*** Session 07 - Scene 4 (of 15) ***

Out in the car, Nibbons asks Le Doux why they are working for free. He tells Chester they are clearly dealing with a creature beyond nature and need to put a stop to it.

Nibbons agrees (if not very sincerely), but asks how they will pay the bills. Le Doux says this case is much more important than that – it is about the fate of mankind. The two continue to argue about the merits of paying bills versus saving the world for a minute or two.

Believing the matter to be urgent, Le Doux speeds across town to the 1st Precinct to see Eberhardt. Unfortunately, he speeds along too fast and has to swerve to avoid a child in the road. The car ends up crashing into a fire hydrant, bending one of the wheels.

Nibbons complains about having another bill to pay as Le Doux apologizes. But he stresses it is still of paramount importance to get to the precinct and get Eberhardt on the case.

The remainder of the drive is a lot slower with the bent wheel. Because he continues to drive it, the car becomes more damaged along the way. By the time they reach the station, it is smoking.

They head inside to see Eberhardt. Spotting him at his desk, Le Doux immediately starts loudly talking about how "It is happening again!" Eberhardt sighs, asking what it is this time. Le Doux, still talking loudly, excitedly says "It isn't zombies this time, it's a lizard man!"

Not wanting Le Doux to attract any more attention, Eberhardt quickly shuffles him and Nibbons off to an interrogation room. He tells the man he can't just show up at the precinct yelling these sort of things.

Le Doux ignores the detective and tells Nibbons to show him the pictures. Eberhardt is unimpressed, saying it looks like a man in a lizard suit. Le Doux gets upset, asking how much the man has to see in order to recognize the forces of evil.

Eberhardt continues to mock Le Doux, saying he believes he already saw the lizard man at the cinema last week and suggests they attend the new Chaplin film instead. But Le Doux remains steadfast, saying that lizard man attacked someone and is probably one of thousands coming out of the bayou.

Realizing he isn't getting anywhere, Eberhardt asks if the report was made to the police, saying he might be able to help then. Le Doux says he isn't sure, saying Eberhardt is the police so he'll need to check on it.

Le Doux then asks Eberhardt for the information on the Gardener case he asked for. Eberhardt, lying, says he's been too busy and hasn't had a chance to look for it yet. Le Doux grabs the detective by the shoulders, yelling "For the love of God, man!"

Eberhardt agrees to go see what he can find out. He asks Ms. Kringle to pull the file on the Gardener case. There isn't much in the file, except notes on vandalism at the sight and some stolen tools. The vandalism seems to be restricted to gouges made in the building and large scratches along the vehicles.

As he's examining the file, the head of property crimes, Lt. C.L. Magnus, comes over. Magnus wants to know what Eberhardt is doing with one of his cases. Eberhardt tries to say he heard there was a homicide at the site. Magnus says there was no homicide, just some damage and stolen equipment but Eberhardt says someone was attacked. Magnus says no attack was reported but Eberhardt brushes him off.

Heading back to the others, Eberhardt sees there is no attack reported in the file. When he enters the room, he sees Le Doux standing in the corner making strange gestures in the air. Eberhardt tries to talk to him but Boo insists he stay quiet until he is finished.

Once Le Doux is done with his bizarre ritual, Eberhardt continues saying there isn't much in the file and nothing to really go on but explains what is listed. Le Doux instantly concludes the scratches are "claw marks."

Eberhardt is dismissive, saying no forensic work was done on them at the site and that construction work could easily cause gouges by sloppy workmen. Le Doux tell him another possible source of gouges – saying it could be the work of an army of lizard creatures.

Saying he supposes it could be possible, Eberhardt notes there have been no report of army lizards, armed lizards, or lizard armies – nothing of the sort. He says he's not sure what Le Doux is hoping to learn, again pointing out there was no report of any attack.

Le Doux tell Nibbons he doesn't like the way this case smells. Clearly seeing the man is disturbed by the case, Eberhardt offers to accompany them out to the construction site at the Irish Bayou to look around for any evidence of an attack; but is careful to point out if he can't prove an assault took place, he can't help them.

The private investigator agrees, telling Eberhardt he'll have to be the one to drive as Nibbons' car has suffered some damage. Eberhardt notes his police vehicle has been recently repaired so they can take it, though is surprised Nibbons' car is already damaged again.

*** Session 07 - Scene 5 (of 15) ***

It takes a couple of hours to drive out to the remote area of the Irish Bayou. Le Doux spends an inordinate amount of time staring at the clouds and frowning. Eberhardt teases him about being scared of rain, but Le Doux simply says it is nothing and continues to stare.

When they reach the site, they can see the half-finished castle and the abandoned construction site. Everyone gets out and splits up to look around.

Le Doux focuses on looking for tracks. He finds something on the group that very well could be a track in the mud that looks similar to the one in the picture of the plaster cast. He takes out his notepad and begins sketching it.

Nibbons checks the building. He can see where some of the framing has been broke and there are gouges in some of the plaster and concrete. He calls it out to the others.

Eberhardt looks for any sign of a struggle, but doesn't necessarily see anything. He's unimpressed by Nibbons and Le Doux's findings as well – believing the damage could be construction-related and that the "footprint" could be anything.

Le Doux, however, believes the gouges are clearly claw-like marks. He demonstrates a few times to Nibbons, who still isn't sure if they are claw marks or tool marks. Boo tries to search the area for a lizard scale or other physical evidence, but finds nothing.

The investigator then turns his attention to the nearby trees of the bayou. He believes the track could have come from there, and tells the others they need to check it out. Le Doux tells the others to follow, which they do but slowly.

After a short while, Le Doux spots something off in the distance behind the trees. It appears humanoid and he can hear it making noise.

In response, Le Doux holds up his hands to signal the others and begins drawing symbols in the air. Neither Nibbons nor Eberhardt have any idea what he is trying to convey.

Le Doux then runs off further into the woods. Eberhardt can tell he is running towards something, but isn't sure. He asks Nibbons, but Chester has no idea either.

