IC: Chapter Two- The Death of a Sea Captain

[Decrepit]

"Isatug seems like an all right fellow," Jack says, "though he keeps his own counsel. I've barely spoken to him, and I hadn't met him before the first meeting in New York.

"Did Starkweather or Moore say anything else interesting?" Jack asks. "I think as long as we're working together here, at least for now, we need to know what each other knows."

[Ghost_1971]

"Ok then. I'll clear it with Moore. He can let Isutag know what we plan on doing, and the hotel can send down the last of my things. If you have a firearm I think you should get it."

Callum calls the hotel to speak to Moore, then goes to the Gabrielle to retrieve his rifle and some camping gear for sleeping in the warehouse.

[OrionUK]

James nods to Callum "I will move in down here too, do either of you want to accompany me to have a chat with Bill Jackson?"

[Steerpike]

McRaven looks round to Isugtag and motions for him to take off his shoes

"I'm no good at sneaking around" He whispers to the Indian "It'll have to be you. Move quietly, pick up any scraps of paper, anything that looks important, like a diary or notebook, I don't think we are going to have too long here, so do the best you can...I'll keep an eye out"

McRaven then heads over to window, looking down on to the cab...then at his watch...wondering if he should call down to the front desk and ask them to send the cab away...McRaven knows if more cops show up that cab is going to be a big giveaway...he reaches for the phone his mind made up.

[Henrik]

"Isutag seems to be an alright fellow and a skilled guide. I haven't spoken with him either. I have mostly spoken with the Norwegian guides. A little bit closer to home, so to say."

[BlackGoat]

Sean Smiles to Gunnar.

"Sure thing"

Sean felt somewhat lost with all the recent events and his lack of any evidence on his last library trip, he decided to let the others figure things out if there was anything to figure out and he'd not dedicate so much time to it.

Best to keep a level head he thought.

[Raiko]

Westbury Hotel – 440 Scammel Street, Lower East Side, New York
09:57am - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Quiet as a mouse the big Inuit guide begins to search the dead commander’s ransacked hotel room.

The hotel manager answers McRaven’s call and doesn’t sound too happy about going into the heavy rain to send the taxi away, but obviously he’s still grateful for the extra $5 that the pilot slipped him. Putting the phone down and walking over to the hotel room’s window McRaven sees the manager step over to the waiting taxi, a few seconds later the taxi drives away.


New York Public Library, New York
10:15am – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

When Sean and Gunnar step out of the rain into the city's massive public library, Gunnar who is very impressed with the size of the place, turns to his companion and asks, “Where should we start, any ideas?”


Detective Hansen’s Car – 7th Avenue, New York
10:51am - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Hansen shrugs, “Moore hasn’t even spoken to Douglas. Starkweather has, but he seems to think that everything is the fault of Acacia Lexington. I don’t really believe that she’s going to have Douglas killed just to get a head start on your expedition, and besides, from what I’ve heard Douglas hasn’t actually agreed to join up.”

As he stops his car in a queue of traffic, the detective looks across at Jack before continuing, obviously seeing if he gets a reaction, “He was in town to talk with both Starkweather and Lexington.”


Pier 74 – New York
Lunchtime - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Nils looks at James with new respect, clearly the tough polar guide did not expect this rich young Engishman to agree to leave his cosy penthouse and sleep at the warehouse.

He nods, and offers James a handshake, “Maybe you will survive the ice after all. You are not as soft as I thought.”

When the three men make their may over to the security office Callum calls the hotel, while James and Nils talk to Jackson the guard.

“Yeah I think I remember that crate, can’t be sure though. I mean we’ve had lots of stuff delivered. I’m sure it went into the warehouse.”

Meanwhile Callum once again fails to get hold of Moore, his room is still empty, and Starkweather’s phone is constantly engaged.

[Ghost_1971]

Callum sighs with frustration. "Could you please take a message to Professor Moores' room then please. Tell him that Nils, James and I plan to move permanently to the warehouse until we set sail. We will be overseeing the security down here ourselves from now on. Give the same message to Isugtag, our large inuit friend."
"We would also like our personal posessions boxed up, and sent here as well please. Thank you very much for your help. Good bye now...."

Callum then goes to find Nils and James.

