A War Of Our Own: Info

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A War Of Our Own: Info

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A War of Our Own
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Name: Juliette (Julie) Marie Archembeau (neé Blanchette)
Age: 25
Appearance: 5'5" with a soft but petite build. Blonde hair, hazel/brown eyes, fair skin with freckles.

Family/Background: Juliette was the middle child born to her parents, Marie and Francis Blanchette, with one older brother and a younger sister ten years her junior. When she was 18, Julie met her eventual husband Arthur Archembeau at a local dance. Her husband ran a textile shop in the heart of France, which took off until his skillful direction and with Julie's assistance in running the storefront day-to-day. They married when Julie was 22 and her husband was 27 and though Julie wished to grow their family, the war broke out before it came to fruition. Her husband narrowly avoided the draft due to a previous back injury, but even so, the two would never be able to escape the tragedies of war…

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Other characters (Julie's side)

Juliette's family:
  • Marie Blanchette (Juliette's mother)
  • Francis Blanchette (Juliette's father)
    • Worked for a general store that sold staples, Juliette would travel with him occasionally to other parts of France to look for suppliers
  • Louis Blanchette (older brother)
    • Quite a bit older than Julie and Rose, losses did happen in between
  • Rose Blanchette (younger sister)
    • Assists at the shop when she is able; spitfire.
  • Arthur Archembeau (Juliette's deceased husband)
    • Medium brown hair, brown eyes, tall around 5'9", called Juliette "Letta" as a nickname

Arthur's family:
  • Stephen Archembeau (Arthur's father, used to own the textile shop prior to giving it to his son)
  • Emilie Archembeau (Arthur's mother)
  • No siblings; only child

Other characters:
  • Hans Moreau (Arthur's business partner)
    • Dark hair (almost black with some white/grey streaking through), tall but not as tall as Edward, lankier, thinner, with a moustache and dark brows.
    • Hostile towards soldiers, but especially Edard.
  • Constable Charles Matisse (local lawman)
  • Claude and Annelise - owners of the bakery Juliette eventually works at
 
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Name: Edward Sebastian Calvin
Age: 30
Birthplace: Avoca Rapids, Minnesota, USA
Appearance: 6'1" inverted triangle, muscular, mesomorph
Hair color: Brown with natural highlights
Eye color: Amber

Family History:
Edward's family had a long standing history with the sawmills of Minnesota. It was said that his grandfather was one of the original businessmen who left New England to find their Santander & Clive (S&C) Lumber Mill company out in the land of a thousand lakes back in the 1830s where they made their name and their fortune from the abundance of hardwoods such as oak and pine but also conifers such as spruce. Their success along with the growing railroad system and nationwide demand of lumber, the S&C Lumber Mill Co could ship all over the country.

For over the next fifty years, the Calvin family produced higher yields each year, becoming a major profitable company in the area. Through natural disasters, setbacks, as well as an economic depression, the mill kept strong until an industry decline in the early 1900s as companies began to look to the Pacific Northwest and the South for their timber.

The S&C Lumber mills eventually closed their doors in the late 1920s after attempts from the towns to keep them running while the depression started to take shape over the nation. Shifting gears from taking the wood from the forests to saving them, the Clive family joined with the MFS (Minnesota Forest Service) to begin conservation measures and fight forest fires.

Background:
Edward, for the most part of his life, grew up with tales of the glory days of his family company and the wealth they had gotten from the Minnesota lumber boom nearly one hundred years ago. But despite growing up with the respect of the townspeople, all he saw was a lame horse that just wouldn't die. The profits hardly enough for a stable life and career.

His sharp mind more suited towards the academics rather than blue collar industry, something which Matthias saw in the young boy early on. Edward's uncle Matthias, the police chief of Avoca Rapids, encouraged discovery, learning, and observation. Much to his parents' displeasure, Edward pursued law enforcement as his career under the careful guidance of his uncle, soon proving himself as a successful detective for the police department.
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Although a successful investigator, Edward's career was soon uprooted when Germany invaded Poland in late 1939. A war that he found himself wanting to be a part of, yet, America's policy was to stay out of a foreign conflict. That didn't stop him from enlisting, readying his mind and body for war as he quickly rose up the ranks.

