Session 4 (7) - Gone and also forgotten

We are sharing a drink in the speak-easy. Antonio, a suspiciously italian gentleman greets Charlie like a friend, and Charlie asks if he has heard anything about the Juju House in harlem. Antonio wants more details, and so Charlie mentions the missing artifacts from the Carlyle estate. Antonio recognises the name, and suggests he talk to his associates about it. We will meet again tomorrow night. Antonio claps me on the shoulder as he leaves, commenting on how good it is to see me bounce back so soon. Uh... right.
A serving girl comes around with cigars, and I gladly accept one from her. While I'm here, perhaps I should find out what exactly happened when I was here last night. I ask the bartender if he remembers me from last night.
He says I came in with some of Jimmy's boys, I looked rough and chilled to the bone. Something looked off. I ask who Jimmy is, and he points to a guy sitting in the corner.
Jimmy says he found me lying in a ditch last night in Westchester, he thinks I was on some kind of drug and had been roughed up. I thank him for his help and head back to the group table.
 
Wed 21 January 1925
After a good nights sleep, we meet in the hotel lobby for coffee and breakfast. Today the plan is visit the african artifact shop and the Carlyle Estate. The phone lines are working today, so I ring the Carlyles to book an appointment with them.
We head through harlem on the way there, to inspect the Juju House. We get there just after 10am. It is on Hampton Court, a tiny alleyway. The only other shop here is an abandoned pawn shop. The rest of the buildings look derelict.
Florence and I head into the shop alone, the others electing to stay in the car - 5 people at once might seem too suspicious. Charlie and Florence disguise me as a nondescript man in a suit just in case I'm recognised from last time I came here. The store is small and full of tribal artifacts. There are even weapons, but upon closer inspection, one can see that they are blunt and filed back.
The store feels very oppresive and cramped. The shopkeeper is a stooped old african man, he introduces himself as Seelas Inquanay. He has a large key hanging on a leather thong around his neck. Florence starts gushing over his shop and artifacts to keep him occupied. He claims that all of these are genuine african artifacts.
Upon closer inspection, I can see that these really are true african artifacts. Nothing has the cult symbol that we have seen before. Nothing stands out to me as suspicious.
Florence tries to snatch the key from around his neck while she is distracting him, and he catches her hand as she grabs it. She manages to explain it away commenting on how beautiful it is.
When the group reunites outside the shop, Florence mentions that she had to buy the most hideous stuffed giraffe she has ever seen to cover me, but I inform her regretfully that there is nothing suspicious going on. She tells us that the shop may not have been suspicious, but the shopkeeper is! Apparently when she looked in his eyes, he had a cold, menacing glare.
Charlie decides that the abandoned pawn shop next door would be a good location for a stakeout, if needed.
 
Upon arriving at the Carlyle manor, there seems to be some sort of renovation underway. Part of the wall and roof of the upper floor is covered by tarps. The main doors open, and Bradley Grey flanked by three larger gentlemen head out to usher us inside.
The bodyguards take our coats and pat us down for weapons. They remove Charlie and Florence's guns. Bradley escorts us to the conservatory, and I comment that I don't remember the same level of security here last time. He mentions that things have changed.
He offers refreshments to the group, then it becomes apparent that Erica Carlyle is not here.
When this is pointed out, he makes it clear that she is not going to see us. He seems upset with us, and won't give us information unless we clarify what happened. He claims that we were involved in trying to steal from them - when our previous acquaintances opened up a safe in the library. I reassure Bradley that Miss Winters and I had nothing to do with that, and in fact we have no recollection of what happened that night. He seems to believe me, but remains suspicious.
He mentions that Jackson Elias's latest project involved proving that Roger Carlyle survived the expedition. He asked for access to Roger's collection for information, which they would not give. Erica cherishes that collection as a memory of her brother.
Bradley states that this attempted theft is just the latest in a string of thefts this year, and he is doing his best to keep it quiet and keep the press away from the issue.
 
Charlie offers Bradley his help, as he points out that perhaps the death of Jackson Elias and the attempted thefts at the estate are linked. Bradley requests that no more attempts at theft are made. He offers to show us the damage caused by the last attempt, mentioning that it might jog our memory.
I recognise the library area of the house as we walk through, and as we travel further the house becomes very cold. There is a guard with a tommy gun outside the study door... he seems to be one of Antonio's guys.
Upon entering, part of the corner wall and roof is completely collapsed, leaving a large hole. Bradley pours himself another drink. He says some 'thing' came through the wall. There were many casualties. Apparently I was standing there with Bradley and Elizabeth when this happened. Bradley says that all he could manage to do was grab Erica and push her through the door to get away from it.
 
Elizabeth asks if any of the servants had memory issues like her and I had, and he says no. He says that he doesn't know if any servants were killed, it was just us and our previous group members in the room. So... did they die here? Bradley doesn't know, all he knows is that they cleaned up bodies afterwards. He is getting visibly stressed. The suggestion is made to leave the room and head back down to the conservatory.
Charlie hangs back to talk to the security guard. He joins us shortly, smoking a cigarette.