IC: Chapter Two- The Death of a Sea Captain

[Steerpike]

MRaven looks through the window at the retreating figure of Isugtag, as he the indian makes his way through the crowds of press hounds at the main gate.

"Now thats what I call enigmatic" He says to noone on particular.

McRaven then calls the hotel to request that his luggage be forwarded to the boat.

[Raiko]

The Afternoon

New York Public Library – New York
The Afternoon – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Agatha Goodright remembers that the book was owned by the Lexington family, the auction was held the day after Percival Lexington’s suicide, so she assumes that his family had other things to worry about. She is surprised however that the book was never auctioned at a later date. She also says that as the manuscript is a proof that pre-dates the first edition of the book, the author or the publishers obviously decided to cut the final chapters. She suspects that the Lexington manuscript probably is totally unique.

Graves, Gunnar and Olof spend the afternoon looking through the library’s newspaper archives for material to corroborate Agatha’s memory. Graves finds a few short articles from the New York Herald (24th – 30th July 1921) that tell the same story as the articles Jack obtained from his Newspaper’s morgue, Alicia Lexington reported the manuscript as stolen the day the auction was due to be held. The manuscript apparently contains three additional chapters that have never been published, and was expected to fetch a very high price from either a major library or museum, or a private collector; enough to help ease the financial problems rumoured to be affecting the Lexington family. Percival’s suicide occurred the evening before the auction date. None of the investigators can find any indication that Alicia ever sold the manuscript at a later date.

Later in the afternoon the four explorers are joined in their research by Olof, who has come to investigate Gerald Brackman. It turns out to be easy to find out who Brackman is, a check of the New York Telephone Directory reveals the address of his Law Firm:

Brackman and Associates, 8th Avenue & 91st Street, GR-7738

The telephone number GR-7738, is the same as the number found in Douglas’ hotel room. He doesn’t find any other information about the lawyer at the library.


The Daily News Building – New York
The Afternoon – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Jack heads back to his newspapers offices, and checks through the morgues looking for information about Brackman. The lawyer has a file in the newspaper’s morgue, but there isn’t very much in it, he is just a run of the mill lawyer, dealing mostly with divorces and wills, one or two of his clients have been high profile, but not enough for his name to appear in more than one or two articles.


THE EVENING

The Amherst Hotel – 44th Street, New York
7:00pm – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Investigators Present: Jack, Kitt, Olof, Sean, Graves, Maurice, Isugtag, James[/b]

Most of the expedition team members return to the Amherst for their evening meal in the Rose Room. Kitt goes up to her room first to freshen up before eating. She finds a typed letter has been pushed under her door.

Code: Select all

Dear Miss Knight

 You must listen to this warning. There will be no others. After this, only action remains. I do not expect you to understand my reasons, but all that is necessary is that you act. Consider this a threat if you like. A most earnest threat.

 The expedition must not sail south. Captain Douglas was only the first to die. If you persist in your brave blind hopes you will all perish. Only those who turn back are safe. I hope that you will be among them.

 Let the dead lie peacefully with their secrets. They are the only ones who are beyond pain. Nothing awaits upon the ice but suffering and a bitter ending that I will do anything to help you avoid. Yes help: even death is a blessing compared to what lies in wait.

 I suppose you will blame me for everything. I don’t mind, even though it’s not true. There are forces at work here that you do not understand, and I have to be content with that. The deadliest sin sometimes, is in the understanding; and the most damned are those who explain.

 Please. I urge you. Turn away. Tell the others. For your own sake, for all of us, turn back while you can. There is nothing more that I dare say.

Most sincerely,

A better friend than you will ever know.

[OOC: If Kitt heads back downstairs to show the letter to the others, you have a few minutes to discuss it before Moore arrives in the Rose Room, Starkweather will not be with him (I know one or two of you are hoping to speak with Moore without Starkweather being present).]


