The Mob War Part 8: Friday, June 10, 1926

Mob War Wrap-Up

Ron, still wanting answers, takes an unconscious Fredo Albanese to one of the Bernouse Family safe houses, strips him to his undies, and ties him to a chair in the basement. When Fredo comes to, Ron questions him about his involvement of the death of Gabriella Puglisi. Fredo is baffled by the line of questioning, so much so that Ron suspects there might be some kind of Mythos hijinks involved. Realizing that he is not smart enough to figure this out on his own, Ron uses the safehouse phone to make some calls.

He eventually tracks down the hospital where Luca is staying, and, through that, is able to talk to Kane and Johnny. Ron pleads with them both to come to the safehouse to help with the Fredo situation, which they do. Kane, ultimately, tries to hypnotize Fredo to unearth any repressed memories he might have.

It turns out Fredo has a lot of repressed memories, which Anne Chantraine ordered him to forget about. Fredo calmly explains to Kane that he was mentally dominated to kill Gabriella and then suppress all memories of the event, and of knowing anything at all about Chantraine, from his mind. Kane thanks Fredo, tells him that he will remember all of his repressed memories when he awakens, and brings him out of his trance. Fredo is horrified at what he’s done.

Kane and Johnny manage to talk Ron out of killing Fredo, and thereby making the aftermath of tonight’s all-out mob war even worse. Ron calls the Bernouse mansion and talks to Giacomo, who, after distinguishing himself in the service of the family, is now called “Jacky the Kid” and has been temporarily given Luca’s phone duties.

Ron persuades Giacomo to wake both Vivian and her father (separately) and to ask them for advice about the situation. A pissed off Vince is actually relieved when Ron tells him what all went down and that he has not yet murdered Fredo Albanese. He tells Ron to go home, and that he will send some men to the safe house to babysit Fredo. He tells Ron that he will meet with Fredo’s boss, Don Genovese, in the morning, and that they will decide what will happen from there.

While all of this is going on, Vito drops in to visit the others in the hospital. He brings baked goods (including a cannoli for Ron). After wishing everyone well, he departs.

Everyone (but Ron's) Second-Favorite NPC

Dr. Black promises to stand vigil while his friends rest and recover. He even goes so far as to slip a sheet over the mirror in the recovery ward’s bathroom—just in case Anne Chantraine wants to try anything. She doesn’t.

Dr. Black has a dream of ritually sacrificing numerous offerings to the four gods of the Nameless City. The dream shifts, and he realizes that he has been inhabiting/sharing space with a rune-covered, orange-skinned man. The man informs Dr. Black that he is the one who failed to walk the Path of the Penitent, whom Dr. Black absorbed. He says that, because Dr. Black overextended himself to cast the Wrack spell on several people at once, he has strengthened the bond between them. Dr. Black awakens, fearful in the knowledge that this long-dead priest may attempt to exert further influence over him.

Transition to the Next Chapter

A week goes by. Mikhail, Judge Putnam, and Luca recover from their injuries and are discharged from the hospital. Luca needs a second wheelchair to transport all of the flowers, food, and gifts that his well-wishers have been sending to the hotel.

At some point, Papa Doc Horus tells Johnny that he has acquired the rare botanicals that Johnny asked for. Johnny picks them up and mixes a restorative drink for Judge Putnam. The judge imbibes this without hesitation, and soon loses all craving for human blood.

Several high-level meetings occur between the four surviving heads of the Five Families. There is an immediate ceasefire in the mob war. The Bianco/Bonnano Family is leaderless and in shambles. No one can find Anne Chantraine anywhere. Most suspect that she has fled the city.

Ron manages to weedle the phone number for the place his wife and son are hiding out away from Darragh and gives them a call. It goes as well as one might expect. Ron Jr. is worried and nervous. Connie pendulums between scared and really, really angry.

Judge Putnam convenes the London Group at his house and starts making plans for their trip to Chebeague Island, and to the home of Christopher Edwin.

The House of Edwin Part 0.5

The London Group sets out on a two-day trip that will bring them to Portland, and to the ferry that will take them over to Chebeague Island. They stop over at a bed and breakfast in MA for the night. The group studiously avoids going to Ashby.

June 17, 1926

While passing through New Hampshire, the group collectively decides to stop in on the Clarks. They make the detour, only to find that Stephen, Angie, and James have gone off on an outing of their own. The housekeeper, Mrs. Harris, invites them in for tea, coffee, and crumb cake, and gives them a chance to rest and recover from their long drive.

