ash

Part 3

Lord Waverly McIvor (Dave) finally met our investigators. After comparing notes about the strange film they watched they decided to visit Scotland Yard to re identify the body of Miss Petra Rauch the German film actress. Also McIvor is curious about the film he saw and the suspicious circumstances of the film stars death.
They realise that the body is not the same woman they met at the bar the previous afternoon. An impostor? Who was that? While in the morgue a black slug like creature exits from the diseased Miss Rauchs nose. The formless fragment jumps and runs for cover only to be trapped at the last minute by Hilda with a jam jar.

Experts are brought in. They take it to the Natural History Museum. The curator examines it for 3 hours and feels slightly deranged afterward only to announce he's never seen anything like it but it certainly isn't of the slug family. One more thing, it can be destroyed and damaged by fire and some chemicals, lime and morphine. Hilda takes it to a friend of her landlady's, a Druid who happens to be in London. Robert the Druid exclaims he's never seen anything like it but he senses something dark and not of this world. He suggests borrowing it and burying it at Stone Henge to see what might happen but Hilda thinks this is a bad idea.

During this time Lord Waverly McIvor joins the curator of the museum at his London club The Groucho. Here they drink port, whiskey and smoke cigars. Waverley networks with the gents of the club. The curator admits that the formless fragment really upset him and while he was examining it he felt an overwhelming sense of dread and despair wash over him. Something unexplainable to his person.

Meanwhile our Canadian reporter Garrison Baker is on the case. He stalls his peers at the Canadian press office in Paris regarding his write up for Nightmare in Silence and tells them he needs more time to think about the film. He looks into who made the film. He tries to contact the films director Karl Werner who works for Oberhirn Film Aktien in Frankfurt. He gets through to the secetary via long distance telephone call but is told Herr Werner is in a meeting so he leaves a message.

Later that evening they all meet up at The Gargoyle Club and order the special The Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. They notice one of the Bright Young Things (London's debauched youth) drinking at the bar and slowly getting sloshed. On interviewing him they find him to be quite tipsy. He reveals that Micheal Compton a key figure of The Bright Young Things held a party a few nights ago which Petra attended upstairs at The Gargoyle. This was the last time any of The Bright Young Things who left the party around 10pm saw her. Our drunk suspects foul play and spills the beans saying Micheal Compton is an elitist and a confidence trickster not only that he's heavily into the occult. He is bitter about never being invited to Mr Comptons late night wild parties and blames it on his lack of schooling. When asked who the closest persons to Micheal are he answers "The Devil. Micheal doesn't have friends, only people that benefit him or worship him or can be used in some way". He also tells them Mr Compton has residence at Primrose Hill, countless sex theatres and a residence underground somewhere in the city, but no one knows where that is.
The Roast Beefs are polished off. The waiter is interrogated heavily about a great deal of things regarding the club and Micheal Compton. He doesn't know a lot other than Mr Compton is a regular party organiser and loyal patron of The Gargoyle.

Nearly forget to mention. Hilda and Waverly sell the drunk guy some invisible cocaine available for collection tomorrow at Treadwells bookstore for over 100 pounds. He hands over the money without question. It remains to be seen if this transaction will be completed in full.

On with the investigations.

Laird Waverly decides to visit Brilliant Chang at Limehouse as the other two investigators were thrown out last night. He meets Chang for the first time and his penny for the guy lookouts (Street urchins). Waverley enjoys a pipe and listens to Changs story telling to the gang of kids. "And in the end it was all back to normal as Jack Cade was hung drawn and quartered. The End". The kids leave Chang and the warehouse and go back to spy for him out on the streets of London.
Waverly learns from the Brilliant Chang that Micheal Compton is his dealer for Cocaine at the Gargoyle Club amongst The Bright Young Things. If he can't be found at Primrose Hill he is likely to be in his underground residence. Chang doesn't let on to where this might be but he talks in riddles and says "Remember the 17th Century".