As he crashes through some of the trees and underbrush, Le Doux finds himself face to face with an older Indian man in a suit, taking some notes on a notepad. He is startled by Le Doux's sudden appearance.

The man asks Le Doux who he is. Le Doux responds by pulling his gun on him. The Indian puts his hands up and tells Le Doux he has no money.

Boo tells the old man, suggesting that may not be what he really is, to stay where he is. He asks who the man is. The Indian gives his name as Kendi Battice.

Kendi explains he works for the Louisiana State History Museum and is working in the area to locate any artifacts of the tribes. Le Doux is suspicious, asking if it is a tribe of lizard men he is after.

The older man is confused by the question. He says he is looking for Quinipissa pottery fragments, not lizard men. Le Doux has never heard of the Quinipissa, but assumes they are some kind of Indian tribe.

Kendi finds the suggestion of "lizard men" to be very strange. Le Doux insists the strange part is that Kendi is out in this location where a lizard man has been spotted. The man insists he is often out in the bayous, but Le Doux states the lizard men are as well.

The Indian ponders the idea of lizard men more. He asks Le Doux if he doesn't, in fact, mean snake men. Le Doux is intrigued and asks for more information. Kendi explains many of the tribes have snake-related mythologies.

Kendi goes on to talk about his own tribe's belief of a type of snake called the "wyrm" – an evil spirit that corrupted all life.

Le Doux shows the picture of the lizard man to Kendi. He laughs at the idea, saying perhaps he should bring that back to the museum.

Boo presses on, asking if this is the snake man he spoke of. Kendi says he was just speaking of his tribal mythology and they had no pictures.

Kendi muses on the idea some more, saying it is an interesting coincidence that the recent museum theft concerned artifacts related to snake mythologies of various Indian tribes.

Le Doux wants more information about the burglaries, but Kendi explains he knows little about it. He suggests Le Doux talk to the professor there, Dr. Beckmeyer.

Battice explains Dr. Beckmeyer is the anthropologist in charge of Indian studies there and that he is the professor's assistant. Kendi goes on to say the professor often sends him out to the bayou in search of Indian artifacts.

Le Doux wants to know what Kendi has found so far, as he saw him writing in his journal. The Indian explains he has found nothing yet, simply making notes that he didn't find anything in this search grid.

Boo asks again if he's seen any snake men, but Battice says he has not. He also asks Kendi if he's seen any tracks, but the Indian explains he was not looking for any – just pottery remains. Le Doux says he should be checking for tracks as well.

Le Doux then stops talking to Kendi and starts staring off into the sky as Eberhardt and Nibbons arrive. Eberhardt sardonically notes the "lizard man" Le Doux found looks very fierce. Le Doux does not answer, continuing to stare into the sky.

Eberhardt continues the ribbing, telling him to watch out for "that big pencil he has." Le Doux comes out of his stupor and is confused what the detective is talking about. Kendi says he believes the man is referring to him.

Le Doux introduces Kendi to the others, though struggles with his name. Eberhardt gives his name and rank with the police, saying he is sorry Le Doux bothered the man.

When Kendi tells his story to Eberhardt, Bruno immediately makes the connection with the museum theft. Kendi tells Eberhardt about the coincidence with the snake men. Eberhardt simply wishes the man good luck with the criminal investigation of the theft, saying Lt. Magnus is on the case and is a real piece of work.

Le Doux looks up at the sky again, then forcefully tells the others they need to be going. Sighing, Eberhardt agrees it is time to leave, saying he wasted half a day on this. Nibbons agrees to keep an eye out per Le Doux's instructions.

Kendi gently suggests to Eberhardt that his friend may need some rest. Eberhardt says that is not all he needs, saying they will try to get him some help. Before they leave, Eberhardt tells Kendi to call him should he see anything suspicious out there.

Le Doux rushes back to the car first and begins making sketches of the clouds in the sky. Eberhardt catches sight of what he is doing, and suggests the cloud appears to be more like an elephant than a lizard man so if he is done they can get going. An alarmed Le Doux shakes his head.

*** Session 07 - Scene 6 (of 15) ***

Driving back, Le Doux insists they need to get to the museum. Eberhardt says there is nothing at the museum but Nibbons says it will be easier just to go along with him.

A couple of hours later, they reach the museum. Eberhardt sadly notes he can't wait to see what his lieutenant thinks of his report for the day's activities.

For his part, Le Doux wonders where Hawk is, thinking they could use his help against the lizard men. Eberhardt says if Hawk has any sense, he'll be in Arkansas by now since he's associated with at least three crimes and the police have a sketch of him. Bruno goes on to say that even though "they all look alike", the sketch very much looks like "Mr. Hawk."

Le Doux then gets out and heads into the museum with the others following. Eberhardt complains about being stuck paying for their entrance fees as Le Doux talks to one of the curators about talking to Dr. Beckmeyer. He gives his name as "Dr. Jones" and introduces Nibbons and Eberhardt as "Mr. Round" and "Mr. Sallah".

The curator steps away for a minute then comes back to escort to an office with "Dr. Harold Beckmeyer" on the door. Inside is a balding, middle-aged man looking at some pottery with a magnifying glass. As the others enter he looks up from his work. He greets "Dr. Jones" and apologizes, saying he must have forgotten their appointment.

When Beckmeyer asks what the appointment was about, as he doesn't recall, Le Doux slaps down the photograph of the lizard man. The professor asks what that is, to which Le Doux responds, "Exactly!"

Beckmeyer takes his magnifying glass and looks over the photograph carefully. He says the photo doesn't look fake, though notes he is not a biologist, much less a cryptozoologist, but some of the proportions of the creature seem off. Eberhardt agrees something is off in the photo – the fact it shows a lizard man.

Putting the photo down, the professor says this sort of thing is a bit out of his area as he is an anthropologist. Le Doux mentions talking with Kendi (though it takes him a moment to get his name right) and that recent thefts in the museum involved snake people.

