Venice Italy
Ruth was hiding out in Venice and enjoying the proceeds of her spectacular fraud, living the high life in a luxury apartment overlooking the Grand Canal. She was very disconcerted to learn that her hideaway had been discovered by the Corotto Carabianieri who had outwitted the Mabel Street Mob in a chase through the streets of Venice searching for information.
The Corotto Carabianieri
With her address in their possession the Carabianieri had hurried to make their arrest but were disconcerted in their turn to find that the information led them to the Doges Palace, by the time they obtained the necessary warrants to enter such a privileged place the bird had flown.
Quite literally.
Lian Su Smith and the Mabel Street Mob
It was later discovered that Ruth Marrott had a private charter plane standing by at Venice Airport for just such an eventuality. The trail ran cold for Valantino but not for Lian Su Smith the infamous head of the Mabel Street Mob. With her international contacts and lucrative bribes she gradually untangled the circuitous route Ruth had taken and unbelievably it led back to America, an impoverished place known as All Saints City in lower New York on the banks of the River Styx.
Downtown Saint Pauls
The Depression had taken a hold of All Saints and shaken it like a terrier with a rat. Saint Johns the upper class area on the right bank of the Styx had survived so far and along with the St George area was still a viable entity, but St Pauls which had been the vibrant industrial sector was a virtual wasteland. Steel plants lay idle and the once mighty chemical manufacturing business of Amalgamated Inc was derelict. Their wharves lining the River Styx stacked with barrels of long forgotten chemicals, detritus abandoned forever, rusting, neglected, and deteriorating.
The backstreets of St Pauls
The worst hit residential quarter of the city was St Richards, known locally as St Ringo’s and down stream from St Pauls. Many of the Citizens had moved out, seeking work elsewhere, Apartment blocks were empty some derelict some just run down, poverty was everywhere. The only ray of sunshine was found in the River Styx, the fish population was booming and the inhabitants of St Ringo’s were able to supplement their meagre fare with fresh fish from the river and almost everyone had taken to rod and line fishing on an almost daily basis.
The four Apartment blocks, two derelict and two still habitable.
Ruth Marrott had purchased one of the empty apartment blocks, Lian’s informant didn’t know which but there were only four in this particular area of St Ringo’s and rather than wait for a definitive location and risking her quarry bolting again Lian had sent some local muscle to track down and capture Marrott.
Capture her alive because only then would they be able to discover the whereabouts of the Missing Millions. Dead she was of no use whatsoever and the local muscle would themselves be eliminated by the Mabel Street Mob for their failure.
The Informant still looking for clues.
Almost certainly Ruth Marrott would have hired bodyguards, but how many wasn’t known. The other consideration was, why had she chosen to hide out in this rat infested downtown area. It would be part of a more elaborate escape plan, Lian was sure of that and so speed was of the essence.
Police Presence.
There is still a police presence on the streets but it’s more a question of looking for opportunities to make a buck rather than to enforce any laws.
Local car park attendants.
If you park your car in downtown St Pauls there will always be some gentle soul who will ask if you would like them to look after it for you. You could say no and when pressed tell them to bugger off. They regard their services as similar to a car part attendant, for a fee your car is well looked after and still there when you return, of course, you don’t have to engage their services.
Local people enjoying the fine weather.
Fist fights are common place and a useful source of entertainment for the locals and a chance to make some ready cash, if you have the readies available to place a bet with the fight promoter. Don’t renege on gambling debts, the consequences are severe.
Is she?
Jobs and money are scarce, some of the locals try and earn a living on the margins of the job market.
Or isn’t she.
Punter or pimp, of course he maybe just some passer by, passing by.
Street scene
The news paper vendor isn’t getting much custom but the guy in the orange jumper is looking very affluent for this area.
Ohh
Maybe he has taken a wrong turn and is lost in St Paul’s instead of St John’s, it’s not going to be his happy place.
The Liverpudlian Dragon.
A final look at the four objectives in the distance, somewhere in one of those buildings is Ruth Marrott and the key to a fortune.
The Mad Lord Snapcase is venturing North in his gold plated Rolls Royce and will be welcomed with open arms at Vagabond Manor in the not too distant future. We do check his luggage before he leaves, just in case, being a forgetful chap, he’s secreted any of our family silver in the false bottom of his Louis Vuitton suitcase. DougnotEM4 unfortunately will not venture further north than Dorset, something to do with it being winter and northern folk are still sewn into their underwear and he’s of a delicate disposition. I don’t understand this, after a while you just don’t notice the odour.
Anyway we are intending to play a cooperative game over the internet with Dougers, the pair of them will be trying to capture Ruth Marrott alive and I will be trying to bugger up their efforts.
I’ve been pretty lax in my preparations for this game and if anyone has suggestions on buggeration factors to disrupt their mission I’m more than happy to listen to them.
Thanks in advance and
Cheers
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