Session 12 - Scene 11 (of 12)

When Gem returns to the hospital, Mulroney comments on how sharp he looks. Gem explains he had a spot of luck that day.

Confused, Mulroney asks if he located any boys. Gem tells him that he didn't make it to the warehouse, which upsets the father; he tells Gem he wanted him to find some boys not buy a suit.

Gem goes on to say there's no one left at the orphanage to use. He then relays the tale about talking with Sister Mary and her suggesting he call O'Conner.

Father Mulroney's eyes go wide, saying "You didn't, did you?" Gem says no, but clarifies he talked to John T. instead. He then explains about what he told O'Bannion and how the brothers wanted to meet him at the warehouse.

Gem also notes he didn't meet them at the warehouse because they sounded bad. When Mulroney asks what he means, Gem clarifies that they didn't sound bad like talking with Sister Mary, but more like their encounter with Chiang Li Ching.

The youth also makes a comment about being dropped off by an iron salesman. When Mulroney asks what he means, Gem tells the story about killing the man and taking the car.

Mulroney isn't sure what to do next. He's lost all his allies and everyone is gunning for him now – Tolino, O'Conner, Carmody, Ulnovsky, two different Chinese gangs... His best hope is that the monster is still at the warehouse and managed to kill the O'Bannions.

The priest then tells Gem they don't have much choice – he'll need to go out to the warehouse to see what happened. Gem is nervous, but Mulroney reminds him the O'Bannions never met him yet so if he keeps his distance he should be fine.

Session 12 - Scene 12 (of 12)

Gem spots the car parked at the warehouse as he drives by. He decides to loop around to the alley.

Once there, he parks his car and takes out one of the remaining demonstration irons to use as a weapon. He heads over and cracks open the door.

Peering inside, Gem spots the O'Bannions standing around with guns drawn. James is just starting to say something about not thinking anyone will show when John T. spots Gem and says "Get him!"

Gem makes a run for it. A couple of shots ring out but nothing hits him. He tries yelling to the O'Bannions that he is just an iron salesman as he gets into the car.

The O'Bannions aren't listening. They fire off more shots, one clips Gem in the shoulder. As he drives off, the car is hit with several bullets, breaking out the back windshield and putting holes in the fuel tank.

Gem doesn't get more than a block before the engine starts to give out. He puts his gun in the back seat and emerges from the car with the iron. Stepping out with his hands up, he again claims to be a simple iron salesman. James runs up and smacks him hard with the butt of his gun and everything goes black.

Session 12 - Session Notes

To be honest, it was the day before the game before I remembered we were having it so I didn't have as much time to prep before the session. Luckily, I had a lot of notes built up ahead of time.

Once again, Maisie did not make her return (she was out with Bronchitis this time) so we couldn't have the showdown with the Russians. Maybe next time (if anyone is left alive).

Overall this session was a lot of fun but the Biggins player still isn't firing on all cylinders (though he did better this time).

Other notes about this session:
* The attack on the warehouse is unrelated to the Chinatown goings-on. I'd actually had it planned ever since they torched Ravenscry Manor (its a reaction to that), but didn't get to it last time.

* Biggins is getting down into the mid-30's for sanity. He may start to develop some issues soon.

* Biggins' eye injury is the result of several bad rolls combined with some bad decision-making. If he would have looked up before getting in the truck, he would have realized that he was about to be attacked. And I made it very clear about his chances for removing the glass himself - everyone groaned when he went ahead and did that instead of just going to the hospital.

* Gem's new catchphrase, "Leapin' lizards!" gets used quite a bit this session. Between that and making him obviously dumb, the player has done a good job of differentiating him from Shoes.

* I'm using "zombi" instead of "zombie" because technically Mulroney using either word is a bit anachronistic so I want it to at least seem like he's using an older form.

* The chop suey house and Jair Quon were planned a while back but in a different context. But once they were lost in Chinatown, I thought it would make for an interesting encounter.

* Having a traditional Chinese siheyuan in the middle of the city is pure dramatic license, but I thought it would make things more alien and uncomfortable for the players.

* The bronze snakes on Chiang Li Ching's chair aren't just decoration; if the PCs had tried to use any force on the man they would have discovered that quickly.

