This day started off with more progress immediately. After breakfast, we met up at Collin's speakeasy and learned that his contact Fitzy confirmed that Terry Cole was a whiskey runner from Canada operating out of Boston most recently. He had been to jail for a time but escaped during some transport accident. The morning press reported on the death of both Ward and the police officer Evans. The burial was scheduled for Wednesday morning.
While at Ringo's place planning out our day, Young called and made plans to meet us tonight at 8 at Velma's Diner. Max and I went off to Revere to visit the library again to look into Hazeal's death further. Talked to the Librarian, Robert, again and were directed to the archives of local papers from the time of his death. Several hours of research and Max and I uncovered some interesting references. Before dying, Hazeal often spoke of "terrible veined Indians". My own research confirms that several Indian tribes were known to marked themselves up with tribal tattoos that often carried symbolic meaning. More notably, we uncovered an article that confirmed the death of Terry Cole from 1922! I swear though that Cole was there in that car two nights ago.
We drove back midday and met up with the rest of the guys and headed back to Miskatonik University for more research. Collin learned that the local crime lord of Acton was a guy named, Josiah Evans - definitely a relative of the dead cop. This was getting sticky especially if the Terry Cole imposter wasworking for Evans. Ward's office held a book with references to burned Indian tattoos - On Indian Human Sacrifice. We found articles on Cole's escape from the transport on his way to the Arkham Asylum. If his body was found a few weeks after the accident in the crash area, who was the Terry Cole I saw? we packed up the remaining items in the office and left to meet Wilbur Young. Hopefully he would have information we could use to get this material straight.
At 7:45, Young was already seated in the back of the diner in a booth with enough seating for all of us. I did notice a well dressed man, watching and facing the booth. Oddly wearing gloves inside while eating. I determined to create a reason to get up in a few minutes and approach him. for now, I settled in at the table next to the booth to learn what I could from Young.
Young was determined not to get us involved, insisted he had tried to forget everything and was leaving town himself. He confirmed Cole's death but said somehow his body was being "used" by "them" His rantings got stranger and stranger when he spoke of an Indian artifact stumbled upon by Ward while on site in Virginia. He brought the club-like weapon back to the University and gave it to Professor Dunham in biology to study the carvings on the artifact. Apparently, a cult called the "Black Hand" began hounding Ward, Dunham and others. Cole was part of the cult. To learn more about Cole, Young insisted we go see his tailor. We showed him a picture of the tree, that he confirmed was in Virginia and said it was dangerous - if we see it, destroy it. He said Prisca was dead and they wanted to use her as a vessel. His nervousness peaked and he insisted on leaving after already saying too much.
The man at the bar told me to get lost when I talked to him and he then got up and left, and Collin confirmed there were a couple of guys waiting in a parked car outside. We watched as Young walked off. Unwilling to wait around for the tails in the car to act, Ringo went outside and suddenly a shotgun blast smashed the area. I hoped Ringo was alright but during the chaos, I scrambled into the back ignoring the blast of another shotgun shell. Another window smashed in - Adam and Chuck were both heading in that direction - I hoped they weren't victims. I grabbed two knives and followed Collin out the back door of the kitchen,
By the time I made my way around the building, Collin was behind my car, taking shots at someone while I could see Ringo on his butt right behind the door to a car with the shotgun thug right there! What was he doing so close?! The second car began driving away, so I hopped into my car with Collin to pursue. Ringo's calls for our attention though forced me to change my mind. Collin was pissed but Ringo needed our attention. The trunk of the car contained a satchel and a briefcase, but the remains of the shotgun thug were spayed across the front seat. Must have been a precise shot from Collin. The rest of the group was still inside, Chuck took a shot to the shoulder and Adam one in the chest but it looks like Max was quick to tend to them. We gathered up what we could and regrouped at the Safehouse before the cops could arrive.
What on earth have we stumbled into??
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
September 12th, 1925
Low key day today. Spent the morning at services, then finished reading that book from Ward's office. Nothing spectacular but there are some passages marked about servants leaving the Roanoke colony to live with the Indians.
The guys headed over to the Rosewood Park in Chelsea but found nothing and Ringo visited Wilbur Young again only to find him absent. He apparently left a note with instructions to contact us.
Hopefully tomorrow will lend itself to more progress.
