Session 7 - Scene 6 (of 15)

Father Mulroney gets the boys together and spends a busy day of cleaning while Shoes keeps an eye on the warehouse. In the afternoon, Shoes contacts Biggins to see if any information has shaken loose on the success of the Ned Flynn setup (nothing yet) while Father Mulroney attempts to do some more research into the Latin phrase spoken by Dr. Krasnik.

Later that evening, Biggins gets the evening edition of the Lakefront City Star, only to discover the headline to be "Explosion on the Docks". Reading the story, he discovers the ship The Irish Rose blew up on the docks that afternoon, killing Waterfront Improvement Association President Ned Flynn along with Federal Prohibition Unit agents Carl Beck and John Burns and several other workers at the docks. The story goes on to say that local, state, and federal agencies are investigating and believe the explosion was the result of a bombing.

Back at the warehouse, Shoes takes a call. The man on the end of the line doesn't give his name but Shoes recognizes it as O'Conner. O'Conner sounds livid, abruptly telling Shoes he wants a sit-down at his place in 15 minutes. Shoes tries to explain that now isn't a good time, but the mob boss tells him if he and Mulroney aren't there in 15 minutes he'll put them in the ground.

Shoes immediately calls over to St. Vincent's, interrupting Father Mulroney ironing his robes. He tells the priest that O'Conner is hot about something and wants them over right away but he doesn't know why. Mulroney agrees to meet him over there. Shoes tells the priest to be sure and not leave him alone there.

After the call, Shoes heads over in the warehouse truck, not wanting to be seen on the streets. When he arrives, he is immediately taken to a back room. There he finds O'Conner flanked by a number of his men – including both O'Bannion brothers, O'Conner's lieutenant "Crazy" Cunin, Cunin's bodyguard Al Kachellek, the gang's hit man "Two Gun" Varain, and a guy Shoes knows as Duffy – hired muscle for the gang out of Philly. All of them appear to have their guns within short reach.

Shoes tells O'Conner that the father will be there soon. O'Conner forcefully tells Shoes to sit down. He immediately begins yelling at the boy, asking him what he and the father did. He goes on to say they have no idea of the kind of heat they are bringing down on everyone.

When Shoes tries to ask what he is referring to, O'Conner explains he is talking about the bomb he and Mulroney put on Flynn's boat. He goes on to berate them for not following his instructions and getting two feds killed instead of just getting Flynn arrested. Shoes stays calm and explains he has no idea what happened with the boat but that he and the father didn't put any bomb on it. O'Conner says they'll wait until the priest arrives and get things sorted out. John T. grins in a way that unnerves Shoes.

Just then, Father Mulroney is shown into the back room. O'Conner sardonically announces his entrance, calling him the "architect of everyone's destruction". When Mulroney explains he doesn't know what is going on, O'Conner again explains about the bomb on the ship at the docks.

The father starts recounting the actions they did take. To Shoes' horror, Mulroney makes the mistake of admitting they contracted Ulnovsky to put the liquor on the ship. O'Conner is exasperated, in disbelief that Mulroney couldn't see that adding the Russian to the equation would be disastrous.

In his usual way, Shoes offers a sardonic quip to add some humor to the situation. O'Conner nods to John T., who then shoots Shoes in the kneecap. As the boy goes down in pain, Father Mulroney thinks and talks really quickly, trying to convince O'Conner not to kill them both.

O'Conner relents slightly, noting the priest could still be more useful alive than dead, but notes he's very close to the line. O'Conner thinks some more, analyzing the situation. He speculates Sean O'Casey was likely killed along with Flynn and that Dion Carmody is the likely candidate to take over Flynn's racket; and that Carmody will be out for blood.

As O'Conner sees it, the first order of business is to make sure Carmody never learns the Russians have a connection back to anyone else; they can't give Ulnovsky the opportunity to give out the father's name. O'Conner makes a point to be very clear with Mulroney – if Ulnovsky gives them up to Carmody, they're done.

