Sleuth Home - Message Boards - Role Playing Stage


0 0
Chicago Blues
  <<First Page  |  <Previous Next>  |  Last Page>>  

Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Jun-20-2009 10:19

Thunder Bay, Ontario. May 1931

A getaway, ah, that's exactly what I needed.
Standing beside the crystal clear river, tugging at my fishing rod, I immersed myself in soothing sound of nature. I'd already caught four fishes, and it's only a little after sunrise. The crisp sky promised another beautiful, lazy day. Nothing can ruin the tranquility, when suddenly I heard the voice of Vulkie calling my name. I must have been hearing things. How could Vulkie be all in way up here?


Replies

Vulkie3
Vulkie3
Haynes

Jun-20-2009 10:31

Joseph put a crate of fine Canadian scotch in the back of the car. "What?!" he said to me,with an annoyed look,and I just smiled against him. ''Still haven't changed huh?" I replied. "So,how you've been holding up here? Fishing the whole damn lake and leaving no fishies left?" I replied,with a grin.

"It's going great. I still can't forget about...." (Read Golden/Mysterious Appearance for reference to Lisette).

"I know Joseph,I know. The same thing is about me and Leonard. God,I still get haunted by thoughts about him" I replied.

"Anyway" I said, "My cousin Vinni in Chicago has some problem with a big time gangster. Loopy Lou or something like that. He sent me a note,with some scribbled hints. It wasn't easy to break the code,but I managed. And well,I needed some more help from friends. Anais and Ace are already at Vinni's place. It's just you and me" I said.

And so we headed off towards Chicago...


"Arriving in Chicago"


Well,I thought,Chicago is darker then New York. It was during the ruling of Al Capone. 1931, June 21st.

We arrived at Vinni's place. It was a classic old apartment with not much space. Ace enjoyed a nice drink and Anais cleaned her pistol and revolver. Vinni sat in a chair,relaxing with a smoking cigar. "Guess who's here" I said and Vinni got up and hugged me. He smiled against me. "My favorite niece,welcome to Chicago. It's been a while,since..."

"I know Vinni,I know. But they paid for it. We made sure of that". Joseph came with his bags and his crate of scotch. Ace gave a glimpse of himself,with a grin. Vinni examined the bottles and thanked Joseph for bringing some.

But now,we needed to make some effort. It wasn't time to reunite,but to take action.

Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Jun-20-2009 13:00

Upon arriving I lit a cigarette and sat in the corner, looking at our little group around the kitchen table. Ace was as sharp as ever, and Vulkie was simply delighted to see Ace and her cousin again. Vinni? I'm not sure how bright the guy really was, confusing 'cousin' with 'niece'. He's quite friendly though, I must give him that, and Anais...

Anais caught me staring at her, so I quickly looked away.

"Joseph, come over!" Vulkie beckoned. "Vinni will explain about the situation now, ... and why is your face all red?"

I waved it off and asked Vinni to fill us in. I noticed Anais kept her cool, intentionally not look in my direction, but was conscious of my presence. Anyhow, Vinni went on to tell us about his trouble.


"Few weeks ago I was asked to do 'collection' job on behalf of my boss, Sampson 'Steamer' Sorge. He used to work for Joseph Valachi of La Cosa Nostra back in New Jersey, so he's a bit famous here, which made my job easy. I thought it'd be simple, you know. Just knock on the door, the debtor opens a slit, i force myself in, make a few threads, and collect what's owed." Vinni shrugged.

"And it wasn't that simple, figures." Ace said.

"But it wasn't that simple!" Vinni continued, as if he haven't heard Ace, "I knocked on the door, no answer. I knocked again, no answer. I though the guy must be hiding from us, so I broke the door down."

"You broke the door down?" Anais winced.

"And I saw this lady sleeping on the sofa. I went to her, tried to wake her up. She wouldn't wake up."

"Let me guess. She's dead?" Vulkie said.

"When I shake her arm, it was stone cold. She's a stiff. A STIFF!" Vinni exclaimed. "I ran out immediately, but the neighbor recognized my face. They all know about my boss, and they remember that I work for him. Turned out that the dame was the moll of Loopy Lou!" Vinni's face turned chalk white.

"You mean Loopy 'the Looney' Lou of the Chicago Outfits!? He's practically the left arm of Capone!" Ace said.

Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Jun-20-2009 13:19

"Now Loopy thinks that my boss Steamer ordered me to kill her, but of course he didn't. My boss ordered that if I don't fix this, he's going to hand me over to Loopy Lou, and they're going to fry me alive!" Vinni was visibly shaking now.

"I am sure Steamer got eyes and ears all over the place. There's no way you can ran them out either." Vulkie said sympathetically.

Vinni sighed, "My only hope now is to find out who killed the dame, otherwise i'd be either fried or in a hotsquat!" Just then, I heard a number of car doors opening and closing. I went to the window and looked out.

