The shocking events of the previous night left everyone exhausted. It was agreed to meet back at the Independent Investigations' office at 6 PM that evening. Dan'l and Niles returned to the Walbrook Hotel to get some sleep, while Jessica Wright went back to the office to check messages. She found that a Mr. Madasheck had asked her to call him at Brown's Hotel. She did, and found that he was an associate of Miss Blankstone and wanted to discuss the case with them. She told him about the 6 PM meeting, then jotted down notes for her report before returning to her flat in Islington.
Velu called Scotland Yard but was told that Inspector Barrington was out. Velu then went home and slept until noon, troubled by the thought of what he had witnessed.
Niles and Dan'l were awakened a few hours later by a telephone call from Rupert. He told them what he had found in Derbyshire and heard about their trip to Essex. He offered to pay for half of Dan'l's hospital bill.
That afternoon, Velu washed the automobile and filled the petrol tank before returning it to his cousin. He then walked over to Tewfik's spice shop in Soho and found it closed. After checking the alley for bystanders, he tried to open the back door but it was locked. After trying unsuccessfully to pick the lock, he climbed the fire escape to the second floor and peered through a window. He saw a living room furnished in Middle-Eastern style, with low tables, couches, pillows, rugs, hanging lamps, incense burners, and a hookah. An open book lay on the central table, and a glass display case containing statuettes could be seen against the far wall. Velu tried to jimmy open the window but was unsuccessful. He abandoned the attempt to search the place and returned to his office to write a report for the police.
In mid-afternoon Jessica also returned to the office and wrote a report for her client, Miss Blankstone.
At 6 PM Rupert, Dan'l, and Niles arrived and the group discussed the situation. Rupert urged that no police report be made until more information was available. He argued that once the police were brought in any independent investigation would be impossible. He also reminded them that their client, Miss Blankstone, did not want any scandal associated with her investigation. Velu and Jessica agreed reluctantly to postpone making any report to the police. Dan'l suggested paying a return visit to the Penhew Foundation that evening to examine the mummy case and search for the hidden room that he thought must be in the basement.
After dinner at a pub in Bloomsbury, the group approached the fenced perimeter of the Penhew Foundation. Jessica and Niles walked around the block, keeping a lookout for bobbies or cultists. While Rupert kept a lookout for the museum guard, Velu tried (and failed) to pick the lock on the gate. Dan'l climbed over the fence and tossed down a rope for Velu. The two then moved quickly to the back door, where Velu tried (and failed) to pick the lock on the back door. He also failed in attempting to jimmy open a window.
Jessica and Niles returned and climbed over the wall. Dan'l noticed that the basement could be accessed through a coal chute, and Velu slid down it (quietly). Once in the basement (and covered in coal dust), Velu opened the door into the basement and let in the others.
Niles suggested splitting up the party: Dan'l and Jessica to search the basement, while he and Velu went upstairs to search the storage room. After listening for the guard, Niles and Velu went up the stairs and into the (unlocked) storage room. There they examined the mummy case and found that pressing both eyes simultaneously activated an electric motor, moving the heavy case aside to reveal a steep stairway leading down! While Niles waited, Velu went back down the stairs to get Jessica and Dan'l. On the return they were almost spotted by the guard making his rounds, but waited for him to pass before rejoining Niles.
Niles volunteered to be the first down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs Niles found a switch and a button. Flipping the switch turned on an electric light, illuminating a large room. Jessica quickly covered the opening in the floor with a coat to prevent the light from being seen by the guard.
Looking about the room, Niles saw a disturbing fresco in the style of ancient Sumeria, depicting half-human, half-monstrous deities devouring human victims. Another fresco in Egyptian style depicted similar activities. No one else was in the room, so Niles called down for the others to join him.
Jessica immediately recognized one of the creatures as having been present at the obelisk the previous night. This revelation was quite troubling to everyone (except Niles). Dan'l determined that the button activated the electric motor which moved the mummy case, and he pressed it to close the opening overhead.
The room was about twice the size of a standard office and contained several crates, a battered old desk, a wardrobe, six folding chairs, a glass-fronted walnut bookcase, and a small, ornate sandalwood chest.
Velu examined the crates. Most of them were either empty or contained tinned food and water, but two of them were unopened. The larger crate was stenciled "Ho Fong Imports, 15 Kaoyang Road, Shanghai, China", in both English and Chinese characters. In smaller letters were the words "Attention Honourable Ho Fong". Velu opened the crate easily and inside he found a 3-foot high corroded brass statue of a seated woman, with exaggeratedly bloated and puffy Asiatic features. The second crate was stenciled "Randolph Shipping Company, Port Darwin, Northern Territory, Dominion of Australia". In smaller letters were the words "Personal to Mr. Randolph". Inside this crate was a 16-inch high representation of a fat humanoid whose head was ringed with tentacles. Touching the statue, Velu felt an electric-like shock, and he quickly set it back in its crate.
