Following Lucia’s intense pace, the group finds itself rapidly descending a poorly lit staircase into a dimly lit, long stone corridor. Dim electric bulbs buzz overhead, and as they approach the end of the hallway it’s clear the door at the end of the hall appears slightly ajar. Pausing for a moment, they hear nothing through the crack in the door. Peering into the room, the visibility remains limited due to low-light and packed shelves.  Tip leans carefully in, takes a deep breath, and begins to tiptoe forward, gesticulating for his compatriots to follow him and sneak down the side aisles as he approaches the middle. Suddenly, a low, gross squelching sound can be heard,

Read on…Peru – A Gruesome Discovery

  Aided by the effects of their evening libations and the security of the Hotel Maury locks, the Investigators manage to rest comfortably overnight rising to a bright, beautiful day in Lima. They find Jackson down at the hotel restaurant enjoying his coffee and pipe while reviewing the local news.  “Ah, friends, I do hope you slept comfortably. Mr. Palmer, you certainly look less worse for wear than I expected this morning.” “Heh, lad, I’m damn near impervious. Now, where’s that waiter? I need to teach these fellows my boy Pete’s special recipe. Just the trick to get the ol’ Palmer engine up and running for the day. Think they got some good tomato juice

Read on…Peru – Conferring with the Professor

The two men leave the table and speak with the wait staff on the way out. Despite his hostile exterior, de Mendoza takes great care in escorting the wavering Larkin out of the restaurant and has an explosive outburst in Spanish when a server nearly strikes Larkin with a lofted tray of food.  Arthur addresses the table: “Odd, that man de Mendoza said nothing our entire meal, but when I just heard him speak…I’ve been in South America for a while now, he sounded nothing like any of the local accents. I do believe he sounds like a Castillian. I took Spanish lessons from one before traveling abroad…” “Trust me, there is more odd about

Read on…Peru – Who is Jesse Hughes?

The conversation and introductions carry on briefly before the maitre’d interrupts the party to inform them that Mister Larkin and his other guests await them at their table in the dining room. The follows the staff across the tile floor, enjoying the smells of seafood and fried beef wafting from the heavy wooden tables. Thanks to the tall ceilings, the room feels open and inviting despite the dark wood. As the group approaches their table, they take note of three men. A thin almost forced smile passes across the face of a thin, pale man seated at the head of the table. He steadies himself as he rises and after brushing his greasy hair from

Read on…Peru – The Promise of Treasure

A Party Forms A faint coastal breeze stirs Lucia Fraschini’s hair, as she and John Sloane make their way along Lima’s newly paved streets from the Hotel Maury to Bar Cordano. Accustomed to a much faster pace, the young Italian grand prix sensation adjusts her brisk stride to accommodate her companion’s methodical limp. John had survived the Great War, but his patella had not, and relies on his bull-dog headed cane to maneuver down the crowded sidewalks, packed with vendors, sailors, and tourists. Since their meeting in Cuba, she had wryly enjoyed listening to her new friend’s boastful tales of glory. That and the excessive flattery the young dilettante lavished upon her after witnessing her

Read on…Peru – A Party Forms