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Author's Chapter Notes:
Epilogue One
* * * * *

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
(JULY 4, 1921)

It took almost all of the ensuing three days to sort everything out.

First off? There was the matter of Austin Galstaff; the traitorous President of the Milwaukee Lodge. He was arrested by men of the FBI, led by Special Agent James Biggs. And, during his interrogation by same, it came to light that he was not as good at poker as he alluded to us, much earlier. In point of fact, he lost more often than not! And, his considerable gambling debts had ultimately been bought up by Don Pietro Taliaferro.

At Pamela Plaisantine's insistence.

The initial benefit of this leverage was the recruitment of Sheriff Andrew Nellis (a former Detroit policeman, already on Taliaferro's payroll) as the newest member of the Milwaukee Lodge. Albeit, with a less-thorough-than-usual screening process. You see, when Sir Anthony and I were first awarded probationary membership in the Manhattan Lodge, of the Knights of Melion, it was only _after_ our backgrounds had been checked...more thoroughly than the Belmont veterinarian checks out race horses!

As a result of the favoritism shown him, however, Sheriff Nellis was able to use the Milwaukee Lodge's influence to more successfully enable the smuggling of Canadian whiskey into Michigan. Said whiskey carefuly disguised as holy water in nickel-plated flasks.

"However," Sir Anthony had explained to me: "...that nickel-plating was actually made from Thunder Bay silver ore!"

I had snapped my fingers in realization.

"That's where the Buru-nagas got their silver bullets from!"

"Partly, yes. The rest of each shipment went to Taliaferro as payment for services rendered. But, once his ultimate ambition (the successful usurpation of 'Tiny Dan' Bianco's Milwaukee empire) had been achieved, the...Biblical irony of his situation must have begun to weigh quite heavily on Don Pietro's mind. Hence, the abduction of--and ill-fated attempt to murder--Pamela Plaisantine!"

"Speaking of 'witch,' " I could not resist punning: "Do you think it was Galstaff or Nellis who informed her about our meeting with Cassandra White at Big Arbor Lake?"

"More likely, the latter," Sir Anthony had replied: "But, doubtless, only after he, himself, had been similarly contacted by his good friend (and ex-Detroit partner), Sheriff B.B.L. Zimmerman."

I had then shaken my head in abject pity.

"At least their motivations, I can understand. Plain old corrupting greed. But, what about Tobias Blair? What could have driven him to betray his country and work for the Communists?"

General Hopkins had provided the answer to that one.

"In 1905, Master Sergeant Blair was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army for beating up a young shave-tail who had then-recently been acquitted of molesting Blair's younger sister (who, tragically, committed suicide after hearing of the latter verdict)! And, it further embittered him that the prosecutor, at his own court-martial, was the same shyster who had defended that aforementioned lieutenant!! A conflict of interest secretly arranged by the lieutenant's grandfather (a big-shot Congressman on the House Armed Services Committee)."

"By the time all this dirty laundry became public knowledge, though, it was too late. Blair had long since left the country to join the Foreign Legion. Becoming a self-employed mercenary, thereafter!"

"And, five years ago, he was working for the Germans when he assassinated a Japanese naval intelligence officer in Ryojin.* A misdeed that was quickly brought to the attention of a certain Communist exile from Vladivostok...who's now a high mucky-muck in the Russian Cheka."

That reference to Japan had quickly brought to my recollection the status of General Hopkin's own mission.

"I take it you finally managed to locate those missing Japanese children and their aristocratic chaperone?"

He nodded; acknowledging the considerable help they had been given by Oishi Nakafusa. Last of the Enryakuji-kiri!

tbc
Chapter End Notes:
*Ryojin: post-1905 name for what had formerly been the Russian naval base of Port Arthur.
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