2013.06.04 - Sketching the Invisible

When Justin got mugged in front of his house he had done what anyone would do- filed a police report. When he told the cops that he had been attacked by an assailant that could turn invisible, there was only a mild skepticism. After all, people with unusual powers and abilities aren't exactly unheard of, and not all of them are shining heros. However, when Justin's house was broken into and he again called the police, his story was met with a lot more doubt. There had been no sign of forced entry, no alarm, nothing taken, and the fact that the CEO had obviously been drinking before he fell asleep left the cops shaking their heads. They had taken the report, but otherwise blew Hammer off as having had some sort of paranoid nightmare.
Now the locks on the house have been changed and upgraded, and Justin's fear and paranoia have turned into anger. The police seem unwilling to help, so he's taken matters into his own hands. Doing a good bit of research over the past week, Hammer finally contacted O'Day & Simeon: Private Detectives and Fine Art. What the hell fine art had to do with anything Justin doesn't know, but the agency was highly rated and came recommended from one of his senior security staff. So a phone call was made and a meeting set up.
Hammer is seated at a table in Accademia Di Vino- a fairly expensive but good quality Italian restaurant close to his home. He requested a private dining area and was accomodated, and sits at a table in a back alcove that's away from the noise and bustle of the rest of the restaurant. Just outside the alcove stands a man in a plain, dark grey suit, obviously some sort of security.
With Angel O'Day out of town on another case... this particular job fell into Sam's ample lap. The *Shhhhhhh* secret Gorilla detective arrives fashionably late... which probably doesn't help Justin's growing impatiance with the world. The first thing he does upon entering is broadcast his usual 'Woogie' on those here. Just making them see him as a somewhat hairy slightly slope-browed human being. Think Fred Flintstone or something similar. Sam makes his way to where Justin is waiting... eyeing the indvidual working security. "Mr. Hammer." Sam offers to Justin before addressing the obvious bodyguard. "Mr. Farmer." Yeah, it's a The Bodyguard movie refrence. Expect quirkyness.
The security officer's only reaction to the PI's greeting is to give him a scowl. Justin, on the other hand, is slightly more outgoing. When the detective finally arrives, Hammer makes a point of checking the expensive watch on his left wrist before responding to Sam. "You must be Mister Simeon," he states while standing up. He has an empty plate in front of him already, looks like the remnants of something sweet like tiramisu, and a glass of presumably expensive wine. He also has a napkin tucked into his shirt collar like he typically does when eating, and it obscures the front of his light-grey suit. "Nice of you to make it." He offers the other man his hand to shake.
"Sorry for keeping you... I was hoping my partner would be available for this meeting. But she was called away on another case." Sam glances to the plate and flashes a bit of a grin. "I see you went ahead and ate while you were waiting. At least that way we can get down to business." Sam takes the offered hand and shakes it. While there is fur there in truth, the active woogie makes it feel like any other hand. Sam's gotten pretty good at keeping that little secret under wraps. "Not every day that someone with your profile hires a detective agency. So while I have a seat and possibly a banana dacquari or scotch on thr rocks, why don't you tell me what's the skinny?" Sam slips off his fedora and sits it on the seat next to him as he sits down.
Justin motions back toward his plate on the table. "Only desert," he offers. "My meal is on the way. Feel free to order whatever you'd like, on me." He'll buy the meal even though he's the one hiring Sam. He likes flashing around the money he has, and one way he does it is by picking up the tab. Sitting back down Hammer rests his elbows on the table and clasps his hands together. "Here's the problem," Justin has his typical, cocky tone laced with a mild New York accent, "A couple weeks ago I got robbed. Mugged in front of my house. Guy made off with my wallet. Well, guess he decided to be ballsy, because he broke into my house less than a week after that. I got a look at him, but the cops ain't helping me. So I'm hoping you can find this bastard, bring him in."
Sam offers a little bit of a smirk across the table to Justin. "Eating your desert first... someone's spoiled." Sam's joking of course... but it depends on how Justin takes it. "What would you recommend. I admit... my fine dining tends to be takeout Chinese." Sam browses the menu as he listens to Justin relate the story. "Where was Mr. Tall, Dark, and Intimidating when you were being mugged?" Sam wonders, glancing up at Justin's bodyguard. "Sounds like your theif thinks you're an interesting mark. They bypass your security system?"
The CEO makes a forced chuckle, obviously not taking Sam's joke all that well. He may have, had the PI not been late and he not been dealing with this particular incident. "The pan roasted salmon is one of my favorites," he offers to the question about what to order. In all truth he would have much rather gone to Anita Bella to eat, but he didn't want to have this sort of meeting with the possibility of Fern, his waitress friend, hearing about it. She would likely worry and oddly that bothered Justin. "I didn't have security with me at the time. This is an unfortunate precaution I've had to take since the two incidents in question. And no, the security system wasn't set." There are details that he's not going to offer unless Sam requests them specifically, since it makes him seem less than competent. "But I'm fairly certain the guy who did this, is a mutant or some other 'special'."
