Scott Tracy: Blazing Ballad

  I found myself outside of Big Bear's favourite nightclub again. As him and Chicaney left, I soon confronted them. Accosting the pair and speaking in a smug tone, I directed my attention at the man.

"I'm on to your hoods, Big Bear. Your days are numbered."
"Back off Tracy, or things may get too hot for you!" he threatened, still with a look of confidence on his face.
"Yeah, Tracy, like me, for instance..." his bird cooed, as seductive as ever. Getting her out of mind was always hard to do.

  I let them go, but knew this meeting had gone better than last time. Unfortunately, I wouldn't realize just how hot things would get until later.

-----

Special Bulletin: Blazing Ballad! Nightclub torched! Owner says Lips Mancall did it.
The current leads based on the initial investigation are:
"Little BB". An uptight hood, he always gets carried away in his manners, being the first to greet someone every time. Last seen at one of The Mangle's poker games, this one being held some blocks up, at 1st & J.
"Strings". A crooked hypnotist, he manipulates both men and women with his skills, wit, and charms. Was seen recently eating at a burger joint over on 7th & D.
"Schmidtty the Brow". One of the top enforcers of a private security firm, he takes his jobs very seriously. Last seen providing security for the club a couple blocks north of where Little BB was sighted, at 1st & I.
"Itchy Fitz". A nervous gunman, with a bit of a superstitious streak. Last seen by the docks near 9th & J.
"Lips Mancall". A big-time casino kingpin, he's also a known information broker. Is currently getting a haircut on 9th & C.
"Breathless Chicaney" A capricious partygoer, she also sings at various clubs. Known to be staying at a hotel on 5th & A.

"Alright Tracy, you did good work on the last case, so you'll be taking this one." the chief said, as he gave me the job.

  I'll back up a tad. My name is Scott Tracy, though some of my colleagues call me Plainclothes on account of how I dress. Double breasted suit and tie, dress pants, yellow trenchcoat, and a yellow fedora with the words "POLICE IT" across the band. I'm a detective down at the local precinct. I've been working towards bringing Freddy "Big Bear" Fazprice (the man I confronted just a few days ago), a bigtown mob boss, to justice. I'm finally starting to make some headway in that task, as I recently arrested his favourite bookie, a bear of a man named Fred "Buttons" Burtoy for counterfeiting. But first things first, since the owner says Lips Mancall did it, I might as well pay him a visit!

-----

  Arriving at the barber shop, I saw Mancall was, appropriately enough, on the phone with someone. His barber was being very careful while he talked on the phone, so as to not accidentally cut the cord.

"Hello, hello... hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this, then chances are you've made a very poor career choice." He seemed to be leaving a message for someone. He also glanced at me as I entered, then he hung up the phone, and sighed audibly.
"Must we do this now, Tracy? I was in the middle of something. Hell, I AM in the middle of something, as you can see."
"I take it you know why I'm here then." I said to move things along.
"Of course I do. It's my business to know these things. So I'll just tell you now I didn't do it."
"Then I'm sure you can tell me where you were on the night of the fire. The owner says you did it after all."
"Guy's a punk. Some two-bit nightclub owner trying to push me out of the game. Besides, I was at my casino. I was there all night." he said plainly, as though he rehearsed this. I shrugged.
"In that case, you wouldn't mind I search the place."
"Go right ahead. I'm telling the truth, just call me Phineas Honour." he held up his hand as though swearing on it.
"Uh huh. Pretty convenient that you were at a place whose staff you own. I'm going to have to bring you in for fur-" he wagged his finger and cut me off at the same time.
"Hold it. I'm a busy man, I can't be having that. You don't waste my time, and I won't waste yours."
Staring at the man, I regarded his words. He did have a fair bit of pull, enough to be quite the headache if I brought him in with nothing. It wouldn't be worth the trouble right now. Eyes narrowed, I turned towards the door, then threw a sidelong glance at him.
"Alright, Mancall, I'll play along for now. But I've got my eye on you."

  Leaving the barber shop, I called up my colleagues on my 2-Way Wrist Radio and told them to meet me at Mancall's casino. We'd search the place top to bottom for clues.

-----

  Mancall's casino was large, but had a very typical setup. Front entrance with a Lobby and general picketing to grab your attention, back entrance for staff. Fire escapes along both sides of the building. It doubled as a hotel of course, so things were pretty standard. I buzzed another officer on the radio and asked for an update.