The guys headed over to the Rosewood Park in Chelsea but found nothing and Ringo visited Wilbur Young again only to find him absent. He apparently left a note with instructions to contact us.
Hopefully tomorrow will lend itself to more progress.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
September 11th, 1925
I awoke this morning hoping things would be less strange a day removed. Over a brief breakfast at the diner, Ringo determined that at least one of the keys was similar to those used at Miskatonic University, while another was to some sort of lock box or desk drawer. The Colonial Flintlock was from the late 17th century, usable and would probably carry a hefty pricetag to the right buyer.
No surprise but the local Acton Gazette made no mention of the dead police officer - of the fire for that matter. About 20 minutes back towards Arkham, we realized that perhaps the policeman was in possession of the notebook with our names. We were pretty sure that the dead officer was the man that took our information. We debated back and forth the merits of trying to return to the site and retrieve the book, maybe dispose of the body or other extremes. I, for one, thought it was worth the risk. We drove back, dropped Collin and Chuck off and Adam, Max, Ringo and I looped back to a dirt road off Main Street with the intention of returning after about 30 minutes. We headed back to the pick up point twice and they weren't there. Our anxiety amped up when a Sherrif's car passed but on the third attempt, Chuck and Collin were there with the notebook. It contained our names and other routine police reports. Apparently, the police arrived while they were there but a well-timed dive into the nearby barn allowed them to slip away while they examined the dead officer's body. they insisted no prints or evidence was left behind. We promptly decided to incinerate the book as soon as we arrived at the University.
We visited Mason Ward's office. The door was locked but the one of the keys fit perfectly. Turning the office over, we located a worn folder containing two maps of colonial Virginia with notes about the Roanoke Colony. Additionally a list of about 24 colonists were in the folder. A note in the top corner of the list referenced a basement storage room with a box number. We located the box and it contained a note directed at us to find his last student. Back to Ward's office, we discovered the name of his last graduate student, Wilbur Young. He was a Class of '23 graduate with an MA in History. Records indicated he lived at 17 Maple Street right here in Arkham. A second look around the room and clearly this guy was a Roanoke enthusiast. There are woodcut images and books about the lost colony. I grabbed one book in particular, The Roanoke Event, since it was heavily dogeared.
A quick walk over to Maple Street took us to Young's home. The visit was quick. When we told him about Ward's death, he and his wife were distraught. He insisted they would need time before they could talk further. Unhappy but realizing we had little options, we walked back to the University. A phone call to the Acton County Hospital followed and the nurse on duty told us that no arrangements had been made by the Ward family. The coroner was scheduled to visit tomorrow. We could learn more after.
The letter in the basement of the University contained a curious PS to learn more about Hazeal. The name Hazeal appeared on the Death Certificate in the safe of Ward's house. He was a librarian in Revere and was buried in Malden - dead two years. We decided visiting the Revere Library might help. The long drive to Revere was pretty quiet - I think we were all focusing on the whirlwind of the last 36 hours. The current librarian recalled little about Hazeal. He was found at the bottom of his stairs - victim of an apparent fall - he was babbling a word "Sencamo". I immediately recognized the name as an Indian Chief of the Powhatan tribe in Virginia. Another strange connection here. What connection did Hazeal have to Ward? The library was closing so we were unable to locate newspapers around the date of his death. We would have to return on Monday. His gravesite in Malden offered no clues so we made the long drive back to Arkham, having assembled no further pieces of the puzzle but uncovering even more confusion.
I just finished reading through that book after an evening at Collin's speakeasy. It talks quite a bit about escaped slaves that went over to the Indians. It focuses around the common theory about the missing colony - that they didn't simply disappear but rather abandoned the site. The most common probable destination was Hatteras Island - known to them as Croatoan Island. Talk about cannibalism among the colonists is unsettling but nothing knew. The book doesn't seem to shed anything knew on the issues. Nothing left to do but sleep. Tomorrow after services, I will head to the library and read the book more thoroughly, maybe there is more here in his notes.
