Session 3

Session Report - Played Monday 22th May, 2006

November 6th 1928

This is the date of the Presidential election in the USA. Herbert Hoover wins by a large margin. The BBC is reporting blizzards across Scotland, and London itself wakes up to an unseasonally sharp frost and . Its more like January than November. The Met Office is predicting that the snow will move south in the next few days.

Saunders calls the police to report last night's incident with the Tall Man and Detective Inspector Andrew Taylor asks him to come in and make a statement.

Bartlett and Withers decide to catch a train to Hereford and visit St Agnes Asylum.

Browne is looking in bookshops for a copy of The Walker by the Lake when he is threatened by the Tall Man, who claims responsibility for the murder of Frederick Long.

Saunders gives his statement to Taylor.

Browne calls the police and also visits DI Taylor. He gives a statement during which he informs Taylor of the murder of Long. Taylor phones the Herfordshire police. Browne helps to make an identikit picture of the Tall Man.

Bartlett and Withers are delayed by snow and spend the night in Hereford. Bartlett calls the asylum and is told that the police are limiting access, but Highsmith will be able to talk to him tomorrow.

November 6th 1928

Bartlett and Withers visit St Agnes Asylum. They meet Inspector Atkins of the Herefordshire police, an unpleasant and arrogant man who seems to have a problem with army officers and the insane. The meeting with Highsmith is not very fruitful, but Bartlett arranges to have lunch at the Wheatsheaf pub with Nurse Price.

Price meets with Bartlett and Withers and tells them about his discovery of Long's body and the circumstances of the murder, which does indeed seem very similar to the Cuthbert Yates case.

Bartlett and Withers return to london, arriving home very late. London is snowbound.

November 7th 1928

Browne calls Bartlett to discuss events since Bartlett left town. It si agreed that everyone will meet at bartlett's home for dinner on Friday.

Withers phones the private detective he hired and learns Delia Hartston's last known address - Withers also asks about Vincent Tuck and is told he's a reasonably good man, except for his drink problem.

Withers sends a telegram ahead to Delia announcing that 'Captain Withers and Doctor Bartlett' wish to visit her tomorrow.

Saunders and Browne visit Tuck at his office in Wapping. He is suspeicious of their motives, when they mention Alexander Roby, but agrees to tell them what he knows if they leave him alone.

He tells then that he followed Roby for 3 weeks in November 1925, during which time Roby spent most evenings in the company of Lawrence Bacon, Malcolm Quarrie and a man called Edwards. He provides addresses and background information for these 3 men, and also mentions a fourth man, a thug called Coombes who seemed to work for Bacon and who fits the description of the Tall Man. He also says that at about this time, Roby seemed to split up with his fiancee Delia Hartston.

Tuck seems to be holding things back. He invites Browne and Saunders to the pub, where are several pints he decides to tell them the 'whole truth'. returning to his office, he gives them a typed report, tells them not to read it until they have left, and wishes them goodbye.

Vincent Tuck's report turns out to descibe Lawrence Bacon's apparent use of black magic to kill a vagrant. Its clear that this incident scared Tuck badly, and may have precipitated his heavy drinking.