"We can't?"

"They're in a meeting, and we shouldn't interrupt. Could we - ask the secretary to let them know that we're waiting in the library for them when they're done?"

"Okay, let's go to the library."

Zoe looks up Ayers and finds that Ayers was widely published in journals from the beginning of his career at UCLA in 1911 until 1921; his publications then became sporadic and stopped entirely in 1924. The articles between 1921 and 1924 are all about cults. 

She copies down a list of his publications and which journals they were in, starting with the most recent and working back. She has no idea what constitutes useful research but maybe someone else in the group will find the list useful.

Carrie looks up and spots her friends, who are getting the reports from Dr. MacDunn.

"Hey guys. Dr. Ayers published a BUNCH of stuff on cults. Wanna look?"

"I couldn't find anything on the specific being Mr. Aarons's cult was focused on, but I thought it was worth checking in the library here."

"Let's read through them, then."

Mordred observes that Ayers's last few papers were controversial. Following a hunch, he finds that the UCLA Library also his unpublished papers from 1921- 1924 on file, revealing an increasing obsession with mixing mysticism with his historical research (and thus prompting the rejection of those papers by mainstream journals).

Gosh.

He is totally in a cave in Ethiopia with mad screeds painted on the walls and Anemone is going to find him.

Carrie remembers that the library probably has his research notes somewhere and asks about them, but the librarian says they're only available for grad students and professors to look at.

Mordred wishes he knew more academics. He wishes he knew any grad students. Possibly tomorrow he will lie and claim to be a grad student.

Once they're back at the hotel, Zoe is getting room service for dinner and calling it an early night.

The next morning, Lacie goes to make contact with her occult contact.

"Hey Mordred, is there a way that people prove that they're grad students of places, or will people just believe them if they claim it?"

"Sometimes they ask for student ID? It didn't look like the librarian was going to, though, we can go back and claim to be grad students."

They return to the library! There's a librarian at the front desk.

Mordred is probably more plausibly grad-student-y than Anemone.

"Hello! I'm working on my thesis and I was hoping I could look at Professor Ayers' research notes from before his sabbatical?"

"Do you have your student ID number?" the librarian asks.

"I... don't, I'm sorry, I left my card and I can never remember it. I'll make sure and bring it with me tomorrow."

"Are you sure you can't go home and get it now? We're working on a deadline, here."

-- presumably she has some sort of plan, since Mordred does not in fact have a student ID number and she knows it.

"I can do that, yeah." And then he leaves and Anemone can try whatever her plan is.
 
 
 

"Hopefully it doesn't take him too long. I'm not a student at this school, I'm at Miskatonic University? I heard there was some information here that might be really important for the anthropology research that I've been working on. Don't have my papers on me, though. - I guess I could go get them, if it'd help?"

"OK," she says, "right this way."

Score.

The librarian doesn't just bring her to Ayers's notes. It seems that UCLA has just been storing his things while he's gone. She sees his mail, his research notes, his address book, and a telegram taped upon several large boxes of books.

The librarian leaves to go work on other projects.