"So, turn anything up yet?"
"Nothing yet Plainclothes, but the boys are tearing up the place top to bottom. We'll find something."
"Right." I said with a small sigh, before switching the radio off.

  It had been a few hours since we arrived and so far, nothing had come up. While they were searching the place, I was down in the Lobby going over security tapes. They did place Mancall entering the building, but that's all they seemed to be good for.

"Excuse me, Detective?" A bellhop snapped me out of my train of thought. He was holding a phone. A surprisingly older model in fact.
"That's a big phone." I quipped before he could say anything. Handing the phone to me, he told me it was for me, then he left.
"This is Detective Tracy."
"Hello hello... so you found nothing I presume?" Oh good. It was Mancall. The smugness in his voice was stifling. I grimaced.
"The investigation isn't over yet. It's too early to call it just yet."
"Oh please. I'm sure by now you've finished checking the security tapes. You know the cameras pick up everyone coming in and out of my place. Front, and back." he said promptly.

  Mancall knew I'd check. As he kept gloating, I watched the tapes. From what I could tell though, he was right. They don't show him or anyone else suspicious leaving the place so far. And the cameras really did look like they covered everything outside, front and back, just like he said. It was at this point that I saw something that finally stuck out. A man in a beatup looking trenchcoat and hat with a camera. He was a stark contrast to the usual ritzy folk who were coming and going around him. I recognized him immediately as Bailey "BigBugz" Cawthon, a paparazzi. Or as he calls himself, an investigative journalist. He was tops in his field, usually the first to get some big scoop or another.

"So what's ol' BigBugz doing in your casino there?" I asked.
"He was buzzing around trying to get whatever he could of course. Probably heard the same bull the owner fed you. So he asked for an interview with my side of the story. I'm sure it will make for a great article of how I stand firm amongst the slander of my good name and..." At this point I stopped listening. Whatever Bailey was actually there for, he wasn't there for long. The cameras show him leaving not long after arriving.

"I'm going to just cut you off here. I don't need to listen to you gloat, Mancall. You'll know when you're off the hook. We'll be in touch."

  Hanging up the phone, something else caught my eye in the footage of one of the cameras. There was a large dumpster at one side of the building by the fire escape, with looked to be a garbage chute leading down to it. Focusing on that camera, I skipped through footage. It was a fairly poor angle of the side of the building so you couldn't even see the whole dumpster. Still, nothing turned up besides collection coming by to empty the thing. This was a dead end, but I might as well check out the dumpster myself to be sure. My men were combing the building anyways, so it's not like anyone had checked yet.

  Around at the side of the building, I found the dumpster next to and below the fire escape. Up close, it was indeed quite large. Taller than I was easily, at a good 7 or 8 ft tall. It sort of reminded me of an above ground pool. Guess I'm dumpster diving then. Climbing up the ladder, I peered in. It was mostly empty, aside from some stuff stuck to the bottom. But the only way to be sure would be to climb in. So I did. Still, it only took all of maybe ten minutes tops to find that there was nothing to find. Going to climb out I noticed the ladder on this side was much more beat up. This must be a pretty old dumpster, especially in contrast with the rest of the building. Just as I was hefting myself over the lip, I heard a small tearing noise. Part of my pants had caught on a nail or some sort of rivet. These were nice pants damn it.  I assumed I would have write off my shoes but my pants too was just another slice of the shi-

"Hang on, what's this?" Cutting my train of thought short with my spoken musing, I pulled my bit of pants free from the nail. There was another bit of pants already impaled on the nail, along with a torn scrap of paper with something scrawled on it. I guess this was someone's pocket and its contents. Figuring might as well, I put on some gloves and withdrew the scrap, placing it in a baggie. Then I looked over the scrap. "Lips: Bring 50000-F to the alleyway on 2nd between F and G or Tracy gets proof you did it. - “BB”." I read out loud. Well hot damn.

