*** Session 11 - Scene 9 (of 11) ***

The two men make their way back to the other door in the dining room. Still hearing nothing and no one in the house, they open the door finding a small hall leading to the back porch. The west wall has a large set of shelves along one side.

Le Doux spots some semi-circle scratch marks along the floor next to the shelves. It appears as if the shelves might move. Feeling around, he finds a latch. He tells Eberhardt to ready the rifle and opens the hidden door. It swings opens to reveal a dark hallway beyond.

Flipping on the flashlight, Le Doux heads in. He's convinced it is the way out but Eberhardt isn't so sure. The hallway leads a short distance before ending in another door.

Le Doux opens that door to discover the room beyond appears to be a root cellar, possibly located under the elevated area outside. In the center of the room is a crude table with dried blood on it in the symbol of a dot with three lines coming out from it (similar to the Yellow Sign drawing Eberhardt discovered). The table is surrounded by lit candles, half burned down.

Finding nothing else in the room and unable to get Eberhardt to come investigate, Le Doux decides to leave. He goes out to tell Eberhardt about what he found, believing the symbol he saw was similar to the one near the door that was not the sign of the wyrm.

While Le Doux tries to convince him to go check it out, Eberhardt decides on a different course of action. He lights his stick of dynamite and throws it down the hall. The two have a chance to run out the back porch just as the explosion goes off, throwing them to the ground.

*** Session 11 - Scene 10 (of 11) ***

As Eberhardt and Le Doux pick themselves up off the ground, they spot a group of people coming up from the path behind the house. The man in the lead appears to be middle-aged bald man, while behind him are three younger women wearing dark robes that partially obscure their faces. Le Doux guesses this must be Thylo.

Thylo calls out to the two, asking what they are doing there. Eberhardt readies his rifle while Le Doux lights a stick of dynamite and tries throwing it at him. Unfortunately, the throw goes wide and the man seems to shrug off the incidental exposure to the explosion.

Enraged, Thylo's eyes narrow and he grits his teeth. Eberhardt and Le Doux watch in horror as Thylo's face begins to elongate, his fingers lengthen, and his body hair grows thick. Within seconds, he is transformed into a wolf-man.

The werewolf charges at Le Doux, raking him with his claws. The already-wounded Le Doux is quickly weakened by the blow.

Eberhardt sees the girls, Thylo's daughters, are also turning into werewolves. He fires the Winchester at one of them, dropping her.

Le Doux feels the situation is becoming dire. He begins chanting, calling out the spell to call Nyarlathotep. He hopes the Floating Horror will eat the werewolves.

As he does so, the two female werewolves grab Eberhardt from either side, sinking their teeth into him. He yells out in pain. He drops the rifle and fires his .38 special into one of them, hitting her in the stomach.

The sky begins to change colors. Eberhardt looks up to see the Floating Horror starting to appear. The werewolves stop their attack, mesmerized by the sight. They change back into their human forms.

Thylo asks Le Doux what he is doing. Le Doux responds by firing his sawed-off shotgun straight into his face. He falls to the ground, with a big chunk of his head missing.

Eberhardt fires another shot into the woman he already wounded, downing her. As he moves to fire at the remaining one, a voice calls out telling him to wait. Another young woman emerges from the trees, wearing a porcupine quill necklace. Eberhardt surmises this must be Jerboa.

Le Doux tells Jerboa she needs to call off her sister. She turns to the remaining standing girl and tells her to stop, calling her by the name Bahloo. The first sister Eberhardt shot is also starting to get up, and Jerboa tells her to hold back as well, calling her by the name Yara.

Jerboa then asks Le Doux how he knows her name and what he wants with her. He says they are looking for Donny Martin.

Just then, Thylo stands back up. Le Doux sees the man's face is starting to regenerate before his eyes. It is a very disturbing image.

Thylo says something about Donny being too weak to accept the gift the wolf gave him. Jerboa argues the point with him, saying Donny is just confused.

Largely ignoring the exchange, Le Doux threatens to bring back the Floating Horror if they don't tell him where to find Donny Martin. Jerboa says he is in the city, running wild. According to her, the "transformation didn't go well."

Le Doux is confused what she means. Jerboa explains Donny wanted to be one of them. Le Doux tries to ask how that works. Jerboa questions if that is really important at the moment, but Le Doux is concerned about viral transference for Eberhardt.

Jerboa says it is not that simple; a ritual needs to be involved. Le Doux equates it to his calling of "his friend" (referring to Nyarlathotep.)

The girl goes on to explain it started hundreds of years ago when her family first settled the land. A wolf transformed by the power of the wyrm bit one of her ancestors. He survived through help from the p Indians the family traded with; eventually, they learned how to use the power of the wyrm to transform themselves.

As for Donny, Jerboa says he truly feels the "call of the wild", but the transformation was imperfect in him and he can't control his shifts. As a result, his mind has been muddled and he's running wild in the city, killing people for food.

Le Doux asks why they aren't helping him. Thylo says it is not their problem as Jerboa looks downcast.

Eberhardt asks about the nuns. Jerboa explains he must be referring to her sisters – Bahloo, Yara, and Goolah (who is now recovered from her injuries as well). She goes on to say they wear the dark robes to conceal their more bestial appearance, as they have neither the experience controlling it their father has, nor do they have her necklace.

Jerboa says she has been looking for Donny in the city and believes she knows where he is hiding out. She wants to help, but isn't sure what she can do.

Le Doux tells Thylo that Donny is all of their problem now and they need to help him. Thylo carefully grabs a dagger from his belt; it has a silver blade. He tells Le Doux the only way to help Donny is to plunge the dagger into Donny's heart.

Thinking, Le Doux asks if silver bullets would work. Thylo isn't sure, having never done that. Le Doux wants more details, but Thylo can only say something about its chemical properties affecting their condition.

When Le Doux asks if the dagger will cure Donny, Thylo coldly says he will not survive. He is less than sympathetic about it, believing Donny is no better than a wild beast now. Eberhardt agrees Donny's parents won't want him back in his current state.

