Rigid Air (part1)

Intro: Franklin Campbell was best-friend and room-mate of Robert Douglas during their college years. 1915 freshmen at the University of Southern California. Robert was friendly, outgoing, and interested in all kinds of sports. Franklin was best-man at Bob’s 1919 wedding when he married Ellen and moved to Canada. They regularly exchanged Christmas letters, till late 1921 when Bob’s letters stopped. Franklin hadn’t really given it much thought as people do seem to get on with their busy lives.

Now April 17th, 1923, out-of-the-blue, Franklin received a letter (lost in the mail?):

Dear Mr. Campbell,                                                                   3 April, 1923 I am Lucas Bothnall of Bothnall and Willard Law Firm here in Nelson, British Columbia. I am the solicitor for the late Robert Douglas. Per his most recently updated will, Robert asked that you be the executor of his estate. Unfortunately, Robert died of injuries from a fall on April 1st. Thus, I ask for you to come to Nelson to attend the reading of his will and settlement of his estate which is scheduled for April 19th at 9am. If you know of any other friends of Robert, please invite them along as the widow Ellen Douglas would love to hear stories of her late husband. Sincerely, Lucas Bothnall

 

Franklin Campbell (Brian) History teacher. Catholic upbringing. Played some sports per Bob’s prodding. Afraid-of-heights.

Daria Morrison (Max) English teacher in Sacramento. Once dated Robert but remained friends. Agnostic and Afraid-of-the-Dark.

Gary Arms (Duane) professional boxer. Was a sparing partner to Bob on college team, but quit school in 1917 to enlist in the Great War as infantry. Came home with a Fear-of-getting-lost. Self-described “ugly” but strong (STR90) of low INT and DEX. A stand and fight “slug it out” boxer, not that dance-around crap.

Killian O’Mulligans (Geoff) LA Police Detective. Played football with Bob till 1917 when he too enlisted for the Great War. Returned home to complete a degree in criminology. Chain-smoker and admitted alcoholic with a Fear-of-Falling.

Ethel (Jen) Outdoors woman, park ranger and wilderness guide. Used college breaks to go rock climbing with Bob. ‘Half-Dome’ in Yosemite Park was her favorite challenge with its sheer face. Very attractive (90) but more of a ‘tomboy’; never dated Bob but loved to share adventures exploring nature.

Eugene (Matt) Defense Lawyer in San Francisco. Remembers Bob from the ‘debate team’. Not a people’s person, thus his dog “Champ” is his companion. Carries a handgun as protection from ‘guilty’ clients he couldn’t save. Many a threatening letter postmarked from prisons.

April 17, 1923: Franklin called his college friends, “I’m headed to Nelson, Canada for Bob’s funeral and will. Care to join me? Remember his wife, Ellen? She sure could use some friends at a time like this. Let’s meet up in Seattle to then cross into Canada.”

April 18^th: Good friends. It may have been years since they saw each other, but it felt like yesterday when they met up. Easily gliding into conversation and good-natured ribbing, “My Gary, you sure have big-ears. ‘Cauliflower ears’, right? I can only hope you’re on the winning end of your boxing matches.” Ethel noted Eugene in his expensive clothing, “You must be doing well. So nice of you to get the rental car for us all.” Eugene deadpanned (or serious?), “What makes you think I got it for ALL of us?”

Prohibition was a strange ‘duck’ in Canada: the 1916 Ontario Temperance Act prohibited the sale of alcohol, yet liquor could still be legally manufactured and exported out of Canadian ports. As an alcoholic, Killian focused on the prohibition signs posted in the customs terminal. He patted his vest to make certain his flask wasn’t bulging.

Eugene made a big show, legalese bluster, proclaiming why he should be allowed to carry his gun into Canada. [failed Law roll but hard Push.] “You’ll have to sign a waiver sir, verifying you have no intent to use the weapon to harm anyone. Show of force only. I’ll only allow you to carry 6 bullets.” When Gary saw Eugene flash his detective badge for his ‘right to bear arms’, the boxer discretely placed his weapons (guns, brass-knuckles, switchblade) into the detective’s suitcase. Ethel tried and failed to Persuade the agent to allow her entry with her gun. [Push] Till she batted her eyes and explained, “As a forest ranger, I need it in case I encounter bears. I understand grizzlies are a real threat up here in the wild.”

Once into Canada, Eugene stopped at a gas-station for a map, “Drive to Nelson sir? Sorry, but we ain’t got the road network nor string of gas-stations you Americans have. Mountainous roads, I’d say 3 days best to get there. Your best bet is the railroad. Great Northern Line.” At the train station, they found an outbound schedule that offered a 14-hour trip. Till they overheard the ticket agent explain to another customer, “Sorry sir, there’s been an avalanche blocking the Canadian Rocky-Mountain tracks. They’re saying 24 hours to clear.”

