Log started on Tuesday, 28 Mar 2000, 6:00 PM EST by "Greywolf2" at "Holodeck2"

Pagoda Garden
Atop a skyscraper in Little Mercury, a finely manicured garden has been built, in the center of which is a wide structure fashioned to look like a pagoda, but with electric lights and "art deco" styling, overlooking the streaming lights of traffic on the Rim Highway. Inside is one of the finest nightclubs in this part of the Perimeter of Luna City, with a sunken central floor where the best tables in the house are located, flanked by raised tiers of additional tables overlooking the main stage. Each table is lit by a paper lantern sitting in its center, warmly lit from within by an occasionally flickering electric bulb. The ceiling rises upward, revealing the interior of the stacked levels of the pagoda, culminating in a skylight that frames the poisoned Earth floating far above.

It's a Friday night at the Pagoda Garden, after the evening Mass. Luna City is somewhere in the middle of the two-week lunar night, which means that Dark Eden -- that is, what used to be called Earth -- is nicely lit up directly above, where it always looks down on the city, day and night.

The proprietor of this nightclub, Lee Chang (who prefers to be called "Chang Lee", though that's probably not his real name anyway) often waives the cover charge for good friends and for cops who claim to be here "on business" -- After all, a cop a day keeps the Triads away. Tonight, he even has cause to be so generous as to provide a free meal for a couple of Dawn Alert officers ... alcoholic beverages not included.

The clientele here is almost entirely comprised of humans. Two notable exceptions would be Detective Sherman Duff coming through the entrance, and Destiny Blue, the singer up on the stage. At the door, Chang greets the detective and his associate, a rumpled-looking human by the name of Jim Watterson.

"So glad you could make it tonight," Chang says quietly, dropping his fake pidgin speech for now, as he leads the two cops down the steps leading to one of the first tables on the upper level of the three-tiered dining area, divided into concentric semi-circles that step down in rings toward the wide central floor, which is immediately in front of the stage. While this table isn't right up next to the stage, it still affords one of the best views to be had -- of the clientele as well as the entertainment. The entertainment tonight consists of a two-tailed golden-furred Kitsune vixen in a sequined cobalt blue dress with silver-white floral patterns dancing across the glittery fabric from right shoulder to left hip, and a matching white blossom tucked in her bleached golden mane, behind her left ear.

Not but a moment after Duff is seated, Chang is back off to the door in a hurry, tending to one of the more up-class visitors of this establishment -- the balding Chairman Tanaka of Tanaka Electric, accompanied by his adult son Hikaru, a gangly-looking aide, a stern-looking Samurai bodyguard, and a giggling Geisha girl -- the latter looking younger than Hikaru, but hanging on the Chairman's arm.

A quick scan of the faces illuminated by the table-lights in the otherwise dimly lit room reveals a few familiar faces. One of the more notable (if ugly) faces is that of Tommy "Trombone" Trovato -- He's back in town, by the looks of it, nursing a drink alone at one of the upper-tier tables.

The vixen is in the middle of a jazzy number, the stage darkened save for a spotlight that causes all of the sequins in her dress to sparkle. She purrs into the microphone,

A waiter in a white suit jacket and black bow tie sets a menu in front of the Dog-Man, and another in front of his human associate. "Would the detectives desire anything to drink?" he queries.

*** GM Note: PCs "Duffy" and "Jimbo" get 1 Hero Point each for attendance/participation. Duffy Total: 1. Jimbo Total: 1.

Duffy looks over the menu briefly in case they put something new on. "Nah, just some water for me. What about you, Jay?" He shrugs his jacket off onto his chair, revealing a good, but obviously not tailor-fitted suit. "Who's that up front? She's a purty one, but she's not your regular type."

The waiter nods at Duffy, and turns to look at the human at the table. "And you, sir?"

Jimbo glances at the waiter somewhat distractedly. Though his togs are a little dressier than usual, the polo shirt and slacks he wears are still rather wrinkled, as though they were hurried grabbed directly out of the drier and not quite done. A long overcoat goes over that, quality, but that has seen better days. "Huh? Oh, I'll take a bee-... well, better not, I guess. Coffee for me."

"Black," the man adds.

The waiter nods, committing this to memory, then asks, "Unless you have already made your decisions on supper, I will get your order when I come back with your drinks."

Duffy nods wisely to "Jay". "Choice of achievers. Never went down with my system; I always seem thirstier after a slug of coffee, heh." He glances over the crowd. Real collection of the bads and uglies. Durand only knows if the singer qualifies as good or bad just yet.

"Coffee's the breakfast of champs, Dee," drawls Jimbo, propping his elbows on the table. He gives the menu a cursory inspection before supporting his chin with his knuckles. "See anything that ...," he gives the crowd a sidelong glance, "... strikes your fancy?"

Duffy smacks his lips. "Well... the lamb chops they're doing up in the kitchen right now smell so good they must be about ready to fall off the bones."

Maybe it's just Jimbo's imagination, but the Geisha girl with Mister Tanaka seems to glance his direction for just a moment ... but she quickly looks away as Chang leads the party to their table down in the main floor area. Tanaka's son, the suave and well-groomed Hikaru, pulls out a chair for his balding father, and seems to be edging out Chang for a moment in fussing over him.

"Dash of paprika, some allspice, but they don't kill the meat with over-seasoning like they do in some cheap places," the dog-man adds. He snuffs at the air some more, testing it.

Jimbo shakes his head, a lopsided grin appearing for a second. He lowers his voice slightly. "Think so? I'm looking at steaks, myself... a big, fat T-bone.."

Jimbo's sleepy gaze strays to the Mishiman bunch for a moment, and he watches the Geisha out of the corner of his eye.

The waiter nods. "Excellent choices." He doesn't even write anything down, as he's not carrying a note pad. "I shall be back in a moment with your drinks. Please enjoy the entertainment." He bows, then heads off to fetch the officers' drinks.

Duffy licks his chops. "That's good, too. Here's hoping we can enjoy a nice leisurely dinner..." He glances to the small group of corporate types and adds in a whisper, "You seen our little pigeon yet? He looks like he's here to meet someone."

Tanaka seems to be quite jolly, laughing it up over some joke that can't be heard even with keen ears this far away, and the Geisha and Hikaru seem to be laughing politely. The Geisha's gaze strays again, glancing over toward Jim again ... and for a moment she looks startled when she catches him looking back, turning away in a blush ... then furtively sneaking a sidelong glance back at him again, with a coy smile.

"Trombone", meanwhile, glances at his watch, an annoyed expression on his face, as he shifts around in his seat, alone at his table.

The other officer nods, his voice still at a murmur. "He's the T-bone I'd really like to stick a fork in. I'm hoping things don't get too ugly. There's some real class acts here." He grins again slightly, then winks at the kimono-clad woman before looking back at Duffy and taking a sip of his pre-dinner water. "Do you know if there's been any news about him?"

The Geisha doesn't look back at Jimbo any further ... perhaps not wanting to risk drawing any questions from her wealthy companion.

The vixen continues to sing, her voice surprisingly sultry for her seemingly delicate frame...

