Participants:
| Scene Title | Chasing Ghost |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Leland comes asking about Teodoro. Abigail takes his words literally but can't help him find an answer. Not yet maybe. |
| Date | June 21, 2009 |
Village Renaissance Building - Abigail & Leonard's Apartment.
An average middle class apartment, it's populated with decidedly not middle class furniture. A solitary red suede couch occupies the immediate living room, with a battered coffee table and side tables as it's companion. A decent sized TV sits on a cupboard with a stereo, DVD player. The kitchen sports a relic from the 70's, with matching chairs that still seem to be in decent condition. The two bedrooms off the hall are distinguishable from the other, one bearing a gold cross nailed above the door, the other not.
In the corner of the living room is an ornate cage on a bird stand, a blue budgie within it's depths. In another corner is a massive cat tree house, and often occupied by a black cat with a red suede collar. It looks barely lived in, like the owners are not yet investing their effort quite yet to move in.
She had a hankering for spaghetti. But was missing the ground beef and tomatoes. So she'd stepped out to get that. Everything these days that she cooked was with the thought of 4 or 5 people stopping in to eat and what would be better for Flint should he manage to drag himself in. Not a point to riding her scooter when the place was two blocks or so away, so with a cloth bag with what she needed, Abigail with her messenger bag, blue hair and thoughtful look on her face is heading towards her apartment building, unaware of what's waiting.
By a twist of fate, Leland had just rung the bell to Abby's apartment and was preparing to leave. If her hair didn't happen to be a color that stood out quite so well, he might've just kept on his way and just missed her.
As it is, he double takes when he sees her heading up the walk, stops, squints and then calls out, "Miss Beauchamp? I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Detective Daubrey. Can I have a word with you?"
Detective Daubrey. He's not forgettable. Not to Abigail. "Detective Daubrey. To what honor do I get you on my doorstep? I have time, I got nothing else planned, Do you want to come up?" She offers when close. "How's Agent Ivanov?"
"That would probably be best, yes." Clearly Leland isn't here on a social call. "He's fine. Hasn't gotten into any trouble lately." That he's aware of, at least. "Can I help you with that?" He motions towards the bag. He's being polite and coply, and on his best behavior.
"Oh! Yes, yes you may." She smiles none the less, offering up the bag to him. "You'd make my Dah smile with your manners. Not many people offer to carry bags for women anymore. But then, most women these days would sooner turn around and bean a man across the head and say he was trying to undervalue her and her position in society. Come on in, I'll make you some coffee and you can talk what it is you come to talk or ask and I'll try and answer best I can. You don't seem the kind of man to want to hang around me, no offense Detective" The door is opened to inside, front desk waving her by since she's a resident and towards the bank of elevators. Security in this place is something that this area hasn't seen in ages.
Leland takes the bag from Abby and follows her into the apartment building. "Well, havin' good manners is part've being a cop, Miss Beauchamp." For all he has a reputation for having a violent temper, he can actually keep a pretty good handle on it most of the time. It's the 'some of the time' that causes a problem.
He waits until they're up the stairs and behind closed doors before he cuts right to the chase. "I'm here about a man named Teodoro Laudani." Teadarah Lahhdani in Bostoneeze. "Do you know him?"
She knows him. The look thrown his way in the elevator with brows furrowed is hint enough if the "I do actually" wasn't enough. "He was my roommate" There's a puzzled look now on the heels of the questioning one.
Leland clears his throat. "Miss Beauchamp, the rest of this should probably wait until we're inside your apartment." When the elevator opens, he motions for her to proceed ahead of him. He's wearing his game face now. He's going to try his best not to let on why he's asking about Teo, specifically.
"That, Detective, I agree" So when the doors open, she leads him down to her apartment, 306. It takes all of two seconds to unlock the door and let Leland in. There's no one there it seems, when she calls out. Only a chirping Budgie and an indifferent looking cat. "Make yourself at home Detective. Can I get you anything to drink?"
"No, thank you." Leland looks around for a place to set the bag down. He lingers near the door. "Miss Beauchamp, have you seen Mr. Laudani recently?" He reaches into his jacket and pulls out three folded pieces of paper with photos printed on them. "And have you seen any of these people before?"
Printed on the pages are ID photos of Roger Gibbs, Annelise Rivera and Donovan Casey.
"I haven't seem him for near.. two weeks now? Two weeks. He showed up to talk, and make sure I'm okay, then he left." The bag is taken and put into the kitchen before she's coming around the corner, wiping her hands and taking the paper. Through the pictures she goes, one, two, three, looking at all the pictures once, twice, then three times total before shaking her head. "Should I know them?" There's a pause and she looks up. "Did the police catch .. John Logan? Are these people from the Happy Dagger and the Pancratium? Cause if so, they're not ringing any bells, I'm sorry Detective"
"No, no they're not, Miss Beauchamp." Leland takes the photos back from her. Damn. But, he did confirm she knows Laudani. That's something. He opens up his coat to pull out a card, then hands it over to Abigail. "If he comes to see you again, I would appreciate if you'd call me." He doesn't lie, doesn't say he just wants to talk. But he also doesn't come right out and say what's been going on. If she's been paying attention to the news, she might put it together. "Thank you for your time."
She is putting two and two together, remembering the news. "New Jersey" She suddenly speaks. "They're the cops. In New Jersey…"
Leland tucks the photos back into his jacket. "That's right." He stops near the door and looks over his shoulder as he waits to see if she's going to volunteer more information.
"Why detective, did you come to me, with Teo's name? His name was never on any leases with me, he's not someone how rightly publicly associates with me."
"Please just give me a call if you see him," says Leland. He forces a polite smile and turns the knob on the door. He figures she won't, but he is getting the sense that this woman is a friend, and more apt to protect Laudani than help the police. "Have a good evening."
"If I see him Detective, I will" What the hell was Teo doing with the dead cops. Abigail walks the man over to the door. "Leland?" This is personal now, not professional. 'Can I ask you to pass something to Felix?"
Leland looks past Abigail, then looks her in the eye. He nods. "Sure." Now that things have switched from strictly professional, he looks a tad less…stiff. "What is it?"
"Tell him to keep his ass from getting hurt. Someone took my gift, and god's not answering anymore. I can't save him anymore" She's serious, in as much as someone bearing bright blue hair can be serious.
Leland looks at her for a long moment, then nods, once. "I'll let him know." He rocks a half-step towards the door and then stops. "M'sorry." For the power loss. Though he doesn't articulate that very well. Then the cop steps out into the hallway and heads for the elevator.
I'm Sorry. Everyones sorry. But at least he's not falling all over her asking what he can do. Small blessings. She just nods her head and watches him off towards the elevator till the doors close. Then, it's Abigail turning back to see to dinner.