Father Mulroney agrees, but tells O'Conner he can't do much as they've just shot Shoes, his main muscle. He goes on to say that the rest of the boys aren't very effective in these matters. O'Conner sees his point and tells the priest to get his pal to the hospital; he'll have James and John T. take care of the Ulnovsky problem. But, O'Conner warns, this means they owe him even more.

O'Conner goes on to explain he has a favor in return he wants and it will need to happen quickly. As he explains to the priest, he has a plan to get back the money he sent to Merlo. Father Mulroney is shocked by the next question – when O'Conner asks how useful his friend the alderman is...

Session 7 - Scene 7 (of 15)

Deanie O'Conner explains his plan to Father Mulroney. In order to secure back the money, he's engaged the services of an "outside contractor" to rob the bank and retrieve the money. He wants Biggins to tag along as an inside man to keep an eye on things. O'Conner notes that naturally this means Biggins will need to wear a mask.

Father Mulroney tries to get more information out of O'Conner about the specifics, but he tells the priest not to worry about the details and just get Biggins over here.

The priest calls over to the alderman's office. Biggins, assuming the father is calling about the funeral and subsequent press conference, asks if everything is ready for the big day. Mulroney confirms, and tells Biggins he needs another favor.

When Biggins asks what the favor is, Mulroney struggles on how to break it to him. He begins reminding the alderman about how the message got confused when he was sent to contact Ulnovsky last time. He then explains there was a new confusion, and how Ulnovsky bombed the ship instead of just planting the liquor. Biggins confirms he read the story in the paper, but it is clear the alderman doesn't understand the full implications.

Mulroney goes on to explain that "Journalist O'Conner" is interested in the story as well, noting that O'Conner is upset by the news. Biggins begins to see where this is going and starts to get nervous. The priest goes on to say that Shoes was given the "gift of lead" and is out of commission for a while and that he needs Biggins' help on another matter. When Biggins asks what kind of help, the priest simply says, "the kind that will keep us above ground".

Alderman Biggins agrees that staying alive is a powerful motivator, but still wants to know what he'll be doing. Mulroney explains it as an undercover operation involving crowd control. When Biggins presses, he admits it may require flashing a gun.

Biggins doesn't like the sound of the favor at all. He's not a violent man and tells the priest he doesn't want to hurt anyone. He asks if the gun can be unloaded but Mulroney explains he'll want to keep it loaded. He also tells the alderman he'll want to keep his face covered, off-handedly noting that Shoes should have done the same.

The alderman wants to know when the operation will take place. Mulroney explains that it will have to happen as soon as they get the call. When Biggins insists that it will need to wait until after the funeral, the father tells him sternly that O'Conner is not a man who will want to be kept waiting.

Session 7 - Scene 8 (of 15)

The day of the funeral has the atmosphere of a pageant. Bishop Duggan gives the main service, with Father Mulroney speaking part of the eulogy and even Cardinal Mundelein having a few words. Afterwards, Joe DeMotte and Jethro Biggins both give their speeches and Mulroney admits that Biggins can give an impressive speech when needed.

Afterwards, Father Mulroney gets a nod of appreciation from the bishop and DeMotte thanks him for the opportunity. Burns is busy congratulating Biggins, telling him that as soon as DeMotte wins, he'll be on the inside track.

Later that evening, Father Mulroney receives a call from O'Conner; it is time to bring in Biggins. The priest calls Biggins and has him drive.

When they arrive at Harrigan's, they are once again taken to the back room. There are less of O'Conner's guys there this time; and to Mulroney's relief, the O'Bannion brothers are not in attendance.

Father Mulroney does notice some new faces in the room. Deanie introduces the main guy as Cody Powers, a name the priest recognizing as being the armed robbery fugitive from Statesville Prison.

Powers is a tough-looking street thug. He introduces his guys as "Lucky", "Malone", "Weasel", and "Sand" and immediately goes into the robbery plan. He and Lucky will be heading to the vault, Malone will take the cash drawers, Weasel and Biggins will work crowd control, and Sand will be driving the getaway car.

