It was late August, 2043; Chicago. Jack O’Callahan stood about six feet tall. He stood straight with the posture of a soldier. His square jaw was cleanly shaved. His eyes were grey and peered out from beneath thick eyebrows, and his dark brown hair was parted and combed back. His sleeves were rolled up and a tattoo of a raven holding a spear was visible on his fore-arm. He wore an underarm holster containing a Drachen .45 Semi Automatic Pistol. He looked around. He stood in a large office with bay windows that were slated by venetian blinds. The room had two wooden desks, and was currently full of boxes. Empty filing cabinets lined one wall, and four cork boards leaned against one of the desks. Connecting to this room was a bathroom with a shower, and a room that he had dubbed, “The Waiting Room”, which connected to the hallway outside. The doors connecting the office to the waiting room and the waiting room to the hallway had a pane of frosted glass. The waiting room was less full of boxes. There was a secretarial desk with an unplugged computer terminal. He had no idea how to set it up. There were some wooden chairs, not the most comfortable of things; and a leather couch. There was potted plant and an end table with a lamp. A coat rack stood in the corner. There was a door leading to a small bathroom as well.
He heard someone enter. It was David Lang, his partner, and best friend. David was of Mandarin descent, though he didn’t quite look it. His father was an English man and his mother from Beijing. He definitely took after his father. He had a roundish face with short black hair. His nearly black almond shaped eyes were the only thing that resembled his mother. David was carrying a box which he set on one of the desks with a thud. He exhaled and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed his forehead.
“Thats the last one.” he said. He looked around, “It’s a nice place.” Jack nodded and smiled.
“It sure is.” he agreed.
“So, Where do we start?” asked David. Jack thought for a moment and looked around the office.
“Let’s get the cork boards on the walls.” suggested Jack. David rummaged through a box and pulled out a hammer and a box of nails. They had put up two of the cork boards on the wall when they heard someone enter the waiting room. They looked at each other confused. Jack stepped into the room to see who it was.
Standing amid the boxes was a woman. She wasn’t the most attractive of things, but she wasn’t ugly either; an average woman of her mid-twenties Jack looked her up and down. She wore a white blouse, that clung to her with a hint of dampness from the summer city heat. The blouse was paired with a black pencil skirt and black heels. She had obviously dolled herself up. Her curled flaxen hair seemed to glow in the natural light streaming in from the open office door. She carried a black handbag and a manilla folder. Jack cleared his throat before speaking.
“Excuse me miss, can I help you?” he asked. She looked at him with her big sapphire eyes.
“Umm, is this O’Callahan and Lang Investigations?” she asked tentatively, her eyes darting to his holster.
“Yes. Yes it is.” responded Jack. She seemed relieved.
“I’m Jennifer Bianco, I’m here for the secretary position?” she said. Jack paused for a moment before remembering.
“Oh yes! I’m Jack O’Callahan, you called right?” he asked. She nodded. She opened the folder and pulled out a piece of paper.
“Here’s my resume.” she said, handing him the paper. Jack skimmed it. He looked up at her.
“I just have a couple of questions.” he said.
“Okay.” she said.
“How good are you at computers?” he asked pointing to the terminal on the desk.
“Extremely good.” she began, before beginning to spout out terminology that was gibberish to Jack. He smiled.
“Wonderful! I'm not to great with them and my partner, David, isn’t much better than I.” said Jack, “What about your organization? We keep extensive non-computer records.”
“Oh, I am very organized! Though I haven’t worked with non-digital records much” she explained.
“Well, It’s not that hard. We like to keep the records from old cases, incase something similar comes up. I’ll explain in more detail later.” explained Jack, “And one last question. Are you good with a paint brush?” She seemed confused by the question.
“I’m sorry. I’m not quite sure what you mean.” she stated.
“Well, I would like to have ‘O’Callahan and Lang Investigations’ printed on the window on the door and the window in the office, and ‘Office’ printed on the office door.” he explained. She thought for a moment.
“You wouldn't have to have them painted Mr. O’Callahan. You could get them printed as decals and then just stick them to the windows.” she said. Jack blinked.
“I never though of that.” he said, “Though I am not really up to date on these new techniques.” She grinned, her red lips parting to display a row of sparkling white teeth. Jack looked at the resume again.
“Well, Jennifer was it?” he asked. She nodded.
“Yes, but everyone calls me Jenn.” she said.
“Okay, Jenn. It looks like you are perfectly suited for this job.” stated Jack.
“Really?! Thank you!” she exclaimed. She was elated.
“Yes, Can you start tomorrow?” he asked.
“Yes, of course!” she said. Jack turned to the office door.
“David! Come out here!” he called. David emerged quickly.
“What is it?” asked David. Jack stepped aside.
