One night at the Scarlet Gallery, the deputy curator Melchester receives a knock at the door. He informs the woman that the Gallery is only open to accredited members and during the day. The woman is revealed to be Ellie acting under The Master’s instructions she received when he visited the Red Tavern. She begs to see a certain painting, but Melchester tells her to leave. But Ellie refuses to do so…not now that she has found him and is hungry…Ellie bares her vampiric fangs and lunges at Melchester as he screams in terror…
Jago and Litefoot arrive at the police station to meet with Inspector Quick. He informs them that they are to head to the Scarlet Gallery, an exclusive art gallery in London. Litefoot is surprised as he assumed the gallery was a myth. Quick informs them that there has been a murder at the gallery, a murder that would interest the Infernal Investigators…the victim had been drained of blood.
At the Scarlet Gallery Entrance, Quick identifies the victim to the Investigators as Melchester, the Deputy Curator and Nightwatchman. He further explains that the victim had bite marks in his neck, which is why he contacted Jago and Litefoot…the murderer may be a vampire. Jago and Litefoot decide to meet with the Curator called Kindred. Litefoot is particularly interested as he says to Jago they may be able to see some of the fabled pictures.
Inside the Scarlet Gallery, the Infernal Investigators are not particularly impressed with the gallery on display and question why the gallery is so secretive at all. A nervous Jago points out one painting to Litefoot that a particular painting depicting a woman holding a cat seems to be watching him…her eyes seem to track him as he moves. A voice confirms Jago’s paranoia as Kindred arrives. Kindred explains that each painting in the gallery has a mystical essence about them. As he says this, one picture frame begins to rattle on its own accord. Kindred tells the group that the Scarlet Gallery is only open to a select few as the contents of the gallery if made public would cause panic. He invites the Investigators to his office to discuss the murder. As he leads them from the gallery, Kindred explains that despite all the supernatural paintings on display, the gallery does house a few unassuming paintings…and one as such had been stolen after the murder.
In his office, Kindred explains to the Investigators that the painting stolen from the gallery was a piece called ‘Death on the Platform’. He explains the picture depicts a scene at a railway platform with several people gathered around the body of a dying soldier. More strangely was that the painting was donated by an anonymous party. The other picture donated was of a corpse-like individual (heavily implied to be The Master). The Investigators conclude that the murderer killed Melchester because he denied her entry to see the painting.
After leaving the gallery, the Investigators ponder how the painting theft factors into the murder. Jago reveals a business card he discovered while seated in the gallery’s office. The card belongs to a man called Sir James Royston, a socialite that Jago is acquainted with. Quick takes this as a potential lead and he proposes that they visit him as the card also has Royston’s home address.
The Investigators arrive at Royston’s house, where they discover a horse-drawn hearse outside with an undertaker’s service advertised on the side. Fearing the worst, Quick interviews the undertaker Hardwick and learn that Royston had died of heart failure earlier that morning. But he does mention that the corpse was much paler than a usual corpse not long after death occurs, and the skin is rather flaky. Suggesting foul play, Quick requests the corpse be redirected to Litefoot’s mortuary for further examination.
Outside Royston’s house, Quick believes Royston’s death to be more suspicious than what it appears. Litefoot hopes an examination of the body can turn up a clue and see if it relates in any way to the Scarlet Gallery. Quick leaves them to continue their investigation. With a few hours to wait until Royston’s body is delivered to the mortuary, Jago suggests he and Litefoot take a break at the Red Tavern.
At the Red Tavern, Jago and Litefoot find Ellie acting irritably than usual, but do not think much of it. With not much time before his evening show, Jago leaves to return to the New Regency Theatre, while Litefoot returns to the mortuary to look at Royston’s corpse.
At the mortuary, Litefoot arrives with Quick’s subordinate Jenkins to examine the body. As he pulls back the sheet, Litefoot is surprised to find several rotting, flaky pieces of canvas where the body should have been. Jenkins assures him nobody has been in the mortuary since the corpse was delivered, so the question is…who would want to steal Royston’s corpse? Litefoot has his own deduction about who would know, considering what was left behind in its place. He gives Jenkins a note to hand to the Inspector while he leaves to follow his possible lead…
That evening, Litefoot arrives at the Scarlet Gallery and is greeted by Kindred. Kindred invites him inside. Litefoot informs Kindred that Royston has died, the news which causes Kindred some distress as he explains he was a patron of the gallery. Litefoot explains what he had discovered in the mortuary…
Elsewhere, Ellie is in an alleyway calling out to a person called Ravener. A gentleman identifying by that name arrives and greets her after receiving her message. He states that he could not pass up the chance to meet the one who shunned his society and returned to the land of the living, which she claims is behind her now. Ellie demands Ravener that he set up a meeting between her and someone called The Old One. Ravener is distrusting of Ellie but finds it interesting that she would want to meet The Old One as no one meets with him willingly. He promises to make enquiries and leaves but not before welcoming her home…
Later that evening at the Red Tavern, Jago meets with a flustered Ellie. Ellie points out Litefoot to Jago and comments on how quiet he has been since he arrived. Jago sits with Litefoot at his table. Litefoot explains that nothing out of the ordinary became of the autopsy. Jago notices how Litefoot’s skin seems rather flaky…before he can inquire further, two drunk patrons start fighting at the bar, and a broken bit of glass grazes Litefoot’s cheek. Ellie comes over and checks on her two friends and eagerly offers to wipe Litefoot’s face of the blood from the wound inflicted. After the initial wipe, she notes how the blood does not smell like blood. Litefoot suddenly gets up and tells his friends he is leaving. After Litefoot leaves, Jago looks at the handkerchief and agrees with Ellie’s deduction that it was not blood she wiped away…it smells like oil paint…
Later that evening, Jago meets with Quick and shows him the handkerchief with the oily substance he wiped from Litefoot’s face. Quick is surprised at what Litefoot told Jago about the autopsy and shows him the note Litefoot left him explaining about the stolen body and the canvasses left in its place. Quick is curious about Jago seeing Litefoot at the Red Tavern as the note further states that Litefoot went to the Scarlet Gallery to meet with Kindred regarding Royston. Quick decides he and Jago should return to the Scarlet Gallery to investigate.