"Copper!" I hissed. Upon hearing that the police were here Vinni panicked and ran out from the fire escape. "Wait!" I exclaimed. Vulkie's cousin was so quick with his feet that he was already running into an alley as we were descending down the stairs. Suddenly a gunshot was fired. The next thing we knew, the cops walked out of the alley, with a injured Vinni cuffed and held. They bought him into the police car and sped away.

Vulkie cried, "This is a nightmare!"

"All we can do now is to find the real killer. Vinni may be safer within police custody." I said.

"Would he?" Anais questioned, "Chicago Outfits basically own the city, including the police station..."

Vulkie cried miserably on Ace's shoulder. Ace patted her on her back. "Don't worry, Vulkie, we'll get to the bottom of this. We'll get to the bottom of this."

Vulkie3
Vulkie3
Haynes

Jun-20-2009 14:18

"Joseph,you know I can't lose another family member. It tears me apart. You know that" I said. Joseph gave me a sad look. "I know Vulkie,I know. But we still got to solve some things though. Who was the debtor,who was the mole and who called the cops on your cousin Vinni" Joseph replied.

"Hmm,we all need to split. I will check out some bars,Anais can look for information at the city hall and you and Ace can ask around at some local stores and friends of Vinni" I replied.

And so we split. I just walked on the street,thinking. "Who could've tried to set Vinni up" I whispered to myself. I looked to the ground and as I reached the corner,I bumped into somebody.

"Excuse me sir,I wasn't looking...". And as I looked up,I saw his face. It was the famous Al Capone,with a whole army of bodyguards.

"Mr Capone..." a bodyguard said, "do we need to take care of this?".
"No" Mr Capone said. He scribbled something on a note and said against me "Come visit me some time".

As I looked on the note,I saw an address to a motel just out of the city. As I turned around to look,he already passed the other corner.

"This is my lead", I thought in myself, "this is so unlikely for me..."

And so I returned towards Vinni's place,waiting for Joseph,Ace and Anais.

Anais Nin
Anais Nin
Thespian

Jun-20-2009 14:29

((I am soooo posting later, but, first... CHICAGO!!! My home town! This is gonna be fun!))

Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Jun-21-2009 10:30

((Chicago's your HOME TOWN?! Wow! I'm sure you can add interesting details! Look forward to seeing you post!))

I knew this young man who worked for the NYPD as a jail warden; Scotty's his name. The kid was a straight arrow. How he could survive the corrupted Chicago PD sure beats me, but he was doing okay for the past year he was transferred there.

"Vinni Rossi? Yes, we got him earlier today. Our captain's charging him for the murder of Lucy Demidova." Scotty said between mouthfuls of waffles.

'But all you have is a few neighbors seeing him leave the 'crime scene'... if the flat was really the place where the victim died, that is." I argued.

"Yeah I know, but he's the only suspect we've got, and the Captain really wants to close the case."

"What about the flat? Who lives in it? How did Loopy Lou's dead girlfriend end up there?" I sipped my expresso.

"So, you know this is Loopy's gal?" Scotty asked, then he smirked at himself, "True, who wouldn't." Scotty went on to tell me the tenant of the flat was Frederick 'Slim', one of Loopy's many henchmen, and deep in gambling debts. The police had no idea how Lucy, Loopy's moll, ended up dead in his apartment and with no apparent wound. Slim seemed to have disappeared into the thin air. I guess we must look to the other side of the law to find out more about Slim. Maybe Ace or Anais would have more luck.

Scotty broke my train of thought. "Joseph, if you need anything here, just name it." Scotty smiled.

"Well, just one thing for now. Vinni's the cousin of a good friend of mine, and we're sure he's innocent. Can you make sure he survives in custody?"

"I'll see what I can you, Zeo, but you know this is Chicago. I can promise you nothing."

I knew Scotty would give it all he could. I gave the kid a pat on the back and thanked him. I then left Sally's Waffle Shop to meet the gang back at Vinni's place. Anais and Ace haven't yet returned, but Vulkie seemed to had quite an encounter...

Joseph Zeo
Joseph Zeo
Tale Spinner

Jun-21-2009 10:32

((Chicago's your HOME TOWN?! Wow! I'm sure you can add interesting details! Look forward to seeing you post!))

I knew this young man who worked for the NYPD as a jail warden; Scotty's his name. The kid was a straight arrow. How he could survive the corrupted Chicago PD sure beats me, but he was doing okay for the past year he was transferred there.

"Vinni Rossi? Yes, we got him earlier today. Our captain's charging him for the murder of Lucy Demidova." Scotty said between mouthfuls of waffles.

'But all you have is a few neighbors seeing him leave the 'crime scene'... if the flat was really the place where the victim died, that is." I argued.

"Yeah I know, but he's the only suspect we've got, and the Captain really wants to close the case."

"What about the flat? Who lives in it? How did Loopy Lou's dead girlfriend end up there?" I sipped my expresso.

"So, you know this is Loopy's gal?" Scotty asked, then he smirked at himself, "True, who wouldn't." Scotty went on to tell me the tenant of the flat was Frederick 'Slim', one of Loopy's many henchmen, and deep in gambling debts. The police had no idea how Lucy, Loopy's moll, ended up dead in his apartment and with no apparent wound. Slim seemed to have disappeared into the thin air. I guess we must look to the other side of the law to find out more about Slim. Maybe Ace or Anais would have more luck.