When asked, Mrs. Harris explains that James is doing well, but that Stephen has had one of his “episodes” again where he obsessively paints non-stop. She says that this particular bout ended sometime last Saturday morning, which she was quite relieved about. She says that his return to normalcy is part of the reason why he, his brother, and his sister-in-law all went off on this trip.

Ron, curious and fearful about what Stephen has painted, persuades Mrs. Harris to temporarily part with the spare key to the studio. The group lets themselves in and has a look around. Inside, they discover several paintings, including:

• Anne Chantraine sitting at a vanity doing her makeup. However, the reflection in the mirror is not of her own face, but of Fredo Albanese’s. Fredo looks terrified and ashen-faceed.
• A very large painting depicting the shootout at the entrance to the Astoria Hotel. Kane is very discomfited to seem himself and Luca portrayed among the hotel’s defenders.
• A painting of a hilltop overlooking the setting sun. A robed figure stands with their back to the viewer, watching the sunset. 

The group thanks Mrs. Harris for her hospitality and resumes their journey. They take their cars onto the ferry in Portland and arrive, without incident, at Chebeague Island about an hour later.

Chebeague Island

The London Group disembarks in their cars and begin driving away from the ferry dock, only to encounter a formidable looking woman standing by the side of the road. The woman holds a neatly lettered sign that reads, “EDWIN.”

The Formidable Ms. Bridger

When the group pull their cars over, the woman approaches and introduces herself as Ms. Bridger, Christopher Edwin’s servant. She explains that Mr. Edwin’s other guests have already arrived, and that she will be happy to escort them to the Edwin household, where they will get a chance to rest and wash up for dinner. She asks them to remain here momentarily while she fetches her vehicle.

Ms. Bridger departs, returning a few moments later wearing a leather cap, goggles, and riding on an Army surplus motorcycle with attached sidecar. The London Group follow her down North Road and get to do a little bit of sightseeing as they travel to Christopher Edwin’s house.

They see that Chebeague Island is sparsely populated, though the few houses are neat, tidy, and very New England. They see boats beached on the shoreline, bathers enjoying themselves on the beaches, and several people digging for clams in the low tide. Mikhail is excited to note numerous fishnets hung out to dry on sheds and on fences—most of which feature witch’s balls glittering in the June sunshine.

The group also notices several odd shrines that have been built here and there along the road. Most appear to be collections of bundled sea grass, flowers, beach glass, shells, and other bric-a-brac. The group does not have a chance to investigate them to discern their purpose.

Judge Putnam notices a man in a rain slicker and fisherman’s hat standing by one of the shrines. The man turns and looks for him with a baleful, wall-eyed stare.

The Mysterious Fisherman (Artist's Rendition)

A few minutes later, the group follows Ms. Bridger as she turns off of the road and travels uphill, into the island’s interior. She takes them to one of the tallest hilltops on the island where, surrounded by overgrown forest and gardens, stands the somewhat dilapidated mansion of Christopher Edwin.

The House of Edwin

Ms. Bridger brings the group through the front gate of the house over to the kitchen dooryard, where they park their vehicles next to several other cars. The group gathers their belongings and follows Ms. Bridger inside.

Despite the condition of the outside of the mansion, the inside looks well-tended and cared for—if a bit worn. As the London Group divests themselves of their coats and hats, Ms. Bridger tells them that there are bedrooms on the second and third floor, most of them with their own washrooms and dressing rooms. After some discussion, the group all decide to occupy the rooms on the third floor, with an idea of being close together in case of an emergency.

Mr. Edwin and His Gravity-Defying Wheelchair

Before Ms. Bridger shows them to their rooms, she brings them into the dining room where they are at last introduced to their host, Christopher Edwin. Edwin is an elderly, frail-looking man with a hoarse voice and a dry cough, who appears to be confined to a wheelchair. Despite his infirmities, he greets the London Group politely and with enthusiasm. He says that he is delighted to meet them at last, and that, he hopes, after a wonderful dinner prepared by Ms. Bridger, they can all work together to find a way to bring down the Order of the Silver Twilight once and for all.

With that, Mr. Edwin excuses himself and moves to an adjacent room to rest before dinner. Ms. Bridger escorts the London Group to the third floor. She puts Vivian in the room next to her own, as is right and proper, and allows the rest of the group to situate themselves however they choose.

As Ms. Bridger takes her leave to tend to the rest of dinner, Johnny offers his assistance. In part because she appears to be the sole servant in this massive house. In part because he wants to snoop around.