Sam ends up ording himself a scotch on the rocks and a the suggested dish that Justin offers. It's easier to go with someone who knows what they like, then keeping Justin waiting while he digs up something tasty from the menu. And the chances he'll ever return here outside of business is nil anyway. "Wasn't set? Kinda defeats the purpose of the device. Especially for someone as well known in certain circles as yourself." Sam notes as he leans back, rubbing his chin just a bit and watching Justin for any signs that give him an avenue to explore. "How can you be sure it was this "Special" (complete with air quotes) individual is the same one who mugged you?"
The waiter brings out Justin's entree at the same time he takes Sam's order. The exchange is brief, and the waiter is gone before Sam starts with more questions. The CEO uses the arrival of his meal as an excuse to pause before answering the PI's questions. "I was very tired that night, it slipped my mind," he lies, though there's still grains of truth. He really was exhausted, and he hadn't had that much to drink, but his frustration with getting the system deactivated when he got home had lead him to wave it off rather than mess up the code again trying to re-arm just the perimeter. Taking a bite of his food, a pasta dish with a red meat sauce, he again uses his meal as an excuse not to answer right away. "His voice. He had the same voice. And he could turn invisible. That's how he jumped me on the street, and he was invisible when he first entered the house." He makes no mention of the spare key at this point.
Sam's BS Detector goes off when Justin says he was too tired to set the alarm. The obvious questions spring to mind, tired... or intoxicated or something along similar line. Or perhaps Justin had a companion for the evening. "And you were alone?" He wonders. There's always a chance he left it unset so his date could leave without waking him up. "So you do have cameras set up in your home. I'll need whatever your cams recorded that evening. What all was taken?"
Hammer is starting to look somewhat uncomfortable. This is just as bad as the freaking cops he had to talk with. "I was alone," he responds flatly before taking another bite of food. "I had come back from dinner with a few colleagues, and was just tired. Ended up falling asleep on the couch when the guy got in through the front door. No cameras, I don't like the idea of them in the house. I like my privacy." Though now that may change, after all of this. Had there been cameras the cops may have taken the incident seriously. "And nothing was taken. The guy had the cajones to wake me up and demand that I take him to where I keep any guns I own. I threw a punch, blindly, managed to hit him. He turned visible long enough I could get a good look, then took off, back out the front door."
Sam reaches into his coat, which may or may not put Hammer's security goon on edge. But what comes out is a small artist pad and a few pencils. Sam licks a finger and flips the pad open, rolling his shoulders a bit. "I'm not a fan of cameras either." For other reasons, of course. And Sam hmmms just a bit. "Ok, describe to me in detail what you saw. That'll be a good starting point."
Now that the questions are off him, Justin seems to relax a bit. He continues to eat while he talks, being mostly polite, but definitely not eating with old-money refinement. It's obvious the being rich thing is still fairly new to him. "Well built guy, like former military," Hammer has worked with a lot of military types, so he knows the look, "About my height. Short brown hair, light eyes. Blue, maybe? Very square jaw."
Sam starts sketching... pumping Justin for details as much as he can. Focusing especially on his facial features, wanting to get the best description he can out of the man. There's a lot of questions, focusing specifically on various areas of the face... so Sam can build a profile. "And what sort of clothing?"
Justin continues to rack his brain, pulling as many details out as he can. He offers corrections on the sketch if asked, and seems to be a bit more cooperative now. "For clothing, he was wearing jeans and a dark hooded sweatshirt. Looked pretty ragged, like he's homeless or at least doesn't have a lot of money. He faded back out of sight again before I could get much more than that." He finishes off his meal, and wipes his mouth with the napkin he has tucked into his collar.
Sam licks his lips at the end, turning the pad around and sliding it towards Justin. If Justin's recall of the evening is good enough, it should hopefully resemble the intruder. Sam waits, leaning back in his chair and sipping his scotch that was brought while he was sketching. "Look anything like that?"
Justin takes the sketch pad and lifts it off the table, studying it carefully. "Yeah, yeah he looked like that," he says as he sets the sketchpad down and slides it back toward the PI. "I think you pretty much got it." Hammer's actually impressed at the quality and accuracy of the drawing, made from nothing more than his memories. He figures that's where the 'Fine Art' part of the agency's name comes from.
"It sounds like you've got yourself a fan... they'll likely be back. I'll be happy to stakeout your house... keep an eye out for them. As long as that sounds good to you. It shounds like he's eager to get something from you... so I'm sure he'll be back." Sam offers, as he finishes his first drink. "If that sounds like something you'd like to pursue, I'm sure we can make arrangements."
Hammer frowns at the mention of having his home staked out. He doesn't like the idea of having someone else stationed outside his house. He's had on and off security details since the break in, but those are his security personnel, not just some random guy. Still, he nods. "If that's what it takes. I'll pay whatever it takes to nail this guy. It's one thing in this city to get mugged, but he broke into my goddamned house." There's a definite sharp edge in Justin's voice, he's out for revenge.
Category:Log