Well that's interesting.

STEP NEXT: Van LOCKS THE DOOR BEHIND HIM, making sure no one jumps out and sneak-attacks Van.
AFTER THAT: Van looks around this office carefully to make sure there's no one else in here with him and this poor guy.
AFTER THAT (presuming no one else IS in here): Van turns off the lights.
AFTER THAT: Van tries standing behind the guy and saying: "It looks like you're going to survive to see tomorrow. But you know where to find me, later on, right? Say it! Show me you remember where I'll be!"


If this guy thinks I'm still Carlo, let's see if we can get him to say where Carlo can be found...

Oh, and then I should try WHAT HAVE YOU SWORN?


(09:39, Today: Van Caldwell rolled 5 using 2d4 with rolls of 3,2.  What Have You Sworn, Sock Guy?

Hm. 3.

--Highest result is 3: Van gets only a vague sense of whether or not another character within 50 feet of him is trustworthy, not necessarily more than that.

Oh well.)

Trustworthy?  The only reason this guy would take out an insurance policy is so he could set his house on fire.

"...no Carlo.  Don' get mad a' me..."  He mumbles something.  "I'll ask Ella.  She'll know how to get...in touch...with ya..."

That seems to be all you're going to get out of him.

Well, that's one name more than I already had, I guess... Huh, now I need to decide what to do with this bomb. I can't leave it here, or The Mad Poet might RE-activate it for all I know.

Van unlocks the door and peeks out in the hall. If no one's around, maybe he'll just take the bomb with him-- after all, he still didn't find what he came here for originally in Wyman's office yet.

If Harry's out in the hall, he and Van can compare notes.

If no one's out there, Van can head back to Wyman's office. I guess taking the deactivated bomb with me for now...?

Van pauses before he sticks his head out into the hall. What office IS this that Mr. Socks here is in, anyway? What office is it? Maybe that might be a clue of some kind?

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 44):

The legend on the office door is Family Court Records

No sign of Harry.  When you get up to the Fifth Floor again, there's no sign of any of the security guards.

As you poke your head back into Wyman's office, you can see flashing lights through the windows.  Down below, a cop car is parking on the side of the street.  Looks like Harry called the Blues.

You should have a little time before they make it up to five...

If I recall correctly you still had the Clerk's cabinets and "Other" to go through.  You probably have time to search one or the other safely.  Searching both of them is going to require a stealth roll to not be heard.

Huh. Family Court. What does that suggest to me? What's important about Family Court? A divorce, or child custody, or both. If I had to bet on just one, I'd bet on child custody, but I don't know enough about Family Court stuff-- maybe it's divorce. I'll just make a mental note of that for later...




Ugh. Tough choice.

Before all this bomb stuff, I would've done the clerk's cabinets next. But now... this whole building just smells rotten. The kind of smell Calvaros really hates. Lies, hypocrisy, secrets, and corruption. So... what does that tell me? It tells me that what I want might not be filed in a cabinet, like the rules say, but that it might be hidden, like a dirty secret...

Van searches "Other."

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 46):

Good ol' Calvaros.  His nose knows.

Under a chair in one corner, there's a bump in the carpet.  It's a small strongbox.  Not strong enough.  Or at least the lock isn't.

Inside are three documents.  One is the transcript you're looking for.  One seems to be some kind of payment ledger.  The last is what seems to be some kind of blueprint copy.

You don't have much time to study anything.  You can hear feet outside.

Escaping?  You can head up to the roof or try to stealth your way out.  Or another solution I may not have thought of.

(Up to the roof? Why not take fire escape down to ground level?

Sounds like it's not that simple? But why, exactly?)

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 48):

Well you do know there are cops arriving.  And Harry would have called in a bomb threat.  So the number of cops arriving may be more than you previously saw.

But mostly, I just want to know how you plan to exit the building.  Don't want to assume you're planning on going Route A when you would prefer to go Route X.

(Van would prefer to just go down the fire escape (TAKING his new documents with him for later perusal of course).

He's hoping that "bomb threat" means "cops rush into the building, but aren't focused on watching for people coming out-- because a bomber would already be long gone," eh what.)

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 50):

Gimme a roll just for giggles please.  Thanks

(11:04, Today: Van Caldwell rolled 6 using 2d4 with rolls of 3,3.  sounds like a stealth roll for leaving the scene safely?

Result: 3. Mostly good.)

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 52):

Yep on the stealth roll.  Sorry for not stating it.

You skulk down the fire escape, having to "blend" into the shadows twice as a cop comes climbing up the other way.  There are at least eight police cruisers parked on the curb.  A couple of cops are setting up a road block.  Others seem to be dressing in the weighty asbestos lined suits bomb squads use.

Obviously Harry told them about the bomb.

Even at this time of night, there's a small crowd forming to watch on the other side of hte street.  Mostly winos.  A couple of men in suits.

