Difference between revisions of "Jacqueline Speirs"

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==Most recent entry==
 
==Most recent entry==
===A Dog, a Murder Mystery, and Being the Messenger Who Gets Shot At===
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===Death of a DJ Man===
A few days went by quietly after the meeting at Anthony's. On Thursday Paul and I were out on a drive and as we were passing by King Street Station, I saw Vince on the corner with a really tall, wiry, PALE guy who I figured was Kindred. I had Paul honk to catch his attention and when I saw that it didn't seem like he was in a hurry, I had him pull over and let me out. I was curious as to who this guy was and wanted to meet him. Vince introduced him as Sarkozy, his sire! He seemed a teensy bit edgy around me, but to be honest, I'm getting kinda used to people not being overly friendly with me. Sigh... We call ourselves "Kindred" but it sure seems to take a long time for us to even establish a connection remotely resembling kin!
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On Thursday night I got a text from Gabe asking if I was still looking for Little Jim because he was at the Capitol Club where he was spinning tonight! I told him I'd be there in 5 minutes. When I got in, cover-free, of course, I didn't see Little Jim, nor was there anyone on stage, but it looked like a DJ's equipment was still up there. I asked a guy nearby if he knew what was going on and said that there was a DJ, but must be on break. I waited for about 20 minutes, but he still didn't show up so I decided to go look for him. I charmed my way past security to let me into the back rooms. I'm with the DJ, okay?
  
Vince said Mike wanted to meet up at the diner on 4th in SoDo. I tagged along. We made our way down the street and a few blocks away from our destination, we saw Jericho sitting at the sculputre-bench thingie with a statue sitting on one half of the bench. He was just sitting there, staring up at the night sky, but he looked a bit cleaner cut than usual. I bounded over to him and gave him a hug in greeting. He patted me on the shoulder and when Vince and Sarkozy caught up, he said hello to them and asked if any of us knew anything about astronomy. Huh? That's kind of a weird question. None of us did so Jericho just nodded and pointed up at a constellation above us saying he thought it was Gemini. I didn't know what to make of this, but I didn't dwell on it since Jericho asked us to move along because he has some thinking to do.
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The back area was a hallway with three doors, two on the right. The first one was a restroom and was locked. A guy grumbled from behind the door saying it was occupied. The next door was slightly ajar and peeking in, I could see that it looked like a dressing room. I saw a mirror and there was a message scrawled in what looked like red lipstick on it, but it was backwards so it must be a reflection. I poked my head inside and to my horror, saw that it wasn't lipstick at all... unless some weird brand makes drippy, copper-smelling lipstick. It was another message written in blood. This time it said "Dialogs? Ascend to the Void abomination!" On the floor in front of the dressing table was a woman lying in a pool of what looked like her own blood. In the corner of the room, there was a knocked over chair and a pair of legs sticking out so  I crept over there to confirm what I already knew. It was Gabe. He had a stake through his chest and his skin was shriveled up starting around his mouth. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!!
  
About a block or so down, I got a call from an unfamiliar number. I normally don't answer if I don't recognize the number, but on a whim, I picked up. The voice on the other end of the line made me stop dead in my tracks; it was Genevieve! She apologized for calling me when I hadn't given her my number (well, she's the damn Prince; I'm sure she has connections to all kinds of violations of privacy!) and said that she had a request of me. She said she was going to be opening up part of her territory, the two buildings next to the cathedral on the Seattle University campus, as Elysium for everyone to use, and was going to be holding a series of concerts for the next several weeks. The shows were mostly going to be religious in nature, but some were big name organizations like the Vienna Boys Choir and the Boston Pops Orchestra! Genevieve said that she has already spoken to the Sanctified, but asked that I spread the word and make sure everyone knew of this invitation. Of course, I agreed, but... why me?? She also asked that I get in touch with her when I arrive at the concert because she wanted to talk to me about something. Hrm...
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I knew Gabe was Invictus so I whipped out my phone and called Blade. Dammit! Straight to voicemail. Can't a damn elder make sure his phone is charged?!?! I left a hasty voicemail saying it was an emergency and to call me back as soon as he could. I stepped out of the room to look for a back entrance and found one, but it was patrolled by a security guard. I had no trouble convincing him to let some people in if they had the code word "orange" and to direct them to the dressing room. I went back to the room after making the arrangements and sent a mass text to Mike, Vince, and Xavier saying it was an emergency and to come to Capitol Club right away to the back entrance with the code word. As I paced around the room waiting for them, it crossed my mind that the guard must think I have some strange and varied tastes in men considering the party who was about to show up.
  