* Obviously Chiang greeting Jair Quon in English is not realistic. Nor is his flat-out naming the Wo Hop To triad (a real triad - but the Chinese themselves don't use that term as far as I know) and the Hip Song Tong (again, a real tong and the historical rivals of the On Leong Tong) to a non-Chinese person. But here I'm using some more dramatic license so I can cram in some exposition.

* Chiang Li Ching is not directly related to the larger mythos plot going on, but he is a dark sorcerer in his own right.

* I want to make a quick note here just to say I'm trying to show that the people of the time are racist towards the Chinese but I'm trying not to present the Chinese NPCs themselves in a racist light while at the same time keeping to pulp tropes. I hope that comes across.

* I don't know if surgeons of the 20's could actually diagnose subdural hematomas or if they used the drilling procedure them. On HBO's Rome show they had ancient Romans doing it so I figured why not.

* Gem's reaction to the surgery was hilarious.

* Biggins made two luck rolls. He passed the first one (survived brain surgery) but failed the second (eye gone).

* Another area we weren't sure about was whether a circa-1920s hospital would actually have a refrigerated morgue. We decided to err on the side of dramatic license.

* I originally just mentioned the Pathology room in the basement for atmosphere. But when Gem went to investigate, I thought he should be rewarded with some clues and so added the Dr. Cooper scene.

* I thought it was funny Mulroney cautioned Gem against having a shootout in the hospital, and they ended up having a shootout.

* Naturally I couldn't have Cooper die right there. But that's not to say he isn't off recovering somewhere, badly injured. Gem's shooting will at least put his plans back a bit.

* Biggins getting the partial injection will lead to something later, just as Shoes would have had he not died.

* Gem would have blown himself up if he had messed with the package in the warehouse.

* Biggins referring to Mulroney as Murphy and Cooper as Hooper were not intentional moments of being in character; the player was being out of it again. Similarly, we really pushed hard to get him to mention being injected because he somehow forgot about the conversation even though it was a few minutes prior.

* Destiny Memorial is obviously a fake funeral home. There is another clue associated with it still, provided the PCs think to investigate it.

* The players were hoping I'd provide more orphan cannon-fodder, but they've gone through so many I figured they will need to wait a bit.

* I loved the encounter with Sister Mary, she's the icy cold femme fatale.

* I don't know if the players realized it or not, but she was setting up Gem to get killed by suggesting he call O'Conner.

* I'm not trying to be a killer GM, but telling the O'Bannions that they are no longer useful could only lead to trouble. It's not like I hadn't foreshadowed that.

* George Mueller is the alias a character uses while working as an iron salesman on HBO's Boardwalk Empire. The encounter at Ednas is meant as an homage to the show.

* Another murder for a car, only to lose the car right away. Also, Mulroney warned Gem to keep his distance, which he didn't do. Next time we'll see if he can talk his way out of getting killed.

Session 13 - Cast of Characters

Father Clink Mulroney - Irish Roman Catholic priest running a bootlegging operation out of his church

Alderman Jethro Biggins - Corrupt city alderman on the take from Mulroney

Colin "Gem" Archer - Mulroney's newly-promoted lieutenant for his bootlegging operations; sidelines as a jewel thief

Session 13 - Scene 1 (of 14)

Gem Archer awakes to find himself tied to a chair in some kind of warehouse. The O'Bannion brothers stand nearby, leering at him. John T. tells his brother James that the boy has finally woken up.

Still trying to keep his cover, Gem asks the men if they'd like to buy an iron. John T. doesn't go along with it, telling Gem to stop with the blarney.

When asked where Deanie is, John T. replies that he'll be along shortly, noting he's disappointed. When Gem asks why, the man tells him that if it were up to him, he'd have killed Gem already.

Gem jokingly suggests they pass the time waiting for O'Conner by playing cards. James tells him to shut his smart mouth up and acts as if to hit him, but his brother gives him a cautioning look; they want him conscious when Deanie arrives.

A few minutes later, Deanie and Yiddie Neumark show up at the warehouse. After confirming Gem's name, he tells the youth he's in a spot of trouble. Gem asks why, not really understanding the politics of the gangs, and Deanie explains that Gem's boss is trying his patience by costing him more than he's bringing in.

