Tue Sept 5 - Dex

[Delores Brown]

OOC,Are we out of sequence? Presumably the arrest of Koslov hasn't yet taken place in Delores timeline?

[Gaffer]

OoC,[color=#FF8000]Hard to say. What does Delores do?[/color]

[Delores Brown]

When Langdon barges into Raymond's office, Delores drops the magazine she's reading and follows him in.

[Gaffer]

As Delores enters the office, a tall man, impeccably dressed, is standing behind his desk, his hand extended to Langdon, "Did you catch him, Deputy?" he asks while Langdon shakes his hand. Leaning against the desk is the parcel that contains the painting.

Before Langdon can answer, a short man, built like a fireplug, strides in behind Delores. "We got him, Mr. Raymond. My men are putting him in the car now. This the evidence?"

Raymond looks nonplussed, "Who are you?"

"Assistant Sheriff Lapham, sir, in charge of the operation." He grins uncertainly at Langdon and Delores.

Raymond blinks once and picks up a slip of paper from his desk, "This is the receipt he signed for the money. But..."

"Splendid!" Lapham barks, "That should make it airtight. Mr. Burton will be pleased. Well, I won't take up any more of your time, sir." He nods to Langdon and Delores, picks up the painting, and bustles out of the office.

Langdon,Burton is the senior partner in Burton, Eliot & Finney, Inc., Koslov's landlords.

Mr. Raymond gives Langdon and Delores a baleful look, "Now who exactly are you people? And why are you in my office?"

[Delores Brown]

"Wait a minute," says Delores, as Lapham heads for the door, "Who are you exactly and where are you taking that?" She points at the painting, but her eyes never leave the man's face. He looks shifty and something about his manner makes Delores think there's something up.

[Gaffer]

"Don't know what business it is of yours, lady," the man said, pulling out his badge.

"I'm Assistant Sheriff Lapham. I am taking this evidence of fraud to the New York City Sheriff's office where it'll be held in the evidence locker until the trial. Satisfied?" With that he turns and walks out of the office.

[Delores Brown]

"If it's in the public interest, then it's my business," replied Delores sharply, pulling her press card out of her handbag. "Why has Mr Koslov been arrested?"

[Gaffer]

Lapham blows out a disgusted breath. "I'm not at liberty to comment on a case that has not yet been set before the grand jury, Miss..." he takes her wrist and leans close to read her credentials, "...Brown. But 'informed sources' say it's a result of a dispute with his landlords over failure to pay back rent. That's all you'll get outta me, sister." He turns on his heel and is out the door to a waiting car with the Sheriff's insignia on the side and a uniformed deputy driving..

[Delores Brown]

OOC,Missed rent? Wouldn't that be a civil rather than criminal matter? Sorry, my knowledge of US property law isn't up to speed.

[Gaffer]

Delores,[color=#FF4000]In many U.S. jurisdictions county sheriffs serve as the investigative and enforcement arm for civil courts. They serve subpoenas and eviction notices and carry out physical evictions when necessary. They also serve warrants of various kinds. This may be the function of bailiffs in the U.K.? They may also make arrents on the orders of judges dealing with civil issues for failure to answer subpoenas, contempt and the like. They often have separate lock-up facilities from the police with whom there is often considerable rivalry. In this case, Koslov has claimed that most of the paintings in his possession were not his property, but on consignment from artists, many of whom he didn't have contact information for. He's been lured into trying to sell one of these when the court restrained him from doing so. He'll be charged with a number of infractions, including fraud.[/color]

[Dexter Ford]

Dex will notice the Sheriff's Deputies leaving again, and this time he will exit his parked car and head into the building, to see what is going on with Delores and Langdon.
If the secretary gives him any grief, he'll bluff his way through as an "official type" looking for his colleagues.

[Gaffer]

The receptionist looks pretty dazed as Dex walks past. Obviously, things are rarely so hectic around here.