And the muffled trumpets go, "(Doo do-waa!)"

Duffy follows Jimbo's gaze, then raises his eyebrow. "Watch what you're eyeing for dessert; that's a good way to go flambe'. Nah, you know as much as I do about it. We're just, hey, taking in the evening air, officially." He pauses. "Hmm... Recognize the singer? I think I saw her face somewhere, but I forget where. Definitely too classy a voice to forget, though."

Duffy mutters in an undertone, "They probably brought her in to entertain the big man and his son."

Jimbo shrugs. "I dunno ... did she do any commercials? Maybe there was one for Capitol Cola."

The waiter comes back with a tray, setting down a cup of coffee -- black -- and a cup of water, along with a pitcher of ice water in the center of the table, next to the lamp. "Here you are, sirs."

"Heh. Hey, you know who the pretty thing down there is?" Duffy inquires of the waiter. "They bring her in special?"

Duffy leans forward to sniff at the water appreciatively.

The waiter glances up at the vixen, then back to Duffy, smiling faintly. "Ah. Destiny Blue. She has quite the voice. Mister Chang Lee hired her recently. She came here all the way from Mercury."

"I probably woulda remembered if I'd seen her on TV, so I doubt it." Jay takes up his cup of joe, and blows over the top to cool it. "Mercury. That's quite an import."

Duffy takes a sip of the water. "Yep, she's quite something. Your old act, well..." He waggles a paw. "She was a sweetheart but she didn't really have her heart in it. This one, she's too good for the Elles." He rubs his chin thoughtfully.

The waiter smiles, then lowers his voice conspiratorially. "I hear that she is single, eh, detective?" He winks, then says, "Ah, but I should be checking on your meals."

Duffy's eyebrows go "poit". After a bit, he chuckles, "Ah, I couldn't afford to buy her as much as a new change of clothes, but it sure doesn't hurt to look." He glances over at Jay to see if his partner is still courting corporate vengeance.

Hikaru Tanaka gets up from his chair, bowing his head apologetically to his father. He makes his way up the steps ... toward the "facilities".

"Trombone" glances at the Mishiman as he heads up the steps, but then wrinkles his nose and returns his attention to ... well, his attention just seems to wander around the room, though it hasn't wandered over toward the rest of the outer tier yet, so it seems he hasn't spotted Duffy or Jimbo yet.

Jimbo smirks, takes a swig of his coffee, then sets his head on his hand, holding his coffee cup in the other. His posture is held such that he looks like he's had a long night and is just resting his neck ... but it's in a position to be able to steal sidelong glances at the Mishiman table. "Nothing overt, Dee," he says, answering an unasked question. "The T-bone smells almost cooked, though."

The waiter nods, and heads back to the kitchen.

Duffy hehs. He takes another sip. "Man, this water just goes right through me. Think I'll go visit the hydrant. Make sure your T doesn't get overcooked, eh?" He pauses, timing his stand so he'll be following Hikaru, not too closely either.

The vixen, meanwhile, finishes her number, her right hand sweeping out and held to one side as she belts out, "... hope to beeeeeeee!" Not a bad song, really, though it'd be easier to hear all the lyrics if one were closer to the stage, with less table chatter in the way.

Jimbo just nods slightly, and switches elbows to sweep his gaze "past" the Trombone. (Not the one in the band pit, either.)

Hikaru pushes his way into the men's restroom, across the way. Being as Duffy and Jimbo are at the outer tier, though, they haven't any stairs to navigate, and it's easy to do an end-run around the tables, so it wouldn't be very hard to catch up.

Duffy traipses after Hikaru, meandering a bit, looking as if he were hanging onto Destiny's last notes. Sweet music, that. Too bad Chang probably won't get to keep her long before someone makes a better offer. Probably someone by the name of Tanaka. He glances toward the Tanaka party to see if they seem worried before following their son in.

Destiny bows to the applause of the audience. Mister Tanaka stands up from his chair, but as he does so, he bumps into his Geisha companion, who was holding a drink. It spills, and it looks like there's some minor commotion at the table, as the Geisha bows several times apologetically, and tries to wipe at the spill with a napkin, pulling up an edge of the tablecloth in the process and daubing at it, too.

Jimbo hazards a more direct look at the Geisha's hands as they go about their cleaning.

The Geisha's hands are very delicate and finely manicured ... and, no, it doesn't look like she's got anything in her hands except for a napkin and Mister Tanaka's lapel.

Mister Tanaka stumbles as he sits back in his chair, flushed with embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Duffy is at the bathroom door, having made it there without incident.

Duffy's ears flinch in sympathy as he catches sight of the commotion. His muzzle twitches a bit. (Nice to know that even the upper crust can be klutzes at times. Now where did the kid go?) ... He listens briefly to make sure he won't be interrupting a conversation before pushing at the door.

Swiftly losing interest in the Mishiman's little social crisis, the human officer's gaze wanders again, occasionally alighting on Tommy and moving on so as not to arouse suspicion.

Just as Duffy pushes in the door, there is a crackle of electricity ... and the lights suddenly go out in the whole nightclub!

Immediately, there is the rapid staccato of light gunfire ... easily six shots at the very least. And, of course, there are screams and shouts.

"Darkin'!" exclaims Duffy. He shoves the door open and looks inside to see if Hikaru's anywhere nearby.

Hikaru can be heard to cry out in alarm. There is a faint smell of something burnt in here.

Jimbo sits there in the dark, blinking stupidly for a few seconds before leaping to his feet trying to get his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He immediately thinks better of that, and drops to a crouch by the table, peering over the top of it and trying to figure out where the gunshots came from.

The gunshots have stopped.

The screaming hasn't.

"Emergency lights!" someone calls out. Sounds like Chang.

Duffy calls to the poor kid, "Hey! You okay?" He blinks, trying to adjust his eyes to the low light condition and approaches the sound.

Duffy checks about a bit for mops and such too. He heard something electrical-- and from all he's been told, electricity is Not Your Friend.

Hikaru shouts out, "What's going on?" He can be heard stumbling and smashing into one of the stall dividers.

"Take it easy, kid," the dog-man says in his best 'Nothing to worry about' voice. "We just had a blackout, that's all. Maybe someone hooked up a giant-sized hair dryer or something. You hurt? Did you see anything?"

Muttering to himself, Jimbo crawls on his knees towards the stage, trying not to get trampled by the panicking customers.

Around the main room, some lights start to dimly flicker on ... barely enough to give more illumination than is coming in from the "full Earth" high overhead and other ambient light. At least it's enough for Jimbo not to smash into anything that doesn't hit him first.

Hikaru says, "I just came in here to ... do you smell a fire?"

Duffy reaches out to try and grab Hikaru, so the kid'll stop breaking down the stall dividers. "Nah, just a grease fire in the oven. Hope that's not our roast."

The young man is easily snared, since Duffy, even without decent lighting in here, has a clear advantage over human senses.

"You decent?" the dog-man asks. "Gotta get you back to your folks, they'll be missing you." He scans around the bathroom, looking for anything that seems suspicious. There was something scorched. Probably wiring-related. When was the last time anyone checked that Little Mercury was up to code...

