"Me?" he said. "I'm Ralph Scarpetti. There sure are a lot of people looking for Gary who don't know him. What's your interest in him, exactly? And your full name? I didn't see it on the piece of paper."
"My name's Nathaniel. I want to speak to Gary about his friend Brian. Brian's in a lot of trouble, and I'm trying to help him out of it. Please give Gary my number and tell him to call me at his earliest convenience. "
Nathaniel got the impression that Ralph didn't trust him very much, both because he had been burned before by the cop lying to him and because of his continued avoidance of giving his last name.
OOC,If you want to try to get [b]Gary[/b] to trust you more, roll Persuade (and also roleplay your conversation).
"Listen," Levington said, before the young man shut the door. "Giving him that number and calling me doesn't cost anybody anything. But Brian's in trouble, he could get hurt. Maybe even killed. There are folks looking for him. Folks besides the police. I'm not asking you to run into a burning building or something dangerous. I'm just asking you to help me get in touch with somebody so I can get some help for Brian. Alright? This is important. Give that to Gary and let him make his own decisions. First person I'll put on the phone when he calls is Brian so you can tell what I'm saying is true."
"No. And it may be unwise for you to remain here. I had to give my name in order to get in touch with Gary. If the police or anyone else learn that I'm helping you, the first place they'll come is here." Levington frowns. "It didn't even occur to me to lie," he mutters.
"I'm still thinking about that. For tonight, you can stay at my place. The police can't get inside without a warrant, which they're unlikely to obtain within the next few days. If they even discover my connection to you."
"One of your friends, Ralph Scarpetti, told me that the police came around looking for Gary. When they tried to speak to him, Gary ran. Do you know where he might have gone?"
"Well, Gary's got a girlfriend," said Brian. "Her name's Carol Stein, and she lives in an apartment a couple of blocks from Penn's campus. He might have gone to stay with her."
"Good thinking," said Brian. "I can't stay here, and I've got nowhere else to go anyway." He got in the shotgun seat of Nathaniel's car and gave him directions.
Carol Stein's Apartment Building - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9:50 PM - Thursday, July 17, 1969
Nathaniel pulled up in front of a four-story apartment building in a block full of similar buildings on Spruce Street, about midway between the Schuylkill River and Penn's campus. "She's in Apartment 3, on the third floor," said Brian. "Want me to come up with you?"