 |
The Dalmas Affair
|
|
PART ONE
|
|
Back In New York No sooner had we arrived back in New York than we knew trouble was brewing. The society pages were full of a series of high profiles robberies, four in total, which had happened in the last few weeks just as the New York season had really begun. Our associates in the alcohol business were also in the news. A series of gun battles had seen Manhattan explode into mob violence as a new outfit tried to gain a foothold in Manhattan’s underworld. Speakeasies, haulage companies and warehouses run by both the Italian and the Irish mobs had all been brutally attacked. Closer to home, John Dalmas had gone missing while working on a case for Trent Duxford Investigations Inc. He had been taken on under recommendation from Violets M’Gee a Manhattan homicide detective and close friend of Trent.  NYC THE BIG APPLE The Society Robberies There have been four robberies in total. Each involved theft of a single, highly valued article of jewellery at a society event. There was never any violence and only once was a weapon shown or discharged. Only three of them have been reported in the press. 1. An expensive necklace stolen at a recital in Central Park. 2. A diamond watch at a movie premiere at Times Square. 3. A tiara outside a fifth avenue restaurant. Willy Peters the editor at Irma's magazine "The Chronicle" knew of a fourth robbery too, but a request out of the Mayors' office told Hurst and all other newspaper proprietors not to publish. At the opening night of "Music Man" on Broadway a jade necklace was snatched from the neck of a Lady companion of a society man Lindley Paul. A tall Negro fired one shot into the air from his .45 and then snatched the necklace from the lady and sped off in a distinctive red Bugatti sports car. The lady was later found to be Mrs Phillip Courtney Prendergast. Mr Prendergast is rich even by New York society standards and one of the few people with enough money and influence to tell Hurst what to do. He is a millionaire, which in the early 1920s, is immensely rich.  MRS COURTNEY PRENERGAST The society pages editor at the Chronicle, Veronica Davenport, pointed out that he had a priceless collection of Fei Tsui jade. This necklace was the prize exhibit of his collection, valued at $120,000 by insurers but was actually irreplaceable. Fei Tsui jade has been mined out and there is no source of comparable quality Jade anywhere in the world. This robbery was different from the other three. This was the only case of any kind of threat made to the robbery victim and the only one to involve a firearm. The robbery, far from being invisible and disappearing into the crowd with the stolen prize, was most distinctive and made a show of driving away in a very distinctive manner. The perpetrator was known to Manhattan PD. He had a very long list of misdemeanors and went by the name of Lou Lid. He has been muscle for hire for nearly every crime boss in New York. It had to a tip-off from within the Manhattan Police Department.  JADE NECKLACE Trent and Irma interviewed the two policemen, Officers Nielsen and Phillips, who were escorting Lindley Paul and his companion. Even before the curtain went they had arranged to have the couple leave via a rear exit only used for deliveries and props. They were to access Lindley Paul's roadster via a narrow alley at the rear of the theatre. However, as soon as they entered the alley Lou Lid was waiting for them. Lou Lid is nearly always accompanied by his accomplice Fuente, a Mexican with an unfortunate body odor problem, but on this occasion seemed to be acting alone.   LOU LID & MANOLO FUENTE John Dalmas' Latest Assignment Dalmas kept meticulous notes and in his absence these were most ably retrieved by Trent's attractive secretary Janey Raymond. He had been approached by Violets M'Gee to take on a most discreet job escorting Lindley Paul as he made a pay-off of $10,000.00 to recover the stolen jade necklace for his companion Mrs Phillip Courtney Prendergast. Dalmas' notes intimated that he disliked Lindley Paul whom he regarded as the worst kind of womanising heel. He also wrote that he was most uncomfortable with the whole arrangement. The pay-off was due to take place in an out of town location in New York State near a small town called Stamford just east of the city limits.  JOHN DALMAS Dalmas had wondered why the thieves would ransom a $120,000 necklace for $10,000 and was advised by Lindley Paul that it was because the necklace was completely unique. Jade could not be copied nor could it be broken or sold on without being immediately identifiable for what it was. Dalmas was never told the true owner of the necklace. Everything about the case was wrong but his sense of honor had prevented him refusing the case as he had taken a $50 retainer (of which more will be revealed later) to do the job. Violets M'Gee was to later tell Trent that Dalmas' worst fears had been realised and that Lindley was missing and Dalmas in a coma after being found off the turnpike just outside Stamford. He is currently being treated at the local hospital in Stamford. Violets had given Trent a letter of introduction to present to the local Stamford Sheriffs's department. Unfortunately New York PD has no jurisdiction there.  VIOLETS M'GEE The Mob War Speaking to the crime columnist and Greg's contacts at the Coroner's office it becomes clear that the new crew are exceptionally violent and very methodical and exceptionally well armed. They use scatter guns with 100 round drums, in other word Thomson sub machine guns, while available via mail order in Sears and Roebuck catalogues they are not commercially available with 100 round drums which are reserved for select law enforcement units and the military. In one attack on a speakeasy run by the Italian mob they deliberately shot all the victims in the face to ensure that they could not have open coffins at their funerals.  NEW WEAPONS No attempt has been made to negotiate or trade, so the new group has just walked in and shot up everyone in sight. So far only Manhattan businesses have been affected but all aspects of the bootlegging trade have been attacked. They have destroyed bars, the carriers and the storage buildings. Nor have they gone after one mob but have attacked both Irish and Italian premises. They do appear to have restricted their activities to one area of Manhattan but have so far eluded capture by the authorities. Violets In Trouble Violets should have made lieutenant years ago but is almost too honest for his own good. He doesn't't take bribes and doesn't't fabricate evidence to fit the crime. This may well have been the reason why Trent came to like and trust him but it has made Violets many enemies both inside and outside the NYPD. After meeting Violets for the first time since their return from Europe, they notice two men in a car following him. After following the car they spy a driver and next to him another man taking photos of Violets as he left a diner. After chasing the car the PCs superior driving allows them to force their quarry to a halt. The two men are a New Jersey Private Investigator named Josh Adams and a photographer from the New York Post named Freddie Johnson.   