“David, This is Jenn Bianco, she’s our new secretary.” said Jack.
“Hello! I’m David Lang. Nice to meet you.” said David, holding out his hand. Jenn shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you too!” she said.
“Alright. Could you be here by ten?”, asked Jack. Jenn nodded. “Good.” said Jack, “Here’s a key, and we will see you tomorrow.” He handed her a small silver key. She took it, and left. They watched her leave. The scent of perfume hung in the air.
“So, What do you think of her?” asked Jack.
“Well, she is a pretty thing, isn’t she?” said David. Jack nodded in agreement.
“Let’s get the office set up, and then go for a beer.” said Jack, “I’m paying.”
“Sounds damn fine to me!” said David.
The next morning, when Jack arrived at the office it was already eleven. When he got to the door he noticed that lettering had appeared on the glass. It read, “O’Callahan and Lang, Private Investigators”, in a bold serif font. He looked at it for a second. Huh, he thought. He opened the door. The boxes in the waiting room had mysteriously disappeared. There was a tan coat hanging on the coat rack. Jenn must have cleared this up, he thought. The office door was a jar. He noticed that the the word “Office” was printed on the glass in the same lettering as the front door. He stepped in. The office was now void of any boxes. Jenn stood at the window on a step ladder. She was leaning towards the window applying letters that matched the ones on the front and office doors. She was wearing a simple blue dress. Black seams ran up the back of her legs and she wore similar shoes to the ones she was wearing yesterday. Jack hung his coat and hat on the coat rack.
“Good Morning Miss Bianco.” he said. She jumped and began to loose her balance. Jack ran over to her and caught her as she fell. She seemed flustered as he landed in his arms.
“Oh! Mr. O’Callahan! You startled me!” she exclaimed. Jack set her down.
“I’m sorry. Please call me Jack.” he said. “You ought to be careful on ladders. Speaking of which, where did you get it?”
“Oh, from the service closet in the hall.” she said pulling a blonde curl from her face.
“Huh, didn’t know that we had a service closet.” he said. He looked around, “So what happened to all the files?”
“Oh, I sorted them by name. Well the name that was on the tab.” she explained.
“Good thinking.” he said, “But you did this in an hour?”
“Well.” she said,pushing her hair behind her ear, “I kinda came in at eight. To get an early start.” She looked sheepishly at the ground. Jack was surprised.
“Well, that kind of attitude will get you far in this business.” said Jack. Her face lit up and she smiled.
“Really?! Thank you!” she exclaimed.
“I like you, I think you are going to do well in this office.” said Jack, “Did you get the computer to work?”
“Oh yes, It was actually really quite simple.” she began to babel in words that Jack could only assume were computer terminology. He smiled a nodded.
“Has anyone called?” asked Jack.
“Nope!” said Jenn. The phone began to ring. “Speak of the devil.” said Jenn. She skipped out of the office and picked up the phone. Jack sat down at his desk. He could hear her answering the phone.
“Hello? O’Callahan and Lang Investigations? How can we be of assistance? Yes. Yes. Okay. We will see you then!” He heard the click of the phone getting hung up. He heard the clicking of her heels as she re-entered the office.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“A Ms. Maxine Grove is coming in she has a job for you.” reported Jenn.
“Wait, Maxine Grove, as in Grove Technologies?” he asked.
“I guess. She didn’t say. I guess we will find out.” said Jenn.
“What time is she coming in?” asked Jack.
“Twelve” said Jenn.
“Thank you Jenn” said Jack. Jenn smiled, climbed the ladder and continued to place the lettering on the window. Jack leaned back into his seat. Things are looking up. he thought. He withdrew a cigarette case and an old-fashioned Zippo from his jacket pocket. He took a cigarette out a lit it. The ember glowed orange and the wisps of smokes hung in the humid air. Jenn looked at him from her perch on the step ladder.
“You know, that’s incredibly horrible for your health.” she scolded.
“Thanks for the concern.” he muttered, the cigarette bouncing as he talked. Jenn finished applying the letters. She stepped down from the ladder, folded it up and took it into the hallway. Jack leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk. He puffed on his cigarette. He reached behind him and flipped the switch on the radio. After fiddling with the dials he decided nothing good was playing. Nothing more than disgusting pop music and dull talk shows. He took a final drag on the cigarette before stamping it out in a glass ash tray. He adjusted his posture and closed his eyes.
He must have drifted off to sleep, because when he opened his eyes Jenn was standing to over him. He jumped and cried. His had flew to his pistol, his muscles tensed.
“Ta ma de!” he swore, his hard pounding. “Jenn! It’s only you!” He relaxed.
“I’m sorry!” she cried, “It’s just Ms. Grove is here.” Jack pulled a cigarette out.
