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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?

Jun-23-2009 21:20

"Well, ladies and gents, I believe that I will take another trip to city hall."
"Ace, I said they wouldn't let me in before." Anais sighed.
"I'll get in." Ace said sternly.
"How?" Vulkie asked.
Ace smiled slyly and replied, "I'll get in."

With that, Ace left the gang alone to determine what to do next as he headed to city hall as well.

"You can't come in here." The guard said sternly. He had his arms crossed over his chest, blocking the door to the archives.
"I'm here to see Sheila."
At the mention of her name, a young brown-haired woman looked up from inside the room. She recognized the man in front of the guard and immediately called him in. "Why, Ace! Glad to see you! Guard, you can let him in."

At her command, the guard stepped aside. Ace entered the large room and smiled at Sheila. "How you been, gal?" He smiled.
"Oh, fine. This job isn't too great, but I can live with it. You need something?"
"Yeah, I need to look a few things up about my current case."
"Oh, you wanna cheat?" She smiled as she adjusted her glasses. "No problem. Who do you need to know about?"
"Al Capone." Ace told her flatly.
"Al Capone? Boy this must be one doozy of a case." Sheila sneered.
"It is, it is." Ace nodded, "Could I see the police records of his associates?"
"Sure, I guess so." Sheila pulled out a huge folder, stuffed full of papers, and placed it on the desk. She then reached back in the cabinet and pulled out another. Ace stood wide eyed as she told him that these were all about people Capone was associated with.
"I'll be glad to help you. What exactly are you looking for?" She asked.
"I need all of Capone's assassins and top executives." Ace told her, "In particular, one red headed woman."

Sheila dug through the folder and found a much less lengthy one, frankly entitled "Known Assassins".

Ace was surprised at all the people the cops knew about, but couldn't arrest because of their gang connections. Ace read down a short list and noted all the women.

*cont*

Jun-23-2009 21:34

"Okay, there are three women here. Danita Williams, Velma Foxx, and Michelina Banderhalt." Ace told Sheila.
"Michelina? Heh..." Sheila gave a half chuckle, "Anyway, let's check for those names in the records."

Ace and Sheila spent an hour looking through murders that these women were suspected of. Finally, Shiela found it. "Ace, look at this." She read aloud, "Lester Michael Johns, of 317 Lyndon Street, was found poisoned in his home at 2:47 PM last Tuesday by his sister. He was face down in his living room, a vicim of arsenic. A witness across the street says she saw a young red-headed woman leaving his house at approximately 2:30 PM, which was when the coroner believes as the time of death. The woman has been positively identified as Danita Williams, who is believed to be connected with mobster Al Capone."
Ace smiled. "Danita Williams. Thanks a bunch, Sheila."
"No problem! Anything else I can do for you?"
"If you have the time..."
"Whatcha need?" She asked in a perky manner.
"I need people in connection with a gangster names Loopy Lou something or other, and Lucielle Demidova."
"Oh, well that file is much easier." She pulled out another after replacing Al Capone's file. "Here you go."

Ace took down the names of a few people who appeared to be closely connected with Loopy Lou. He also found the address of Loopy Lucy's mother.

Armed with this new information, he thanked Sheila profoundly and headed back to the motel.

Jun-23-2009 22:57

It had been a week, and I was still too chicken to tell my friends about the past ten years of my life. Especially Joseph, but I still couldn't figure out why. I mean, I still loved Freddie. I always would. He saved me after all. He was the one who helped me disguise myself as a man for the police academy, and convinced the chief to let me still work as an officer after he found out that I wasn't a man. But it had been a week, and while I knew I could hold the guys off for awhile longer, Vulkie was getting impatient. And pestered me every chance she got. It was driving me insane.

Ace got back from City Hall, announcing he had gotten in, brandishing papers that presumably held the information he had gleaned.

"Guys? Sit down. I think I'm ready to tell you all now about the past ten years of my life. The ten I was in hiding from the LCN in New York? Well, I was here." I started in a shaky voice as I turned to face them. Vulkie wore a self-satisfied smirk on her face, as if she knew her pestering was responsible for my tongue loosening. Ace looked intrigued, and Joseph... Joseph had a shuttered expression over his face. I shivered.

"Ten years ago, I left NYC, not knowing where I was going, what name I would use, or anything. I hopped on the first train that left the station, not caring where I went. I ended up at Union Station at 11:00pm. Not the best time of night for a single woman. ((Which is still true, by the way...NOT fun to be there when you miss your train by two minutes, even if you are with another woman...Union is scary looking at night!)) I had decided on the train that I would go by Lisette's nickname for me, Ana, since no one other than her ever called me that, and only Poppa knew that she did. And I didn't want to change my first name too much, otherwise I knew I would forget and no one would believe me when I said my name was Stella or Mary or something. So, I went with Ana. For my surname, I chose Mame's maiden name. (cont)

Jun-23-2009 23:16

"Mame was Mama's mother, my grandmother. I figured that the LCN might look for someone with Mama's maiden name, but not with Mame's. So I became Ana L'Anglais.

