Tuesday, February 2, 1926, had been a busy day for the intrepid investigators. They had spent time in various libraries and speakeasies trying to find information about what the deal was with the inheritance of one Prudence V. Van Wyck, a supposedly charming old lady with what seemed to be a very dark private life. Her inheritance, or rather her library, had been the focus of the mystical Arbiter in a bizarre Monday evening event that decided that Prudence's daughter, Veronica Van Wyck, was to inherit the library. The representatives of her brother, Walther Van Wyck, had objected strongly, and shots were fired in the dingy bar called Happy Harry's.
As the investigators woke up on a snowy Tuesday morning, they were considering taking the train back to Arkham and forgetting about the entire situation. It did turn out, though, that Jules had secured a key from a small-time crook and part-time friend, Slimy Mike Polvo, a burglar of some repute that broke into Prudence's enormous apartment on top of the Providence Milton Hotel on Park Avenue and East 66th Street, just opposite the Park Avenue Armory. Polvo claimed that he was working for someone, but he had only just heard that
the apartment was empty. It was, but Polvo was freaked out by the weirdness of
the apartment, and only grabbed some jewelry, and the key, which was in a
jewelry box. Polvo sold the jewelry to a fence, Mo Spiegelman down in the
Bowery, but kept the key, although it seemed as if the key was poisoning Slimy Mike Polvo. As it turned out, the key seems to have been made out of Cobalttorium-G, a metal that the investigators knew all too well as a conduit for cosmic energies. The investigators decided to send Polvo out of New York, and he was more than happy to visit relatives in New Jersey. This was most fortunate, since a bunch of hoodlums led by Walther Van Wyck entered Speigelman's pawn shop later that day. and Walther started questioning Mo Spiegelman, and Spiegelman did tell Walther that Polvo sold him Prudence’s jewelry, but only after
Walther’s thugs broke his limbs. Walther’s thugs were apparently led by Donnie Buttafuco, a legendary muscle-for-hire.
Buttafuco
All this was found out by Felix Jeremiah, who'd even visited the hospital were Spiegelman was recuperating. Meanwhile, Mackie delved into the Columbia University Library, Jules spent the day at NYU, and Lake at the NYPL. As the investigators started comparing notes later that evening, several things were noted:
- Veronica van Wyck was actually not the magic-wielding femme fatale as portrayed at Happy Harry's. She is
an academic, an author, and bibliophile, albeit gorgeous. She doesn’t believe
in the occult, but she is fascinated by it, and realizes the power of the occult as
a phenomenon.
- Walther Van Wyck is both a ridiculously greedy lowlife and a real crook. Only connections have kept him out of prison.
- Prudence Van Wyck is the scion of an offshoot of the reputable Van Wyck family of
New York. The main line will however not recognize Prudence, who was incredibly popular
in New York, but not with her family. Walther and Veronica also do
not have a disclosed father.
The Waldorf Astoria on 34th Street
Mackie's suite.
The investigators eventually made it to bed after a champagne-fuelled late night discussion regarding what to do next. Next morning, as Jules woke up, he reached for the New York Times and perused the newspaper as he sipped on a Prairie Oyster. An interesting article did catch his eye:
MOBSTER GIRLFRIEND BATTLES NYPD-----------------------------------
Miss Cora Yankowski, often mentioned as the girlfriend of suspected mobster Mr. Donald Buttafuco, was apprehended by seven members of the New York Police Department after Miss Yankowski furiously attacked two police officers patrolling Park Avenue. The attack took place just outside the Park Avenue Armory, and Miss Yankowski was in such a crazed state that it took seven officers to hold her down before transportation arrived. According to officer Brinkley, "The lady must have been either stark raving mad or abusing some form of chemical. I have never seen anything like it." Officer Brinkley suffered several lacerations and a torn off ear, while Sergeant Kirchbaum had both of his legs broken in several locations by the miscreant.
Miss Yankowski after having been arrested by the NYPD.
