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Aug-19-2005 17:38

<Jake Fenton slammed the door lazily behind him and poured himself a bourbon. No ice. Rather too casually, he slung his jacket and shoulder holster down on the cot in the corner of the room, and slumped tiredly into his chair.

Almost by instinct, he reached to the breast pocket of his shirt and brought a cigar up to his mouth. He chewed off the ends and spat them onto the floor, where the detritus of the last few busy days had been building. What the heck, it was somewhere to lay his head.

His expert fingers flipped the zippo alight, and casually tossed it in the air to light the cigar, before catching and closing it in one movement. He took a sip of the burning liquor, and turned to gaze out of the window at the rain-sodden streets, below. The streets teemed with people, covering their heads with newspaper as they scurry their way home to their wives or off to their mistresses. He found himself idly wondering who they all are, what they all do... What makes them tick...

Aug-26-2005 11:57

Her fingers were trembling as she reached out and steadied her steps with the wall, the curving bands of gathered sapphire ribbing across her chest and bust line shimmered in the dim light. She wasn’t one for attending parties, but she had promised Daniella she’d attend. Thaddeus had been elated to hear the announcement, he’d been trying to get her to look at a gown he’d created just for her for months; it was a good thing he was patient or she’d have been going to this ball in her usual attire with the short notice she’d given him.

The room seemed to spin around her in time to “Moonlight Cocktails” that the band was playing, and the tightly laced corset of her strapless satin gown seemed to tighten increasingly around her ribs with each timid step across the room. She sung the words to herself softly, trying to keep the lump in her throat from swelling even further. She intended to make her appearance as promised, enjoy a few melodies, and then catch the next boat back to Delhi in a few hours. Her fingers drifted lightly over the black pearl choker and ivory cameo at her slender throat as she scanned the room for a familiar face or two. Spying Daniella camped out by the door, looking as striking as ever in her silk gown and black opera gloves, she ignored the jostles of the crowd as she pushed through the room. At least until she spotted a tall, lean form reclined in a dark corner, the soft orange glow of a cigarette having drawn her attention in that direction. She forgot about her friend for a moment and brushed a wisp of a curl behind her ear. She knew that shape all too well. He’d cost her plenty, even if he had tried to help when she thought she had wanted to go into hiding….

The gathered pleats of her full skirt rustled and brushed against the hardwood floor as she approached Shady. Anyone else probably would have avoided him, but she wasn’t anyone else and she knew it was most likely that he wasn’t invited, at least not willingly.

Aug-26-2005 12:16

Daniella spotted Jake. She beckoned to him. "Thanks for coming..." she whispered into his ear. "No problem at all. I only wish we could skip this line." "Hold on a second." She strolled up to the bouncer. She whispered something into his ear, and kissed his cheek. He opened the velvet ropes for them. "Cfm, c'mon. And you can bring... mon dieu, is that you Shady? Well ya'll can come." "Whoa," said the bouncer, "you can come, but I didn't say anything about these guys." "They're with me." she said in a final sort of tone, and the odd crowd stepped inside. "Jake, I need to talk to you." They walked to the punch bowl. "Sheperd thinks he was framed for a robbery. Look at this." She pulled out the newspaper. "He thinks Shady is trying to hurt us in some weird way. Now Shady isn't the classiest of guys, but he ain't no killer. He says that the combination of us is putting us in danger. The only danger I see in store is the first dance." "Shall we?" "We shall." As they danced to the jazzier number they replayed the information brought to them...

Aug-26-2005 14:53

The time was 7:25pm by his pocketwatch when the Western Union guy burst into the restaurant and screamed "Telegram for Mr Jake Fenton! Telegram!". A couple of lady diners gasped as he cursed his luck and grabbed the message from the hapless boy. It read:

Sender: LemonyShepard Sent: Aug 26, 1922 - 12:43
dont go to the party STOP
shady is there STOP
im not who you think STOP

He cussed out loud again. Who was this Lemony Shepard? Was he getting too close to Mojo and this guy was some kinda stooge? Either way he was going to the damned party to find out. Amanda would never be dumb enough to turn up now. That was one lead gone, and LemonyShepard was going to pay for lost earnings. The paper fell into its component sheets and knocked the last of his bitter coffee over the table as he rose and tipped the waitress ten bucks for the mess.

He went back to his apartment, had a quick shave, brushed his teeth and changed. Splashed diluted aftershave around his neck. Tucked a first world war service revolver in the inside his left breast pocket. Only 6 years old. It had seen some action in Europe, he was led to believe. You just couldn't beat the weight and balance of the Smith & Wesson.

He arrived at the party at 9:05. Not bad going, he thought, and he was ready for action. Standing right outside the door was Madame Daniella Giry. She looked like a movie star... elegant black stilettos, amazing ballgown, and a fur draped around her shoulders. He smiled, and said "Madame, if I may be so bold..." as he took her hand and gently raised it to his lips.

He took her arm, led her inside and gently lifted the stole from her shoulders. "Here," he passed it to the attendant, "Look after this for the lady" he said, and tucked a Benjamin in the guy's tuxedo pocket behind the obligatory handkerchief.

Aug-26-2005 14:54

Small talk, small talk... Until the dancing started. This girl had some moves. and coming from Jake that was a compliment. They span round together, joined by the hands to a nifty little Jazz number, laughing, and smiling into each others eyes. The path seemed to open up in front of them as they span around the polished dance floor, she mirrored his every step as he led the dance.