Harry clarifies there were three stolen artifacts along with a satchel. He calls them rather innocuous Indian artifacts, none particularly rare or valuable outside the Quinipissa pottery. Beckmeyer seems doubly confused about the theft of the satchel, but does say the satchel was originally found with a letter from the Cavelier expedition; luckily, the letter itself is still safe in the museum archives.

Le Doux asks for a list of everything taken. Beckmeyer says he can do better, handing Le Doux the museum cards. He asks Le Doux if he'd also like to see the letter. When Le Doux responds in the affirmative, Beckmeyer has one of the secretaries go make a photostatic copy of the translated version of the letter.

*** Session 07 - Scene 7 (of 15) ***

Starting with the letter, Le Doux reads it out to Nibbons and Eberhardt:

April 9, 1682

Monsieur Le Moyne,

I write to you as a kindred spirit of exploration and a friend of Governor General de Courcelle, a mutual friend of my expedition leader, Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.

Today will be a day known in history, as we claim this fertile valley as territory of New France at the mouth of the great Colbert River. We name it La Louisiane, in honor of the king. One day soon, the great M. de Fer will produce the map of our expanded kingdom.

But I digress, for that information has already been sent to the Governor and you have no doubt already heard it by the time you receive this letter.

I write to you about a most interesting tribe we discovered along the west bank of the Colbert. They were a small group, living in a village with an allied tribe I believe to be the Akoroa described by M. Marquette. According to M. La Salle, they are called the Kinipissa.

The Akoroa seem afraid of their allies and the "bad medicine" they practice, but appear to be subservient to them in order for protection against the Bayogoula, whom they are at war with.

Many strange things we have seen on our journeys, but this is perhaps most odd. These Kinipissa peoples appear to worship a dark spirit of the swamps, which they call "Yig".

Outnumbered and ill-prepared for conflict, we avoided upsetting the Kinipissa about this deity, but tried to get what information we could from the Akoroa.

Not much was forthcoming, but we were able to ascertain Yig is some sort of serpent god. Given the large number of snakes and alagartos, that is not surprising. And as you yourself know, the serpent is a common mythological symbol among these savage tribes.

We also observed the medicine man of the Kinipissa wears white paint on his head in the shape of a crescent moon; we believe this to be the symbol of the entity.

Before I reveal my full tale, I want to assure you it is not the ravings of a madman. While the events that follow left me with a sinking feeling in my soul, I remain rational and alert and fully in control of my faculties.

One night, I and one of our men happened to sneak upon one of the ceremonies being performed in the deep swamps. We heard strange chanting by the shaman and saw a headless female figure rising from the depths of the swamp. In the pale light of torches, the body's skin shined with scales instead of skin.

Frozen with fright, we could do nothing but watch as one of the women in the crowd produced a baby. I believe it was taken from an Akoroa woman, as there was one nearby crying, and appeared to be restrained by a pair of Kinipissa guards.

The man I was with nearly yelled out when what happened next occurred. I had to put my hand quickly over his mouth, and confess I considered slitting his throat with my knife to avoid being discovered.

What happened was a large snake head emerged out of the "neck" of the female form. I nearly fouled my breeches when I saw the head whip down quickly and open its wide jaws. Before I realized what was happening, it had swallowed the child whole. I could see it writhing inside the neck as it went down into the creature's gullet.

Apparently satisfied by this dark sacrifice, the creature sank back down into the abyss and the ceremony ended. The tribesman quickly left the area, leaving behind the grieving mother crying at the edge of the water.

The two of us stood still for many hours before I felt it safe to return to our camp. As soon as we did, I informed M. La Salle it was time to leave. Unfortunately, the man I was with did not recover from the experience. He became a rambling imbecile and when he tried to flee, La Salle had him shot as a deserter.

I send you this information as I know in the coming years you or one of your sons will likely send an expedition through these lands. Beware the followers of Yig, for they are a dark and savage people with strange magiks. It is my intention that once we reach Fort Saint Louis and a full garrison arrives, we will hunt down every last one of these people and cleanse them from the Earth.

Yours in the glory of God and King Louis,

Henri de Tonti

*** Session 07 - Scene 8 (of 15) ***

All three men find the letter very disturbing, chilling them to their very core. It takes them a moment to recover. Eberhardt shakes it off with a joke, noting the part about a rambling imbecile seems very familiar. But Le Doux is more affected, rambling off some incoherent things for a moment.

Eberhardt shakes him out of his strange reverie by asking about the artifacts. Le Doux reads off the cards. The first reads:

American Indian               
16th century

Exhibit: Artifacts of the Great Plains Tribes

Fertility Totem

Material: Carved Bone (likely buffalo)

Measurement: 1½'

Remarks: Hopi fertility totem from late 16th to century. Engravings show a carving of a figure known as the "Snake Girl" in Hopi mythology.

Provenance: Given as a gift to Antonio de Expejo's expedition in 1583. Verified by diary entry of de Espejo and later kept as part of a collection of artifacts in Santa Fe.

On loan from Edgar L. Hewitt, Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe

The second reads:

American Indian               
12th – 14th century

Exhibit: Artifacts of the Great Plains Tribes

Engraved Plate

Material: Copper

Measurement: 9" x 6"

Remarks: Mississippian engraved copper plate from the 12th to 14th century. Believed to be Hopwell in design. Unlike most copper plates from Mississippian culture, this shows a snake-headed figure instead of an avian theme.

Provenance: Discovered by Archaeologist Digby Sothers at the Cahokia Mounts in St. Clair County, Illinois.

On loan from Sir Archibald Beatty, Lakefront City Museum of Natural History in Lakefront City

The third reads:

American Indian               
17th century

Exhibit: Artifacts of the Great Plains Tribes

Painted Pottery Bowl

Material: Ceramic

Measurement: 5" diameter

Remarks: A small bowl believed to have been used by the Quinipissa tribe in religious ceremonies. The painting on the side shows a snake devouring a man.

Provenance: Discovered along the Mississippi River bank by Auguste Garcon in 1821 and sold to Douglas Turnball.

