17-02-2020, 02:17 AM
Ramirez's answer was to simply nod from behind his oxygen mask, where she couldn't see him smile. He produced another for La Contessa. Luc did the same for Mander.
"We should get you checked out." He said from inside the mask. La Contessa appeared to be unharmed, but a group of paramedics ran to check them while the rest turned their attention to the more-visibly injured.
"I don't know why I bother with doctors." Mander commented as the two of them were looked over. "I can just come hang out with Your Countessness and get checked out any time I want."
"They're a bit better about wanting to keep me alive since the Jimenez thing." Helen answered.
Mander knew the true story about Frank Morgan and the assassination attempt, but since they were in public, Helen stuck to the official cover story of "La Contessa was attacked by a crazed stalker and anti-science nut named Carlos Jimenez; who also tried to blow up the Ministry of Science" rather than the truth.
When the dust settled, La Policia followed the rescue workers onto the set. Helen was told about the Prefect's injuries and was introduced to the Acting Prefect.
"I'll have some questions, Contessa..." He started to say, before Ramirez stopped him.
"When La Contessa is ready to make a statement," Ramirez told the man. "She will summon an officer to the castle to take it. Presently, she has more important matters of state that require her immediate attention."
The Prefect nodded and went to go see to the wounded officers. Helen gestured her thanks to Ramirez.
"We got five of them." She told him as she led her group to the exit. "Including Bad Red Rug. It took me a while to recognize him without the rug and being all burned and smashed up. I forgot about the one Mander killed yesterday, which brings us to 4-3."
Ramirez accepted La Contessa's way of telling him she was fine. The medics confirmed this. With Luc and Mander, the four of them walked back to the entrance. Helen and Mander both put on their sunglasses for stepping back into the light of day. Because they'd parked by a side entrance, Bessie had survived the wait in the parking lot untouched. Helen's phone rattled noisily against the gun in her purse as all the missed calls and messages came through at once. She'd call Maria and Susan from the car, then recognized a few numbers as belonging to members of San Finzione's criminal element who heard about Marco, understood who THEIR Contessa was as well, and probably had something to tell her about Dietz.
Hernando's phone rang and he answered. It was La Policia calling to tell him that there'd been a second explosion. When he told them that he was at the Caverns and had seen it, the caller corrected him and told him about the one that had just happened on the other side of the City.
* * *
San Finzione's criminals had information for the country's biggest criminal. Through the rumors, hearsay, and obvious bullshit, Helen was able to filter a few useful details.
Dietz and his crew were getting around in white panel vans. Descriptions pieced together that one of the men who'd been pictured during Maria's broadcast had been spotted around the City the week before Eliot's murder, inquiring about short-term accommodations with no questions asked.
The People had been calling the tip lines with information as well. A salesman from a used car lot remembered the men who'd paid cash for two white vans. Helen and Mander agreed that when Dietz had more men, they probably needed two. Now that they only needed one, they'd likely abandon the other like the rental car. This gave them plate numbers for La Policia to begin searching for.
The wreckage of one of them had been found at the scene of the other bomb that had gone off about ten minutes after Helen's. The site had been a boarded-up storefront that the owner had put up for rent. A conversation with his son revealed that "a guy who said his band needed to crash somewhere for the weekend" paid him three-hundred euros to borrow a key for the week.
"There's a red flag right there." Mander pointed out as they discussed it. "A band that's got enough to drop three-hundred on a crash pad's got enough for a fuckin' motel."
"Like you mentioned yesterday, the scenario 'group of struggling artists go in on a place and lay down sleeping bags' isn't an implausible one these days. Struggling musicians is a good enough lie to fool a landlord's son who's interested in making a quick 300 he doesn't have to tell dad about if everyone plays it cool and doesn't... well, blow the place up."
She gave her cigarette a drag as she thought some more on that.
"Booby-trapping the motel room and the trash were calculated moves. Blowing up your hideout when you hastily leave is an act of panic. That means they saw Maria's broadcast and The Sword's got them running scared."
Mander nodded agreement as they returned to the castle to get cleaned up. It was decided that being in two explosions was enough for La Contessa to put The People through for one day, and Luc and Ramirez could take care of things at the other bomb scene while Helen made herself presentable again.
"That's why you did it, isn't it? Not getting us buried alive; I'd like to think you'd have consulted me on that one first." Helen confirmed this. "But you planned for her to do that while we were out on the hunt?"
