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Jul-6-2015 11:19

New York, 1938
St. Regis Hotel
Rooftop Nightclub

"So there I was, staring down a barrel INCHES from death...and I told the man, 'darling REALLY, if you simply must shoot me do allow me to remove my earrings. They are Cartier, you know." Molly Maltese paused to take a sip of her Red Snapper, popping the olive neatly between her cherub lips before gnashing it to a pulp. "And the man was quite flummoxed, he said- I say, is that Riza Hawkeye?"

She rose, the group of rapt men in tuxedos and women in glittering dresses and furs murmuring their protests as she wended through their knees. But the apparition she was quite sure had been Riza Hawkeye had vanished in the crowd of New York socialites populating the exclusive terrace.

"Well, this place is a bit ritzy for Riza." she murmured, fairly certain her old acquaintance didn't make a habit of populating social-climbing fetes. And she reasoned, any time Riza had appeared before it was hardly ever for a pleasant cause. Well, maybe that was unfair. It just seemed she was more the swirl-of-furs-and-stiletto-daggers type than a frothy socializer like Molly herself.

Peering around, Molly saw nothing but the shadowed faces of revelers partially cloaked in the smoky haze. She had just been about to give up and go back to her companions when the most shocking hubbub began. Over on the north part of the terrace, she could distinctly hear the shouts of men and panicked screeching of females. Moving forward, she could just make out..

"Did you see... The Ambassador... who could have... murder! Someone has pushed the Ambassador off the building!" Molly picked up speed, expertly weaving through the crowd of panicked voices. Sirens already began to sound twenty stories below. Just as she grasped the ledge and looked over, an all too familiar voice sounded in her left ear.

"Oh hello there, old friend. Lovely breeze out today."

Before her stood Riza Hawkeye herself, looking utterly unruffled as several ladies fainted behind her.

Jul-8-2015 10:20

"Oh my, this is quite a reunion." Molly said, utterly flabbergasted as her eyes fell on Marc and the grisly scene.

"Still up to the same antics, aren't we Marc?" Riza said dryly, entering the room. "Never could stop yourself from torturing some fellas now and then."

Molly wrinkled her nose and followed Riza, stopping to light a cigarette herself. She raised a delicate eyebrow at the victim in the chair, and then cocked her head.

"You don't suppose thats the killer?" she asked hopefully. Riza shrugged. They weren't sure exactly how, if at all, the victim in the chair tied into their current chase. Maybe Marc would be able to shed some light.

"Marc, I simply do have to ask...what was your reason for torturing this man? And better yet, did he have anything to do with the Ambassador being pushed off the St. Regis?"

Jul-9-2015 20:30

Marc froze at the sight of Molly and Riza entering the room. He knew immediately that Leo was their number one suspect in some murder case. Why else would they be here? He cursed under his breath.

"Oh my, this is quite a reunion." Molly said, utterly flabbergasted as her eyes fell on Marc and the grisly scene.

"Still up to the same antics, aren't we Marc?" Riza said dryly, entering the room. "Never could stop yourself from torturing some fellas now and then."

Molly wrinkled her nose and followed Riza, stopping to light a cigarette herself. She raised a delicate eyebrow at the victim in the chair, and then cocked her head.

"You don't suppose thats the killer?" she asked hopefully. Riza shrugged. They weren't sure exactly how, if at all, the victim in the chair tied into their current chase. Maybe Marc would be able to shed some light.

"Marc, I simply do have to ask...what was your reason for torturing this man? And better yet, did he have anything to do with the Ambassador being pushed off the St. Regis?"

Marc laughed out loud in mockery. "Revenge." Marc stated, now digging through the desk drawers looming for Leo's hidden bottle of scotch. "As far as the ambassador," Marc continued, "Leo here didn't have any political allies, save for the Arcanum Brotherhood, and I happen to know they wanted him dead anyways, so I do believe, I have I have a beautiful reward coming."

Molly stared at Marc, anger burning a hole right through Marc. He could see it in her eyes, and yes, she could be intimidating.

Marc looked at Riza, who stared back at him. If there was one person who could intimidate Marc without trying, it was her. In act, even now, he felt a little uncomfortable.

"Where have you been these last three years?" She asked.

Marc lit a cigarette. He looked Riza in the eyes. "I've been to hell and back."

Jul-16-2015 09:28

"And who do you think did it?" Vulkie asked her client. The client, a rich man in his 30's, looked a bit frustrated. "As I have told you, Miss Nouson - I suspect it's my brother-in-law. He's been very furious at my aunt for her forgetting his birthday three times in a row. But then again, who would kill over a forgotten birthday eh?" the client said, while chuckling at his own joke. When Vulkie actually brought up the total of cases she solved which involved forgotten birthdays, the client first started to laugh and then turned white.

"If that is all, Mr. Rothschild, I'd like to go out and investigate your case. But there's something I gotta take care off first." Vulkie said and guided the client towards the door, shook his hand and closed the door.