Approaching Biggins uncomfortably close, Powers looks him over. He warns the alderman not to flake out, or he'll drop him right there. He wants a tight operation, a quick in and out with O'Conner's safe deposit box contents and whatever else they can grab. O'Conner hands Lamb a slip of paper with the box number on it.

When he asks Biggins where they can pick him up, the alderman gives the location of a telephone booth a few blocks from his office. Powers isn't thrilled they'll have to drive across town to pick him up, and warns him he better be ready.

Father Mulroney brings up the matter of a gun. Cody tells him that's Biggins' problem. To make sure the alderman is armed, Mulroney gives him the .45 revolver he took off the night watchman.

Session 7 - Scene 9 (of 15)

Once the meeting with Powers and O'Conner is concluded, Father Mulroney takes the turn to return his attention to the Latin phrase he's been unable to decipher. He makes an appointment and heads over to North-Central University to see his contact, Dr. Gary Galbreth.

Dr. Galbreth is excited to see the priest again and wonders if he has another artifact to show him. The priest explains that it is just a Latin phrase he needs help with; as his own Latin is limited to liturgical uses.

The professor explains his Latin knowledge is fairly limited as well, as he is only familiar with its use in taxonomy. He does, however, have some collegues in the Classics department that he could contact for help. He copies down the phrase from Mulroney and tells him he'll get back in touch with him once he hears something.

Session 7 - Scene 10 (of 15)

Early the next morning, just after the bank opens, the Cody Powers Gang makes its move. Paul Sand pulls the large touring car up to right in front of the bank. Powers' main muscle, a large guy named Lucky Lamb, readies his Thompson and complains about having to bring "this moron" along, referring to Biggins.

The group quickly exits the car and bursts into the bank. Powers immediately moves to grab the bank president to get the keys for the vault. Lucky follows, but the bank guard draws his gun. Weasel shoots and the guard and misses, but the guard manages to drop Weasel. Lamb starts firing a wild spray in the guard's direction, but is admonished by Powers to let the other guys handle it.

With the guard turning his attention to him, Biggins decides to fire his own gun. He misses. Malone, meanwhile, grabs a female customer to use as a shield. Just then, an alarm sounds; one of the tellers must have set it off.

In the back, Powers asks Lamb for the number. He looks at the paper and reads it as 161. As Powers gets the box open, Lamb tells him to hurry as the cops will be there soon.

Back in the main area, the guard misses with a shot at Biggins and the alderman takes cover behind a large potted plant. Malone throws down his hostage and tries to take out the guard with his sawed-off shotgun, but only manages to damage the lobby.

Inside the vault, Lamb keeps telling Powers they have to get moving. Powers opens the safety deposit box and finds a small black box inside. He pockets it and says to get moving.

As they exit the vault, Lamb guns down the guard in a hail of bullets from the Tommy Gun. He asks Powers about Weasel's body. Cody tells him to leave it and get moving.

As the others leave out the main door, Biggins struggles to get to his feet. Once outside, Lamb covers the rest of the group by firing a burst of shots at the cops heading down the block towards the bank.

When Biggins reaches the car, the robbers slam the door in his face and begin to drive off. He tries to run and jump on the back of the car, but isn't athletic enough to pull it off. Half a block behind him, two beat cops have their revolvers drawn, yelling at him to stop.

Session 7 - Scene 11 (of 15)

Biggins tries to make a run for it, but the cops are in better shape. Thinking quickly, he ducks down a nearby alley and heads through a door into a service corridor.

Once inside, he moves around until he manages to get a little breathing room. He then ditches his mask and jacket, hoping to be less conspicuous.

Looking around, he spots an elevator close by. When the gate opens, he hops inside without looking. But once the gate closes, he realizes he is standing right next to Vito Lipari, Al Tolino's bodyguard that he met at the sit-down. In fact, the more Biggins thinks about it, he appears to be in some kind of hotel and there's only one big hotel downtown near the bank – the Lexington.

Lipari narrows his eyes and looks closely at Biggins, saying "Don't I know you?" Biggins convinces the man otherwise, getting a half-hearted apology. As Lipari is headed up to the penthouse, Biggins decides to have the elevator boy stop on the next floor.