Thinking quickly, or as quickly as Gem can, the youth tells Deanie the reason they aren't producing liquor any more is that they have a change in business plans. O'Conner wants to hear more. Gem goes on to say that they made lousy bootleggers, so they have plans on how to bring in other revenue. He mentions the Morgan party and plans to "leave with a guest".

Deanie laughs, telling the kid he has moxie like Shoes for planning to rip off Morgan; something even the Tolinos won't try. Trying to sound competent, Gem notes that Shoes' problem was that he did not know when to shut his mouth.

Getting down to business, O'Conner wants to know what his end will be. He reminds Gem that the father owes him a lot. Gem comes back with 30%, thinking of his deal with Mr. Wing for nearly the same amount to move the ice through the old man's San Francisco connections.

O'Conner agrees it isn't a bad deal. Gem starts rambling on about how it would be more except they have to pay to move it out of the area. Deanie picks up on the comment and wants to know how they plan to move stones that hot. Gem, realizing he made a mistake, convinces Deanie that Father Mulroney doesn't trust him with those kinds of details.

With the business deal arranged, O'Conner goes on to explain to Gem that the reason he was keeping him alive was to find out what happened in Chinatown. Gem asks which time, but O'Conner has no idea what he means.

Gem then rambles on about three different meetings with the Chinese in Chinatown – the old man with the dumpy store, the "fake Chinaman" with the limey accent, and the "scary Chinaman" with the crazy monsters.

Deanie is beside himself trying to sort out Gem's rants. He rhetorically asks how they can manage to screw up a simple meet. He then tells Gem the Chinaman he's interested in is the one with the British accent.

Gem tries to recall the conversation as best he can. He tells Deanie that the fake Chinaman and the scary Chinaman are involved in some kind of war and the fake one is open to deals. When Deanie asks what the man wanted, Gem explains they want a few crates of guns. Deanie laughs that they certainly aren't messing around.

Starting to rant again, Gem talks about how they need to guns to take on the scary monster men with the meat cleavers. Deanie is more interested in when Xian is expecting the guns. At first, Gem says he isn't sure. But after Deanie yells at him a bit, he recalls there was something about meeting back up with him in two days.

O'Conner takes the information in, noting that two days will have to make for a quick trip. Gem agrees, noting that Xian probably wants to make a move on Chiang Li Ching before he knows what hit him.

With the party that night, Deanie notes that Gem will have to make the trip out in the morning to get the guns. Gem is confused by the mention of a trip, but O'Conner explains that he doesn't have the weapons locally; he'll need to get them from his connection in Rock River, over 200 miles away. He promises Gem that if he gets everything done without a hitch, that will square things up with them (though Gem is sure he means only square enough to keep him and Mulroney alive; they'll still owe O'Conner).

In the meantime, Deanie wants to send one of his guys with Gem to "look in on my investment". He has Yiddie make a call over to Harrigan's to get ahold of someone named "Handsome" Dan McCarthy.

Session 13 - Scene 2 (of 14)

At the hospital, Father Mulroney's convalescence is interrupted by a visit from Bishop Duggan. Mulroney explains to the bishop about the mugging, saying it happened near the area where Deacon Dickford was killed. He remarks on how dangerous the city has gotten.

The bishop is very intrigued and looks at Mulroney's long sutures. He asks what kind of knife the men had that could make a cut like that, but Mulroney feigns ignorance, saying he has very little knowledge about knives.

Trying to remain positive, Bishop Duggan relates that "when God closes an ear, he opens an eye." As his usual custom, Father Mulroney agrees with the doddering old bishop even though he has no idea what the man is trying to say.

Duggan then starts to talk about his search for the new deacon, but says it was made irrelevant by something strange. The bishop believes it was a sign from God. He goes on to tell a worried Mulroney that a "charitable organization" has made an offer to purchase the orphanage. The archdiocese has decided to accept the offer and close St. Vincent's to split out the diocese among the other parishes.

The bishop then tells Father Mulroney the good news – he is to be reassigned to be the head priest in a brand new parish in Cleveland. Mulroney lies about how happy he is, while worrying about his crumbling criminal empire.

Mulroney smells something funny about the whole affair and asks Duggan about the organization purchasing the orphanage. Duggan gives the name as the Marduk Institute, noting he's never heard of them before.

