ENTRY 2: THE AFTERMATH
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We join our team where we last left
them, in a bloody and disarrayed state
outside of Jackson's hotel room. One
Lt. Martin Poole arrived and sent both
Elizabeth and Jim to the hospital,
then questionned Adrian and Jonathan about
the events that had transpired. Jonathan
informed Lt. Poole that Adrian had
in fact picked the lock on the door,
and Adrian broke Lt. Poole's knife trying
to repeat his performance. Lt. Poole
was underwhelmed. ;>
To make a long story short (too late),
Poole questioned everyone and quickly
discovered that some people were lying.
Poole informed everyone that Beatrice
was missing, that Jackson was the
23rd such killing, and that someone should
tell him who the other two women are
that accompanyed us that night. (The hotel
clerk remembered the group of white
people clearly.)
So Adrian (and Jonathan?) spilled the
beans about Katya, who was coincidentally
at that time visiting Elizabeth in
the hospital (it is important to note that
Elizabeth's room is on the 4th floor
of the hospital). A chase ensues, and
Katya
jumps out of Elizabeth's window and
breaks both of her legs, nearly dying. She
is caught anyway.
The party formed a tentative alliance
with Lt. Poole, offered him their
services
in discovering who the murderer(s)
is/are, but not telling him their suspicions
about the more nefarious aspect of
Jackson's work.
Adrian visited Kensington, Jackson's
publisher, got some notes of Jackson's
that
he took during his trip, and learned
that the funeral is Monday, 19 January
'25.
I believe that's where we ended. Much
research has been done, resulting in the
following:
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT:
CARLYLE EXPEDITION:
- An arhaeological expedition led by
playboy Roger Carlyle, eventually to
Egypt.
- Spent time researching in London
under auspices of Penhew foundation for
about
one month before departing
for Egypt.
- Team members: Roger Carlyle (playboy),
Sir Aubrey Penhew (renowned
Egyptologist, in charge of
excavations, assistant leader), Dr. Robert
Houston,
(Freudian psychologist, researching
ancient pictographs), Miss Mypatia
Masters
(photographer and archivist,
girlfriend of Carlyle?), Mr. Jack Brady
(intimate
to Mr. Carlyle).
- Sir Penhew was Oxford trained, spent
several years in Egypt and had made many
important finds. The Penhew
Foundation had funded several more very important
expeditions to Egypt. He had
no family and nothing was known about his
private
life. He was investigating
the dynasty of Egypt, the last period about which
little is known. (Egypt was
said to be ruled by a wizard named the Black
Pharoah at that time.)
- In early July, 1919, the Carlyle
Expedition departed Egypt for East Africa,
ostensibly for a 'well-earned
rest'. At this time, Sir Aubrey was trying to
debunk rumors that the expedition
had discovered clues to King Solomon's
treasure. (Side note: news
story mentions that Carlyle himself had suffered
sunstroke, not sure if this
is important.)
- Two weeks later, the party arrived
in Mombasa. The Under-Secretary (Royston
Whittington) held a welcoming
dinner for them, and Carlyle, Penhew, and
Huston attended. The party
left the next day inland for Nairobi.
- The next news about the party is
from Mombasa in October, when it is stated
that the expedition is feared
lost. They were reportedly exploring the Great
Rift Valley.
- The next year, Roger Carlyle's sister
Erica left for Africa to determine what
had happened to her brother.
Reports had been received from Kikuyu tribesmen
about massacre of white people
near Aberdare Forest. To sum up, the massacre
was 'confirmed' to be the Carlyle
expedition, and Nandi tribesmen were hanged
for the crime.
THE STRANGE KILLINGS, OF WHICH JACKSON IS ONE:
- From crime scene photos, we know
the following about Jackson's murder. He was
killed by being cut open, though
cut is perhaps not the best word. He seemed
to have been torn open with
something not too sharp. There were jagged tears
all over his torso, none precise.
He had bruises on his mouth and neck which
indicated that someone was
keeping him from making any noise while they were
doing this. He further had a
symbol carved on his forhead with a sharpish
(but not surgically sharp)
tool *after* death.
- Jonathan happened to know a lot about
such killings, and shared the following
with us: these probably aren't
ritual human sacrifices, since those are
usually done trying to save
the blood (rather than spraying it and entrails
all over the place), and also
done at a specific time and place. He was of
the
opinion that this was an assassintation,
as several such tribes in Africa
have 'signature' ways of killing
people. The victims are usually warned first
in some way.
- Jonathan was also able to identify
the black attackers as Kenyan by facial
structure and headdress.
JACKSON'S TRIP:
- Adrian visited Jackson's publisher
and got notes of his trip. Jackson seemed
to have gone from London to
Nairobi to Shanghai. I don't want to summarize
all of the notes (they are
long), but he seemed to think that most, if not
all, members of the Carlyle
expedition were still alive, and also seemed to
develop some mental disorders
through the course of his trip.
We have picked up a lot of loot and
information so far, and these are some
possible avenues of exploration that
I see (I tried to make it as complete as
possible):
PEOPLE:
- Erica Carlyle
- Victoria Post (accompanied Erica
on her hunt for her brother)
- Mordechai Lemming (person Poole
consulted about voodoo angle of murders)
- Johnstone Kenyatta (Jackson interviewed
in Nairobi re: murders done by
cult of bloody tongue)
- Lt. Mark Selkirk (Jackson interviewed,
leader of men who found bodies of
Carlyle expedition)
- Nails Nelson (Jackson ran into in
Nairobi, claimed to have seen Jack Brady
alive)
- Jack Brady - perhaps in Hong Kong
- Faraz Najir - In Cairo, provided
some sort of artifact to Carlyle?
- Miriam Atwright - Harvard Library,
Jackson had asked her for books.
- Siles N'Kwane - name and number
written on back of Emerson Imports business
card found on Jackson's body.
PLACES:
- Penhew Foundation (Edward Gavigan
possible contact)
- Emerson Imports
- Stumbling Tiger Bar (matchbook found
in Jackson's room, bar in Shanghai)
- Massacre site / Black Mountain
OBJECTS / LEADS / RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES:
- Carlyle's safe - who knows where?
- Photo of yacht (Name begins with
DAR)
- Book Jackson was looking for at
Harvard
- Faraz's stuff in Cairo
- Cult: Cult of the Bloody Tongue
(home in mountains, high priestess is part of
the Mountain of Black Winds,
massacres site cursed by the god of black
winds?)