Vulkie went over to her liquor cabinet, opened a new bottle of scotch, put some ice into her glass and then poured the scotch over it. As she took a sip, she could feel the back of her throat burn. She then looked at the wall, which held several newspaper clippings of her involvement in certain notorious cases. It usually involved some good friends of her, like Molly Maltese, Riza Hawkeye and... as Vulkie saw his name, she sighed a bit. Mr. Marc Lacrimosa...

"Time certainly flies by" Vulkie murmered, while going back to her chair near her desk. As she sat down, she put her glass on the desk, opened the right drawer and took out a huge keychain she had gotten from Marc's landlord. "It's that time of the week again" she said to herself and got up and took her coat and fedora hat. She made sure to check her trusty Colt 1911 was loaded and her revolver as well and went to that well known place she had visited, hoping her friend would return one day...


***Marc's Apartment***

As Vulkie passed by the landlord's door, the door creeked open and the landlord crooked his finger and waved her over with it. She sighed at the sight of him, since when he would waggle his finger, it usually involved money.

*Cont. in next post*

Jul-16-2015 09:36

"Miss Nouson" the landlord said, "what a pleasure to see you again here..."

"Cut the crap Tom, we both know you're after money. Here is this month's rent" Vulkie said, while passing a wad of bills to the landlord.

"Ah, but might I tempt you with a bit of extra information in return for some more? Say, 50 dollars?" Tom said, while glaring at Vulkie's Colt 1911.

"It depends Tom, what the information might be about?" Vulkie said, while pulling a bill of 50 dollars out of her pocket and waving it right in front of his face.

"Well, last night, I heard a couple of noises in Mr. Lacrimosa's apartment. I think... he's back" Tom said, while trying to grab the 50 dollar bill.

"Tom, please. I'll investigate it first, then we'll see about you getting your money. In the meantime, stay in your apartment. This isn't the first time some random lunatic decided to blow up an apartment just to get to me.." Vulkie said, while giving a small smile. Tom immediately went back in his own apartment and shut his door immediately.

As Vulkie ascended the stairs towards Marc's apartment, she thought about what Tom said. Could it really be true? Could Marc be back after all those years he went on his voyage of soul cleansing?

As soon as she reached Marc's door, she took out the keychain and fumbled with the keys. "Mr. Bowlin's apartment, Ms. Bennett's apartment... Ah, here we are!" Vulkie exclaimed, while holding the small golden key in front of her face to Marc's apartment.

As she inserted the key into the door lock, she noticed that, unlike the two times that it needs to be turned, this time, it only needed to be turned once. That meant someone DID access Marc's apartment.

As she slowly opened the door, she peeked around the corner with her Colt 1911 drawn. "I swear to god, if it does blow up, this is turning out into the worst day ever!" Vulkie said to herself.

*Cont. in next post*

Jul-16-2015 09:47

Luckily, that wasn't the occassion. As Vulkie went into Marc's apartment, she noticed a couple of things changed. For instance, she noticed that the liqour cabinet was opened and one glass was sitting on a small table. That meant someone helped themselves to the alcohol stash.

The next thing Vulkie noticed, as she stared at the floor, was the fact that some footprints were still there. The imprint was faint, but she could make out a solid pattern. As she stared at Marc's shoes, she picked one up and placed it over the imprint.

"Same size" Vulkie muttered, while continuing to give the place a look over. As she went into the bedroom, the first thing she noticed was that the bed wasn't unslept like it used to be in the last three years. It was tidied up, but she could see that it wasn't her style of tidying up the bed.

"So, to conclude" Vulkie said, while taking out her notepad and making a small board of deduction. " The liquor cabinet has been used, footprints that match Mark's size have been found and the bed has been used. The easiest conclusion? Marc is... back!" Vulkie said, while ripping off the piece of paper, threw it in the thrashcan and scribbled a note for Marc.

"Dear Marc. I know you are back and it's good to know you're back in the city. If you have some spare time, I would like you to come over and pay me a visit when you have some spare time. I'll make sure to have some tea and sandwiches ready. Yours truly, Vulkie" Vulkie scribbled.

"PS. - With "tea", I mean whiskey." Vulkie scribbled, while laughing at her own joke. She carefully placed the note on Marc's pillow, making sure that that's the last place he couldn't miss it.

As she left Marc's apartment, she locked the door twice instead of once and made her way to a payphone, calling up Mr. Rothschild, informing him that she was off the case and directed him towards a fellow detective. Then, she made her way back to her own apartment and awaited for further news from her old friend...

Jul-19-2015 13:56

Molly sighed and swiped at her brow. "This seems like a story best enjoyed over scotch."

She turned to Riza. "I don't think there's any further knowledge to be gained here at present, and I sure don't want to hang around with a corpse if the cops show up again. Marc's apartment is close- do you still have the same apartment Marc?" This question was directed at him.

"Yes, it's been kept up in my absence. Let's head there." Marc said, and the three started off, Molly picking her way gingerly out of the room and throwing one final glance back at the corpse. "What do you have to do with anything?" She wondered, then turned to follow her friends.

***

Some minutes later, they arrived at Marc's apartment. The landlord Tom had poked his head out and remarked darkly about Marc's apartment being akin to the New York train station. The three looked at each other and shrugged. Once in Marc's apartment, he looked around curiously and poked his head in the other rooms.

