by Tony Verna

Created on: December 09, 2009

When we left our story, Jancy and Chester were on the run and suddenly finding themselves in the Chinatown section of Philadelphia.

* * * * *

A short, limping Cantonese gentleman, Ching Chow, watched them as Jancy and Chester raced past a massive brewery that bore his name, but no longer belonged to him. One of Tommy O'Halloran's victims, Ching had been forced to sell his brewery to O'Halloran. The former master brewer was now the master only of a small beer wagon. He watched Jancy and Chester as they raced under a series of Chinese awnings, finally coming out on a knot of streets where costumed horses were drawing an Oriental hearse.

Slipping under the advance guard's gaudy banners, the couple shuffled back down the line to the professional mourners, all a foot shorter than they were, a sight that caused them to dash off to find refuge in a Vine Street Church, one cold enough to hang meat and dark enough to stumble over old ladies frozen in prayer.

Muttering multiple apologies, Chester was sent orbiting around a world globe on which stood the Virgin Mary, while Jancy was sent stumbling across the front of a font where a baptism was taking place. All eyes were on the baby being baptized. As Jancy started to help Chester to his feet, she started to coo. Chester couldn't believe it.

"You're thinking of babies! Look what the guy you want to marry has got us into!"

Jancy dipped her finger in the holy water. "I want a lot of babies."

Chester blessed himself. "Great! Then the two of you can open up your own insane asylum."

Jancy pointed past the mural of John the Baptist, there was a blaze of light where the Professor waved a lit candle.

He motioned them toward the sacristy and as they went through the doors, the gold leaf reflected the image of Tommy O'Halloran's henchman racing after them.

Once the tobacco-spitter entered, he was greeted by an incense burner being twirled bolo-style by the Professor.

While the twirling sensor sent the chew flying out of the henchman’s mouth, it didn’t stop his pursuit.

Now as Jancy and Chester ran out the sacristy doors and onto the street, the henchman drew his gun and the Professor shot him dead.

The next piece of magic came when the henchman disappeared, when the Professor had the man’s body doubled up with the one already lying dead in the Chinese casket.

Without understanding how or why, Tommy O'Halloran would be shy one ‘assistant’ while he waited for his Easter rendezvous with Jancy Hall.

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