At the Red Tavern after closing hours, Ellie meets with Ravener again. Ravener explains that he met with The Old One and he has agreed to meet with Ellie. Ravener tells Ellie that The Old One will meet with Ellie in the ancient catacombs beneath London. He agrees to lead her to him but warns her that any sign of treachery will be punished with death.
Jago and Quick knock on the door of the Scarlet Gallery and find it unlocked. They cautiously enter and head for Kindred’s office. They spot a figure in the shadows and cautiously approach to discover the figure is Litefoot! Litefoot does not respond and runs away deeper into the gallery with Jago and Quick giving chase.
Jago and Quick manage to catch up to Litefoot. Litefoot emerges from the shadows and his two friends look in horror at how his skin is pale and flaky. Jago tries to take Litefoot’s hand to lead him out of the gallery, but Litefoot relents and collapses on the floor. His body disappears leaving behind his clothes and a pile of rotting canvas pieces. Quick tells Jago that they should further investigate the gallery.
Jago and Quick enter another wing of the gallery. Quick looks up at a huge painting and spots a person who looks like Litefoot in the crowd in the painting. Quick deduces that Litefoot has been trapped inside the painting, and the Litefoot they just encountered was a painting copy come to life! They both assume that the mystical properties each painting has according to Kindred are not as mystic as they are led to believe…maybe they are all people trapped inside the paintings trying to escape! Question is, how do they get him out again? Quick decides that he should return to the police station to gather reinforcements and secure the gallery.
Before they can leave, they are confronted by Kindred who offers to shed some light on the situation…at gunpoint. He states that he can’t let them both leave after they discovered the truth of the Scarlet Gallery, the people inside the paintings are real people! Kindred explains that he has been luring people to the gallery for centuries to trap them inside the paintings to have their life essences sapped away and absorbed into Kindred to give him immortality. He trapped Royston and Litefoot recently as both men too found out the truth, and offers to show them…
Kindred shows them the painting depicting Royston and Litefoot. He explains that the Royston who suffered a heart attack and the Litefoot who disintegrated before them were copies. The copies do not last long and disintegrate after a few hours. Kindred backs the pair towards a painting, Jago warns Quick not to touch it in fear of becoming trapped inside it. Kindred gives them an ultimatum, either touch the painting or be shot!
Elsewhere, Ravener is escorting Ellie through the streets of London. Ellie has a painting she would like to show The Old One. Ravener informs her that the catacombs beneath London only have a few entrances, so they will need to ride via horse-drawn carriage to the nearest one.
Kindred is close to ensnaring Jago and Quick in the painting. Suddenly, the painting containing Litefoot begins to shake violently, followed by every other painting in the room. They can hear the other paintings in the other wings shaking as well! Kindred thinks nothing of it as they can’t escape, but Jago isn’t sure that’s what they are trying to do, Litefoot’s painting shakes so violently that it falls off the wall and on top of Kindred. Quick disarms Kindred and holds him at gunpoint. Kindred is livid and threatens to shove the two men inside the painting himself and he rushes at them. With no other choice, Quick fires the gun and kills Kindred. But with Kindred dead, Jago asks how are they going to free the trapped people from the paintings? They hear a familiar voice from under the fallen canvas and to their surprise…Litefoot appears! He explains that when Kindred was killed, he simply fell out of the painting. Kindred’s death must have broken the bindings on the people in the paintings. As if on cue, another man falls out of a painting – Sir James Royston. Quick calls the investigators over to the other wing and they discover a large crowd of people gathered in the room, they are all of Kindred’s victims freed from the paintings! They pick up Litefoot’s painting from the floor and discover Kindred has disintegrated into old canvas like some of his copies.
The Infernal Investigators leave the gallery. Litefoot is glad to be free of his painting as the feeling of being unable to move drove him mad despite being trapped for only a few hours. Both men congratulate each other on a job well done. But Litefoot does mention that one mystery does remain…the theft of the one painting from Melchester’s murder. ‘Murder on the Platform’ must hold some interest to someone…but who?
Under the city, Ravener presents Ellie to The Old One. The Old One is aware that Ellie wants to return to her vampiric heritage, but asks why he and his kin should trust her, considering that Jago and Litefoot led her away from living her life as a vampire. Ellie gives no reason to The Old One to trust her but instead she has something to show him. She unwraps the parcel she has been carrying around and reveals it to be the missing painting ‘Death on the Platform’. She describes the scene to The Old One. The soldier in the picture is Ellie’s brother Jim being executed by Jago while his friend Litefoot looks on. Ellie angrily describes how betrayed she feels as she always thought they were her friends, but now they must die! The Old One laughs evilly and welcomes Ellie back to the path of blood…
