Day 265 - Friday, September 12th

[papalobo]

[A Chinese man who is definitely a mature adult and not a teenager checks in to the Hyatt, one of their more exclusive rooms, along with his half-white half brother who is also certainly not a teenager and most definitely not the notorious gang leader wanted on suspicion of a September 11th New York City bombing in retaliation for an angry rogue sect of anti-American zealots.

The entire suite floor has been rented out, and it requires a special key card in the elevator and on the stairs to enter that floor. But they can rent one of the still very luxe rooms directly beneath.

A familiar white limo is in the car garage, though the opportunity to gawk or investigate is slim, between the security cameras and live guards.

There's still no contact from Max, but the Department of Homeland Security has become involved, and has begun to enter Ash's territory with intent to arrest any known figures within his gang to bring in for questioning.]

Day 284, Wednesday, Oct 1st

Comments

[papalobo]

Before you were adopted by him.

[jadedlynx]

I give you a show of good faith. What's your show?

[papalobo]

The guy Lobo slugged'll agree not to press charges for assaulting a police officer. Again.

Gimmie another show of good faith and we're willing to let him fax an article to his publisher.

[jadedlynx]

Aslan Callenreese.

[papalobo]

Thought so. Guess enough money raises the dead.

DHS's gonna get first dibs on his article, I don't have a say in that, but we'll get it faxed once we get it back.

[jadedlynx]

They took him in a white limo. What kind of good faith would it take to have you at least look into that lead, too?

[papalobo]

It'd stand out more if it was literally any other color, but.

[jadedlynx]

I have the license plate.

[papalobo]

Happen to know where it's at now?

[jadedlynx]

If my info is right.

[papalobo]

Then, you'll want us looking into it. Where?

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash gives the name of the hotel. ]

I'm told they're staying there.

[papalobo]

Any other helpful details?

[jadedlynx]

Yeah. I'm innocent.

[papalobo]

Any ideas what Lobo was sneaking out to dispose of?

[jadedlynx]

I couldn't guess on specifics, but it's probably related to a story. He deals with a lot of sensitive info, and some of his stories deal with dirty cops. It makes sense if he'd have stuff he wanted to protect in case anybody searching was playing was playing for the wrong team. His most recent case brings in some politic names.

[papalobo]

We've got a warrant in your house. Hacked the security cameras to finally see where he left from. Had a lot with him. When we got to him he only had the story he wanted us to publish for him by fax.

Any idea where he'd've dumped the rest? If I'm a bad guy you're already pretty screwed, so me finding it before someone else does's the best case scenario.

[jadedlynx]

No clue.

They weren't plans on how to build a bomb. I'm 19, all of my stuff's digital. He's an old guy who uses old guy paper. It really is probably just stuff related to his stories.

[ Max probably didn't hide his paintings. The idea of other people looking at them made his skin burn more than they'd know. ]

[papalobo]

Awful lot to be materials.

So, how'd you fake your death this last year? Lobo had to be in on it.

[jadedlynx]

[ He sighs. Thinking it could stay was silly, wasn't it? ]

No. I didn't fake it. Dino Golzine did. Follow the trial. Neither me nor Max had that kind of money or power. I was as surprised as everybody else.

[papalobo]

And you just ran with it 'cause it was convenient.

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash is silent for a few beats. He doesn't like to get this close to the truth. He's even twisting some parts of it to skip Banana Fish.

But Max is going to get implicated. He's going to go down with Ash if he uses his 'let them think what they want' approach. ]

I ran with it because I couldn't fucking run anywhere!

[ It's an angry hiss, but his stomach twists. It's basically the truth. ]

Around the time he got off the tax evasion charges. A lot of people were pointing cameras in our faces. Look at some of the pictures. Really look at them and wonder why the hell it looks like I decided to have an eye exam right before going to a fucking concert!

[papalobo]

Interesting detail for Lobo to leave out when writing about this kinda abuse stuff.

[jadedlynx]

It's my life, not some interesting detail!

[ The act is more the allowance of emotion, not the emotion itself.

He breathes to calm himself. ]

They had enough and Dino Golzine was dead. Telling him would just be adding some sob story that doesn't need to be out there.

I've given you more than enough to show good faith. Look for the limo.

[papalobo]

I already sent a team out there.

He's pretty smitten with you. Makes sense he'd cover you. Charlie's guess is whatever he escaped with was probably what you said, protecting a source instead of something nefarious. Be nice if we can believe that.

But you gotta realize we don't got a lot of leeway. The public is demanding answers when a bombing happens on 9/11, suggested to have racial motives on one of our allies, so soon after a bombing that's threatening to make these a common occurrence on American soil.

"Seem like a nice set of well meaning guys, let's just drop that lead."