Le Doux asks Thylo if there is any way to reverse the process. He says he knows of no way, but Jerboa insists with Le Doux's magical abilities he should be able to find a way.

In the meantime, Eberhardt tries to strike the deal with Thylo about leaving the people from Audrey's alone. Thylo tells Eberhardt he'll kill him if he ever returns and should keep everyone away. Le Doux threatens to use his magic again, but Thylo threatens to tear his throat out.

Since Thylo's ultimate goal is to just be left alone, Eberhardt eventually succeeds in negotiating a way to keep the groups out of each other's ways in exchange for taking care of Donny; not that Thylo cares for the boy, but he knows his daughter wishes to mate with him. Le Doux agrees to cure Donny if they can, or kill him if they can't.

After Le Doux fails to convince Thylo his cabin exploded from a "natural gas leak" and giving him his rifle back, they start to get going. Jerboa agrees to go with them to help them find Donny.

As they head out, Le Doux asks her why she uses the necklace to maintain her humanity. Jerboa explains she's always been more at home in the city, liking the conveniences of modern technologies like the movies where she met Donny.

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

When they get back to Audrey's, they return the boat and explain to Dilly they have solved his problems. He seems pleased, saying they'll have their "store credit." The two use the credit to get a couple of cabins for the night, but are too beat up to take advantage to use any company (though one of the girls, Lola, tries to entice Eberhardt). Jerboa, for her part, stays out of sight in the woods until morning.

When morning comes, they take the ferry back to the city and head to Le Doux's office. The men change clothes and start forming a plan on what to do next.

Eberhardt asks Jerboa about where she thinks Donny is located. She says she believes he is staying at the House of Refuge and working at the Work House during the day but goes roaming at night.

Le Doux knows those are part of the Apostolic Church of Crescent City, ran by the bombastic evangelical minister, Reverend Jimmy Lee Farnsworth. Le Doux knows Farnsworth has a bad reputation among the wealthier Creole families in town for convincing some of their elderly relatives to help fund his church instead of leaving it for inheritance.

Jerboa is anxious to get going, but Le Doux says he will need to heal up first. Jerboa assists by applying a folk remedy to his wounds – it burns, but does appear to help them heal a little.

Le Doux also wants to wait to see if he can get Hawk and Nibbons on the case with him, feeling they'll need all the help they can get to take care of a wild werewolf. But he has a plan – they'll get some more silver in case they need to kill him.

Eberhardt plans to get some shackles from the prison to keep him contained once they get him. Le Doux suggests chaining Donny to his safe. When he looks at the safe, he notices it has damage from someone trying to crack it. After confirming with Madge no one has been in his office, he has an idea who tried to break into his safe.

As for Donny, Le Doux knows they'll need a different kind of help to save him. Thinking about it, he believes Kendi can help.

The three split up – with Jerboa going to bring Donny back, Eberhardt to go get the chains, and Le Doux to head to the museum to find Kendi...

*** Session 11 and Interlude 2 - Session Notes ***

So, this session two of the players couldn't make it, putting us down to two. Two investigators makes for a very small game indeed, though we managed to make it work. I'd still say the ideal for a CoC-style game is three players - that seems to work best, though two and four can work (five is too many, in my opinion).

In any event, the Donny Martin plot moved along nicely. I had the FLOW cabin mapped out months ago as one of the first plots I came up with for the campaign. Next session may end the Donny Martin plot of the campaign, but some related material is just beginning.

Random notes about the session / interlude:
* I wanted the mercenary team descending on the lake house island to feel somewhat like a modern special forces type mission. In my head I was picturing something between Tom Clancy and the marines from Aliens.

* The monster they killed was indeed Niven from the previous campaign (who was badly wounded, but never killed, in the final session).

* More to come on the mysterious company they work for, the doctor they mentioned, and the terrible plot being hatched there (and how it relates to the current campaign) in the next interlude...

* Clearly Eberhardt was recently taken over by the Great Race the same way Nibbons and Fox previously were. I originally had some material ready to expand on that for Nibbons, but he missed the session.

* This is the first time I really thought about the exact date the campaign takes place in. Using the Scopes jury story from at the start of the campaign, I estimate it starts somewhere in the first week of July and went through the exercise of approximating the dates for each session. I came up with Aug 25th as the current date from that.

* Since I didn't have that date during the session, we just talked in general that Eberhardt thought it was the previous day. I added the actual date (and the newspaper material about the sports news) in the notes to add color.

* During the session, the joke was that Hawk's sister was "being cured off the Wild Turkey" (from the line in Christmas Vacation). Since Wild Turkey wasn't invented yet, the notes change it to the fictional Wild Duck.

* There were quite a few OOC jokes around the trip to the hardware store since that led to murder and mayhem in the Lakefront City campaign.

* I'm not 100% sure how rural Jefferson Parish and the areas I mentioned actually were in 1925 (though I do know you had to use a ferry to get there because the bridge wasn't built yet). I claim dramatic license.

* Clearly I'm foreshadowing some future plot material for Pentex by mentioning it a couple of times. But my players (who may never have played a WOD game and aren't familiar with Pentex or the Wyrm) may not get the foreshadowing (so far they haven't indicated any interest).

* Audrey's, and all of the male characters there, are taken from the TV show, Justified. I just used random names for the females because I didn't think to look any of those up ahead of time (the Crowe family plot has been on my list for awhile but wasn't originally linked to the Bowles plot).

* The "scenic cabin fee" is a play on the joke in the original Vacation film.

* Le Doux's encounter with the prostitute took me by surprise. I was expecting the typical "I'm just here to ask some questions" type of thing from him. Instead, he responded with "the works". The description of their activities comes from the joke that he stressed he wanted to perform well and I joked he'd have to roll Athletics; since he has a poor score in that, he countered that he'd do her "real nasty" so he could use his (higher) Crime skill score.

* The Eberhardt player was at a loss when he got to the bar, unsure what liquor Germans drank (which caused us to mock him with Octoberfest jokes).

* As a joke, Dilly tended to call them the "Bowels" family when I spoke as him.