Once he's safely away from Lipari, Biggins knows he needs to get away from the area quickly without being seen. He looks around the hallway and spots a janitor's closet. The door is unlocked and Biggins slips on a spare set of coveralls.

Emerging from the utility closet, he has just enough time to put on a janitor act before the cops come down the hall, still looking for the robber on the loose. Once they've passed by, he makes his way downstairs and out the back.

Session 7 - Scene 12 (of 15)

After his business at North-Central University is complete, Father Mulroney heads back over to Harrigan's to see how the operation with Powers went. When he arrives, he notices he sees Powers and his gang, but no Biggins.

Cody explains that the alderman didn't make it back in time. He also mentions them losing one of their guys too because of a guard. Mulroney tries to express the danger of Biggins being caught, but Powers simply states it isn't his problem. O'Conner tells Mulroney he'll need to find Biggins himself.

Deanie is more interested in getting his money. But when Powers produces the small black box, he's confused. He tells the crooks he deposited a large money bag of cash, not a small box.

O'Conner then asks if that is what was found in box 191. Lamb insists the slip said 161, though looking at it closer he sees it could be seen either way.

Disgusted the operation is a bust, O'Conner tells Powers and his guys to leave. He gives the box to Mulroney as a gift, since he figures the priest still owes him a favor.

The father opens the box to find a small obsidian disk inside. On it is carved the shape of a strange, frog-like creature with half-open eyes and bat-like ears.

Father Mulroney finds the disk strangely mesmerizing. He grabs the stone to put it in his pocket when everything suddenly goes black.

Session 7 - Scene 13 (of 15)

When he opens his eyes again, Father Mulroney finds himself lying in a hospital bed. Next to him is Shoes, with his leg elevating and draining.

Mulroney asks Shoes what happened. Shoes explains someone must have roughed him up because he's been lying there, unconscious, for at least an hour.

The priest isn't sure what to make of things. The last thing he remembers is seeing the strange stone with the toad creature on it. He can feel the stone is still in his pants pocket under his robes. Talking mostly to himself, the father comments that perhaps he shouldn't have taken it out. Shoes, half joking, remarks that he's starting to mumble like Dr. Krasnik.

A nurse notices the priest awake and alert, and stops over to check on him. When he asks her what happened, she explains he came in comatose, apparently after having some kind of fainting spell.

After a brief examination to make sure he's OK, the nurse calls a doctor over. The doctor starts his own examination, asking Mulroney a series of questions about whether he's had any head injuries, whether he heard any sounds, or saw bright flashes of light, or heard any ringing sounds prior to falling unconscious.

Father Mulroney explains to the doctor that he experienced none of that. The doctor looks confused, saying normally he'd believe something like this was epilepsy, but the priest isn't showing any signs and appears to be all right now. He tells Mulroney he is free to leave whenever he wished, but the priest decides to stay the night to be safe.

As for Shoes, the doctor notes his leg is draining well. When the youth expresses the pain he's in, the doctor prescribes more morphine. Shoes dryly notes they could use some for the road.

The next day, Father Mulroney is discharged. Before leaving, he takes a look at the disk again; this time carefully pulling it out with a cloth to avoid it touching his hand.

He shoes the object to Shoes (which he refers to as a medallion), who is briefly hypnotized by it, then shakes off the effect. He tells the priest the disk is creepy and strongly suggests he put it away.

The father gives his opinion that there is definitely something strange going on in the city: first the fish-man, and now this strange artifact. Shoes begs him to get rid of the object and focus on their problems with O'Conner. But the priest isn't so sure, he feels that perhaps God has a purpose for having him witness these strange events.

In the meantime, Mulroney does admit the more pressing matter is to find out what happened to Alderman Biggins. He tells Shoes to rest up and that he'll see him soon.

Session 7 - Scene 14 (of 15)

Outside the hospital, Father Mulroney finds a telephone booth and makes a call over to Biggins' office. To his surprise, Biggins himself answers.