Outside the Purple Cup
7:00pm – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Investigators Present: Callum, McRaven

After returning to the Amherst to get their pistols and send the rest of their gear to the ship, Callum and McRaven head for the Lower East Side docks to hunt for the Purple Cup. They eventually locate it in a dingy little building on the waterfront by Battery Point, this is very close to where Commander Douglas was murdered.

Standing nearby for a while they see that almost all of the patrons entering and leaving the speakeasy are sailors.

[Laraqua]

Kitt reads the letter twice with a frown marring her otherwise delicate features. Then she folds it over carefully and reaches for the door, pausing a moment to collect her thoughts, then goes down to find the others.

She makes a bee line straight for Jack. He was a reporter, true, which meant the letter might be plastered all over the newspapers by morning, but it also meant he'd know how to explain it to the others in the right way. Besides, someone who spent all of their time writing stories should be better equipped to analyse a letter than someone who spent most of their time working in air planes.

"Excuse me, Jack? Could you come with me for a minute?"

If he follows, she'll take him to a quiet corner to show him, though if others insist on following she won't complain. If he wishes to stay where he is, she'll merely pass him the letter.

Afterwards, she asks: "But why me? Why did they send it to me?"

[Decrepit]

Jack follows Kitt and reads through the letter she shows him.

"I'm afraid I don't know 'why you,'" he says. "Perhaps this loon has smply taken a fancy to you, is all. I doubt he's the first." Jack breaks off, hoping to provoke a bit of a smile, then he continues.

"This is only about the sixtieth odd thing to happen in the past few days, as you know. I think they are a great many questions that need an answer. Moore seems like a fairly sensible fellow, not like Starkweather. Perhaps it's time to confront him with all of this."

Jack scratches his head. "Or maybe we should press on with our investigations in something like secret. I'm not sure. In any case, you don't have to worry about me running to my paper with this. That would only cause you--and us--far more attention than we want, and it'd probably provoke our mysterious 'benefactor' into a froth, which I don't think we want right now."

[Laraqua]

Instead of a smile, Jack gets a little blush in response to his words. Kitt felt more flustered than normal dealing with this sort of danger. Once the expedition went ahead, once she was a pilot again, then and only then would she feel the kind of confidance that came from the sweet simplicity of flying.

Until then she felt weak and confused. She didn't like the feeling but there wasn't very much she could do about it.

"Any idea what we should do next? I mean, we don't have a lot of time. If there's anything I could do to help, just say the word. There's not a lot else I've got on my agenda. Well, not compared to some people."

[Ghost_1971]

"I dont think I've ever felt more out of place, ever. And we've not even gone in yet. I'll probably let you do most of the talking."

"It's not too late Bill. We could always just go back. Its not that I'm frightened, you understand. I'm just far to pretty to go into a bar full of drunken sailors. They may start getting ideas."

[Decrepit]

Jack sees Kitt's embarrassment and is instantly sorry that he said anything of the sort to her. It was yet more evidence of his inability to deal sensibly with women. It was something his ex-wives had reminded him of on more than one occasion; maybe it was time he took them to heart, as it were.

Back to the matter at hand, he says, "Thanks for the offer. I think there will be things for all of us to do. In any case, I think we should discuss this letter with the others as soon as possible, preferably before Moore comes in. This is a serious issue of security."

[Laraqua]

"Could you do the talking, Jack? I'm sure you'll be able to spin it in the right light. I don't want the others to get overly worried." Kitt smiles. "I have to admit, I'm getting a little worried about the whole thing. I don't know what's sillier. Me worrying, or me dismissing the worry just because I want to fly in such an amazing place."

[Decrepit]

Jack returns the smile. "Sure thing, Kitt. I'll talk to them."

After a moment, he continues, "Look, I won't lie to you. There is some danger here, obviously, but you've got a lot of people looking out for you, and I'm ... we're going to keep you safe, all right?

"We'll find out who's behind all this before we even leave for Antarctica. Then you can fly your plane to your heart's content and all you'll have to worry about are your, um, fuel lines and, um, gauges."