* Clearly Dilly and Elvis are trafficking marijuana. That may figure into more of the crime plots in the future.

* The "naval entanglements" line was delivered as a play on the scene in Star Wars.

* Darlene's joke about not being able to use the outhouse was a play on the joke in Bad Santa.

* I couldn't think of the name of the pirogue during the session so we just called it a "Cajun flat boat". There were comments about wanting a fan boat, but I reminded them this wasn't the Everglades. Still, the game version of the bayou is far more swampy than the real place.

* The dead tree was there because I used pictures of the map tiles from the Mansions of Madness board game (specifically, the call of the wild expansion) to create my map of the area (in my notes at least; we don't use minis in this game at all). The players got real freaked out about what might happen with it (suspecting something ala Poltergeist).

* The four claw marks on the tree was a joke referring back to an old D&D session with my former gaming group where one of the players insisted a mark couldn't be from a werewolf because it had the wrong number of claws (which would have made sense except I just threw out a number without thinking when he asked, which was obvious to everyone else).

* The well, similarly, was just there to give some atmosphere but they thought for sure tentacles were going to come out of it.

* The "cabin" of the Bowles clan is quite large (it is effectively a small swamp mansion).

* Why were there lamps inside the cabin along with a fire in the fireplace? Because I didn't want it obvious no one was inside (originally I expected them to investigate during the day so I had to improvise).

* The chunk of meat in the icebox was just meant to be something disgusting; it had no real story to it (other than the obvious - it was ripped out by werewolf claws not cut out with knives). I intended for it to be deer meat, not human.

* The candles were beeswax so as to not suggest how long they had been lit.

* The human head trophies were old - something from past generations. The PCs never inspected them closely so that never came out. There was a whole story about how the clan gave up cannibalism a long time ago.

* I joked about a trap going off when the rifle was removed (as in Resident Evil, etc.)

* The name of the cabin, FLOW, as well as the first names of the clan (along with Kendi and Dr. Beckmeyer) all come from The Howling III: The Marsupials.

* The PCs never did get the FLOW puzzle. They knew it was a puzzle, but were looking for missing letters instead of recognizing it was "wolf" backwards. Hence, in the write-up, they miss seeing it in the glass.

* The symbols around the door were for the wyrm and the black spiral dancers (that one the PCs didn't recognize). Granted, in the game I wasn't going to call it the black spiral dancers per se.

* The papers of Donny Martin that Eberhardt found (which were printed handouts for the PCs) show he discovered a lot about the deeper truths. "Has Star?" refers to Hastur and "The Follower of the Seven Sisters" refers to Hastur's home planet of Aldebaran (called The Follower) and its close relationship to the constellation of Pleiades (the Seven Sisters). How that fits into the story along with the byakhee and the Bowles clan's condition remains to be revealed (after all, the PCs haven't even puzzled out that much).

* Eberhardt went under the bed because the player figured by then he'd lost so much sanity he just wanted to hide. The house is designed to be a sanity drain - both PCs ended up losing 7 points each by the end of the session.

* I had picture handouts of the book and magazine for the PCs to add color (though the picture of the book was from a couple of decades later, it still looked old enough).

* The Algernon Blackwood story was chosen because it was the kind of fiction that inspired Lovecraft's works and because the wendigo myth is often used in conjunction with werewolf myths.

* I chose that particular issue of Weird Tales because I was able to find the image of it online. It's also a magazine Lovecraft's stories were published in.

* Donny's letter is an actual letter Lovecraft himself wrote to Weird Tales, which inspired H. Warner Munn to write his various Tales of the Werewolf Clan stories.

* The room with the altar of the yellow sign was the "transformation chamber" where the ritual to grant a clan member the power of the werewolf was performed.

* Eberhardt blowing up the ritual room was done somewhat as a tongue in cheek response to the Le Doux player trying to coax him inside to see the yellow sign in the hopes he would lose more sanity (for OOC humor purposes).

* Le Doux actually gained the knowledge of Nyarlathotep back when he read the diary of Jean Batraville (it's also when he learned the spell). He'd been looking for a time to use it for a while.

* Jerboa shows up in the nick of time because the PCs had no way to really kill the werewolves. Again, I underestimated the PCs willingness to immediately engage the family in combat instead of trying to talk to them first (of course, since they already blew up part of their house...)

* I had Jerboa give out big chunks of exposition in order to keep the story moving since the PCs weren't thinking of asking questions by then.

* I think I mentioned before - Jimmy Lee Farnsworth is from Fletch Lives. I hope to use him for humor value next session.

* I originally envisioned the end of the Donny Martin story to be more An American Werewolf in London, but going the occult route to try and save him with a spell (that will cost them yet more sanity) works too.

* As a side note - Le Doux is down to 14 SAN while Eberhardt still has 27. They'll both be gaining new derangements after this session. By comparison, Hawk still has 35 (though is terrified of zombis now) and Nibbons still has 55 (by far the most sane member of the group).

*** Interlude - The Shape of Things to Come - Part 3 ***

 Whiting, IN
 January 1, 1925

 On a snowy New Year's Day, Max Grant drives the car up to the gates of the Whiting Refinery. He notes since he was last here they replaced the refinery sign indicating the new ownership.

 The plant is closed for the holiday, but a guard remains at the gate. After Max's boss presents his credentials, the guard opens the gate and they drive inside.

 The car drives past the main refinery buildings and over to the business offices. He parks the car and opens the door for his boss, Curtiss Jackson. Jackson heads inside alone, leaving Grant to wait in the car.

 Inside, Jackson finds Delazny is already waiting for him outside his office. Before he can talk to the man, his secretary informs him Richard Deacon has been calling again. He tells her he'll take care of it personally and motions Delazny inside.

 Jackson asks Delazny how Stryke is doing. Delazny sarcastically notes he's doing better than Van Zante, then clarifies the doctor is still trying to treat him.

 Delazny then gives a report on how things are going – one of the subjects they brought back is dead but there are several still alive the doctor believes have promise. He says it is a good thing the subjects were all already declared dead so no relatives will be looking for them.

