You get through to Ezra Wilkins, but that takes a while.

"Oh.  It's the Mystery Man, huh?  What's up bub?

"Oh.  That missing teacher.  From what I heard, the case is at a stand still.  They haven't found much out, though they did seem to rule out it's a Red Roses case.

"So the missing teacher went out the back door of that club with some guy.  What the guy looks like is kind of a hot topic.  Six people saw the two of 'em leave, and all six gave descriptions of the guy.  But all six descriptions don't match any of the other six.  And it's not off by just a little.

"One says the guy was tall, another says he was short.  Still another says he was just in between.

"They didn't find any sign of foul play in the alley behind the club.  So if the teacher got iced there, they were careful not to mess her up back behind the club.  Only thing a' note was an upstairs neighbor swears she saw a limo drive down the alleyway at around 11:00 Am


"Me, i think they took her away in that limo.

"Why the sudden interest?  You got a line on somethin' kid?"

"'Red Roses?' That's the first time I think I've heard that phrase-- at least in the context, of, you know... crime."

"Um... it's just... a hunch. That 'everybody's-got-a-different-description-of-the-perp' thing sounds... impossible. And I've seen too much impossible this month. So I guess you could say I'm out to track down and beat on impossible before it comes for me first."

---

(Wait, how do we QUOTE reply in this newfangled system?

EDIT: ...Oh, there it is. I see it now. Never mind.)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:08, Fri 16 Feb.

"Red Roses?  You been under a rock or somethin'? He's that killer who's going around slashin' people up.  They always find the body with a rose stem on 'em.  The thorns, but no flower.  It's creepy as hell.

"But this case doesn't look like it's connected.  Cos if it was, they would have found her by now with a rose stem in what was left of her hand.

"Anyway, keep me posted.  You owe me a scoop for the info.  Call back tomorrow, and I'll tell ya if I dig anything else up."

How do you wish to proceed?

"I dunno... maybe you haven't found her because the killer finally found someone worth giving the whole rose to. First we have nursery rhymes, now fairy tales, maybe-- Snow White and Rose Red. Or something. That's how it feels to me, anyway-- someone else subscribing to the catalog of nightmares. Well, we'll see."

"Yeah, I'll call you again soon, believe me."

Next Van decides it's time to check in with his company he owns...

Clarise blinks as you come in.  "Morning boss.  You're in early.  Even for you."

She just got here herself.  Her coat is still in her hands, and she hasn't even plugged in the coffee maker yet.

You have the usual pile of documents on your desk.

The draft bid for the new stadium is on your desk.  Apparently, due to the drama unfolding See message 438, the bid deadline has been moved back two weeks.  Glancing at the bid, you think it's solid. Your guys do good work.  Everything seems in order.

You got a post card from Lana.  She got to Paris alright.  Your beret will arrive by overseas post in the next couple of weeks.

Lots of bills.  You may have already won a lottery.

A plain envelope without a return address is at the bottom of the stack.  From the post mark it was mailed to you yesterday.

Inside is a single sheet of paper.  No greetings or salutations.  Just the following words, brushed on in bright red paint.

THERE IS NO JUSTICE

Oh ho!

Let's hope that this is because of being connected in some way to the stadium, and not because of Judge Midnight activities. That's gonna be Van's official public guess, anyway.

Van, as a threatened citizen, calls the police about this. (Let's see what happens...)

The bored desk sergeant takes your call, gets your particulars, and says he'll send someone over.

The someone in question arrives two hours later.  And it's someone you know.  On the Judge Midnight side that is.  Bixby Halloway.  A detective.  Odd they'd send someone of his standing out for something like this.

"Mr. Caldwell?  Detective Halloway.  Pleasure."  He shakes your hand, though you doubt he's finding any pleasure in this.  He looks miffed as all get out.

But he seems to do his job.  He examines the note carefully.  "And you got no ideas who or why anyone would send you this?"

