While Ray Brannigan, Jonas Markham, Ivy Morgan, and Alistair Sinclair contemplate the mysterious letter found on the front seat of Jonas’ gray Packard, Connor O’Shea returns from his family home in Hoboken, New Jersey, where he went to temporarily escape the horrors he’d confronted over the last week.
Anxious to know the whereabouts of his fellow investigators, he attempts to contact Ivy to no avail. He shakes down some local stoolies for information concerning Red Hook, but comes up empty. Picking up one of the New York dailies, he reads about the murder of a family in the Gashouse District, but can make no connection.
Upon returning home, Connor receives a call from his brother, Michael, who is a homicide detective at the Baker Street Precinct. Michael tells Connor that Thomas Malone, the former detective that Connor was inquiring about two days ago, has suddenly made an appearance at the precinct and is in the parking lot talking to his old partner, Sergeant Donowitz.
O’Shea hustles to the station and finds Malone and Donowitz huddled by a car. Malone becomes agitated as Connor approaches, and Donowitz asks Connor what he wants. Explaining that he has been investigating the Red Hook neighborhood and the deaths of two Hamilton Construction Company employees, Connor is able to calm the veteran cops down. Donowitz suggests that they go somewhere more private to discuss the matter.
At Donowitz’s apartment, Malone explains the real events surrounding the Red Hook Disaster of 1923. Continually repeating to himself, “They told me that it was only a DREAM,” Malone confides that he came across a strange, pagan ritual in the smuggler’s caves below the Parker Place apartment complex. When the ritual reached it crescendo, he blacked out, and doesn’t remember anything until he was pulled out of the rubble of the collapsed buildings.
He also tells Connor that a woman and three men visited him this morning, and forced him to confront the horrors of that fateful day in 1923. As a result, he feels that he has unfinished business in Red Hook. O’Shea offers his assistance, and is told to meet them back at the precinct at 6:00 pm.
When Connor returns to the precinct later in the afternoon, Donowitz tells him to pull up the street and wait. A few minutes later, Malone, Donowitz, and six off-duty police officers walk up to Connor’s car. The group splits up in to two vehicles, and begins the drive in to Red Hook.
Meanwhile, Ray, Jonas, Ivy, and Alistair have spent the afternoon reading and rereading the note they discovered. With few safe-havens in the Red Hook neighborhood, and nearly ten hours until the construction worker is to be killed, the investigators drive to East Flatbush to see if Connor O’Shea is still staying at his brother’s home. When they are unable to make contact with O’Shea in East Flatbush, the group drives to The Slaughtered Lamb to see if Connor is drinking there. Dora Long is able to recount her experiences in Red Hook, but is unable to provide insight in to Connor’s whereabouts. The investigators drive back to Ivy’s Morningside Heights home to discuss their options. While eating dinner, Jonas and Ivy remember that Connor’s brother, Michael, works at the Baker Street precinct and may know where Connor is.
The investigators drive to the Baker Street precinct, and Ray heads inside to find Michael O’Shea. O’Shea is called down by the desk sergeant, and greets Ray with a procedural, “I assure you we’re doing everything we can to investigate the murder of your mother’s neighbor, Mr. Brannigan.” Ray tells Michael that he’s been investigating the murder himself and needs to find Connor. Michael, taken aback by Ray’s comments, ushers him outside to discuss the matter privately. Michael tells the investigators that Connor went to Red Hook with Thomas Malone, Sergeant Donowitz, and some off-duty cops within the last hour.
Encouraged by this new information, the investigators head back to Morningside Heights, and decide to drive back to Red Hook at 9:30 pm.
In the meantime, Connor O’Shea and the group of cops led by Malone and Donowitz drive into Red Hook. They begin at the ruins of the Parker Place apartment complex, and then begin a block-by-block search of the waterfront. They stop suddenly in front of the Hamilton Construction Company offices when Malone notices that the door is ajar. Cautiously, Connor and two cops enter the office and are bowled over by the smell of death. The cops are able to compose themselves; Connor, dry-heaving Irish whiskey, is not. A search of the back office reveals information concerning the intersection of Haight and Farnham Streets, as well as Simms Pharmacy. O’Shea recommends to Malone and Donowitz that they investigate further.
At the Stone Church, Connor stumbles upon an underground chamber and the decomposing body of a Catholic Priest. At Simms Pharmacy, he comes across the bodies of five dead drug addicts. They also notices several groups of bums hanging around the Tullio Warehouse, but as they approach, the groups scatter. Fearing something nefarious is happening in the area, Connor and the police set up shop at Stone Church and stakeout the area. At approximately 10:00pm, Connor begins to notice groups of three or four bums enter the abandoned Tullio Warehouse.
Ray, Jonas, Ivy, and Alistair arrive back in Red Hook at approximately 10:00pm. They park their truck in the abandoned lot next to Liam MacGuffin’s home, and let the old Scotsman know that they may be banging on his door later in the evening. MacGuffin promises to have some coffee brewed.
To avoid direct observation from the Tullio Warehouse, Ivy suggests that the group walk up Farnham Street towards Stone Church. It is at the intersection that the poorly concealed group is spotted and confronted by Connor O’Shea, who flashes his badge and lets them know he’s not alone.
The reunited investigators discuss tactics with Malone and Donowitz, and agree that they will split in to three groups and enter the Tullio Warehouse through its three entrances. They also agree that killing Washington and the cultists is the main goal. Malone cautions the groups to keep their eyes peeled; he, as well as the investigators, believes there may be a trap set for their arrival. As the group begins their walk to the warehouse, Ivy can hear the beat of drums. A sickly, green glow can be seen emanating from the front entrance.
Entering the Tullio Warehouse, the sound of drums and chanting (TULL-SHA, TULL-SHA, TULL-SHA) grows louder. Ray Brannigan’s sharp eyes pick out six figures lying in wait behind some palettes. While it appears Donowitz’s group does not see the ambush, the third group, led by Malone, does. Donowitz and Malone’s groups pull out their nightsticks and run towards the cultists, while the investigators wait to see if their assistance will be needed.
A brief fight ensues. The six cultists are killed, but several of the cops are injured – one severely. Jonas and Ivy successfully perform first aid on the cops, and the severely injured officer is made comfortable. With the ambush averted, the investigators begin their descent into the green-glowing bowels of the Tullio Warehouse.
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