JOSH ADAMS & FREDDIE JOHNSON Grilling the two men, it transpires that they have been hired to gather dirt on Violets and discredit him. Freddie has just been hired by Josh Adams on the day and knew very little. Whoever hired Josh was clever enough to realise that Violets would know all of the Private Investigators in Manhattan and so hired a New Jersey peeper instead. Josh on the other hand seems very scared of his employers and implied that his family had been threatened. Irma and the others cuff him around the head a few times and tell him lie low for a while. They also take Freddie J's camera and ensure no evidence is left of Violets' meeting with any of the PCs. Smelling a rat, they let Freddie and Josh go, then surreptitiously follow Josh to very affluent apartment block on Park Avenue. A concierge and a doorman ensure that the privacy of the building, Park Towers, Park Avenue is maintained, but maintaining their surveillance they notice a light go on in the penthouse apartment shortly after Josh Adams entered the building.  PARK TOWERS Later investigation showed that this property was owned by Voight Industries Inc a holding company incorporated in Mexico. Violets Is Homeless Starting to realise that violets is being set up and is in trouble Trent decides to go Violets' apartment and retrieve his files. However as he arrives he notices a distinctive white Packard with out of town plates parked nearby. Trent also noticed that the engine was running and there were a pile of cigarette butts by the driver's window. Heading to the apartment block he saw that the door to Violets' apartment was open and two men were inside searching for something. One large man was near the door while another leaner taller man was searching the lounge. They finished and then one man was heard to make a phone call. He spoke in a foreign language which to the investigators' ear sounded something akin to Turkish. They then went into the kitchen briefly and left by the front door. The taller leaner man was noticeably precise in his movements and very, very quiet and both of them had the tell tale signs of a shoulder holster though their suits were well tailored to disguise this fact. They strode quickly to the car and left briskly. Outside, Irma carefully noted down the registration as the car left. Just as the PCs were about to enter the apartment they smelled gas and heard a faint hissing sound.  VIOLETS HOUSE BURNS Leaving quickly they reached safety just in a time as a large explosion ripped through the apartment. What was not destroyed in initial explosion was soon burning and the PCs left the scene just as a fire crew arrived. A Clue In Dalmas' Notes Seeking further information into Dalmas' current investigation the PCs head over to his apartment. After a careful approach they find that the apartment is occupied and when they knock on the door are greeted by a pretty red haired lady in her late 20s. She introduces herself as Carol Pride, freelance journalist and occasional contributor to the society and showbiz pages of various New York press.  CAROL PRIDE She appears genuine fond of Dalmas and became very concerned when told of his hospitalisation in Stamford. She went to discuss the case Dalmas was working on and demonstrated great knowledge of crime and police procedures. When challenged on this she reluctantly admitted to being the daughter of a Police Chief killed in the line of duty about five years earlier. Being inquisitive the PCs kept her talking in the kitchen while others went through her possessions and "borrowed" her camera so that Irma could develop any pictures on the film it contained. She was in possession of a well maintained Smith and Weston .357 revolver with a pearl handle, affectionately known to Gun vendors as a Ladysmith. Also in the bathroom were a variety of pills and some drugs Gaidar recognised. Checking his apartment the PCs found copies of every case file he had written and filed at Trent's office. He was certainly showing everyone what proper record keeping was. Also amongst his things were two small silver cases. His notes indicated that these were taken from Lindley Paul's lounge by Dalmas during their second meeting. One held three French cigarettes and a holder with a trace of lipstick, and the other had a single business card with a name on it. It read: SOUKESIAN THE PSYCHIC. (Soukesian would appear to be an Armenian name. After the Turkish massacres in 1915 many surviving Armenians fled to the USA).  SOUKESIAN THE PSYCHIC When this was held up to flame the card revealed a Manhattan phone number. The PCs remembered that the police held reverse phone directories and could obtain an address from a phone number, maybe Violets could help. Later scientific examination of the cigarettes showed that one was laced with an anesthetic. The camera showed several pictures Carol and John Dalmas with a backdrop of grassy hills and coastal areas which was taken to be the area around Stamford. It also showed a gaunt and pale older man in a bath chair covered by a blanket and a younger graceful pretty brunette smoking a cigarette from the same holder found in Dalmas apartment. She was wearing a green jade necklace and a silk dress. Things To Look Into . Greg checks the Unausprechlichen Kulten for any reference to Fei Tsui Jade and/or Jade necklaces. . Check for any records relating to Voight Industries - owners of the Park Avenue penthouse. . Check into Carol Pride. . Check into Josh Adams. . Donnelley to look into mob war. . Check into Josh Adams - the Private Eye watching Violets. . Check into Lindley Paul. . Investigate the Park Avenue Penthouse. . Find an address for the phone number on Soukesian's card. . Run the out of town number plate on the car seen outside Violets' house. . Check the red Bugatti driven by Lou Lid during the theft of the Jade necklace. Where The Players Are . Simon Grand wants to get to know Janey, Trent's glamorous secretary. . Trent and Gupta to stay with Carol Pride to guard her and keep an eye on her. . Donnelley staying at Gaidar's while Greg completes his researches. . Wesley staying at Trent's Manhattan office. |
|
|