Van suddenly remembers that someone in the police department may already have his name jotted down somewhere as a Person Of Interest, albeit a life-saving one. "Um. Well. First of all... Does the name Lana Colby mean anything to you, I don't suppose?"

He stops and narrows his eyes.  "Whaddya know about that?  Oh wait.  Caldwell.  You were the guy she went to for help, weren't ya?

"Yeah.  I worked that case.  Sorry. You were kind of a bit player in that one.  So I didn't recognize the name right off the bat.

"You were tied up with that boondoggle.  And now you're gettin' Christmas Cards from a psycho?  Anything you'd like to tell me?"

"No. Maybe it's that I survived. Maybe it's that I helped Lana survive. Or..." (Makes sure that no one else is listening, like secretary) "...My company has been hired to do the lighting for the new stadium..." He waits and watches for what the reaction to that might be...

If he knows anything, he knows enough not to show it.

He does frown when you bring up the stadium.  "You think that might have somethin' to do with it?  Has something been going on?  Like someone askin' you for a bribe or somethin'?"

He seems genuinely unsure and making guesses.

"No. I'm just suspicious. I don't have any proof right now, but... something feels off. You probably know more about that stadium, and the deals going on with it, than I do... Lots and lots of money involved with it, I know that. Feels like someone's trying to rush the construction, somehow... although I haven't felt pressure to produce results so far. So is anything about this stadium... shady? Is that why someone tried to bomb the courthouse a while back? To cover up dirty deals or something?

If you tell me no, you don't know nor suspect anything like that... I guess I'll feel relieved. But it's just a feeling I have..."

He sighs.  "Lissen Mac.  Even if I knew somethin' about it, I wouldn't talk about it.  But luckily I don't know nothin' about it.  So I don't have to lie to you."  He sort of scowls.  You get the impression he's not very happy about not knowing anything about it.

"In any event, your creepy little Christmas card here might be some rival trying to scare you off from this stadium job.  Or it could be some sicko who thinks you're kinda cute and wants to make you all theirs.  Or it could be someone's idea of a bad joke."

He studies the card again.  "Were you maybe expecting to get some justice soon?  You got any legal cases or something like that brewin'?"

"Then they should've been a lot more specific. This just makes me think someone wants to kill me." 



"I don't really buy either of those two ideas. ...I'll bet you a fin you don't either."




"No. Not me. I did have a bad experience recently in a lawyer's office, though." Van gives a meaningful look. "And that was the kind of thinking that led to me calling you."

Van had wondered how he'd make his Van self seem different than his Judge Midnight persona. The answer seemed to be that his Van persona was coming off as flip and sarcastic. Well, that was different from the grim, terse professionalism of Judge Midnight, sure enough...

Van did consider, though, just for a moment, what had happened to his father, at the courthouse. But he was already treading a fine-enough line between his life and that of Judge Midnight, with this other man in the room, as it was. Still, it was worrying. This was no time to think about it out loud, though.

Halloway keeps studying the card.  "That'd be an easy fin for you.  Hmmm."

He puts the note and the envelope it came in into a separate envelope for evidence.  He then goes over the incidents with Lana with you, as well as your personal, recent history.

"For now, here's my card.  Call me if anything...and I mean anything...strange occurs.  Or if you remember somethin'.  I'm gonna wanna talk to some of your people here.  And I will be back in touch."

Going to cut the interview short since it will just be a lot of rehashing of what has gone before.  If there is something specific you wanted to tell Halloway or ask him, now's the time.  If not, we will be moving on.

(Nah, let's move on. I don't mind him talking to my people. Heck, Van wants him to.)

Indeed, Van himself wants to hear how the stadium lighting project has been coming. He also wants to ask if anyone has tried to contact or pressure any of his people. Attempted bribes? Strange messages or threats? Weird phone calls or clicks on the phone line? Being followed? Other?

Your folks seem to have the situation well in hand.  There's been a delay in that the entire stadium construction is on hold.  see the story in the newspaper from an earlier message But none of your fellows seem to indicate any nefarious doings, concerns about blackmail, or receiving veiled threats.