Scotty broke my train of thought. "Joseph, if you need anything here, just name it." Scotty smiled.

"Well, just one thing for now. Vinni's the cousin of a good friend of mine, and we're sure he's innocent. Can you make sure he survives in custody?"

"I'll see what I can you, Zeo, but you know this is Chicago. I can promise you nothing."

I knew Scotty would give it all he could. I gave the kid a pat on the back and thanked him. I then left Sally's Waffle Shop to meet the gang back at Vinni's place. Anais and Ace haven't yet returned, but Vulkie seemed to had quite an encounter...

Kevin Greene
Kevin Greene
Old Shoe

Jun-21-2009 11:00

((I am Ace in disguise. :-) I don't use that character any more, so Ace will forever more be me. :-) ))

Ace's first thought was to head to a place near Lou's pad. The entire block was a dump. The only business there was a mom-and-pop-shop called Jace's Laces, a shoe store.

Ace entered the tiny store. He was immediately greeted by a skinny balding man with large, Coke-bottle glasses and a speckled bow tie. He was quite the sight.

"Welcome to Jace's Laces. Peter Jace, at your service." He gave a tiny bow and then asked me, "What can I do for you today?"
"I'm here to ask you about the death of my cousin, Lucy." I said bluntly.
"Loopy Lucy was your cousin? Boy, do you ever learn a few things about people after they die!"
"'Loopy Lucy'? What is that?" Ace asked.
"Eh, folks called her Loopy Lucy, just cause she hung around this Loopy Lou character."
"Loopy Lou? I always knew our family was full of crazies..."
The old man smiled, "Lou is a gangster with that Capone fella. Lucy used to live with him over in that building over there."
"I never found out who it was who killed her..."
"Some guy named Vinnie, I heard... probably another gangster." He mused, "Probably the Italian mafia, judging by the name. Some of these gangs will do anything, even killing semi-innocent girls. I always heard the Italians were after the man." The man frowned.
"You think Lucy was killed by a rival gang?"
"Yeah, I do. I've seen people come and go from Lou's. Some lead other lives, some are never heard from again. Lucy was just another body in the passing parade, to me. I just kept my distance that I might live til 80." He laughed.
"Thanks for your time and information." Not wanting to come in and just take up the man's time, I bought a pair of heels for Vulkie and went back to meet them.

Vulkie3
Vulkie3
Haynes

Jun-21-2009 11:45

Ace and Joseph came back earlier then I thought. Anais was the last one to arrive,being unsuccesfull to obtain information. "They didn't let me into city hall" Anais said. I saw the disappointment on everyone's face.

Ace brought a gift for me and told me his story. Joseph also told his part. But my part was shockingly for them. "You have access to Capone?" Joseph said,astonished. "Yes,fortunately. Otherwise,I wouldn't have survived the meeting with Mr. Capone. Some goon tried to whack me,a bodyguard of his." I replied.

I unpacked the gift from Ace and saw it was a nice pair of shoes. "Thanks Ace" I said and gave him a little kiss. Ace blushed.

"So,what's the plan?" Anais asked.

"Alright", I said,"This is the plan..."

And so I explained.....

Vulkie3
Vulkie3
Haynes

Jun-21-2009 11:52

.... "And afterwards,we can all regroup. Got it?" I asked a bit nervous. Everybody said yes and so we went.

The first part of the plan was to call Mr. Capone to have a meeting.

"Mr. Capone,it's the lady who you encountered yesterday. I wanted to meet you. Do you know a nice place where we can have a bite?" I said,with my best "Chicago" accent.

"Sure thing doll. I'll let Lou pick you up and drive ya over towards the Golden pelican on 54th street." Mr. Capone said.

I quickly wrote what he said and Joseph,Anais and Ace all looked astonished.

Loopy Lou coming to pick me up. This was our chance to get him.

The next part of our plan was, to have me settled with Mr. Capone and have Lou captured.

Joseph checked his tommygun,Anais her revolver and Ace his tommygun. I had an old Colt.38, just for back-up.

"Beep beep" I heard outside. "Alright guys,must be Loopy Lou downstairs. Y'all know what to do,right?" I said. "Right" everyone said.

As Loopy Lou drove me towards the restaurant,I talked a lot with him. He told me about what he did for Mr. Capone and that he usually drives girls for him everywhere they want. "It pays good doll,that's why I'm doing it. I used to be a cabbie. But Mr. Capone once saved me from some crooks. I'm eternally indebted to him." Loopy said.

"Here we are sweetie,the Golden Pelican." Lou said.

"Well,hello doll" I heard coming from the private area. It was Mr. Capone. He was surrounded by bodyguards,enjoying a steak. "Please,join and eat something."

I ordered a steak and thought about the third part of the plan....

  <<First Page  |  <Previous Next>  |  Last Page>>  

[ You must login to reply ]