Franklin got on the phone to call the lawyer in Nelson. “Mr. Bothnall here. Oh, hello Mr. Campbell. I was wondering if you got the letter. Hope you can make tomorrow’s reading. Train delay? Say, you know there is a dirigible service available. Started up almost 2 months ago. Chandler Aviation. I hear they stop here in Nelson on cargo runs re-supplying the mining operations and lumber mills. I think they have passenger service too, running from Vancouver to Calgary, with Nelson and a few other smaller cities as intermediate stops. I believe their airstrip is north of town.”

As Franklin relayed the news to his associates, he was interrupted. “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear. I’m heading home to Nelson myself. I knew there was airship service to Calgary; didn’t realize they are now servicing Nelson. Mind if I tag along? Where are my manners? I’m Martin Biller. Bookkeeper and amateur astronomer. Had to come to town to replace my telescope lens. The originals are scratched or hazy. That or the new burner at the paper mill is churning out thick smoke. Something has been distorting the night sky these last months.”

Eugene was perturbed when Ethel invited Martin to join them, “We’re already packed like sardines in the car.” Awkward pause till Ethel winked, “Don’t mind him. He’s got hemorrhoids.” Outside the train station, Daria found a visitor center with details of the airship operation, “Based in Seattle but has a field just outside Vancouver. [Fear-of-getting-lost] Gary opened the map from the gas-station, “I’ll navigate.” Franklin interrupted [Fear-of-Heights], “We’ll need to stop at a pharmacy first. Laudanum or something for airsickness.”

2pm: They arrived at the field, finding the airship ‘Terra Nova’ tethered to a tall tower with multiple ropes handing down from its sides. While the others gazed in wonder at their first airship, Gary commented, “Strange tail configuration with all those fins. The ones I saw over the trenches in France were more airbags with a basket underneath for an observer.” They hustled into the hastily built operations building to buy their tickets. “We’re in luck. A 4-to-6-hour flight. AND they are about to lift off. Good news, Frankie, they have bar service. Prohibition is a land restriction.” It was Killian who was hesitant [Fear-of-Falling], “Yeah, but what guarantee the thing can stay airborne?!”

Carrying their own luggage, they entered via a hatch on the side of the gondola. Killian and Ethel thought it strange there were so few crewmen on the airship. Gary shrugged, “The only ones I ever saw had a single observer and was always tethered.” Once inside, Frankie headed straight to the bar, “Roger, is it? Whiskey sours and don’t stop.” The others carried their bags to their staterooms (Gary carried Frankie’s too). Ethel decided she didn’t need a room for such a short flight; so, she planted herself at the observation window to watch the crew prepare for liftoff. As the lines were released, the ship lurched into the air. Frankie re-tasted his last drink but didn’t puke, “Keep em coming.”

[Everyone was on high Cthulhu alert, expecting the worst. Suspicious of everything and everyone. Ready to break locks if needed.]

Other than the momentary lurch on takeoff, the ride was very smooth. Daria suggested, “Anyone else up for a tour?” Frankie stayed at the bar as the others walked forward past the entry hatch. “Excuse me, passengers are not allowed up here. Maybe Captain Moore will come out to greet you.” Daria batted her eyes [hard Charm], “I was hoping you could give us a tour.” The crewman secured his station in a slow deliberate motion, “Only for a few minutes. I’m the radio operator, Donald. If you’ll follow me. Sir, please step away from that door. It leads to the pilot station. You wouldn’t want to interrupt the captain in flight.”

Past the wardroom and back thru the Observation room, “The water-closets are to your right, the gallery to the left. Full meal service. Next are your rooms, but I see you’ve already stored your bags. Beyond that door is the crew quarters and cargo bay.” Killian asked, “Can you show us the cargo bay? I’d like to check my equipment.” Donald wouldn’t allow, “Too dangerous. Shifting cargo.” Gary spoke up [Fast Talk], “But that’s my company’s equipment. At least let me check everything was loaded.” Donald repeated, “Liability sir. You’ll have to check it upon landing.” Even Ethel and Daria couldn’t sway the man, forcing a conclusion of the tour.

Gary recognized Killian’s bird whistle and wrapped his arm around Donald’s shoulder as they returned forward, “So, I’m a famous boxer, do you want an autograph?” But the radio man seemed bound to a routine, “Follow me please. If you’ll return to the passenger area.” At least enough misdirection to allow Ethel and Killian to hang back unnoticed. “Are you up for a little exploring of our own?” They opened the door and found a 30ft narrow passage that ended at another door. But Ethel spotted an open vertical cylinder with a set of stairs inside, “I wonder where those go?” She was already climbing, “Aren’t you coming?” Killian took a swig from his flask to calm his nerves [Fear-of-Falling] before following.

