| Two Mugs of Beer |
[22 Dec 2007|02:36pm] |
At just after ten on a weekend night, with only three demons perched on the bar stools, business was officially slow in the Basement. It had been the same story the night before… and the one preceding. Justus, the proprietor, wore his perpetually untroubled face despite Rhiannon’s dry commentary about shit hitting the fan. Being the sort to profit off explosions in the demon population, he didn’t stand to lose much if it happened.
The Slayer wiped her hands on a rag. All the mugs had been washed, dried, and stacked neatly on their racks. The counter was clean and smelled vaguely of ammonia. There was nothing to do but sit and watch her share of the tips not appear.
Rhiannon swiped a book of matches with the bar’s logo. She lit a cigarette and put her elbows on the bar. It stung a little when the mixture of water and cleaner soaked into her skin.
“You think it’s true… about the hellhounds?” Rhiannon had her own opinion, as well as an idea of where they might’ve come from, but she bit her tongue to listen to Justus talk.
Mallory's stomach had been a ball of quiet dread ever since she'd gotten the two phone messages from Rhiannon. She'd packed a few things and gotten into the truck, leaving behind a note for Sonya before renting a motel room in Vegas. The city, at least, was bigger than Searchlight, which would give Deanna less of a chance of finding her. But days passed, and nothing happened, which was good. But she hadn't heard from or seen Victoria, and that was bad.
She just didn't know how bad the actuality was yet.
Regardless of its clientele, she knew that The Basement was a safe place, the de-militarized zone, so she went there to risk asking questions. Even if no one there actually knew the Slayer, someone would probably know someone who did. She'd find Rhiannon first if she could, see what had happened.
The door opened quietly, then fell shut. It must be closing time, the redhead thought. She spotted that vaguely familiar face as Rhiannon finished lighting her smoke, then hung back to raise a hand in uncertain greeting.
What had Vicky told her, if anything? Did it matter what the woman thought of her, considering that they didn't even know one another? Probably not. Mallory took a few steps, lowered her weight onto one of the vacant barstools. Not casual, but waiting in silence regardless.
Another customer wouldn’t go unnoticed, since it was such a rarity. Justus was halfway through his spiel about the unlikelihood of a hellhound when the door opened. Rhiannon’s attention drifted to the door. It took her a second or two of staring to place Mallory’s name with her familiar face. It had been something like two years since they met, and that was only once.
“Mallory?” The brunette’s question cut Justus off, and she apologized for it with an uplifted index finger. Hold the phone… Rhiannon picked up her ashtray and headed in the newcomer’s direction. She didn’t know if the other woman smoked or not, but she was certain that second-hand didn’t bother her in the diner where they met once.
"Rhiannon." Answering the question with a nod as the soles of her tennis shoes slipped on the bottom rung of her stool. She had already walked off most of the tread and could use a new pair.
"Do you have a few minutes? I got your phone calls but wasn't sure when I'd be able to reach you." The Slayer worked here? Well, at least it'd cut down on the chances of fighting on the job, she supposed. "Do you have some time? I could buy a round of beers if that'd help get a table."
( Not Paying for Drinks )
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| Accused officer on loose |
[22 Dec 2007|02:45pm] |
By Logan Guevera | lguevera@ccbeacon.com
LAS VEGAS -- An unnamed source within the Las Vegas police department confirmed Friday that Samantha Blanchard was no longer in the city's custody.
Blanchard, a Las Vegas homicide detective who last month was arrested for the murder of Gerald Watkins, was being held in a regular-security prison awaiting her first court hearing -- a hearing in which it was expected that she would be formally charged with first-degree murder.
The source, who requested anonymity, did not get into specifics about how Blanchard might have left her cell or where she might have gone, and was even more careful not to call the disappearance an escape.
Las Vegas district attorney Mac Parsons, who is up for re-election in 2012, didn't mince his words quite as much.
"She was a murder suspect," he said. "And we had enough to charge her ... so why would we open the cell and let her walk out? Don't make a damn bit of sense; that [expletive deleted] escaped."
Michaela Starnes, the lead detective in the Watkins investigation, declined comment. Police spokesman John Luiz did not return several phone messages left by the Beacon.
The source noted a coincidence between Blanchard's disappearance from city custody and recent murders in the downtown area. In the past month, the bodies of Henry Shockley and Harmon Trask were found in alley dumpsters. No suspects have been found and Parsons said the city's investigation has gone nowhere.
He did not, however, discount the possibility of Blanchard's involvement.
"She's already proven she has the capacity to kill in cold blood," he said. "That's hearsay at this point -- who the hell is your source, anyway? -- but it wouldn't surprise me in the least."
Luiz released a statement Saturday morning, calling the supposed connection between Blanchard and the alley murders "nothing but wild, irresponsible speculation."
[Submitted by Jeff.]
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