Lapham almost collides with him on his way out the door with the parcel, "'Scuse it, please."


Mr. Raymond's glare includes Dex this time, "Again I ask, who exactly are you people? And why are you in my office?"

[Lammomedes]

Mr. Raymond's glare includes Dex this time, "Again I ask, who exactly are you people? And why are you in my office?"

Dex glances at Delores and Langdon, making sure they are okay. He then pulls his ID for a second time, revealing it to the attorney. "The name is Dex Ford, and I am private investigator, tracking down a client who has gone missing, and these nice people are my friends and assisting in this matter for a variety of reasons. Our trail led us to your client, recently removed by the Sheriff's Office, and thus to whomever is buying his paintings, or whatever he was doing here. So my question simply put, Mr. Raymond" glancing at the desk plate to make sure "is on which side of the issue are you going to fall. Those who are helping us put an end to the mystery, or one of those who find themselves eventually arrested by the authorities?"

[Gaffer]

Raymond sits at his desk, gesturing for the others to take either a chair or the sofa. He considers Dex's words for a few moments.

"Mr. Ford, I am bound by attorney-client confidentiality and can only go so far in answering your questions.

"That said, the man who was a target of the Sheriff's Office investigation is in no way my client. I am involved in this as a favor to a friend, one of his landlords whom he has been defrauding. I also am an officer of the court (all attorneys are, technically) and the man has been lying to the court as well.

"I have helped the Sheriff's deputies prove his duplicity and now - unless I am called on to testify against him - my involvement is at an end. I know nothing about a missing person nor am I interested in one."

He smiles at the three in his office, "I trust that settles the matter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to and it is getting rather late in the day." He stands, gesturing to the door.

[Delores Brown]

Delores glances at Dex, puzzled. "You're telling us that you merely played Koslov as a patsy just to prove he wasn't legit?" she asks Raymond.

[Gaffer]

"Yes," Raymond answers, "As I was asked to do by my friend and instructed by Sheriff Lapham. Now, please, shoo." And he picks up the telephone receiver.

[Dexter Ford]

Dex looks at Delores and sotto vocce "I am getting tired of being led around by the nose here. It wouldn't be so bad if we actually reached water from time to time." He looks at Langdon and smirks. "Snap out of your daze Langdon. The skirt isn't going to give you the time of day, no matter how nicely you ask." He turns back to Raymond and looks at him with an arched eyebrow. "Unless my friends have any more to ask, we will let you get back to your oh so important telephone call."

If no one has anything else to ask the lawyer, he will get Delores and Langdon into the hall. "Either we march down to the Sheriff's office and find out what we can about this Koslov fellow, and maybe spring the bastard from the pokey and see if he will lead us to one of his clients. Or we go find out policeman colleague and let him know what we discovered and let things move through channels. I admit, I am sick and tired of banging my head against the wall. We either go directly to Brooklyn at this point, or we throw up our hands and call it a day. I don't like to be defeated, but this is frustrating, and to be honest, I am not getting paid anything more for this. I know all of us have paying jobs that could use more of our attention."

He waits for the elevator to take them back down to the lobby and his waiting car.

Okay,Honestly the frustration above is both IC and OOC. I do feel we have been chasing our own tails for the last couple of months.

[Gaffer]

Langdon nods. He seems rather dispirited.

[RETCON ALERT!!!]

"I thought we'd get a lead on the artist at least, but then he said the guy had died on the psych ward in Bellevue last April. Maybe we should go on to Flanigan's and meet Esposito. It's after five."

[Dexter Ford]

"Sounds good. Hopefully Detective Esposito has been luckier than we have. I am tired of these dead ends." When they got down to the street, he opened the door to the car for Delores, allowing Langdon to take the passenger seat. He then drove them to Flannigans for some dinner and for drinks. He glanced at the other three. "I think steaks all around. We deserve it."

[Delores Brown]

"Perhaps a small one for me," smiled Delores, "A girl's got to watch her waistline, after all."