Friday, February 11, 1927.
Officer Gallo left the office after an additional cup of coffee, and the PIs were intrigued. The case of Annamaria Brady's dog Rover was indeed weird, and somehow there seemed as if there might be a connection between what was going on in the old warehouses by the Miskatonic River and those strange entities that apparently were working hard to retrieve the weird and disturbing jewelry that had been found on board the S/S Ladylove back in December last year. The Arkham PD may have been doing a mighty fine job, but the PIs and investigators felt that some additional friendly questioning might be in place. The jewelry was concealed under a loose stone in the very old basement that the much more modern building that housed the PI office and three other businesses, not to mention three small converted studio apartments for Cannon, Doctorow, and Lockwood.
Lockwood remained in the office, just in case, while Doctorow, Cannon, Coleridge and Madame Tekla took a trip to the Arkham PD for some additional questions regarding the case, as well as some more general inquiries. The office was warm and cozy, and Bill Lockwood soon dozed off. It was not long before his nap was haunted by horrifying images, all seemingly led by the grotesque caped figures in stovepipe hats, and an image of a gargantuan mouth devouring somebody at sea. Fortunately, Lockwood's nightmares of being devoured at sea were dissipated by the return of his dear friends. It even seemed as if the ghostly stovepipe hats had managed to enter the PI office, and Lockwood could share his impressions of the apparitions leaning down towards him, silent and menacing.
It was decided to John and Carrie Brady on 22 East Main Street, the parents of Annamaria. The investigators piled into Bessie 2 and drove off on a beautiful winter afternoon. Mrs. Brady was already entertaining a visitor, a woman from the Salvation Army, and Mrs. Brady was quite concerned, if polite. The killing of poor Rover just didn't seem, well, natural, and Mrs. Brady was worried about her daughter. However, the moves of the intrepid investigators may have been anticipated, or had they been followed? The friendly call to the Bradys ended in mayhem, though. The woman from the Salvation Army turned out to be none less than Hortensia Robinson, and she attacked Frank Cannon. Meanwhile, the stovepiped hats had appeared on the street a few houses down, and they were subverting the very minds of the investigators in general and Lockwood in particular, pitting friend against friend and testing the sanity of the investigators. Shots were fired, and the stovepipes retreated into an unseasonal mist that mysteriously appeared from the Miskatonic River. Hortensia Robinson was eventually overpowered by Frank Cannon, despite her uncanny physical strength, and she was trussed up and transported to the PI office and subsequently to a shabby motel outside Arkham. The stovepipes seemed to have escaped into a disused warehouse, and the investigators were planning a visit!
Later that Friday night, the Intrepid Investigators changed into more suitable garments: coveralls, heavy coats, and filled bags and pockets various types of equipment, including firearms. It was time to put an end to the unearthly creatures that were preying on humanity!
The Friday night was cold, but it seemed as if some of the unnatural mist was lingering around the warehouse, despite the frigid temperature. A single dim light was shining from a filthy window, and the Miskatonic waterfront, the "Old Port" was mostly silent. Even the obscure vagrants that typically frequented the Old Port seemed to have taken refuge from the biting cold. Doctorow managed to open up the door to the warehouse, and the Intrepid Investigators were met by compact silence. Some light was streaming in through dirty windows, and a car was parked almost in the middle of the building. There was what might be an office in the corner and a top floor or landing with various crates. The Intrepid Investigators stepped in quietly, securing the top floor and then splitting up, with some of the investigators proceeding to the upper landing. One of the boxes did contain an impressive amount of cash, and this was confiscated by the investigators to cover any charges incurred.
As the Intrepid Investigators entered the office, the quiet was shattered. The stovepipes had apparently prepared an ambush. What were these creatures? Were they even human? The issue was solved when Madame Tekla opened up with her Springfield rifle, hitting one of the stovepipes in the head, and clearly proving their mortality. It was touch-and-go, though, as the investigators proved vulnerable to the mind-control powers of the remaining stovepipe, pitting the investigators against each other with grevious bodily damge as a result. However, the awesome bitch-slapping power of Bessie Coleridge proved decisive, and the investgigators snapped out of their possessed states long enough to take down. The remaining stovepipe.
Madame Tekla ready for action!
Beware of Bessie!
But what about that trapdoor in the office? Did it lead down to the Miskatonic River itself? And what about that sloshing sound. The investigators had all firearms at the ready as they opened the trapdoor, sonly to see a staircase and a gigantic horror of indescribable proportions in the beams of their flashlights! Several rounds were fired, but the unanimous decision was to slap the trapdoor shut, pile furniture on top of it and leave the premises with utmost haste.
Epilogue: Sunday, February 13. The PIs and investigators at the office of Professor Harold De Winter together with Professor Henry Armitage, Head of the Orne Library at the Miskatonic Univerity.
"I warned you! Death or worse! You were incredibly lucky!" Professor De Winter was almost scolding the investigators after their horrifying experiences.
"All of this, and Hortensia Robinson escaped. It was however interesting that she apparently changed her name from DeLuca to Robinson. She's related to both the Saunders family and to the old man Waite himself." Doctorow was fidgeting with his strax hat. He had to get a new one. This one was starting to look suspiciously ratty.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Miskatonic University will gladly become the custodian of the jewelry that seems to be causing so much trouble in and around Arkham. The jewelry will be safe from various other... interested parties. Trust me on that one. Meanwhile, perhaps you should all take some time and recuperate after this mess, and then leave Arkham for a bit. I know that the Ashford fgamily estate will welcome you as guests again, thanks to Mr. Cannon's connections. I also have a favor to ask. Would you be able to attend a meeting for me? It takes place in New York, but I am afraid that I cannot go myself." Armitage handed an envelope to Brad Doctorow.
Dear Professor Armitage,
I am happy to inform you that the next meeting of the Arbiter's Society will take place on March 15, 1927. The meeting will be held at Happy Harry's Bar, conveniently located behind Mushnik's Flower Shop on the corner of 15th Street and 9th Avenue. RSVP before February 30 to "Jolly Roger".