The emergency lights slowly rise in faint brightness, making it possible to make out the interior of the bathroom and the main room again. It looks like poor Hikaru must not have even made it to the stall, or at least he made himself decent while Duffy was distracted. There doesn't seem to be anything burning in here, thank the Cardinal.

Duffy takes a second to collect his thoughts. "Uh. Did you see anything suspicious? Stay low, I heard shots. Might be some crazed cultist out there or something." He keeps a hand on Hikaru, giving the boy a once-over under the guise of propping him up.

"Anything suspicious? No, I was just here in the bathroom and then the lights went out," the young man says. He doesn't appear to be armed, and is dressed in a loose-fitting casual suit with coat, standard Mishiman cut.

Jimbo squints at the stage, patting himself down for his cigarette lighter. "Dark... someone get those cybered lights back up!"

Back in the main room, Chang is doing his best to keep things calm (and failing), and it looks like Trombone is amongst those making a bolt for the door. Down in the main floor area, Tanaka is slumped over his table, and the Geisha girl is among those screaming.

The vixen is still up on the stage, one hand up to her muzzle, a look of shock on her face.

Jimbo stands more upright as the light afford him a better view, then blows his held breath out in one gust as he spies the still form of Tanaka. "Duffy! More immediate problems! Check out the Mishiman table." He turns back to the stage to give it a glance for bullet casings, even as he strides up it, flipping open his wallet. "Dawn Alert, Miss Blue."

Duffy takes in a breath. "Frak. C'mon with me, kid. Stay low, like I said. Stay calm, and don't talk to anyone. There's a killer out there." He urges the kid along to his and Jimbo's table where he can collect his jacket, then casts about for Chang so someone else can make sure the kid gets put away somewhere safe.

As Duffy steps out of the bathroom, he can see Trombone reach the exit.

Duffy curses. "So much for Jay's steak." Trombone's probably armed -- he doesn't stand a chance without his gun. But it does mean that if Trombone was out to gun down Tanaka, he's got what he came for. He heads for his table resolutely, trying to make sure he's in between Trombone and Hikaru all the way so that the assassin can't get a clear sight of Hikaru's face. Not that the assassin would have missed Hikaru being in the bathroom.

Jimbo calls out, "Forget him, Dee, I was watching! The shots came from down here!"

Duffy reaches the table without incident.

Trombone, meanwhile, disappears out the front doors and out into the rooftop garden, along with several other fleeing patrons. Tsk. Chang's going to be out a lot of receipts tonight.

Hikaru looks around. He looks at the table. "Father!"

Duffy whispers to the kid, "Shaddap! Someone wanted to get him, they might want you too." He pulls his jacket on and then calls Chang over. "Kid, go with Chang, he'll make sure you're safe. Chang, have someone call DA, get an ERT over, I'll go check out the people downstairs. We all clear?"

"And for the love of Durand, stop those people from getting out! I want eyewitness statements from everyone here," the dog-man exclaims.

The human officer nods at the vixen politely, putting his wallet and ID badge away. "Please raise your hands and lie face down on the stage." He looks over his shoulder. "Keep things nailed down here, Chief, I'm gonna have a looksie!" He jerks his head towards the backstage area, and unholsters his sidearm.

Chang nods, grimacing, and snaps his fingers, waving his hand for an attendant at the register -- and the phone. She is already dialing furiously, however. This is obviously a matter for the police, after all.

The vixen looks quite alarmed, but does as Officer Jim orders, and drops down to the stage. "But ... I ..."

"Listen to Chang here, he's a good sort," Duffy advises Hikaru. "Stick with him, and we'll be wanting to talk to you after, okay? I'll check on them." He hurries down to the lower tier, hoping that first aid will be able to do Tanaka some good.

Duffy calls to Jimbo as he hurries down, "I'm on it! Go carefully."

Jimbo kneels by the singer, speaking as he gives her a quick, efficient patdown for weapons. "Did you hear or see anything before the blackout, or during if your eyes are sensitive enough?"

Up on the stage, Jimbo's initial survey indicates that the backstage area looks empty -- tonight's not one of the "big production" nights, and he doesn't spy any lurkers. Meanwhile, Duffy makes it down to the Tanaka table. Mister Tanaka is slumped forward over the table, and the tablecloth hanging over the edge is stained red ... and blood is visible on the back as well. It looks like he's been shot through the belly or the back.

The vixen stammers, "The lights went out, and I heard the gunfire ... I saw Mister Tanaka fall forward ... but I didn't see who was firing!"

As the dog-man police detective kneels by the table to survey Mr. Tanaka, he checks for signs of life. "Can you hear me, Mr. Tanaka? If so, don't move, you've been hurt badly." He doesn't look very hopeful for the outcome of the examination, however.

No, it seems that Mister Tanaka has expired. He was aging to begin with, and having his midsection riddled with severalfold bullets certainly didn't help any.

The Samurai makes several guttural, wincing noises. "I have failed my lord!"

Meanwhile, it seems that the vixen has no weapons on her from Jimbo's quick pat-down.

Jimbo says, "Please remain here, Ms. Blue." He stands, and begins making his way carefully backstage to follow up on his initial once-over, bolter extended and covering any likely ambush points.

Behind the curtain, Jimbo finds a large glitter-crusted clam-shell like structure, and stage elements on rollers. The stage lights hanging from the ceiling are all off, of course, and it's quite dark back here, even with the emergency lights, thanks to the many bulky props and the large shadows they create.

"He was fragged, nothing you could do," Duffy reassures the Samurai. "Stay with us, anything you tell us might help us catch the killer. Did you see anything? How about the woman he was with?"

The Samurai groans, and says, "Sakura spilled her drink on Mister Tanaka, and was wiping him off, and then the lights went off. I heard gunfire, very close by, and then the screaming. When the lights returned ... he was dead."

Duffy straightens and noses about, apparently ambling about but occasionally leaning forward over tables. The shot had to be fired from somewhere in here... There'll be gunpowder residue and if he catches it quickly enough, maybe he can place the table, maybe even the seat.

Jimbo eyes the backstage area worriedly. (If the person who did the shooting is still around, ten to one they can see way better in the dark than I can.) With that in mind, he creeps forward, then scuttles to the nearest available cover.

"Where's Sakura?" says the dog-man as he prowls about.

"Over there," answers the Samurai, pointing at the screaming Geisha girl.

In the darkness of the stage area ... nothing assaults Jimbo ... yet.

Jimbo remains still, listening as best his limited hearing can afford...

"See if you can find out what she saw, okay, Mr...." The dog-man's voice trails off as he realizes he doesn't know the Samurai's name. He continues circling around the tables, however, trying to find the source of the gunfire.

The Samurai answers, "Ookami." He nods and heads over to the Geisha.

The dog-man encounters a Piranha handgun lying in the middle of the floor, though there's no telling if it might have been kicked around a bit in the panic.

Jimbo doesn't hear anything in the backstage area. Not a peep, not a breath.

