March 1921, Lima, Peru: A disparate group of academics and adventurers gather to assist Augustus Larkin's expedition to locate a pyramid long forgotten by history.
Years later a friendship forged in Peru will bring this group together again - can the investigators unravel the mysteries of the Carlyle Expedition massacre before it's too late?
"All of this can't be a coincidence," says Amy. "I can't help feeling that everything is connected somehow. You said that the Voodoo Killer had eight victims? We should look into who the other victims were. Maybe there's some sort of pattern to the people he killed, and maybe they're mixed up in all this too. We have enough leads to follow up on tomorrow, and I'm sure Jackson will fill us in on all the details when we see him the day after."
Atauchi looked up from the menu when Marcus mentioned getting a beer. Out of all of his compatriots, the Quechua man connected best with the former bodyguard. He wasn't so interested in academics or talking endlessly about uninteresting subjects. No, Marcus was a simple man who wanted to enjoy life, and he appreciated that.
"Do not know, señor. I like one as well." he said in reply.
Last edited by Zero on Sun Apr 07, 2019 5:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I think i can get the most out of miss Erica, i will be going upstate.Atauchi would you go with me? I always appreciate your company, i like also you having my back. Marcus as PI might be better suited to ask around in a prison anyways. I'll travel first thing in the morning.
Anyone burning for a visit to the Voodoo Killer?
Dr. Sánchez will eat his meal and drink some wine before he gets to his Hotell for some deserved well sleep.
"I'll go see the guy if Marcus is happy to tag along. Like I said, the Voodoo Killer would be a fascinating study subject, but I wouldn't wanna go in there alone."
"I also wanna see if Robert Hudson left any notes or correspondence at the university. Dontcha think it's weird that a celebrity shrink suddenly quits a cushy job to go study pictographs in Egypt? And besides, one of the professors might be able to swing us a ticket into the prison for 'research purposes'."
In all the excitement, she'd quite forgotten about her meal, so she quickly tucks in before it gets cold.
Successful KNOW roll,New York's infamous Sing-Sing prison is actually in Westchester County, a mile or so further upstate than Scarborough, and so the prison and Carlyle House are very close together.
Rikers Island Prison doesn't exist yet (opens in 1932) and so you can be sure that Hilton Adam's is in Sing-Sing.
Feeling tired all of a sudden (or maybe it's the couple of drinks she has with her meal), Cynthia eventually bids the others good-night and heads off back to her apartment.
"Yeah Anderson, splitting up is our best bet. Covers more ground. I'd be happy to tag along while you interview The Voodoo Killer," he tells Cynthia. "Especially if you can get a professor to get us in to interview him for fieldwork or something like that. We should also find out what we can about his other victims, like Amy suggested. See if there's a connection we can figure out there.
"I probably won't be much help getting a look at Doc Hudson's records, but I'm told I can be intimidating in a pinch."
edu 65%,[dice]0[/dice]
Aw man!
To Akechi he smiles. "I know a few places 'round here to wet your whistle, bud. Part of the job."
The Voodoo killer is at Sing-Sing prison, Westchester County, a mile or so further upstate than Scarborough. The prison and Carlyle House are very close together.
"Then it's probably best if we all head upstate," says Amy. "I'd like to meet Erica Carlyle. Maybe she'd be more open to speaking to another woman. I could be useful in researching the other murders, but I suppose that can wait. Maybe the killer will tell you all about it. I wouldn't mind not meeting him." She shivers.
OOC,EDU roll (76% stat) about the prison:
[dice]0[/dice]
Atauchi slowly, but steadily consumed the rather large steak dinner he had ordered. He knew of the prison. It had come up more than once during conversations with connections he had made while here in the Big Apple.
The Quechua man nodded and replied, "Sí, por supuesto. Iré contigo, Nemesio."
Education (83),[dice]0[/dice]
OOC: "Sí, por supuesto. Iré contigo, Nemesio." translates as "Yes, of course. I will go with you, Nemesio."
New York Public Library – Fifth Avenue, New York City 9:30am - Wednesday 14th January, 1925
Since opening in 1911 after over a decade of construction, the massive and magnificent New York Public Library has been one of the most extensive libraries in the world. Originally funded by a large bequest from Samuel J. Tilden and a donation of $5.2 million from Andrew Carnegie, and stocked with the combined collections of the Aster and Lenox libraries, totalling 350,000 books at the time, the main library has since extended its collection to over 2 million books, as well as extensive collections of newspaper and periodical articles.
