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A Leg-end is reborn
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Adam Carter
Adam Carter
Big Winner

Mar-18-2009 18:11

He knew it would happen someday, but maybe not quite so soon. There was the itch, but the itch had been there from the day he'd walked into City Hall and handed in his badge. Then there were the withdrawal symptoms. They weren't too bad at first. The folkes at Shady Acres Rest Home for the Elderly and Infirm had helped him ease into the transition, and the lazy days spent playing backgammon and eating apple sauce were quite fun, but that quickly died, just like a lot of the residents. The parking spaces were too small also, and the dents and scrapes down the side of the almost new Cadillac made it look more like it had served in the Great War than the pottering around town it usually did. Slowly, the itch took over. No more chases down dark alleys. No more sitting in cars, sometimes for days at a time, drinking bad coffee and waiting for a lead. No more clinking of handcuffs as another murderer is brought to justice.

It was no good. The itch was too strong, and only a shiny new detective badge could scratch it.


After taking the Cadillac back to the dealer, and losing half the new price for the damage, a trip to the local City Hall was at hand. Almost as soon as he stepped inside, Adam felt he was home.

Standing on the steps of City Hall, new detective badge in hand, Adam thought about what lay ahead of him. He wasn't as fit as he was in the old days, and even then he struggled to keep up with short women in high heels. Maybe a bicycle would be a good start. Maybe a diet would be a good start more like. Both of those suggestions were laughable though. The only diet he could think of was the See-food diet, and that only seemed to help him gain weight.Anyhow, the only rational thing to do now was come up with a witty and pointless name for his new detective agency. But even that was a strain.

Before he could give it any thought, a small boy approached him with an envelope and a big grin.

Replies

Ms Helen
Ms Helen
Con Artist

Mar-19-2009 18:38

Ms Helen wasn't a heavy drinker, although many didn't realise this. She had always looked down on those who succumbed to the evils of liquor, did one not know how to restrain oneself these days?

Waking up with a start Helen tried to remember what had happened last night to cause her head and neck to hurt so much. Gradually climbing out of her bed so as not to cause any more discomfort, she grabbed herself a glass of water and sipped it slowly. Last night's events started to appear within her over-worked head. There had been a dishevelled looking man. What was his name? Loopy Dawn? Happy Daniel? Oh that's right Crazytown Dave. He was a weird ole guy.

Another glass of water later and Helen could recall last night as if it had happened only seconds ago....well almost anyway.

Last night had been a celebration night in the Tricky Mister. Helen and nic had decided to hold a little gathering after a particularly hard case. It had been nic's idea to step outside...something about needing to check Cyrus Tibby's trash.

"What's that?" Helen had asked as a noise sounded form behind them. Turning slowly they'd both been surprised to see a skinny, haggard looking man.

"Reckon we could get a few drinks out of him?" nic had whispered quietly.

Helen shrugged her shoulders slightly, she didn't want to drink how many times did she have to tell these people?

""Hey you look like a nice normal fella, why don't you come inside and buy a couple of girls a drink," nic cooed. She certainly had a way with her words.....and men. Still each to their own.

Not surprisingly the man seemed taken aback. Who after all would pay attention to him in this state, except maybe to call the cops.

"Oh no, I couldn't do that," he explained, "I'm on my way to the church to get involved in some social clubs."


Ms Helen
Ms Helen
Con Artist

Mar-19-2009 18:39

Helen had responded "Social clubs? Well you are in luck, we are having a social gathering right inside. My name is Helen and this is my friend nic, c'mon inside."

"What's your name by the way?" nic wasn't going to let Helen get the attention all night. After all nic was known for her attention seeking ways.

"Crazytown Dave" was the response.

Inside Helen took a sip of her typical water whilst nic went straight for the bourbon. As the 'social gathering' became rowdier, Crazytown loosened up quite dramatically. Nic's charms it seems were working wonders, his eyes glazed over as he hung onto her every word. It took Helen every ounce of energy not to laugh at him. To stop herself saying something she would regret Helen did what she always does at gatherings, mingle.