I relayed the news to Vince and Sarkozy since they were right there and told them I'd meet them at the diner. I ran back to Jericho who was sitting just as I found him earlier and told him the news. What was strange was that he finished my sentence when I said the Vienna Boys Choir was going to be one of the shows. I asked him how he knew and he said he didn't know. I couldn't tell if he really didn't know or just didn't want to tell me, but I didn't press it. I just wrapped my arms around his shoulders from behind to say goodbye and he told me to take care of myself as he tousled my hair. I told him the same.
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Xavier was the first to arrive. He took one look around, got some stuff from his car, and asked me to stay out of the room while he documents the scene. Mike was next to show. I told him what was going on and he asked if I was okay. I asked him to stand guard here because I was curious what the other room was. When I opened the door, I saw a man and a woman seated on a couch inside and the man demanded what the hell I wanted. I hastily apologized and let them do their lines in peace. Vince arrived shortly after and as soon as I filled him in on what had happened, he said he should get a hold of Blade since Gabe was one of their boys. Just as I said I left him a message, I got a call from him. I told him what had happened and that I thought he should come down, and he said he'd be there in 10.
  
When I got to the diner, Mike was talking about a favor Elena asked of him. Apparently one of her retainers, Nicolai, was missing. Our lead was to look for him in the Three Pines area of Seatac. It was known that he was a good bowler so we decided to make Federal Way Lanes our first stop. I told Mike and Xavier about Genevieve's message, and in true fashion, they both started freaking out that it was a set up and that people were up to something.
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I decided to wait for him just outside the door. When Carlos' truck pulled up, Blade got out and I ran up to him. I explained that that I hadn't told him the reason why I ended up here in the first place so I relayed the info that I got a text from Gabe saying he saw Little Jim here, but by the time I got here, he was no where to be found. Blade nodded along to my story and when I was done, told Carlos to go pull the fire alarm and that he would take care of the crowd. The rest of us poked around the dressing room trying to find anything out of the ordinary. The only thing I found was Gabe's phone which had Nicolai's and Evgeni's, both Elena's retainers, numbers in the contacts list. I let Mike know of this because it sounded a bit strange. We waited around until Xavier finished his work and because he wanted the bodies for a full autopsy, he got the idea to have me open up some loudspeakers to cart them out in. I thought it was brilliant; they're JBLs anyway.
  
I rode with Xavier and Mike down to the bowling alley and immediately went to the bar area to see if there was anyone I could make eyes with for later. I didn't get to look around much because when I looked back to where Mike was seated, I noticed he was being approached by two Kindred: a woman who was seated and a man standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders. The air seemed tense so I made my way over there. I overheard the guy saying "are you messin' with my lady...?" so I mocked him by putting my hands on Mike's shoulders saying "I think your lady was messin' with  my man." Oh, I could almost HEAR Mike blushing! When the pair were told that we weren't here to take over their (crappy) land, they eased up. We told them we were looking for Nicolai and they said a guy down a few lanes was on the same bowling league.
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After an hour or so, the crowds dissipated and we had done all we could do. I caught one of the security guards I saw inside the club and asked him when the DJ went on break. He told me a few minutes before 10pm. On my way home I checked the time stamp on my texts and he had contacted me around 9:45pm. Of all the time windows...
  
This guy, Jose, was quite sloshed already and given that Mike had the forethought to order a pitcher of whatever they were having to bring with us, he gave us what information he had. He hadn't seen Nicolai for a few days either, but had his phone number and knew he lived in Briarwood. Vince and I actually bowled a game with the guys while Mike pinpointed the exact unit and after I took Jose aside for a quick bite, we were on our way.
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The following night the first person on my mind was Jericho. I hadn't seen him in a little while and because he was acting so strange the last time, I thought I'd pay him a visit. Plus, given another murder and someone still missing, I would feel better seeing those I care about with my own eyes. I left him a note in our usual spot while secretly hoping he'll get a more modern way of communication soon.
  
