IC-Chapter 2-Criminal World(Dave only)

[Mr. Handy]

Anselmo's Restaurant - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7:00 PM - Friday, July 18, 1969

Dave Schmidt arrived outside Anselmo's Restaurant at 7:00, when he had been told to come. He was here to meet his mob contact, Luca Moreno. Luca was a made man, a loyal soldier to Philly mob kingpin Angelo Bruno, who had ruled the city's underworld for the last ten years and kept things stable. Luca hadn't told him exactly what this meeting was about, only that it was a "special job" that would come with an extra bonus. Dave knew better than to turn it down, so here he was. Anselmo's was a mob front, wholly owned by the Bruno Family, but it was purely a legitimate business. Mobsters would often come here to eat and meet, but no illegal activity was to be carried out here, by the Don's explicit orders.

[tatteredking]

Dave walked up to the door. He never drove up to a place like this. His rusty Dodge truck would stick out like a sore thumb here. That's the last thing he needed. Attention. He liked that people didn't pay much attention to him. He was comfortable flying under the radar.

He walked in nodding to the Maitre d' as he entered and headed to the bar. He was sure Luca would find him, but he needed a little something to take the edge off. Sitting down at the bar, he looked over at the redhead hanging on the guy beside him. Her cheap perfume almost gagged him. He didn't know the guy, but he knew Gloria. And she knew she was working.

He gave her a weak smile And ordered a beer. Not that watery Schmidt crap, that people were always asking him if he was related to the brewer. That's one thing he found out early on. The Bruno family took care of those who helped them. There wasn't a place in Philly where he could get a real genuine German beer. Heck, there were those who would report him for being a Commie for drinking anything non-American. But the American brews all tasted like horse piss.

He slid a buck across the bar to Tony, and took a sip. Just the way he liked it. Crisp, with a dark malty sweetness, and a tinge of a floral hop aroma. A slight bitterness to the finish, not unlike roasted coffee, betraying the use of roasted barley in the mash.

He refrained from asking for Luca. He knew the guy had other things going on, and would find him when he was free. He glanced back at Gloria and her client. She game him a slow, exaggerated wink with her unnaturally long eyelash. He knew what John was gonna get. He had been there before. A couple times.

He took another sip of his drink and looked around casually to see who else was here.

Spoiler:

not sure of what kind of place it is, so just rolling with it.

[Mr. Handy]

Anselmo's was a classy restaurant in South Philly, and the food and drinks were of high quality. Nothing but the best for the Family's friends. The maitre d' was a tall, thin fellow with slicked-back dark hair. The bartender was a fat, bald man with a thick mustache and a permanent smile underneath it. A few well-dressed men, and the occasional woman in equally elegant clothing, were at the bar, smoking and drinking, but there was nobody else that Dave recognized.

When Dave finished his drink, the maitre d' approached him. "Mr. Schmidt," he said. "Mr. Moreno would like you to join him for dinner at his private table in the back room."

[tatteredking]

Dave nodded, and thanked Tony for the beer. He left another buck on the bar. Expensive tip, but the service was always good here.

He picked p his beer and followed the maitre d'. When he got to the door to the private dining room, he thanked the man and entered? He briefly glanced around the room to see who else was in attendance. "Good evening, Mr. Moreno. How are you this evening?" He stands to the right of the door after walking in.

[Mr. Handy]

The back room contained only one occupied table with two seats. Luca Moreno sat in one, facing the door, and the other chair was empty. Luca was a tall, slightly overweight man in his mid-forties, wearing a black three-piece suit and a maroon tie. His black hair was thinning, and his face was pudgy. Still, Dave knew that he was a man with whom to be reckoned. He had a reputation for being tough and brooking no nonsense, and he had earned his place in the Family the hard way. He was also unfailingly polite.

"Good evening, Mr. Schmidt," said Luca, motioning Dave forward. "I am well, thank you. And yourself? Please, have a seat and join me. Feel free to order whatever you like. Dinner is on me tonight. While we wait for the food, we can discuss business."