From there it got fuzzy for Helen again. A gin and tonic, that's where the drinking had begun but from who and how many, well, she doubted she would ever remember. For now she had to get ready for work. Her head still hurting and her eyes still blurry she set off for work. Her hands felt frozen from the cold so she stuffed them in her pockets only to let out a small cry. What on earth was that in her pocket?

"What? Why's there a balloon in my pocket? With a smiley face painted on it no less."

Helen continued to walk asking herself the same question and over.

"What else happened last night that I missed?"


Adam Carter
Adam Carter
Big Winner

Mar-21-2009 18:37

A partnership wasn't exactly what Adam was looking for so soon after reclaiming his badge, but Nic was as hard to shake off as the preverbial from a walking stick. She had held on to the piece of balloon so tightly its a wonder it hadn't disappeared into her hand. The note was the piece puzzling Adam though, and only a visit to Crazytown's record store would solve it.

The duo made their way across the city on foot. Partly because Adam had no car anymore and partly because Nic had forgotten where she parked hers. The more Adam thought about it, the more he wondered if the piece of balloon was part of her brain, used to hold in the air that was in there. It was certainly a shame that they didn't make women drive at walking pace with a man waving a red flag in front of them anymore. By the look of things this one would do serious damage to anything within half a mile if she was allowed to touch the accelerator.

The door to the record store was locked, and a hastily written sign on the door told those who cared to look that the writer would be "back in 10 minutes." Itching to try out his old skills, Adam fished around in his jacket pockets, looking for his lockpicking kit. He had the jacket specially crafted by New York's finest tailors so he could hide everything he could possibly need on the job in there, to cover every eventuality. Alongside the 3 holsters, there was a pocket big enough for a Thermos, a set of small binoculars, a periscope, a hammer and chisel, a book, some mints, 2 bananas (now mouldy, and possibly the reason why the jacket smelled so foul), a lighter, 3 packs of cigarettes, a hat with a built in ladies wig (an ingenious long distance surveillance device) and a small painted wooden duck, which had an elastic band nailed to the bottom of it.

Adam Carter
Adam Carter
Big Winner

Mar-21-2009 18:37

The duck was a rather odd addition to the arsenal, but a very handy one. The last place someone would think to look someone who is tailing them is in a pond, and by attaching the duck to his head with the elastic, Adam was able to hide unseen in ponds for as long as his breath would allow. And he had big lungs. This very technique had once nabbed him the "St. James' Strangler", a nasty man with a propensity for killing prople in St. James Park in London. He certainly didnt think anything of the small duck laying motionless on top of a dirty pond.

After a frantic search, taking up easily 10 minutes, Adam conceded that he couldn't find his lockpicks anywhere. Which was just as well, because when he stood up he saw that Nic was already working hard at getting the door open.

"Could you not have let me have a go at doing that? Its been a while. I haven't had practice at picking locks since I locked myself out of my room in Shady Acres."

"But we'd have been here forever waiting for your old hands to work through this lock, and I would like to have a snoop behind before Crazytown gets back from buying illegal booze or whatever it is he does at this time," Nic replied as she shot Adam a sideays glance.

"Fine, just hurry up will you? It's cold out here."

No sooner had Adam finished speaking did Nic have the lock picked. Just like a boxer preparing to go into the ring, she took a deep breath, grabbed the handle, and turned. Nothing.

"Hmm, the door seems to be bolted from the inside. That's odd. This is the only way into or out of the place."

Adam Carter
Adam Carter
Big Winner

Mar-21-2009 18:38

Wondering what could be going on inside, Nic turned her shoulder, and ran as fast as she could at the door, bouncing off it like a tennis ball on a clay court. She hit the floor with a nasty bump, laying there for a few seconds to get her bearings.