When the music stopped, they grabbed a single glass of fruit punch for a loving cup and sat down in a dark corner of the room away from prying eyes. She sat in the corner, him with his back to the room. The small talk continued for a few minutes, until she started to explain what was going on. But something just didn't fit right with Jake. In a flash, he had grabbed both of the lady's slender, delicate wrists, and held them by her sides with the backs of her hands to the wall,,, while pinning her back against the wall, at the same time pressing his right wrist against her throat. She wasn't going to be able to scream for help. He leaned in real close aND his voice rumbled.

"You better tell me what's going on here, Giry... I'm not playing your games any more. I want everything you know on this and I mean everything, the shady guy, Lemony Shepard, CFM, the works. And you better make me believe it..."

Aug-26-2005 14:54


(ooc) How's that fer a tough and charming archetype? <grins>

Aug-26-2005 15:45

"What the hell are you doing?", she whispered. "I told you all I know, and I know no more. I do know one thing that oculd be of circumstantial evidence, but I'd rather you release me and then I'll talk." He, rather gruffly, said, "What is it?". "Well, first of all, and since I have such a good judge of character, I'm gonna guess you don't believe me. For what reason, I am unable to fathom. Sheperd sent me a telegram..." "You got one too?" "I sure did. He said that I shouldn't go to the ball with you. That somethin' about Shady ain't right, and that we're in danger." She let out a small sob. "But in case I saw trouble tonight, I brought some "weaponry", how 'bout you?" "I did." "So first of all, I would wish for you never to disrespect me in such a manner again, understood? Secondly, we need to talk to Shady." They walked to cfm and Shady who were talking in a brisk manner. "Sorry about the manhandling, I just didn't know who was on the level." "Quite alright." SMACK! She slapped him. "That was for the throttling." She kissed him. "And that was for the dance. "Shady...

Aug-26-2005 17:04

Lemony couldn't make heads or tails out of what was going on, and he could tell neither could Giry and Fenton. He needed to talk to Shady. He needed some sort of lead. Some type of clue that would make him fess up to whatever the hell he was doing.

The rookie detective walked to the dance the two were at. It was a rather foggy night that made Lemony a tad uneasy. However, what made him more uneasy was Shady talking to Giry, cfm, and Fenton over at the hall!! Lemony ran as fast as he could in their direction.

"Fess up, Shade!" he gasped as he approached the three. He noticed that Fenton, cfm, and the madame were giggling slightly, but Shady looked dead serious. "Do you call yourself a detective, Mr. Shepard?" Lemony was taken aback by the question, then regained his composure and replied, sternfully, "Yes, I do."

Shady then grinned. "Then you should've known that this whole happening was a wild goose chase! HA!" At that, the small group started laughing, leaving Lemony confused and rather embaressed. "What do you mean?"

Shady caught his breath and responded, "That's kinda how I say Hello to newbie private eyes like yourself. I must say, it was hard to keep these three fooled, but as for you? HA! It was a piece of cake!" The group errupted into laughter again. Lemony's heart collapsed. He felt like a complete idiot. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep warm and shoved off.

Aug-26-2005 17:05

"That two-timing hoodlum..." he muttered to himself. He was truely depressed now. He felt like a failure. He opened the door to his small office and switched on the lights. He frowned. It was such a mess. He had no money for renevations because everyone else kept hiring other, more experienced detectives. He grabbed a small photograph of his fiance, Rebecca Stone and felt a tear run down his cheek.

He remembered that night she was shot and he vowed to never rest until her killer was found. That was the night he wanted to become a detective. He now realized that it was all waste of time. He took one last look at the photo before throwing it in the garbage basket.

"I'm so sorry Rebecca," he whispered, and then began clearing out his office.

Aug-26-2005 17:16

(Out of character)

Hold on a minute...

Aug-26-2005 17:19

That girl had the right cross of a middleweight, and her heavy pearl ring stung like hell. Had to respect that. He smiled and narrowed his eyes at Danielle.

"Shady...". As he followed her across the floor rubbing his jaw he recognised the guy from the bar. He was another man who commanded respect, if nothing else because of his demeanour. He was not a man to mess with, but I was going to find out what was going on here, how he knew me, how he was connected, how I was connected...

Well, I tried. It appeared this guy had an agenda too. Something to do with moving cash around the industry. Secretive as hell, and he wasn't saying anything more, but he did tell me who hired him. None other than LemonyShepard. He also said to mention the San Fransisco Police Department. It became clear who was going to explain all this. Jake looked around the hall. Shephard was just arriving.

Shepard clocked them pretty quickly, and came charging over to them like some clumsy amateur, trying to get some information out of the Shady guy. Jake didn't trust that fellow firther than he could throw him, but he knew Shepard was hiding something.

Lemony Shepard went to leave. As he stood waiting for his coat at the Cloakroom, Jake leapt up and ran outside the dance hall through the service exit. LemonyShepard stepped back outside the dance hall into the chill night air, thankfully not raining any more and his eyes started to adjust to the light. Suddenly, he felt a hand clamp firmly on his right shoulder and a pistol barrel jammed firmly into the back of his ribcage.

Jake's voice rumbled. "You're going to come with me if you know what's good for you..." He made it clear that Lemony had no choice in the matter, and guided him to the back of the dance hall. "You got one chance or no chance. Tell me everything you know about what's going on here or you're gonna find yourself in the California State Pen before your back side hits the ground..."