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The Dalmas Affair
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PART TWO
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Checking Out Josh Adams Looking further into Josh Adams the investigators visit his address which they had obtained from his driving licence. They find his apartment on fire. Outside they spot a man near watching the house, nearby is a car parked containing four men.  JOSH ADAMS HOUSE BURNS TOO The investigators grab the man and Trent's slick driving helps them to lose their pursuers. The man's driving licence gives the name as John Smith. Under questioning he admits to recognising Trent Duxford. He then admitted to being a Federal Reserve agent or G-man. He had received a letter from John Dalmas about a $50 bill which he been given as a retainer by Lindley Paul. Dalmas used to be policeman and spotted that there was something not quite right about this bill. He had written to a contact in the treasury department and included the bill.  COUNTERFIT $50 BILLS It was examined by the Feds and found to be a very high quality counterfeit. He was already looking into the mob wars but every time his team had tried to take action and move in on a suspect they had been tipped off. He suspects that the crew had a high placed man in the Police Department. He was so worried about being found out that he did not carry any federal identification. Before being let go by the investigators, he gave them the phone number of the hotel he and his team were staying at, and promised to keep in touch. Irma Trent and Donnelly then decided to go to Josh Adams office in New Jersey As they get to the office the find the placed ransacked. Looking through the bookshelves and records Irma finds two copies of the same law book. One of these has had the pages hollowed out and contains a variety of cuttings. They also grabbed a ledger receipt book and Josh Adams journals.  JOSH ADAMS JOURNALS The Mob War Heats Up Getting back to Trent's office the investigators are just about to look through all these when the phone rings. It is Donnelley's mob boss Seamus O'Flanerhy. (So we have the rare treat of a Shamus working for Seamus). A car used in a previous attack has been seen in the area of one of the Irish Mob's speakeasies in Manhattan. The place is called "Flanagan's Sandwich Bar". The Investigators get their guns together and Irma, Donnelley, Trent, Simon and Wesley head over to Flanagan's. Choosing a rooftop overlooking the speakeasy Simon takes up a sniping position while other investigators hole up in their truck across the road. No sooner have they set up than five mobsters get out of a large Packard and advance to the entrance. Three of them advance to the door and two take position on a street corner.  OUT OF TOWN GANGSTERS A gun battle ensues. Two of the mobsters fire at Wes and then run around a corner for cover. From his position on the roof Wesley spots a large negro walking down a side street towards the speakeasy, he is wearing a very sharp suit and is enormous, almost 7 feet tall. It can only be Lou Lid. A passerby recognised him and Lou knocked him to the ground with one punch. Meanwhile Irma covered by the snipers ran across the road and covered three of mobsters. One of them has a bag containing a couple of bottles of European spirits; another large man starts to mouth off and is pistol whipped to the ground by Irma. As he falls he shoots a concealed derringer slightly wounding an investigator before Irma shoots him dead. Simon and Donnelley shoot two other mobsters and apprehend Lou Lid who turns out to be unarmed.  THE GETAWAY Leaving the other three mobsters dead and the other two badly wounded, the investigators handcuffed Lou Lid and bundled him into their truck as approaching sirens are heard. Trent drove off in one car to his office while Irma, Wesley, Donnelley and Simon Grand took the truck, with Lou Lid in the boot, and the Packard taken from the mobsters, and drove off to Trent's warehouse. This was where Gaidar was holed up with the investigators cache of weapons and all of his medical equipment. Lou's Story Initially Lou tried to act like an Uncle Tom but when taken to Trent's warehouse and brought before Gaidar he realised that here were people colder and more quietly threatening than any people he had met before. Lou Lid admitted to being called to the Flanagan's by Willie Magoon AKA Moose. He was also told not to take a gun which did strike Lou as somewhat unusual. Slowly the Investigators convinced Lou that he had been sent Flanagan's to die. Once this idea sunk in Lou explained the set-up in more detail. The gang had hired him and Fuente after having to leave Chicago in a hurry a couple of years ago just after the war. He had indeed taken the Jade necklace from Mrs Courtney Prendergast and Lindley Paul.  LINDLEY PAUL He had borrowed Carol Pride's car to escape in. She was part of Willie Magoon's crew who, as well as trying to take a part of Manhattan's bootlegging business, also ran a sideline in high value robberies. After the robbery of the Jade, Lindley Paul had then negotiated the ransom money and had taken it to a drop-off near Stamford. To reach the meadow where the exchange was to take place, the driver had to leave the vehicle to open a gate. As Dalmas opened the gate Fuentes and Lou Lid shot both him and Lindley Paul. Lindley Paul had made the mistake of being seen shooting off his mouth while under the influence of drugs and alcohol and was now a liability. Realising that he had been set up he now asked the Investigators to save his partner Fuentes by warning him the Magoon was out to double-cross them. In return Lou Lid and Fuentes would tell the investigators where Willie Magoon was holed up. If freed the pair of gangsters would then go and seek their vengeance on Magoon.  