 The mercenary then wants to know what Deacon's call was about. Jackson explains the man has decided the previous payment he received from them was insufficient. He tells Delazny he may need him to take care of that for him.

 Before he leaves, Delazny tells Jackson why he stopped by in the first place – he's heard back from his old army contact, Captain Robert "Buzz" Baxter. Delazny says Baxter is interested in the doctor's research, and apparently it will tie in with the work already being done by his own team at the Institute for Supernormality Research, but they will need to relocate...

*** Session 12 - Cast of Characters ***

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

 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.

 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.

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

Nibbons wakes up in a cold sweat. He recalls having another of those strange dreams, but doesn't remember anything about it.

Getting up, Chester showers and gets himself ready to head in to see Le Doux. After yesterday's successful gambling ventures, particularly on his Helen Moody bet, he has enough to pay back the Cajun a portion of the money he owes him.

Across town, Hawk is also cleaning up from the previous night. After using some turkey grease, he managed to get Foxy off of the Wild Duck. Once his place is clean of all the vomit, he heads over to see Le Doux – leaving her to rest. He's cautious on the way over, still worried about anyone coming after him.

Nibbons and Hawk arrive at the office around the same time, but find only Madge there. She tells them Le Doux and Eberhardt went out on errands but will be back soon, so they decide to wait.

*** Session 12 - Scene 2 (of 12) ***

At the Louisiana State History Museum, Le Doux uses the public restroom to use the bar of soap and steel brush he purchased at the grocers on the way over to wash himself thoroughly. Ever since he returned from the bayou, he has felt dirty and is worried about germs being everywhere.

When he finishes, he steps over to one of the attendants and asks to speak with Kendi Battice, giving his name and saying the two are friends. After a moment, she retrieves the older Choctaw man. He is surprised to see Le Doux again, vaguely recognizing him, and asks what he can do for him.

Le Doux asks if they can have a private word in his office. Kendi explains he does not have his own office as he works in the anthropology office with Dr. Beckmeyer. Le Doux asks if Beckmeyer is in today and Kendi says he is. Thinking a moment, Le Doux decides that could be a good thing as perhaps Dr. Beckmeyer's knowledge could also be useful in helping with his matter.

Dr. Beckmeyer looks up from his desk when the two men enter the office. He greets Le Doux by the name "Dr. Jones", which causes Kendi to give him a look. Le Doux responds with a wink to Kendi.

Le Doux tells Beckmeyer he has some strange questions to ask him about. He starts by reminding the doctor about the lizard man investigation in the Irish Bayou where he met Kendi. Beating around the bush a bit, Le Doux makes vague comments about having some strange experiences lately.

Stopping in the middle of the conversation, Le Doux gets distracted by a spot of dirt on the floor. Beckmeyer asks if everything is OK, shaking him out of his fixation.

Getting back to the issue at hand, he says his latest case has some similarities to the lizard man case. He begins by explaining about looking for a missing young man who believes he may be a werewolf.

Dr. Beckmeyer says he is somewhat familiar with what Le Doux is talking about, since Mr. Round and Mr. Nibbons visited him the other day to ask about that necklace. He recalls Mr. Nibbons asking about werewolves.

Le Doux goes on to explain they have not found Martin yet, but have located Jerboa Bowles. He goes on to explain the Bowles family appears to be actual werewolves. Harry expresses his interest in the possibility, calling it fascinating. Le Doux says it is also dangerous.

Boudreaux stumbles on, saying the Bowles family appears to be (at least relatively) peaceful, but Martin decided to go through the ritual to become a werewolf him and is running amok in the city.

Beckmeyer isn't as interested in Donny Martin as he is the rituals that turned him into a werewolf. He asks Le Doux for information, saying he'd like to study them. Le Doux admits he has no notes on that ritual.

However, Le Doux does have the silver dagger they gave him. He explains the Bowles patriarch gave it to him in order to stop Donny. Le Doux starts explaining about the recent murders and the connection to Martin, but Beckmeyer isn't really listening; he does, however, want to get a better look at the knife.

Le Doux lets Beckmeyer take a look at it. He examines it with his magnifying glass, taking notes. He identifies it as a French roundel, likely 17th century in origin, with a silver blade.

The detective isn't really that interested in the dagger itself. He tells Beckmeyer they need to find a way to help Donny or the only other way to stop him is by thrusting it into his heart.

Beckmeyer finds the suggestion ghastly, but Kendi says death is the only option for one who has the taint of the wyrm. Le Doux notes he's talking about wolves not worms, which causes Kendi to mutter something in Choctaw under his breathe.

Wanting more information about the wyrm, Le Doux feigns ignorance and asks Beckmeyer what Kendi is talking about. Harry explains the wyrm is the belief of Kendi's tribe in an evil, corrupting spirit that warps nature. He goes on to tell Le Doux he has written several papers on the subject and asks if he'd like to see them. Le Doux says he is very interested in that.

Beckmeyer goes on to remind Le Doux how the artifacts he asked about on his previous visit, the ones stolen in the break-in, were related to the wyrm concept; they were all Indian artifacts related to snake myths.

Le Doux asks how that is related to wolves. Beckmeyer isn't sure. He does note wolf worship is another common animal totem among various Indian tribes but not the ones with the snake artifacts. Le Doux nods along, recalling the lizard men. Beckmeyer corrects him that the tribes actually believed in snake men, not lizard men; but he posits that if snake men, or lizard men, could exist then so could wolf men.

Insisting such a thing is indeed possible, Le Doux says he knows the wolf men exist because he saw them change form directly in front of him. Beckmeyer finds the prospect fascinating and wants to head out to talk to them himself. Kendi mumbles something else.

Le Doux warns Beckmeyer against such an expedition, saying he could end up disemboweled. He explains that during his visit (with "Mr. Sallah") he shot one of the clan at point blank range with a shotgun and saw the man heal the wound before his eyes. He says they are very dangerous individuals.

Far from dissuading Le Doux, Beckmeyer is more convinced than ever he needs to meet the Bowles clan and indicates he plans to leave right away.