He asks Biggins if he knows who he is. Biggins playfully responds that it is the person who keeps getting him into trouble. The alderman goes on to explain what happened with the bank guard and how he escaped from the cops by ducking into a hotel.

Mulroney is concerned at the mention of the hotel, and clarifies with Biggins that it was indeed the Lexington. Biggins even relates the story of running into Lipari but convincing him he didn't know him. The father hopes Biggins was successful, noting they have enough problems as it is.

The priest goes on to explain about the problem with the robbery and the wrong box. He cautions Biggins to lie low for a while. When Biggins asks if their debt is paid off now, Mulroney notes that with a man like O'Conner, a good effort isn't good enough.

The next call Mulroney makes is over to O'Conner. Deanie is surprised to hear the father is still alive, telling him he thought the priest had a heart attack or a stroke or something. He also notes that Powers nearly pissed himself laughing when Mulroney collapsed.

The father ignores the barb about Powers and mentions he's contacted Biggins and Biggins got away clean. He then asks O'Conner what the plan is now. But O'Conner wants to let things die down a bit and wait to see if the priest and Shoes can recover a bit first. He tells him he'll get back in touch with them in a couple of weeks.

Once that is taken care of, Mulroney heads over to the warehouse to get the boys back under control. Over in the corner, he sees Dr. Krasnik is a mess; the man is sitting in his own filth and likely dehydrated.

The father goes over to have a talk with the boys, telling them to clean the man up and feed and water him. He admonishes them for not taking proper care of the man. When one of them asks how long they have to keep the vegetable around, the priest replies as long as he is useful.

After Krasnik is cleaned up, the father uses a cloth to take out the disk and shows it to the doctor. The doctor's eyes go wide and he says a single word, "Cooper", before he appears to have a stroke and falls over, dead.

Father Mulroney tells the boys their guest no longer needs their services and instructs them on rolling the body up in a rug to dispose of it.

Session 7 - Scene 15 (of 15)

Father Mulroney decides to take another trip out to Dr. Galbreth's office once Krasnik's body is disposed of. The professor is surprised to see Mulroney so soon. He tells him he has heard back from his colleague in the Classics department and produces a note.

Dr. Galbreth explains the note could have several translations, but the most accurate would appear to be "The crimson rivers flow with the blood of perfect men". He tells the priest that the phrase sounds strangely familiar; like he read it some time ago in an academic journal or similar material.

Mulroney then explains he has something new to show the doctor. First, he warns Galbreth about the mesmerizing effects of the stone, even mentioning that touching it put him in the hospital. Galbreth asks how the stone is related to the claw, but Mulroney says they are two apparently unrelated events.

When he uncovers the disk, Galbreth is instantly hypnotized by it. In almost a fugue, he tells the priest he understands what he meant now. Shaking off the effects, he tells Mulroney to cover it up immediately.

The doctor then explains he can offer little insight into the object. He suggests Father Mulroney try someone in the anthropology department, but notes he might have better luck at the museum. Galbreth also notes the museum archives might also be able to locate that phrase.

Father Mulroney thanks the professor for his suggestion. He asks if he has any contacts at the museum. Galbreth mentions he did briefly meet Sir Archibald Beatty (the chief director of the museum) at the opening of a natural history exhibit once, but does not have a relationship with the man. As Mulroney leaves, Galbreth lets him know he'd like to hear about anything the priest can find.

Session 7 - Session Notes

Wow - this session wasn't longer than normal, it just had a ton of things going on. It didn't necessarily have the best flow yet (Shoes had very little to do, for example), but it did manage to advance the plots (both gangbusters and cthulhu themed) and had some great character drama.

Notes about the session:
* I wanted killing the deacon to be a big deal and not just another murder. When shady types get killed, the general population doesn't care. When Joe Citizen gets popped, it's a big deal and brings down a lot of heat.

* The players really started to see their own spiral of bad decisions and how each decision led to another one to cover it up. There was a lot of talk about how the campaign continues to inadvertantly feel like the TV show, The Shield.

