Sunday, Feb. 1, 1925
Ready to leave New York City behind, the investigators decide what to bring with them to London, shop, pack, and catch the S.S. Resolute across the Atlantic on Tex's dime.
Speaking of Tex's dime...the gang is also now joined by James Monroe Pyle, an honest law man, whose work in solving murders in Osage County caught the attention of the government, and he's now been sent (by both Tex and J. Edgar Hoover) along with the investigators to help in any way he can. He has a huge wad of British pounds that Tex entrusted to him.
Almost the whole gang spends the duration of this boat ride to Southampton absorbed in evil books. Each comes away with horrible, arcane knowledge, and a strange, new awareness of the universe which makes their guts tighten a little more.
In London, Tex's secretary has set the investigator's up at the Ritz, on the west side of town, just north of Buckingham Palace, across Green Park. Tex also sent along a car and driver--a very capable woman from Boston named Suzie.
Once settled in, the investigators go first to see a certain Mickey Mahoney, the Irish cigar-chomping editor of a cheap London paper called The Scoop. Mickey knew Elias Jackson, and is very saddened to hear about his death. Mickey does not entirely know why Elias left London in such a hurry, but he says that Elias was interested in three specific stories that The Scoop published.
Mickey digs up the three stories and hands them over. He thinks he might have written all these, but also might have just borrowed some from other London rags, and maybe even embellished a few. He does so many stories like this that he honestly can't remember. Mickey says that he will help the gang however he can.
Meanwhile, Suzie drove several of the investigators past the Penhew Foundation for a first look. The Penhew Foundation for Egyptian research occupies a Victorian building just north of Soho, so it only has two floors (fewer than the others around it), but each floor is tall and covered in ornate detail, even on the outside. There's a tall black gate that closes off the sides and back of the building from the public. A delivery truck is parked outside the front, and Sullie tries persuading the delivery man that he works there, but the delivery guy doesn't buy it. The investigators drive away, deciding to form some plans before making another move.
Almost the whole gang spends the duration of this boat ride to Southampton absorbed in evil books. Each comes away with horrible, arcane knowledge, and a strange, new awareness of the universe which makes their guts tighten a little more.
Once settled in, the investigators go first to see a certain Mickey Mahoney, the Irish cigar-chomping editor of a cheap London paper called The Scoop. Mickey knew Elias Jackson, and is very saddened to hear about his death. Mickey does not entirely know why Elias left London in such a hurry, but he says that Elias was interested in three specific stories that The Scoop published.
Meanwhile, Suzie drove several of the investigators past the Penhew Foundation for a first look. The Penhew Foundation for Egyptian research occupies a Victorian building just north of Soho, so it only has two floors (fewer than the others around it), but each floor is tall and covered in ornate detail, even on the outside. There's a tall black gate that closes off the sides and back of the building from the public. A delivery truck is parked outside the front, and Sullie tries persuading the delivery man that he works there, but the delivery guy doesn't buy it. The investigators drive away, deciding to form some plans before making another move.
No comments:
Post a Comment