On loan from the Turnball Family Trust, Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville

*** Session 07 - Scene 9 (of 15) ***

A well-learned man, Nibbons recalls his knowledge of history about the things discussed in the letter and the artifacts. He knows the Quinipissa tribe was discovered in 1682 by Rene-Robert Cavelier. He also recalls Cavelier was later killed by Sieur Duhaunt in a dispute over buffalo meat, and his expedition dissolved before it ever returned to the Fort Saint Louis in Texas that Tonti referred to (as opposed to the other Fort Saint Louis La Salle founded in Illinois), and so the particular Quinipissa Indians the letter referred to were never wiped out.

Beckmeyer is glad to meet a fellow anthropologist. He notes that, of course, all the Quinipissa and their allies were massacred by the Bayougoula in 1700 and are considered extinct (with the Bayogoula themselves largely killed off by smallpox by 1721). Beckmeyer allows that could be incorrect if one believes Albert Gatschet's theory they were actually a Muskogean tribe variant, but notes that study was not consistent with Nicolas de Fer's map and notions about the tribe.

Le Doux asks Beckmeyer what tribe Kendi is of. He responds, somewhat confused, that the man is Choctaw.

The investigator presses on for any more details on the theft and what is going on. Beckmeyer asks what his interest is. Le Doux says he is writing a paper, saying he is an anthropologist among his other fields of study.

Beckmeyer is still confused about the connection to the photograph, but Le Doux says that matter is confidential. He thanks the professor, who says he is glad to have been of help.

As they start to leave, Beckmeyer returns his attention to his work. Le Doux lets out a cough, asking if the professor could get him a glass of water before he goes. When he leaves to get it, Le Doux starts rifling through the materials on his desk, looking for any type of key.

Le Doux then motions to Nibbons to block the door and Chester complies. Le Doux then looks through the drawers of the desk, finding a key to a filing cabinet. He takes it and signals Nibbons to clear the door.

When Beckmeyer comes back in, Le Doux drinks down the water and thanks him and they leave.

Outside, Eberhardt chides Le Doux for causing him to be present at yet another crime scene. Le Doux ignores the comment and asks the others where they think they should go next. Eberhardt says he needs to return to the station before he loses his job and suggests Le Doux needs to go to bed, or the hospital, before he loses his mind.

Le Doux tells Eberhardt he knows he couldn't have not noticed the patterns. Eberhardt agrees the objects were all snake-related (and on loan from other collections), but says Le Doux is either hunting snakes or lizards and asks him which it is. Le Doux simply nods and winks.

Eberhardt sighs and remarks that with Le Doux's latest obsessions, he's just as inclined to believe he is the one stealing the "snake things."

Once they reach the police station, Le Doux remembers Nibbons' car is still damaged; he says they'll need to take it back to Djauto's and suggests Nibbons "put it on his tab."

*** Session 07 - Scene 10 (of 15) ***

Djauto is surprised to see Nibbons back so soon. He promises he can get the wheel fixed in a day or two for five dollars. Le Doux offers him double money to guarantee the work in a day. For that kind of money, Djauto even offers Nibbons the use of the "loaner", a bicycle.

Since the bicycle won't fit the two of them, they decline and decide to take a cab back to the office. Le Doux's original plan is to try and get away without paying, but he and Nibbons recall the cabs are ran by the mob and decide to just use the last of their free cash to pay the fare.

When he gets inside, Madge asks Le Doux if that new case is bringing in money yet. He responds they are doing it for free. Madge continues that the bills are piling up and they need cash.

Le Doux says they have things more important than bills to worry about. He shows her the photo of the lizard man. She says she doesn't get it, asking what the gag is. Le Doux explains that is a picture of "what they need to stop."

Madge confirms Le Doux is serious then lets the matter drop. He asks after Hawk, but she hasn't seen him. She says he should keep Hawk away, as the place is classier without him around.

Le Doux and Nibbons talk about what to do next. Nibbons wants to check the library archives for the old story they remembered so he leaves to do that.

After Nibbons leaves, Le Doux spends time sketching clouds and arranging the sketches. At one point, he overhears Madge making a phone call to her mother talking about him. His cousin clearly believes Le Doux has gone crazy. But he ignores the call, focusing on his sketches.

*** Session 07 - Scene 11 (of 15) ***

At the library, it doesn't take very long before Nibbons finds the article. It is from an issue of the Times-Picayune paper, dated June 29, 1889.

The article reads:

Creature Reported in Bayou

Local warehouse worker Christian David, 17, reported an unusual sighting last Thursday at 2 a.m. while walking from his job in Eastport to his home in the Crescent Bayou area.

According to David, while he stopped to deal with a rock in his boot, he heard a thumping noise behind him. Turning around, he saw a lizard-like creature coming at him, "I looked back and saw something running across the field towards me. It was about 25 yards away and I saw red eyes glowing. I ran as fast as I could but the thing grabbed at me. I could see him from the neck down – the three big fingers, long black nails and green rough skin. It was strong and angry. I sped up and swerved to shake the creature off my trail."

Christian's father, seeing his son's shirt torn and scratches down his back, reported the incident to the Crescent Sheriff's Office a couple of days later. According to Sheriff's Deputy Liston Truesdale, no additional evidence has been found of any unusual animal activity and the consensus of the department is the Cajun boy was likely drunk and had an encounter with an alligator.

Nibbons records down the information then spends some time looking around for some other articles or other information at the library. He doesn't find anything, but his searching does attract the attention of one of the librarians. She asks if he can help.

When he explains what he's researching, the librarian tells Nibbons she doesn't believe there is anything else on that particular local myth. She does mention the odd coincidence of two people looking into that story lately, as another man was looking for that article three weeks ago or so.

Nibbons asks who else was interested in the story. She doesn't recall the name, but says the man was a businessman type and gives a description. Chester recognizes the description as being of Bruce Gardener. He thanks her for her help and heads back to the office.

*** Session 07 - Scene 12 (of 15) ***

Over at the police station, Eberhardt pulls the file for the museum theft. He wonders if there is anything in it he can tie back to the Gardener case.

