TOPIC: Horror on the Orient Express - All Rotations

I will be able to make it tonight.

I'll be turning up... ...like the proverbial bad penny!

“So, where did they find this?”

"I'm not at liberty to say, Professor. I'd have to kill you if I told you."

Crowe looked up from the dusty, yellowed tome, glasses perched and feeling slightly disturbed by what had just been said to him. He glared at the tall, thin man, standing at the end of the table. The tall man was smiling wryly at what he had just said.

He beamed into a smile. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

"Ha ha.", dryly retorted Crowe. "It would be helpful to know where this was found. Just to get some context. It's quite a remarkable find. The paper looks very old but feels and smell as fresh as yesterday. Also, some of it is in Arabic, but other parts seem quite, well, alien to me"

"Hmm. Sorry. And I'm being serious this time. I actually can't tell you, Tam."

"Then, why the bloody Hell have you asked me to do this?! I'm busy enough as it is. Trying to set up a university department from scratch isn't a walk in the park."

"Because you're both the only person I know who speaks Arabic AND that I trust. I can't ask anyone from On His Majesty's to look at this. Hey. Look. It's no matter. I sure I can find someone who's less busy. I think my uncle knows a few guys at the Omega Club in New York. I haven't seen old Lancelot in a few months, so I can make a trip of it. Then again, it's a bit of a jaunt for just a piece of paper, but - "

"Okay - I'll do it. No questions. I'll try my best and work around the bits I'm not sure of."

"Excellent! Thanks old pal."

"I don't know", muttered Crowe. He smirked, "I mean, all you did was save my life. How long will I keep having to pay you back, MacBride?".

"I dunno. Forever...?", said MacBride, with a twinkle in his eyes and a long Scottish roll on the middle 'r' of the word, trailing it off...

With that, Crowe rolled his eyes, poured himself a glass of water, opened the first page, and started to read...

As a reminder, due to half term absentees HOTOE isn't on tonight. See you next week

Session One– 11th October 2018

Prof. Ludwig von Brunveldt III
Naomi Jenkins
Capt. Tamburlaine Virgil Crowe
Hubert Black

1923

Weds 01 January 1923
Met Prof. Julius Arthur Smith at Mordesley Exhibition (early Mayan culture), British Museum, London. Invites us to a gala at which he is guest speaker.
Prof. Julius Arthur Smith, paranormal researcher, debunker of charlatan mediums and psychics. Smith lives in St. John’s Wood and has a country house near Cambridge. Spends his time at British Museum library or London University (lecturer). Member of Oriental Club. Lives with devoted man servant, James Beadows.
Scene: Speech, Imperial Institute, Islington. Very formal gala. Speech content centred around distorted photographs (double exposures?) and Smith’s firm conviction in the possibility of physical travel to alternative dimensions. Man, big moustache, maybe olive skinned, watched us and doffed his hat when we noticed him before disappearing amongst the mingling guests.

Friday 05 Jan- Saturday 06 Jan 1923
Morning papers on the 06 Jan – we learned of two events that occurred the day before (05 Jan).

Event #1. Triple murder of same man. Three men, all carrying passports (and other i.d.?) confirming them to be Mr. Mehmet Makryat, were found dead in a hotel room (Chelsea Arms Hotel). All stabbed through the heart. Each has a resemblance to the other. Only one person, Mehmet Makryat, registered at the hotel. Police believe that none of the victims are the real Mr. Makryat (why?).
Mr. Mehmet Makryat, Turkish national, antiquities dealer, no. 3, Brophy Lane, Islington.

Event#2. Morning Scoop (cheap newspaper) reports that the home of Prof. Julius Arthur Smith was burned down last night. Prof. Smith is missing. His manservant, James Beadows, the only other person who lives at the house, was seen running from the scene of the burning house and not seen since.

Saturday 06 Jan 1923
Went to Smith’s burned out townhouse. Signs of arson. Met Detective Sergeant Rigby (arson division) at New Scotland Yard. Unhelpful. Saw Inspector Flemming in charge of triple murder case (Makryat case). Confidential info (kept back from public), each had been partially skinned (1 torso, 1 legs the other arms). Okayed us to approach Police Coroner if we wish (due to Ludwig’s medical background). Each of the dead men had an identical telegram originating from Paris ‘Meet me in London. Urgent. M.’

Went to real Mehmet Makryat’s house/shop, 3 Brophy Street, Islington. Locked up. Nobody about. Unable to break in.

Later at Oriental Club, Hubert received envelope. Hastily written on business card from Julius A Smith: ‘Come at once. I haven’t long. For God’s sake let no one follow you – 15 Old Nichol Street, Shoreditch.’ Shoreditch (poor area), address is nothing more than a bedsit. Beadows admits us (hands burned/bandaged). A badly burned Smith tells us a story of an artefact, the Sedefkar Simulacrum, that an evil cult (of “Mad Turks”) is after. Artefact broken in Paris many years ago and pieces scattered throughout Europe. They mustn’t get the pieces. Gives us £1k cash to travel the Orient Express to the locations he has identified through extensive and secret study.

Beadows is number one suspect in arson and disappearance, but they cannot reveal themselves to police because of the danger they’re in from cult. Beadows is devoted to his master and will care for him as best possible (should Smith live). He has arranged for them to go somewhere safe (place not revealed to us).

Monday 08 Jan 1923
1. We break in at Mehmet Makryat’s shop. Antiquities are just cheap bric-a-brac. Makryat is gone. His clothes and any bags/suitcases are gone too. Trapdoor in shop is a metal plate with intricate ‘safe style’ combination lock at centre of which is an inverted ankh. We could not enter.
2. Went to British Museum Library. Researched inverted ankhs and Sedefkar Simulacrum. Yield no results.
3. Went to offices of Thomas Cook. Purchased tickets for Orient Express. First class. Return. Multiple stopovers. Departs this coming Saturday.

Tuesday 09 Jan 1923
1. Accessed Prof Julius Smith’s office at the London University. Recovered Smith’s diary. Ludwig has it.
2. Returned to British Museum Library. Researched Shunned Mosque, Constantinople; learned a little history but nothing of note. Discovered reference to the Sedefkar Scrolls which at one time, before the Great War, resided in the Topkapi Museum, Constantinople. In reading room a body in heavy coat and hat slumped to the floor. Dead. Skinned head to foot. Gruesome.

Wednesday 10 Jan 1923
1. The Times newspaper reports on the discovery of a body in the British Museum Library reading room. Identified as Richard Wentworth, a student of Prof. Smith at the London University. We discovered nothing remarkable about Wentworth and assume his murder was a warning meant for us.
2. We set out by train Paddington to Dover. We have booked a ferry crossing and train from Calais to Paris to meet the Orient Express.
3. On the train from Paddington Ludwig reads from Smith’s journal, it begins in 1893. Investigators now play 1893 characters to tell the story Ludwig is reading:-