The unit was supposedly 253. After knocking, there wasn't an answer, but some barking from a dog on the other side of the door. Xavier was going to pick the locks open, but Mike asked them to wait to try the concerned neighbor approach. I thought it was a bad idea, especially if we were going to break in if we had no other option, but he went ahead and knocked on the door before I had a chance to protest. A grumpy looking dude answered the door and asked what Mike wanted. He described Nicolai, but Mr. Cheerful hadn't seen him in a few days and just hears the dog barking. Mike turned and nudged me, but the guy shut the door before I could talk to him. Just as well. I'd rather not be recognized. So we were back to plan A.  
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Mike sent me a text saying Sarkozy managed to get surveillance tapes of the club and that we should come to the Seattle City Library to go over them and the photos Xavier had too. We rented out a media room and started playing the tape of the club's main floor. Gabe was up on stage and though it was grainy, it looked as though he did mess around with what could be a phone while on stage so that part of the story was plausible. He stepped off the stage a few moments later and went into the back. We switched the tape to the one of the hallway in the back. We saw Gabe walk into his room with a woman in tow. Then a man dressed in Carhartt's and a hat, looking like an electrician, came out of the room and went into the room next to it; the bathroom. A chill washed over me. Not 30 seconds later, I came into the hallway and knocked on the very door the killer was behind. As soon as I went into the dressing room, the man stepped out of the bathroom and walked out the door. I hung my head. We scrolled back to the middle of the day and saw this guy walking into the room around noon. So we can at least rule out that he's Kindred so that would make him just a well-educated mortal or a retainer. Sarkozy and Vince seemed like they were onto something, relating this back to Genevieve, but I had had enough so I said goodnight and went home. Fuck, the killer was RIGHT THERE!!
  
Xavier popped the lock and a retriever came barreling towards the door, barking it's flippin' head off! I stepped in, found a box of biscuits, and gave him a couple. That seemed to calm him down a bit. He was really unhappy about us being here, but quieted down enough for us to step in and at least shut the door. His food and water bowls were empty so I refilled them and he started SCARFING it down. He must have been without food for several days. The place was really clean, spotless even, except for a few doggie messes and a stench that made your stomach turn. We started poking around but when we tried to get near the closed bedroom door, the dog abandoned his food, stood in front of it and snarled. Knowing it was probably where we needed to go, I offered to take the dog out for a walk. He reluctantly came along, and probably only because I had a few treats in my pocket to lure him away. As soon as we got outside though, he seemed pretty happy to be running around.
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I was playing a Saturday show for a change so it was nice to take a break from all this private eye bullshit and just sing. It felt great!
  
When we got back, I took one look in the room and immediately regretted it. It was quite the gruesome scene. Nicolai had his head severed and a message, "Where are your Kindred now?" was written on the wall in blood. Great. Now we had a murder mystery, needing to cover up the fact we were present at a crime scene, and a furry witness who didn't particularly care for us too much. I wondered aloud if Blade or Jericho, being Gangrel, would have the ability to speak to beasts. Vince didn't think Blade did, didn't know about Jericho, but Sarkozy chimed in saying that Rafael was actually known to do that. I ignored the groans coming from Mike and Xavier. Our plan was to have Xavier erase any evidence we were here, leave, and Mike would put a call into the police pretending to be a burglar who stumbled upon a dead body. I can't say I agreed with the decision, but I didn't have any other ideas so I got a ride with Vince and Sarkozy out of there.
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Then Sunday came the first of the it-must-have-been-horribly-expensive-to-get-them-here series of shows put on by Genevieve. I put that dress to good use again and went up to Seattle U. I saw a few familiar faces, including a guy who gave me a wax sealed envelope. It was a note of thanks from Genevieve. We all had box seats for the concert and I met up with Rafael as planned. I looked around before the show started and saw some Kindred who must have been from Tacoma in the audience. Strangely, though, I didn't see any of the Seattle Sanctified; not even Genevieve herself! The concert started before I could put too much thought into it and it was spectacular. Classical music always makes me wistful and misty-eyed.  
  