Looking over the files, he sees the museum theft was pulled by a professional burglar who picked the locks and used a glass cutter. According to the follow-up reports, the detective assigned to the case, Detective Pellerin, has not found anyone trying to pawn the goods yet so the motive of the theft is still questionable.

He reads through the rest of the notes carefully, but doesn't really find anything more than what Dr. Beckmeyer already gave them. With nothing else to go on, he decides to check in with Lt. Magnus.

Magnus is less than pleased to see Eberhardt with another of his squad's files. He reminds Eberhardt he already told him to stay out of his files.

Eberhardt takes the comment in stride, saying he knows they don't always see eye to eye and he's still getting used to the way American precincts are centered around people's feelings, but in his German homeland the officers would be frank with each other, saying Magnus would be known as an "arschloch" but they should just agree to work together.

The lieutenant isn't sure what arschloch means, but says he'll take Eberhardt outside if he calls him it again. Eberhardt tries to drop the matter, saying he believes the museum theft could be tied in to a murder case he is investigating.

Magnus wants to know what the museum break-in has to do with a homicide. Eberhardt says he isn't sure yet, but there are many snakes and lizards running around, "if you know what I mean." Magnus does not.

Still, the detective decides to talk through the basics of the case with Eberhardt. They believe it was a job for hire with a professional cat burglar taking the goods. Bruno asks if the professional thief was local, but Magnus says they can't be sure.

Magnus still wants to know what this has to do with the murder. Eberhardt starts to ask what murder he is talking about, then remembers that was his cover story. He pivots and talks about finding a man from the museum at the murder site.

Eberhardt goes on to name Kendi. Magnus agrees it is suspect as Kendi is an "Injun" and he's "never trusted those people" and wondering why they can't stay on their own lands. Eberhardt mocks the lieutenant by agreeing with him, pointing out how they should be happy with the small amount of land they get as the white people clearly need more space to spread out.

The discussion continues as Eberhardt talks about his conversation with Kendi and Magnus adds commentary based on ignorant, crude stereotypes that don't even apply to the tribes of this region. The lieutenant follows it up with more racist comments about how at least they don't have the problems with Gypsies and Jews like they do in Europe as Eberhardt tries to get him to drop the subject.

Eventually, Eberhardt gets Magnus to agree to let him know about any developments in the museum case. The lieutenant, however, does want to look at the homicide file for the case Eberhardt has been talking about so he can make notes about the relation of the cases. Eberhardt promises to have his squad's secretary, Ms. Kringle, get those over to him.

Eberhardt then goes over to see Ms. Kringle. Rather than have her send anything to Magnus, he has her call Bruce Gardener.

When he is connected to the developer's office, he gets to talk to Gardener after dealing with the receptionist. Eberhardt explains he is looking into the problem at Fisherman's Castle.

Gardener is confused, believing a Detective Seelau is looking into the case. As Eberhardt tries to explain, Gardener tells him it doesn't matter. In fact, Gardener wants him to go ahead and close the police case, saying he has a private investigator handling the matter who he's confident will get to the bottom of things.

Eberhardt says he'll be happy to close the case, but needs additional information on the worker who was attacked. Gardener gives the name as Ben Hansen. Eberhardt thanks him for his time, and Gardener concludes the call with congeniality but is still quite insistent Eberhardt go ahead and close the case.

*** Session 07 - Scene 13 (of 15) ***

When Nibbons arrives back at the office, he finds Le Doux hard at work with his cloud sketches. Ignoring the insanity, he tells Le Doux what he found.

Boo isn't sure what to think of it, questioning why Gardener didn't tell him about his research at the library. As he is mulling it over, Eberhardt shows up.

Le Doux asks Eberhardt what he found out about the snake men. Eberhardt explains he found nothing, but does say he talked to Gardener who told him to close the case because he hired Le Doux. He also gives Le Doux the name of Ben Hansen.

Feeling there is still more to uncover, Le Doux feels they need to talk to Hansen next. He also wants to head back out to the bayou at night to look for the lizard man. Eberhardt points out they may also want to talk to Boss Boland at the union hall.

To get through the discussions quickly, Le Doux decides he should go talk to Hansen while Eberhardt and Nibbons go speak with Boland.

As Eberhardt and Nibbons take off to see Boland, they have a brief conversation about Le Doux. Eberhardt notes Le Doux has become a bit too deep into his occult investigations lately. Nibbons agrees the man is becoming "unhinged" and they need to keep a closer eye on him.

When they get to the union hall, they quickly find Henry Boland. Boland doesn't seem particularly happy to see them but Eberhardt explains he is a police detective looking into the Fisherman's Castle case.

Boland goes on to say he will talk to them as long as the conversation stays off the record and they don't bother any other union men about the case. According to Boland, the incident has already caused enough trouble and he doesn't need any more. He further says he doesn't need people associating the union with a belief in a fantastical lizard man.

Eberhardt agrees and asks if it is not a lizard man, what the dispute is. Boland says it is not a safe work environment  - missing tools, damage to equipment, and one the men was attacked (though he believes it was likely by an alligator).

Boland explains the whole thing started a few weeks ago when a truck driver, Jim Wilson, was dropping off a load of supplies at night. As he approached the bridge over the swamp leading to the construction site, Wilson claimed he saw some kind of humanoid form, possibly with a tail, run out into the road, across the bridge, and go down into the swamp and disappear.

A couple of days later, vandalism starting showing up at the construction site at night. The next morning, they found gouges in the cement-work and scratches along the sides of the construction equipment.

A few days after that, some strange tracks were discovered in the morning. One of the guys, Justin Cox, took a plaster cast of the best of the tracks along with a photo of it, but Gardener insisted on keeping that.

After the tracks started, people stopped showing up on the work site, finding work elsewhere. Even the night security guys quit, leading to a bunch of supplies getting stolen. The last straw was when one of them, Ben Hansen, claimed to have been chased by the creature that night and got a photo of the lizard man with his camera (which, again, was turned over to Gardener). After that, everyone stayed away.

Eberhardt asks Boland's theory on what is going on. Boland believes the lizard man is a practical joke of some kind, but believes the damage at the site is probably caused by Gardener as an excuse not to pay the men.