-----

  Telling my colleagues to keep searching, I hopped in the squad car to take my search elsewhere. A possible lead, I hoped. Parking my vehicle at the corner of 2nd & F, I got out and headed for the alleyway the note mentioned. As I wandered down the alley, I started musing on who could be trying to blackmail Mancall. Thinking about the initial investigation, a couple of the usual suspects did come to mind. Namely Little BB, and Itchy Fitz. I don't think Itchy could have done it, as he doesn't have the stones for anything not involving a gun. But BB was one of Big Bear's hoods, so I wouldn't put it past him. Plus, it was signed by a “BB” to begin with. It was then I heard someone call out.

"Over heeeeere, Detective~" said the strange voice playfully. Looking towards the source, I spied a beckoning arm disappear into a closing doorway. Feeling a slight chill, I went to the door. Letting myself in, I found myself in a dimly lit room. Some kind of root cellar at first glance, but there were many dusty desks about. Each of which had various phones, switchboards, and dialers on them. If memory serves, this had been an old boiler room my colleagues and I had busted a couple years back. What really struck me as odd however, was that no one seemed to be in here. I began walking along the desks, on the off chance that whoever I saw was just hiding. But no one could be found. Instead, I found a broken camera with a letter “B” engraved on it. It had stood out to me, due to not being covered in dust. Just as I was checking it for film, I heard the voice from earlier again.

"You're too late, gumshoe. Too late!" it said gleefully. Turning back towards the door, I saw the person who had brought me here. They were clad all in black, though their forearms and shins were adorned with white stripes. In addition, the person's face was hidden behind a smiling theater mask. This answered why I found the voice so strange. The mask must have had some sort of modulator in it to hide the speaker's identity. For the person who stood in front of me was none other than Strings, a crooked hypnotist and all around mysterious person. He was seldom seen around the city, so him turning up during the initial investigation made him someone to keep an eye on. Mainly because we weren't certain whether he had any connection with Big Bear yet or not.

"What do you mean? And give it to me straight, Strings." I demanded.
"It's so simple! De-tec-tive~" Well that was unhelpful.
"Get to the point." I snapped, as the masked individual drew nearer to me. Getting a bit too close, in fact.
"This IS the point! You're too late!" And that's just maddeningly unhelpful. No more theatrics.
"Stop wasting my time." I said as I pushed past him and made for the door.
"...B will never sing again." Strings suddenly said flatly from behind me, without a trace of mirth.
"What are you-" I began as I turned back, but there was no one there again.

  What could he have meant by that? B? Never sing again? He wasn't referring to Breathless Chicaney was he? Rushing outside, I hurriedly got back in the squad car. Chicaney might be in danger, so I sped off towards her hotel. As I did, more questions spiraled off in my head. Was this supposed to be revenge from Mancall for attempted blackmail against him? Why would she be attempting that in the first place? I knew the songstress played a number of clubs, including the casino he owns, so there's at least some connection there. But it didn't quite fit to me. Now wasn't the time though, so I just focused on my driving.

-----

"Oh honey, did you really dash all the way over here just for li'l old me?" said the songstress with a laugh.
"I- yes ma'am." I was feeling foolish. She hadn't been in any danger at all.
"With the bear's paws on me, who would be dumb enough to try something like that? Use your head, Tracy."
"Sorry." She was right, I wasn't thinking. Then I noticed she had sauntered over to me.

"Or maybe..." she began with a seductive smile. "...you were just using the wrong head at the time when you thought of me?" she cooed, before circling around me. Then she softly breathed more in my ear. "The idea of me surrounded by men, in a compromising position? Possibly all tied up?" I shivered and shook my head as she continued. "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" I moved away from her and cleared my throat in exasperation. Dame's as tricky as ever.

"Uh, well, you see, I'd found this broken camera with a letter “B” engraved on it, and I was told that B would never sing again."
"Wrong B, sugar."
"Yes, I realize that..." I trailed off in embarrassment over the whole situation. Chicaney laughed again.
"You're cute when you're all embarrassed like that." she said with a sultry air to her voice.
"Thanks. That said, any chance you've seen BigBugz around then? He may be in danger."
"You might want to try the photo shop over by 7th & I. I remember him talking that place up when he was doing a piece on me once."

  After thanking Chicaney for her help, I departed from her room. While I did make a bit of an ass of myself, it had at least resulted in another lead. So I headed off to the shop. At the same time, I put an APB out for Bailey, as it was in everyone's best interests he be found and placed into police protection.

