Masks of Nyarlathotep 10

We disembark the ship RMS Majestic at Southampton, and get our luggage onto land and our passports stamped. Monty has recovered from his sea sickness or food poisoning or whatever it was that has kept him in his cabin for the entire trip.

Count Mikhail Andreevich Kurosov and I part on good terms. Clayton seems to be disappointed that Southampton isn’t the grand city that he’d been expecting. I do have to explain to my American colleagues that they need to register their firearms for hunting purposes, and that they need to get them registered.

After getting through customs and passport control, we catch a train to London, where Alfred had made us reservations at the Savoy Hotel. The ‘American Bar’ seems to be quite popular, where there are lots of young women and men enjoying themselves.

4th February, Wednesday

Over breakfast, we discuss some of the things that we need to try and find out about whilst in London.

• Penhew Foundation – Edward Gavegon
• The Scoop – Mr Michael Mahony (also involved in running the Central News Agency)
• The Carlyle Expedition
• Mount Satima

Places on our list to visit:

• The British Museum
• The London Library (well known for its religion, occult and biography sessions)
• The Central News Agency, which has back issues of most UK newspapers
• The Press Association, which has copies of local newspapers

Going to the British Museum, I ask around about the Penhew Foundtion and the Carlyle Expedition. Since I work here (when I’m not travelling the world), I get someone to try and dig out information for us whilst we go off to do other things.

Some of the initial information we get though is that:

Sir Aubrey had some interesting ideas on Egypt, and had a long running feud with Flinders Petrie, a well known Egyptology. The Carlyle Expedition was one of a number of expeditions that have been run recently. The Clives (Sir Henry Clives) Expedition is one that is currently running in Egypt.

Penhew’s digs have recently been overshadowed by some unpleasantness. Lots of deaths associated with them. Mostly killed by locals, at least officially. There are rumours that at least some of them committed suicide. There was recently some deaths on a dig on the Gieza Plateau.

We leave my librarian colleagues to find out more, then head to the Penhew Foundation. Calyton is recognised by the secretary, who seems to be a fan of his films. He is willing to give us a tour of the place. They still want to charge us £60 each for studying here though.

Dr Gavegon, the director of the Foundation, is not currently in London, but is currently at his family home. When I mention that I am a skilled librarian, I am given a key to the records room. The rest of my colleagues are not allowed in these rooms, in case they damage things.

Monty and Clayton head off to do other things, and Lefty stays with me in case I need protection. I doubt it will be needed, unless the Foundation turns out to be a centre of cult activity, but given previous experiences I’m glad for the company. Searching through what I can find on the Carlyle Expedition, I do find a bit on the expeditions to Saqqara (by both the Clives and Carlye), which mentions something about a Black Pharaoh, who is claimed to be a myth.

Speaking to the secretary, I ask whether he has heard of any cultists taking people’s tongues. He hasn’t heard of that – except maybe in the US. He does mention about ‘Egyptian Murders’. He doesn’t really want to talk about it though, and gets me a cup of tea. He wants to know why a ‘lady’ such as myself is asking about such things. I mention that the cultists were trying to kill me, possibly because we were following up on Jackson Ellias’s death.

He seems to be behaving oddly, which makes me a little suspicious. Lefty mentions that we need to leave and be elsewhere, and picking up on his “let’s get out of here” vibe, I agree and we make our excuses and leave.

Lefty mentions that the secretary seemed to be quite intently interrogating me. He became very interested when I mentioned Jasckon Elias. We retire to get a drink within sight of the Penhew building. Just in case the secretary runs off somewhere to tell people about things.

I do send a letter to the Savoy, so that our companions know what has happened and where we are. In hindsight though, we realise that they had a phone in reception, so probably just made phone calls if they needed to tell anyone that we were digging into their activities.

Meanwhile (we find out later), Clayton is picking up information from other places, including at The Scoop, where Jackson Elias was investigating some topics. Some of the topics Mr Mahony is able to share.

• Mr Miles Shipley, an artist drawing repellent artwork from other dimensions
• There was a killer beast in the Derwent Valley
• The ‘Egyptian Murders’, where foreigners have been murdered

We found this out late in the afternoon after we returned to the Savoy, where we met up with Monty and Clayton.

After talking to the newspaper proprietor, Clayton thinks that Jackson left the country after a conversation with Edward Gavegon. Whatever they talked about, seemed to scare Jackson and the only thing he became interested in was leaving the country. He also seemed to be having dealings with a team of safe crackers – maybe to break into the Penhew Foundation? Mr Mahony thinks that the cult may have infiltrated many organisations. Re-reading Jackson’s letter that he sent from London, this may all be compatible with that. Maybe Lefty and myself were right to be suspicious of the Penhew Foundation.

I also receive a letter from my researcher at the Library, about the Clive Expedition. It is led by Dr Henry Clive, who is considered an excellent archaeologist. He’s a little fond of himself though, of common birth but enjoys pretending to be of a higher social class.

With him are:

• Martin Winfield, son of an MP. 24, just out of university. Brilliant but odd.
• James Gardner, a good archaeologist, but a bit into the occult and Karl Jung. Written some bad books.
• Johannes Specht, she is a hieroglyphics expert. She claims to be able to sight read them. She is very ‘athletic’. She is also into the occult.
• Agatha Broadmoor, who I have met. She is really into woo, in her late 60s, and believed that she could channel the spirits of ancient Egyptians. She used to hang around at the Library.

We have dinner and cocktails, then head to bed. I make sure that all the windows and doors to my room are firmly locked.

5th February, Thursday

Monty and Lefty head off in the morning to go to Scotland Yard to speak with Inspector Barrington who is investigating the Egyptian murders. His predecessor was Inspector Mundon, who hasn’t been seen recently. As in, he’s completely vanished. My guess would be murdered.

There have been 19 murders over the last few years, 17 of which were Egyptians. The method of death has been similar to what we have witnessed in New York – missing tongues and markings carved into them. One victim, who was found alive, called out “Hotep” before dying.

Jackson Elias spoke to Inspector Barrington in early December, saying that the murders were ritual killings done by the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. He said that this was an Egyptian death cult. Barrington got in touch with the British Museum and the Penhew Foundation to see if they could collaborate this information.

He spoke to Edward Gavegon, who said that the cult no longer existed. Gavegon had insisted that Elias was sensation seeking.

There is a Blue Pyramid club which attracts bohemian types and Egyptians. Special Branch have been keeping an eye on it, since all the victims went there.

Mundon seems to have vanished, and Barrington would be happy if we had information about him. He does mention that Lefty and Monty are private citizens here, so don’t have the authority to do what they might be able to do in the US.

Abdul Nawisha owns the Blue Pyramid club. He is an unpleasant individual, who seems to be making a lot more profit from the club than is on the official books.

Back at the hotel, we have a letter which has four tickets for the Coronet Theatre at the Elephant and Castle for tomorrow night. There’s no information on who sent us the tickets, but this is where some of the gangs that Elias was talking to are based, so it seems like it’s a date.