[tatteredking]

Dave nods and takes the seat. "That's very generous of you, Mr. Moreno. Thank you.". Without looking at the menu, Dave orders the strip steak au poivre, with sautéed mushrooms and a Cabernet wine reduction, served with steamed asparagus, served with a side of ziti. The meal was mid-priced. Dave was uncomfortable taking advantage of the family's hospitality and ordering a more expensive meal. He waved the waiter away when the boy tried to pour him a glass of red, indicating the glass of beer. He had never gotten the taste for wine.

He had dealt with Luca Moreno before. He was hard, but you needed to be in his line of work. He had to admit, he was slightly afraid of the man, but Moreno had never given him any reason to. Dave was just aware of his reputation and had heard the rumors of what he did to those that failed him "Sure, Mr. Moreno. I would be happy to help. What is it that I can do for you?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Well," said Luca after the waiter and the maitre d' had left the room, "it's an unusual job. There are some friends of ours from New York who found out about a new product here. Now, this sort of product isn't the sort of thing that our boss deals in, you understand, but he's content to allow our friends from the Big Apple to do so in his territory, provided they play by his rules and pay him what he should get." Dave knew that "friends of ours" was mob talk for made men, members of a family. In this case it was probably the Gambino Family, one of New York's Five Families that had close ties with Angelo Bruno. Luca would introduce Dave as "a friend of mine" to indicate that he was not a made man. The product in question was most likely some kind of drug. Bruno was an old school mafioso who refused to deal in narcotics, but he was known to allow the New York mob to do so on his turf. "Anyway, there's this local guy who told them about this product and offered to sell them some. At first they weren't interested, but now they seem to have changed their minds. Unfortunately, the guy got himself into a bit of trouble and was arrested with some of the product. He got out on bail yesterday. Our sources with the police tell us that they were keeping tabs on him, but he managed to give them the slip yesterday afternoon. Now he seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth.

"I'm sure you're wondering where you come in here. Our friends are supposed to contact this fellow tomorrow afternoon and arrange a meeting, but he might not be reachable, if he's not, our friends need another way to get their hands on the product. It just so happens that we know where it's stored, and your unique position and talents might be useful to get them access to it."

[tatteredking]

Dave considers things briefly. Fairly standard. "Yeah, I can help you and our friends out, here. What do you know about the place they have their product stored?". Dave liked to keep a thin film of plausable deniability. By not asking what the product was, he felt, if he got caught, he would be in a better place. "and how much freight are we talking? Can Inget away with a duffel bag, or do I need a bus?". He was surem if needed, he cold get his hands on a bus.

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, it doesn't take up much room," said Luca. "A duffel bag would suffice. There isn't all that much of it, and our friends aren't expecting more than a sample. They'll also handle the transport. All you'd be responsible for, if it comes to that, is getting them access. Our friend Mr. Ribisi will be coming in on his boat tomorrow evening, when he'll be hosting a party on board. I'd like you to meet him then."

[tatteredking]

[Spoiler-Button]could have sworn I replied[/Spoiler-Button]

Date took a sip of his beer. "I would be more than happy to meet with Mr Ribisi. A party on a boat, huh? Are we talking Izod and Chinos party, or "bring your speedo and a towel" party? " He said humorously. "but back to where the merchandise is stored. What tools do you think I will need? Hand tools? Sledge Hammer? A wad of Jacksons?"

[Mr. Handy]

"You won't need anything like that," said Luca, waving his hand. "Mr. Ribisi will provided the necessary tools and expertise. The stuff is kept under lock and key, but is otherwise accessible to someone who can gain entry...such as an officially licensed building inspector carrying out an inspection. You'll just need the regular tools of your trade for show. Mr. Ribisi and his associates will just be your assistants. As for the party, it's not too fancy, just wild and fun. That's the way Mr. Ribisi likes it. There will be girls in bikinis, booze - good stuff, too - and some of Mr. Ribisi's products, if you're into that sort of thing. I'll be going with you. We'll meet tomorrow night at seven at Penn's Landing, and from there I'll take you to the pier where Mr. Ribisi will dock his boat when he comes down the river from New York. He won't tell anyone which pier until shortly before he comes. Less chance of someone uninvited crashing the party that way."