His prayers, or perhaps nightmares, coming to fruition in December 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. His deployment the next year originally in northern Africa, the Americans fighting tooth and nail for the next two years up through Italy and into France in 1944 with their sights on Germany.

However, when a high ranking officer is accused of murder in a small French town they liberated from the Germans, their battalion was halted until justice could be administered. Calling on an unlikely Sargent from Minnesota to investigate the murder and unearth the real culprit responsible.

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Video of Edward

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Other characters (Edward's side):

Family Members:
  • Allen - Father
  • Dorothy - Mother
  • Edward - (30) Oldest son
  • Charles - (28) Middle son, fraternal twin
  • Ruth - (28) Middle daughter, fraternal twin
  • Maryanne - (24) Youngest daughter
  • Matthias - Uncle. Police Chief Avoca Rapids.
Avoca Rapids:
  • Amelia (Lily) Murphy (30) - Edward's ex girlfriend, childhood sweetheart. Blue eyes, brown/copper hair
Military:
  • Captain Hugo Winters
    • Graying hair
  • Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Stewart
    • Ed's friend/mentor
    • Primary suspect - seen arguing with Arthur same day he died
  • Private Fitzwilliam
    • Blue eyes
    • Juliette's first visit to camp, tried to find Edward for her the day they ate her cherry pie
  • Anthony Robinson (31)
    • NYer (Italian-American from Bensonhurst Brooklyn)
    • Ed's best friend
France:
  • Auguste - cafe shop
  • Alphonse Roux - Mutuelle Générale Française Accidents broker in Marseille who issued insurance policy to Hans Moreau
  • Mainard Dumont - dock worker, bribed by Hans
  • Madame Charlotte Désirée - les lampes jumelles (the twin lamps) owner and brothel manager
  • Tiphaine - worker of Désirée, in love with Stewart
Possible nicknames for Juliette: sugar (sucre), dove
 
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  • Hans and Arthur
    • Arthur argued with Lieutenant Colonel Stewart outside of his shop when he was escorted out and told to leave over an argument
    • Hans wanted to have a fire to claim insurance money since the business wasn't doing well for the war (more loss than profits) which Arthur rejected
    • Hans killed Arthur (pre-meditated with heavy object), tries to blame it on LC Stewart who was last seen arguing with Arthur before he was murdered
  • Two separate wills are found; one leaving everything to Juliette, the other to Hans
  • Murder weapon: sad iron
  • Juliette starts to help out Edward more with the case. Does her own digging without Edward knowing, Hans notices and tries to scare her off which leads to Edward protecting her
  • Finding the life insurance policy recently taken out on Arthur with Hans as sole beneficiary. Hans tries to move the investigation along so he can get payout ASAP since he can't when he's under investigation and Julie/Edward take notice