[Laraqua]

Kitt cocks an eyebrow. "You don't know much about planes, do you? One day, I should show you the inside of a plane. It's really something to be able to fly. Maybe I could even teach you some of the details. Take you up into the air." Her eyes go a little dreamy as she envisions the snow and ice passing beneath her, as unsullied as the clouds. "It'll really be something."

"Oh, I have a luger, but it's not really a handbag gun, is it?" Kitt asks, leaning in conspirationally. "I should find some way to holster it but there's not many types of holsters that are inconspicuous on a girl. It won't be such a problem over there but here, well, I'm not sure what I should do on that account."

[Steerpike]

Mcraven raises an eyebrow at the comment made by Callum. There was no way he was going back to the docks empty handed, without at least having had a go. He was no investigator like Jack, and lacked the easy charm of James. But he had crisp dollar bills in his wallet, and was hoping to play the mindless optimism card quite a lot.

He shoves his hands into his overcoat pockets. His right hand curls around the handle of the revolver. He really hopes he won't be needing it.

"Nows not the time to be getting cold feet. Besides which, Jack would never let us forget about it. Fortune favours the bold, so lets be bold for the next hour or so and see what kind of hand we get dealt with in here"

With that he moves forward, and opens the door the dingy drinking den.

[Henrik]

As Jack leaves Olof tells the others what he has found. "This Gerald Blackman seems to be a lawyer with an office here in New York. I don't know why Douglas needed to phone a lawyer. I don't think he was in any legal troubles. Perhaps he wanted to write a will or something similar? Perhaps Jack has found something further." Olof waits for Jack to return from his private conversation with Ms. Kitt.

[Decrepit]

Jack rejoins the hotel group waiting for Moore's arrival.

"Fellows, perhaps this is no surprise by now, but there's another problem."

He passes around the letter Kitt received. After they've had a chance to digest its contents, Jack continues.

"It was one thing to make a show about the expedition itself, or to offer some vague warnings, but this is specificially directed to one of us. Isn't it about time we confronted Moore with some of this? I'm getting fed up with his evasiveness and Starkweather's showboating. I suggest it's time to apply the screws--metaphorically speaking, of course."

[Raiko]

The Purple Cup – Near Battery Point, New York
7:00pm – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

The inside of the Purple Cup is dingy and smoke filled. The walls are covered with tatty maritime souvenirs, everything is stained a dirty brown by the smoke.

All conversation inside stops as McRaven and Callum walk through the door. Two dozen sets of eyes stare suspiciously at the newcomers, who are clearly outsiders.

The Rose Room – The Amherst Hotel, 44th Street, New York
7:05pm – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

All conversation stops in the Rose Room as well when Professor Moore walks through the door.

[thewhatchamacallit]

Maurice makes his way into the Rose room, he recognizes the faces of a few of the people gathered about but doesn't know anyone well enough to address them by first name.

Exhausted after an insanely hard day of preparations he has come to the hotel looking for a place to relax, a bit to eat, a drink if it's offered and the chance to talk to someone new for a change.

[Henrik]

Olof looks at the others hoping that someone else shall begin questioning professor Moore, suitably someone who has English as their native language and knows who to express himself or herself without offending Moore.

[Ghost_1971]

Callum takes a deep breath and follows McRaven inside...

[OrionUK]

After arranging for Nils and his own luggage to be forwarded to the ship James makes his way through to the Rose room to see what everyone is up to.

[thewhatchamacallit]

Maurice walks over to the table occupied by the Journalist and the Female pilot from his expedition, "Allo," he says while extending his hand when an appropriate break happens in their conversation, "I am Maurice," he continues with an obvious french accent looking to Jack. "Maurice Cole, one of da laborers dan la Monsieur Starkweather's boat."

[Laraqua]

Kitt Knight smiles up at him, notices that he wants to speak with Jack, and politely excuses herself to go get a drink. She drums her fingers on a convenient surface, staring at the wall thoughtfully, dreaming of white snow and the power of a plane.

Despite all of these mishaps, bad omens and threatening messages, she really can't wait to get there. First woman to step foot there or not, she didn't care. She just wanted to fly.