Ethel was ecstatic to find the stairs ended at a hatch that opened to a ‘crows-nest’ atop the airship. She deftly climbed out, holding onto safety ropes lining the interior of the nest while being buffeted by 60 knot winds. “Oh my God! This is fantastic. Killian, come out and soak in the scenery.” [picture the “Titanic” movie scene at the bow of the ocean liner] But the detective was just fine below the hatch, “I trust you. Now can we get back to the cargo bay…INSIDE!” Meanwhile, Gary left Donald’s side to enter his stateroom before later slipping back to the crew door. He proceeded down the 30ft passage, stopping at a locked door. [failed Lockpick] He jimmied the lock with his knife while pulling hard, leaving knife scraps and a slightly bent opened metal door.

“What do you think you are doing?!” Gary turned, surprised, at the interruption. Relief to see Ethel and Killian, “I, I, they left this door open.” Killian’s detective eyes corrected, “Yeah, it was installed scraped and bent.” The interior was completely dark, no lights. So, they clicked on their flashlights…surprised to find 3 crewmen working in the dark, securing ropes. And unaware of their presence till Ethel asked, “Can we help?” “This area is off-limits to passengers. You must go.” Gary tried to sway them, “I just need a minute to check my company’s cargo.” But the crewmen were dully insistent, “You must go.” As they backed out of the room, they all commented, “How can they work in the dark like that?!”

7:30pm: But there was no time to ponder as the airship had arrived outside Nelson. They could feel the airship descending and being buffeted slightly by mountain-wave effect of the winds racing over and around the surrounding mountains. Franklin lost his drinks, upchucked all over the bar floor. Surprisingly, Roger paid no attention as he continued to pour drinks. Crewmen entered the area to start uncoiling guidelines outside the airship for the groundcrew to guide the ship into place at the anchor tower.

It was 8pm by the time they exited the airship. No-one answered Franklin’s call to Bothnall’s office. They checked in at a hotel where the night clerk recognized Gary, “You’re that American boxer. Do you have a bout in town?” It was a long day, so they all turned in. At least most had eaten dinner aboard the airship. Frankie drank his.

19 April, 0845: They arrived early at the law office and found Mr. Bothnall at the head of a long table. Ellen to his side. All shared hellos and condolences. “After we separated late 1921, I moved back home to Toronto. Poor Robert was a changed man after returning from that Polar Expedition. Troubling dreams, hearing voices, restlessness, paranoid, as if he was hiding something. The funeral was closed casket. They say he committed suicide; fell or jumped from a tree. Bob was adventuresome and carefree during college. Almost a dare-devil. But not after the airship expedition. He suddenly feared heights. I could see suicide with a gun or pills but not climbing a tree.”

They settled at the table as Bothnall began to read the will, “I Robert Douglas, of sound mind and body…bequeath all my possessions to my wife Ellen. And to Franklin Campbell, my executor, I leave a sealed package.” Charles Bothnall explained, “He updated his will and left that sealed package a day before his death.” Franklin set the package aside to the ire of Daria, “Well?! I didn’t come all this way for you to sit on the good stuff. Open it and share.” But Franklin kept his pose, “This is not the time. We should at least stop at the cemetery first to pay our respects.”

The grave was a simple unadorned site in the hillside cemetery. Daria stole flowers from a neighboring headstone to decorate Robert’s grave. Only then did they stop at a diner for lunch and to open the package.

·         A manilla envelope contained news clippings of 10 unsolved murders across North and South America. All described as decapitation, the heads never found. In all cases, the bodies were found in high places (roof-top, church steeple, hill, cliff-top).

expedition workers

expedition officers and financier

·         Two group photos of the Polar Exploration team: one with Robert amid 11 other workers. 10 of the faces were crossed out. Another photo of 9 officers and a civilian. Eugene spoke up, “I recognized him! That’s the’ philanthropist Edward Chandler.”

·         A folded letter addressed to Robert, postmarked Seattle. From someone named Chester: “I fear you and I are the only expedition workers still alive. I’ve collected the death clippings over a year. Someone is after us! The book showed up in the mail. I don’t know where Donald is, but the sonnets give me great cause for fear.”

·         A book of Shakespearean sonnets with marked passages. The inside cover labeled “property of Donald Bambury”. Daria interpreted the selection, “The desire to cling to life. But whose desire for he describes being a slave? His tired desire for death.”