  1. Hans/Arthur are in financial trouble (diary, records, and failed loan from bank), Hans wants fire for insurance money, when Arthur says no, he gets upset
  2. LC Stewart starts coming to the shop regularly when the troops come into town. Rubs Hans the wrong way so he gets the idea to pin it on LCS.
  3. Takes out life insurance policy on Arthur without him knowing
  4. Purposely gets into an argument with Arthur for the fact that LCS lets him push him around and they should stand up for themselves, Arthur says no but eventually, after days of hearing Hans, gets a little fired up about it too
  5. Waits for a day that LCS comes to the shop and brings it up to Arthur around the time he knows the LCS is scheduled to come in so he's all mad about it. They argue. Hans ensures that some townsfolk are watching.
  6. Kills Arthur and hides the sad iron
  7. Death and investigation begin -- WHERE RP STARTS--
  8. Edward is getting nowhere on his own, people don't trust or talk to him
  9. Juliette helps and uncovers the insurance policy
  10. Trip to Marseille and the broker Alphonse Roux who is little help
  11. Confront Hans about the insurance policy
    1. Hans makes up some lie and swears its normal business practices. Maybe Arthur wanted him to take it out (no evidence, just his word) or maybe he feigns Arthur having one in the event he dies?
    2. Asks to be spoken to with a lawyer present: Raymond Roth (French with German or Polish accent)
    3. Gets angry and threatens Juliette/Edward which makes her eventually want to leave the shop for a new job
      1. Edward takes on the role of protector and sleeps in Juliette's home
  12. Edward and Juliette start asking after Hans' whereabouts/activity leading up to the death of Arthur
    1. Signed and sworn statement from a dock worker that Hans was at the docks all afternoon. The last shipment was incorrect and missing nearly 2k in merchandise. Hans thought it best to see the reception of the shipment himself
      1. Hans convinced a dock worker to vouch for him/be his alibi for a cut of the policy profit (maybe Nazi sympathizer?).
    2. Look into ledger for "2k missing merchandise" that Juliette claims never happened because she would have remembered such a large thing going missing. She would know if logs were tampered with
  13. Edward looks into LCS
    1. Has an alibi but refuses to give it (went to see the Madame of town, doesn't want to ruin reputation)
    2. Eventually tells Edward the truth and exonerates him
    3. Edward goes frequently to the Madame and befriends her as part of the investigation but creates tension with Juliette
  14. Investigate again about the argument to witnesses
    1. Hans gets to them first and manipulates witnesses with false testimonials/exaggerating the argument (saw stewart leave shop around time of murder, stewart always disliked Arthur, they always argued, etc)
    2. Edward notices that the dockworker has an expensive watch the next time he visits him at the docks, pointing to bribery
  15. Juliette starts to get answers out of the crooked townspeople
  16. Juliette finds the sad iron murder weapon with blood on it
    1. Thinking the shop closes and Juliette goes to collect the rest of her things on the lawyers orders, thus finding the iron tucked away and hidden
  17. Hans' alibi falls apart (Edward pressures alibi after Juliette senses something is amiss and the truth comes out)
  18. Juliette finds Arthur's diary
    1. Outlines financial troubles
    2. Hans' seedy activities (gambling, blowing $, and Nazi ties) - the trail of money moving hands
    3. Arthur's worry over Hans and his life
  19. Enough evidence to at least jail Hans and bring him to court. Not a slam dunk but they have:
    1. Lack of alibi - the dockworker comes clean about being bribed and supplying his alibi
    2. Insurance policy date near death date
    3. Financial trouble motivation
    4. Sad iron fingerprints
  20. Edward leaves with the Army once the LTC is cleared as innocent. Juliette has to go through the trial without Edward when the case and its detailed notes are handed to the local/national police.