The name sets off alarm bells in Mulroney's mind. He remembers the Marduk Institute being the organization that was supposed to be funding Dr. Krasnik's experiments for the Human Instrumentality Project; a project that involved studies of breeding immigrant children – the same kind that live in orphanages like St. Vincent's.

When asked if he ever met anyone from the institute, Bishop Duggan explains that the whole thing was handled through lawyers. Mulroney tells the bishop he'd like to meet the people, as he has a close bond with the orphans and wants to make sure they'll be taken care of. He describes the boys as being "as close to my heart as Jesus", which causes Bishop Duggan to make sure with Mulroney that his connection to the boys isn't too close.

Duggan then explains that St. Vincent's will be decommissioned in 30 days, so Mulroney should have plenty of time to get his affairs in order. The bishop also makes a side note that while Sister Eunice is planning to retire, Sister Mary seems very unhappy with the situation. Mulroney is not surprised in the least.

Session 13 - Scene 3 (of 14)

After the bishop leaves, having told his "good news", Father Mulroney heads down the hall to talk with Alderman Biggins. Despite his life-threatening injuries from the night before, the alderman looks to be in remarkably good condition.

Clink tells Jethro all about the bishop's visit and the plans to decommission the church and ship him off to Cleveland. Biggins remarks that the changes might affect business a bit. Mulroney agrees they will have a profound effect indeed.

The alderman asks Mulroney if he plans to go. The priest honestly isn't sure, not having put much thought into it yet.

Instead, Mulroney tells Biggins the interesting fact about the Marduk Institute being the organization buying the orphanage. When the forgetful alderman doesn't recall the name, Mulroney reminds him about the connection to Krasnik.

Biggins deduces they may be trying to get at the orphans for experiments and Mulroney agrees he isn't sure what they are up to but the whole thing doesn't leave him with very good feelings. He asks the alderman to use his connections to dig up more information on the institute.

The conversation then turns to Biggins' remarkably healed appearance. He tells the father that he feels exceptionally well, commenting that it must be from all the prayers the priest has been saying for him. The priest inquires if he's seen the strange Dr. Cooper again, but Biggins has nothing to report. Mulroney, however, is suspicious since the alderman was injected with the strange liquid; he tells the man to keep him apprised on any new developments.

Biggins also mentions re-thinking getting a police detail for security purposes. Mulroney cautions against it, saying that having the police too close to his operations makes him nervous.

Session 13 - Scene 4 (of 14)

Shortly after his conversation with the priest, Alderman Jethro Biggins checks himself out of the hospital. With no home to go to, he heads back to his office.

At this time of night, the office is closed and dark. After letting himself in, Biggins heads back to his personal office and makes a call over to the precinct.

Captain Deakins informs the alderman that he was able to retrieve the syringe and take over the case from the detective in the hospital's precinct. He asks the alderman what he wants to do with it. Biggins, having not thought that far ahead, mentions he has some friends who may want to review it. Deakins says he'll have a patrolman drop it buy the office in the morning.

Biggins then discusses the plans of the mysterious Marduk Institute to take over the orphanage. Deakins isn't really sure how that relates to police matters, and suggests Biggins would have better luck getting information out of city hall. Biggins agrees, but wants to make sure Deakins hadn't heard of any strange rumors associated with the company. The police captain tells him has never heard of them at all.

With that, Biggins moves to end the call. When Captain Deakins cautions him to be safe, Biggins decides he would like extra patrols around his office after all. With the matter taken care of, Biggins makes a note for himself to contact city hall in the morning and decides to go to sleep in his office chair.

Session 13 - Scene 5 (of 14)

Across town on the Golden Shore of Lakefront City, Gem and his new friend, Dan McCarthy, work as valets parking cars at the Morgan Mansion. They are watched over by the caretaker's son, a man in his early 30's named George Pritchett.

The night begins with a lot of work, as the party is heavily attended. Gem doesn't recognize most of the guests, who look like a mix of old and new money, except for Rev. Jacob Greene, rector of the Episcopalian Church of the Beloved Disciple where Alderman Biggins attends.

Once most of the guests have arrived and the work slows, Gem takes a minute to talk with Dan. Noticing that McCarthy has gained more tips from the women than he has, the youth remarks that they don't call him "Handsome Dan" for nothing.