No surprise but the local Acton Gazette made no mention of the dead police officer - of the fire for that matter. About 20 minutes back towards Arkham, we realized that perhaps the policeman was in possession of the notebook with our names. We were pretty sure that the dead officer was the man that took our information. We debated back and forth the merits of trying to return to the site and retrieve the book, maybe dispose of the body or other extremes. I, for one, thought it was worth the risk. We drove back, dropped Collin and Chuck off and Adam, Max, Ringo and I looped back to a dirt road off Main Street with the intention of returning after about 30 minutes. We headed back to the pick up point twice and they weren't there. Our anxiety amped up when a Sherrif's car passed but on the third attempt, Chuck and Collin were there with the notebook. It contained our names and other routine police reports. Apparently, the police arrived while they were there but a well-timed dive into the nearby barn allowed them to slip away while they examined the dead officer's body. they insisted no prints or evidence was left behind. We promptly decided to incinerate the book as soon as we arrived at the University.
We visited Mason Ward's office. The door was locked but the one of the keys fit perfectly. Turning the office over, we located a worn folder containing two maps of colonial Virginia with notes about the Roanoke Colony. Additionally a list of about 24 colonists were in the folder. A note in the top corner of the list referenced a basement storage room with a box number. We located the box and it contained a note directed at us to find his last student. Back to Ward's office, we discovered the name of his last graduate student, Wilbur Young. He was a Class of '23 graduate with an MA in History. Records indicated he lived at 17 Maple Street right here in Arkham. A second look around the room and clearly this guy was a Roanoke enthusiast. There are woodcut images and books about the lost colony. I grabbed one book in particular, The Roanoke Event, since it was heavily dogeared.
A quick walk over to Maple Street took us to Young's home. The visit was quick. When we told him about Ward's death, he and his wife were distraught. He insisted they would need time before they could talk further. Unhappy but realizing we had little options, we walked back to the University. A phone call to the Acton County Hospital followed and the nurse on duty told us that no arrangements had been made by the Ward family. The coroner was scheduled to visit tomorrow. We could learn more after.
The letter in the basement of the University contained a curious PS to learn more about Hazeal. The name Hazeal appeared on the Death Certificate in the safe of Ward's house. He was a librarian in Revere and was buried in Malden - dead two years. We decided visiting the Revere Library might help. The long drive to Revere was pretty quiet - I think we were all focusing on the whirlwind of the last 36 hours. The current librarian recalled little about Hazeal. He was found at the bottom of his stairs - victim of an apparent fall - he was babbling a word "Sencamo". I immediately recognized the name as an Indian Chief of the Powhatan tribe in Virginia. Another strange connection here. What connection did Hazeal have to Ward? The library was closing so we were unable to locate newspapers around the date of his death. We would have to return on Monday. His gravesite in Malden offered no clues so we made the long drive back to Arkham, having assembled no further pieces of the puzzle but uncovering even more confusion.
I just finished reading through that book after an evening at Collin's speakeasy. It talks quite a bit about escaped slaves that went over to the Indians. It focuses around the common theory about the missing colony - that they didn't simply disappear but rather abandoned the site. The most common probable destination was Hatteras Island - known to them as Croatoan Island. Talk about cannibalism among the colonists is unsettling but nothing knew. The book doesn't seem to shed anything knew on the issues. Nothing left to do but sleep. Tomorrow after services, I will head to the library and read the book more thoroughly, maybe there is more here in his notes.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
September 10th, 1925
Charles, Adam, Max, Ringo and I were spending the evening blowing off some steam in Collin's speakeasy. Lots to talk about, but I was more concerned with the upcoming Davis Cup match between the US and France. Collin kept insisting we put some money down on the US and he is after all a criminal so perhaps he knows as much about gambling as liquor.
George Baker, one of the maintenance men at the university, came it to talk to Ringo and sadly it sounds like one of their colleagues was in a bad house fire and he was in the hospital asking for Ringo. So we drove out to the Acton County Hospital. Its a long drive in Baker and Ringo's trucks but we got there in less than an hour. Turns out, this guy, Mason, is worse than we feared and may not make it. Ringo went in to see him and came out a bit later. He gave Ringo a key and told him to retrieve some stuff in a basement safe and he "would know what to do."
As we pulled into his house, the fire department was leaving. The house was completely shelled - looked like the remains of a Great War building in France. We found some drag marks that led into the woods, maybe a sled or tractor? The basement required us to pry off a padlock to get access and Ringo and Max headed inside. A bit later, they come back out with a bunch of silver certificates, a ring with four keys, a deringer pistol and several news clippings and photos. Ringo has no idea what to do... there are some references to people we haven't heard of and places like Rosewood Park that we've never visited. Of course then the police showed up.