Niles examined the sandalwood chest. It was covered with intricate carvings of mythic beasts, with silver inlays. Opening the chest, he found two silver daggers and a small Egyptian-looking stone jar. Niles fearlessly opened the jar and sniffed, then tasted the grayish powder. It tasted terrible, so he restoppered it.
Dan'l examined the wardrobe. Inside he found three elegantly-tailored business suits, an umbrella, a tuxedo, and a pair of worn, shabby laborer's overalls along with the appropriate shirts, hats, and footwear. Niles came over and noted that the suits were bespoke, from a well-known and exclusive Saville-Row tailor. Niles also checked the pockets but found nothing. The suits had been drycleaned and pressed recently, and the shirts and collars were starched.
Jessica examined the desk. Inside the center drawer was an unfinished letter on excellent quality cream-colored stationery, written in black ink and addressed to "Aubrey". It was dated Friday, February 20. Nearby she also found a note on which was written the name "Lya Brighter" and three hotels: Russell, Midland Grand, and Brown's. Each hotel had a line drawn through it.
In another drawer Jessica found a set of business ledgers for "Western Mining and Exploration". The earliest entry was dated September 1919 and described a shipment of mining equipment from Newcastle to Port Darwin. Later entries detailed shipments of machinery from shipbuilders in Glasgow, Belfast, and Liverpool, and from manufacturers in Oxford and Coventry. Most of the items were shipped via Cresent Empire Imports to Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Port Darwin, with a few shipments marked "special" to Mombasa, Rio de Janeiro, New York, San Francisco, Calcutta, Alexandria, and Singapore.
Jessica also found a cryptic telegram from Mr. Franklin Blake in San Francisco. In the same drawer she found a stack of blank telegram forms and a recent copy of the Adams Cable Codex.
In another drawer Jessica found two passports, both with a photograph of Edward Gavigan. One passport was British, and was for a Mr. Stuart Murdoch, of Ottowa. The other passport was U.S. and was for a Mr. Franklin Blake, of San Francisco. There was a also a bundle of 5 pound notes.
After finishing with the crates, Velu examined the bookcase. He found a number of volumes with strange-sounding titles: the G'harne Fragments, the Book of Dyzan, the Liber Ivonis, Unaussprechlichen Kulten, etc. The bottom shelf contained a stack of fifteen scrolls: six in Arabic, two in Egyptian hieroglyphics, four in Latin, two in French, and one in Old English. Velu glanced through the one in Old English. It appeared to be a hymn of praise to someone named "Nyarlathotep". There was also a copper bowl on the shelf.
At that point, over an hour had passed and the group decided to leave. After attempting to return everything in the room to its original condition, the group climbed the stairs and returned the mummy case to its original position. As they were about to leave, Jessica heard the footsteps of the guard approaching. They retreated through the secret door into the closet and waited. Jessica heard the guard enter the room. After about five minutes, Jessica had not heard anything but was convinced that the guard was still in the storage room. The group then moved from the closet into Gavigan's office. At that point they heard the guard open the closet door. The group then abandoned any pretense of stealth and ran down the hallway and out the door into the loading dock area, followed by the guard, who shouted for them to stop.
Running to the fence, Niles and Velu failed to climb over, while Dan'l and Jessica had no difficulty in reaching the other side. The guard then fired his pistol, narrowly missing Niles. Velu and Niles took cover behind a tree, while Dan'l went to find Rupert and get a taxi. Jessica took cover behind a mail box, drew her own revolver, and fired at the guard (deliberately missing but diverting his attention from the others). The guard ran back into the museum, and Velu and Niles used a rope to climb over the wall. At that point an alarm bell rang inside the museum, and the group scattered.
Velu ran back to the Russell Square tube stop and quickly disappeared into the crowd. Niles walked briskly down to Tottenham Court Road, where he took a taxi to his club and ordered a Cutty Sark, neat, and began reading the Times. Jessica, Rupert, and Dan'l slipped into a nearby pub, the Crown and Sovereign, and quickly downed a pint.
The next morning, the group met at the office to discuss strategy. Rupert arrived with a copy of the Sunday Daily Mail and pointed out an article describing another Egyptian murder. Velu immediately called Scotland Yard and found Inspector Barrington in his office. He told Barrington that he had some new leads in the Egyptian murders and was granted permission to visit the morgue and view the body. Velu then wrote up a report for the police, omitting any occult matters or possible connection to the Penhew Foundation. Tewfik al-Sayed was mentioned prominently as being the probable ringleader of a gang of thugs.
The group then discussed a return visit to Colchester. Rupert declined, as he planned to continue his investigations in Derbyshire this week. It was agreed that Velu and Jessica would travel by train and meet Miles and Dan'l in Harwich, at the Stour House inn.