“Send her in.” said Jack lighting the cigarette. Jenn walked to the door and opened it.
“Mr. O’Callahan will see you now!” she announced. She stepped into the waiting room and left the door open. A pair of stockinged feet encased in a pair of black heels stepped into the room. Jack’s eyes moved up the athletic legs. She wore a knee length black dress, that clung to her curves. The collar of the dress plunged in a V-shape, exposing a small amount of cleavage. On her arm was a small black leather handbag. Her hands gripped a pair of gloves that matched her hand bag. Her skin was as pale and as smooth as white marble. Her brown hair fell out from underneath a black beret with a midnight blue feather stuck in it, and hung at her shoulders. Her chin was thin and pointed. Her lips were red like fire; they stood out against her pale skin. Her shadowy green eyes peered out from behind a small veil. He could tell that she had been crying. She looked lost, like a puppy in the park at midnight. She was a dame though. Probably turned every head walking down the street; men and women. Jack stood as she entered, setting his cigarette in the tray.
“You must be Miss Grove.” said Jack, “Please, Have a seat.” She stepped daintily to the chair and sat down and crossed her legs. She pulled a handkerchief and dabbed her cheeks. “So Miss Grove, What can I do for you?” he asked returning to his seat.
“Haven’t you read the papers Mr. O’Callahan?” she asked, her voice quivering.
“No, I’m afraid I haven’t.” said Jack, “Been tied up, with a new office and all.”
“Well, since you don’t know. My father is dead.” she sniffled, obviously trying to hold back tears. Jack looked at her.
“And your father is?” he questioned.
“Anthony Grove, the owner of Grove Technologies.” she answered. Jack leaned forward.
“How did he die?” he asked.
“He was murdered.” she stated bluntly. Jack leaned back in his seat.
“If he was murdered, why not go to the police?”
“I did! But they said that it was suicide.” she began to openly cry. Hell, thought Jack, I hate seeing women cry.
“How did he die?” asked Jack. Ms. Grove sobbed quietly and didn’t answer. Jack offered her a cigarette. She took in in her thin fingers. He flicked open his lighter and held it out. She leaned forward and puffed on the cigarette. Her hands shook as she held the cigarette.
“So. Can you tell me how he died?” he asked again in a more gentle tone. She slowly began to from words from sobs.
“W-w-well. He was found on the pavement outside of the Grove tower.” she began, “The police said that he had thrown himself out of the window of his office on the fiftieth floor.” Jack blinked. My god. What a way to go. He picked up the cigarette in the ash tray and re-lit it.
“So what makes you think that he didn’t do the dead himself?” he asked taking a drag off the cigarette.
“Daddy was not the kind of man to do such a thing!” she cried. “Things were looking up! The company had posted record profits for the last quarter.”
“Sometimes depression strikes for no reason.” said Jack.
“He never showed signs of depression!” gasped Ms. Grove.
“Maybe he hid it from you.” suggested Jack.
“And why would he do that?” she asked.
“As to not make you worry.” said Jack. Ms. Grove looked to the floor.
“You don’t believe me either.” she breathed. “I knew I shouldn’t have come here!” She stood and began to storm out of the office. Jack stood and called after her.
“Wait!” She stopped and spun to look at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Sit down”, said Jack in a commanding tone. She obeyed.
“I’ll take the case. But it’s going to cost you.” he said.
“How much?” she asked quietly.
“Two hundred a day, plus expenses.” stated Jack. She reached into her purse and pulled out a black leather wallet.
“How about seven-hundred and fifty now? To get you started?” she asked, withdrawing some bills from the purse and laying them on the desk. Jack snatched them up like a crow grabbing corn from a feed bucket. He fingered the bills, counting. Sure enough seven-hundred and fifty dollars.
“Alright doll face. I’ll see what I can dig up on your fathers death.” said Jack.
“Thank you so much Mr. O’Callahan. If you find anything please give me a call. I’ll leave my number with your secretary.” she said, smiling for the first time. Her red lips framed a row of straight white teeth. He nodded and she walked to the door. When she opened it she nearly ran into David. After uttering an apology and an ‘excuse me’ she left the office.
David turned to watch her leave.
“Wow! What a babe! Who was that?” He asked.
“Miss Maxine Grove. A new client.” said Jack. David hung is hat and coat before moving to sit behind his desk.
“So, what are we doing for her? Did a piece of jewelry get stolen?” said David jokingly.
“Her father was murdered.” said Jack dryly. The smile was wiped off Davids’ face.
“Murder?” he asked, surprised.
“Yeah, that’s what she said any how.” said Jack, “The police said it was a suicide.”
“You don’t believe her?” asked David.
“I believe the seven-hundred and fifty dollars she gave us.” stated Jack, holding up the bills. David whistled.
