Swamped

There's a breather mask on the floor. And the strap's been broken. That suggests a struggle.

And it also suggests you'll have to head out in order to make any sense of what's going on. At least the bell's already been disabled. You open the door cautiously, hoping you can find something that puts you on the trail.

You suppose peeking into the past is an option, but you're still hesitant about using ether. Best to see what you can find out through mundane means first.

Before you even begin your search, though, you have a realization. You suspected the abductor was a patient, since they planned on keeping the alarm intact. But then why bring the breather mask with them? It would have only made them stand out.

Not that you're sure why all these suspicious people are wearing breather masks around their necks in the first place, mind you. Are they expecting to need them?

And then a thought strikes you. Glaxin.

What if they're all working for the same group, and there's a plan to release glaxin or another dangerous gas sometime soon, but they don't know the exact date and time? So they're keeping their masks with them at all times in order to be ready.

If that's the case, Mortimer's abduction must be very important in order to risk facing the gas without protection. Either that, or the captor intends to return very soon...

...possibly after handing off Mortimer to a carriage driver. You might not have much time to keep things from going off track.

Well, that's worrying. Good thing you started your search before you got too deep into thought, though, because you just found something that looks quite helpful.