During all the searching around, a shadow passes over the skylight ... the tell-tale silhouette of one of the Dawn Alert zeppelins.

Duffy glances down at the Piranha, then flares his nostrils out. ( There's a probable murder weapon. Now where might it have been? ) He snuffles for the cloud of propellants that might have been released when it was discharged, trying to circumambulate the tables so he can pinpoint it ... and glances occasionally toward the Samurai to try and hear what he's saying to Sakura.

The gun shows signs of gunpowder, and may have been used "recently" ... but there is no smell of propellants to suggest that it has actually been discharged here in this room just now.

The Geisha is shaking her head, and the Samurai looks disgusted. It appears that he is speaking in Japanese.

Sitting in the darkness for a few moments longer, Jimbo feels around in his pocket for his lighter, then flicks it open and slowly emerges from his cover, pistol still extended, hoping the small flame illuminates a little more of the immediate area.

The flickering light serves to drive away some of the shadows. So far ... nothing moves. Each prop he prods or peeks into reveals nothing and no one hiding inside or behind, near as he can tell.

Jimbo releases a sigh, perhaps of relief, perhaps of resignation, and backs away, returning to the main room and holstering his weapon. "Backstage looks clean, Duffy! Did you find anything?" he calls out as he kneels back by the vixen to offer a hand back up. "Please remain on the scene, Ms. Blue, there will likely be paperwork to fill out."

The vixen timidly nods to the human officer, and daintily takes his hand, getting up off the floor, and smoothing out her dress.

Duffy frowns. "Too much to hope for, I guess." He uses a napkin to lift the gun by the barrel gingerly, trying to hit only un-fingerprint-smudged areas, and snuffles at the handle.

It smells like the gun has probably been used ... sometime today. But Duffy's keen nose suggests that it is improbable that this would be the murder weapon.

"Yeah, someone left their gat behind, Jay," he calls to Jimbo. "C'mere and help me question the witnesses, okay? Get the straight story from Sakura there, see what she saw. I'm going to scout around a bit more."

Jimbo nods, heading back toward the Tanaka table. He runs his fingers through his hair as he passes by the slain executive, looking over the man's wounds without touching him.

Duffy lays the Piranha to one side-- it's interesting, probably evidence in some crime or another, but not what he's looking for. The crime scene team can pick it up. He continues his circulation around the tables, hoping that the Samurai was right and that the shots came from "close by".

The exit doors open up, and a couple of officers walk in. Jameson and Julio, a couple of humans (as most of the cops are). "Yo, Duff!" calls out Jameson. "We got the block cordoned off!"

As Watterson checks out the late Mister Tanaka, he observes that the wounds entered from the front, not the back, and were of a larger caliber than would be appropriate for a lightweight gun such as a Piranha ... a Bolter or a Punisher, more likely. It also looks as if Mister Tanaka was plugged in the gut at point blank range.

Duffy catches a whiff of what might be propellant ... but it's hard to tell ... all that stampeding around.

Duffy calls back to the newcomers, "Great! Start questioning the witnesses, get their reports down. Try and find out where they were sitting, who they were sitting by. You'll find a seating chart by the cash register; use that for reference." He follows the elusive trail, brows furrowing.

Duffy's nose leads him back to Jimbo.

Jimbo makes an "mm" noise in the back of his throat, trying to remember who was in front of Tanaka when he stood up. He leans toward Duffy, whispering, "These shots were something heavy-caliber... point blank, entering from the front."

Duffy frowns as he listens. "Hmm. Just a moment, if you please, sir, ma'am." He moves to run his nose over the Samurai, then over Sakura, in case they might have been the ones firing the shots. Or sat next to the one who did.

The Samurai has the faintest trace of the scent, suggesting that he would have been "close by", as he said. The Geisha recoils at the snuffling of the Dog Man, and she smells no more strongly of the propellant than the Samurai ... though her excessive perfume might muddle things a bit. Her hands smell of spilled liquor.

As Jimbo recalls, the Geisha was to Tanaka's right ... closer to Duffy and himself ... while the Samurai was seated to Tanaka's left, and an aide was seated to the Samurai's left.

Jimbo thinks for a moment, then scrunches up his eyebrows. "Hey, man... didn't Tanaka have an aide too?"

The human officer rubs at his temple as if trying to massage a thought out. "Tallish, long-limbed guy?"

Yes, Smythe, the accountant, was seated to the Samurai's left. And there he is ... sprawled out on the floor, passed out.

Duffy glances about the scene, then starts snuffling around the area toward the stage. "Now that you mention it, one of the guys with him might have been an aide, sure. Hey, talk to the bodyguard, see if you can find out who was close by? If any of 'em are missing, we'll put an APB out on 'em."

Jimbo's foot nudges the prone form of the accountant. "Ah, there he is." Kneeling down he checks for any obvious wounds before lightly shaking the man's shoulder. "Sir? Hey, buddy. You okay?"

The scrawny fellow jolts as he's shaken. "Ah! AH! Oh .." He pats around on the floor for his glasses. He puts the bent frames on his nose, and then frowns as he realizes that one lens is missing, and the other cracked. "Oh dear."

Meanwhile, Duffy's circuit of the main floor produces nothing further out of the ordinary. All the band members are still congregated near the orchestra pit ... most of them have been present when trouble has erupted before, and they know not to go bolting out the front door with the rest of the panicked mob.

Chang walks down to the main floor, leading a police photographer, who starts taking flashes of the crime scene.

Duffy gives the band members a smell-check, just to be on the safe side, then heads up the stairs to the stage. "Hey, Chang," he calls as his attention gets drawn by the flashes to the familiar restaurateur. "The kid still here?"

Jimbo offers to help the fallen man up, grunting and musing as he does so. "Six shots, all pretty quick ... automatic weapon?"

"Automatic weapon? Pardon me?" says the accountant, looking confused.

Chang nods. "He's in the kitchen."

Duffy rubs his chin. "Probably a good place. Ah. We'll want to take his friends in to confer with him. Poor lad's had quite a shock. Let me finish a quick check and I'll be right back with you, eh, Chang?"

"Nothin', sir, just thinking out loud." Making sure Smythe is all right, Officer Watterson regards him more directly. "But I do have some questions. Do you remember anything before you went unconscious?"

The man says, "Oh. There was a loud explosion -- my ears are still ringing -- and I fell back in my chair ... and ... oh, I think I hit my head!" He rubs the back of his head, and then winces. "Yes, I did."

Chang nods to Duffy. "Certainly. If you need anything, just call for me."

Jimbo nods at the accountant. "To which side of you did you hear the report?"

The accountant puzzles over this then says, "My ... right. In front of me and to my right."

Duffy does a walk through of the stage, in case the gun might have been left somewhere nearby, still reeking of propellants. It seems less and less likely however-- whomever did it, he muses to himself, probably took their weapon with them.

Alas, Duffy's search turns up no additional weapons.

Jameson calls out, "Hey, Duffy! I just got word from the bottom floor. They nabbed Trombone, and he's packing a Punisher on him!"