Le Doux tries to gain control of the conversation again, saying they have Jerboa and need his help with Donnie. Beckmeyer is confused, asking Le Doux how he can help. Le Doux explains he believes they can avoid using the knife on the boy if they can come up with a counter-ritual that could make Donny human again.

Beckmeyer says he has no direct knowledge of such a thing, but recalls his last conversation with Mr. Nibbons about the legends of the loup garou and how Henry Bouget wrote a book on the subject. He suggests to Le Doux he track down a copy of Bouget's seminal study on witchcraft and sorcery, Discours execrable des Sorciers (The Excrable Speech of Sorcerers), written in 1602. If anything has a way to reverse the spell, Beckmeyer suggests, it will be that book; though he admits he does not have a copy and does not know where to get one, suggesting Le Doux find a rare book collector.

Le Doux says he believes he knows how he might locate a copy, thinking of Nibbons. He asks if Beckmeyer wants to talk to Jerboa, but the anthropologist says he'd rather observe the family "in the field" first to get a look at their natural habitat. The doctor continues on about the paper he intends to write.

As a last ditch attempt to save the man's life, Le Doux gives him directions to Audrey's campground and says he can start by talking to one of the girls, Darlene, there about the clan. Beckmeyer finds the name familiar, saying he recalls one of his uncles and his friends often stayed there when they were out on one of their fishing trips.

Le Doux informs him to use the name of "Mr. Le Doux" when asking to use some of his "store credit" there. Beckmeyer asks who Mr. Le Doux is, causing Kendi to shake his head and mutter behind his back. Le Doux, for his part, says it is a sort of code name. Beckmeyer tells "Dr. Jones" his practice of archeology is interesting and much more exciting than he's been led to believe about the subject.

*** Session 12 - Scene 3 (of 12) ***

Over at the Parish Prison, Eberhardt is talking to Deputy Arnold Stephens about getting some manacles for transporting a prisoner. While the deputy is getting the chains, a patrol officer dropping off a prisoner spots Eberhardt.

Eberhardt recognizes the officer as one of the men he used to work with when he was still a patrolman, Officer Frank Mahen. Mahen tells Eberhardt Lt. Giaradello has been looking for him and wants to see him right away.

Mahen offers to drive Eberhardt back to the precinct. Eberhardt explains he's waiting on something. When Stephens shows back up with the chains, Mahen asks what those are for. Eberhardt says they are for a prisoner he needs to transport. Mahen is surprised, saying he thought being a fancy homicide detective and all, Eberhardt would have more interesting things to do.

Eberhardt says the prisoner is a dangerous murderer and he can't trust anyone else to handle him. Mahen asks who the prisoner is. Eberhardt gives the name of Donny Martin. Mahen says the name doesn't make him sound dangerous, but Eberhardt insists he is a murderer of nuns at the mission. Mahen hasn't heard of any such murders, but assumes Bruno knows what he is talking about.

When Eberhardt gets back to the precinct, he finds Giaradello waiting with his partners, Det. McElroy and Det. Le Fleur. The lieutenant comments on Eberhardt finally being back in the office.

Eberhardt asks what he can help with. Giaradello explains the copycat Axeman murder case is starting to heat up and he needs to pull him into it. He goes on to say that since Eberhardt was last in the office, there have been a couple more attacks.

McElroy lists off the recent attacks – one outside the Slaughtered Lamb restaurant, and another on a trolley car that left six people injured or killed. Giaradello says they have to stop the attacks right away.

Eberhardt asks for more information on the attacks. Le Fleur, in his soft voice, explains the attacker appears to use some sort of knife, as all the victims have had multiple, long lacerations as wounds. Given the symmetry of the marks, Le Fleur suspects the attacker could be using an unusual weapon similar to a Hindu bagh naka.

Le Fleur goes on to say they have a suspect; they believe it is one of the indigent men working at the Work House and staying at the House of Refuge Apostolic Mission, going by the name David Kessler though Le Fleur suspects that could be a pseudonym. Eberhardt doesn't recognize the name but clearly they have found Donny Martin.

Eberhardt asks if they need his help investigating crime scenes. Giaradello explains they already have other men on that – they need Eberhardt's help with a plan to capture the man that night. According to Giaradello, the Chief of Detectives himself, Inspector Villiers, will be personally overseeing the arrest operation. He goes on to say Superintendent Healy has authorized the use of the browning assault rifles for the operation.

Giaradello directs Eberhardt's attention to the map of the city on a nearby table. He explains Eberhardt will be part of a team with McElroy and Le Fleur watching the mission. McElroy says since the attacks take place at night, they assume Kessler sneaks out of the mission then to go into the city.

Once Kessler leaves the mission, Giaradello explains, patrol units will strategically flush Kessler into the red light district near the old Piccadilly Nickelodeon Theater. The plan is to trap the suspect in the dead end alley behind the theater where there is no possibility for bystanders to get hurt during the arrest, noting the use of deadly force is authorized. Eberhardt realizes the real purpose of the operation is the police have no intention of letting Martin leave that alley alive and he is to be part of the firing squad executing the man.

Eberhardt asks if there will be a full moon that night. Le Fleur, finding the question odd, says as a matter of fact there is. Thinking of the danger of trying to take on the werewolf under a full moon, believing that will be the height of his power, Eberhardt says he thinks they should wait at least a week.

Giaradello rebuffs the suggestion, saying the inspector will never stand for it and they can't risk the man committing more murders. He says they need to take the criminal down now.

Eberhardt switches tactics, saying they should then go after the man now in the daylight. But Giaradello is concerned other people could get in the way, leading to complications. He also doesn't want to tip their hand to Kessler; if he realizes they are on to him, he could get away and disappear again. The safest method, the lieutenant believes, is to follow Villiers' plan to trap the suspect.

Admitting defeat, Eberhardt says he has some investigations to complete that day but will be back for the operation. He tries to get one of the rifles early, but Giaradello says they will be handed out when they put the plan into action. The lieutenant firmly reminds Eberhardt to be back there at 1700 hours for the full briefing.

