The Sins We All Share (IC)

[Shofet]

"Maybe he only could succeed in killing two of them. Something stopped the guy. I mean, he's killed more, but they weren't big cases. Low level thugs. But these guys... What if they did something to stop? I can't say for Chico, who was obviously intended to be road-pizza, but maybe some of these others... Eh, I dunno."

He lit up a cigar, and began to chew on the end.

"I don't know who this guy is, but I'm thinking, maybe... Mmm. No. It's stupid." He slumped in a chair.

The Penitent looked at him for a few moments, then at the other heroes.

"You wouldn't believe how much I appreciate all of your helping me like this. I know I can be aggressive sometimes with the villains, but I'd never kill them, and the fact that you're willing to give me a chance on this... Anyway, before I become a big bowl of mush, I'd just want you to know that I am thankful for this, and I do owe you all one."

He nodded.

"I'll be glad to go with Marceau. I think I'll have to be bad cop... They won't be happy to see me."

[Tiffany Korta]

Lucy raised an eyebrow at King’s comments about passing as human, but then again she guessed he had a point.

“Well I wouldn’t exactly call myself as just passing as human, but the rest of the plan sounds sound. And these are easy enough to hide.†She put her sunglasses back over her coal black eyes.

She gave Penitent a big friendly smile “Don’t worry with all this talent, and myself, I’m sure we’ll find out who’s doing this and put a stop to whoever’s doing this.†She stopped a thought suddenly occurring to her “I hope you don’t see this as rude, but if we’re splitting up we’re going to need something to identify you, especially if you doppelganger shows up.â€

[Shofet]

The Penitent blinked.

"Something to identify me with? Well, dang... Ummm..."

He pulled a small chain from his pocket, and presented it to the group. "Dad's old trick coin. Both sides are heads. I know that, but the guy? No way. So ask him, heads or tails, and if he says tails, well, you'll know it ain't me." He handed the coin to Lucy and smiled.

"Now, if you don't mind me saying, we have an imposter to clobber. So we should go on and head out."

[Ari]

Putting back the mini-tracer he had almost offered as the distinguishing mark or item, the King of Suits nodded and drew his grapple gun, ready to follow the Penitent to their destination. He had a lot of experience talking to people involved with cases like this, --Though usually,-- he thought --they aren't witnesses to murders, or survivors of murdered people. The Fens is pretty grim compared to even the worst haunts of Lithuania-- He follows the horned man's lead without comment or question, running, leaping, swinging or climbing after him tirelessly.

[Raveled]

Starlight nodded to the other heroes and turned to leave. "Come, Revenant," she said. "We should prepare as we walk." She led the way out of the apartment and towards the elevator. As they rode down in the car, the heroine's skin rippled and flowed like water until she was a middle-aged black woman in a sharp gray suit. She glanced at her companion and gained a few inches, until they were polar opposites, at least visually.

Outside, Starlight walked up to a nearby public phone booth and opened the phone book. Edlestein was easy enough to find, and there weren't very many in the Yellow Pages. The heroine ripped the page out and returned to Revenant. "It seems," she said, "we have to get out to Grenville." She paused. "I don't suppose you have cab fare?"

[Tiffany Korta]

“Lucy, call me Lucy. Especially if we’re plan going incognito. And I’ll need a name to call you by, I suspect Starlight might give the game away.†She gave a smile as she walked beside Starlight

At her question she dug into her pockets and pulled out a couple of rather crumpled notes.

“You know in my day this would be a whole month’s wages.†Preempting any questions she added “I’m a lot older than I look, well preserved you could say.†She handed over the cash to Starlight “Maybe it’s time I thought about getting myself a car?â€

[Raveled]

"You should call me... Anette." Starlight pulled the name out of the air, trying not to pick something too close to her own civilian handle. She took the cash and flattened it out, checking it carefully. The alien was supposed to take cabs and public transport around town, but she found herself teleporting most places she want. Besides, all of Earth's conflicting currencies confused her. She longed for the universal credits of the Lor Empire.

Starlight dug some of her own money out, adding it to Revenant's bills. "That should get us out there," she said. "Hopefully interviewing the Edelstein family will give us some leads, tell us where to go next." Starlight stepped to the curb and flagged down a cab, making sure both herself and Revenant were seated before handing the cabbie the page from the phone book, pointing at the correct address. "Take us there, please," she said.

The Edelsteins lived in a little slice of suburban splendor, a sprawling ranch house with a spreading oak tree in the front lawn and a white picket fence around the back. Starlight paid the cabbie and stepped out, giving the property a quick once-over. The big bay window in the front was covered by a curtain but there were two sedans in the driveway. She glanced at Lucy and walked up to the front door, knocking on the screen door and waiting for a reply.