On the way, I texted Rafael and asked him to meet me at the dog park on Pike and Boren. Just as I got dropped off, I got a text from Mike saying he knows of someone who could talk to the dog. When I told him I was just about to meet Rafael to do just that, he sent a rather frazzled response asking me not to because the dog was now technically Elena's because his owner was Elena's retainer and she wouldn't like him getting involved, blahbitty blah, blah... He asked me to just keep the dog safe for a night. Hm. That should be easy, considering I have no where to go that's dog friendly!! What the hell did he expect me to do?! He said I could go to some guy named Earl's place and gave me an address. The sun was due up too soon for me to give him a piece of my mind for making me cancel on Rafael now, plus I was making Rafael wait even more so I grudgingly agreed and ran down to meet him.
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After the show, we gathered in the mezzanine and that was when Genevieve and Liam showed up. Genevieve made a motion to make an announcement of thanks for coming, but only got a word or two in before her features hardened at the sight of Sarkozy. She demanded to know what he was doing here and when he mentioned that he got into town about a week ago, she EXPLODED. She was appalled that he had been in for so long and hadn't presented himself yet. He claimed to have been trying to get in touch with her, but she paid no attention and said that if he weren't gone by tomorrow, his life would be forfeit. Whoa... She gave her speech and afterwards, turned to Blade with an odd smile and asked why he had been calling. Blade's face twisted in frustration and he stormed out.
  
I let the dog run around in the fenced area and stood just outside of it with Rafael. He looked really concerned about me and asked what was going on. I really hated keeping things from him, but since I was specifically asked not to, I apologetically said that there was an incident, but I couldn't go into any details. He looked at me sympathetically and said that it was sad my compatriots didn't trust him when he has shown them nothing but kindness. Ugh... I don't need any more guilt than I have, Rafael! I keep telling them the same thing! I apologized for dragging him out here for nothing, but said that it was good to see him. He understood, but that he was likely to be busy the next couple days and might need my assistance in return for coming out tonight. I agreed, but I must have looked remorseful because he said he had a gift for me. He gave me a little bottle, saying to use it as protection. He thinks there are dangerous times coming.
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I took Genevieve aside because she had asked to speak to me at the concert and she asked if I had come to a decision on her proposition. I squirmed a little and told her I was still thinking about it, but she just smiled and said to come see her when I was ready. I feel like I'd be more at ease if she were doling out death sentences rather than making pleasantries... I found Rafael again in the crowd and he was talking to a gentleman who he introduced as Jim Ables from Tacoma. Apparently they go way back... like everyone else in the city, it seems. They invited me to come along with them to the Tacoma Museum of Glass which I accepted. I've only seen pictures of the place so I was excited to be able to see it in person.
  
Just before we parted ways, I told Rafael about the concerts Genevieve was holding. He asked if he could meet me at the show so of course, I agreed. Hey! Maybe I can wear that amazing dress again! When I got to the address Mike sent me, a nerdy looking guy around my age answered and let me in. Man, was he nervous!! Mike sure knows how to seek out his own paranoid kind to make friends with! The dog seemed to take a liking to him though so that made me feel a bit relieved. Mike showed up after an hour or so and I took him up on the suggestion to take a nice long bath while they nerded out. I went to bed surprisingly relaxed.
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Why is it that everyone is so wary of Rafael, but yet he's the one of the ones who gives me the most feeling of normalcy?
 