Duffy heads back toward the Tanaka group. "Hey, Jimbo, didn't you say that you didn't see any muzzle-flashes from T-bone's way?" He raises his voice and calls to Jameson, "I'll be right down."

Jameson nods, and heads back to continue questioning the customers.

Watterson frowns, and glances at the table settings. "Ookami was sitting to your right, wasn't he?" On hearing Officer Jameson, he looks over at where Trombone's table was, than back at Duffy. "I was watching him right up to the point the lights went out, Chief. He'd have had to clamber all the way down here in the dark to poke that Punisher into Tanaka's gut and let go."

The accountant nods. "Everyone was sitting to my right. Hikaru would have been sitting across the table, but ... ah, where did Master Hikaru get off to? Is he all right? Oh! Mister Tanaka!"

"Yeah, that's an awful stretch... But maybe he got passed the gun, or grabbed it. I'm going to check it out," Duffy tells Officer Watterson. "After that though-- oh, don't worry, Mister. He's in our care. We'll sit down and have a nice family chat and we can see if there's anyone who'd want to do in poor kindly Mr. Tanaka."

"Hikaru's fine, buddy. Well, under the circumstances." Jimbo stares at the table thoughtfully, then peers at the tablecloth looking for any powder on it and trying to collect his thoughts.

The accountant gets sight of the blood ... and then turns around and expresses the contents of his stomach on some decorative shrubbery.

Jimbo, meanwhile, doesn't spy any powder on the tablecloth.

Duffy calls to Jameson, "Have a couple of our boys in the kitchen, keep our young Tanaka under guard, eh? I'm going to go talk to Trombone and see if he saw anything."

Duffy heads down the stairs to do just that. And to give the Punisher a check to see if it's been fired recently.

Jimbo starts to say, "All right, so Tanaka stood up here to applaud during ... aw, man." He moves over to the accountant. "Uh.. why don't we have you sit over here sir, out of the way.. "

As Duffy heads out the entrance, Trombone is dragged in, cursing and spitting the whole while. "I didn't do it, I tell ya! And I ain't sayin' a thing until I see my lawyer!"

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa. Take it easy, Mr. Trovato," the dog-man says to the agitated Trombone. "No one's saying you did it, we're just hoping you can help shed some light on what happened. Can you recount what happened, from your perspective?"

Trombone bites his lip, then says, "I was at my table, waitin' for my scruddy food. Then the lights go out, someone starts shooting, I make for the exit, so's I don't get full of holes. That's it."

"You're a very observant man," Duffy coaxes. "Did you see where the shots came from? Any guess as to who might have done it?" He glances toward the officers to see if either one is holding Trombone's weapon.

As Duffy examines Trombone's Punisher, he finds no signs of it being used recently -- at least, not since it was last cleaned, and odds are that Trombone wasn't able to clean it up on his way out the door and down the stairs. It has a full magazine.

"Hmm. Nice gat, Mr. Trovato," Duffy says as he hands it back to the officer. "So, you were saying, when the shots went off... Did you happen to see where the muzzle flashes came from? Or do you have any ideas why someone would want to shoot Mr. Tanaka?"

Trovato says, "Eh, I saw some flashes from down on the main floor ... but I dunno just where. Saw it kind of out of the corner of my eye."

"And I dunno why anybody'd want to shoot Mister Tanaka. I read he was retirin', so he's a has-been anyway," adds the thug with a snort.

Duffy nods and frowns. "Well, no further questions from me. Jameson, have you gotten this man's witness testimony on paper? If you could, Mr. Trovato, we'd like your address so if there're any further questions, we can reach you. Oh, and one other thing..."

Duffy gestures toward the Punisher. "You've got a license to carry that thing, of course?"

Trovato's face blanches. "Uh ... yeah, sure."

Duffy wurfs, "Can I see it?"

Trovato says, "Uh ... don't have it on me right now."

Jameson scribbles down notes dutifully. "Got it."

Duffy rubs his chin. "Well, Mr. Trovato, I'm afraid we'll have to hold onto it until you can provide the paperwork. You can call down at the precinct house for it-- here." He takes an evidence slip from Jameson and starts filling it out. "Just present your permit and proof of ID. Otherwise, you're free to go."

Meanwhile, the "Trombone" nods, his nose twisting slightly. "Right. I'll bring it in, prompt-like. No trouble."

Across the room, Officer Watterson can be seen to approach the Tanaka table and the Mishiman group.

"Well, Jameson will get your address then so we can contact you if we have any more questions," Duffy finishes. "You're free to go, Mr. Trovato." He regretfully relinquishes control of the witness -- Mr. Trovato would be a prize to catch, but there just isn't enough here to do more than irritate him and his potential employers, and that can be lethal. "Chang! Got a flashlight? I'm going to look around, maybe I can find out who shut off your power."

Chang slaps himself on the forehead. "I haven't checked the breaker box yet!" He comes over to Duffy, bringing a flashlight with him, as Trovato slinks off.

Chang says, "We'll have to go all the way down to the first floor. All the fuses and breakers are down there."

Duffy nods and takes the flashlight. "It's all right. Probably best this way-- if we detect evidence of tampering, we don't want them disrupted." He takes some chalk and a fingerprint kit from an officer so he can diagram anything that'll warrant forensic in-depth examination, and heads down with Chang to case the joint, ears, eyes, and nose alert for any signs of a weapon discarded. "Lead the way, Chang."

As Duffy and Chang head down the stairs, it's evident that the rest of the skyscraper has not suffered from a blackout. They take the elevator down (which, incidentally, does not take one all the way up to the roof) and at the basement level, Chang shows Duffy to the breaker boxes. A quick check reveals that the master breaker for the rooftop -- that is, Chang's establishment -- is popped. It is in a position of being blown off, not manually switched off, as the switch is just slightly off the "on" position, but not pulled all the way to click into the "off" position.

Duffy frowns. "Looks like something blew. Maybe some kind of gadget upstairs; I smelled something suspicious in the bathroom, and I don't mean just plain stinky. Better have an electrician in to check out your wiring." He looks around for anything that might have caused the unwarranted load.

Chang hisses through his teeth. "I just had an electrician in last week!"

There doesn't seem to be anything visible down here that might have anything to do with the blown breaker. There was probably one too many appliances plugged in at the top level, or perhaps a short.

"You did? Your usual, or a different man?" Duffy perks his ears up. Someone had to know the power outage was going to happen at the right time to cover the hit. And that it happened just as Hikaru was off the scene and Sakura had startled Tanaka... Well.

"I don't know, really -- someone from Tanaka Electric," says Chang. "Ironic, though. I have the head of Tanaka Electric right here in my club, and the power goes out and it costs him his life."

Duffy wurfs, "Maybe not that ironic... C'mon, let's head back up to your place, and check out that bathroom."

Chang nods, and leads Duffy back to the elevator...

Jimbo, after some ruminating and scratching of thoughts on a napkin, sidles over to the Mishima gathering. "Alrighty, folks, just a few questions if I may... Mr. Ookami, step this way please?"

The Samurai bows, and follows Jimbo.