Adam stepped over Nic, and with one short shoulder swipe, knocked the door off its hinges. "Technique," he mocked, as he helped her onto her feet. "Whatever" she replied, "I didn't try that hard anyway." They both cautiously stepped over the now splintered door, into the darkness of the shop. A faint noise could be heard coming from the upstairs, where Crazytown's apartment was. Silently, the duo made their way to the stairs, and, taking covering positions, made their way to the noise, clearing each room as they did, pistols at the ready. They had both been in enough scrapes before to know to check the noise last. Detectives didn't last very long if they didn't learn that quickly.

After clearing each room in the apartment, which mostly consisted of stepping over plates of food in various states of regrowth, the pair stood facing the closed bedroom door, Nic in front, Adam taking up a firing position just above her head. Repeating the boxer chant of earlier, Nic took a deep breath and turned the handle as quietly as she could. In one fluid movement she threw opened the door and levelled her revolver at the only moving object in the room. For seconds nobody spoke, both Nic and Adam staring in disbelief at the figure standing before them. No matter how much they blinked, there was no doubt that standing in front of them was Crazytown Dave, wearing a dress and high heels.

"It's not what it looks like," was all he could say.

Ms Helen
Ms Helen
Con Artist

Mar-21-2009 21:08

Helen was starting to get strange looks. There's only so long you can look at a balloon without people thinking you're weird. Sat in Sami's she had spent two hours staring at the balloon in front of her. In that time she had drunk five cups of coffee and smoked... well she didn't like to say how many cigarettes. Too many, that's for sure. She didn't know why she was so bothered by it but being a detective she trusted nothing.

Ever since the 'social gathering' Helen had taken the balloon everywere, and spent every spare second looking at it. It couldn't have just appeared, someone had to have put it there, right? Crazytown came to her thoughts. He was certainly a little odd. Odd enough to carry balloons around with him? Probably. Still even if it was something to do with him how would she find out, she knew nothing about him although the name did sound familiar. Nic made sure of that when she glued herself to him that night. Come to think of it why was she so struck with him? She couldn't have taken a fancy to him could she? Helen quickly shook that idea from her head. Crazy, loopy and fanatical she may be, but she hardly came across as desperate.

Helen had tried calling nic several times since but she was either always out or avoiding her. Either way Helen needed to find a way of contacting Crazytown.

Finally giving up on the balloon Helen decided to take a walk up to the Tricky Mister and see if anything new was happening in there. There was normally some random person around these days. Good to see after the recent dry spell.

Ms Helen
Ms Helen
Con Artist

Mar-21-2009 21:09

It was quiet on the streets, but there was nothing new there. It wasn't the best of areas and most lots were either vacant or severely dilapidated. The old record store seemed to be hanging on though, just. That's when Helen slapped her head, literally. Crazytown's record store.

She dashed across the street nearly colliding with an oncoming car and rushed to the entrance of the record store. It seems someone else had been more insistent than herself to find Crazytown. The door was now hanging off one hinge not that you could tell just by walking by the place. The record store was probably the most dilapidated of all. Grabbing her gun from the holster she stepped in cautiously. The laughing confused her more. It wasn't just laughing, there were two laughs, one loud and one a cackle Helen would recognise anywhere. Following the cackle up the stairs Helen found nic clutching to a wall laughing whilst an uknown man stood clutching his stomach.

Glancing past them Helen finally saw what they were laughing at. The dishevelled man known as Ctown dressed in a short, sparkly dress with heels even she would struggle to walk in. Even worse, his legs looked as smooth as silk.

"I'm not even going to ask" was all Helen could muster.

topkebab
topkebab
Lucky Stiff

Mar-22-2009 00:08

*Brrrinng Brrrringgggg*

Even though the shrill phone was muffled, the three visitors jumped at the sound. Ctown however just grinned and clapped his hands. "It's for me, it's for me!" he said happily, and proceeded to fling clothes off the bed with scant regard for where they ended up.

Ms Helen ducked as a ... vest? - well, she wasn't exactly sure what kind of garment it was and quickly decided that she didn't really want to know - went flying past her head, and marvelled at how easily ctown kept his balance wearing stilettos.