-----

  Owned by his pop, this photo shop was one of the very few left still willing to have anything to do with BigBugz. He'd made himself a fair bit of enemies with his snooping after all. In the shop, I had met with the owner to inform him of his son's possible involvement with the case, in addition to asking about his son's whereabouts. Unfortunately he too, did not know where his son might be. On the plus side, he had mentioned that BigBugz had come in a few nights ago to have some film developed. So here I was, waiting for him to get back with the pictures. Hoping this was the proof mentioned in the note.

"Ah, here you are Scotty. Looks like my boy got a real scoop this time!" the old man exclaimed while brandishing the photos.
"What have you got for me?" I asked as he handed me the images. Well, hot damn! These are pictures of Mancall starting the fire!
"I always knew Bailey had gumption. I'm sure these will help your case, right Scotty?"
"It'll blow this thing wide open for sure. Thanks, Adobe. I'll be in touch." I then made to leave when he stopped me.
"Hold on a minute. Look, I'll level with you. I know my son might be in some real trouble here. He might already be..."
"Come on now, if I know BigBugz, he'll be fine!" I replied in an attempt to reassure him.
"Just promise me. If nothing else that you'll take that bastard down. Hard."
"He won't escape the law, you can count on that."

-----

  Back in the squad car, I was about to start the engine when I got a call on my 2-Way Wrist Radio.

"This is Tracy. Go ahead." I stated routinely. To my surprise, it was the chief on the other end.
"It's me. You haven't made any arrests yet have you?" he asked.
"Not yet sir, but I aim to. The prime suspect, Lips Mancall." as soon as I said the name, he started yelling.
"Don't jump the gun on this, Tracy!"
"What are you talking about, sir?" I could already tell I would not like where this was going.
"I've got the Mayor breathing down my neck about us harassing Mancall!" he angrily shouted.
"Preposterous! I only interrogated him once, and I didn't even book him!" Just how connected was this guy?
"It doesn't matter! You need to be sure before you apprehend him. If there's any doubt, it'll be bad for us."
"So what, I'm supposed to play logic chess with this joker until he slips up and gives a full confession?!" I retorted.
"The man has an airtight alibi, and no motive. What have you got?"
"Photographs of him starting the fire." I responded flatly.
"..." the line had gone quiet. I could almost hear the chief pacing.
"Sir?"
"Alright that's definitely something, but it's only pictures. He's got videos." Right, the security feed from the casino.
"Then there's something not kosher about the footage, sir. Has to be." The question was, what?
"One chance, Tracy. Mancall is back at the casino, so I'll have the D.A. meet you there. If you can present a case that he thinks we could use, we'll take him in. Otherwise, we can't touch him without more evidence."
"I won't let you down, sir." I said, before switching off the radio.

  Starting the engine, I began driving towards Mancall's casino. Along the way, I went over the facts in my head. Mancall met with a nightclub owner, who wanted to phase him out. That night, the nightclub in question catches on fire. The owner says Mancall did it, but has no proof. BigBugz is then seen at Mancall's casino, which Mancall said is because he was setting up an interview. But BigBugz is currently missing, so it's possible that wasn't the reason he was there. The archived footage of the casino on the night of the fire also does not show Mancall leaving at any point. But I have dated photography placing him at the scene, in the middle of the act. Then there's the note to consider. Someone was clearly trying to blackmail him with these pictures. At this point, likely BigBugz, as he didn't exactly have the most scruples. Not to mention that “BB” could have stood for (B)ig(B)ugz. And what was Strings' involvement? I had to consider that he was possibly just a distraction. Unfortunately, there was no more time to think. I had arrived.

-----

"This better be on the level, Tracy." the D.A. said, with a tone of finality.
"Don't worry Mr. Dent, it will be. Trust me." I replied, before gulping. Miles Dent was the district attorney. He had a bit of an edge to him, but he was a topnotch prosecutor. If I could convince him, I knew he would not stop until Mancall was behind bars. The first thing I was going to need to do was to take another look at those tapes. Upon entering the casino though, we were greeted by Mancall.

"Ah, Tracy you're back! And I see you've brought my friend Miles with you!" he exclaimed, annoyingly confident. Wait, friends?
"We're not friends, Mr. Mancall. I'm just here to do my job. Let's get this over with." I breathed a sigh of relief.
"If we must. But after he embarrasses himself, I want him off the case." Mancall said with a devilish smile.
"Not my department. Though I'm sure you'll cause enough of a ruckus to get what you want." Dent replied. Mancall only grinned. I'll have to tread lightly from now on. I stayed silently, to plan my attack as we were directed upstairs.