Leading the Samurai to a fairly secluded area, the officer slouches against a bank of plants, and stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Now, Mr. Ookami ... how long have you been in service to Mr. Tanaka?"

Ookami says, "Nearly ten years, officer, I have served the Tanaka family. This has never happened before."

Jimbo nods. "Mr. Tanaka had no enemies or rivals that you're aware of?"

"No, sir. He was the director of Tanaka Electric, an honest and well-regarded business serving this part of the city," Ookami responds.

Jimbo digs around in his pocket as he mutters around an unlit cigarette. "Who stands to inherit his position once this is all settled?"

"His son, Hikaru," says the Samurai. "He is the only surviving heir, and Madame Tanaka died several years ago."

Jimbo manages to remember which pocket he stashed his lighter in, and cups his hands over his cigarette, his voice taking on an odd honking quality while he tries to talk around the sides of his lips. "What is Sakura's relationship to the Tanaka family, and how long has she been on retainer?"

"She is a courtesan ... a 'Geisha', though she is not a true Geisha," says the Samurai, with the slightest look of distaste. "She has been with Lord Tanaka for perhaps a year now."

The officer tilts his head slightly, and there's a flicker of light. Smoke begins seeping from between his fingers, and rises in a cloud as he removes his hands to pocket his lighter. "Does she have any sort of relationship with Hikaru?"

The Samurai's nostrils flare. "I do not know, Officer. That would be a question for Master Hikaru." He pauses, then adds, more quietly, "Such a thing is not ... unheard of, Officer."

Jimbo nods understandingly, trailing small ribbons of smoke. "You say she's not a true Geisha ... any idea why was she hired instead of a more 'professional' servant? What do you think of her?"

The Samurai stands up more sternly, then says, "I believe she was hired because of her youth, her manners, and her beauty, Officer."

The scruffy cop nods again. "Sorry if any of these questions make you uncomfortable, pal. It's all in the interest in getting to the bottom of this, and not a reflection on anybody." He puffs some smoke, aimed politely away from the conversation, and taps some ashes into the ashtray of a nearby table. "What sort of relationship did Tanaka have with his son? Would you call it close?"

The Samurai pauses, as if searching for the right word, and then says, "Formal."

"Hmm." Reseating his cigarette, Jimmy says, "Did Mr. Tanaka hire Sakura, or was it Hikaru?"

The Samurai says, "I do not know."

"Now, in the more immediate past," asks Jimbo, "when the lights went out, did you hear anyone approach your table?"

Detective Duffy and Chang Lee come back in through the front door.

The Samurai shakes his head. "Now that you ask, I am certain that the instant the lights went out, I heard the gunfire."

Jimbo glances back at the returning cop and restaurateur. He takes the cigarette from his mouth, and gestures a greeting with it. "Heya. Got it all wrapped up with Trombone?"

Duffy, in mid-conversation with Chang, turns to an officer. "Make sure none of the Tanaka party leaves," he says. "And put the men's bathroom off limit. I'm going to check it out."

Duffy wurfs, "Hey, Jay! Yeah, he doesn't know anything about it. C'mere, let's confer a bit."

Duffy beckons Jimbo over to somewhere they can talk without being overheard.

Watterson nods. "Gimme a sec, I'm almost done questioning Mr. Ookami."

Duffy wurfs, "Sure thing."

Duffy waits a bit. Moving Chang out of line-of-sight and earshot of the questioning, he whispers to the restaurateur, "Listen, if you can give me the name of that fellow you had in..."

Duffy holds up a notepad for Chang to write in.

Jimbo rubs his chin. "Is that so? Hmm. I think that should be about everything I need, Mr. Ookami. Thanks for your time. Please don't speak of this with anyone else, as we need the integrity of testimonials to remain as clear as possible."

Chang nods. "I'll see if I can find out who let the electrician in. I was not in at the time." He heads over to the kitchen.

Duffy nods. "You do that; we'll get to the bottom of this, I'm sure."

Jimbo sidles towards Duffy. "I betcha I can tell what you're going to say to me."

The dog-man grins to his partner. "All right, you want to say it for me?"

"You were going to say you found something fried over by where you found Hikaru, right?" ventures Jimmy.

Duffy nods. "I was just about to check that out, actually."

Jimbo's face crinkles into a lazy smile, and he takes another drag on his cigarette, then stubs it out in an ashtray. "Good. If you'll do that, Chief, I'll talk to Sakura. I have some thoughts."

"Right. Me too, but we need the smoking gun," Duffy says with a wry grin. "I'll let you get back to it."

With that, Jimbo turns and begins a plod back toward the Tanaka party. "Ms. Sakura?"

The Geisha turns around, startled, then smiles faintly as she sees Officer Watterson. "Oh. Yes, I remember you."

Jimbo's own smile appears in reply. "I'm sure y'do. If you'll step this way, I have a few questions for you."

Duffy heads for the men's room, listening at the door first and then taking a snuff at it to make sure nothing interesting has passed this way.

No, it seems that the officers have done their job and made sure that nobody has been snooping around in here.

As Jimbo starts another interrogation, Duffy pushes the door open and flicks on his flashlight to make sure he'll have the best possible illumination. He casts about for the source of the burning smell he'd noticed the first time. Shouldn't have gone away too quickly; that kind of thing leaves a heavy trail, the dog-man muses to himself...

Sure enough, Duffy's nose leads him to ... a wall outlet just under a shelf and mirror. There's a bit of carbon marring the outlet.

Duffy frowns and then takes a sniff at the outlet to see if any personal scent might be lingering.

No, Duffy can't catch a particular smell of a person on the outlet ... but he does get the faintest whiff of something familiar ... alcohol?

Duffy furrows his brows, concentrating, trying to memorize the scent. Maybe he can pick it up from the hands of anyone who was handling the object. He checks the trash receptacles and the toilets in case someone tried to "flush" the evidence, lifting the lids of their reservoirs.

The Geisha bats her eyelashes at Jimbo, and sashays after him.

Watterson's look is an appraising one above his baggy eyes as he looks the Geisha's kimono over. "I must say, that's a nice robe you're wearing. Did Hikaru buy it for you?"

The Geisha giggles, and says, "No, Hiroshi-san bought it for me." She then suddenly frowns as if the memory has come back to her of the whole ordeal.

"Mr. Tanaka, you mean?" asks the cop. "Was he the one that hired you? How long have you been in service to the Tanaka family?"

"Oh," says the Geisha. "I am a friend of the family. I do not offer companionship for pay, or any such disreputable thing. But Mister Hiroshi-san has been very generous."

"Sure, I'm not implying anything," agrees Jimbo, leaning back against a bank of plants again. "Just looking for the facts. How well do you know Ookami?"

Duffy's nose helps him again. He catches a faint whiff of something carbonized ... and finds a little twisted piece of metal ... some sort of spare part with a metal plug on one end, and a knob on the other that could easily be gripped between index finger and thumb. It, too, smells faintly of alcohol. It also has a bit of carbon on it ... and would fit reasonably well into a wall socket.