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When I woke up, Mike and Earl were making preparations to go meet with his dog whisperer. I took Mike aside and told him that his contact had better work out because I may have lost mine. I noticed I was a little edgy in my tone mostly from Mike's apologetic reaction. I took the opportunity to add in that it was sad no one seemed to trust Rafael to push the point a little further.
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After they left, I set out to complete my Genevieve task by finding everyone else I needed to talk to. I called Gabe on my way down to the pier since I had to talk to Sam in person. Gabe got the message after a bit of shouting over the music he was spinning. Next I called Elena and got voice mail, so I left a message and asked her to contact me to confirm she got the message. A few moments later, I got a text from her saying she got it.
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Remembering my last incident walking near Sam's territory, I played it safe and stood at the corner at the very edge of his place, hoping he'll show up some time. I saw Vince wandering around so I called him over and we started chatting and Xavier coincidentally showed up on his Vespa on his way somewhere too. He was stopped at a light and I thought it was a bit strange that a car going across the road had stopped because they should have a green. Well, well, who should show up but fucking VINCENZO again!! He and three of his goons aimed guns at us from their El Camino so Vince and I ducked for cover behind a cement barrier just before shots were fired. Xavier actually ran over a guy with his scooter! Vincenzo threw a cheap shot of tossing a concussion grenade at us. Just as I was about to run out to tear him apart despite the shot guns and rifles, a motorcycle came BLAZING by and ran up with a wheelie on the divider in the street. As the rider was about to pass Vincenzo, he drew a fricken cavalry sabre and lopped his head off. Thus, Vincenzo was no more. Our savior looped around and stopped in front of us, lifted his visor with the tip of the blade and it was Liam! Looking pointedly at Vince, he said "you're welcome!", then turned to me and said "let it be known that we listened to your complaints. I'm not going to have some fucker from Everett shooting up our town!", and tore off. Wow.
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I got out of there as fast as I could. I went around to the other edge of Sam's territory and hung around there. He showed up and asked what was going on. I told him briefly what happened and he said he took care of the noise complaint from the kine by saying it was just the construction. Good. At least that was one less thing to worry about. I told him what was going on at Seattle U, and cleared the air about our last meeting. He said that it was in the past and to not worry about it. Feeling relieved, I left and headed towards Beacon Hill to try to find Little Jim.
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On my way there, I got a call from another unfamiliar number. Given the track record so far, I figured I had better answer and picked up. It was The Eye. He asked me to meet him around 2am at a coffee shop on Broadway. We both knew why, so I agreed.
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When I got to Jim's place, I knocked on the door for a while and didn't get a response so I called Vince. I told him I was just outside Jim's place and asked if he could meet me there. I was a bit concerned because no one had seen him in a long time, and given the demise Nicolai met, I didn't think it was out of the question to wonder if Jim met the same fate. Vince was a bit unsure, but he picked the lock and we looked around the place. No sign of him, living nor dead, but I did find a box in a closet with a commercial grade whetstone and some SHARP knives. It was getting close to 2 so I had Vince take me up to Broadway for my meeting with The Eye.
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The testimony went normally. He asked me what happened and I told him the truth. When he asked me who the motorcyclist was, I hesitated. I was fairly sure this was a self defense situation and Mister The Eye was too, but he couldn't guarantee that my savior wouldn't be in trouble. I certianly didn't want it on my conscience that I got my him in trouble for murdering a murderous rogue so I said I was prepared for any consequences for obstructing an investigation. I plead the fifth. Luckily it didn't seem like it was a big deal and he let me go. Unlife sure seems to be full of excitement...
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I had Blade, Dennis, and Little Jim left on my list of people to pass along the invitation from Genevieve. I didn't know how to get in touch with Dennis, but knew he was Invictus so I called Blade first thing the next night since I needed to talk to him anyway. To my surprise, he actually answered. I gave him the info and asked how find Dennis. He said that he was right there so he'll pass along the word. I asked politely to have him text me when he gets the message so I know for sure. I just didn't want to fuck up a Genevieve Job.
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Blade then took a bit of a serious tone with me asking if I had seen Jericho. I said the last time I saw him was two days ago and then it dawned on me that it was strange Blade was asking others about his own childe so I panicked a little. He said that he was acting a little strange and asked if I noticed anything out of the ordinary. I told him that he looked cleaner cut which didn't sit well with Blade. When I asked him what he's noticed, he said he was asking what the brightest star in the Gemini constellation was so I told him about the time I ran into him on the way to the diner and how he somehow knew about the Vienna Boys Choir before I told him about it. I could tell Blade was concerned about this and said that he knew Jericho was trying to figure out who made an attack on him so if I knew anything, to work together with him. I said that I definitely would as I wanted to know who the fucker was too. I asked, though I knew he was closer to him than me, but because Jericho was the closest to a friend I had in the city, to keep me posted about him. Blade seemed to understand and said he would.
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I called Genevieve after I got off the phone with Blade and told her I talked to everyone outside of the Sanctified except for Little Jim. She thanked me for completing the job and then mentioned she had a proposition for me concerning Rafael. I had a sense that this was going to cause or at least end in chaos so I told her I'd have to think about it for a few days. She mentioned it was all she asked and she had to figure out which job she wanted me to do for the deal anyway so we'll get back in touch in a bit. Oh boy...
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==Previous entries==
 
==Previous entries==
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===[[FIRE! And Thanks, Paganini]]===
 
===[[FIRE! And Thanks, Paganini]]===
 
===[[Anthony's and Mister The Eye]]===
 
===[[Anthony's and Mister The Eye]]===
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===[[A Dog, a Murder Mystery, and Being the Messenger Who Gets Shot At]]===

Revision as of 04:12, 29 April 2010

Jacqueline.jpg

Background

Jacqueline is a year-old neonate Gangrel who has the appearance of a 21-year old punk rocker. She is new to the Seattle area from Boston (or so she claims) and is the vocalist and frontman of the punk band Seven (no relation to VII). She resides at the bar/club where she performs most at the edge of downtown. At first, she had no covenant ties due to being so new to Kindred life, but after witnessing things nearly erupting in a war, she is extremely hesitant to even consider joining one for resentment at being used as a pawn. Though she has her secrets, being the new kid and having no one to even truly call a friend, she is quite naive and may get herself into trouble just by following her heart to what she thinks is salvation from her loneliness.