  • Arthur murdered (trauma to back of head - either sneak attack or done by someone he trusted to turn his back to) - otherwise very healthy man
  • Juliette found the body the evening
  • Two wills, requires lawyers to sort out
  • Everyone loved and respected Arthur in the town, he was kind and generous
  • Juliette found Insurance policy to Hans Moreau
    • Juliette not told by Arthur or Hans that it existed
    • Hans sole benefactor 350,000 Franc upon death (proof required)
    • Clause indicating money for a funeral
  • At the time of the murder, Juliette was a the bakery (cashier and patrons saw her)
  • Juliette shared and gave the insurance policy to him. Headed to Marseille with her to speak with the agent or broker who sold Hans the document
    • Talking with a broker from Mutuelle Générale Française Accidents named Alphonse Roux in Marseille
      • Hans purchased policy alone. Typical biz practice but odd because it was without Arthur's knowledge (seemingly). No contact with Arthur, just Hans. Did Arthur have one on Hans from a separate company?
      • No modifications, special clauses, etc. Double indemnity is typical. Allows biz to receive extra funds in case of unexpected or heinous death.
      • No payments issued until the criminal case is closed.
  • Talk with Hans
    • Angry enough to pull Juliette in by force
    • Been at a bar in Marseille, met the salesman who approached him, ornate brokerage with untouched appearance (true) and signed the papers the next day
    • Arthur intended to do the same
    • Hans was in the right place at the right time and Arthur would follow but Juliette was the issue. Arthur rarely came to business meetings b/c he didn't want to leave her. Rarely left town too
    • Told him he needs to leave and if he needs answers, he can direct them to Hans' lawyer. "it is clear to me that you have your own ways of gathering information, and I wish not to be a part of that"
    • Wants to speak through a lawyer and not talk to Edward directly (more incriminating)
  • Second talk with Hans and Lawyer Raymond Roth
    • Signed and sworn statement by one of the shipmen on the docks of Lac de Chapileux (tributary came direct from Rhone) swearing that Hans was at the docks all afternoon ensuring their latest shipment was on time and properly accounted for
    • Ledger stating the last shipment was incorrect and missing nearly 2k in merch, Hans wanted to see the reception of the new shipment himself
    • Hans is a staple of the community, doesn't like the American base nearby, and wants to paint Hans in a good light (213)
  • Need to check the ledgers for missing goods and gain a copy. Juliette claimed there was never anything so remotely large missing, she would have remembered.
  • Mainard Dumont innocent boy, likely victim of circumstance.
    • Phrasing "I gave all the information that I had in the paperwork they had me place my signature on"
    • H&R claimed the Affidavit for insurance purposes on a missing shipment as proof of investigation of damages/them coming to investigate
    • Roth stated that a previous shipment had been incorrect, not missing entirely. Hans had been on the docks to ensure the shipment came in and all was accounted for. n odd statement, since the shipment had not been lost - not at the docks, at least. If it had made it onto the ledger, Hans had had to assume that the goods had gone missing at the shop. None of it made sense, and Juliette tried not to show her skepticism.
  • LCS slipped up and spoke of a woman who was worth dying over and worried if someone found out about it but didn't give much other details

Police d'assurance-vie à émission garantie
(Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance Policy)

Juliette skimmed down.
L'assuré: Arthur M. Archembeau
(The Insured: Arthur M. Archembeau)

She felt her stomach rise into her throat. Her cheeks grew hot and her stomach rolled as she kept reading, almost in a daze. Despite her lack of knowledge on insurance, especially life insurance, she was not dim. She saw the words - a death benefit, which paid out for a funeral and burial; a life insurance amount of 350,000 francs**, paid out per the terms of a "double indemnity" should the death be accidental; and last, which nearly took Juliette's breath away, was the beneficiary.

Au décès de l'assuré, le montant du paiement sera versé à M. HANS MOREAU, selon les termes de la police.
(Upon the death of the insured, the payment amount will be paid out to MR. HANS MOREAU, per the terms of the policy.)

** 350,000 francs = 60,000USD in 1940 = approximately 1,000,000USD today

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Town Name: Fleur-de-Mer
 
Future plot ideas (TBD and/or edited):

1. It is mid-September, 1944. Ed and Juliette return from Marseille and after getting little information from the broker, Ed finally interrogates Hans about it. He blows up, threatens them all, and Ed starts to watch over Juliette's home. At this this starts as just him walking her home at night but as the threat looms, Edward begins to stay over at Juliette's house overnight (on her couch).
Juliette eventually quits working at the shop and gets a job elsewhere.

2. Edward also begins to look into Stewart, he states he has an alibi but initially don't give it, stating it'll tarnish his reputation. It ends up being he went to see a lady of the night.

3. Edward continues to investigate all avenues - possibility that Hans tries to persuade witnesses in his favour. Hans also offers someone a cut of the policy payout to stand in for his alibi.

4. The Will naming Juliette as beneficiary is sorted. She receives her portion of what was left by Arthur. In the future this allows her to buy her and Edward a house to settle down in.

5. Edward eventually finds out the truth about LC Stewart and where he was. This exonerates him after Edward verifies who he was with
(Also possibility that Juliette finds out he was seeing a prostitute, and grows upset, not realizing he is investigating the case and not actually seeing her)

6. Juliette finds the sad iron with blood on it. Hans's alibi for some reason falls apart - maybe he's too cocky, or Ed is just so good that he pressures the alibi into confessing the truth. TBD who this alibi is.