The ringing got louder as Ctown uncovered the phone. "Hello! This is Ctown, Pirate Radio Host, Entrepreneur, Entertainer, and Supreme Master Detective speaking!" he answered.

Nic, Helen and Adam looked at each other, not knowing what to think, as a loud scratchy voice could be heard from the phone.

"Dave! It's topkebab here. We've been worried about you, where have you been for the past few days? You haven't been coming to work and not answering your phone either. Did you stop taking your medications again?"

Ctown replied, "Don't worry TK, I don't need those meds any more! And I'm dong my own detective work with a few trusted allies," he winked at Adam, "and by the way I'm busy now, I've got visitors."

There was a pause. Then slowly the voice on the phone said "Hmm, stopped taking your meds, own detective work, and visitors. I'm going to send someone over soon. And who's there?"

Adam Carter
Adam Carter
Big Winner

Mar-23-2009 11:01

Crazytown giggled into the phone in his familiar way, and gently replaced the handset. He looked around the room at the three faces staring at him in disbelief, and then at the mirror in the corner of his room. Even though it was almost completely covered with discarded clothes, he was able to just see his face through the leg hole of a pair of pants. All the colour drained from his face as his glance shot from the mirror to the cuckoo clock on the wall above his bed. "oh no, my radio starts in ten minutes and I haven't got my make-up on. Without it I have no charm! Could any of you help me?" Nobody said anything for a minute more. As Nic headed cautiously for crazytown's make up kit, Adam came to his senses, turned on his heels and headed down the stairs.

Adam left the store as fast as he could, taking a running jump over the splintered door into the street, narrowly avoiding being hit by a car. As he made his way down the street towards his apartment, he was joined by Ms Helen, puffing and panting as she struggled to keep up with him in her impractical heels. How any woman thinks wearing heels as a detective is a good idea must be off her rocker, Adam thought as he heard her clippety clop at his side. Helen held out the balloon to show Adam and was about to say something when they noticed something up ahead. In fact, they noticed a lot up ahead. Every single lamppost, door, wall, car... well, everything really, was covered in leaflets. It was almost as if someone tried to paper the street in leaflets. They were so closely distributed that it was impossible to read what was written on them. Adam made a note to try find one he could read as he headed back to his apartment.

Adam Carter
Adam Carter
Big Winner

Mar-23-2009 11:02

Making their way into Adam's apartment complex, the pair noticed that even the walls inside were covered in these leaflets. Adam's own door was plastered with so many le that he struggled to find the keyhole. After literally a lifetime of poinltess stabbing, he eventually found the hole and opened the door. Laying on his mat was one single leaflet, obviously posted for him in case he missed any other ones. The one thing that struck him about the leaflet was the face that stared back at him. He knew he'd seen it once before, only for just a second. It was his crazy landlady, and before Helen snapped it up from the floor, he noticed the line at the top of the leaflet:

"BY APPOINTMENT OF HIS GREATNESS, THE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK"

Helen sat on Adam's desk, reading the leaflet over and over. her stuttering becoming more incredulous by the moment. Adam, tired of waiting for her to finish having nothing to say, went out into the hallway and pulled a leaflet from the wall. He turned to head back into his apartment when he heard a bang against the wall behind him. Turning, he saw a figure round the corner up the stairs. He was going to follow until he noticed that the leaflet he had just pulled off the wall had been replaced by another. Shaking his head, Adam made his way back inside to sit down and read the leaflet himself.

"Can I use your phone?" Helen asked, pulling Adam from his own world. "Sure, knock yourself out." As Helen picked up the phone, Adam went back to the leaflet. From what it said, his loopy landlady, who surprisingly had a name, "Shandra Musso" had recently been appointed the position of "Grand Assistant of Notifications, City Hall Division." Before Adam could think about what that could be, Nicnic bounced through his door, with a lot more force than she had attempted earlier on Crazytown's shop door. This time she actually made it through. Picking herself up off the floor, she stared at Adam briefly before speaking.

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