Auger Detection

Auger Detection is a private detective agency hired by Celeste Roget during the storyline of There's Something in the Sea. This firm boasts offices in major cities throughout the United States, ranging from San Francisco to New York City.
=== Lutwidge Investigation, Pre 1960===
Celeste Roget contacted Auger detection in the spring of 1958 when she hired their Manhattan agents, including Dash Carmady, to keep surveillance on Orrin Oscar Lutwidge. This was after she received a seemingly taunting letter from Lutwidge about her surviving a failed expedition to the Himalayas in search of her father. The agents set to tail Lutwidge were not very successful, saying in their report that Lutwidge was proving to be a slippery character. However, they did discover that Lutwidge was keeping contact with someone known only as "Red Pawn" who aided him in making forgeries, including the ones that led Ms. Roget to make her trip to the Himalayas. However, these investigations proved unsuccessful when Lutwidge disappeared in late 1959. Agents continued to keep surveillance on Lutwidge's properties despite his absence.
=== Resumed Lutwidge Investigations, Post 1960===
On August 31, 1960 Agent Dash Carmady observed Lutwidge breaking into one of his Workshops in Midtown Manhattan. He had facial scaring and behaved strangely. Auger Detection contacted Celeste Roget with this news, causing her to take a flight to New York from Paris to behold Lutwidge with her own eyes. The sight shocked her so badly that she immediately returned to Paris. Later, Auger Detection informed Celeste when Lutwidge was put in Tollevue Hospital and she bribed the agents to make sure that Lutwidge would never get out.
=== Aiding Mark Meltzer, 1968 ===
Mark Meltzer's investigation into the kidnapping of his daughter, Cindy Meltzer, eventually lead him to search for information on Orrin Oscar Lutwidge. Celeste requested that her agents give Mark all the information from their previous surveillance of Lutwidge. Dash Carmady complied, leading Mark to find Lutwidge in Tollevue. Auger Detection temporarily withdrew their support after Celeste was spooked by a threatening letter, but they began to help Mark again when Celeste went missing.
Auger Detection soon began to collaborate with Mark Meltzer in finding the identity of the Red Pawn. Dash Carmady requested that Mark give them his contact list, and soon after they sent Mark a criminal record of a "Jerry Lynchman," suggesting that Jeremiah Lynch, one of Marks contacts, had been deceiving him and was in fact the "Red Pawn" who aided Lutwidge in making forgeries years ago. The detective agency attempted to keep track of Lynch in Ireland, in case of any leads to the location of Celeste Roget, but Jeremiah Lynch had already gone into hiding. However, the detective agency proved useful once again when they provided Mark with photos of the tiles in Lutwidge's Midtown workshop after Mark's way in was blocked by a Government investigation.
== Reports on Orrin Oscar Lutwidge ==
=== Continued Surveillance: 7/28/58 ===
:::::::AUGER
::::::DETECTION
:::Private Investigative & Security Services
:Manhattan ~ Washington, D.C. ~ Chicago ~ San Francisco
:::::"Our Eyes Never Rest"
CLIENT: ROGET, C. ................... CASE no. _________________
AGENT: CARMADY, D.H. ................ DATE: 7/28/58
RE: Continued Surveillance of O. Lutwidge re: suspected harassment of Celeste Roget.
SUMMARY: Per instructions, I w/assistance of rotation
::of two add'l agents have been tailing O. Lutwidge.
::He continues to employ evasive maneuvers as if he
::suspects being watched, even though we have avoided
::direct detection. Lutwidge is in short a slippery &
::practiced customer and our coverage has failed to
::be 100% complete.
::Preliminary indications suggest that Lutwidge is
::NOT working alone. He appears to communicate with
::an accomplice who assists him primarily in forging
::documentation (such as the various suspect docu-
::ments that led C. Roget on her "wild goose chase"
::in Himalayas).
::In intercepted communication, Lutwidge generally
::refers to this individual by codename "Red Pawn".
::Identity of Red Pawn has not yet been ascertained.
=== Suspect's Known Properties: 7/28/58 ===
:::::::AUGER
::::::DETECTION
:::Private Investigative & Security Services
:Manhattan ~ Washington, D.C. ~ Chicago ~ San Francisco
:::::"Our Eyes Never Rest"
CLIENT: ROGET, C. ..................... CASE No:___________
AGENT: CARMADY, D.H. ................... DATE: 5/28/58
RE: Surveillance of O. Lutwidge re: harassment of Celeste Roget
:::SUSPECT'S KNOWN N.Y.C PROPERTIES
#1 BATTERY......Scarlet Sovereign Import/Export
:PARK..........Run-down, out-of-business - looks nearly abandoned.
#2 QUEENS.......Duplex. Stated residence but only has bare essen-
::::tials - rarely sleeps here.
#3 LOWER........Downstairs workshop in sweatshop loft
:B'WAY........Main ofc for day-to-day activity.
#4 MIDTOWN......Appears to have basement lab/ workshop
::::beneath office. bldg. Heavy duty eqpmt
::::not available at other locations.
::::Highly secure & kept secret from other
::::employees / renters / etc.
:::::::^-- THIS ONE!!!
:::::::::Park Ave. location -
:::::::::"Arden N. Wray bldg. -
:::::::::belonged to RYAN???
=== Resumed Surveillance: 8/3/60 ===
:::::::AUGER
::::::DETECTION
:::Private Investigative & Security Services
:Manhattan ~ Washington, D.C. ~ Chicago ~ San Francisco
:::::"Our Eyes Never Rest"
CLIENT: ROGET, C. ..................... CASE No:___________
AGENT: CARMADY, D.H. ................... DATE: 8/3/60
SUMMARY: As part of ongoing surveillance of Orrin O.