Other ideas or considerations:
  • Juliette finds a diary or notes that Arthur kept that she never knew about. It outlines financial troubles the shop was having (perhaps Hans was gambling away their profits, and/or trying to hide it from Arthur), and his concerns about Hans's recent actions, which seem suspicious.
  • Possibility they tries to obtain a loan that was denied, also showing $ difficulties.
  • Hans trying to plant blame/evidence on Stewart, whether it be witness tampering or physical evidence.
  • When it goes to trial, the case is not be cut-and-dry guilty verdict. They will need to present evidence of the double will, insurance policy, Arthur's notebook, etc.

VERY future ideas:
  • Hans finds out about Juliette and Edward (perhaps their marriage) and appeals the conviction, because there was a conflict of interest.
  • Separation at some point due to Edward having to move upwards for the final push to move the Nazi's out of France. (The final push was between September 1944 and ended in May 1945).
 
Information on Liberation of France:

In 1940, Nazi Germany rapidly took over France. The French government squabbled to maintain control but eventually lost most of France to the German occupation. An armistice was signed with Germany, leading to the creation of Vichy France. Vichy France was essentially a client state for Germany. Though supposedly independent, they were authoritarian and were involved in carrying out the demands of the Nazi regime, including the deportation of Jewish peoples from France. Pockets of resistance within and outside of France were created, under the name "Free France".

After the Fall of France, the battle to retake France began in Africa in November 1940. By September 1944, after the liberation of Parisand the southern France campaign and taking of Mediterranean ports in Marseille and Toulon, the country was largely liberated. The Allied Forces were driving into Germany from the west and the south. The liberation of France didn't finally end till the elimination of some pockets of German resistance along the Atlantic coast at the end of the war in May 1945.

Militarily, the liberation of France was part of the Western Front of World War II. Other than scattered raids in 1942 and 1943, the reconquest began in earnest in the summer of 1944 in parallel campaigns in the north and south of France. On 6 June 1944, the Allies began Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion in history, establishing a beachhead in Normandy, landing two million men in northern France and opening another front in western Europe against Germany. American forces broke out from Normandy at the end of July. At the Falaise Pocketthe Allied armies destroyed German forces, opening the route to Paris. In the south, the Allies launched Operation Dragoon on 15 August, opening a new military front on the Mediterranean. In four weeks, the Germans retreated from southern France to Germany. This left French ports in Allied hands, resolving earlier supply problems in the south. Under the onslaught from both directions, the French Resistance organized a general uprising in Paris on 19 August. On 25 August 1944 Paris was liberated. The Allied forces began to push towards the Rhine. Initial rapid advances in the North stretched lines of supply in the autumn, and the advance slowed (this is roughly around when the story begins). German counteroffensives in the winter of 1944–45 such as the Battle of the Bulge slowed but did not stop the Allied armies, some crossing the Rhine in February, with heavy German losses. By late March several Allied armies had crossed and began advancing rapidly into Germany, with the end of the war not far away. With France mostly liberated, a few pockets of German resistance remained until the end of the war in May 1945.

Information for Edward's temporary leave from Fleur-de-Mer:

American forces fought from September until mid-December to push the Germans out of Lorraine and from behind the Siegfried Line. The crossing of the Moselle Riverand the capture of the fortress of Metz proved difficult for the American troops in the face of German reinforcements, supply shortages, and unfavorable weather. During September and October, the Allied 6th Army Group (U.S. Seventh Army and French First Army) fought a difficult campaign through the Vosges Mountains that was marked by dogged German resistance and slow advances. In November, however, the German front snapped under the pressure, resulting in sudden Allied advances that liberated Belfort, Mulhouse, and Strasbourg, and placed Allied forces along the Rhine River. The Germans managed to hold a large bridgehead (the Colmar Pocket), on the western bank of the Rhine and centered around the city of Colmar. On 16 November the Allies started a large scale autumn offensive called Operation Queen. With its main thrust again through the Hürtgen Forest, the offensive drove the Allies to the Rur River, but failed in its core objectives to capture the Rur dams and pave the way towards the Rhine. The Allied operations were then succeeded by the German Ardennes offensive.
 
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