It is clear no love is lost between the men, but Eberhardt digs in further why Boland distrusts Gardener. He claims not to understand the minds of the rich, saying the resort idea is dumb anyway (a fishing resort out on the bayou) and doesn't get why people would throw their money away on something so stupid.

Boland seems intent to solve the matter in court, saying they have the upper hand since a developer like Gardener will need their work again sooner or later. Eberhardt thanks him for his time, and he and Nibbons head back to the office.

*** Session 07 - Scene 14 (of 15) ***

Le Doux doesn't take long to track down Ben Hansen's address but finds him not at home. Hansen's wife directs him to a nearby speakeasy where he's been spending his time while out of work.

Finding the place, Le Doux poses as a customer at the bar to remain inconspicuous. Recognizing Hansen from a photo at the man's apartment, he sits a fair distance away from him at the bar but still close enough the man will be able to hear him.

Le Doux calls over to the bartender for some whiskey. He talks loudly about having a tough day (and a strange day). He starts talking about something going down at the bayou.

This gains Hansen's attention. He starts asking Le Doux about what he is talking about. Le Doux claims his uncle was attacked at night by something.

Hansen stops Le Doux from going into details and motions for them to go out to the alley. There, Le Doux tells a story about his fictitious uncle, a union plumber named John Jones. Hansen explains he is a mason working out on the bayou and how he saw a lizard man.

According to Hansen, he was working security at night when he saw the creature and took a picture. It then began running after him and he barely got away. Le Doux carefully tries to confirm it was indeed a lizard man and not a snake man.

Le Doux gets a few more details but learns nothing much more than he already did. He tries luring Hansen out there to help him look for the creature, but the mason steadfastly refuses even despite an offer of $50 (though Le Doux can't produce the cash up front).

Hansen does offer to help by giving Le Doux some rope and a flashlight. Le Doux briefly considers trying to abduct the man, but since he doesn't have a car and there are too many people around, he decides to drop the matter and just take the equipment.

*** Session 07 - Scene 15 (of 15) ***

Once everyone is done, they meet back at the office and exchange information. Le Doux notes all the stories have the creature showing up at night and regularly so they need to go out there.

Eberhardt disagrees, not wanting to risk going out into the swamp in the middle of the night. He's also concerned Le Doux will end up killing some guy in a lizard suit but he insists if it is a fake Eberhardt can just arrest the person and close the case.

Le Doux pretends to go along with him and asks for a ride home for himself and Nibbons. But when they get into the car, he pulls a gun on Eberhardt and forces him to drive back out to the construction site. He apologizes, but insists the matter is too important not to deal with immediately.

When they get there, Le Doux has him turn off the car and everyone get out to investigate. Eberhardt tries to say he should stay by the car in case they need a quick getaway, but Le Doux isn't fooled about what kind of getaway he has planned.

Once out, Le Doux believes they should split up. He doesn't want the creature to know they are there so he refuses to use the flashlight. Instead, they attempt to make their way in the dark with only a partial moon to guide them.

Over by the castle, they can see a little better because of the moonlight reflecting off of the water. Eberhardt believes he sees something over by the castle. He and Le Doux head over to the castle, each approaching from a different side – Eberhardt with his night stick and Le Doux with his shotgun.

Meanwhile, Nibbons stays back to keep an eye out on the bayou. Unfortunately, he fails to notice the pair of red eyes approaching him in the dark until they are a couple of feet away. It lets out a loud growl.

With no time to draw his gun and fire, Nibbons makes a run for it. As he does so, he yells out to the others that he found something.

In the dark, the creature starts gaining on him. Eberhardt and Le Doux begin running back towards him. But Le Doux falls in the dark, causing his shotgun to go off.

Eberhardt can't see the others or anything else in the dark. He decides to head back towards the car.

Nibbons runs randomly off into the bayou. Luckily for him, the creature doesn't seem to be able to reach him.

Le Doux picks himself up off the ground and hears Nibbons continuing to yell in the trees. He rushes towards them, yelling out to Eberhardt but the detective ignores him and gets into the car, starting it up and turning on the lights. Enraged that Eberhardt is trying to leave them, Le Doux starts running towards the car.

Back in the bayou, Nibbons manages to get himself lost in the marshes. He doesn't see the lizard man around but isn't sure where he is either.

Stopping for a moment to listen, he hears a nearby thumping sound; as if someone is pounding on wood. He decides to draw his revolver and head towards it.

Over at the car, Le Doux starts to pull the door open to yell at Eberhardt as Eberhardt slams on the gas. He manages to get Le Doux off, but slams the back of his car into a tree in the swamp.

Recovering from the crash, Eberhardt spots a set of red eyes in the swamp, coming towards him. He decides to stay in the car for protection.

Le Doux spots the eyes and hears the creature growl. He starts reloading his shotgun while yelling for help (in an attempt to lure the creature over).

Back in the swamp, Nibbons finds an old wooden shack nearby. The door appears to be padlocked and there is a lantern on a hook next to the door. He can hear the pounding coming from inside, along with the muffled yells of someone that sounds suspiciously like "Help me!"

After attempting to just knock on the door, Nibbons uses his gun to shoot off the lock. On the ground appears to be the form of a man bound and gagged.

Back at the car, the creature yells some more and advances slowly but seems to be keeping a distance from Le Doux. After a bit, it appears to be moving away. Le Doux starts running towards it.

In the cabin, Nibbons lights the lantern and discovers the bound and gagged man is Kendi. He also sees the inside of the cabin is filled with the stolen tools and supplies from the work site along with a work area containing some man-sized molds with rubber, paraffin, adhesives, and paint. The mold look suspiciously like the shape of the lizard man.

He frees the Indian, who explains he was hit from behind and captured when he discovered this shack out in the bayou while searching for pottery.

Some distance away, Le Doux gets close enough to the lizard man to tackle him. To his surprise, he finds the lizard is very rubbery feeling. Pinning the man, he pulls off the lizard man mask, revealing it to be Bruce Gardener.