[tatteredking]

Dave nods, "Well, then, it looks like all is under control. I can arrange to have some documentation set up to support the inspection. I'll have a set with me." He's done this before. Prepare duplicate copies of the inspection paperwork, file one set behind someone's desk looking like it was misplaced before final filing. No one checks. No one remembers. "Sounds like a fun party, I would like to come."

[Mr. Handy]

"Excellent," said Luca. "I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. The building in question is John Morgan Hall at the University of Pennsylvania. The product is being kept in a lab there, Room 110. They're running overnight experiments in there overnight for tonight and the following two nights, but you'd be less likely to run into people during the day, which is when it would make sense to go anyway. The first opportunity will probably be Monday morning, as inspectors don't tend to work Sundays. All of this may prove unnecessary. We'll find out tomorrow evening. Any other questions?"

[tatteredking]

Dave shakes his head. "No I think that covers everything. Party on a boat tomorrow, meet some friends of yours. Help them get their freight out of a university science lab. I am sure I can help with the latter and the former sounds like fun."

I am good. No more questions of Luca. Ok,how do these spoilers work? I can't get them to....despoil...

[Mr. Handy]

"Good," said Luca. "Then let's enjoy our meal." At that moment the waiter entered with a tray containing two bowls of soup, a basket of bread, and a bottle of olive oil. He placed the soup in front of both men, then put the bread and the olve oil in the middle of the table. "Thank you, Enrico." The waiter nodded and left the room. "So, how is your mother doing?"

OOC,[url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/pbp/viewtopic.php?p=68577#p68577]This post[/url] has step by step instructions for using spoiler buttons.

[tatteredking]

Note,Please note the racial views espoused by Dave Schmidt are not endorsed or espoused by TatteredKing.

Dave pauses as the waiter brings the soup and bread. He takes some brad, dipping it in the oil, before taking a bite. "She is doing ok. Physically she is as healthy as a horse. But mentally... The other day, I came home from work, and she kept on calling me by my father's name. When I told her I was Dave, she looked puzzled, and said that Dave would be home soon, and that she would need to get dinner fixed.". He pauses again, to stir the soup. Before he raised the spoon, he spoke again. "The other day, she really scared me. She said she woke up from her nap this afternoon and said that there was a man in her room. Black as the ace of spades. Dressed in some kind of black dress, like those jumpin Jesus niggers from Alabama, in their dresses, clapping their hands and singing and shit.". He takes a sip of the soup. "To humor her, I searched the house, attic to basement. I told her to keep the doors locked when I am out. What kind of world do we live in where we have to lock the doors when we are home!"

[Mr. Handy]

Luca also began to eat while Dave spoke. "Yeah, tell me about it," he said. "Didn't used to be this way. I don't know what's happening to this country. People think we're bad, but we don't bother nobody who don't bother us first. Feds harass us, but they don't do squat about the real problems. Cities are being overrun with scum, and every so often there's a riot somewhere. When that happens, they oughta just clear the whole place out, clean sweep. Hell, or hire us to do it. We wouldn't pussyfoot around, I tell you that!" Luca clears his throat and stops his rant, pausing to eat another spoonful of soup. "Sorry to hear that about your mama. Second childhood is really rough. My old man was the same way before he passed. You're a good son, taking care of her like you do. Family is the most important thing in the world."

[tatteredking]

Dave ate a couple mouthfuls of soup as Luca talked. He listened carefully, and nodded. "I agree. Ma is the only family I got left. I had younger brother when i was a kid. He disappeared one day while we were playing up at World's End. I guess I kind of blame myself, even though my parents said it was their fault for taking us to such a wild place. The State Police said he most likely fell into a ravine, or got mauled by a bear. But they never found a body." Dave took a final spoonful of soup, pauses and speaks again. "Perhaps we should take some of these animals that live in the city up there and dump them off with nothing but the clothes on their back. See how they do."

[Mr. Handy]

Luca chuckled. "Yeah, I'd pay to see that," he said. "They oughta make a TV show like that."

[tatteredking]

Dave nods. "Can't you guys arrange something like that? Although can't imagine any major network would show anything like that, ever. You guys would have to buy a network and charge people to watch it.". He pauses for a moment before chuckling, "Can you imagine that?"