Souls & Spirits | ONC 2024

Kill The Bookkeeper

Ivy Taylor, had to accompany her father on a business trip as punishment. If she wanted to be independent, she would have to learn the ropes of what it meant to work for it even it meant to earn a minimum wage at her godfather's cafe.

Fortunately for Ruby, he had a business meeting with his old friend at the Chantel Hotel by the following day. It was a two hour drive to St. Louis, the business meeting would be held at the 4th floor starting at 7am. A small gathering consisting of approximately 24 entrepeneurs who were organizing a marketing campaign to boost their investments. Mr. Courier, the manager of the hotel, was delighted to partake in the event.

Ivy did not find the meeting engaging nor riveting, even Mishaal who was quite the persnickety type would've had the backbone to express his annoyance of the progression of the meeting if he were present. Even though Ivy originally intended to meet up with the bespectacled bookkeeper, he was preoccupied with running an errand before attending the meeting. At least Mishaal managed to dodge the bullet in attending the convention.

The information Mr. Keller had collected in a span of 48 hours was that Mr. Reynolds was acquainted with a middle man from the Mandrake Speakeasy who his name was confirmed to be Malcolm Moore aka. Munchkin. This middle man had connections with the Daffodill Gang and the Snapdragon Speakeasy.

Munchkin was a man of short stature of 5 feet and an inch tall who had a knack of acquiring information among other things, infamously known for his voracious appetite and libidinous streak. He was a selective connoiseur when it came to entrusting classified information. Upon being surprised by the visit of the two triggerman from the Dandelion Speakeasy, he was forcefully lifted by the collar of his dress shirt and decked in the face, rendering the short pervert unconscious. Ender slung Munchkin over his shoulder and carried him out of the pub as if it was an ordinary night at the bar during happy hour.

Munchkin had a rude awakening when he came to as he found himself bound, his mouth taped shut and his vision blurred and disoriented. As his vision had regained its autonomy, he could see clearly that he was inside a room that had a slew of tools: gardening tools, pliers, a hatchet, a hoe.

His mind was still numb and empty from independent thought until his ogling orbs caught side of a bloody corpse of a man that had a bullet wound on the right side of his head.

It was Howard Reynolds.

And he wasn't the only corpse, there was another one of a thin man with a skeletal frame that had shown signs that had been bound and tortured. It was Drake Simmons, a member of the Snapdragons, Munchkin recognized what was left of the tattoo on that guy's arm. Munchkin squirmed as he realized that there were other items that could be used for torture. Containers that had dangerous chemicals: acid, powders, radiator fluid, etc.

It dawned on him that he was going to get tortured, and he shook like a leaf when Mishaal had entered the room that was built out of brick, mortar and cement. Most likely an underground bunker.

Or a subterranean tunnel.

“You have two options; either you give me the name of the rat who has swapped the cargo with watered down spirits or you'll join your accomplices very shortly.” Mishaal warned as he put on the latex gloves while Munchkin squirmed.

The session lasted nearly an hour as the short man had been disfigured, his arms had rope burns and blisters, and three of his fingers have been chopped clean off. Munchkin cried like a baby before Mr. Keller stepped out of the room and let Ender pick Mr. Reynold's dead body.
The fingers that had been chopped off were inside a glass jar filled with alcohol. Mr. Keller had picked three of the watered down bottles. The bottle that had Munchkin's middle finger was sent to the Mandrake Speakeasy, the speakeasy which received the bottle that had Munchkin's ring finger was sent to the Carnation Speakeasy, and the speakeasy which received Munchkin's pinky was the Snapdragon Speakeasy. After the owners of their respective speakeasies received the souveneir, they became aware of the accusation.