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Thread: STPTown gets hard-boiled (a group story)

  1. #21
    Inactive Member Miral's Avatar
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    Jackie looked up at the girl sitting beside her. "You know Ray too? Or at least that's what the desk clerk said his name was."
    "Miral? You've known him for years." Lulu looked Miral up and down wondering what was up with her attitude. "Hey, are you ok? You're not acting much like yourself."
    Jackie stared at the girl talking to her for a moment. "Who's Miral? And I don't know this guy. I wish I could remember who he is, but I don't. I just have his picture. I was supposed to be getting help from this Crazya guy, but he bailed on me."
    Just as she said that a firetruck zoomed past, sirens blazing. She raised her head and grinned to herself, knowing full well where it was going.

  2. #22
    HB Forum Owner Branflakes's Avatar
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    "Welcome to my humble abode," Bran said. She rose from the black leather chair seated behind a large oak desk, nodded, then sat back down. The large square window behind her revealed a scenic landscape, all grass and trees. Crazya saw several large dogs (Dobermans? Rottweillers?) running through the lush grass.

    "You call this humble?" Crazy said as he lowered himself into one of the emerald green overstuffed chairs facing the desk. Bran had changed from the red hot dress to black slacks and a nearly see-through red blouse, unbuttoned halfway down her chest. A black lace bra winked at Crazy.

    "It's not humble, I just like saying that to throw people off." Bran smiled. "I have that list for you." She slid the only piece of paper that disturbed the desk toward Crazy. He picked it up and whistled.

    "Some heavy duty friends you have here," he said.

    "Ray Jaxom and Lulu stand out, I suppose." Bran shrugged. "Celebrity shouldn't convey importance." She shrugged again. "I'm more concerned with Asis, Eris, and Firebird, to tell the truth."

    "Why them?" Crazy said.

    Bran smiled. "I'd rather keep that information to myself. Everyone on the list is important to me."

    Crazy nodded. "Okay, I'll hunt them down first. Have you had any more thoughts on the card left at their apartments?"

    "No." Bran shook her head. "But I'll research that, call you if I think of anything. Is that enough for you to get started, Crazy? I have some pressing business to attend to." She stood.

    Crazy stood and tucked the list into his pocket. "Er, no problem. I'll get right on things."

    "Thank you. Tammy will show you out." The door opened and the cute butler was standing there.

    "Thanks again," Bran said.

    Back in his car, Crazy stared at the list. Where to start? Asis' seemed the best place. He knew her from the last year's Thanksgiving charity dinner. She probably still lived in the same apartment. He started the car and headed there.

  3. #23
    HB Forum Owner erisesoteric's Avatar
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    Eris struggled to pull the stone to the pedastal. She had no idea how she was going to the damndamn thing up on the pedastal when she got there, but there it was. She was trapped in this room, and the only thing it looked there was to do was move the stones around from one pedastal to another. Hopefully, that would unlock the door. If that glowing thing in the middle of the room was really a door.

    She shifted her hand to get a better grip, and somehow jammed her finger nail just right... or wrong against it. A stabbing pain arched all the way up her arm. She clenched her teeth.

    Bastards.

    All their fault.

    Right, there's always someone to blame, isn't there?

    Oh, shut up.

    Am I wrong? They kidnapped you, did they? Forced you to leave town?

    You're getting to a point soon, right?

    You know what my point is. You're here because you picked up and left. You wandered into the wrong crowd, this is someone else's fault?

    OK, fine, my life is my own damndamn fault, it's my own damndamn fault I'm stuck in a dungeon created by fantasy freaks with too much time on my hands, it's my own fault that I have *no* clue where I am or how I get home once I get out of here, it's entirely *my* fault that Dan's disappeared without a trace, the entire universe is completely out of joint right now, and it's all my fault. Are you happy now?

    You forgot the fall of Rome and the holocaust.

    Did not. Roomzilla claimed those four years ago.

    Oh, right, I forgot.

    Have I mentioned that you have really bad timing?

    What's so bad about my timing?

    Well, I hate having these conversations with myself when I'm in pain, for one.

    Oh, so what do you want me to do?

    Lifting that damndamn stone up onto that damndamn pedastal would be a help.

    I'm your conscience. I'm emphereal. Won't work.

    Can you scream for help?

    No. Hmmm... how about sitting around until a watermain breaks or something catches on fire?

    Remind me to stop talking to myself. It's just not healthy.

    Eris tightened her grip on the stone and kept dragging. Only one more to go after this one...

  4. #24
    HB Forum Owner AsIs's Avatar
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    "So Red, what's your name?"

    "Red works just fine..." She replies as she turns her dazzeling smile on me. Then her eyes return to the road as she speeds along.

    "You're going awefully fast..." I hesitently say. "Would you mind slowing down som...Hey isn't that..." My head whips around as I try to get a better look at the two women sitting on a bench.

    "We have to get you to someplace safe," she growls at me.

    A bit taken aback, I try to appear casual as I ask, "So uh...where are we going?"

    She flashes another smile at me. "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you..."

    Dispite the humor in her voice, I shiver a little.