At noon Velu, Jessica, Rupert, and Dan'l visited the morgue. Rupert and Dan'l identified the woman as Ayesha, from the Blue Pyramid, while Jessica confirmed that she was the woman shackled to the obelisk. Velu gave his carefully written report to Inspector Barrington, who urged them not to revisit the estate or tip off the suspects.
Velu and Jessica then sent a telegram to Miss Blankstone in Paris alerting her that a report of great urgency would be sent to her via courier. They then drafted a full report of everything that they had found.
Niles, meanwhile, went down to the Thames to rent a yacht for a vacation trip to the isle of Jersey. He then returned to the Walbrook Hotel, where he met Dan'l. The two then checked out and had their steamer trunks sent to the Paris Ritz Hotel. They then went back to the Thames and, after checking out the boat and loading provisions, sailed down the Thames, bound for Harwich.
Rupert decided that events were moving rather quickly and that he would cancel his trip to Derby. He sent a telegram to Alisa in Paris that he would be arriving at the Ritz Tuesday morning. For his last night in London, Rupert went to a concert of the London Symphony.
Rupert visited the British Library, where he found Charles Fort. He told him that he wouild be leaving for Paris that evening but suggested that he might find some interesting occurrences in Derbyshire. Rupert then contacted the graduate student and picked up the translations from the Clavis Solomanus.
Rupert then visited a real-estate agent and instructed him to purchase a country house in Derbyshire, preferably near Lesser Edale, for the purpose of opening a mental asylum. The quiet countryside would be quite conducive for recovery, he said.
Rupert then checked out of Brown's Hotel and took the afternoon luxury-class Golden Arrow express train to Dover, which connected with the ferry and took him via Calais to Paris. Along the way he studied the translation of the Summon & Bind Aerial Servant spell from the Clavis Solomanus.
Meanwhile, Jessica went to a courier service in the City and had the investigative report sent to Miss Blankstone at the Paris Ritz, guaranteed delivery no later than 9 PM that evening. She and Velu then took the 1 PM Great Eastern railway train from Liverpool Street Station to Colchester, where they took an omnibus to Harwich.
They found that Niles and Dan'l had experienced excellent sailing weather and had already arrived.
The next morning, Niles rented an automobile and drove the group back to Colchester. He dropped Jessica off at the County records office and then drove the others out to the estate, which they now saw was near Walton-on-the-Naze. As they approached the gate Velu spotted two uniformed policemen on guard. Suspecting a trap, he had Niles circle back and drive up to the gate, while he asked the policemen if Inspector Barrington was there. He was told that Barrington had returned to London that morning and that this was now a police matter. Assured that these were indeed British police, the trio returned to Colchester.
Meanwhile, Jessica researched the ownership of the estate and discovered that its name was "Misr House", or "The House of Egypt" in Arabic. She found that it had originally been built in the 17th century and had been purchased in 1900 by Sir Aubrey Penhew. After the inquest in 1920 the property had been transferred to the Penhew Foundation. The obelisk had been constructed during the 18th century as a type of "folly".
When Dan'l, Niles, and Velu returned and told her that the police had taken over the estate, she decided to return to London that evening, as did Velu. Niles and Dan'l took a room at the Rose and Crown inn, in Colchester.
The next morning Niles and Dan'l sailed from Harwich for London. The winds were contrary and they did not reach London until Thursday morning. They dropped by the Walbrook Hotel and found an urgent telegram from Alisa, telling them to proceed to Vienna at once. After sending a telegram to the Paris Ritz to forward their luggage to the Westbahnhof in Vienna, Dan'l and Niles took the Golden Arrow express to Dover, Calais, and Paris, and connected with the evening departure of the Direct Orient Express (Paris-Strasbourg-Stuttgart-Munich-Vienna), with an expected arrival in Vienna of Friday afternoon.
Velu called Inspector Barrington at Scotland Yard and asked what had happened. He was told that the raid on Misr House had uncovered a gang of Middle Eastern smugglers, dealing in hashish and other contraband. Most of the gang members worked for legitimate shipping companies in the East End. Anyone who came too close to their operation was murdered. The occult trappings of the killings had been a smokescreen, to mislead the police. The ringleader, Tewfik al-Sayed, had evidently been tipped off and had disappeared. The Blue Pyramid had also been raided at the same time. The Penhew Foundation denied any connection to these activities, stating that the Misr House property had not been used by the Foundation since before the war. Barrington considered the case closed.
Velu was convinced that this was not the entire story, but congratulated Barrington on stopping the Egyptian murders. Barrington, in turn, thanked Velu and Jessica for their efforts and promised to refer any clients with unusual cases to them.
Velu and Jessica then wrote up their final report and mailed it to Miss
Blankstone in Paris, along with their expense report and billing for services
rendered.