Gardener explains the construction project had too many cost overruns to ever be profitable. He had insurance on the site, but could only collect if there was an act of God or other major disruption. Apparently, Gardener only hired Le Doux as a patsy believing him to be an idiot kook who would confirm the existence of the creature. Angrily, Gardener states, "And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you pesky investigators!"

Le Doux tells Gardener he is going away for a long time, but suggests he might be amenable to a bribe. That all goes away when Nibbons shows up with Kendi as Le Doux is willing to gloss over insurance fraud but not a kidnapping (and besides, they'd have to kill Kendi to make it work).

Taking Kendi's car back to the city, Eberhardt puts Gardener in jail and writes up the incident, closing the case.

*** Session 07 - Session Notes ***

Let's start with the obvious - yes, this is indeed a Scooby-Doo style mystery. I didn't have a specific one in mind, though it comes closest to the episode "Go Away Ghost Ship".

I've always wanted to do a Cthulhu adventure where it turned out what was really going on was insurance fraud. My original idea years ago involved a large steam ship (along the lines of the Titanic).

The other reason I threw this is was to add something to lighten the mood after several straight sessions of hunting down the zombi priest.

Finally, there is the hilarious aspect that recent mental issues developed by Le Doux now have him believing everything occult is true - so even though everyone else hinted around the lizard man was fake, he bought into it heart and soul.

The players bought in as well. They keep expecting me to have the monster form of Alderman Biggins from the first campaign to show up. He may yet, but not today...

It was a fun session. I was surprised how close to the standard Scooby Doo formula the session ended up fitting.

I do believe a good deal of why this session worked was the Hawk player not being able to make it; I'm not sure his style would have gone along with the adventure nearly as well.

Other notes from the session:
* Everyone lost so much HP and SAN last time, there's no way the session could begin the next day so I threw in the two week time forward. This did cause them to miss the window with the Committee meeting (which they didn't like) but they just were in no shape to go there.

* The opening scene with Eberhardt is there to remind the PCs that he has a job to do and that their mayhem across the city isn't exactly unnoticed (this isn't Charming, CA after all; people here still notice dead bodies). Hawk's actions in particular have him vulnerable at the moment.

* I originally thought about playing out Le Doux's time in the asylum and discussions with Dr. Essex to advance other plots. But I knew we'd get too side-tracked and thought it would be better to present that information later (perhaps in a follow-up visit).

* As before, I gave Le Doux some more of my fake newspaper articles. Again, writing these is perhaps my favorite part of prepping for the games.

* Bruce Gardener (and his wife) come straight from the film, Poltergeist III, where he was played by Tom Skerirtt. His later line about "weirdo psychics and witch doctors" is a line in the film.

* The Irish Bayou Castle is a real thing (though built in the 80's). I thought it was far too funny / strange not to use for a Scooby-Doo style mystery. When the PCs meet with Gardener, I showed them actual pictures of it as the artist's interpretation (but used Paint to transform them to look like impressionist paintings).

* The story on Coolidge's tax reform ideas is another of my true stories to set the tone of the times as well as meant as a joke in political irony.

* The Gold Rush review joke about women being advised is actually taken from something I read in an actual review of the Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

* The museum story is clearly there to set them up to go to the museum later since I had a lot of material for that. Careful readers may note that Gardener is not the one who broke into the museum, so there may still be something to those artifacts, Yig, and the serpent people.

* I had Madge get Le Doux the job to remind them they do need money. Making it even funnier when crazy Le Doux later offers to do the job for free.

* The Eberhardt player did a great job of having his character genuinely annoyed with Le Doux for all of the crazy things that happened over the last few sessions.

* Gardener was a crooked land developer, but I never intended to have him connected to The Committee. Still, it was interesting the players thought of the connection.

* For the lizard man photos, I used the ones from the story in Bishopville, South Carolina. When I saw that story online, I knew I just had to use that photo in a session; it was just too hokey. The old newspaper story is also based on that particular lizard man myth.

* The Le Doux player was hilariously over the top when expressing his belief in the lizard men. We had to stop to laugh at points.

* Lt. C.L. Magus was named in the write-up after the fact. It's the name of the villain from the above-mentioned Scooby-Doo episode.

* Careful readers may note I use a lot of different detective names for property crimes. Let's just assume its a large division and not that I kept forgetting the names I already stated.

* Kendi and Harry Beckmeyer are both named after characters in a film I won't name here yet because it might give away a plot point for an upcoming adventure.

* The Quinipissa were a real tribe. I debated the merits of using a real people's name for occult activities, but since they went extinct I felt it would be safe. I used a fake tribe (the Hopwell) last time. My goal isn't to denigrate Native Americans (of which are part of my own ancestry) but since my adventures don't take place in New England, one of the only ways to have things have happened hundreds of years ago is to invoke the "strange heathen cults" sort of stereotype. Next time I'll have to use the "strange inbred group of pioneers" stereotype.

* Kendi is out in the bayou as a red herring suspect. He's also there to impart plot information that may become more relevant later (the snake men, the concept of the wyrm) and to hint the PCs should investigate the museum theft.

* Le Doux's fake names at the museum are clearly an Indiana Jones joke.

* Beckmeyer made a point about being an anthropologist and not a biologist to remind the PCs they can't come to him about any old "science" thing.

* I knew if I talked up the letter with Beckmeyer, the PCs would want to read it. Naturally it conveys knowledge of the Cthulhu mythos which caused more SAN loss.

* I tried to make the de Tonti letter as historically accurate as possible. As usual, I gave the PCs a printed out copy in a script font. I threw a lot of historical details in there to set the stage (including using the older style name of the tribe and alligators).

* The horrific story of Yig and the Indian cultists is meant to inspire fear for if and when anything contemporary around Yig shows up.

* The museum artifact cards were also printed out to look like actual cards. I wasn't sure what a real museum card looked like, so I did some research online to get a feel for them.

* I made a rather obvious error in my museum cards - the Hopi are not a Great Plains tribe. I had decided on the exhibit name before I researched tribes with snake-related beliefs. However, I believe I can claim dramatic license here since the museums of the 1920's may well have been not as exact about such things.

