[IC]Chapter 1.8a - Emerson Imports

[Raiko]

"Yeah, that's me, Arthur Emerson."

Emerson takes a puff of his cigar and beckons Cynthia and Michael into his office, "Sure thing, take a seat. And, eh, excuse the mess."

He doesn't bother closing the door to his cramped office, taking a seat behind a battered desk that's nearly covered in a disorganised mess of ledgers and shipping notes, plus a full ashtray and two unwashed coffee mugs.

"So? Who's yer pal, and what can I do for yer?"

[jp1885]

“This is my pal Mike,” Cynthia replies. “He didn’t like the idea of me hanging around warehouses unaccompanied.”

“I’m a psychology student; researching what makes primitive tribes tick. An old friend of mine gave me your business card and said you had dealings with some guy named Silas - apparently he’s into African folklore and such. I don’t know why he thought you’d be able to help me - unfortunately he died recently - but I guess you import stuff for this guy?”

[kabukiman]

Anderson just nod.

[Raiko]

ooc,[ooc]Sorry for the slow updates. Please make a luck roll for Cynthia. Also please make a spot hidden roll for Marcus.[/ooc]

[Silver Priest]

Spot Hidden 66%,[dice]0[/dice]

[jp1885]

Luck 75,[dice]0[/dice]

A pass (just!)

[Raiko]

Emerson frowns, "I know the pal you're talkin' about then Miss, I've only given Silas N'Kwane's name to one person recently.

"A guy called Elias called here on Wednesday."

Looking really shocked he asks, "You say he's dead now?"

[Raiko]

Marcus,At first [b]Marcus[/b] can't see any sentries or other outward signs that [i]Emerson Imports[/i] is an illicit operation. However when he gets a clear view of the seaward side of the warehouse, he can see that the ship that is currently unloading - a Dutch flagged tramp steamer the [i]SS Rijswijk[/i] - does have several armed sailors keeping watch as crates are offloaded by crane. [b]Marcus[/b] spot two sailors with rifles slung on their shoulders and one with a revolver in a shoulder holster that the man is making no effort to conceal. [b]Emerson's[/b] stevedores don't seem concerned about the guns.

[jp1885]

“Uh-huh; murdered,” Cynthia says matter-of-factly. “Which is why I brought my pal here, just in case. D’you mind telling me what you told Elias?”

[kabukiman]

Anerson looks carefuly to Emerson.


OOC: Can Anderson try to use psychology to see if Emerson reaction is genuine?

[jp1885]

Good idea...

Psychology 79 hard pass,[dice]0[/dice]

[kabukiman]

Psychology (10%):

[dice]0[/dice]

[Raiko]

Psychology Success,[b]Emerson[/b] appears to be genuinely shocked. You also think he's being truthful, but you get the impression that he definitely doesn't like [b]Silas N'Kwane[/b].

"Yeah, sure thing," Emerson rests his cigar in the ashtray and opens up a coffee stained address book.

"Your pal Elias was asking around looking for connections to Mombasa in Kenya," he points out an entry in the book, "I'm the US agent for an exporter called Ahja Singh who ships out of Mombasa. As you can see, Singh's only customer is this place in Harlem called Ju-Ju House."

The entry in Emerson's address book for Ahja Singh just lists the address as "Kilindini Harbor" with a note that Singh's US customer is "Silas N'Kwane, Ju Ju House, 1 Ransom Court, Harlem, NYC, NY."

"Elias seemed like a nice guy, so I helped him out, gave him the address and told him what I know about Silas N'Kwane. I'm sure that he planned to visit Ju Ju House straight after he left."

[jp1885]

Cynthia scribbles down some notes, confident that the guy is on the level.

“Any idea what kind of stuff they’re importing?” she asks. ”And this Silas guy; what’s he like? Weird name; Ju-Ju House,” she continues, taking advantage of his evident dislike of the man.

[Silver Priest]

Marcus takes a note of the ship's name in case they need to look for it later, along with where the goods are being stored. Satisfied he's learned all he could for now without risking attracting attention, he returns to the car and waits for the others, smoking a cigarette to pass the time.

[Raiko]

"The shipments all say they're 'art objects,' but I make it my habit not to ask any questions about shipments, if you know what I mean? Some of my customers right here in Hells Kitchen, well they wouldn't take too kindly to those kinds of questions."

Emerson chuckles dryly, but the laugh turns cough and then grimace as he speaks about Silas N'Kwane.

"Weird name for his shop? Well, he's a weird man that N'Kwane. I don't know what it is about him, but that guy makes my skin crawl."

He picks his cigar back up and takes another deep drag, "And it ain't cus he's a Negro either, I can do business with them just fine and I liked your pal Elias.

N'Kwane though? I spend as little time in his company as I can, there's something creepy about him. Ju-Ju means magic though, I know that much. Ju-Ju House is Silas N'Kwane's African magic shop. "

[jp1885]

"Jeez, sounds like a real peachy guy," replies Cynthia. "Well thanks for answering our questions Mr. Emerson. Say, did Elias say anything else? Oh, and may I ask when N'Kwane is picking up his next shipment?"

[Raiko]

Emerson thinks for a moment, "No I can't think of anything else that he mentioned, sorry.

"As for N'Kwane, there's normally a freighter comes here from east Africa about once a month and he's usually got a delivery on board.

"Next one's probably due early next week. I wouldn't normally stick it to my customers like this, but I don't like N'Kwane anyway, so I'll call you when his next shipment arrives if you like?""

Emerson shakes hands before the investigators leave, "I hope you find what Elias was looking for, take care."

[jp1885]

Cynthia thanks Emerson, taking him up on his offer. Unless Anderson has anything to add, she's happy to leave and meet back up with Marcus.

[Silver Priest]

Marcus informs the team of what he learned.

"Saw a ship with some armed men on it; the SS Rijswijk, Offloading crates here. I'd be very interested in seeing what's in some of those crates that called for an armed guard."