They asked us a bunch of questions - we lied naturally - asking us about Mason's last words and Goodness do they reek of alcohol. Ringo told them it was a lantern fire but why was he using that fuel source? that explains the smell coming from the house itself. The cops took our names and sent us on our way.
On the way into town, we were being tailed so we pulled into the diner and I was positive one of the men in the tail was Terry Cole - the same guy identified in one of the pictures. There is a local tailor maybe we will check that out in the morning since the picture mentioned that he had a bad tailor. We rented a couple of rooms at a nearby motel and went on foot back to the house - something strange about those police being there and their questions - besides this is getting stranger by the minute and not knowing what to do with the stuff Mason left for Ringo is driving us crazy.
The area around the house was quiet but there was still one cop car there it seemed empty. We followed the tree line around the house to the barn, followed the tracks into the woods to a clearing - he was chopping down trees - probably just clearing land for fuel and the tracks were just something he was carrying the wood back in. We were startled by the sudden arrival of Daisy, Mason's dog! Fortunately it recognized Ringo so no barking or worry.
Back at the house, Ringo and Collin went to the squad car and Ringo followed some prints into the basement while Collin stayed with the car. Unfortunately, turns out the officer was dead laying at the foot of the bulkhead stairs. Pretty bad head wound. It occurred to us quickly that they might be framing us for this - we wiped down everything we could and got the hell out of there. Fortunately the walk back to the motel was uneventful and now we have Daisy to accompany us. At the end of the long day, we were grateful to have rented the rooms here in Acton. Tomorrow is a new day and we'll have to figure out what we are going to do next.
George Baker, one of the maintenance men at the university, came it to talk to Ringo and sadly it sounds like one of their colleagues was in a bad house fire and he was in the hospital asking for Ringo. So we drove out to the Acton County Hospital. Its a long drive in Baker and Ringo's trucks but we got there in less than an hour. Turns out, this guy, Mason, is worse than we feared and may not make it. Ringo went in to see him and came out a bit later. He gave Ringo a key and told him to retrieve some stuff in a basement safe and he "would know what to do."
As we pulled into his house, the fire department was leaving. The house was completely shelled - looked like the remains of a Great War building in France. We found some drag marks that led into the woods, maybe a sled or tractor? The basement required us to pry off a padlock to get access and Ringo and Max headed inside. A bit later, they come back out with a bunch of silver certificates, a ring with four keys, a deringer pistol and several news clippings and photos. Ringo has no idea what to do... there are some references to people we haven't heard of and places like Rosewood Park that we've never visited. Of course then the police showed up.
They asked us a bunch of questions - we lied naturally - asking us about Mason's last words and Goodness do they reek of alcohol. Ringo told them it was a lantern fire but why was he using that fuel source? that explains the smell coming from the house itself. The cops took our names and sent us on our way.
On the way into town, we were being tailed so we pulled into the diner and I was positive one of the men in the tail was Terry Cole - the same guy identified in one of the pictures. There is a local tailor maybe we will check that out in the morning since the picture mentioned that he had a bad tailor. We rented a couple of rooms at a nearby motel and went on foot back to the house - something strange about those police being there and their questions - besides this is getting stranger by the minute and not knowing what to do with the stuff Mason left for Ringo is driving us crazy.
The area around the house was quiet but there was still one cop car there it seemed empty. We followed the tree line around the house to the barn, followed the tracks into the woods to a clearing - he was chopping down trees - probably just clearing land for fuel and the tracks were just something he was carrying the wood back in. We were startled by the sudden arrival of Daisy, Mason's dog! Fortunately it recognized Ringo so no barking or worry.
Back at the house, Ringo and Collin went to the squad car and Ringo followed some prints into the basement while Collin stayed with the car. Unfortunately, turns out the officer was dead laying at the foot of the bulkhead stairs. Pretty bad head wound. It occurred to us quickly that they might be framing us for this - we wiped down everything we could and got the hell out of there. Fortunately the walk back to the motel was uneventful and now we have Daisy to accompany us. At the end of the long day, we were grateful to have rented the rooms here in Acton. Tomorrow is a new day and we'll have to figure out what we are going to do next.
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