  We were soon ushered one floor above the casino, where Mancall's office was located. A television was then wheeled in on a dolly, by an officer who then stood on standby next to it. We were then told that the security tape was ready to go and that it secured the casino kingpin's alibi.

"You've already seen the tapes yourself, Tracy. You know I'm innocent." Mancall stated smugly.
"Not with these, you're not." I responded, as I held up one of the photos that implicated him.
"You..." he spluttered, before taking a moment to regain his composure. But I knew he was shaken. He had to be.
"How do we know those haven't been doctored?" he asked.
"How do we know your videos haven't been?" I retorted.
"Really." he replied flatly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The D.A. was next to speak up.
"It's more likely a picture has been faked than video footage, Detective. You'll need more evidence."
"Thank you, Miles." the kingpin said almost sickeningly sweet. Part of me admittedly wanted to plug him and be done with it.
"Please don't make me repeat myself, Mr. Mancall." Dent replied, to which Mancall shut up.
"Well alright, how about this then!" I exclaimed as I produced the bag with blackmail note. Mancall's face went pale.
"Where did you get that?!" he demanded angrily.
"You dropped your pocket." I replied, stone-faced. Meanwhile, my inner child was laughing himself stupid.
"What is the meaning of this, Detective?" the D.A. asked calmly.
"This was addressed to Mancall, blackmailing him for money or I'd get proof. This proof. These photos." I explained.
"It doesn't matter, flatfoot! The pictures are fa-" he started to say, but I cut him off.
"The note is what matters actually. Especially if your prints are on it, like I'd assume." he then went silent, to my delight.

  With no objections, I continued. "Let's look at the tape. Here's you Mancall, going into the casino the day after the fire. Now, just like the night of the fire, you're not seen leaving for the rest of the night. Next, let's fast forward to when Bailey “BigBugz” Cawthon shows up. You'll notice that ol' BigBugz doesn't stick around for long, does he? In fact, all he appears to be doing is dropping something off. Like say, a note?" I motioned for the tape to be paused. Mancall only glared. "I'll continue. I found the note earlier today in the dumpster. Part of the job, dealing with the trash." I added with a grin before moving on. "Anyways, the dumpster in question had been emptied this morning, the tape can verify that. This means that the note ended up in the trash AFTER collection had happened. I might also add, that as I alluded with my pocket comment, the note was also with a ripped pants pocket. Ergo, someone was in there, and their pants ripped when they climbed out. I can doubly attest to this being possible, because it happened to me on my way out. It's how I found the note in the first place." I then pointed out the rip in my own trousers to help prove my point.

"See? I'll go on. Let's just assume for the moment your prints are indeed on the note."
"Let's not." Mancall protested.
"Quiet, Mr. Mancall. Continue with your theory, Detective." said Dent. I nodded in thanks before continuing.
"Basically, this would mean that you found a way out of the casino without being picked up on a camera."
"That's ridiculous! My surveillance system sees everything front, and back!" Mancall barked. I wagged a knowing finger.
"But the sides? Doesn't do too well there. Just look." I said while having the officer switch tapes for my point.
"Please, you can quite clearly see enough of everything. You can even see a bit of the fire escape."
"He has a point, Detective." Damn, didn't think Dent would agree. I'd need a better angle. So I fast forwarded through the feed.
"See! Nothing. Nothing but garbagemen." the kingpin said smugly. Waitaminute- the garbagemen! I was so stupid. But I had him now.
"Wait, rewind the tape!" I exclaimed to the officer.
"You're just stalling, Tracy! Admit it!" Mancall jibed. But I didn't listen.
"There!" the tape paused, I grinned at was onscreen. The garbage truck was blocking quite a fair amount of screen space.
"What do you think, Mr. Dent? Awfully large blind spot now, wouldn't you agree? I'd also add that collection was on the night of the fire as well. I think we can check those prints now." I said, beaming. Mancall on the other hand, was livid.

-----

"It still doesn't matter, Tracy! That evidence is also fake! There's no way my prints would be on it." But they were.
"Lips Mancall, you're under arrest."