[Shofet]

The door opened quickly, and a white haired women with intense eyes and little height to her looked up at the two, a frog-like frown on her face.

"הלו?"

A man quickly limped up behind her, a black eye healing, and hobbling on a cane, though he was obviously young, with the startings of a beard born through neglect of shaving, but the same eyes as the older woman. He had begun to go bald, though he did not try to hide it, and his smile was slightly crooked.

"Mummy, please, I'll handle this." The slightest tinge of a New York Yiddish accent hid behind his words as he saw her go back to the living room. "I'm sorry, she didn't say anything... Uh, you know, not right, uh? She's a child of the forties." He looked between the two of them. "So, uh, what brings you here today? You're not like, reporters, are you? Because, I don't like to comment about what happened to the news..."

~~~

Meanwhile, the Penitent had found out where McFeery lived, when he, well, lived, mostly through contacts among people who lived in the area, and maybe just a bit of intimidation of the seedier sorts. It surprisingly brought them to one of the nicer neighbourhoods in Freedom City, and that was severely understating it. It was a waterfront property in what was virtually a mansion, if just a little short of it. Obviously, Colm liked to live highly.

Out front was a woman with bleach blonde hair, wearing an orange and white sundress with a large hat to keep the ever-increasing heat from getting to her. A cigarette holder hung from her lips, and though she wore sunglasses to hide it, obviously she had been reeling from some sort of intense distress, and was now in the post-sobbing funk.

The Penitent looked at the King of Suits.

"I think I should hang back for a bit. She don't seem to be in much of a good mood, and I dunno if my ugly mug would make it any better."

[Ari]

"Quite understandable, from what I recall Mrs. Veronica McFeery had quite a promising career and rising life until..this happened. Small wonder she's in such a sorry state" agreed the King of Suits, with a twirl of his fingers as he slipped the grapple gun back into its holster. He carefully went over what he knew about Colm McFeery and his dealings. A crime lord of a sort that lurked wherever he seemed to be, with an extorting finger in every business he could cow, and some unfortunate on every other street who were all but owned body and soul by him. The costumed crime-fighter had been building a case against the man for the last few months now, and while he deeply regretted the man's death partially because of how horrible and(in his view) perilous to the soul it was, he felt a deeply uncharitable and prideful dismay that he hadn't had the chance to bring Colm to Justice.

"I will do what I can to talk to her" the lean cowled man told the hulking Penitent "but she is in considerable distress, as you noted. She might be wholly unwilling to help in such misery. I'll return shortly. if you like, you can listen in with this" he tossed Bram a small circular metal device with a trio of colored buttons the underside. "I'll put another around my collar, quite inconspicuous. I'll be right back" and with that he slipped an identical device under a fold in his grand cape collar, and walked on long, heron-like strides up to the reclining Broadway singer. Making sure to step loudly on a patch of gravel to alert her to his approach, he sat down next to her on the ground.

"Mrs. Veronica McFeery? I'm helping to investigate the murder of Colm, could you answer a few questions, please?"

[Raveled]

Starlight glanced at Lucy. "Not exactly," she said to the young man. "We're independent investigators, hired to look in to the circumstances surrounding the attack on you by the vigilante Penitent. We would appreciate it if you could answer a few questions about your investigations around the time of the attack." She cleared her throat and added, "Off the record, of course. Could we come in, please?"

[Shofet]

Veronica looked at King of Suits, tipping down her sunglasses. Her icy blue eyes met his, and she grimaced slightly.

"Here to talk about Colm, huh?" She took a long drag on her cigarette, blowing out a long stream of smoke.

"I suppose I could talk to you about it. What do you wanna know?"

Her voice was drained, and without interest, as she had obviously given all the answers to reporters she was willing to give, but she gave King of Suits another glance over, and then put out her cigarette.

"Hey, shouldn't you be dancing on Colm's grave? People like you hated him." Interest had entered her voice, and perhaps, just a little bit of hope.

~~~~~~

Moshe looked between the two of them, then gave an exaggerated shrug.

"Sure, why not? Come in."

He lead them through his front hallway to a very nice living room with a glass coffee table and a couch, as well as a rocking chair for himself. He didn't take a seat though.

"I'll answer anything you like. But, uh, would you like anything to drink, first?"

[Ari]

She has blue eyes too? Huh, shouldn't be so surprised about it I suppose...

At the phrase 'dancing on his grave', the King of Suits shook his head after a moment's thought "I didn't want him dead. I wanted to stop what he was doing, yes, but I didn't want to kill him to do that. Deaths like this do nobody any good" clearing his throat a little he quietly began his questions.

"Had he recieved any threats against his life in the last few weeks? If so, I might be able to gather a list of suspects, based on the content of such threats. Did he mention being followed in the last few days to you? Did a..business partner vanish on him that you know of?" shifting into a slightly more comfortable position he continued "Any new associates that he knew to have some connection to mystical forces, or super-science?"