*** Session 12 - Scene 4 (of 12) ***

When Le Doux arrives back at the office, he finds Nibbons and Hawk waiting. Eberhardt shows up a minute later, but says he needs to use Le Doux's washroom. He heads in, carrying a small paper bag.

Le Doux immediately starts yelling at Nibbons, asking him where he's been. Nibbons explains about the gambling and having the weird dream again. Le Doux is upset, but less so when Nibbons hands over the roll of cash.

He takes the two into his back office and catches them up on the Martin investigation. Hawk feels emboldened, saying Le Doux must finally believe in the zombies now. Le Doux clarifies he was talking about werewolves, but Hawk insists if one exists then so must the other.

Around this time, Eberhardt emerges from the bathroom. He has shaved off his trademark mustache along with all the hair on his head (even his eyebrows) and along his arms. Le Doux can see several cuts over the man's body where he must have slipped with the straight razor.

Eberhardt acts as if everything is perfectly normal, asking what he missed. Hawk sarcastically suggests a spot in the back. Nibbons asks if he's been in a fight.

Le Doux, however, is horrified as he realizes the man shaved his body in Le Doux's bathroom. Thinking of all the blood and hair all over the room makes him queasy. He rushes over to Madge, telling her to get out the cleaning supplies.

While Eberhardt says Le Doux's drain might be a bit clogged, Le Doux is telling Madge the room needs to be cleaned right away. She asks if she should use the bleach or the ammonia, or mix them to get the room real clean. He tells her to get both, but not to mix them. He then tells Eberhardt he needs to be the one to clean the room and insists he cover up all his wounds to not get blood anywhere else.

As they wait on Eberhardt's scrubbing, Hawk wants to know how to stop the werewolves. He asks if any knives will stop him, or if it is just the silver one. Le Doux says it has to be silver, but he's keeping the Bowles dagger for himself. Nibbons agrees it has to be silver, but notes according to legend they can also keep the werewolves at bay with aconitum lycoctonum, or wolfsbane.

From the bathroom, Eberhardt chimes in that he doesn't believe the legends are true and suggests Le Doux get rid of the dagger before someone gets hurt with it. He agrees, wrapping up the dagger and putting it inside his belt.

Hawk wants some other form of silver they can use for weapons, not wanting Le Doux to be the only one able to defend himself. Le Doux recalls he does have his deceased mother's silver place setting that he never uses. He heads upstairs to dig it out of storage.

When he brings it back down, Eberhardt is finished with the bathroom. They all look at the silver and Hawk suggests he has some friends who are machinists who could grind down the knife blade into something useful as weapons. Eberhardt would rather they get rid of all of that.

Le Doux thinks silver bullets could be more useful than silver knives. Hawk likes the sound of that but Eberhardt gets increasingly concerned, saying Le Doux is not a good shot and they could hurt someone.

Nibbons wonders if they should get some wolfsbane. Eberhardt says it is only an old wives' tale.

Eberhardt tries to turn the conversation back to Donny Martin, explaining about what he found out at the police station. Le Doux says they'll need to act first then, since Eberhardt not showing up would be suspicious.

Hawk suggests they could simply phone in a false tip to lead the police away from the location. Le Doux doesn't agree the police are likely to fall for that. The two argue for some time over the viability of the plan, but Le Doux remains convinced the best thing to do is get Donny during the day.

Backing down, Hawk agrees to Le Doux's plan but notes they won't have time to get the silver bullets made so they'll have to rely on the knives. He thinks he can get them done quickly, and wants to get them attached to small poles so they'll have more reach.

Le Doux then asks Eberhardt about the shackles. The German takes them out of the car to show Le Doux. They decide to tie the shackles to the radiator and get Donny back to the office. Le Doux wants to slip Donny a mickey (using one of the coco anana drinks he likes) then tie him up.

Eberhardt is concerned about what happens next; he says they can't just kill Donny then, as "they are still people."

Hawk, meanwhile, is more concerned the werewolf would have the strength to rip the radiator out of the piping, saying he had a drunk uncle do that once. Le Doux tells Hawk if his uncle is that strong, he should come over and help them deal with the werewolf, but Hawk insists his uncle won't truck with any werewolves.

Le Doux also tells the others they need to find the book by Henry Bouget. Hawk thinks back to the night he saw in Dr. Broncati's office, but recalls that book was Italian, not French, and was named La Sostanza Alternativa. Le Doux suggests Nibbons look into that since he is the most knowledgeable about the occult.

Nibbons believes he'll need to go back to Esplanade Books store and see if they have a copy. Le Doux says they should all split up again – Nibbons can get the book, Hawk can get the knives sharpened, and he can procure the horse tranquilizer.

Eberhardt offers to stay behind and prepare the office to capture Donny. Le Doux tells him to make sure Jerboa brings back Donny. Hawk is still nervous about Jerboa, since she is also a werewolf. Le Doux says it is a "very light case" of lycanthropy and insists they have nothing to worry about there.

Hawk isn't so sure he believes in light cases, but Le Doux tells him to just worry about getting the silverware sharpened. Eberhardt still insists they should just get rid of all that dangerous silver.

*** Session 12 - Scene 5 (of 12) ***

Nibbons makes his way across town to Esplanade Books. He finds the owner, Lawrence Beauregard, working the counter as usual.

When Nibbons gives Beauregard the name of the book he is looking for, Discours execrable des Sorciers, the man shakes his head as he looks through his records. He tells Nibbons it is as he feared, he does not have a copy of that particular book.

Chester asks Lawrence if he knows where he might find a copy. According to Beauregard, he believes Gramyre Books had a copy, though notes of course that book store has been closed since Henry Carstairs died. He asks Nibbons if he remembers reading about the story with Carstairs' involvement in the cult who attacked Congressman O'Conner's daughter. Nibbons dryly remarks he remembers something about that, recalling that Eberhardt and the police got all of the credit.

Nibbons wonders how he might get a copy of one of the books from Gramyre, asking if there is a way to find who owns it now so he can buy it from them. Beauregard says he expects the book was sold off at auction with the rest of the store. He mentions he tried to buy the collection himself, but was outbid by Maximillian Coleridge, the local shipping magnate.