Oh nearly forgot to mention. Waverly scores a whole shoe box of stuff from Brilliant Chang for 200 pounds. To be used for financial security only.

Meanwhile Garrison Baker had literally dashed over to the British Library at Kings Cross and caught it within an hour of closing. He quickly researches two leads. The first being the public records for Micheal Compton.
Micheal Compton served in the Great War in 1916. Before that he was an undergraduate of Cambridge and had a property in London, Blackheath Manor.

Garrison researches local landmarks further, Blackheath and any connections with Jack Cade. Jack Cade was a rebel who gathered an army at Blackheath Common in the 17th Century and marched on the capitol only to be later killed by Parliament. He also had an underground cavern under Blackheath. It was accessible in Victorian times in the last Century but has since been sealed by local councilpersons.

Here is a photo from the archives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Black ... averns.png


Load those revolvers and crossbows people. The hunt is afoot.

Part 4

Our investigators Garrison Baker and Laird Waverly get tooled up at The Lion Inn with sawn of shotguns and hand grenades from Fred the weapons bloke.

They meet an egotistical private investigator called Pierre Houlteroc who has been hired by Brilliant Chang to find his nephew who has recently disappeared whilst trying to track down Micheal Compton.
Changs nephew was last known to enter the Blackheath Manor that is up for sale near the Common.

Pierre Houlteroc the famous Belgium detective asks the investigators to join him in the hunt for Changs nephew as he knows they are trying to find Micheal Compton. Monsieur Houlteroc believes Micheal Compton murdered Petra Rauch and has returned with his cronies to his underground residence beneath Blackheath. It is here Changs nephew had gone by entrance through the house Blackheath Manor. Changs nephew is chasing Micheal Compton for drug money incidentally.

Our investigators make their way in the pouring rain and cold to the house.
Monsieur Pierre has a key and enters first. The house is old, dark, damp and in disrepair.
The living room has an unusual amount of Catholic religious artifacts aligning the walls and mantelpiece. There is a radio that hums with static even though it's not plugged in to any power source.
The Dining room smells of old cheese or rotting socks. On the table there are 3 places set for dinner with cutlery and plates, all unused. There is a cooking pot with a lid in the centre of the table. The smell is coming from here. On lifting the lid, they finally find the pot to be empty and the smell resides.

They hear footsteps and a bang from upstairs.

Upstairs they find a bathtap dripping in the bathroom. It can't be turned off.

In one of the upstairs bedrooms they suddenly witness a trickle of blood dripping from the sealing and forming a pool on the floor. Then the image disappears. San checks are made and passed. Monsieur Houlteroc is freaking out hunched in a corner of the landing.

The window pane rattles. Someone is tapping at the window to be let in. A pair of human hands can be seen hanging on to the window ledge from outside. Going closer to investigate the hands disappear as if fallen down. Suddenly a bed comes flying from behind and smashes Laird Waverly through the window pane knocking him from the upstairs level to the garden ground below. A hard thunk and Waverly is unconscious for a good 40 minutes before his fellows manage to perform top notch first aid and have him on a ripe road to recovery. After this the great Pierre Houlteroc gets cold feet and says he must return to his office and report to Brilliant Chang to tell him that his nephew is no longer at Blackheath Manor. The case is closed as far as he is concerned. Our investigators express their anger at this cowardice and say good riddance to his pontificating.

After a quick recce of the remaining rooms downstairs the investigators find a diary of Micheal Compton in a barricaded cupboard along with a copy of fly fishing by JR Hartley and a script for Nightmare in Silence. There is also a stuffed piranha fish in the bottom of the cupboard. Laird Waverly skewers it just in case.

The investigators read the diary and learn that before the great war Micheal Compton and a Cambridge friend found an entrance to Jack Cade's Cavern in the woods one day while out walking. The entrance was via an old triangular folly somewhere.

Collecting thoughts our heroes finally decide to brave the basement to see what other secrets may lurk below.

That's all for now. But what of Hilda?