Play@YSDC

[ooc - I'm going to keep everyone in a single thread for the morning activities. Lets try to deal with things briefly. If there's anything you want to keep secret from the others, please place it in a spoiler labeled "Private to GM" and please respect this privacy.]

The day is chilly and breezy with intermittent showers. Esposito is at his desk by eight. Dex rolls into the office about nine. Delores gets to Macy's soon after they open the doors at ten. Langdon still hasn't shown up after ten.

Dex will spend the morning catching up on paperwork, leaving notes for his partner, making some phone calls on outstanding cases, handling business with his secretary, etc.
Around 1 pm he will try to meet up with Lila for lunch, spending part of the afternoon with her before she races off to rehearsal and the evening show. He promises her that once the case is done, he will take her out to dinner and make up his absence. He makes sure to take his medicines, change his bandages, etc.

In the afternoon, he will come back to the office and make a phone call to some old Prohibition Bureau agents to see if they have some free time for this evening. He expects to strike out. He'll also clean his pistols and the revolver, packing most of his hardware in a small carryall to be distributed later. Since he has no idea what is going on, he'll give a call to his lawyer to make sure his will is up to date, then when it gets close to 4:30, he will close up shop, send the secretary home, and head out to his car to pick up Delores and Langdon.

Delores spends a very busy and rather expensive morning in Macey's. As well as a new outfit she also picks up some gossip about the secretary of one of the bigwigs at city hall. Turns out that he's been blowing his expenses on her instead of his wife. Delores tucks that particular titbit away to pick up once she's finished her current adventures.

She lunches with an old friend before returning home in the early afternoon. A long soak in the bath and an hour in front of the dressing table and she's ready. She's already out of the door as Dex is pulling up at the kerb and sounding his horn.

Esposito strikes out at his own station, but when he phones his old friends in Brooklyn they report that it looks like the 'dance' is on at the old church. They've gotten their sergeant to agree to bring about a dozen beat cops to the site, starting at seven o'clock. Dex might want to pick him up on his way to Langdon's place.

Meanwhile, Dex's federal contacts aren't interested in anything as cock-eyed as a religious cult of some kind. They're gunning for Luciano and the Dutchman these days.

I didn't expect much from my precinct. They're all too worried about their careers to actually be bothered with protecting the city.

I call up Angelo to see how he's doing, get the family story. He's a little wigged out, but there's nothing to do for that. After I hang up I call up a florist and send Siobhan some flowers I can't afford. The card says only "I'm sorry."

I take the afternoon off. I'll probably catch some flak for it, but I don't care. I spend some time riding the subway, walking through Central Park, sitting on the beach at Coney Island. Inevitably, I find myself in Hell's Kitchen in front of an Irish priest. Father O'Malley and I talk for a while about good and evil, right and wrong, laws and ethics. He's not as upset as Angelo (or maybe just better at hiding it) but I know he's concerned. He doesn't even blink when I ask him to take my confession. I've sinned, alright. (And it's been ages since my last confession.)

Lighter in heart (and heavier in Hail Marys) I head back to my place to put on my dancing shoes.

(To Jump start things...)

Dex will stop by Esposito's around 5:15 or so to pick him up, then swing towards Langdon's apartment around 5:45 to pick him up, and then drive to Delores' to pick her up by 6:15 at the latest.

Since Delores's place is closest to Dex's office (and home), I'm going to make her the first one picked up.

At 5:45, Dex pulls up outside the Murray Hill Hotel where Langdon has his suite. Franky and Delores are with him in the car.

As it starts to get darker I get more and more fidgety. To say that I've got a bad feeling about this doesn't begin to describe it. I debate taking out my flask and having a nip. I could use it. To steady my nerves. I decide to hold off, for now.

Delores shuffleson the back seat nervously, straightening her dress for the umteenth time. Frankie's fidgeting is making her edgy. "Settle down, will ya?" she nudges him, "It's just a dance, right?" She smiles wryly, trying to appear more confident than she feels.

The doorman strides over to the car. Someone needs to go inside, since Langdon's not waiting out front.

I'll go get him. I badge the doorman -- no time for games -- and head for Langdon's apartment.

Dex will stay in the car, and show Delores the satchel of firearms: two Colt .45 semi autos and a .38 revolver. Also a cosh, a switchblade, and two pairs of handcuffs.
"Anything in there you think you could use?"

Esposito's buzz is answered by Langdon's man, Jamison, who looks rather haggard. Once Esposito introduces himself, Jamison admits him to the apartment.