[Decrepit]

"That is a surprise, detective," Jack says. "Starkweather left everyone with the impression that Douglas was definitely joining the expedition.

"Had Douglas talked to Lexington already?"

[OrionUK]

James returns Nils hand shake, pleased to be slowly making progress with his new found companions.

When Callum catches up with James and Nils "We should find out whom is in charge of the warehouse and expand our questioning there" James suggests.

[Raiko]

Rooms 21 & 23, Westbury Hotel - 440 Scammel Street, Lower East Side, New York
09:57am - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

As Isugtag stalks silently around the room he finds a few items of interest.

There are two photographs, their frames now smashed, one shows the two ships of the 1930 expediton, the Arkham and the Miskatonic, the other shows two men in their late middle years, they are undoubtedly brothers, the older one is in uniform and is presumably Commander Douglas.

Papers letters and personal effects are scattered throughout the room. Most of these aren't of any interest, but there are several small bound journals one for each year from 1920 to 1933. As he looks around the room Isugtag finds that the journals for 1930 & 1931 are both missing.

The wastebasket has been overturned, but what were balled up scraps of paper have been carefully 'unscrewed' and flattened out on the bedside table. Several crumpled sheets of handwritten paper hold potential clues:

* Starkweather, Amherst Hotel. WH-5040; 10:00am

* Gerald Blackman GR-7738

* Phillip - 10:40, 12:55, 3:10, 8:45 (overnight)

* Wykes, Grimes, Brewer - Purple Cup

* A. Lexington QB-0505 (there are several check marks against this phone number)

* A partially written letter from Douglas:

[OOC - Note all of the 4 digit numbers with 2 prefix letters are New York telephone numbers, also I've forgotten to scan the letter, I'll do it when I get home, but to summarise it for now - it's written to 'Phillip' and it makes it quite clear that Douglas thought that Starkweather was a nuisance and a lunatic, he had no intention of joining either expedition, and was quite shocked at Starkweather's tactics.]

As Isugtag is looking at the letter, McRaven sees three police cars pull up outside the Westbury.


New York Public Library - New York
10:15am - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

"Maybe we should try to look into the supposed theft at the Lexington House first," says Gunnar, "it was something to do with a rare work by Poe wasn't it?"


Detective Hansen's Car - 7th Avenue, New York
10:51am - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

"We're not sure Jack," replies the detective, his eyes back on the road again as the traffic resumes moving.

"I've not had chance to speak to Miss Lexington yet, not an easy woman to meet, and lots of good lawyers between her and me no doubt."

Pier 74 - New York
Lunchtime - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Nils pats Callum on the shoulder, "Gunnar will want to join us as well I think."

The hotel receptionist agrees to pass on Callum's message to Professor Moore as soon as possible.

Nils nods in agreement to James, "Yes we should speak to him. Michael Nelson is the foreman of the stevedores; he's in charge of the warehouse, but none of them are here today with Moore getting the pier locked up."

"I doubt he's the thief anyway, more likely one of his men."

[Henrik]

Olof chuckles at the detective's remark. Olof's father always said that lawyers were a neccessary evil.

[Mister Juan]

After rapidly scanning all the notes, Isugtag folded them carefully, trying to be as discreet as possible, and stashed them away inside his breast pocket.

There was no way to know if Douglas' murder was in any way related to the "bad luck streak" the whole expedition had been cursed with. But the concidences were too many to be simply concidences. Something bigger was a brew, and the big Inuit could feel it down to his bone.

Or maybe it was just his dreams that were making him nervous. After all, this whole world was still rather alien to him.

Slowly doublebacking out of the room, he threw a quick glance at McRaven, nodding toward the room's exit. He still wasn't quite sure what he had gotten... but time was short. He'd be able to ponder over it all once they were back at the hotel.

"Let's go" he whispered.

[OrionUK]

"Yes" James agrees with Nils "We should have a chat with Mr Nelson tomorrow, maybe have a scout around here this afternoon to see if we can uncover any clues as to where the missing items might be being taken and also find out who is the recruitment officer for the Stevedors at the docks, maybe they can provide information on the staff to see if anyone looks suspicious on paper"

"Callum are you ok doing some of the questioning with us?"