* Detectives Greevy and Logan are obviously based on the Law & Order characters of the similar names.

* The PCs really agonized over the decision of whether or not to cover up the deacon's murder by murdering one of the orphan boys. In the end, they decided it was far too heinous of an act for them.

* Shoes' (unanticipatedly foreshadowing) comment about becoming disfigured was laughed at quite a bit later once he got knee-capped.

* I loved doing the jump cut from Biggins' phone call with Burns to Mulroney's talk with the bishop. The players never saw that coming.

* The Mulroney player made the decision that he let Sister Mary in on the killing; I originally didn't plan on her knowing. I really wish Sister Mary was a PC and not a NPC - she could be a lot more involved.

* The Russians bombing the boat was something else the players didn't see coming but I had planned the whole time once they made the (not very good) decision to involve them.

* O'Conner isn't going to be the only one upset about the explosion - Tolino's response is coming up too. The death of the federal agents is going to be a gaping wound in the city that leads to a lot of problems for our intrepid anti-heroes (not terribly unlike robbing the Armenian money train turned out to be on The Shield).

* I originally thought O'Conner should probably kill Mulroney for being dumb enough to admit involving Ulnovsky but at the last minute decided not to in order to avoid derailing the campiagn. The Shoes player picked the wrong time to make one of his trademark smartass remarks, though.

* The bank job was originally planned as a prologue to the campaign with the discovery of the strange box bringing in the supernatural element. However, plans changed and I went with the trouble on the docks instead. When the whole sit-down happened, I reasoned it would be a good time to re-add the storyline.

* Biggins being in the robbery is taking some liberties with dramatic license, but since Shoes (the original storyline planned for him to be the one) got shot I figured it was the only option.

* I spent a lot of time building up the tension for the funeral, but ultimately decided it would be dreadfully boring to play out so I had it occur off-screen. It served its purpose.

* Cody Powers and gang all come from the TSR product. The only change I made was removing the stupid storyline TSR had about Paul Sand being an undercover FBI agent (something that didn't happen for another 30+ years).

* During the robbery, the Mulroney player ran Lucky Lamb while Shoes ran Weasel (until he got killed) and Malone.

* I actually wrote out a slip of paper with the safe deposit box number on it. It was purposely written to be ambiguous (if the players would have noticed the ambiguity, they could have gotten the money back by taking both boxes).

* Biggins getting away was pure gold. It dawned on the Mulroney player first what hotel he accidentally slipped into (originally not planned by me, but since Biggins slipped into a random alley door I thought it was a good turn).

* The mysterious artifact in the box has a purpose but that won't come up for a while. Hopefully the PCs will start following the few clues to track down more information about it. BTW - Mulroney passed his sanity check when he touched it, passing out was his brain's way of protecting him from going insane.

* The Latin phrase is taken straight from the French film, The Crimson Rivers. I'm not using any of the rest of the movie's plot, just the phrase and the general concept of eugenics (something very popular at the time).

* The Musuem is a location I've been hoping to introduce for awhile now and it looks like the clues may finally take the PCs there soon.

Session 8 - 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

 Francis "Shoes" McDougal - Young street criminal and former orphan acting as Mulroney's chief lieutenant / muscle

Session 8 - Scene 1 (of 13)

The next week passes with little of interest. Both Father Clink Mulroney and Alderman Jethro Biggins try to return to a state of normalcy in their respective businesses while Francis "Shoes" McDougal continues to recover from his gunshot wound at the Bloomfield County Hospital.

The banality of this routine is suddenly broken one morning when Alderman Biggins arrives at his office and told by his secretary, Cheryl Gimple, that there is a group of men in his office waiting to see him. Biggins asks her about the men, and she explains there are four men, at least two of whom identified themselves as police officers. Concerned at the idea but not wanting to give anything away, Biggins heads in.

He finds four men standing around the office, all wearing suits. Two of the men introduce themselves as police detectives Vincent Goren and Alexander Eames. The other two men are introduced as Bureau of Investigation agents Bob Clark and Ben White. They tell the alderman they need to bring him in for questioning.