Territory

Not officially a domain, but Jacqueline has been known to hang around the club, El Corazon, often. Her band performs there regularly so the owners and employees know of her and give her nearly free reign of the place.

Retainers

Paul Holloway

Notebook

They say inspiration can come from anywhere. I don't know who "they" are, but given that I have quite a bit of time on my hands, I suppose I can give their theory a thorough test. So here I am writing in a little black notebook about the daily events of my alleged life. Maybe some hack will want to publish it for me to become the next Anne Frank (I don't recommend it, wannabe publisher), but the hope is that maybe "they'll" be right and I'll get inspired for a song or two out of all this. So let's begin from when I arrived in the emerald city.

Most recent entry

Death of a DJ Man

On Thursday night I got a text from Gabe asking if I was still looking for Little Jim because he was at the Capitol Club where he was spinning tonight! I told him I'd be there in 5 minutes. When I got in, cover-free, of course, I didn't see Little Jim, nor was there anyone on stage, but it looked like a DJ's equipment was still up there. I asked a guy nearby if he knew what was going on and said that there was a DJ, but must be on break. I waited for about 20 minutes, but he still didn't show up so I decided to go look for him. I charmed my way past security to let me into the back rooms. I'm with the DJ, okay?

The back area was a hallway with three doors, two on the right. The first one was a restroom and was locked. A guy grumbled from behind the door saying it was occupied. The next door was slightly ajar and peeking in, I could see that it looked like a dressing room. I saw a mirror and there was a message scrawled in what looked like red lipstick on it, but it was backwards so it must be a reflection. I poked my head inside and to my horror, saw that it wasn't lipstick at all... unless some weird brand makes drippy, copper-smelling lipstick. It was another message written in blood. This time it said "Dialogs? Ascend to the Void abomination!" On the floor in front of the dressing table was a woman lying in a pool of what looked like her own blood. In the corner of the room, there was a knocked over chair and a pair of legs sticking out so I crept over there to confirm what I already knew. It was Gabe. He had a stake through his chest and his skin was shriveled up starting around his mouth. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!!

I knew Gabe was Invictus so I whipped out my phone and called Blade. Dammit! Straight to voicemail. Can't a damn elder make sure his phone is charged?!?! I left a hasty voicemail saying it was an emergency and to call me back as soon as he could. I stepped out of the room to look for a back entrance and found one, but it was patrolled by a security guard. I had no trouble convincing him to let some people in if they had the code word "orange" and to direct them to the dressing room. I went back to the room after making the arrangements and sent a mass text to Mike, Vince, and Xavier saying it was an emergency and to come to Capitol Club right away to the back entrance with the code word. As I paced around the room waiting for them, it crossed my mind that the guard must think I have some strange and varied tastes in men considering the party who was about to show up.

Xavier was the first to arrive. He took one look around, got some stuff from his car, and asked me to stay out of the room while he documents the scene. Mike was next to show. I told him what was going on and he asked if I was okay. I asked him to stand guard here because I was curious what the other room was. When I opened the door, I saw a man and a woman seated on a couch inside and the man demanded what the hell I wanted. I hastily apologized and let them do their lines in peace. Vince arrived shortly after and as soon as I filled him in on what had happened, he said he should get a hold of Blade since Gabe was one of their boys. Just as I said I left him a message, I got a call from him. I told him what had happened and that I thought he should come down, and he said he'd be there in 10.

I decided to wait for him just outside the door. When Carlos' truck pulled up, Blade got out and I ran up to him. I explained that that I hadn't told him the reason why I ended up here in the first place so I relayed the info that I got a text from Gabe saying he saw Little Jim here, but by the time I got here, he was no where to be found. Blade nodded along to my story and when I was done, told Carlos to go pull the fire alarm and that he would take care of the crowd. The rest of us poked around the dressing room trying to find anything out of the ordinary. The only thing I found was Gabe's phone which had Nicolai's and Evgeni's, both Elena's retainers, numbers in the contacts list. I let Mike know of this because it sounded a bit strange. We waited around until Xavier finished his work and because he wanted the bodies for a full autopsy, he got the idea to have me open up some loudspeakers to cart them out in. I thought it was brilliant; they're JBLs anyway.