It's just you.  Go fig.

Lunch is a tuna melt with tomato soup from the little cafe in the lobby.  It's not bad for what it is.

As you are breaking up your saltines into the soup, the funny little light on your desk starts to flash.  You've got a Midnight Message!

Yes!  A Midnight Message!  Your super computer is busy scanning police and emergency channels for anything of interest.  And boy, has it found something of interest.

Erma Allstead, the missing school teacher, has been found.  She showed up to her teaching job. Except she was shaved bald, blind, and naked except for a bomb strapped around her waist.

Currently, she's holding her third period geography class students hostage.  She's making "crazy demands".  The police are working to evacuate the school.  The hostage negotiator has just arrived.

It seems the police can't get close to the school room though.  There's some kind of motorized tank roaming the hallways, making entrance "difficult".

The story is just about to break on the news.

(I have a super computer? I... did not know that.)



Oh BOY is that a job for Judge Midnight. Van leaves, gets dressed as Judge Midnight, and gets over there as fast as he can...

I thought when we originally discussed Van's set up, it was mentioned that he had a computer like Batman's.  Except it was period.

If I am being delusional, sorry about that.  But you have one now.  Just keep in mind, it is less supertech and more punch card.

John Bailey Junior High is named after a senator two generations back.  Not very noteworthy.  You recall your father once referring to him as "one of the best senators money could buy".  There's no statue of him in front of the building.  Or if there is, you can't see it through the mass of police vehicles, news trucks, fire engines, and ambulances.  Children are being herded across the street to stand in the parking lot of the Baily Public Library.  The streets are choked with cars as parents try to rush into the scene to find and rescue their kids.

In short, it's panic and chaos.  The story must have broke on the news when you were on your way over.

Getting in through the front door is not going to happen.  Well. Not unless you find some way to stroll in through the police line.

The cops do have the building surrounded, paying special attention to the north wing of the building.  There's a southern wing that's not getting as much attention.  And the gym isn't too far from the northern wing.  The police have snipers setting up on the roof of the gym, but at the moment they don't seem to be paying too much attention to inside the gym.

From what you can gather, the class room in question is on the second floor of the northern wing.

(Nope, I went back and looked at what we said, didn't see anything like that.)




(Oh well. I'll take it. If you HAD suggested it, I probably would have accepted it then, too.)




Decisions, decisions. It makes more sense to Judge Midnight that he should be able to get in without being caught by going into the southern wing.

So, stealthy...

(06:21, Today: Van Caldwell rolled 4 using 2d4 ((1,3)).

3. Success, maybe with a small complication?)

You find a classroom that left a window open.  Skulking through it, you find yourself near the halfway point down the ground floor of the southern wing.



Map!

The two wings bud off a stub of a central building.

The cops have filled up the central core.

There are sets of stairs going up at the end of each wing and one in the central core.

There aren't many cops down the southern way.

Small complication will come up in a bit.  You need to get up to the second floor on the north wing.  How do you want to go about it?

Feels like I should get off the ground floor as soon as possible, to get away from the cops. So I guess I'll try taking the first stairs up. Hope I don't attract the attention of the snipers... but if they were doing their job, this might be over already maybe, so...

Depends on whether they have a line of sight to the classroom or not.  We'll get there maybe.

You head to the southern end of the building and skulk your way up the stairwell.  Looking down the hallway, you can see the cops have occupied the central hub.  They are setting up barriers along the hall to the northern wing.  Seems like they are assuming the bomb will go off and are trying to shield as much of the building from any kind of blast they can.

Looks like they got all the kids out of the building at least.  Well.  Assumably all the kids except the hostages.

I will try to get you an updated map when I can.  The internet isn't being too helpful at the mo

(That's fine, will stand by)

D is for door.  The funny blue things are the barriers mentioned above.  The cops are mostly gathered around the central stairwell, though there are a few along the border of the barrier ring.

I will let you ask whatever questions you may have and then we will proceed.

Thanks