[Raveled]

Starlight stood comfortably, refusing to sit until Edelstein did. "We are fine," she said. "We do not need anything to drink." She paused, waiting for Lucy to comment, but when the other woman stayed silent she launched right into it. "Officer Edelstein, can you describe your encounter with the Penitent? Did he give a reason for attacking you, any cases you are working on or have worked on in the past?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Lucy stayed quiet, except to politely refuse a drink, whilst “Anette†started to question the family. She wasn’t sure how good Starlight was at this kind of thing but she was there as support if needed. Instead of leading the questions she concentrated instead on the family body language noting how they were reacted to the questions. In the past she had found could be as useful, if not sometime more, than what they actually said.

It wouldn’t lead them to the false Penitent but it would help her see if they were on the right track.

[Shofet]

Veronic shook her head, and put out her cigarette.

"No to all of'em. It was just so sudden. Sure, some minor members of the organisation and others were disappearing, but we didn't think whatever was doing this would go to the top. Normally no one ever does... Not like Colm and his friends hadn't dealt with supers before... But this was different."

She sighed.

"One night, he was fine... he had taken me out to dinner, we went to bed early, and the next morning he had been torn out of his bed, and thrown onto the train tracks... At least, I think that's how it happened. There's very little left to identify after something like that."

~~~~

"The Penitent thing, huh?" Moshe said, sounding weary. "I never said it was him, that was some others. I just said he looked like a demon."

He wiped his brow.

"But the night it happened, I was helping escort a minor crime boss, Chico Aguerra. I was with Lothian that night, and we were in our patrol when we were stopped by this thing." He looked up at Anette.

"He told us to hand over Chico for judgement, and I said no, he wasn't the law. I knew it was the guy who had been knocking these guys off, too, and I wasn't going to let Chico over to be executed. Well, this guy, he didn't like it. He had a very strange voice, sounded like it was forced. Like a kid trying to sound like his dad. Told me that if I didn't hand Chico over, I was aiding and abetting."

He gritted his teeth. "Rather than deal with this jerk, I decided to go full speed out of there. The patrol car moved fast enough but this guy was easily moving 200 and we could only go up to 180. He flipped the car, but I had called for back up earlier and some squadcars showed up. Seemed enough to scare him off. I and Chico were lucky, there were only minor injuries. Lothian... Was essentially living pudding after that. Healing up, though. Shame that Chico got caught in the end anyway... Bad man, but no one deserves to be dropped from that height like that."

[Ari]

Nodding as he listened to Veronica, the King of Suits quietly marked down what she said in his small notebook, stopping abruptly at her closing words. In a sudden shift of tone he said "Hold on one moment. You say some minor members of your husband's organization had been going missing before his own demise? That might well be very important" he brushed off some grass that had gotten onto his clothes with a deft hand "Ma'am, if I may: who were the unfortunates who were lost before your husband was attacked? If you don't know, would you permit me to investigate them?"

It might be nothing, they might have been killed by some embittered fellow driven to desperation, or someone like the Silencer. But..maybe they were in fact connected.

[Raveled]

Starlight filed the bit of information about the voice away. Penitent seemed very at home with his unusual form, and it didn't seem plausible that he would try to disguise his voice without trying to disguise the rest of himself. "I am sorry to hear about your partner," she offered. "The Peni -- the demon guy ran away after your back-up arrived? Did he ever mention why he wanted this Chico Aguerra? What did Chico do, exactly, to get arrested?"

[Shofet]

Veronica nodded slowly.

"Yeah, well... Just some minor members really. Made men. Some muscle, and a few movers. Umm... Rick O'Ferrel was the first one to go down. Just a normal fixer, really. He was a big guy, too. Not very pleasant, but he wasn't paid to be pleasant. Still, you'd never suspect him to die in a fight like he did. Apparently he went down in seconds. Crushed neck. Same sort of stuff happened to the others. We lost like, a dozen men over a few weeks. Colm was scared as all heck. He knew about the Penitent, apparently."

She leaned in.

"She never trusted the guy. Regardless of what Colm did... He was a Catholic. Said it was only a matter of time until the demon turned on us. Still, I never saw a man pray as hard as Colm when they said that a demon was offing our guys. He even went to confession for the first time in years. He was absolutely certain it was the Penitent too..."

She sighed. "Of course, he was right..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "It started getting worse. The ways they were dying were getting worse..."

~~~~~

Moshe rubbed his chin.