* While many of the names listed were real people, Digby Sothers is not (it's inspired by the fictitious writer of Branded on The Big Lebowski, Archie Digby Sellers). And Sir Archibald comes from the Lakefront City campaign. The reference to the Hopwell and the Cahokia Mounds only further convinced the Le Doux player the lizard man was Biggins.

* The details from Nibbons and Beckmeyer's conversation are more historical facts used as exposition. I added more details in this write-up than we discussed in session.

* I'm not sure why Le Doux wanted a key or what he thought Beckmeyer had. I'm not even sure if it was part of him playing out the mental illness or if he actually had a plan.

* Djauto having a bicycle as a loaner is just a joke to add insult to injury for the PCs always losing cars.

* The librarian giving the clue to Nibbons was to establish how Gardener came up with the idea for his scam. I wanted it to not come completely out of left field.

* Eberhardt's conversation with Magnus is clearly meant to establish the man as another racist jerk. I'm also making a point about how that sort of casual racism leads to really bad things. That said, I do worry about the "Chappelle Show/All In the Family effect" - at what point does my mocking racism go over the line into seeming like it is promoting it. I'll try to avoid going back to that well again for the next NPCs they encounter.

* If I was writing a story, the Ben Hansen scene is the only one I'd really consider editing out. It doesn't provide anything new and is largely pointless. I tried to make it have any meaning by giving Le Doux the rope and flashlight, though he ultimately didn't use them.

* Also note that again Le Doux is looking for cannon fodder. I'm still not going to let that work.

*  The final scene played out perfect - with a chase scene of sorts and stumbling into the truth. We joked about how Le Doux just as easily could have killed Gardener making the story far darker.

*** Session 08 - Cast of Characters ***

Bruno Eberhardt: A 1st generation German immigrant and seasoned police officer. He does some work on the side for Le Doux and others to supplement his income.

Boudreaux "Boo" Le Doux: A Cajun and former swamp guide turned private eye who styles himself after hardboiled pulp detective novels.

Chester Lee Nibbons: A younger, bookish White guy who works as Le Doux's "partner" in order to pay off a gambling debt to him.

Benjamin "Hawk" Brooks: A Black street kid turned enforcer. He works as muscle and provides information for Le Doux, for a price.

Pamela "Foxy" Brown: Hawk's fourteen year-old half-sister who tends to get into trouble on the streets.

*** Session 08 - Scene 1 (of 12) ***

Le Doux and Nibbons sit around the office in the morning, reading the paper as usual. Le Doux is immediately intrigued by the cover story:

Old Woman Mutilated in Bizarre Killing – Has the Axeman Returned?

Widow Marilyn Livingston was the victim late last night in a bizarre murder.

According to police, the pensioner's kitchen door appeared to be hacked open, possibly using an axe or machete-type weapon. The same weapon appeared to be used to kill the victim, as sources inside the coroner's office has alluded to Livingston as being dismembered in the attack.

People on the streets are already speculating if this could be the return of "The Axeman", the notorious serial killer and purported jazz enthusiast whose last killing occurred six years ago.

The office of Police Superintendent Thomas Healy has called for people to remain calm and says there is no evidence to suggest the Axeman has returned.

The mention of an axe or machete-like weapon reminds Le Doux of the zombi killings. He wonders if they should investigate the crime further.

Moving on to a lighter piece of news in the entertainment section, he reads:

Hollywood Star Vacations in Crescent City

Hot off of filming four features back to back, Hollywood star Lon Chaney is in town for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Chaney and his wife, fellow actress Hazel Hastings, are staying at the one of the intimate European suites at the Lafayette Hotel.

The Chaney's have been spotted at several local hot spots, including black tie dinners at Antoine's and dancing at the Magic Noire night club. Below is a picture of Lon dancing with last year's queen of Mardis Gras, Miss Anne Veleroux.

Chaney also took time to speak with some fans. When asked about his predilection for playing grotesque but sympathetic characters, Chaney quoted his recent Movie magazine interview saying, "I wanted to remind people that the lowest types of humanity may have within them the capacity for supreme self-sacrifice."

Chaney's latest film, Tower of Lies, opens in two weeks and is expected to be another big success following his previous hit, The Phantom of the Opera.
The business section also has some interesting news:

Pentex Chemicals Expands Oil Operations

Around two dozen spectators, including Mayor Behrman, were in attendance today as Pentex Chemicals began drilling operations with its latest oil rig out in the Segnette bayou area.

Pentex executive Robert Jenkins gave a short speech, saying, "As we begin our latest oil operation, we continue to take Crescent City into the future. The days of polluted air from coal plants are over – giving us a bright, clean future of oil."

Mayor Behrman also gave a few words, stating his support for local industry and modernization of the city, highlighting the increased use of motor cars and how oil will help fuel them as well as Superintendent Healy's proposed fleet of armored motorcycles.

Nibbons recalls Pentex Chemicals was the company buying out old man Oldham's pesticide company. Le Doux wonders how he can get ahold of one of the armored motorcycles.

Finally, Le Doux chuckles at a story in the crime section on winning the war on alcohol:

Jackson Claims Success in War on Booze

District Commissioner of the Prohibition Unit active in Crescent City, Orenthal Darius Jackson (commonly known as "O.D."), gave another statement yesterday at Lafayette Square, touting the success of increased patrols by the U.S. Coast Guard in preventing alcohol and illicit narcotics from being imported through the Crescent City docks.

With the city cut off from its larger outside suppliers, Jackson said the next step is to crack down on local producers of moonshine and beer. According to Jackson, "Our cause is just and progress is being made. I ask for the good citizens of Crescent City to hold out just a little longer and by next year, we should be well on our way to getting this city dry again and restoring it as a place for honest and decent people to live!"

As with past speeches, this drew a large number of boos from the crowd. Local grocer Tomas Rousse was charged with attempted assault for handing out rotten vegetables to members in the crowd to throw at Jackson.