Small's Paradise

[Rex]

Charles

Charles listens to his boss, then is startled by the yell of Where's my car. "What now?"

[Grognardsw]

Thurston waits for Rene's opinion about his mystical experience.

"Those men look suspicious," comments Thurston to Rene as they drive by. He notes the address, number and make of cars, and number of men. "They're probably the mob and I wouldn't want to tangle with them. Let's leave the address for the police in an anonymous letter with what happened? That way we avoid getting tangled up with the law."

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina

René notices the suspicious looking man and make sure to keep looking forward only observing them from the corner of his eyes and continue driving away from the location.

"I couldn't quite recognise if any of them was the assassin. Too dark." he says to Thurston "But they sure look up to no good!". He pauses for a moment and says "Anonymous letter to the police will probably never been looked at but it is sure a lot safe than going to the police to report mob activity in person. We are in New York! If you are lucky you'll get thrown directly in jail but it's quite likely that they would just take your details, tell you not to worry, send you home and you'd get a very unwelcome night visitor"

Rene continues driving, making sure to check that they are not being followed. Once they are far enough to be out of sight or at least to avoid raising any suspicion, he turns South and stops just before the next street. "What do you think?", he asks Thurston "Should we go back and have a peek around on foot right now or come back tomorrow night?" with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Waiting for Thurston response he adds "Once we've had a peek we can send the anonymous letter but I'd quite like to know what's there before either the police come or the mob cleans the place."

[OGRE MAGE]

Thurston spots at least 4 men and 2 cars, but he cant see much more than that from a distance as they pass. He is sure to look around carefully and knows he could find this place again if he had to. He doesn't get a response from his friend about the experience he felt recently, and he continues to mention that he doesn't want to end up on the wrong side of the law.

As Rene drives the stolen car past the driveway, an exceptionally large thug walks all the way to the road, watching them closely as they turn around the next corner. A glint from the mans hands reveals that he carries a metallic object in the shape of a Thompson. It becomes painfully obvious to both of the men that the were being watched, and that the protection outside the building is dangerously heavy, well beyond their means to contend with. The pair stops the car a short distance away, deciding on their next move.


Outside the club, Charlie's manager ignores the shouting about the stolen car and claps the part-time security man across his wide back. "Well Mr. Harper, we need to find some answers, and it seems to me like you are the best guy for the job. Especially if you actually witnessed the shooting. You know as well as I do that none of this mess will look very good for the club, so we need to find out what the hell this was all about."

Nodding his head along with the comments from Calvin, and actually listening to the reporter this time, the manager finally agrees with his statements. "Yes, you should definitely speak with Mr. Johnson.....and that new young fella, Leroy Turner is his name, if I remember correctly. I am sure they all scattered at the first sounds of sirens, like most people would. They probably all just went home for the evening. But they will likely be playing at old Freddy's funeral tomorrow. At least I believe that was the plan. Maybe you could find them at the funeral home?"

After several shouts and whistles are heard coming from inside, one final worker rushes out of the door yelling that the cops are taking anyone who doesn't belong here downtown for questioning. "Charlie, maybe you should take this reporter fella along with you. Someone this good at hounding folks for information has got to be a boon for any investigation." He smiles and winks at Calvin.

Actions?

[Rex]

Charlie

To Calvin, "Calvin isn't it, lets go talk a bit, maybe we can work together on this."

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

Sure. Going with Charlie sounds fine. I will follow his lead as he may be able to open more doors physically and figuretively than he can.

[Grognardsw]

Thurston notes Rene side-steps any response to his mystic experience anecdote. The businessman probably thinks the stage magician is some kind of occult nut. Thurston regrets bringing it up.

"Let's check it out tonight. We can circle back to the club and see what's going on," replies Thurston. "I think there's safety in numbers. If we had the reporter Calvin and the security muscle of Charlie, we'd be in a better position."

Thurston, not knowing this isn't Rene's car, wouldn't think to say let's walk the final couple of blocks to the club. But that is what we should do

[Ashuaps]

Rene Vezina

OK, let stop by the hotels to clean up and we'll go back to the club to see if your friend Calvin is still there. Hopefully the police will have left by then.

Rene then drive in the direction of his and Thurston hotel and go get fresh clothes not covered in blood and brain.

[OGRE MAGE]

Okay, perfect.

Let me have a Luck roll from either Thurston or Rene then, and another Luck roll form either of the two investigators still at Small's.

Thanks!

[Rex]

Charles

Luck (50) [1d100]=12

[Grognardsw]

Thurston lights a cigarette and looks out the car window. He ponders the mystic and wishes he had that flapper's phone number. He finds a piece of brain on his shirt collar.

Luck [1d100]=18

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

Out of luck, bigtime it seems.