Duffy perks his ears up. "Ah-hah. Here's the short, I'll bet." He smells the handle, trying to memorize the scent, then uses a napkin to wrap it up and drop the whole thing into his coat pocket. "Now let's see if our lovable little Tanaka has left the scene." He heads out to see if Mr. Chang has found the name of that electrician.

Sakura shakes her head. "Ookami-san is very quiet and stern. He is no fun." Her lips purse in a pout. "But then, that is not his job, hmm?"

Jimbo says, "Sure enough, Ms. Sakura. Now, did you hear anyone approach the table during or before the blackout and gunshots?"

Sakura ponders this for a moment, then says, "Oh, I am not certain! It was all so confusing. Hiroshi-san bumped into me and made me spill my drink ... and then the lights went out ... and ... oh, it was so horrible! I ... I think I might have seen a tall man come to the table in the dark ... but it was all so confusing."

Jimbo rubs the stubble at his jaw. "A tall man, you say? Hmm. Well, that should about do it, miss, thanks. Please remain here." He begins ambling back towards Ookami. "Hey, Mr. Ookami... just a quick question.. how long in advance was this dinner planned?"

Ookami says, "Lord Tanaka has been coming here every Friday evening for the past few months. Mister Chang has reserved a table for him on these nights."

Officer Watterson doesn't even stop as he blows past Ookami towards the Tanaka table. "Thanks, chief!"

When Duffy reaches the kitchen, he finds that Mr. Chang seems to be involved in an argument with the young Hikaru Tanaka. "This is for your protection," insists Chang. "There is an investigation going on."

Hikaru quiets down as he sees the detective approach. "Have you found anything yet, Detective?"

Duffy raises his brows. "Problem, Mr. Chang? Mm, that roast smells delicious. Hope you don't mind if I help myself?"

Chang laughs. "No harm, Detective Duff, I do not think we will be serving any customers tonight."

Duffy gulps a bit, apparently trying to control a drooling problem. "Er. It's a bit, ah, early to say. Um. I hope Mr. Chang has been hospitable. He's a good sort. Ah. Give me a minute." He digs in furiously.

Chang raises both eyebrows at the demonstration of Duffy's ability to chow down food quickly. After a demonstration like this, odds are he'll never consider opening a buffet line...

Duffy sighs happily. "Ah... You have some of the best cooks in the Elles, Mr. Chang. Sorry about the interruption, Mr. Tanaka, but I hadn't had a chance to get dinner when the excitement started. Er, anyway." He starts drying his hands on some towels. "Can I please examine your hands, Mr. Tanaka?"

Hikaru blinks. "My ... hands?"

Duffy nods authoritatively. "Creeping crud. It's a sign of Dark workings. I need to see if you got any on you when you were in the bathroom."

Duffy holds his hands out to collect Hikaru's so he can get a good sniff on them.

Duffy's nose gets a faint ... alcoholic smell. Hikaru must have been drinking something pungent, and the smell clung to his hands.

Duffy rubs his chin. "Hmmm... Nope, doesn't look like creeping crud. You must have been having some very good booze, though. What was it, if you don't mind my asking?"

The dog-man looks about for the other two officers who're supposed to be keeping an eye on Hikaru.

The human hunkers down on his knees with a grunt, and trying not to look too stupid, puts his head and shoulders under the table with the tablecloth draped over his back. There are sounds of rooting about.

As Jimbo looks under the table, the "box" underneath the table-mounted lantern looks fairly bulky. In fact, there's an opening on the side facing the late Mister Tanaka.

"Well, well," murmurs the man. He draws the tablecloth back and folds it over the table, calling over his shoulder, "Jameson! Can I get some gloves and baggies over here?"

Jimbo returns his attention to the box, trying to see if there's anything stashed in the opening.

Jameson comes over with gloves, baggies, and other miscellaneous equipment -- such as a flashlight. "Here you go, Jimbo."

"Thanks, buddy!" Pulling the gloves on and stretching them with a snap, Jimbo clicks the flashlight on, and shines it into the box.

Looks like a muzzle of a gun in there. Might be a Punisher by the looks of it. The size of the box doesn't look big enough to fit a whole Punisher inside it, though -- It would seem like someone has partially disassembled the gun to fit the basic workings in there.

Jimmy grins. "Jackpot." He begins trying to scoop gun parts into the baggie.

It looks like this will require some tools. Another request to Jameson, and Jimbo is able to get some tools to disassemble and detach the pieces. it would appear that the gun trigger mechanism is attached to an electrical device.

A little while later, Duffy is given some evidence baggies and gloves, and the officers secure Hikaru and frisk him. They don't recover any weapons.

"Huh, that's mighty odd," murmurs Jimbo. He glances aside to Jameson. "Check it out, this thing's wired. Hey ... do me a favor, willya? Go see what Sakura's doing, make sure she's not getting into anything."

Jameson nods and looks around. "Hmm. Where did you leave her?"

Jimbo says, "I was questioning her over by the plants away from the Mishima bunch."

"Good work, gentlemen. Now, Mr. Tanaka, you might be able to shed a little light on something. You mentioned a fire, but nothing was burning, you might recall. I think I've found out what caused it." Duffy takes out a napkin-wrapped gadget that looks a bit singed and smells of alcohol. "Does this look familiar to you?"

Across the room, there's a sound of "Oof!" and a thud. Sounds like it came from near the kitchen ... near where Duffy is doing some questioning.

"I knew I should have kept an eye on her," mutters Jimmy. He gives the electronic mechanism a quick once-over to look for a button trigger (He doesn't find one) before hoisting himself to his feet to hurry up to where Duffy and the others are.

Just then, Sakura bursts into the kitchen. "Oh! Please help! Someone has a gun!"

Duffy drops the gadget into the baggie and starts reaching for his Bolter. "Stay calm, ma'am! Who's got a gun, where?"

There is a glint of light off of metal, as Sakura reaches for her hair ... and then flings a sharp needle that stabs into Duffy's gun hand!

*** GM Note: Duffy takes one Light Wound in a called shot to his gun hand. He passes a Toughness test, and isn't forced to drop the gun.

Duffy arghs! "Get her, guys!" he snaps to the officers as he tries to roll behind the counter. "Try to bring her in for questioning!"

Meanwhile, Jimbo is still making his way up the steps as he hears the sounds of commotion from the kitchen. One of the other officers clutches at a needle in his arm. "Argh!" Another dives for cover.

Hikaru rushes out the kitchen door ... at the same time that Jimbo is rushing in.

Jimbo, however, is stronger, and Hikaru rolls back as the door gets pushed in. "Oof!" says the would-be fugitive.

Duffy grits his teeth, but manages to keep hold of the Bolter. He glances toward the running fugitive, then gathering his wits, stands up from behind the counter and levels his gun on Sakura and Hikaru, gun actually toward Sakura. "FREEZE!" he barks.

Jimbo raises his shoulder back up, and goes for his own Bolter. "Hands where we can see 'em, Hikaru! Face down on the floor!"

Sakura doesn't freeze, though, and whips out another needle. Hikaru, meanwhile, grapples for the gun of the officer who took a needle to the arm. The officer, however, saw that one coming, and kicks him away.

