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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-25-2005 18:45

"Are you Giry?" he gasps. "It depends...who wants to know?" she says. She threw back her head and downed her vodka shot straight up. "I am Sheperd...Lemony Sheperd." "What kind of a name is that... well it's obviously not your real name..." "How'd you know that?" "Trust me kid. I know more than you want me too. Anyway to answer your question, I am as you put it Giry. Madame Daniella Giry. Pleased to meet ya'." She held out her hand for a casual shake. He returned the gesture. She sensed tension in his hands. "What's the matter kid?" "Now if I know something (and I do) your not at all affiliated with the usual gangs, your record's pretty clean. Now who told you to see me, Shady?" "He said you and Jake Fenton could help me." "Well I don't know any Jakes, but I could search around." "Here's my number. Gimme yours, and I'll call when I get Jake, and trust me, I will."
She went down the street. She went to see Shady, and with the help of $100, she found out where Fenton lived. She went up to his apartment. After she knocked on his door, it opened a crack. "Are you Jake?" "Yeah?..." "Have you met Shady yet?" "Perhaps." "Well he told Mr. Sheperd that we're the people to see. For what, I don't know." She pulled out a cigarette from her pocket. "Would ya mind?" she asked, emphasizing her need for a lighter. "Not at all." With great skill, he lit it. "Not bad", she said. She took a drag of her ciggy, and said, "Let's get Sheperd." "Hey, weren't you the braude in that red dress?" "Look, it was a disguise..." "Sure..." "Let's go, " he said. And off they went...

Aug-25-2005 22:40

<Earlier that day I had a visitor. It was the girl from yesterday, dressed a more demurely than before, but she could still knock a guy out with a glance. What in the blazes was going on here?>

"Hey doll, how d’you find me?" He knew the answer before he even asked the question. He'd have to show the cobbler his brass knuckles later. Gals like this attracted attention… "Never mind. You got an advantage on me. What's your name?", he asked and lit her cigarette without breaking eye contact. "The shady guy, huh? Yeah, I've seen him. But he ain't my problem. As for Shepard, well I dunno about him either. Guess we need to clear this up, I hate surprises...". He leant against the frame and pushed the door open with his foot. "Well, sometimes...", he thought to himself, as he waved her inside.

Jake had to stay focused and work out what the connection was between these people. Giry was a link to CFM and Mojo. Did he feel guilty about being mercenary? Heck, no - NY was a jungle. People used each other all the time, he was just doing what he had to. He fixed a coffee for the beguiling Daniella. She was by the window, hourglass figure silhouetted against the dim daylight. She turned to face him as he approached and he passed her the mug, holding on to her slender hands a moment longer than necessary.

"So, we have a common interest, Madame. LS is looking for us. I only met him once and I gotta say he didn't look like much. What's the story?" The girl fluttered her eyes at him, and told him she didn't know. Jake’s hunch was she was being straight, but he knew gals who acted like butter wouldn't melt, and he didn't totally trust her. Either way he needed her on his side. "How 'bout we meet later? I have business to attend to now and I got an idea this Shepard guy is involved.”

<We made our plans and she left to find out what she could about LS. I headed off to the restaurant right away. After that, I was gonna meet her at that dance. Another late night was in store.>