After an hour or so, the crowds dissipated and we had done all we could do. I caught one of the security guards I saw inside the club and asked him when the DJ went on break. He told me a few minutes before 10pm. On my way home I checked the time stamp on my texts and he had contacted me around 9:45pm. Of all the time windows...

The following night the first person on my mind was Jericho. I hadn't seen him in a little while and because he was acting so strange the last time, I thought I'd pay him a visit. Plus, given another murder and someone still missing, I would feel better seeing those I care about with my own eyes. I left him a note in our usual spot while secretly hoping he'll get a more modern way of communication soon.

Mike sent me a text saying Sarkozy managed to get surveillance tapes of the club and that we should come to the Seattle City Library to go over them and the photos Xavier had too. We rented out a media room and started playing the tape of the club's main floor. Gabe was up on stage and though it was grainy, it looked as though he did mess around with what could be a phone while on stage so that part of the story was plausible. He stepped off the stage a few moments later and went into the back. We switched the tape to the one of the hallway in the back. We saw Gabe walk into his room with a woman in tow. Then a man dressed in Carhartt's and a hat, looking like an electrician, came out of the room and went into the room next to it; the bathroom. A chill washed over me. Not 30 seconds later, I came into the hallway and knocked on the very door the killer was behind. As soon as I went into the dressing room, the man stepped out of the bathroom and walked out the door. I hung my head. We scrolled back to the middle of the day and saw this guy walking into the room around noon. So we can at least rule out that he's Kindred so that would make him just a well-educated mortal or a retainer. Sarkozy and Vince seemed like they were onto something, relating this back to Genevieve, but I had had enough so I said goodnight and went home. Fuck, the killer was RIGHT THERE!!

I was playing a Saturday show for a change so it was nice to take a break from all this private eye bullshit and just sing. It felt great!

Then Sunday came the first of the it-must-have-been-horribly-expensive-to-get-them-here series of shows put on by Genevieve. I put that dress to good use again and went up to Seattle U. I saw a few familiar faces, including a guy who gave me a wax sealed envelope. It was a note of thanks from Genevieve. We all had box seats for the concert and I met up with Rafael as planned. I looked around before the show started and saw some Kindred who must have been from Tacoma in the audience. Strangely, though, I didn't see any of the Seattle Sanctified; not even Genevieve herself! The concert started before I could put too much thought into it and it was spectacular. Classical music always makes me wistful and misty-eyed.

After the show, we gathered in the mezzanine and that was when Genevieve and Liam showed up. Genevieve made a motion to make an announcement of thanks for coming, but only got a word or two in before her features hardened at the sight of Sarkozy. She demanded to know what he was doing here and when he mentioned that he got into town about a week ago, she EXPLODED. She was appalled that he had been in for so long and hadn't presented himself yet. He claimed to have been trying to get in touch with her, but she paid no attention and said that if he weren't gone by tomorrow, his life would be forfeit. Whoa... She gave her speech and afterwards, turned to Blade with an odd smile and asked why he had been calling. Blade's face twisted in frustration and he stormed out.

I took Genevieve aside because she had asked to speak to me at the concert and she asked if I had come to a decision on her proposition. I squirmed a little and told her I was still thinking about it, but she just smiled and said to come see her when I was ready. I feel like I'd be more at ease if she were doling out death sentences rather than making pleasantries... I found Rafael again in the crowd and he was talking to a gentleman who he introduced as Jim Ables from Tacoma. Apparently they go way back... like everyone else in the city, it seems. They invited me to come along with them to the Tacoma Museum of Glass which I accepted. I've only seen pictures of the place so I was excited to be able to see it in person.

Why is it that everyone is so wary of Rafael, but yet he's the one of the ones who gives me the most feeling of normalcy?

Previous entries

Welcome to Seattle. Solve This Crime.

The Graveyard Scavenger Hunt

All Tense on the Western Front

Death Sentence and a Murder

A Night at the Opera

FIRE! And Thanks, Paganini

Anthony's and Mister The Eye

A Dog, a Murder Mystery, and Being the Messenger Who Gets Shot At