[Raiko]

Nils laughs, "You are joking, yes?"

"They are all suspicious, if they weren't they wouldn't be doing manual labour on the docks."

"If the items have only been stolen by stevedores, I am not bothered, I am only worried about sabotage."

"Sabotage will cost lives, not money."

[Steerpike]

Mcraven nods and hands the indian his shoes.

With that he closes the door softly and locks it quickly. He takes out a handkerchief and wipes the handle...he'd read about this in a black mask magazine some months ago...and starts towards the door.

He motions for The inuit to stop and simply waits...waiting for the cops to arrive and perform their own search of the room...a lot of cops equals a lot of noise so once McRaven can hear them in the next room...

He opens the door and immeidately heads down the corridor and the stairs.
As they pass the cop at the door he makes a comment to Isugtag that
"This place is a flea pit we're not staying here"

Something else he'd read in black mask...he felt strangely excited by all this cloak and dagger, but also at the back of his mind was the feeling that this time they might have got lucky and got a clue.

[BlackGoat]

Sean looked around at the huge inside aswell amazed.

"Yeah, Hopefully this won't be too damned difficult, but with the Lexington Fame we shouldn't have too much trouble digging something up"

Sean ponders if the Poe work has any sort of connection to all the creepy stories correlated with the past expeditions.

[Ghost_1971]

"Yes I'd be happy to come with you." replies Callum. "Will you contact Gunnar, Nils, and get him to come here too? Maybe you could get him to pick up some locks. I wouldn't mind fitting a few of our own in place of the existing ones. Should slow them down a bit."

[OrionUK]

"Ok Nils of course I agree the stevedors are a suspicious lot but letting them know we are not going to take any of these delays anymore might force someone to make a mistake & we will then be ready"

James thinks of how they could flush out the person or persons responsible for the losses.

"If anyone has any ideas on how to set a trap to catch a sabotuer I will be more than happy to help - have any of the staff been showing signs of having more cash than usual I wonder"

[Raiko]

Lower East Side, New York
10:15am – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

McRaven and Isugtag manage to get out of the Westbury without being stopped by any of the cops (there are now two talking to the manager, as well as the one outside Douglas’ room).

Then after ten minutes walking through the heavy rain they manage to get another taxi. Once inside Isugtag unfolds Douglas’ incomplete letter:

Douglas’ Letter (click to enlarge)



New York Public Library – New York
10:15am – Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Gunnar looks thoughtful and says, “Well you never know, we’d need to see the book to find out I suppose. Miss Lexington said that their manuscript of Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym was unique significantly different to the published edition, how could we find out without meeting her. The published version will obviously be here, but if the Lexington version truly is unique it still won’t help us.”

NYPD Headquarters – 240 Centre Street, New York
11:15am - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

After what seems an eternity Jack and Olof are finally led into the detectives office at the NYPD Headquarters; ushering them through the rows of untidy desks Hansen takes them into the small glass walled office of Lieutenant O’Meara. As he closes the door behind him Jack spots Graves being escorted upstairs towards Commissioner Bolan’s offices, the professor spots Jack and waves cheerfully, but continues upstairs.

Looking up from his desk the big veteran cop raises his eyebrows and asks, “What’s up JJ?”

Hansen replies, “I know it’s a little unorthodox Lieutenant, but these two guys are with the Starkweather-Moore Expedition, they seem to be on the level, and I thought we could help each other out, off the record.”

“This is Jack Wilson from the Daily News, and his friend is Olof Eriksson, one of Starkweather’s engineers.”

O’Meara frowns, then says, “Ok then boys, how do you think we can help each other?”

[OOC: I know that Charles Graves won’t be able to post for a day or two, so you can meet up later if you like]


Pier 74 – New York
Lunchtime - Wednesday 6th September, 1933

Nils shrugs, “As you wish James, but don’t you think it would be better not to reveal what we suspect.”

“We can stake out this warehouse without changing locks, or alerting the stevedores.”

“If at least two of us remain here at all times, once Gunnar and Isugtag arrive, we can just quietly keep an eye on things without making the thief or saboteur suspicious.”

If is obvious to both Callum and James that Nils is quite excited about this hunt, as he’s probably spoken more in the last ten minutes, than in the whole time since the formal dinner!