You slip into a nearby alleyway.

Anything else you want to do here?  Or ready to move on?

Thanks

(Nah, let's move on. Van (and Calvaros) is(are) eager to study his(their) 4 documents at his(their) leisure...)

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 54):

OK.  Before we move on

Wanted to test run the system.  It gives me an idea of how things will shake out.

One observation is that I doubt you will be suffering the consequences of rolling a 1 much during the game.  The mechanic where certain activities give you an extra die pretty much seems to negate that X factor so to speak.

I'm fairly OK with that.  This particular genre works best when the hero can take on 4 guys at a time.  I would however like to make it clear that you will run into "peers" during the game.  Individuals who are on more or less the same level as you. That is, I'll be running them based on the same mechanics.  Can't make things too easy on you after all.

Any comments on your side about how things went?  Anything annoy you, etc.?

It certainly does seem to for Van's strengths, yeah-- punching, sneaking, science...




Nope. I was surprised at how lucky the rolls were. As you say, rolling 2d4 and getting snake eyes is a bit hard, but I was a bit surprised there weren't more 2s, and surprised how many 4s there were. But since we were dealing with a bomb, I wasn't about to complain about the 4s...

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 56):

One more side note then.

Giving you a choice.  I can let you steer what direction you want Van to go...i.e. have him settle down to look over those papers and maybe the newspaper.  See what interests you...or I can run a story.  Just picked up an old Shadow magazine reprint for inspiration.

Thanks

Yes, this one, for now. Let's see how Van and his shadowy partner do with only the guidance of their documents, the newspaper, and their own detective work for a while.

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 58):

It's a few hours later...only two until sunrise...when you get a chance to put your feet up.

You set the files you obtained on your lap and start perusing.

The transcript for Victor Bernard's trial both lights up some of the dark corners from your father's last day.  But it doesn't answer many questions.

Bernard was on trial for taking bribes from local gangs.  Specifically, he allegedly took payoffs to not press charges on two strongarms who were under investigation at the time.  The two men, Al Devone and Marco Alfons, were being investigated regarding an attempt on the life of Gary Seuter, grandson of Susan Seuter.  Bernard was accused of destroying evidence and providing information to Alfons on other ongoing investigations.

Your father's testimony was related to the attempt on Seuter's life.  He had been there when it happened.  In fact, he had saved Seuter's life by pushing him to the ground shortly before shots were fired into the room they were in.  Your father had spoken to police and Seuter during the investigation.

According to the transcript, your father was shot just as the prosecutor was moving him on to another area of testimony.  A subsequent conversation your Dad had with one of the cops on the Seuter case, Reggie DeWitt.  The transcript reads

Prosecutor:  And it was two months later that you were contacted by Detective DeWitt?

Yes.  He called me up and wanted to talk to me again about the night someone tried to shoot Gary.

Do you know why Detective DeWitt wanted to talk to you again?

Well.  He wouldn't say on the phone when he first called.  But he said something wasn't making sense with the time line and he needed to know how I-

Hey!  That guy's gotta gun-

The transcript just reads Shots were fired.  Court was dismissed for the day

---

The payment ledger and the blueprints seem connected.  The blueprints are for Haddigan Stadium over in Surreyville.  Though they don't look quite right.  You realize after studying them that they seem to be an alternate set of blue prints.  The ones presented here are a little less elaborate.

The payment ledger tracks payments being made to a "GG".  Looks like "GG" got about $45,000 in total over a year and a half period.  The dates align with when the first proposal for Haddigan Stadium were presented up to the date the proposal was approved by the city council.  The payee is listed as "Blue St Inv".  But that's about all.

Yes. That's what happened. But... before the gun was spotted, things had turned into a blur. Looking back... The killer could have fired earlier. It was to stop the answer about... "something wasn't making sense with the timeline, and he needed to know how Dad..." what? How he know to push the boy to the ground? And... how did he know?

(I want Van to ask Calvaros, in his mind, if Calvaros had anything to do with Dad.

I'll roleplay it, but I need your answer. Possbilities:
--No
--Yes
--Calvaros refuses to reply at all
--Calvaros replies but won't give a straight answer)




So... it... feels like... like... Someone's built something secret...?



Ugh. So many unanswered questions. The bomber. The killer. The stadium. GG. Blue St Inv. Street? Probably? What's Inv? Inventory?

(Is there a Blue Street in town?)

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 60):

Did you want to me to play Cav in the back and forth here?  Or did you want to handle both sides of the conversation?  The answer Cav will give is vague.  He either doesn't know or he's being cagey.

He has never given you a straight answer when you've asked him about it before.

You check a local road atlas.  Blue Street....there is one.  You've never heard of it, which is odd.

