InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Give me all your bananas."

Avoid if triggered by misplaced apostrophe's. (essayel) wrote in morningstar_mnr,
@ 2008-07-01 18:02:00

Entry tags:

chad, icene, memphis, sniper, travis

Outside The Cellar, 10.30, OTA
He had more or less decided to do another tonight. He had been out three times in the past week and had lain in wait for his chosen ones, but in each case they either hadn't shown or there had been too many people about.

Tonight he decided to try one of his vantage points down town and was walking to it through the evening dimness when he saw one of the ones he wanted walking ahead chatting animatedly to a much taller boy.

He clenched his teeth, hearing her laugh and paused to look in a shop window, though he actually kept an eye on his quarry. He had no quarrel with the youth, had no idea who he was, and there were a lot of people on the street, but all the same he fingered the gun in his pocket, imagining the kick of it in his hand, the look on her face.

The two halted, discussing something, then the boy turned and went down a flight of steps to a bar with her almost treading on his heels.

He sighed, seeing her out of reach, and left the window and strolled along towards the bar.

Suddenly he heard raised voices and she came shooting up the stairs, propelled by a bouncer, her face shocked. The man released her on the top step murmuring good advice then turned and went back down.

"You and your mother, asshole," she said and gave the bouncer the finger then sighed and took a couple of steps back along the almost empty sidewalk.

There was no time to be lost. He strode forward, hand clearing his pocket. Seeing the movement she looked up and he froze because she was smiling, a happy smile to see a familiar face and opening her mouth to speak.

The gun made a flat splatting sound and her jaw dropped then she staggered back and fell, but by then he was already darting through the traffic, running fast, heart pounding, but exultant for all that.

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mm_phreak
2008-07-02 04:25 pm UTC (link)

Travis had realized about five steps past the door that they hadn't let Anna-Maria in. He turned and went back out, only to see her being chased back up the stairs, cussing at the bouncer.

He laughed. "So next time we'll find a different ID for you to use..." He was saying when he heard the shot go off. He ducked down, his heart thudding in his throat. The realization that she was still up there had him scrambling up the rest of the steps.

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mm_phreak
2008-07-02 04:46 pm UTC (link)

He was sitting on the steps after the ambulance took her away. He'd wanted to go with them, but hadn't been permitted. They'd taken a cab here and he was waiting for Memphis to come through and rip him a new one for being out.

Chad found him sitting there, head in his hands, shoulders shaking. "You need somebody to check you out kid?" Then he looked down and realized who he was talking to. "Shit. Your brother is coming to get you."

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	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 04:49 pm UTC (link)
	Travis looked up, Kennard blurred. "They wouldn't let me go with her. It's my fault and I couldn't go with her. We wouldn't be here if I hadn't suggested... Now my brother's gonna kill me for sneaking out." Angrily he pounded his fists on the steps. The concrete didn't give, just thudded. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 04:52 pm UTC (link)
	Chad new that feeling all to well. He laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll see what I can find out for you on her." He'd take a step in and try to talk to the brother, see if Travis really was in danger. "But we need to get a statement from you too. Did you see who did this or where they could have been standing?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 04:55 pm UTC (link)
	Travis rubbed his knuckles. "She turned." He pointed to the right. "That way, and smiled. Like she saw somebody she knew. But I didn't see anybody." He hadn't seen anybody because he'd been a coward and fallen to the steps. "I ducked when I heard the shot fire. I can't help you." His hands hit the concrete again, harder. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 04:57 pm UTC (link)
	Chad noted what he'd said. "You've helped me out on where to look and maybe on a who to look for. I'm going to see if I can get you any information on her condition." He stood and strode off, sending a paramedic over to check him out for shock. And so he'd quit hitting the concrete. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	essayel 2008-07-02 05:31 pm UTC (link)
	Summer nights - some Larry never got to bed at all. Tonight he was resigned to seeing the sun come up, but that was okay. Sometimes a job just needed doing. "You want a coffee, Travis?" he asked, one in each hand. "It is Travis, isn't it?" (Reply to this) (Thread)

mm_phreak
2008-07-02 05:46 pm UTC (link)

He shook his head. "I just wanna know how Amarie is."

The paramedic had been over, cleared him saying if he continued hitting inanimate concrete he was likely to break his hand, and told her they didn't know anything more than she was in the ER of the county hospital.