Beauregard goes on to say how surprised he was that Coleridge was interested in the books since he never expected a major businessman like that to have any connection with rare books; he finds it very strange.

Nibbons asks if Coleridge himself has ever come to Esplanade Books. Beauregard says he has not, and of course didn't even see him at the auction as Coleridge used a subordinate from his company as a proxy.

Given that Carstairs and the store were connected with the first Allatou cult cell, and Coleridge is a businessman who is connected to them, Nibbons suspects the man may be a new lead on the activities of the second cell of the cult, the cabal of businessmen known as The Committee. But he says nothing of this to Beauregard, instead asking what Coleridge did with the books.

According to Beauregard, at least some of the store's contents have already been loaded up into trucks and taken over to one of Coleridge's warehouses. Whether or not the book is still at the book store or in the warehouse, Lawrence can't say.

Nibbons asks to see his phone book and looks up the addresses of the Coleridge Shipping Company business office in the business district and the warehouse location (which the phone book identifies as being over on Roman Street in the Tulane area). He decides to head over to Gramyre Books first.

*** Session 12 - Scene 6 (of 12) ***

Hawk takes the silverware over to Mid-City where his friend and neighbor, Earl Roberts, works at the machinist's shop on South White Street servicing Bell & Gossett systems. He shows Earl the silverware and explains how he needs them grinded down to a sharp point.

Earl asks if Hawk really wants all eight knives made into shivs. He confirms he does, despite Earl's warning that silver will dull real fast. Earl is also cautious about where Hawk got all this silver, but Hawk just says the same place he gets all his stuff. Earl says he is surprised Hawk didn't just pawn it.

Hawk also wants the forks and spoons melted down to create silver bullets by hollowing out lead shot and pouring the molten silver inside. Earl isn't so sure about that – the boss might not notice some extra grinder work but discreetly melting the silver down could take a while. He confides in Earl that his boss is looking for a werewolf, which doesn't faze the superstitious machinist.

Earl notes it will also be a challenge to get a guy who can make the bullets, as the Thornton / Dorsey-Graham war is still taking place in the streets and driving up demand. He's also concerned about it throwing off the weight, but Hawk insists he will only be using them at point blank range.

Hawk asks Earl if he knows of any pawn shops with any kind of silver blades, like a silver machete. Earl doesn't believe he's ever heard of a silver machete, but does note one of the older Creole families may have one of those "Calvary swords" from the War of Northern Aggression in their collections that could be silver. Hawk thinks it is a good idea, though isn't sure where he'd find a collector.

Once he's done talking with Earl, Hawk wants to hunt down one of the voodoo queens. He finds the nearest one, Rue Pauls.

Rue greets Hawk and asks what she can help with. He tells her many strange things have been going on, which she agrees she has also sensed.

Hawk explains to Rue about the werewolf, which he isn't sure is real or not but wants to make sure he is protected. Rue tells him he needs silver, which he explains he already has. She also suggests he stay away, which he also agrees is a good idea.

Before he leaves, Rue tells him to hold on for a minute as she wants to toss the bones on him. She casts out her chicken bones, taking a minute to augur their message.

Rue warns Hawk he has more than werewolves after him, as she sees dark clouds gathering around him and his companions. She tells him the white man he works for is like a magnet for the dark clouds, telling him to be careful.

Hawk thanks her for her time, paying her the fee. He tells her she may want to warn others in the community to be on the alert for the werewolves so they can fight back. She agrees they will need to "work it".

*** Session 12 - Scene 7 (of 12) ***

In a different section of town, Nibbons arrives at Gramyre Books. He can't get a look inside from the front, as all the curtains inside appear to be closed so he decides to head around to the back.

As Nibbons makes his way into the alley, he spots the rear entrance to the store. He notices the back door isn't properly secured, so he'll be able to slip inside easily.

After take a quick look around to make sure no one will notice, he makes his way inside. He starts looking around, but the place has been largely emptied but there are a few boxes still sitting around.

Nibbons starts looking at the books in the box when he hears a couple of people talking around the corner. He quietly peers his head around the corner, only to spot a couple of men wearing Klan outfits.

The first Klansman appears to be consulting a small piece of paper in his hand while they look through a box of books. He mentions something to the other one about not being able to find anything by the author listed on the paper.

The second Klansman commiserates, saying something about how they will never become full-fledged Klan members if they can't find the book they are looking for.

Nibbons readies his pistol as he continues to observe the men. He looks around carefully and confirms the two men are the only ones there. Rather than confront the men, he decides to keep his distance.

The men appear to be finishing up their search and start making their way back to where Nibbons is hiding. Chester carefully sneaks his way back out the door.

When the men come out, he acts like a customer of the book store (being careful to keep his pistol readied in his pocket). He asks the men if the book store is still open.

The Klansmen seem more confused than tricked by his subterfuge. They warn him to leave. He backs off, making sure to notice they do not have any books with them.

Nibbons pretends to leave but hides at the end of the corner. He watches the two men leave and waits a minute before heading back inside the store.

Once back inside, Chester looks through the books in the boxes himself, but none of the remaining books in the store appear to be occult-related. Instead, they seem to be the more "normal" books the store carried (such as various Creole cookbooks). He decides to leave and head over to the warehouse.

*** Session 12 - Scene 8 (of 12) ***

Back at the office, Eberhardt gets the chains around the radiator and heads to the hardware store to get some wood, hammer, and nails to board up the office windows and ready some reinforcements on the sides of the doors they can prevent a werewolf from getting out.

Once he's done, he calls Madge over to lock him up. She does so, and he makes sure to swallow the key. With Eberhardt at her mercy, the lonely spinster decides to take advantage of him. She is surprised to find him shaved all over, but he insists that is how they do it in Germany.

While that is going on, Le Doux is blissfully unaware as it takes him some time trying to find a specialty grocer that carries Coconut Milk and Pineapple Juice.