It looks like it's more an alley than a street.  It's in West End.  Part of the docks that borders the Myersville area.  From the atlas, it only runs about three blocks, really just a short cut (or alley) between two of the larger avenues used to access various warehouses.

(No)



"Calvaros... did you know my father? Did you warn him, that time?"

"Time is not the same for me as for you. I am eternal."

"Yes, but did you help my father the way you help me?"

"I am the spirit of vows and promises. I help all who are true."

"Yeah, sure, but did you warn him actively, directly, like you do with me?"

"I help all who are true. I act actively and inactively, directly and indirectly. I must punish those who break their word. You and I do not sense reality in the same way. You see people. I sense truth and promises."

"I give up... for now, anyway."






Sounds... industrial.

GG, Judge Wyman, Carlo, Ella, Blue Street, Robert Frost, Detective Reggie DeWitt, Dad. What does it all mean?

...Van has noted that when he starts thinking in circles like this, sometimes he needs sleep, often followed by breakfast.

(What's Van's daytime schedule likely to be like? Or should I be telling you that?)

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 62):

Good job with the Cav convo.  Couldn't have been less helpful myself

And I'll let you drive his daytime schedule.  And his next step.

Thanks.

(The way I'd like it is that Van-- like his father before him-- has a building on the edge of the commercial district (near where it borders the industrial district) where Caldwell Electrical Designs operates-- about a dozen electrical engineers working on things to get patents, and maybe two dozen sales guys and secretaries and clerks. They work on patents, then sell bigger companies on the new patents, and make money that way. Every day or two, Van checks in on them, often for less than half an hour, sometimes just on the phone. They've got their own building because no other building was wired for heavy electrical use as needed-- regular office space didn't have nearly enough sockets, let alone being wired for the kind of fuses needed.

I figure Van's worth a little less than half a mil, say 400 thousand give or take. A lot of it's not liquid-- he couldn't really work up a 100,000 ransom for anyone even if you gave him three (business) days. On the other hand, being worth 400 K was already more than insane back in this time period.

I think his employees think Van spends most of his day talking to bankers and stockbrokers, and that his bankers and stockbrokers think he spends most of his day working with his employees, so he's really got most of the day free, so he's free to spend all night out as Judge Midnight (if he needs to) and then get in decent hours of sleep in the daylight hours.

So yeah, I think he's gonna sleep, then call and check in with the business, and then maybe go drive around that neighborhood where Blue Street is, make sure he doesn't get lost if he has to have a foot chase or car chase (pursued or pursuing) later tonight?)

In reply to Van Caldwell (msg # 64):

A car chase?  In this game?

Heavens to Betsy.  What an idea.

That all sounds good.  Is his "Midnight Lair" in the office building then?  On some inaccessible floor?

Your engineers are being good little worker bees.  Clarise, the receptionist who more or less acts as your secretary, gives you the run down.

"Cliburn's team is working on that new socket project...You're supposed to know what it's all about.  And Milgreen's team is still in development phase on that new battery design.  Lemme see...

"Oh.  Bixby's team is asking for a budget review.  They wanna take on that contract for the lighting design at the new stadium.  His last project's done.  Clark in Sales needs you to come by in the next couple of days and sign some contracts.  And you don't pay me enough.

"But that's about it Boss."

---

You do a U-turn at the end of Casey Avenue and slowly drive back up it.  You would've missed Blue if you hadn't seen the small sign in your rear view.

Blue "Street" really is an alleyway.  And it's not wide enough for a car.  Two guys walking shoulder to shoulder would find it a tight squeeze.

There's a small sign set against one wall that reads BLUE STREET YA MUGS.  That's it.  But it fits with the map in the atlas.

The alleyway stretches between several larger warehouses.  The only non-warehouse building is an abandonded two story that looks like it may have held some kind of small factory operation at one point.  There is a sign outside the old building. But the post it's hung on has fallen over.  You'd have to get out of your car and walk over to pull it up to read it.

The doors of the building are locked and chained.  Blue Street runs up against it's back wall.

(Oooh, I hadn't decided that yet. Hmmmm. I think that would be a little obvious... I was just thinking in a secret basement under his home?

I'm trying to think about if there's something cool down there, like... what if... (googles subway history) what if they started to build subway stations around 1894 but it turned out to be too expensive and the project was abandoned when a new mayor got elected... maybe Van's discovered (maybe Cal told him??) that one station was under, or almost under, his house...?? So he's got a secret lair down there...?)






"One, I'll come by soon and sign some contracts. Two, please arrange for yourself to get an extra 25 cents an hour starting tomorrow. Three-- tell me more about the stadium project, please, will you? Now, I mean. I might take a more active hand than usual in that personally."



Greaaaaaaat.



Not suspicious at all...




Van Caldwell really shouldn't be here. Judge Midnight, on the other hand, is definitely coming back tonight...