The Adventure

[jp1885]

Harrison watches him go.

"Shall we chase after him John, or go tell Evans what he's just 'confessed'?"

[HoneyDog]

John ignores Harrison and runs after Tomaszewki. He pulls his wallet from his pocket and waves it above his head.

"Wait a moment sir!" he shouts. "You dropped your wallet!"

[simonthompson]

Seeing Wessells running towards him Tomaszewki turns and runs down the steps that lead up to the hospital entrance, pushing aside a couple of approaching visitors.

[jp1885]

Shaking his head at his friend’s impetuousness, Harrison follows him out, walking briskly but trying not to look like he’s giving chase.

He doesn’t want to get into a confrontation, preferring to report the porter to Evans, but is unwilling to leave John to fight alone.

[HoneyDog]

John continues after Tomaszewki, waving the wallet as he goes but trying to close the distance. He wishes he could just shoot the man with his .45.

[simonthompson]

Chased by Wessells, Tomaszewki flees down the short approach drive to the hospital and through the ornate stone pillars of the hospital entrance, looking back constantly only to see his pursuer gaining ground.

Outside the gates is the Bolton to Arkham road, busy during daylight and especially so early mornings. With a wild desperation in his eyes Tomaszewki looks back once more to see Wessells just a few yards behind him. As he does so he runs out across the road and unknowingly straight into the path of an oncoming automobile.

To gasps and screams from pedestrian bystanders the vehicle slams into him at a speed of around 35mph, flinging his body up over the bonnet like a rag doll, his head smashing into the windshield as he tumbles over the car.

The vehicle screeches to a stop but too late. Tomaszewki's crumpled and bloody body lays where it was thrown, twenty feet or so from the site of impact, hideously twisted and unmoving.

[jp1885]

“Oh my! Someone call an ambulance!” yells Harrison, turning his head aghast at the scene.

Shaken, he retreats back to the hospital to seek out Evans, aiming to tell him the terrible news.

[HoneyDog]

John curses under his breath, then jogs back to catch up with Harrison.

He catches him by the arm.

"Harrison, let's go. I'm done with this. We're just going to end up in more trouble than we can deal with. They don't know our names, we never gave them. Let's just get out of here."

[jp1885]

"Yes.. Yes, you're right," a flustered Harrison replies. "Let's go. At least we've cut off Corbitt's supply."

[HoneyDog]

John nods.

"Let's get the car and get back to Arkham."

[jp1885]

Harrison readily complies.

[simonthompson]

The two investigators drive back to Arkham, stunned by the day's events.

The following day a small report on the incident appears in the Arkham Gazette, headlined 'Untimely death of hospital orderly'. The article barely merits three or four sentences and no mention is made of Tomaszewki being pursued, the emphasis being on a tragic motoring accident.

However, two days later a follow-up article makes page 2 of the Gazette and is considerably longer. It details the police discovery of a horde of Satanist paraphernalia in Tomaszewki's small one room apartment in downtown Bolton, along with evidence of substantial drug abuse involving "extremely rare botanic herbs".

The article also quotes a Mr Evans of Bolton Central Hospital as stating "We had no idea of these appalling interests of our former employee, but I can assure your readers that our hospital was not the source of Tomaszewki's drugs."