Duffy aims for Sakura's shoulder and opens fire.

POCK Sakura flinches, but she's not fast enough to dodge out of the way. She takes a hit in the shoulder, and the pin falls from her hand, as she collapses to the floor, letting out an angry cry.

Jimbo's heavy boot spins Hikaru to the floor, the executive swiftly followed by Jimbo himself. A stiff left arm mashes the man to the floor while the officer holsters his Bolter and begins wrestling his captive's hands upward for cuffing.

Hikaru just lets out a pained whimper. It's not much of a struggle.

Duffy barks again, Bolter trained onto Sakura's midsection. "FREEZE. You resist arrest now and we're taking you home in a body bag. This is your last chance. You're not doing your young fellow any good." He starts to move around the counter. "Assume the position; put your hands behind your back."

Duffy nods to another officer to be ready with the handcuffs.

Club Aero
Despite the presumptuous name, there's no "club" involved here -- just a diner-style restaurant located at the edge of Verne Airfield, at the intersection of Schwarzenegger Street and Wolf Run Road. An L-shaped bar runs near the entrance, with a cash register at one end, and a big glassed-in display of calorie-laden donuts. Booths line the wall, while a larger room off to the east has tables and more booths in an addition built from a corrugated tin "can roof" hangar. The ceiling fans look like propellers, and various posters and bits of junk ("memorabilia") hang on the walls.

Duffy scribbles away on the report. "You didn't look like you needed me to tell you that Mr. Chang had just had a Tanaka electrician in the previous week," he comments to Jimbo. "What do you make of the whole thing?"

Shandra Kay sets some cups of coffee and other drinks in front of the police officers lined up at the bar. And, of course, she also brings out ... donuts.

The tired-looking human grins around a mouthful of maple bar. "'Bout halfway through, I was just trying to figure out the motive. Seems the shots happened exactly at the same time the power went on the blink. By accounts, it seems like Hikaru didn't dress down to go to the john at all. I figured he fried the fuse box or something while Sakura made her move, 'cause she was the only one associated with Hikaru."

Jimbo says, "Seems like she was just there to lift the tablecloth so there wouldn't be any bullet holes in it ... an automated Punisher under the table was set to go off in Tanaka's direction when the power went out."

"You got it. Found a nifty li'l gadget in the bathroom for shorting out the power, and the smell on it matches the smell on Hikaru's hand," Duffy confirms.

Duffy pauses in writing to snarf a chocolate glazed donut. "Mm. Thanks, Shandra. Aero's donuts are the best around."

Shandra casts Duffy a smile as she makes her way past with a couple of root beer floats on a tray for one of the other customers.

Watterson grins, and takes a gulp of coffee. "I figured you'd find fried electrics back there. Now I'm just wondering why. Seems to me Hikaru might've had a thing for Sakura, and wanted the old man to kick it sooner rather than later. The Samurai said relations were cool, and there wasn't anyone else to gain from Hiroshi's death."

"And I'd trust the word of a ten-year vassal to Tanaka than a one-year quasi Geisha." Jimbo tips his chair back on two legs. "Not that that was the only factor."

Shandra gives Jimbo a look for leaning the chair back on the two legs like that.

Duffy licks crumbs off of his muzzle. "Yeah?"

Jimbo carefully avoids Shandra's gaze, still grinning lopsidedly. "Plenty of scientific-like stuff to neatly box up what happened. Now that it's all over, I'm wondering more than ever. Sakura knew a lot more than that giggling girl routine let on. I saw your paw; she winged that needle pretty good."

"Oh yeah, it'll heal up pretty quick." Duffy turns his bandaged hand a bit embarrassedly. "More surprised me than anything else, really. You were thinking they don't give all Geishas hairpin-throwing classes?"

"Didn't seem likely, especially since Ookami said she wasn't trained as a true Geisha." Jimbo nods his head slowly, and leans just a little farther back, slurping at his coffee. "So when it came right down to it... they know Tanaka's going to be here Friday, set up their trap... Hikaru goes to trigger it and Sakura takes care to make sure there's no traceable evidence right away. Funny thing is, if it weren't for Trombone, we woulda never been there, and those two would've gotten off scot-free."

"Ah, donuts," mentions a male voice with a clearly Japanese accent. "I would not say that would be common, however. I have not had but the most distant relations with Geisha." A black furred hand reaches over and selects a plain donut. It's Taro, showing again his ability to pop up unnoticed -- and to get a donut.

Duffy raises a powdered sugar-covered mini-donut. "Maybe so, maybe not. We might have spotted the gun, if they didn't have a team waiting to remove it before a homicide team got there. But you're right that we lucked out being right on the spot and being able to snag our friends before they went anywhere. Hey, Taro! You made it."

Jimbo shrugs, and gives Taro a greeting nod. "Belly up, help yourself! Yeah, Duffy, we'd have found the gun, but by the time we had, they'd have been long gone with Daddy's money to protect them."

"We might never have associated Hikaru with the trigger-- could have been any perp with a grudge against Mr. Tanaka," Duffy reflects. "And well, the electrician we're going to talk to in the morning; he might not be so cooperative if we couldn't tell him that young Hikaru was in the slammer..."

"So yeah, you've got a point, there, Jay," Duffy admits.

The black furred Kitsune smiles and inclines his head to Duffy. "Pardon my being late; I had something that needed to be done." He walks over to a chair and sits down, carefully making certain his suit is not wrinkled in the process. "I hear you had quite the time, Duffy. I trust your hand will survive?"

The Rottweiler-patterned dog-man chuckles. "Oh sure, it's just a scratch. If I don't beat up on it too badly, it'll probably be gone in a day or two."

The only human of the group peers into the bottom of his empty coffee cup, and sets it back on the counter. "All's well that ends well, says I. It's taken care of, and I don't have to miss the game on Monday."

"Ah, I am happy to hear that. Geisha can be quite dangerous," says Taro with a smirk, although his tone lacks any note of sarcasm. He takes a bite of his donut and perks his ears towards the others.

"That's a big ten-four," Duffy says with a chuckle. "All right, I've got it all down, I think. There's just some follow-up to do and then we should be able to mark that one case-closed. What about you, Taro, had an interesting day?"

The Kitsune reaches up and wipes his muzzle clean with a napkin before answering. "Oh, it was pleasant enough. I took a bit of a walk and met the usual interesting people," he answers.

Jimbo nods, smiling broadly, and puts his hands behind his head. "Time to head home for a little rest." He tilts his chair a few more degrees and gives Shandra a winsome grin. "Check please ... whoa!" With a flail of his arms, over the chair goes. ... "Oh, and there's some cracks in your ceiling."

*** GM Note: Duffy and Jimbo get 2 points each for general role-playing, problem-solving, and disadvantages. Taro gets a token point for his "cameo appearance". End totals: Duffy: 3; Jimbo: 3; Taro: 1

Log stopped on Tuesday, 28 Mar 2000, 11:28 PM EST by "Greywolf2" at "Holodeck2"