Then he realized he hadn't answered the questions he'd been asked. "Sorry. Yeah, I'm Travis, and coffee would be good." something to keep his hands occupied, anyway.

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essayel
2008-07-02 05:52 pm UTC (link)

Larry offered the stronger sweeter brew and took a seat. "I heard she was pretty sick," he said. "But it was just one shot and went straight through, and, you know, she made it to the hospital so she must be pretty strong."

He looked at the kid sympathetically. Tonight could have been a useful learning experience. The Cellar was one of the roughest bars in the city, but the bouncers knew better than to let kids in. It was quite possible that they would have been thrown out, given up and gone home and none the wiser ...

If it hadn't been for the shooter.

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	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 06:05 pm UTC (link)
	Travis took a drink and thought. "I'd figured if I did break my hand, they'd have to take me there too. Then I could sneak off and find her." He still felt guilty that he'd ducked. Hell he felt guilty that they'd gone and been kicked back out. It'd been his suggestion to go and now she had to fight to live. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2008-07-02 06:12 pm UTC (link)
	"They wouldn'ta let you see her, son," Larry said quietly. "Tell you what though - you agree not to break anything - major or minor bones - and I'll take your cell phone number and give you a call when there's news." Manor tenants - Larry was always prepared to bend the rules for them. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 06:29 pm UTC (link)
	The scheming smirk faded as he realized Larry was right. "Then I'd just be in even more trouble. I would appreciate an update though." He rattled off his number and pointed over his shoulder at Chad. "That guy sent you over so he could snag my brother first, huh?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2008-07-02 06:37 pm UTC (link)
	Larry was entering the cell number on his own phone, thumb moving as surely as any fifteen year olds, and nodded. "Probably," he agreed. "You're probably gonna get chewed out but you have to understand that it'll be part relief. That could have been you up there too. If it's the same guy he doesn't leave witnesses." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 06:50 pm UTC (link)
	He looked down at his hands, and the coffee between them. "I told him we were going to the movies. Next time, I'll go to the damn movies." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2008-07-02 07:00 pm UTC (link)
	"Always best," Larry agreed. "Hell kid, we've almost all done something like this, and most times get away with it. Had you known the girl - Anna-Maria, is it? - had you known her long?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 07:06 pm UTC (link)
	Travis shrugged. He'd done the sneaking out bit many a times, just gotten caught up in a doosey this time. "I knew her in school but we've been out from time to time since prom." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2008-07-02 07:14 pm UTC (link)
	"Orsini," Larry sighed. "Big family. Did you know her big brother works in the Manor?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 07:21 pm UTC (link)
	Travis groaned. "Another big brother I'm in trouble with that lives in the same building..." Though he might be able to get information from one of the two. "I do now." He looked up, toward Chad. Bad idea. Memphis was standing there with him, the color drained from his face. "Speaking of, there's mine there." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2008-07-02 07:31 pm UTC (link)
	"Cool it, kid," Larry advised. "He's not going to do anything to you while I'm here and, if you'll take my advice, you'll let him see how upset you really are. She seems a nice little girl - you must be devastated." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 07:50 pm UTC (link)
	Travis nodded as Memphis shook hands with Chad and softly started his way. "Thanks for the advice" he told Larry. Memphis was irritated, frustrated, and relieved as he approached his brother and the officer. "Hey kettle. Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked Travis concerned. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

essayel
2008-07-02 08:12 pm UTC (link)

Larry leaned his elbows on his knees and watched big and little brother, ready to step in and make it clear that, foolish he might have been to lie about going out and even more foolish to try and take a girl to the Cellar - sheesh - but when the shot was fired the boy had had the good sense to hit the deck and stay down.

It wouldn't have helped that poor little kid to have had her boyfriend on a slab.

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mm_phreak
2008-07-02 08:13 pm UTC (link)

Travis shook his head as the cogs in his head turned. "Whatcha call me a kettle for?"

Memphis smirked. "Cuz I did my own share of sneaking off to a club instead of going to the movies. You can be the kettle and I'll be the pot. We can debate the shades of black later."

Memphis held his hand out to Larry. "Thanks for sitting with him. Can I take him home now or is he needed still?"