Dan is anxious to get moving with the heist, but Gem cautions restraint. He wants everyone to have a few drinks first.

Gem is concerned about how the heist will work, telling Dan that his original plan was to have someone outside the gates to hand it off to. Dan, who is even slower than Gem, notes that the original plan won't work because they are both inside the gates.

The next best idea they can come up with is to steal one of the cars and get away. The tricky part, they realize, is getting away from Pritchett long enough to swipe the necklace.

Even trickier than that, Gem notes, is that Rebecca Morgan is wearing the necklace so getting it off of her will be tough. Dan wonders how Gem plans to pull that off. Gem tells him that's where he comes in, but McCarthy remarks he's not that handsome.

Gem wants to isolate Mrs. Morgan then life the necklace. He thinks Dan should be the one to distract her. When Dan isn't sure how that will work, Gem suggests he just strike up a conversation with her.

Dan is excited at the prospect of talking with Mrs. Morgan about his love for baseball, as he's a big fan of the Northside team - the Lakefront City Wharfies. Gem suggests a woman like Mrs. Morgan may want a more genteel topic of conversation.

Getting the idea, Dan admits women don't necessarily find the Wharfies a romantic topic of conversation so he asks Gem for ideas. Gem comments that he has very little experience with ladies, but suggests just telling Mrs. Morgan she's pretty.

Just then, Gem catches sight of Johnny Cannon, Morgan's bodyguard / personal investigator, standing around in the main hall. He knows they'll never get anywhere near the necklace with Cannon around.

A plan begins to form in Gem's mind. He knows Cannon is investigating the bank job that Cody Powers pulled and believes he can use Dan to distract him instead. He instructs Dan to tell Cannon that he has information about the bank robbery and to use that to get him out of the area.

McCarthy isn't so sure, as he doesn't know anything about the robbery. Gem tells the gangster to take Cannon to the hospital and find Alderman Biggins. When Dan is confused, Gem clarifies that sacrifices have to be made and that Biggins was in on the robbery so he'll have to take the fall.

Dan is still confused, and Gem realizes Deanie never told him about the robbery plot. McCarthy explains he's rarely told what goes on, as O'Conner believes he has too big of a mouth. Gem suggests that he use that mouth to talk to Cannon about Biggins. When McCarthy asks what happens next, Gem clarifies that Cannon will take care of things from there.

Session 13 - Scene 6 (of 14)

Dan McCarthy approaches George Pritchett and tells him he needs to speak with Johnny Cannon saying something about having information and a Wharfies game. Pritchett remarks he is more a fan of the Southside team – the Lakefront City Bass. McCarthy says nothing but inwardly scoffs at the idea of following the team after the Black Bass scandal at the World Series a few years back.

Pritchett is skeptical of what McCarthy is up to, but goes and gets Cannon anyway. Cannon isn't in the mood for small talk and quickly gets to the point, asking what information McCarthy has. Dan asks if he is interested in information about the robbery at First National Bank.

Cannon plays along, telling McCarthy he might be interested. Dan promises he can identify the man who was the mastermind behind the robbery. Cannon laughs, noting he already knows Cody Powers was behind the robbery.

Dan tries to explain that it wasn't powers, but Cannon isn't buying it. Johnny explains that Powers has already killed three of his own guys to keep the money – explaining that the bodies of Mack "Lucky" Lamb and Jake Malone were found the other day.

McCarthy continues to disagree. He tells Cannon that Alderman Jethro Biggins is the true criminal behind it all. Cannon is skeptical about an alderman being involved, but Dan continues on.

He explains about Biggins' house being burned down lately because of his criminal involvement. Cannon recalls the story, and notes that Biggins does have some involvement with Dion Carmody. After Dan suggests that only a man with political connections could have kept Powers from being caught, Johnny is convinced he may be on to something.

Johnny tells Dan to take him to Biggins. Dan explains about being at the hospital. Cannon then has Morgan's chauffer, Alfred Mortimer, bring the Rolls Royce around from the carriage house, saying that they will be taking Mr. Morgan's car to the hospital.

Session 13 - Scene 7 (of 14)

While McCarthy is taking care of Cannon, Gem convinces Pritchett to let him take a break to go to the bathroom. The gardener warns him not to go on the grounds, or leave any cigarette butts there, and tells him to use the servant's entrance to the house.