::Lutwidge and his holdings I observed unusual activity
::during a regular twice-weekly observation of his
::properties.
::A basement lab/workshop in Midtown Manhattan has
::been dormant for some time. At approximately 2:17 AM
::on 8/3 I noticed some lights inside the facility. This was
::the first time I had spotted activity in 2+ years of
::reg. observation. I approached cautiously w/ camera.
::There were no signs of life but various furniture /
::tools had been moved. I waited for approx.
::30 min. when I noticed and heard figure working lock
::to side door leading to basement lab. Individual gen-
::erally resembled photos and descriptions of Orrin
::Lutwidge but with numerous discrepancies - possibly
::the result of of accident/severe scarring. See
::attached photo.
::Lutwidge was observed with an unusual hypodermic
::needle and several glass jars. He appeared to be
::attempting to scrape or pour together the last remain-
::ing dregs of of several jars together.
::Lutwidge was also observed crawling on the floor
::tiles while muttering and then working on typing a
::manuscript.
::Lutwidge appeared to collapse from exhaustion at
::approx. 5:40 AM whereupon I located the nearest
::telephone to report and request further instruc-
::tions from HQ.
== Reports on the "Red Pawn" ==
=== Short Note: 10/16/68 ===
:::::::::AUGER
::::::::DETECTION
:::::Private Investigative & Security Services
:::Manhattan ~ Washington, D.C. ~ Chicago ~ San Francisco
:::::::"Our Eyes Never Rest"
Mr. Meltzer:
:Re: The Red Pawn hunt...
:We may have a winner. See attached.
:Call me at your earliest convenience at the usual number.
::::::Dash
:::::::-D.H. Carmady
=== Report on Jeremiah Lynch: 10/16/68 ===
::::FLORIDA STATE PENITENTIARY
::::::RECORD
:::::::OF
:::::JERRY LYNCHMAN
::::::'#________
ALIAS: Jeremiah James, Ian Lynch, Mick Lynchman, "Laughing Mick"
Fingerprint Classification:
:::::::::16--------(top:1 R II 10)(Bottom:1 R II 9)
Received:- August 17, 1940.............From:- Dade County
:::::Sentence:- Five to Seven
Crime: Grand Larceny, Conspiracy to steal, Criminal Forgery
::::[to run concurrent]
CRIMINAL RECORD AS FOLLOWS:
AS: Jeremiah James arrested at Miami, Fla. On Dec.17,1938
Charge Gambling. Case Dismissed.
AS: Ian Lynch Arrested at Orlando, Fla. on May 14, 1939 for Check
Kiting, Forgery. Settled Civilly, Charges dropped.
AS: Mick Lynchman arrested at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on Feb 10, 1940
for Confidence Scheme, Grand Larceny involving forgery of property
deeds, Federal and State licenses. Arrested with 3 others as part
of District Attorney sting operation on Feb 10,1940.
COMMENTS: American citizen, born in Ireland. Sometimes plays up
accent. Jovial sense of humor, accent inspires criminal assoc. to
refer to him as "Laughing Mick." Expert Forger, earns confidence of
"marks" with good humor, appearance of education and convincing
forged documentation. Malicious sense of humor. Numerous incidents
where "cons" / hoaxes were not prosecuted as they seemed intended as
pranks without any obvious personal gain.
===Letter to Mark Meltzer: 10/26/68===
:::::::AUGER
::::::DETECTION
:::Private Investigative & Security Services
:Manhattan ~ Washington, D.C. ~ Chicago ~ San Francisco
:::::"Our Eyes Never Rest"
Mr. Meltzer:
:Re: "Red Pawn" alias Jeremiah Lynch
:Our conversation last night got me thinking.
:Following our recent conversation, I was eager to
talk with Mr. Lynch re: whether he had been in contact with
client Celeste Roget and/or knows her whereabouts.
:I have been in contact with our Ireland associates
& with local Cork County law enforcement. Lynch appears to
have vacated last known address and may be on the move.
:Taking measures to track him down. Please advise me
soonest if you receive any further contact from this
individual.
:Even the slightest clue might help us target
his current location.
::::::Dash
:::::- D. H. Carmady -
=== Letter to Mark Meltzer: 11/2/68 ===
:::::::AUGER
::::::DETECTION
:::Private Investigative & Security Services
:Manhattan ~ Washington, D.C. ~ Chicago ~ San Francisco
:::::"Our Eyes Never Rest"
:Mr. Meltzer:
:Re: The Knight's Journey....
:Our conversation last night got me thinking.
:Following Lutwidge's initial disappearance in '58,
I took the liberty of investigating the place. Under all
the debris on the floor, I noticed peculiar markings on the
B&W tiles. Shoved the furniture and junk around to get a
full overhead view of the floor in a series of snapshots.
See attached example. Full set to follow.
:Given Lutwidge's propensity for puzzle-making, it
occurs that this may be of interest. Consider & advise.
::::::::Dash
::::::- D.H. Carmady -
=== Letter to Mark Meltzer: 11/6/68 ===
:::::::AUGER
::::::DETECTION
:::Private Investigative & Security Services
:Manhattan ~ Washington, D.C. ~ Chicago ~ San Francisco
:::::"Our Eyes Never Rest"
::Mr. Meltzer:
::Re: Knight's Journey
::Remaining three photos from set
:taken 1958 of floor in Lutwidge's Park
:Ave basement lab.
::I think it all fits together.
::::::Dash
:::::-D.H. Carmady
Category:Businesses
Category:There's Something in the Sea
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