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	essayel 2008-07-02 08:48 pm UTC (link)
	"You can take him," Larry said, getting up to slap palms with Memphis. "But - sorry - we need to know where he'll be for a while so stay in the City, huh?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sam_mm 2008-07-02 09:07 pm UTC (link)
	Icene walked towards Memphis and Travis, just in time to hear Benedict say they could go, just not too far. She smiled, it was unlikely they were thinking of heading out anywhere, unless they'd had plans for the weekend. "Hi there, just before you go, could I have a quick word?" She grinned, "I promise, just a very quick couple of questions." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 09:31 pm UTC (link)
	Memphis wasn't surprised to see her here. This was her job, after all. Travis had calmed down substantially after Memphis hadn't yelled at him. He nodded. "Sure, but I doubt I'll be able to help any." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sam_mm
2008-07-02 09:49 pm UTC (link)

"Oh you'd be surprised Travis, I'm not after what you saw, Officer Kennard says you had the good sense to get your head down after all. No, I want to know what you heard, pick through your sensory memory if you like."

She grinned, "It really won't take more than a minute or two, honest, would you mind? Because something you heard or even smelled, might help us to catch the guy who shot Miss Orsini, so, you wanna help?"

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	mm_phreak 2008-07-03 05:46 pm UTC (link)
	He was surprised. "I dunno how much I'll be able to help, but I'll do what I can." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sam_mm 2008-07-03 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	"OK, so, you were coming up the steps, Miss Orsini was on the sidewalk, right? Did you hear anything from the sidewalk? Footsteps, voices, anything that might have been Miss Orsini or the shooter?" She paused, thinking, "And if you did, could you tell which direction they were coming from? Or how close they were?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-03 06:21 pm UTC (link)
	Travis shook his head. "I didn't hear anything. I was joking with her that next time we'd have to find an ID for her to use. She laughed and turned, then smiled. She'd looked to the right of her and I figured she knew whoever it was." Not the same exact thing he'd told Chad, but they were similar without the dialog. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sam_mm 2008-07-03 06:31 pm UTC (link)
	Icene looked over at the stairs and the sidewalk, "She looked to her right? You're sure of it? That could be important." She jotted down in her notebook 'LEFT handed?' and then looked back at Travis. "Was it only the one shot? And did it sound close by or further off?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-03 06:55 pm UTC (link)
	He nodded. "Yeah. She turned to the right. I looked too but I was still on the steps and got a view of that graffiti art there." He pointed at the black and purple artwork on the stone. "It sounded loud." Whether it was far or near, he didn't know. Just that it was loud. "The air smelled different though. Like a burned, rusty copperish smell." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sam_mm 2008-07-03 07:00 pm UTC (link)
	Icene smiled and added notes to her noteboook 'handgun' and 'point blank', "That's great Travis, good information. Just one more thing. After the shot, there was only the one right? Did you hear anything else, footsteps going in a certain direction? See anyone running? Anything that seemed, odd?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-03 07:15 pm UTC (link)
	Travis shook his head. "After I heard the shot, I ducked, and everything echoed in my ears." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sam_mm
2008-07-03 08:07 pm UTC (link)

"That's ok, you've given me some information that wasn't given by anyone else, so I have more clues now than I did before." Icene grinned, "Now if only my team and I, and the police, could piece them together the right way, we might get enough evidence to catch the perp."

Icene looked around the scene again, adjusting her thinking to include Travis' comments. "It would be great wouldn't it if you'd supplied the one key piece of evidence we needed. Wouldn't it Travis?"

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	mm_phreak 2008-07-03 08:13 pm UTC (link)
	Travis felt like he was missing something. That there was some sort of detail he'd overlooked, or forgotten. "Anything that helps. If I remember something more later, I'll stop by." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sam_mm
2008-07-03 08:20 pm UTC (link)

"That would be very nice of you Travis, or you can talk to Officer Kennard, he's in the Manor too, as well as Officer Benedict." She grinned, "Well, I'd best let you get away, I have lots of work to do yet."

She waved a hand as someone called her name, "Travis, try not to worry, and do try to get some sleep. If you do remember anything, well, here's my card, you call me ok? But if you don't remember anything else, don't worry about it, we will catch this sicko, I promise we will."

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mm_phreak
2008-07-03 08:39 pm UTC (link)

Travis nodded, though her words echoed through his ears without actually sticking. He wanted to be able to say he'd seen who had shot Amarie. He wanted to know she'd be okay and mostly he wanted to be able to not go through this again.