Aug-26-2005 08:44

Daniella left his apartment, cool and crisp, back to find Sheperd. Sheperd. Where had she heard that name before? She rushed quickly back to her apartment, looking at the past newspapers. "Lenny Sheepram, convict of two bank robberies, is out on the street, perhaps hiding under the name of "Lemony Sheperd". We believe him to be somewhere in New York." "Huh." she said to herself. "Well, it could be useful to have an ex-con around." She went back to the Shoemaker's. Sheperd was gone. "Yo, Milton... where'd Sheperd go?" He clammed up. She rolled a fifty down the table to him. "Don't ya'll get enough money from your businesses? Where is he?" "At a meeting with the Arcanum Brotherhood." "Oh sh**" She sjaywalked across the street to get to the church. "Oh hello Madame!", said the bishop. Simultaneously, he was strangling Sheperd, despite the cheery conversation. "We got a little work for you-" "No" she said "not today. I need to talk to Sheperd here". The bishop made a sour face as though I had denied him a treat. He couldn't refuse after the work I did for him. "Thanks." said Sheperd, massaging his neck. " I know how you got in trouble with Poppa." "Poppa?" "Big scary guy choking you a couple minutes ago? That's just his nickname. Did you happen to rob the San Francisco Selecting Bank?" "Maybe..." "Yeah, he's connected to it. You robbed that bank, you robbed him. Just don't hang around there no more. Now why did Shady send for Jake as well, not that I didn't enjoy his company,?" "Well let's find out." "Well, today's off. I'm going to a party later this evening." "Oh?" "But I might see Jake there, I'll let you know." Off she went to get the dress for the party...

Aug-26-2005 09:57

She stepped into The Twisted Thread. "Hello Thad. How're you doing?" "Whaddaya want?" "Well, I was wondering whether or not you could fix a dress for me..." "That's my job lady, of course I can-" "In an hour?" she asked..."Maybe, if the price is right..." "Here's a $100, get a new attitude." I handed him my new dress. I waited til' 7:00. Thad got my dress ready alright. "Thanks!" I yelled as I ran out the store. The dress was a Roberto Cavalli, black strapless evening gown. With black silk, it shone despite the dark color. I wore my usual black satin elbow gloves, with a pearl ring over the right ring finger. The dress flowed straight down with a little bell at the bottom. I wore my hair up in a sleek elegant bun, and had a diamond pendant around my neck. Pearl drop earrings and strappy black kitten heels completed the look. I had a small dirk in my black evening bag, just in case. I called a taxi at 9:15. "Fashionably late...". I stood at the door awaiting Jake. It was a chilly night. I clutched the fur stole a little tighter around my neck. And there he was...

Aug-26-2005 10:40

Lemony was thinking again. Shady hadn't even given him an explination yet. What was the point of contacting Giry and Fenton? He didn't know. He didn't even know if he trusted Shady, yet something in his gut told him that these two people were connected to something. Something...sinister.

Lemony sat back in his chair and begain readin a newspaper. He casualy read the front page and didn't give the second one any thought until he came across a name that sounded quite like his: 'Lenny Sheepram' Lemony dug deep into the article, curious, and soon gasped in amazement and shock.

"Lenny was last seen posing as a detective going by the codename LemonyShepard!?"

So this is why Shady wanted him to meet up with Giry and Fenton: They were two of the best detectives around! "Once they read this, they'll throw me in the slammer for sure!" He quickly read through the article again. "Hm, San Francisco Selecting Bank...? I remember investigating that case a few weeks ago. It was never solved and now I see why...The robber was me!"

He couldn't piece together the puzzle fast enough, then remembered about the party Giry invited him to. He must've been missing a large clue. Something big. He didn't rob the bank. He couldn't have! Then why was Shady trying to frame him...too many questions, too little facts.

Lemony tried to consiter this to be no more than a huge misunderstanding, then got dressed for the party. He glanced out the window at the clock tower. He had ten minutes.

Aug-26-2005 10:46

He couldn't go to a party. He didn't have the spirit. Someone had just framed him of being a bank-robber! He sadly put away his party suit and slipped back into the trenchcoat he just recently bought. He pulled out the newspaper and read the article over and over again. He needed to question Shady.

He ran to the Tricky Mister, through the crowd of drukards, and approached the bar. "Hey, where's the shady guy who always hangs out here?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm not so sure..." the bartender replied. "He walked out the door before happy hour and said that he needed to get ready for the party. Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

The party Giry and Fenton were going to?! Lemony didn't know what Shady was up to, but it was quite possible that his two detective 'friends' were in grave danger!!

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..."