Biggins tries to get a better idea of what the men might be there for, but makes no headway and ultimately agrees to go along with them. He is taken down to the central precinct where the detectives bureau is located and brought into Goren and Eames' office.

As he takes a seat, the alderman spots various files on the desk. Nestled between them appears to be a sketch. Biggins' pulse quickens as he realizes the sketch is one of himself wearing his bandanna mask during the bank robbery.

The detectives remain standing around him as Goren asks the alderman if he knows why he has been brought down there. Biggins responds that he has no idea, but often has a lot of meetings with his constituents and other officials who need his help. Detective Eames notes that it is one of the alderman's meetings that they are interested in.

Eames goes on to discuss how they've talked to Captain Daniel Ross of the 3rd ward precinct and he told them about Biggins asking around about a man named Vasily Ulnovsky. Biggins responds by giving the men the same story that he gave Captain Ross about Ulnovsky causing trouble for his constituents who work on the docks. He's not sure if all the investigators are buying the story.

Detective Goren explains that Ulnovsky is identified as their chief suspect for the recent docks bombing, asking Biggins what he knows about it. Biggins explains he's familiar with it from the newspapers.

Goren goes on to press Biggins about his knowledge of Ulnovsky and whether or not he has any connections to any associates of the Russian. The alderman responds that he has no direct connection. Goren's eyes narrow, asking about indirect connections the alderman may have. Biggins stumbles in his response, saying he has no connections to anyone in particular associated with Ulnovsky.

The investigators all seem less than convinced, but Goren just sighs and notes that Biggins doesn't appear to know anything. He asks the alderman to let them know if he hears anything.

Detective Eames then makes a joke about the bureau agents being kept busy, between the bombing and the bank robbery. The bureau agents remain stoically silent, unnerving the alderman. Biggins, concerned they may be on to him, responds as if he hasn't heard about the bank robbery.

Goren briefly explains to the alderman about the bank robbery and how it has been connected to the fugitive from Statesville Prison, Cody Powers. He lets Biggins know that they'd be interested in any information he comes across for that crime as well.

Session 8 - Scene 2 (of 13)

Several blocks away, Father Mulroney gets a cup of coffee from Sister Eunice and sits down at the kitchen table in the rectory to read the morning paper. He cringes slightly at the headline, "Three More Killed in Escalating Violence at the Docks". Reading the story further, it seems that Dion Carmody and Vasily Ulnovsky are now at a state of full warfare.

One other story catches the priest's eye, nearly hidden in the corner of page 2. The title is "Man Found Tortured and Murdered in Warehouse". Reading further, the story lists the victim as being identified as Paul Sand, a known associate of fugitive Cody Powers. The story suggests the police believe Powers murdered Sand over a disagreement about the money taken from the recent robbery at First National Bank.

As Mulroney reads on, the story gets more interesting. According to utility records, the warehouse is listed as being rented by a Dr. Stefan Krasnik. Dr. Krasnik has been listed as a missing person for several weeks; having disappeared after leaving work one night at Statesville Prison, where Krasnik serves as the attending physician. Police believe Powers and his gang may have abducted Krasnik in order to gain access to his warehouse for criminal purposes.

The priest finds the whole story very odd indeed. While Cody Powers is certainly a psychopath, Mulroney knows they didn't actually get any money from the bank robbery according to what Biggins said; just the strange black disk that came from busting open the wrong safety deposit box.

Analyzing the story in his head, Mulroney finds the connection to Dr. Krasnik even stranger. While he likes the idea that the police will be pinning Krasnik's disappearance on Powers, he knows there is no connection between the two and it would seem a bizarre coincidence that Sand's body would be found there. Furthermore, he can't figure out what a medical doctor who works at the prison (and consults at the asylum) would need a warehouse for in the first place.

Leaving aside the question of what the doctor was up to (and silently admonishing himself for the disastrous turn of events with the doctor's abduction; especially now that it seems the doctor was quite a bit more involved in things that he first seemed), Mulroney decides to go pay a visit to Shoes to see how his recovery is going. He also wants to take the time to follow up on Dr. Galbreth's lead about checking into the museum about the black disk and the papers on "the crimson rivers".