He then goes to a shady veterinarian, Gerard Marks, who he knows can get him some horse tranquilizer pills. Marks doesn't ask many questions, which Le Doux expects since he's fairly sure Marks supplies the same thing to Bernie the Bookie to fix some of the races at the Fair Grounds Race Course.

Once he's done with that, Le Doux connects with Roscoe Sweeney, a two-bit fixer. He buys a set of standard handcuffs off of him.

When he makes his way back to the office, Le Doux spots Madge smoking a cigarette outside, which he finds a little strange. She makes an odd comment to her cousin about him having the most interesting friends.

Le Doux isn't sure what to make of that so he asks if Jerboa is back. When she explains the girl hasn't returned yet, he asks who else is back. Madge tells him it is just the "big, strong German man". He's pretty sure he's starting to get an idea of what happened while he was out.

Inside, Le Doux finds a horrifying site – not only is Eberhardt naked and chained to his radiator (and completely hairless everywhere on his body), he is pretty sure bacteria-filled bodily fluids have been spread all over his office in some kind of freaky sex act involving the German and his cousin.

After taking a minute to stash the horse tranquilizer and hand cuffs in his closet hiding place, he asks Eberhardt what he is doing. The German says no one needs to worry now as he has made sure they will all stay safe.

Le Doux keeps asking Eberhardt what he is doing. Eberhardt says he doesn't want to hurt anyone like Donny Martin, so he chained himself up and swallowed the key. He assures Le Doux "it will pass in a day or two".

Terrified by that imagery, Le Doux is stunned almost speechless while Eberhardt insists this is the best way to handle the situation.

Le Doux has to take a moment to collect his thoughts. He tries lying to Eberhardt and agreeing he is turning into a werewolf but says he can use his magic to cure him. Eberhardt doesn't believe him, saying to use it on Donny first. He also knows Nibbons hasn't returned with the book yet.

Eberhardt starts freaking out so Le Doux backs down a little. Boo does the next thing he can think of, telling Madge to go out and buy a large amount of laxative.

Madge leaves for the pharmacy, with Le Doux waiting behind still trying to figure out what to do next. He's a little uncertain which of Nibbons, Madge, or Hawk he'll be able to convince to "dig" for the key.

In the meantime, Le Doux finds a towel from upstairs and carefully wraps Eberhardt up in it so he doesn't have to see him anymore. As he does so, he wonders if he could just go out and find another key.

*** Session 12 - Scene 9 (of 12) ***

When Hawk walks back into the office, he finds Le Doux wrapping a towel around the naked Eberhardt who is chained to the radiator. He cracks some jokes, asking the men if they have a special kind of relationship then asks what is going on.

Le Doux explains Eberhardt was bit by one of the werewolves the other day and seems to be convinced he is turning into one. That makes sense to Hawk. From his chains, Eberhardt pleads with Hawk to not let Le Doux free him as he wants to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone.

Hawk notes the plan was to put Donny in the chains, not Eberhardt. Le Doux tells him the German has swallowed the key. Hawk suggests just gutting the man but Le Doux explains he wants to go out and look for another key.

As they discuss the key, Hawk points out the shackles use a normal handcuff key and asks if Eberhardt has a pair of handcuffs on him. Le Doux says he wasn't carrying his police equipment, but recalls he has a handcuff key of his own.

Le Doux grabs the key but doesn't want to unlock Eberhardt himself as it would get close to the man's unclothed body. But Hawk refuses, so Le Doux gets the mop and cleans up the entire area around Eberhardt.

As he is doing so, Eberhardt warns him not to touch the mop and "Madge already tried that". Noticing the end of the mop handle may be dirty, he washes it and his hands vigorously.

After everything is clean, Hawk holds a silver blade to Eberhardt's throat while Le Doux unchains him. Once he is out, Le Doux forces him to get dressed while he scrubs down the chains and radiator while telling Eberhardt he will use the ritual on him once Nibbons is back. Eberhardt says it better work or he will chain himself up again.

Hawk is concerned they won't have enough chains for everyone, but Le Doux is convinced they will be able to use the ritual to cure everyone. Hawk warns Eberhardt he will shank him if he starts turning into a werewolf.

In the meantime, Hawk gives Le Doux one of his silver mini-spears made from the knives. He offers one to Eberhardt as well, but the German tells him to just keep them away.

Hawk tries to get Eberhardt to touch the silver knife to prove whether he is a werewolf or not, but Eberhardt isn't having any of it.

Le Doux has a better idea, he wants to drug Eberhardt with some horse tranquilizer to test it out. Eberhardt is concerned if he is unconscious, Madge may do even crazier things to him.

Eventually, Hawk convinces him it is safer to take the drugs. Le Doux ends up mixing it a bit strong, causing him to immediately fall unconscious. They put him on the couch to rest.

Hawk tries touching Eberhardt with one of the knives but it doesn't seem to burn him. Le Doux starts marking him up with arcane symbols in preparation for the ritual.

While they wait for Nibbons to get back, Le Doux makes a show of trying to open his safe in front of Hawk and being surprised it won't open. Hawk is very nonchalant about the whole thing. The two banter back and forth about it a bit for quite a while, with Le Doux hinting he knows Hawk tried to break into it and Hawk acting blissfully unaware.

Hawk even tries reminding Le Doux about not being paid in a while, but Le Doux insists he can't pay him because the safe is broke. Hawk offers to get that fixed for him, smiling as he says he has friends who know about safes.

Dropping the matter for the moment, Le Doux starts to get anxious that Jerboa and Donny haven't shown back up yet. He wants Hawk to go out and find him.

Hawk isn't so sure, noting he hasn't met Donny or Jerboa yet. He thinks they may have a negative reaction to him.

Le Doux assures him it will be fine. He gives Hawk a description of Jerboa and gives him the picture of Donny. Le Doux feels confident everything will go fine since Hawk has the picture to show Jerboa he is working with Le Doux.

Hawk eventually agrees to go. He leaves just as Madge is coming back with the laxatives.

Le Doux takes his cousin aside to try and prepare her for the activity that night, saying she may see some strange things but should keep an open mind. She responds she has a very open mind, even having some interesting ideas about what to do with the laxatives.