It has snowed heavily again overnight, but nonetheless, the investigators arrive shortly after the library opens and settle down to spend a morning in the huge main reading room located above the extensive stacks. At the back of the reading room, library staff busy themselves fetching books for customers using the library's unique elevator system to retrieve books sent up from the stacks below.
OOC: If you've not already rolled in the OOC thread, make a library use roll to learn more about either the Harlem Voodoo Murders or The Carlyle family (or indeed something else that you’d like to know). You have time to research one topic during the morning visit.
Successful Library Use (Voodoo Murders),You find the names of all eight victoms of "The Voodoo Killer" Hilton Adams.
[list=1]
[*]Fredrick Marshall. Body found Friday 22nd December, 1922
[*]Roberta Barlow. Murdered Monday 12th March, 1923, her body was found the following morning.
[*]Rev. Elijah A. Johnson. Murdered Wednesday 18th July, 1923
[*]Michael Conley. Disappeared Tuesday 16th October, 1923, body found Wednesday 24th October.
[*]Richard Cederecci. Murdered Sunday 21st October, 1923, body located the next morning.
[*]Victoria Post. Disappeared Saturday 19th January, 1924. Body found Tuesday 22nd.
[*]Walter Van Buskirk. Murdered Monday 12th May, 1924. Body found Tuesday 13th.
[*]Adolf Thurmond. Murdered Friday 12th September, 1924. Hilton Adams arrested at the scene.[/list]
You also learn that the [i]Harlem Voodoo Murders [/i]are so named, because each of the eight victims was ritually murdered in the same way. The bodies were mutilated, and an occult symbol of African origin was carved into each of the victims' heads. Neither the precise injuries nor the design of the occult symbol are described in the articles.
Hilton Adams was convicted of the Voodoo murders on 16th October 1924. Sentenced to death by electric chair, he is currently awaiting execution on death row at Sing Sing prison.
HARD Success on library use roll:
[spoiler]You locate articles from the dates of the murders, that include more details of the victims.
[list]
[*]Fredrick Marshall: Small time hoodlum, thought to have ties with a local numbers racket in Harlem. Very few details in the press.
[*]Roberta Barlow: Waitress at restaurant and suspected Harlem speakeasy Fat Maybelle's. Last seen leaving work, her body turned up two blocks away. Again, there are very few details in the NY press.
[*]Rev. Elijah A. Johnson, A Harlem Minister and activist who preached against immorality in Harlem. The third murder with the same MO, this finally generated more than a single paragraph in the press, although most still suspected that Rev. Johnson had been killed by local gangsters.
[*]Michael Conley: A longshoreman from the docks in the Hell's Kitchen district. Michael disappeared on a night out in Harlem, his body only turned up a week later in reeds on the bank of the East River in Queens, two days after the murder of Richard Cederecci.
[*]Richard Cederecci: reputed to have connections to Charlie Luciano, a known associate of Giuseppe "Joe The Boss" Masseria (reputedly one of NYC's most powerful mafia bosses). Body found in a back alley in Harlem the morning after he was murdered. Due to the delay finding Michael Conley's body Cederecci's corpse actually turned up first.
[*]Victoria Post: Wealthy socialite Victoria was a regular at Harlem's famous Cotton Club. Victoria's father Richard Post III offered a reward of $10,000 for information that lead to the arrest of her killer. Victoria's murder finally convinced the NYPD and the majority of the press that the Voodoo Murders were not gangland slayings, as neither her nor her family had any suspected connections to organised crime.
[*]Walter Van Buskirk: Brooklyn based private investigator Van Buskirk was murdered while visiting Harlem. Rumours in the press are that he was investigating the murder of Victoria Post.
[*]Adolf Thurmond: Wall Street stockbroker, out for the night in Harlem. Police responding to Adolf's screams found Hilton Adams standing over his fresh corpse holding a bloody knife.[/list][/spoiler]
EXTREME Success on library use roll:
[spoiler]The best coverage of the Harlem Voodoo murders appears to have been written by Rebecca Shosenburg of the New York Times. From her coverage of Adolf Thurmond's murder and the arrest and trial of Hilton Adams, you get the impression that Shosenburg believes Adams to be innocent.
Additionally you uncover an article that suggests that Walter Van Buskirk was actually investigating a missing person for a wealthy client, rather than looking to claim the reward from Victoria Post's father.[/spoiler]
Successful Library Use (The Carlyle Family),Personal privacy was more of a thing prior to World War 2, and so generally speaking it's more difficult to obtain personal histories of civilians than it would be even in the pre-internet portion of the post-war years.