WILLIE MAGOON (A.K.A. MOOSE) Still Being Watched Everywhere As they made their way from Trent's warehouse Irma and Wesley spotted a man watching them from across the street. They watched him go through a door in an opposite. As he did so they spotted that he had an ankle holster, not the usual item of equipment for an ordinary passerby. The pair then passed by the door before double backing. Looking at the bottom of the doorway Irma spied a pair of feet silhouetted in the light below the door.  TRENTS WAREHOUSE He shot through the door and luckily found a gap in the timber of the door. The bullet went clean through the door and straight into the man. They heard a body slump to the floor and quickly left the scene. They went to the drugstore and then called up Fuentes using some information given by Lou Lid to prove their credibility. He left the bar he was at and went to a bar in Harlem. Fuentes then agreed to drive over to Trent's warehouse to collect Lou Lid and then attack Willie Magoon at his speakeasy. Next Wesley and Irma phoned Gupta who was looking after Carol Pride at Trent's apartment. Strangely there was no reply. Where Are Violets And Gupta? They then called Trent at his office in Manhattan. Trent was very concerned at what he was told about Gupta. Gupta had been warned not to trust Carol Pride and had been left there to watch her. He had also been instructed not to go out and to stay by the phone. Trent was waiting to meet Violets; he had recently got a call from Violets saying he was running late and to meet at a Manhattan steakhouse. Violets sounded a little strange but nothing Trent could put his finger on. As Trent was getting ready to leave he got a second phone call, this time from Manhattan PD. A message had been arranged to be given to Trent if Violets didn't't call back to cancel it. This message warned Trent to leave immediately as he was in trouble. Jake Edwards A.K.A. "Eyes" On their way back from the drugstore Irma and Wesley check on the doorway where the man spying on them both had been shot. Forcing the door they find a blood trail leading to a storeroom. The man who'd been shot had managed to crawl inside where he was found by Irma and Wesley. He was dying but Wesley performed first aid and saved his life. He admitted to being in Magoon's gang. As the warehouse was owned by Trent Duxford Investigations Magoon posted an observer on it. The man was called Jake Edwards and his gang name was "eyes". He explained the gang was run by Willy Magoon and the second in command was Mike Hartson.  URMA SHOOTS GANGSTER He also mentioned one of Willy Magoon's other confederates, Soukesian and that Soukesian likes to consult Tarot cards. Sometimes he refers to Willy as "the Hierophant". He then passes out and Wesley gives him a shot of Chloroform putting him out for twelve hours or so. Off To Find Gupta The pair then head off back to the Warehouse where they are met by Trent. Leaving Lou Lid with a Mauser taken from the mobsters in the earlier shootout the investigators load everything into their truck and head over to Trent's apartment to look for Gupta and Carol Pride. They take Trent's Car, the truck and the mobsters Packard. Everything is very quiet as they arrive in Trent's street. Heading to Trent's apartment they access the roof from a neighboring building and enter from the roof. They get into the apartment to find Gupta and Carol in the apartment. Apparently Gupta had just fallen asleep but examination of his glass reveals a drug residue. After this Carol is confronted by all the Investigators. Off To Find Gupta The pair then head off back to the Warehouse where they are met by Trent. Leaving Lou Lid with a Mauser taken from the mobsters in the earlier shootout the investigators load everything into their truck and head over to Trent's apartment to look for Gupta and Carol Pride. They take Trent's Car, the truck and the mobsters Packard.  WE HAVE A MAUSER Everything is very quiet as they arrive in Trent's street. Heading to Trent's apartment they access the roof from a neighboring building and enter from the roof. They get into the apartment to find Gupta and Carol in the apartment. Apparently Gupta had just fallen asleep but examination of his glass reveals a drug residue. After this Carol is confronted by all the Investigators. Carol's Story Carol Pride admitted that she was part of a criminal group responsible for the recent spate of high profile robberies. She had used her society contacts to case upcoming social events and select likely targets. Lindley Paul then used his charm to befriend and often bed likely female targets before they were robbed on a subsequent engagement. She had to drug Gupta so that she could check in with Willy Magoon. He sent Mike Hartson over to the apartment and he is disguised as the doorman waiting to ambush the investigators as they arrive.  DOORMAN IN DISGUISE She had originally worked in Chicago but had had to leave when Willy Magoon had stolen a large amount of counterfeit cash from a rival mob there. They had left in a hurry and had not time to establish themselves gradually in New York. They had to set a business quickly and then launder the fake cash through it. Not certain that the fake bills would pass scrutiny the gang undertook robberies to fund their New York operation. This allowed them to hire Lou Lid and Fuentes among others as extra muscle. She maintained that she was genuinely fond of Dalmas and never wanted him to get hurt. Magoon is based in a speakeasy in Manhattan near the docks.  MAGOONS SPEAKEASY The investigators can head over there but need to deal with Mike Hartson first. |
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