    Red flashes another smile and puts her hand suggestively on my leg disrupting my ability to think straight.

    <font color="#776446" size="1">[ December 30, 2002 07:44 PM: Message edited by: AsIs ]</font>

  5. #25
    Inactive Member Lulu's Avatar
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    Cool

    Lulu watched the firetruck recede into the distance at a crazy speed. Was it her imagination, or had STP town gotten a tad wilder since she'd been away? Nonplussed, she turned her attention back to Miral. Was it amnesia? With Miral- who the hell knew! She decided to fill in the blanks.

    "Listen Miral, this is a photo of Ray Jaxom. He's our agent and manager. You've known him for years! In fact- he's the crazy bloke that insisted we come back to this $#*!hole town. I mean, Chist. Isn't it enough that we spend our first 15 years here? Anyway- you're in my band.

    Now- what's the first thing you remember? Think hard."

    "Um...um...I was in a room..."

    "Yes?"

    "And there was a... locker- yes. A poster on the wall and a bed.."

    "Good- Keep going."

    "I think I got out by.. opening the locker with a key I found under the pillow. I used a screwdriver I found in the locker to take the painting off the wall and picked the lock with the screw somehow... Then I was free.."

    As Mirals stunted memory came back in bits and spurts, she provided further details of her escape. Some of it, like the head running around on the floor, Lulu was sure was due to hallucination. But all the same- they'd made progress.

    But where was Jaxom? Why had Miral been stuck in a room with a locker? Why couldn't Lulu stop thinking about that cute candy striper- and most important of all-

    "God Miral- please tell me you remember what instrument you play!"

  6. #26
    Inactive Member crazy a's Avatar
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    I headed south back into town, thinking about the names on the list.

    Lulu. She was a local musician who, with a lot of talent and a little luck, had hit the big-time. She could be living it up anywhere in the world, but apparently she wasn't. Why she'd be back in this burg was beyond me.

    Firebird. He was ex-Army, a decorated war vet. He ran a bar-and-grill downtown. I went there sometimes to trade stories of our days on the inside with him over a few beers. He was good people. Unless you got on his bad side, then he'd get as mean as a rodeo bull and look just as big. He was a tough sumbitch and if he went missing against his will, then whoever did it was in all kinds of pain.

    Asis I'd met at a charity Thanksgiving dinner. She ran a comic book store and was always donating to various causes. She always wore this big hat that made her look like The Gunslinger With No Name out of some cheap spaghetti western. As for the others on the list, I'd have to do some digging in my files. But first I wanted to check up on Jackie.

    Only I couldn't because a fire truck was parked in front of the building and wisps of smoke were coming out of my window. The main attraction was over and the firemen were starting to pack up.

    I quickly parked and went up to one of the guys who looked like he was in charge. I flashed my badge, told him it was my apartment and asked what had happened. Someone had smelled smoke coming out of my place and called the fire department. It was confined only to the living room. Nobody was hurt. He told me it was safe to go in and I did.

    I slowly entered my apartment and was struck with that empty sick feeling one gets when confronted with a personal disaster. The living room, though not completely destroyed, would have to be given a makeover. Everything was blackened and wet and stank.

    Nobody was hurt. And Jackie was gone. Had a third party done this? I began looking through the mess. Finally, by the couch, I saw it. A cigarette butt. I did all my smoking in the kitchen. Had Jackie fallen asleep with it? I went to the bedroom. The bag of clothes had been emptied and one of the dresses was gone. Had she set the fire, just to get out? I got madder the more I kicked around that idea. She had come to ME for help and I took her in and as thanks she torched my place. Now she was on the street somewhere wandering around lost.

    Well, fine. This sucker of a Samaritan had other fish to fry and was getting paid to do it. I opened some other windows, closed up and went down to my car. Next stop, my office.

    I saw the lone envelope in my box as I entered. I took it to my desk and opened it. It was a business card from Usmu with a scribbled note on the back to contact him. Usmu. Jeez, of all people. He was from Europe. Denmark or Sweden or some other snow country. He used to run a shop that sold various things. He had obtained my services a couple times. Unfortunately, the conclusions weren't to his satisfaction. He didn't like my methods and I didn't like his armchair investigating.

    I pulled out the twenties and ten. Well, he got my attention, he'd never done that before. Maybe he was in a real jam this time. I called his number, got the answering machine and hung up. I don't talk to machines. I'd try later.

    I went to my filing cabinet and looked for Lulu. I pulled out some press clippings, set them on my desk and started going through them. In one of the photos she was standing next to a guy. I recognized the face. It was the face in the picture Jackie was carrying. I read the caption. Ray Jaxom. Lulu's agent and manager. At least I knew who he was now. I looked at his face again. I still didn't like it.

    I froze. There was another photo, this time of Lulu's band. Jackie was in it, smiling at me. Only her name wasn't Jackie, it was Miral. I looked at her face again. Miral. Miral, Miral, Miral. I liked her name very much. Then I remembered what she'd possibly done to my place and my affection was cut off.