Gem heads into the back of the mansion through the door near the carriage house. The door opens into a hall next to the kitchen. Morgan's Chinese cook is busy working on the food and barely looks up at Gem as he passes.

Also nearby is the trophy room. Inside, three men are having drinks. One of the men Gem recognizes as Rev. Greene. Another is dressed in a fine suit and Gem recalls seeing the man in the business pages but can't place the name. The other is a larger man that the youth recalls as having to do with the museum.

Passing by the trophy room, Gem looks around to get a fix on Mrs. Morgan. The mansion is crawling with people, both guests and a large number of Chinese servants, and the party doesn't seem confined to any one area.

He catches sight of Mrs. Morgan and some other women down one of the other hallways. They appear to be heading to the conservatory as he catches mention of Morgan's prize orchids. Gem manages to get there first.

When he steps into the conservatory, he realizes he is not alone; a pretty young woman dressed in a flapper style is there looking at the flowers. Seeing Gem, she comments on how beautiful the flowers are, noting that "we have a great selection out on the island" but she doesn't get to visit it as much as she'd like.

Making conversation, Gem asks her about the island. She explains that her father has a house out on one of the islands on Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, she says her father and his fishing friends tend to keep it occupied so she hasn't been able to use it lately. She introduces herself as Valarie Hill. Gem likewise introduces himself giving his real name, Colin Archer.

As Mrs. Morgan and her gaggle of middle-aged women arrive, Valarie comments on how much she enjoys large parties, as they are always more intimate than small ones. Mrs. Morgan doesn't recognize Gem so he introduces himself and tells her they were admiring her orchids. She describes them as her prize possession, aside from her necklace.

Gem attempts to lure Morgan away from the other guests, but doesn't have much luck. Valarie, meanwhile, steps out towards the doorway and tries to lure him away. He resists at first, but after having no luck getting near the necklace he decides to leave and go find Valarie.

Session 13 - Scene 8 (of 14)

Valarie stands down the hall, inside the doorway of the library. She beckons him over quietly, whispering that the library is empty. Once inside, she becomes very forward, throwing herself passionately at Gem.

The youth is a bit taken aback by the suddenness of the girl. He suggests they talk a bit first. She tells him he can talk while she clears off the desk for them.

As the salacious girl begins moving things, Gem notices some interesting items on the desk. He spots a financial ledger, some medical journals, and a cut-out from the newspaper of a story from several months back about Dr. Stefan Krasnik taking over as head physician of Statesville Prison.

When Gem shows more interest in the ledger than her, Valarie gets annoyed. She asks who cares about business. Gem remarks that he's always interested in making money. Surly commenting that Gem is just like her father, Valarie leaves the room in a huff.

Examining the ledger, Gem is surprised to find it written in code; clearly Morgan has some illegitimate business interests he's trying to hide. Also inside the pages he finds a receipt leasing out a warehouse on Broad Street and Michigan Way. Gem recognizes the address as the one leased to Dr. Krasnik where Cody Power's man, Paul Sand, was found dead.

Moving to the medical journals, Gem quickly finds himself in over his head. He can't make any sense of them at all. He decides to leave them and take the article and the ledger.

Gem knows he can't walk around with the ledger and concealing it would make lifting the necklace even tougher. He decides to stash it in the conservatory by the begonias and retrieve it later.

It doesn't take long before Gem catches up with Mrs. Morgan and her guests. They've moved on to the studio, where Morgan is showing everyone the paintings she's done of her orchids.

Trying to come up with a way to lure her away from everyone, Gem notices there is a lot of paint in the room. Thinking to himself, he realizes if an accident were to occur, Mrs. Morgan would need to go off to change.

Gem pretends to trip over something and knock a palette with oil paints on to Rebecca's dress. He apologizes, but she is quite upset he's ruined one of her favorite dresses. She storms out of the room, with the rest of the guests giving Gem the eye.

Session 13 - Scene 9 (of 14)

Gem wants to follow Mrs. Morgan upstairs, but doesn't want to be noticed. He decides to take the servant's stairs back by the kitchen.

After heading up the stairs louder than he'd like, he finds himself in the servant's area. An old Chinese woman looks at him curiously as he passes by her doorway.