Ana L'Anglais stepped off that train at Union Station, alone and scared. I had no money, no clothes, no nothin. I curled up in a corner, prayed I wouldn't be raped, and went to sleep. I woke to a police officer nudging me. He had the biggest, bluest, kindest eyes I had ever seen. He told me that I couldn't sleep at the station, that besides being illegal, it wasn't safe for a beautiful woman like me. I was flattered. No one had ever called me beautiful before! He asked if I had a place to stay, and what a New Yorker was doing, coming to the 'Second City'. I told him I didn't have a place, and he invited me to his place. I started to refuse, but he promised me nothing would happen to me, that I didn't have to pay him in anyway, that he just didn't want me to get hurt out there. I agreed reluctantly, but told him I would clean his home, at least, in payment. He agreed, and finally introduced himself. Alfred. Officer Alfred Nowicki. A good Polish name. So, he took me to his house, and I slept, and cleaned. He told me to stay as long as I liked, and I said I would if he let me cook for him, too. For two weeks, I stayed, looking for a job first, and upon finding one, finding a place to live on the miserly wages I was earning cleaning homes. Fred, as I called him since I couldn't seem to call him Alfred without wanting to giggle, was the perfect gentleman. When I moved out after those two weeks, he made me promise to keep in touch.

We did, having lunch, or dinner, and sometimes even breakfast together at least once a week. One night, about six months after we had first met, I had gone to a speakeasy with a flashy friend from work, a Michelina Banderhalt." I took in Ace's shocked look and kept talking.

(continued)

Jun-23-2009 23:36

"Well, I had a bit much to drink, and I started sobbing into my cup. Then the cops came. Fred recognized me, and with Michelina's help, got me out before any of the other cops saw me. He told Michelina to get me to his place, even gave her the key, and went back to do his job. He got back a few hours later, and I started crying all over him. I told him everything. Everything. Michelina, too. The pair started hatching up a plan to help me. They both thought that I would be a good cop, and that I would learn how to get revenge if I did. Michelina was the one who came up with me attending as Andrew.

So I did, and I made it through. Getting my badge was one of the best days of my life. But when I wasn't being Andrew, I was Ana, Freddie's girl. By that time, Ralph had met me, both as Ana and as Andrew, but he never put it together that I was both. A big relief, let me tell you! Anyways, I had been an officer for a while, and Freddie and I had started fighting some, not a lot, but some. You could feel the tension. Then, I got shot. Bullets sprayed over my back, three right in the bum. They had to dig them out. Agony.

But I found it amazing how insignificant some of the arguments became once I was shot. I had seven holes in me, and four had gotten in deep. Freddie and I made up and got engaged as the fourth and final bullet was pulled from my butt. Really romantic, huh? But then we had to deal with the chief, and Ralph. Chief wanted to try me and send me to prison, but we convinced him to let me stay on. But he said I had to go undercover then. So I did. I infiltrated Capone's gang. Freddie pleaded to be sent as my partner, and the chief, not knowing that we were engaged, agreed finally. I was able to finagle it so Capone made me 'Freddie Fine's Girl'. More like I was a sex slave for the mob, to be personally used by Freddie. But we were together and that was what mattered. By that time, we were married. And I was expecting.
(cont)

Jun-23-2009 23:51

"I was pregnant. We were delighted! And unsure of what to do. But before we had quiet decided, someone had ordered Freddie dead. I was with him, of course. I trailed him like a puppy since I had realized that I was carrying a child. We had just stepped outside a restaurant, and Freddie was holding me tight, telling me his dreams of the white house in the country with a red picket fence. when the shots rang out. They hit me in the back again, and Freddie shoved me behind him to return fire. He was hit full side in the front. the impact of one of the bullets sent him spinning, which allowed his back to be riddled by bullets as well. He fell, and, assuming we were both dead, the assassin drove off. But we weren't. At least not yet. Freddie managed to bind some of my wounds as I lay passed out on the cold ground. When we got to the hospital, Freddie was announced dead; I was told his last words were 'I wish I could have seen the baby born.' But it was too late. I had had a miscarriage. I lost Freddie's baby. I was in shock. I wasn't even awake for Freddie's funeral. I was in a coma. When I finally got out of the hospital, I returned to a letter, no, the letter from Lisette. And after I convinced Ralph to help me find and dispatch the assassin, I packed up and headed back to my past. I thought I could find answers there, find peace eventually that my present life wasn't giving me. Boy oh boy was I wrong. As you all know. But that's it. That is all. You now know the past ten years of my life, shortened. Any questions?" I finished on a sigh, and sank warily into the sole unoccupied chair at the table.