Calvin vs Luck 65 [1d100]=94

[OGRE MAGE]

The pair of investigators in the stolen car make their way back to Thurston's hotel where he is dropped off for a quick second shower and a change of clothes. From there, they drive to Rene's place where he parks the car outside and goes in to clean himself up next. When the pair return, their stolen car is surrounded by local policemen who are pointing at all the dried blood on the seats. If the idea is to get back to the club to find Charles and Calvin, they will apparently need to look for another means of transportation. As they exit the building, they spot two of the officers headed for the front desk of the hotel.



Still outside Small's Paradise, Calvin pulls his hankie out of his pocket, sending the business card he stowed there earlier flying into the night. Luckily, Charlie is there with quick hands to keep it from blowing down the breezy alleyway. When the security man looks at the card, he gets another indication regarding tomorrows funeral.

AF5AF08F-A94D-4F53-96C7-C11054AC2D95.jpeg (18.96 KiB) Viewed 541 times

A whiter than white Irish copper with a tall rounded hat exits the back door with a billyclub in his hand and a whistle in his mouth. He blows on his whistle a few times when he sees the three men gathered there before the manager introduces himself and asks politely if he will stop making the shrill noise.

"If yer the head of security here, then who might these two lads be? Give me yer names boys, and tell me everything ya saw happen here."

Actions?

[Rex]

Charles

Charles waits for his bosses lead. If it looks like he is forth coming he will tell the cop what he saw, if he is evasive he will be as well.

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina

René quickly assess the situation, point in the opposite direction from where the car was left and say to Thurston "Let's find a cab.". René then walks towards the main road to try to hail a cab.

I didn't say anything about parking in a side street in my previous post so this is your judgement but can we assume that Rene would not have parked straight at the front door of the hotel in a way to be observed coming out of a stolen car by the clerk. If Rene finds a cab, he will give direction to be dropped a block away from the Small Paradise and approach carefully waiting for the police to leave the scene before going in to find Calvin and Charles

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

"Oh I'm just a two-bit freelancer for The Tribune and News Weekly. So there was a bit more of a sing and dance tonight I heard. I just snooped around hoping to catch the Mayor attending but no show from him then folks all start streaming out like the place is in fire.

Seems some guy got run over in the hurry outside. Got any bodies in the inside? Heard some blood got spilt from a fist fight over some dame, but no trouble. Otherwise. You had a shooting inside? Can I photo the body for the front page?

What no body? No shooting then, dead men don't just get up and walk do they?"

Calvin Beauregard 'Fast talk' skill check vs 60/30/12 [1d100]=75

He hopes the obvious nature of the last statement helps the officer see sense rather than him be riled or heckled by the flippant hack.

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina


As they walk away from the hotel looking for a cab. Rene remembers that Thurston told him something earlier and asks "What was it you were saying earlier while I was driving about seeing Manusco walking with his head blown reminded you of some other strange experience you had recently?"

[Grognardsw]

Feeling refreshed and in clean clothes, Howard Thurston strolls through the hotel lobby and meets Rene.

"A cab you say?" What's wrong with your car?"

As they motor back to Small's Paradise, Thurston is intrigued that Rene brought up his mystic experience.

“Seeing the zombie Mancuso is the second time recently I experienced something not of this world," replies Thurston. "Two weeks ago I felt what I can barely describe as a surge in the mystic parallel, an uncanny awareness of magick. It passed and did not return. I consulted many on this experience but got no answers. I wonder if Mancuso's rising from the dead is another upsetting of the occult equilibrium.”

"In case there is still a crowd, we should get dropped off a few blocks away."

[OGRE MAGE]

The more Calvin talks, the bigger the hole under him grows. Generally untrustworthy of reporters of any ilk, the police interrogators are not kind in their questioning. They hammer him and Charles with what seems like endless questions, especially after hearing that the Mayor was in attendance, but they offer no information of their own, keeping the details of what they found inside the club all to themselves.

After a good long time passes, Calvin has the cops so flustered that all they can do is allow the pair to leave. Amazingly, neither man gives up any information about the funeral they heard about happening tomorrow, and the cops don't mention it either.


With the excitement finally starting to wind down, the wealthy duo of Thurston and Rene eventually make their way back to the scene of the crime without further incident with the cops. The security manager recognizes them, so he escorts them around back where they are eventually reunited with Calvin and Charles, both men looking exhausted from their long line of questioning.

Charlie is tasked with coming up with some answers, and is told to take off from work as long as it takes to get them. "You better make yourself scarce for a while anyway, Charlie. Maybe your friends here have some ideas for investigating the situation further. I an no expert in the unnatural, so I cant say I have much else to offer, but I suppose Freddy's funeral tomorrow is as good a place to start as any. Unless any of you have another idea?"

Actions?

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

"Well I can't deny I saw what I saw, which was what you saw also. A man with his brains shot out got up and walked after some musician played a freaky tune with voodoo vibes.

Now I am no expert in such stuff but there must be a story in there somewhere, some exclusive and mystery. Besides, being that close, I would think any hitman worth his salt would come gunning for witnesses too.

Do dead men talk as well as walk? I don't want to be the first hand experience to tell you."