    I called my number hoping Miral would answer but there was nothing. Okay. Asis lived on the same block, I'd try her first. But first I had to eat. I stopped at a small Chinese eatery, ordered the buffet and dug in.

    <font color="#776446" size="1">[ January 01, 2003 11:29 PM: Message edited by: crazy a ]</font>

  7. #27
    Inactive Member Miral's Avatar
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    Jackie... or Miral as she was being called now stared at Lulu with a look of utter confusion. "Instrument? That I play?" She pointed at herself for inflection. She licked her lips and rubbed her thighs with her hands and that's when she noticed her incredibly short nails... though painted a sparkling pink and well-manicured, they were not the length of someone with time and money on her hands to do nothing. The calluses on the fingertips of her right hand scratched her legs. She needed some lotion. "Bass?" Lulu pursed her lips.
    "Fuck me, you remembered." Miral grinned and nodded her head. "Took you long enough though"
    "Give me a break, I have amnesia." She stared down the street for a minute and as her memories and identity came back she felt sorry for what she had done to Crazy's apartment. "Lulu, do you know if my savings account has money in it?"
    "Umm, I think so, why do you ask?" Miral stood up and pulled Lulu behind her.
    "I need to get some money out, I owe somebody."

  8. #28
    HB Forum Owner Branflakes's Avatar
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    Bran watched Crazy leave from one of the front windows. Tammy stood silently to her left.

    "Whose place do you think he'll check out first," Tammy asked.

    "Asis or Firebird," Bran said. "Their places are closest. Plus, I'm pretty sure he knows them." Bran ran her fingers through her hair, adding a mild spike. "I just hope he's as good as they say. Any word from Rachael?"

    Tammy frowned, then threw a cautious look at Bran. "Uh, some."

    "Some?" Bran turned and her eyes caught Tammy's.

    Tammy gulped and told herself not to worry, Bran's temper wasn't that bad. "She called right after Crazy showed up. That's why I didn't disturb you. She found Usmu, but lost him."

    Bran sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair again. "Where'd she last see him?"

    "Entering Jack's Bar. She was about to go in when some firetruck came through and blocked access. She managed to get in after awhile, but he was already gone. She's heading back to his apartment now to see if he snuck back there."

    "Think he tagged her?"

    Tammy shrugged. "I don't know. He did stop by Crazy's office first, though."

    Bran whistled. "Hmmm, interesting. Have Rachael stay staked at his place. Send Melissa over to Crazy's, in case he heads there. Don't let her get seen by Crazy. I can't risk him recognizing her. I don't want him pulled into this, he's got to keep on the case."

    "What do you want me to do?" Tammy asked.

    "Wait here. I'm heading out. Call me with updates every 30 minutes." Bran said.

    She tossed on a black jacket and headed out the door. Tammy watched her drive off in the Honda Accord. A subtle, indistinct car. She didn't want to be seen.

    Tammy turned from the window and went to find Melissa.

  9. #29
    HB Forum Owner AsIs's Avatar
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    As the trees whiz by, I whistfully think about my return home. *sigh* I've been away too long. Damn, I wish I had called Bran before this mysterious stranger showed up and whisked me away.

    *sigh* I've always been a sucker for a damsel in distress...or is that distressing damsels...

    I grin is spite of myself. I sure know how to pick 'em.

    My smile fades as I recall my last meeting with Bran. We had a arguement over my latest, at that time, damsel. Bran insisted that Mary Beth was bad news. I should have listened to Bran, of course she was right. Mary Beth was a love 'em and leave 'em sort of gal. It wasn't long before she had gotten whatever it was she wanted from me and disappeared, leaving me poorer and hopefully a bit wiser. I bummed around a bit after she dumped me. I should have called Bran. Now I had returned home, only to fall for some redhead I don't even know. A redhead with trouble written all over her. Or at least as much of her as I could see, 'tho I'm betting I will see the rest of her soon...

    My musings come to a abrupt halt when Red pulls into the dingiest bar I have seen since...well, since awhile ago.

    "Well, we're here!" Red looks at me and smiles.

    <font color="#776446" size="1">[ January 08, 2003 03:11 PM: Message edited by: AsIs ]</font>

  10. #30
    Inactive Member Lulu's Avatar
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    Cool

    "I need to get some money out- I owe somebody."

    "Miral, honey. What you need- what we BOTH need- is a drink." Lulu took her by the arm and walked her briskly in the direction of Jake's bar.

    Miral tottered along behind in her high heels and strappy black dress. "B-but, what about the man in the photograph?"

    They had reached the parking lot out back of Jake's. It was clearly a run down joint. Several large trash bins were pushed up against cracked and tagged wall of the establishment. A beat-up, wooden door formed the back entrance. Yep- Jake's was the crappy dive that Lulu so fondly remembered. She smiled.

    "Jax? Hell. I think we better put out a missing person's report," Lulu quipped in response to Miral's query. "And when we find him," the diva continued, " I may just kill him myself." Miral looked shocked. Lulu sighed and shook her head. She steered her partner inside- The wooden door swung shut behind them, just as a strange vehicle pulled smoothly into the lot.

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