Jun-24-2009 01:23

"Yeah... I have a question." Ace was worried about what would come out of this. "Who exactly is this Michelina Banderhalt person?"
"A friend I knew back then... weren't you listening?" Anais asked, exasperated.
"Yes... I mean... unless I have a different Michelina Banderhalt, which I doubt very highly, then she's one of Al Capone's top assassin's."

Anais gasped at the thought of her old friend working for the side of evil. Vulkie was perplexed at the new finding as Joseph sat with her attentively.

"Let me see that!" Anais ripped the paper from Ace's hands. She began to read aloud, "Danita Williams, Edward Mason, Maxwell McGee, Velma Foxx, Antonio Vasconelli, Michelina Banderhalt..." Her voice trailed off.
"That's what I was going to tell you guys. This is a list of Capone's best. The redhead we're looking for is Danita Williams." Ace told the others as Anais stared out the window.

((Not a lot to respond to right now, I think we're either up for more questions or the ball is back in Anais' court. :-) ))

Jun-24-2009 05:02

I wasn't paying attention again. I think they were going through a list of names... My mind was occupied by one and one thought alone, that Ralph was only Anais' brother-in-law :-D . The news that Anais was once married didn't surprise me much. Who could resist her charm and that intelligent & wise character of hers? We all had our history. This little revelation actually put me more at ease, knowing that we both were no spring chicken.

"... the redhead we're looking for is Danita Williams." Ace told us as Anais stared out the window.
"And I know how to find her." I smiled. Both Ace and Vulkie turned to me.
"Welcome back, Joseph, wherever you mind has voyaged." Vulkie said with a little grin.
"I visited several chemists earlier today, and one of them positively identified our freckled redhead. She purchases arsenic and other toxins on a regular basis, and her next visit should be due in the next couple of days." I said.
"Why didn't you tell us that when you first came in?" Vulkie asked?

"You mean when Anais sat us down and break the news about her past? I wouldn't interrupt that for the world!" I looked at Anais, who was still staring out the window. How I wished to tell her that everything would be okay, and she's the same Anais Nin that we knew... that I knew, but the words got in the way. "Um, usually these assassins work alone, so I don't think Vinnie's case have anything to do with what her name? Yes, Michelina."

"Still..." Anais finally replied.

Jun-24-2009 12:28

"Well, who knows?" Ace piped up, "The cops could be wrong about Michelina. Maybe someone on the force has it in for her."
"Yes, there are too many bad apples in the Chicago police force." Vulkie mused.
"Well, one is too many, but there are more, I'm sure." Joseph replied.
"Maybe..." Anais trailed off. Starting again, she began, "Maybe someone on the force has it in for Vinni as well... maybe he framed both of them."
"But do Vinni and Michelina have anything in common?" Ace asked, "Vinni is associated with Vulkie, while Michelina is Anais' old friend."
"Unless maybe someone wants to get at our crew and is hitting each one of us?" Joseph thought aloud.
"Maybe... but I doubt it." Ace replied, "We have no idea how long Michelina has been suspected."
"Ace," Vulkie spoke up, "Do you think you can get your friend at city hall to give you the file on Michelina?"
"I'm sure Sheila could help me with that." Ace replied, "But I can't take it, I can only look."
"Anais?" Joseph asked. Anais turned away from the window. "Could your friend Ralph maybe help us infiltrate the police force? If nothing else, one of us on the inside would at least get us more places than we could go before."
"I think he could do that." Anais replied positively, "So should I work on that then?"
"Yes..." Joseph scratched his chin, "Ace, you go back to city hall and dig up what you can on Michelina and Danita Williams. And tell your friend you'll be a regular, so you can investigate everyone Anais suspects on the force."
"That's a big 10-4, good buddy." Ace smiled.
"I am going to take a trip to some of Lou's friends to find out more about our favorite assassins." Joseph continued.
"What about me?" Vulkie asked.
"You..." Joseph though for a moment, "You can go sleep with Al Capone."

At that, both women started a chorus of "what?" and Ace shot a dagger stare at Joseph.

"I'm just kidding!" Joseph chuckled, "Gimme a break! Vulk, why don't you just find out some more from Capone. Make friends."

*cont*

Jun-24-2009 12:30

"Okay..." Vulkie glared, "But that's as far as I go!"
"Perfect." Joseph was satisfied, "Sounds like a plan, Stan!" he smiled.

The group quickly departed and was on their way.