Before heading out, the father knows he should probably take some muscle along. He knows he also hates driving himself around town if he can help it.

Father Mulroney mentally examines his roster of associates. Shoes, his main muscle, is in the hospital; as is Guigsy, still recovering from taking the bullet from Ulnovsky. The rest of the boys he usually used for muscle, Bonehead, Liam, and Noel, are all dead.

His remaining boys include Colin (or "Gem"), Alan ("Chaos"), Andy, Tony, Chris ("Rover"), and Zack. Mulroney knows Gem Archer is a competent jewel thief but not terribly intimidating. Likewise, he believes Chaos White is too unpredictable and more likely to cause trouble than help prevent it. Andy would be a decent choice, but he's busy keeping the liquor production up and training Zack.

The priest narrows down his choice to Tony or Rover. He'd been using Rover Sharrock mostly as a messenger, but the kid shows enthusiasm and potential so Mulroney ends up picking him. The fifteen year old youth is ecstatic at being asked to substitute for Shoes.

Session 8 - Scene 3 (of 13)

Shoes is bored out of his mind at the hospital and perks up considerably when he sees Father Mulroney has come to visit. He's less enthusiastic to see that the priest has brought one of the "new kids" along with him, but greets Rover warmly.

Father Mulroney immediately notices the dark circles under Shoes' eyes and his pale complexion. He asks the boy what is wrong. Shoes explains he hasn't been sleeping well; too many nightmares lately. Particularly vivid in his mind are the ones with hissing sounds.

Mulroney wonders if Shoes should speak to the hospital alienist about the dreams, but the youth is adamantly against it; fearful of being put into the hands of someone like Dr. Bronfenburgher. Rover, meanwhile, ignores most of the conversation and is only interested if there are any "pretty dames" working the hospital, which elicits a sighed response from Shoes that he is not so lucky.

Around this time one of the doctors stops by Shoes' bed; it's one of the residents, Dr. Seibert. The doctor asks Shoes how he is doing, referring to his as "Mr. McDougal". Dr. Seibert notes in the chart that the knee is healing up well. When Shoes asks how much longer he'll be stuck in the hospital, the doctor responds that he'll need another week or so before he'll be up and using a crutch.

Father Mulroney tells the doctor about Shoes not sleeping well. The resident wonders if it could be the morphine, but Shoes quickly notes the morphine is just fine. Dr. Seibert guesses Shoes just needs a sedative and notes on his chart for a dose of Luminal. Before leaving, the doctor notes how nice it is for the priest to take time to visit the boy and how he must do a great job at molding the young men under his care.

After Dr. Seibert leaves, Mulroney asks Shoes if Biggins has come to visit. Shoes notes that he hasn't seen or heard anything from Biggins since before Deacon Dickford was killed by that mugger.

The father notes he will need to follow up with Biggins, but first plans to go to the Lakefront Museum of Natural History. He explains to Shoes that he plans to visit the director of the museum, Sir Archibald Beatty, based on his discussion with Dr. Galbreth about the black disk.

Rover isn't sure exactly what they are talking about. Father Mulroney, feeling mischievous, decides to show the stone to Rover to get his reaction. He carefully takes out the stone using his handkerchief and displays it.

The youth, like everyone else, is immediately enchanted. Before Mulroney can react, Rover reaches out to touch the stone. His eyes go wide and his mouth looks as if to scream, but no sound comes out. He then falls to the ground unconscious.

As a nurse and other medical personnel come over to assist, the priest quickly pockets the stone again. He knew something like that could happen and knows he should have used better judgment. Still, he thinks to himself, he can see how Powers got a chuckle out of it when it happened to him.

Once Rover is carted off for examination, Shoes begs the father to get him out of the hospital. Mulroney says he can't do it that day, but will come back tomorrow. In the meantime, he tells the youth he'll have Biggins come by to cheer him up. Shoes sardonically notes that Biggins is always good for a laugh.