"Mr. Vilas has mentioned that you're a policeman, sir. I'm quite worried, as Mr. Vilas went out last night and didn't return. That woman called and invited him someplace. I suggested he should call you or Mr. Ford, but he said there was no time. She was picking him up and he 'had a chance to really get the goods on that crowd.' That was around ten-thirty last night and i haven't heard from him since. I'm quite concerned."

Damned amateurs.

"Did he say anything else? Did she come here?"

If Langdon's apartment is close enough to the door -- or if there's a convenient window -- I'll holler for Dex to come in. Otherwise I'll beat feet down to the car and bring him back up. We need to case the joint, see if he's left us any bread crumbs.

Damned amateurs.

Esposito crosses the sidewalk just under a trot and raps on Dex's window. In moments, all three are at Langdon's door, leaving the doorman with instructions not to let anybody move that car.

"I believe Mr. Vilas met her downstairs, sir. He said something about 'slumming in Red Hook.'"

Dex gets out when he hears Esposito's words. He opens the door for Delores, grabs his satchel, and then follows him into the building and then up to Langdon's apartment. "Are you telling me he went with the woman even after everything he knows? Is he trying to be a hero?"

He carefully places the satchel on the floor by the door. He then looks about the apartment. "Where do want me to start, detective?"

"I think he wanted to impress you gentlemen," says Jamison in a dispirited tone, "Is there anything I should do?"

"Check the bedroom -- maybe he's got an appointment book or something. Delores -- check around the phone for a message pad. Maybe he wrote down an address. I'm going to go talk to the doorman."

I'll ask this guy the usual -- did he see them leave, what time, was it the red coupe, etc. Not that any of it's going to help. When that futile exercise is over I'll head back up and see if my cohorts have found anything.

Langdon's appointment book is by the phone, but nothing is entered beyond 'Dinner at Flannigans.'

The doorman tells Esposito that Mr. Vilas got home last night, but came down again less than a half hour later. A red coupe pulled up and Mr. Vilas got in. He believes it was a dark-haired woman driving. He hasn't seen him since.

Dex will search Langdon's flat (making spends as necessary) and if he doesn't find anything, he will meet up with Delores. "Anything?"
If the answer is no, he will find Esposito, making sure Delores is with them. "I think we should check the damn dance. It's likely she dragged him off there. Didn't you say they were some sort of cult....which would make Langdon a sacrifice?"

Nothing is found that would indicate where he might have gone. Esposito returns from questioning the doorman.

Jamison says, "Mr. Vilas didn't change clothes. He went in the casual suit he had worn all day. He didn't take his cheque-book or any extra cash. His office called about noon, wondering where he was. I told them he had been called away on a family matter and that I was remiss in not telephoning to let them know."

Everyone finally concludes there's nothing helpful to be found.

Dex glances at Delores and Esposito. "Since there isn't anything here useful, let's just head off to this "dance" and add "saving Langdon" into the mix of things we need to do. Agreed?"

"Just the three of us?" asks Delores, chewing nervously on her lower lip. "Are we going to be safe? It was enough of a worry when I thought there would be four of us."

"Miss Brown, nobody will think any less of you if you don't want to go." I'm completely sincere, trying to gently nudge her into not going. "Me, I'd feel better knowing you were out of danger. Dex and I, we're trained for this sort of thing. And it's my job. You two are civilians, you shouldn't have to be involved in this sort of thing at all. You could stay with the car, be ready to get help if, well, if things get a little hot."

Delores flushed. "I don't want to let anyone down," she said quietly. She sniffed and looked up. "Besides, I think I'd rather be with you gentlemen, rather than being left behind on the car."

I'd argue with her, but I can see there's no point. I'm not even going to try with Dex -- he's too hard-headed to listen.

"Suit yourself. Just be careful, okay?"

Delores laughed weakly and glanced away demurely. "Don't worry, Mr Esposito. I won't be going far from you three gentlemen."

The Red Hook thread is ready to go.

Dex pops open the trunk as he heads back out to the car. He makes sure the little sawed off shotgun is unloaded, the shells are in the box, and then takes the mechanic's carryall it has been stored in with him. He passes the carry all to Delores.

"I couldn't get you a rifle in the time we had, and you said you weren't very good with a pistol, so this should be a decent alternative. She kicks a bit when fired, but if you make sure you have a firm grip on the forestock when you fire, well you will have a decent weapon with a great deal of power behind it. And there should be more than enough shells."

He looks at Esposito. "I take it you are packing plenty of heat?"

Delores glances into the bag, her eyes widening in surprise as she sees the sawn-off. "I've fired my daddy's shotgun when I lived on the farm so I can handle this. Thank you, Dex." She smiles wanly, but not enough to drive away the concern from showing in her eyes.