"Chico was a minor boss with delusions that he was gonna run the city. Always looking for the big break, a way to getta leg up on the other bosses. Shot up a few places for protection money. A lot of loanshark deals, but could never muscle in. Made Chico angry, and he took it out on his victims. Pretty nasty piece of work, really. Had quite a few folks put in the ER, or worse, killed. We had finally got a warrant for his arrest after he blew it on an attempted murder. Turns out he lost his temper with his lady-friend and tried to put her in the ground. She outran him and called 911. We arrested."

He looked up at the lamp.

"But yeah, the demon ran. Said something about "needing to cut out the infection", assume they were referring to Chico."

[Raveled]

Liz nodded along with the officer's story. Chico had been attacked by the imposter later. Aloud she said to Moshe, "So you weren't the target at all, then? It would explain why the Penitent fled rather than face a combined police threat." She turned to Lucy, asking a question with her eyes. "I think we have all we need now, Officer Moshe. Although if you could, do you think your partner would be up to answering questions?"

[Ari]

"I am sorry to have helped stir up such memories" Marceau told Veronica apologetically "what you have told me is immeasurably helpful, but I am sorry to ask all the same."

Years of doing this kind of work throughout Europe made those words almost trip glibly off of his tongue, and it caused a twang of guilt in Marceau's gut when he realized the effort that had gone into making the words sound as genuine as they were felt.

The King of Suits sat quietly for a moment, writing down short reminders of what Veronica had told him. Once that was done he looked up and said gently "If there is nothing else you can recall at this moment that you think might be of aid in this search, I will depart and start looking into this" rising to his feet he shook her hand warmly, saying "I am sorry for you loss. Let me assure you that this was not done by the Penitent and that his imposter will be speedily brought to account for these and the other crimes committed. I have one last question" he added as he prepared to go, flicking his clothes into preparation for rejoining the Penitent "you said your husband Colm knew about the Penitent, and believed that he was after him; did he ever make any mention, as far as you can recall, about how he knew the man?"

It might be nothing, but still...

[Tiffany Korta]

Lucy listened along carefully nodding she hoped, in all the right places. So this was all looking like someone with a problem against organized crime, the poor officers just got in the way. She had been making an effort to get up to date with modern crime families but that had all fallen by the wayside with the search for her own origins.

She lent in a whispered to Starlight “I think we should try to find out how the criminal were connected. Do you have one of those portable telephones to contact the others?â€

[Raveled]

Starlight stood, and smiled and bowed to Officer Moshe. "Thank you for your time and your help. I am sure this will be a great aid in helping us apprehend this vigilante, wherever he may hide." She led Lucy out of the house and around the block, until they couldn't been seen from Moshe's front porch. Finally, she dropped whatever mask she'd been wearing through the interview. "In point of fact," she said, "I do carry a portable telephone. However, I do not know which number to call to make contact with the rest of the group."

[Tiffany Korta]

Lucy gave a little smile. “Well you’d be in luck Penitents friend gave me this before we left.†She got from her pocket a neatly folded bit of paper on which someone had hastly scrawled some number “I think this may be his telephone number. And if it is I’m sure they must have a way to contact each other.†She looked puzzled for a moment “Though I’m not quite sure why he has such a fascination we me?†Her face was perfectly neutral and with her eyes it was impossible to tell if she was being serious or not.

[Raveled]

Starlight raised an eyebrow as she pulled a cell phone out from her pocket. "I am the worst possible person to talk to you about human relationships," she admitted. "They're so... messy and uncoordinated. If it was --" She stopped herself. She had almost said, If it was like how it was in the Unity, but that wasn't any better. Perhaps messy and uncoordinated was a necessary side-effect of free will and liberty; if so she would defend it, but she certainly didn't want to take part in it herself.

Instead of vocalizing her conflict, she dialed the number Lucy gave her and waited for someone to answer.

[Shofet]

Veronica looked up at the King of Suits, nodding slowly.

"Well, alright... It was all just minor thugs, really... Made men at times. Vic the Shark was the first one. When they found him no one could bear to look at the crime scene for too long. Someone had... well, they took his heart. Violently. Probably the only person that really mattered, too... He didn't live anywhere near here, of course. Lived down in the Fens... In an apartment building. The Polanski building if I remember right. Third floor or something."

~~~~

Marlow pulled himself along the floor, spitting blood as the phone rang out. Every moment he moved was agony, broken class in his legs, his broken ribs screaming at him and his eyes swelling fast. He dragged himself to his feet, holding onto consciousness as he pulled the phone off the hook, coughing up another tooth.

"If this is who I think it is... You might have company." He swayed, bracing against the wall. "I'm bleeding pretty heavily. Our friend came in with questions... Started wailing on me wh-wh..." He almost faded into unconsciousness. "when... When I wouldn't speak. I had to tell them something or they'd kill. Oh, and another thing?" He coughed harshly. "Our friend is definitely not Bram, 'less Bram suddenly got half a foot shorter and became a lady when we weren't looking."