Eugene and Killian concluded, “The 10 deaths match the 10 crossed-out faces in the picture. We know Bob, so the circled person must be Chester who sent the package.” Ethel assumed, “It was closed casket. I wonder if Robert was beheaded too?” Which prompted Gary, “I say we go see the coroner.”

It took some persuading (the mention of lawyer Bothnall and wife Ellen) to get past the secretary, “The coroner is downstairs in the morgue tending a drowned child.” As the others stayed in the reception area, Eugene and Killian descended the stairs. [Sanity check] Killian had seen enough killings on the streets of LA, but the sight of a child was still gut-wrenching. Eugene gasped and had to turn away. Moments to compose themselves before they questioned the coroner. Killian flashed his badge while Eugene threatened legal actions. [Bad cop, worse cop] “Douglas? Oh yes, our ‘April Fools’ victim. The Royal Mounted Police have a copy of my report. Here’s the original.”

·         Numerous broken bones. Fingernail and clothing residue include: clay, tree-resin, pine needles, bark. Massive head injuries consistent with fall although normally see lower body trauma. Which suggests a deliberate attempt to dive into the lake. Verdict: accidental fall while climbing a tree near a steep bank.

Eugene had to ask, “So, he wasn’t beheaded?” Killian prodded, “You say accidental yet the family lawyer said it was suicide. If it was accidental, wouldn’t there be defensive scraps on his arms?” The coroner confided, “I didn’t want to say suicide as that tends to deny insurance claims. But yes, there were no arm wounds.”

They returned upstairs with the news, “He still had his head.” Daria theorized, “Maybe he climbed the tree to escape a bear. The bear began climbing so he tried to jump into the lake. Did the police find the tree he jumped from? Any claw marks?” The group decided, “Let’s borrow the cottage key from Ellen and check out the scene ourselves.”

Noon: With key in hand and verbal directions to the cottage, they set off with Ethel navigating. A turn down the wrong gravel driveway, but the next gravel path proved correct. Daria/Ethel/Gary decided to search the perimeter while the others stepped toward the door.

Eugene was interrupted as he fit the key in the lock, “This is private property. What are you doing here?” Eugene/Killian/Franklin turned to see a shapely woman in running shoes and pants confronting them. “I’m Robert’s neighbor, Jean Simpson. I didn’t see you at his funeral.” Killian flashed his badge, “We’re here at the request of his wife.” Jean relaxed, “I didn’t see Ellen at the service either. How is she holding up?” The trio of investigators asked, “Did you happened to see anything on the day of his death?”

“I didn’t see it happen, but the police called me to identify his body. [sign of the cross] May he rest in peace. His face was so caved in, I had to go by his clothing and engraved wedding band, ‘Love Eternally-Ellen’. Poor man. We used to go hiking and climbing all the time. Till he became a recluse and they separated. I’d check in on Bob who suffered insomnia. Said there was ‘a great pressure’, like a dark cloud, bearing down on him. Stranger still, a couple days before his death, I saw him standing on his rooftop. Hands upwards. When I asked if he was alright, I must have startled him. Awoke him from some sleepwalk. He pancaked on the roof, and I had to help him down. He retreated into the house and bolted the door.”

Meanwhile, Daria/Ethel/Gary never made it to the treeline. “Look at these broken shingles.” Daria found a ladder hanging on a side-shed. Ethel climbed to find multiple broken singles on the roof. And a set of boot-prints lining them up leading to the roof crest. As she climbed, she accidently loosened more shingles. More luck than dodge, Gary was spared but Daria was hit. Anyway, Ethel found prints straddling the peak. They returned to the front door, finding the others talking to Jean.

“Tell me, on the night he died, did you hear or see anything?” Jean puzzled, “Not really. I don’t really know whether he died that night or early morning. The coroner couldn’t really establish a time-of-death due to the cold-water effect. Hear anything? It was kind of weird…probably an echo through the mountain valley. It was like the sound of cars racing up a mountain road. The sound seemed to linger awhile, then slowly faded.”

Gary perked up (not known for his intelligence), “Did you see any strange shape in the sky? Say like the airship that started service here in town?” Jean had neither heard of the airship service nor seen anything.

Awkward silence till Eugene opened the door and walked inside. They all followed. And found evidence of a recluse. Trash piled everywhere. Dishes in the sink and left on tables and surfaces. Food still on the plates, half-eaten. But they did find the original (unmarked…no-one crossed out) picture of the Polar Expedition group. Another picture frame smashed on the floor. Franklin picked it up, “It’s the airship with its multiple fins. But this one is labeled ‘Bellinghausen’. Could it be a sister-ship?”

Link to part 2 (Conclusion)-

https://rigglew4.blogspot.com/2021/07/coc-basicrigid-air-conclusion.html