Memphis put his hand on Travis's shoulder and guided him back to the car. "Nothing to do now but go home." He wasn't even going to start in on the fact The Cellar was not the movies. Not this time.

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	sam_mm 2008-07-03 08:48 pm UTC (link)
	Icene watched them go, then turned her attention back to the crime scene, and headed over to talk to Serrika and Paul, and then the medic. It was going to be a long night. (Reply to this) (Parent)

sam_mm
2008-07-02 06:57 pm UTC (link)

Icene had been at home. In the bath. Now here she was in working clothes, still damp hair caught up in a twist at the back of her head, arriving at a crime scene she had hoped wouldn't happen again.

She pulled the hummer up and hopped out, boots thumping onto the road. Yeah, she was kind of pissed off. Another kid, although hopefully this one might survive. With a grimace she headed for the officers who looked like they were in charge of the scene. "Hey guys, what have we got here then?"

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	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 07:03 pm UTC (link)
	Chad was there to fill her in. "This one's female, seventeen, through and through shot. Paramedics took her off to the ER. Hopefully she'll pull through. The boy over there" pointing at Travis "was with her. He said the shot came from off to the" he checked his scribblings "right and she smiled like she saw somebody she knew." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sam_mm
2008-07-02 07:16 pm UTC (link)

Icene looked, "Travis? Travis Raines? Oh dear." She shook her head, "Please tell me the girl wasn't a Manorite? I spoke to all of them I swear I did."

She looked round, a quick asssessment, "So the shot came from over there, any reports on the angle of the wound? Serrika! Set me some lights over there, and the immediate area? I want to find that bullet. Paul, begin with the immediate area, and please, find me something to pin this bastard down with?"

She turned back to Chad, "You got me, since Alvin and the rest of his team are out covering something else tonight, and I worked the rest of these cases so far. Do we have any other potential witnesses who could point us in the direction of evidence?"

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mm_phreak
2008-07-02 07:26 pm UTC (link)

Chad nodded glumly. "A new one. Just moved in with her brother for the security of the building as opposed to the neighborhood they grew up in." It wasn't Icene's fault in the least bit.

He pointed to one of the medics that had stayed behind. "She took the girl's vitals. Charted everything out on their document that went to the ER. Volunteered to stay behind in case you wanted to question."

Chad watched as her team scattered and covered the area. "Only witness we can find is the two kids. If she comes through and can tell you who it was. Off to the right is where the shot came from. Might be able to find something there." Even though he knew with this guy, it was like finding a needle in a haystack.

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	sam_mm 2008-07-02 07:57 pm UTC (link)
	"OK, I'll talk to the medic first, then Travis if I can, and I need licence plates and vehicle descriptions for everything that's on the street, just in case the round wound up in something." Icene pulled a notebook from her back pocket and a pen. "Can I get copies of any and all witness statements as well? They might help to correlate a few things later?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_phreak 2008-07-02 08:07 pm UTC (link)
	Chad flipped his notebook over and started writing the demands down. He looked up once he was done writing. "Good news is that street light over there has a camera in it. Local PD trying to catch the stop light runners. I'll put in a call and get tonight's tape sent to your lab." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sam_mm 2008-07-02 08:34 pm UTC (link)
	"We might even get a break in the case on this one, god I hope so. I figure we could all do with one now." Icene smiled, "Thanks Chad, I appreciate the cooperation. Hopefully I can give you back something that will help you to nail the creep." She looked round the scene again, "Just need a bit of luck with Mr Invisible slipping up this time huh?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mm_phreak
2008-07-02 08:46 pm UTC (link)

He nodded. "Either way. A slip up from Mr Invisible or a clear shot from Mr Camera up there."

Solemnly he walked down the street with his right hand man on these cases. Jensen offered to take the left side of the street, writing down plate numbers, vehicle makes, models, and colors. Chad worked on the right. They both kept a watchful eye on any sidelong stray or misplaced things.

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	sam_mm 2008-07-02 08:55 pm UTC (link)
	Icene nodded, and then as Chad walked away she turned towards the medic, only to see Memphis with Travis and change her mind. The Medic could wait. This one couldn't. (Reply to this) (Parent)