“Thats a lot of cash” said David. Jack nodded.
“Do you you still have contacts at the police department?” inquired Jack.
“Yeah, why?”
“I’d like to take a look at crime scene.” said Jack.
“Well, If they did write it off as a suicide, it wouldn't be labeled as a crime scene.” explained David.
“Oh. Well that’s good news.” said Jack, “I’ll need to take a look at his office.”
“It’s bound to have a lot of computers. It is a modern corporation.” said David, pulling an orange from his coat. He flicked out a switch blade and began to peel it.
“I forgot about that.” said Jack, “I guess our new secretary will come into use sooner than I thought.”
“What do you mean?” asked David popping an orange slice into his mouth.
“She is very talented with computers.” explained Jack.
“So what do you plan to do with that talent? Didn’t they teach you how to use computers in the army?” asked David.
“No, they taught us to kill. That’s all.” The words put a sour taste in his mouth. “And you know very well that I’m not proud of what I did while enlisted. Why did you bring it up!?” spat Jack. David blinked.
“I’m sorry.” apologized David.
“It’s okay.” said Jack, “I know you didn’t mean anything of it.” Jack stood.
“You want me to hold down the fort while you and Ms. Bianco go break into Grove Towers?” asked David. Jack pull his jacket from the rack.
“If you wouldn’t mind. And we aren’t breaking in. We are going to ask. Nicely.” said Jack, opening a drawer on his desk and pulling out a police detective’s badge and tucking it into his pocket. David chuckled.
“Alright. You kids have fun.” joked David. Jack smiled and stepped into the waiting room.
Jenn was sitting behind the desk. She looked up with a smile when Jack entered.
“You heading out?” she asked. Jack nodded.
“Jenn.” he began.
“Yes Mr. O’Callahan?”
“I could use your help.” he said.
“Anything you say.” she said joyously. She seemed eager to help.
“I need you to accompany me to the Grove Tower.” said Jack. “There are bound to be computers that need to be accessed. And as previously stated I am terrible with the things.” Her face lit up. She jumped from her desk and grabbed her coat. Jack took it from her and helped her put it on before opening the door for her.
“Oh, why thank you” she said, her cheeks flushed. They stepped into the hall and walked down towards the elevator. Jack pressed the button to call the elevator.
“So”, he began, “What drove you to work as a secretary at a private investigators office?” She looked up at him with those bright blue eyes.
“I got bored.” she said plainly. The elevator arrived. The doors slid open and they stepped inside.
“You got bored?” inquired Jack. “Bored of what?” He pressed the button for the ground floor.
“Well, the dullness of working in various I.T. departments.” she started.
“I.T.?” interrupted Jack.
“Information Technology” responded Jenn. “I worked at the Simeon Corporation for two years. Mostly tech support. It got boring after the first six months. And I couldn't bend over a computer desk to fix something with out being ogled.” The elevator let them out at the ground level.
“I wouldn’t know how that feels. I think I'm fairly invisible to most women.” said Jack. Jenn looked up at him.
“That can’t be true!” exclaimed Jenn, “You are a good looking guy. You’re tall and strong. Also you hold yourself well.” Jack laughed.
“Thank you. You aren’t to bad looking yourself.” he smiled. She blushed for the second time. They stepped out to the curb and Jack hailed a Taxi. The taxi pulled up and they slipped in.
“Grove Tower” said Jack to the cabbie.
“So what exactly happened?” asked Jenn, “When that poor woman came in she was crying like a babe. I let her touch herself up before telling you she was here.”
“She was Maxine Grove, of Grove Technologies.” explained Jack.
“Oh! I heard about her father on the news. He threw himself out of his office window. Terrible shame.” She looked down at her feet, “Was that what she came to you about?”
“Shi.” affirmed Jack, “She thinks that he was murdered.” Jack looked out the window. The city horizon was grey with rain clouds.
“Do you believe her?” asked Jenn.
“I don’t know yet.” said Jack. He rubbed his upper lip with his index finger, thinking. The rest of the cab ride was uneventful. When they arrived there was a flash of lighting and a clap of thunder. Jack paid the cabbie and they hurried into the foyer of the building. They had no sooner stepped through the door before rain began to pour out of the sky.
Issue #2
Please comment! I would love to hear your thoughts!
I have recently picked up the Lamentations of the Flame Princess "Rules and Magic" Book at The Wyvern's Tale (the friendly local game store). I have only flipped through it a couple of times and have not actually read through the rules. Though from what I have read it appears to be a D20 based system. The book itself does bare the the "18+ Explicit Content Warning". It is classified as a "Weird Fantasy" so I expect that when the Referee Book and the Bestiary comes out it will have some Lovecraftian type monsters and story elements.
