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Feb-15-2009 03:31

New York - 1931

I was framed. I did not kill her, but who would've believed me?

Life was getting grimmer as citizens felt the real pinch from the great stock market crash two years ago. My private investigation business was losing a load of clients. Most of them had gone bankrupt, or worse, jumped off the Chrysler Building. Mrs. Gatsby was a loyal client. My only mistake was becoming too intimate with her.

That day, I received a note from her, asking me to meet her in the VIP room of the Astor Theatre. The room was dark when I got there; I thought she was playing naughty. Before I knew it, I was hit from the back, and woke up to find blood all over me with a knife in my hand. Mrs. Gatsby was laying two feet from me, stabbed to death.

I heard the police whistle nearby, and I instinctively ran. Two officers saw me and chased me down three blocks before I loose them. I quickly returned to my office, washed off the blood and changed. I took what was necessary, including my revolver, and composed perhaps my last letter on my prized Remington typewriter. I made some carbon copies, and send the letters to my detective friends before I went into hiding.

They were my final hope.

((Note: I posted this beginning at Shades of Mystery, but I thought it'd be nice to see where it leads in Noir. Hope you'll enjoy it. Feel free to improvise! ))

Mar-7-2009 15:06

I decided that hiding plain sight would be the best option at the moment. After the ruckus at the Tricky Mister I guessed that the bad guys would assume Zeo would never return there and wouldn't bother watching it. I drove past checking the place out and after 3 times around the block I figured we might be safe there.

I parked the car in the alley and we went in. Cyrus was not happy to see Zeo again but I gave him that special look and he calmed down. We asked to use his office and he nodded without a word to us.

Settling in the office I made some coffee and started to tell Zeo what had happened the night before.

I had gone to a club I know. George goes there all the time to grope the cigarette girls and pick up new mistresses. I checked with the girls and 3 of them confirmed that George was there when his wife was murdered. None of the girls like him and they have no reason to lie for him.

"George might be a lecherous old man but I don't think he murdered his wife" I told Zeo. "I think there is a lot more going on here"

I was sitting having a drink watching George........he sure wasn't worried about playing the grieving husband.........when I overheard a conversation. 3 big ugly men were talking about Scarlett. One of them had been trying to court her and he rang her to say hello almost every day. He had rung yesterday and asked her to go out dancing and she told him that she couldn't because her and Ace had a friend come to stay. A friend named Joseph!! Silly broad had accidently given away Zeo's hiding place.

Mar-7-2009 15:09

I listened as the 3 of them worked a plan to surround Ace's place and grab Zeo. The one who liked Scarlett made sure that the other 2 agreed not to hurt her. They were just going to grab Zeo and take him somewhere else. They wanted to know what he knew. I had heard enough. I raced back to Ace's and "Well you know what happened next" I told Zeo.

"I think we need to find this I. Joseph" I said. "He might be able to help us."

Joseph put his head in his hands. "How did I get myself into this? My friends are in danger. I don't know where Ace is, and now you want me to involve someone else as well?"

"I. Joseph is already involved" I told him. I think we need to find him.

Zeo told me about his friend Scotty, the prison guard. He told me to go find him and ask him to get I. Joseph's address and phone number. Leaving Zeo to his thoughts in Cyrus office in the Tricky Mister, I headed off in search of Scotty.

Mar-7-2009 23:36

I warned Lolita about Scotty's betrayal of my presence to the coppers last night at Tricky Mister, how that bastard repaid me with all the help I gave him in the past. "Find out about I. Joseph's contact without letting him know anything. You be careful around that two-headed snake as well." I watched Lolita leave, the taste of her kiss still lingered on my lips.

I exhaled, exasperated, and lit another cigarette.

Mar-9-2009 08:47

Through wisps of smoke I pondered about Grace’s death. If George wasn’t the killer, then who? I must reconsider my own case.

Besides George having a motive, there was also Valentino, who was madly in love with that married woman. Val was the type who’d do anything for love. In the heat of passion, of jealousy, he was capable of anything. However, I could not envision him as being able to pull off framing me. I took another deep breath through my cigarette and exhaled. Oh how badly did I miss my flat.

My flat. Someone was there looking for something. Files were scattered all over the floor, yes... Then there were also those brutes at the club whom Lolita had overheard. They were planning to grab me, take me somewhere else. They wanted to know what I knew…

What did I know?

I took out the packets of photos in my breast pocket-- the fruit of my labour for the past months, treasures I never parted with. The photos were all separated in packets according to different jobs: The Gatsby’s mistresses, the murder of the old lady Betha in North Christie, the missing Crown Jewel of Zimbeeta, the mysterious death of the Cello master… I never realized how many projects I had in my hand.

I examined the photos one by one, making sure I didn’t miss any minute detail. I could be staring right at the reason why my drawing was all over the New York Times.

Mar-9-2009 15:04

I paid a visit to Scotty over at the prison. I waited til he was on his break and wandered up to him offering to light his cigarette. I was surprised my hand wasn't shaking when I lit it for him. I was very nervous. Scotty had given Zeo up and almost got him killed. I chatted to Scotty for a while and finally got around to asking about I. Joseph. Scotty's face clouded over and he clammed up. It took me quite a while to sweet talk him into giving me the information I wanted.

Finally with address and phone number in hand, I headed off to find I. Joseph with Scotty leering at my behind and checking out my legs. I shuddered when I got back in the car. Scotty was not a nice man. Urrrggghhhh!

I decided the best option was to just go straight to I. Joseph and ask him to help. Driving over there I tried to remember everything I had ever heard about him. I knew he was a retired detective turned P.I. I wondered how he had got mixed up in the murder of Mrs Gatsby.