"Someone's been here." He said, wandering into the bedroom. Molly and Riza looked at each other curiously and then at the door when they heard Marc's chuckle.

He reappeared holding a note. "It was Vulkie, she wanted to see me."

Jul-21-2015 18:41

Vulkie met Marc at her apartment door with open arms. "I can't believe you're back!" She exclaimed. Marc smiled as he walked in her apartment followed by Riza and Molly.

"It's been too long," Marc said as he hugged her. He looked around the room at his three friends. Too long was an understatement. They last three years seemed like an eternity. The truth was, Marc wished he had been the one to die instead of Sal.

"You dropped off the face of the earth," Vulkie stated. "I thought you'd never return."

Marc sighed. "You have a drink?"

Vulkie nodded. She disappeared and returned a moment later with scotch and glasses, then she filled each one. Could he bring himself to tell the truth? How after he lost his mind he sunk to his all time low? Could bring himself to say why he was partially responsible for Sal's death? No. Not now. Would Molly or Riza think he was still nuts? Maybe. And what about Vulkie?

Scars of betrayal marked his chest. But now if he told his story would be called a hypocrite? The people staring back at him were of the very few friends he had left.

He took a sip of the scotch. "It's hard to explain" Marc said. "I...screwed up, and as a result, a close and old friend was killed."

"And it seems," he continued, "one of the men who was also responsible was a witness for a new case Molly and Riza are working."

"So where is he?" Vulkie asked.

"Dead," Riza cut in. "Killed by Marc, tortured for who knows how long, and then shot right between the eyes."

Marc rolled his eyes and strolled to the window and stared outside.

"Tell me about this case," Vulkie said sounding excited.

"The Ambassador was killed. Pushed off a building," Molly said. "But the strange thing that so.some cut off his....member."

Marc frowned. Did he hear that right? The man's member was it off? Stranger Things have happened, he thought to himself.

Jul-21-2015 18:50

Vulkie jumped up. "I've seen this before!" She exclaimed running down to her room.

"You have?" Molly and Riza asked simultaneously. They shared the same puzzled look on their face.

"Sure," Vulkie said. "I've been reading the articles but haven't looked into it. I simply didn't have the time at first."

She dumped an arm full of newspapers headlined from around the world, each one with similar headlines.

Marc reached down and began looking at the headlines. Shanghai, New Delhi, Cairo, London..literally all over the world. He lit a cigarette.

"Who's up for an adventure?" He asked with a smile.

Jul-21-2015 20:12

"Who's up for an adventure" Marc asked with a smile on his face, while smoking his cigarette and blowing the cigarette smoke out of his nostrils.

As Vulkie had observed her friends, she noticed that some of them seemed absent - minded, their thoughts focused on something else. It wasn't like them to drift off into the depths of their minds, pre-occupied, but she made a side note of it in her own mind and didn't bother to go deeper into what everyone was bothered with.

"I sure am" Vulkie said, placing her Colt 1911 on the table. "But the thing is, where do we even start? Since Marc silenced our only lead, we have nothing to go on, except for these stories that involve the same shocking event." Vulkie added.

Everyone looked down on the floor, until Molly came up with something. "Regarding these headlines - how long of a period has there been between each article?" Molly said, while glaring over to Marc who still had his eyes focused on the articles.

"It seems that every article came out 2 months after the other - so there IS a pattern of two months." Marc said. "So there is a pattern involved... anything more you can get from the headlines Marc?" Riza asked, while sipping from her scotch.

"It seems that not only Ambassadors are targeted, but also some people who are involved in the nouveau riche section. People who have inherited a lot of money and began to squander it on expensive things, like luxery cars and mansions and such..." Marc said.

"So our mystery dismemberer targets well known people, either in a public or non - public function, but it all involves men. There's no mention of a woman being dismembered?" Vulkie said, while looking over towards Marc.

"As far as I can see, no... But I can tell you this. The most recent case seems to have taken place in Cairo. Might we start there?" Marc asked, awaiting approval from the rest to agree with this plan.

Jul-24-2015 17:28

"Vulkie dear, it would be rather difficult for women to be the targets of these killings, for they lack a certain...something," Riza quipped.

"The most recent case seems to have taken place in Cairo. Might we start there?" Marc asked.

Molly heaved a sigh. "Who would have thought my wonderful evening would turn out like this?"

"We have no choice," Riza replied.

"Hold on a minute," Marc said suddenly, as if something had just occurred to him. "These victims had money. And they could buy anything they wanted with it. Food. Houses. Cars. Even..."

"Sex," everyone replied.

"The man Marc just killed," Riza said with a pointed glance at him, "Was in charge of a brothel. If this has been happening all over the world, maybe he wasn't the top dog."

"I'll pull some strings and make the arrangements," Vulkie said immediately. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

Everyone went home to pack and take a short rest. Though they each went their separate ways for the evening, they did so with smiles, for they were secretly glad that this case had given them a reason to reunite for old times' sake.