However, the Carlyle family are well known and so are occasionally mentioned in the society pages of the newspapers.
The Carlyle family business has interests in transportation, munitions and international trade. Erica Carlyle is the sole heir to the family fortune since the Kenyan courts declared her brother Roger dead in 1920.
Ephaim Carlyle moved to New England from Virginia in the mid-19th Century and made sound investments in lumber and textiles, before amassing huge profits trading munitions during the Civil War.
Most public statements by Erica Carlyle appear to be made via her lawyer Bradley Grey, of the law firm Dunstan, Whittleby and Grey on West 57th Street. She never makes public statements in person, but is often seen attending galas, dinners and cocktail parties in Harlem, downtown Manhattan, Queens or at her own house in Westchester.
Photographs show that Erica Carlyle is a beautiful and fashionable lady. She always appears to be accompanied by her huge, hard looking bodyguard.
You find a few mentions of Roger Carlyle dating Hypatia Masters around a year prior to the expedition.
Additionally, you find the actual address of Carlyle House, located by the Hudson River, midway between Sleepy Hollow and Scarborough.
HARD Success on library use roll:
[spoiler]You find rumours in the gossip columns that Dr Robert Huston was treating Roger Carlyle at the time that the Carlyle Expedition was organised. Some suggested that Carlyle wanted Huston with him while abroad, to prevent the unethical Doctor spreading explosive gossip about him.
Roger Carlyle's spokesperson and bodyguard Jack "Brass" Brady was once acquitted of a murder charge in California on a technicality. Carlyle's lawyers represented Brady, who started working for Carlyle immediately after the trial.
For six months prior to the Carlyle Expedition, Roger Carlyle was dating a beautiful black lady called Nichonka Bunay. It was quite the scandal.
The Carlyle family are rumoured to have close ties to both the Irish and Jewish mafia in New York. Erica Carlyle is a close friend of bootlegger Owney Madden, owner of the Cotton Cub in Harlem and the most ruthless mobster in Hell's Kitchen. She has also done business with reputed Jewish mobster Arnold Rothstein.
Erica's bodyguard Joe Corey used to work for Owney Madden.[/spoiler]
EXTREME Success on library use roll:
[spoiler]You cannot find any details of where Roger Carlyle's girlfriend Nichonka Bunay comes from, but she was a self-styled poetess in and attended many galas and parties for a few weeks before her and Carlyle began dating.
You also find articles suggesting that both Erica Carlyle and Hypatia Masters were clients of Dr Robert Huston.[/spoiler]
Amy is bundled up against the snow and the cold, wearing a thick green coat with a matching hat and scarf, which she takes off once they get inside. She tries to research the Carlyle family, but she is too distracted by the thought of seeing Jackson again that she finds nothing she doesn't already know from her earlier research on the expedition.
Marcus has never been entirely comfortable in the library, and his attempts to find anything on The Voodoo Murders quickly become bogged down in frustration and sensational headlines.
Atauchi wasn't quite used to these New York winters yet. He set his raccoon fur coat aside and spent a good deal of time in the book stacks. His efforts, however, were in vain, and it was pretty obvious to the others that the tracker simply hadn't devoted much time to pure academic studies over the years. In spite of that, the Bolivian man still believed that he had heard something of these Voodoo Murders before.
Library Use (20%),[dice]0[/dice]
Occult (38%),[dice]1[/dice]
OOC: @Raiko You didn't specifically mention an Occult roll, but I feel like it would be appropriate with regards to the Voodoo Murders.
OOC: Just missed on the Library Use, but that's a hard success on Occult if you think it's an appropriate skill to use at this time.
Last edited by Zero on Sat Apr 13, 2019 9:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
OOC: cant we just say Nemesio Sánchez regurgitate all the information found?
Im busy over the weekend, so if anyone wants to make a summary of the clues ill appreciate this time
Atauchi recalls that the Harlem Voodoo Murders are so named, because each of the eight victims was ritually murdered in the same way. The bodies were mutilated, and an occult symbol of African origin was carved into each of the victims' heads. Neither the precise injuries nor the design of the occult symbol are described in the newspapers.
OOC:Anatomist: I don't think that you have ever stated whether you were researching the Carlyles or the murders.
(Edit: I'm assuming that Sánchez researches the Carlyle family, see the next post)