Mar-9-2009 15:23

I arrived at I. Joseph's place and knocked on the door. I waited nervously but there was no movement inside. Damn. What now? I went outside and looked around. Aha! The fire escape! Quickly I climbed up and peered in. There lying on the floor was the ex-inspector. I tried the window and it came open. Checking his pulse I made sure he was still alive and then I rang an ambulance. I had a quick look around. On the table was a notepad but the top pages had been ripped out. What rotten luck. I was too late.

I propped open the door of the apartment and left through the fire escape again. I hoped I. Joseph would be ok. The only thing I could do was head back to the Tricky Mister and talk to Zeo again. I decided a quick shower and change of clothes wouldn't go astray though. I stopped by my place to find the door busted open and my things flung all over the place. What was going on? Checking carefully that there was no-one around I grabbed some fresh clothes and headed back to the Tricky Mister.

Zeo was still in the office pondering a packet of photographs.........

Mar-10-2009 12:12

> There were the mistresses kissing a very ugly George Gatsby, nothing new there...
> Old lady Betha dead in the North Christie, blunt trauma, shoe print, the usual...
> The Crown Jewel of Zimbeeta just before it went missing, it's beautiful... The suspect photos of the gangs from Eastern Triad. One of them was looking into my camera...

Something looked familiar.

"Aha."

"What is it, Zeo?" Lolita asked.

"I think I need to visit dear Valentino."

*continuing, please wait*

Mar-10-2009 12:53

The flat was simple but elegantly decorated. The wooden floor was scrubbed to a shine, a silver chime donned the window, and the wind was making it sing. On a low table by the wall laid an exquisite samurai sword. I don’t think Valentino knew how to use it. At least, I hope he didn’t.

From the hesitate footstep and the soft gasp, I knew Valentino finally noticed my presence in his flat. Still admiring his decorative sword, without bothering to turn around, I said “Hello Valentino Yakamoto san.”

“Josaph Zao.” The Japanese man stated.

I turned around. Val’s face was paper white. He smelled of fear, not anger. With his passionate love for Grace Gatsby, the man should have been furious seeing her murdered face to face. The only reason that he wasn’t, was that he knew I didn’t kill her. His silence was proof enough.

I threw the photo of the Crown Jewel of Zimbeeta on his coffee table. He glanced at it once, and stared right back at me.

“I’ve seen it.” I said. “Grace had a ring, with that ruby right there, on the day I found her dead body.” I pointed at a strange tear-shaped ruby on the side of the crown. “I had never seen her with that ring before. Did you give it to her before or after you stabbed her?”

Val widen his eyes. He was silent for a long pause. He decided to drop all pretenses. “Where is the fotos?”

“You mean the ones with your happy friends in it? Those who stole that Crown Jewel? Of course I don’t have them here, but if anything should happen to me, the photos go to the police.” The fact was, I gave it to Lolita for safekeeping, and she’s hiding downstairs out of sight at the moment.

I guess they didn’t understand what it meant by “if anything should happen to me”, because someone just slid behind me in ninja silence and knocked me unconscious.

Mar-11-2009 03:50

I was waiting down in the street. Dressed like a hobo with a brown paper bag in my hand, I didn't think anyone would ever recognize me. Joseph and I had agreed that if he wasn't out in 30 minutes I should take the photo's he gave me and go to the police.

We had the evidence we needed..........Valentino was in love with Mrs Gatsby, they had been having an affair for ages. Valentino was also involved in the theft of the Crown Jewel of Zimbeeta, and Mrs Gatsby had been wearing that very jewel the day she died. Zeo had seen it on her dead body.......... Wait a minute! If Valentino had stolen the Zimbeeta Jewel wouldn't he want to take it back after he murdered her? Why would he leave it on her dead body? That just didn't make sense to me. There had to be some other explanation.

I spent the next 20 minutes pondering and waiting for Joseph. Suddenly instead of Zeo appearing there were 2 men carrying a rolled up rug. "Ah Dang" I sighed. A rolled rug only meant one thing in our line of work. Giving up the cover of the shadowy doorway I was leaning in I raced for the car as the 2 goons were loading their "rug" into the trunk of a large black sedan.

I followed behind, careful not to let them see me and they led me back to Zeo's apartment. "??? What could be going on here" I wondered. The two men took their rolled "rug" and carried straight up to Zeo's place. I climbed the fire escape and peered in. They unrolled Zeo and threw cold water on his face. He slowly came around and they tied him to a chair.

"Right! Now where are the negatives?" I heard one of the goons say!

Mar-11-2009 20:29

"I told you, I don't have them! Everything is going to the police." I said, my head still in terrible pain. One of the men slapped me in the face. I could tell that they had searched my body and my place. They found nothing.

The door to my flat slowly opened. Valentino Yakomoto came in with a solemn looking middle aged Japanese men with a toothbrush moustache ((like the one Hitler had)). Val was talking to him in Japanese and often pointed in my direction, speaking in rapid fire sentences. I had no idea what they were talking about.

I interrupted them by yelling, "Don't you understand? You keep me here, the photos go to the police!".

The two men stop and smiled. The older man said in perfect English, "Excellent. Please do, Mr. Zeo. You'll be delivering them right to my doorsteps, just like where the Jewel ended up. We'll keep you here until we have the photographs."

The men barked an order in Japanese and the two goons started hitting me. I recognized them as some of the suspects I had taken photos of.

The older man instructed Val in Japanese. Val bowed curtly and made a call on my telephone on the desk. I could barely make sense of the phone conversation since I was being beaten senseless, but it involved people arriving from Zimbeeta and hitmans in place.

After Val hung up, he made a short bow to the man with the moustache again and they began another conversation in Japanese. All I could make out was the word "police station" in English, and then the two left my flat. I continued to receive 'royal treatment' from the two goons who were enjoying every bit of ripping me apart.