Heading through a door into a connecting hall, he eventually makes his way towards the family area of the upper level. All of the doors are closed, so Gem goes up to the first one he sees and puts his ear to it. The room beyond appears to be quiet. While there, he notices that the name "Niven" is carved into the lower part of the door jamb, as if by a child.

Gem finds the carving curious; as far as he's seen, the Morgans do not appear to have any children. But he thinks no more about it and moves on to the other doors.

A couple of doors down, he hears clothes being moved on a rack; Gem knows this must be Mrs. Morgan's room. Checking the door, he finds it unlocked. He quietly peeks in and catches the sight of Rebecca with her back turned to him; she's only wearing a slip and the necklace.

After considering his options, Gem decides to knock rather than try to snatch Mrs. Morgan from behind. She calls out asking who is there, but gets quite angry when she realizes it is Gem. He attempts to tell her he finds her irresistible in a pathetic attempt to seduce her. It goes poorly.

Rebecca Morgan begins yelling loudly for Gem to leave. Realizing the gig is up, he rushes into the room. She screams as he pulls out his revolver. Gem attempts to pistol whip Morgan to shut her up, but she manages to fight him off.

People from the party can hear the struggle and begin heading up the stairs. Gem tries to grab for the necklace, but Morgan claws him across the face with her fingernails, drawing blood. He then tries to strangle her, but she fends him off with one of the bedside lamps.

With time running out, Gem threatens to shoot her. She throws the necklace to him as he hears everyone in the hallway coming towards the room. Thinking quickly, he fires a warning shot at the wall outside the door and runs to the master bathroom.

Once inside the bathroom, Gem shuts the door for time and throws open the window. He manages to make it through the narrow opening but slips trying to climb down the rose trellis. Gem crashes to the ground but manages to avoid being seriously hurt.

The party is quickly becoming a scene of chaos with people running all over and women screaming. Gem traces advantage of the confusion to grab one of the cars as Pritchett calls after him. He speeds down the driveway, narrowly avoiding the elder Edward Pritchett closing the gate on him. Tires squeal as he turns quickly out into the street and speeds off towards Chinatown.

Session 13 - Scene 10 (of 14)

At the hospital, Dan gets nervous as the duty nurse informs him and Cannon that not only are visiting hours over, but that Alderman Jethro Biggins has already checked out of the hospital. Johnny is less than pleased at the news.

The two men head back to the car, with Handsome Dan making sure to fall behind Cannon. As Cannon grumbles about the trip being a waste of time, McCarthy draws his pistol. He puts two in the back of Cannon's head as several people in the parking lot scream.

Dan then makes a run for it, leaving the body of Johnny Cannon bleeding in the hospital parking lot.

Session 13 - Scene 11 (of 14)

Gem makes his way through the dark streets of Chinatown over to Wing's Emporium. Despite the fact that the shop is dark, he makes his way down and finds the store unlocked.

Inside, he sees light coming from the back room, as he did the previous night. He calls out for "Mr. Wu". In response, he hears someone moving towards the doorway in the back room.

Gem approaches the back room, gun in hand. He spots Mr. Wing approaching him, but something is very wrong with the way he is walking. As he emerges into the light, Gem sees he has been made into a zombi.

Wing strikes out but Gem gets away in time. Realizing the futility of shooting the creature, he makes a run for it. Gem stumbles over the merchandise strewn around the store, sending him to the ground. The zombi makes its way over.

With a bit of luck, Gem manages to get to his feet and avoid another of Wing's attacks. He heads out the door and starts up the stairs, only to spot two more zombis at the top. Both of them are carrying cleavers. Gem quickly realizes he has fallen into a trap set by Chiang Li Ching, and that perhaps he should have heeded the warning to stay out of Chinatown.

Deciding the odds are better inside, Gem heads back into the store. He manages to push his way past Wing and make it into the back parlor. He turns on one of the burners on the apartment stove and lights the newspaper article about Krasnik on fire then throws it on the couch.

Before Wing can get near him, Gem then heads up a set of back stairs from the parlor that lead up to the alley behind the shop. He makes his way back around to the front and escapes in his car before he can be attacked by the cleaver-wielding zombis. With nowhere completely safe to go, he decides to head back to the warehouse.