Special Hearing in 1983 to
discuss "Cult Phenomena and Crime."

Grant Cochran:  Grant Cochran is a horror
writer whose early work brought him wealth and
recognition.  His first acclaimed work was a
collection of short stories in 1977 entitled Look
Ma, No Hands!  Grant achieved a more limited
success with The Sickness in John Harrol, 1977;
The Collection, 1979; but his mainstream horror
novels  Dark Symbols,1980; and Trinity, 1982;
were extremely successful.  His Lovecraftian
fantasy-horror The Sightless King, 1984 was
universally panned.  Grant also wrote the
screenplay for the 1981 film The Blinding.
Numerous short stories including The Metallic
Taste of Blood Omni, Feb 1982.

Grant's work has tended more towards the
occult and fantasy side than Stephen King, and
his success has been less marked, but his early
novels were commercially successful.  Born
1955 to a wealthy Virginia family, Grant
graduated from George Washington University
in DC in 1975, aged twenty.  Writer and
playboy, known to have inherited some money
from parent's death in 1974. He is widely
rumored to have been hospitalized recently for
rehabilitation.

Thomas Cochran:  Grant's failure of a brother. 
Thomas dropped out of school, and was deeply
involved in drugs.  He narrowly avoided jail on
larceny charges.  He lost his share of the family
wealth, and is currently employed by his brother
as a handyman. 

Leda Deerden: A New York author, or visual
artist, guest of Grant's Publisher.  Ms. Deerden
is known for her terra cotta figures, which are
widely sold in gift shops in the Village, and her
work at the 42nd Street Gallery, but is a
newcomer to the writing field.  Her first project
is projected to be a collaboration with Grant
Cochran.

Jonathan Drake: Publisher of Grant Cochran,
Drake is Editor of Horror at Electra publishing,
a division of Robert W. Thormond and Sons,
Inc., one of the nations largest publishing
houses.  Despite the failure of Cochran's latest
novel, Drake is reported to be successful and on
the rise.  He handles many other writers
including Anthony Blaine, and is also in charge
of titles under the smaller, but profitable Medea
imprintaur, for occult paperbacks, which
includes the works of Jeffrey Saxon.

Linda Kane:  Parapsychological researcher for
the Institute for Parapsychological Studies, 1567
23rd St. NW.  Graduate of Columbia Prep, and
Mary Washington College.  M.A. Barnard. 
Kane is a literary agent for Matthew Allen
Carter and is rumored to be his lover.  

Sarah Lamont: Introduced you to Grant
Cochran and Matthew Allen Carter.  Later on
you got Grant to get Gary to give her the job
she currently holds.

Sarah Lamont is an old Prep-school and College
friend of Margot Matthews, Linda Kane, Emily
Breezewood and others.  Sarah went to work for
Gary Morant as a paralegal, and is now his chief
secretary.  

Gary Morant:  Washington Attorney. 
Graduated from George Washington University
in 1974, GW Law in 1978.  Formed Morant and
Steele with Harlan Steel in 1980.  Known for
handling some of the messiest and most
prominent divorce and lawsuit cases in the
Washington social spectrum.  Morant is a rising
star in the social constellation of Washington,
and is Grant Cochran's attorney, and is currently
representing him in all of his sordid legal
affairs. 

Mort Nicholson: a well known private
detective.  Nicholson has worked for Gary
Morant, and was a research reference for the
character of Detective George Panopalous in
Grant Cochran's Trinity.

Roger Pierce: a Professor/practitioner of
Psychology at George Washington University. 
Young but promising, for several years his 400
level course on Personality Disorders has been
considered the "most fun" class in the entire
psych department.  Many of Dr. Pierce's
associates consider him to be "that strung out
quack", Dr. Pierce considers himself a
"perceptually enhanced alternative practitioner." 
It is obvious that Dr. Pierce either has
something on the University, or has tenure.

"Psychological disorders can be not only
instructive, but entertaining as well..."
(American Psychiatric Yearbook, 1980).  

Tony Randall-Smith:  was at Columbia Prep
for a semester.  She was busted for drugs, but
you used influence with Emily Breezewood's
father to get the charges dropped.  A week ago,
you talked to Tony on the phone, and she was
furious at Cochran, and sounded ready to claw
his eyes out, but you aren't quite sure why. 
Something to do with money.
  Olympic Equestrian Medalist, winning two
Silver and one Bronze medal at Los Angeles in
1984.  Native of McLean Virginia, the child of
a former ambassador to England.  Personally
acquainted with Princess Margaret, has appeared
in Sports Illustrated, and network television. 
Currently holds American and European
Championships in several categories of jumps. 
Professional status has been called into question,
but intends to compete in 1988.  

Jeffrey Saxon: A noted Parapsychology/Occult
writer and Astrologer, author of Health Signs,
Astrology for You, and Psychic Defense, and
several other successful books published in
paperback.  Jeffrey is rumored to be practically
the only person in New York who does not
suffer from an incapacitating drug addiction.

Karyn Seidmann:  A New-York literary agent,
Seidmann is not well known in literary circles,
though there are some dark rumors about her
past, including a lawsuit.  Seidman handles
small time occult authors, and until recently her
biggest literary success was Jeffrey Saxon, the
popular occultist and astrologer.

Oliver Stewart:  A comic-book author and
illustrator for Universal Comics, a major
competitor of Marvel and D.C. 
Oliver responsible for the satirical Captain
Flapjack miniseries, but is best known for his
work with Blood Hound, a revitalized 1960's
Superhero, and with Revenant, a dark-horror
miniseries.  Stewart handled a graphic-novel
adaptation of Grant Cochran's Sightless King,
which was somewhat more successful than the
actual novel.  Oliver is a New Yorker, but has
maintained a friendship with horror writer Grant
Cochran, and has come down with some of his
other New York acquaintances to make his
birthday an interesting affair.

Craig Webber: An acquaintance of Margot
Matthews, Mr. Webber is a well-to-do local
business consultant, rumored to have
connections to smuggling and the underworld. 
Webber is said to be a business partner of Avery
Carson.