"I didn't tell her to do it. I thought she might when I brought up doing Right Things and Wrong Things, though. WE can do stuff like beat info out of scum and go shooting Nazis. MARIA can do stuff like call upon The Sword of San Finzione and have it come to her immediately! If I'd tried the same thing, The People would probably do It for me too, but there'd be ass-dragging. That's a power that Vincenzo's True Heir possesses that his widow doesn't: When I say 'Everybody loves Maria,' that's backed by detailed statistical and demographic data."
"We should get you checked out." He said from inside the mask. La Contessa appeared to be unharmed, but a group of paramedics ran to check them while the rest turned their attention to the more-visibly injured.
"I don't know why I bother with doctors." Mander commented as the two of them were looked over. "I can just come hang out with Your Countessness and get checked out any time I want."
"They're a bit better about wanting to keep me alive since the Jimenez thing." Helen answered.
Mander knew the true story about Frank Morgan and the assassination attempt, but since they were in public, Helen stuck to the official cover story of "La Contessa was attacked by a crazed stalker and anti-science nut named Carlos Jimenez; who also tried to blow up the Ministry of Science" rather than the truth.
When the dust settled, La Policia followed the rescue workers onto the set. Helen was told about the Prefect's injuries and was introduced to the Acting Prefect.
"I'll have some questions, Contessa..." He started to say, before Ramirez stopped him.
"When La Contessa is ready to make a statement," Ramirez told the man. "She will summon an officer to the castle to take it. Presently, she has more important matters of state that require her immediate attention."
The Prefect nodded and went to go see to the wounded officers. Helen gestured her thanks to Ramirez.
"We got five of them." She told him as she led her group to the exit. "Including Bad Red Rug. It took me a while to recognize him without the rug and being all burned and smashed up. I forgot about the one Mander killed yesterday, which brings us to 4-3."
Ramirez accepted La Contessa's way of telling him she was fine. The medics confirmed this. With Luc and Mander, the four of them walked back to the entrance. Helen and Mander both put on their sunglasses for stepping back into the light of day. Because they'd parked by a side entrance, Bessie had survived the wait in the parking lot untouched. Helen's phone rattled noisily against the gun in her purse as all the missed calls and messages came through at once. She'd call Maria and Susan from the car, then recognized a few numbers as belonging to members of San Finzione's criminal element who heard about Marco, understood who THEIR Contessa was as well, and probably had something to tell her about Dietz.
Hernando's phone rang and he answered. It was La Policia calling to tell him that there'd been a second explosion. When he told them that he was at the Caverns and had seen it, the caller corrected him and told him about the one that had just happened on the other side of the City.
* * *
San Finzione's criminals had information for the country's biggest criminal. Through the rumors, hearsay, and obvious bullshit, Helen was able to filter a few useful details.
Dietz and his crew were getting around in white panel vans. Descriptions pieced together that one of the men who'd been pictured during Maria's broadcast had been spotted around the City the week before Eliot's murder, inquiring about short-term accommodations with no questions asked.
The People had been calling the tip lines with information as well. A salesman from a used car lot remembered the men who'd paid cash for two white vans. Helen and Mander agreed that when Dietz had more men, they probably needed two. Now that they only needed one, they'd likely abandon the other like the rental car. This gave them plate numbers for La Policia to begin searching for.
The wreckage of one of them had been found at the scene of the other bomb that had gone off about ten minutes after Helen's. The site had been a boarded-up storefront that the owner had put up for rent. A conversation with his son revealed that "a guy who said his band needed to crash somewhere for the weekend" paid him three-hundred euros to borrow a key for the week.
"There's a red flag right there." Mander pointed out as they discussed it. "A band that's got enough to drop three-hundred on a crash pad's got enough for a fuckin' motel."
"Like you mentioned yesterday, the scenario 'group of struggling artists go in on a place and lay down sleeping bags' isn't an implausible one these days. Struggling musicians is a good enough lie to fool a landlord's son who's interested in making a quick 300 he doesn't have to tell dad about if everyone plays it cool and doesn't... well, blow the place up."
She gave her cigarette a drag as she thought some more on that.
"Booby-trapping the motel room and the trash were calculated moves. Blowing up your hideout when you hastily leave is an act of panic. That means they saw Maria's broadcast and The Sword's got them running scared."
Mander nodded agreement as they returned to the castle to get cleaned up. It was decided that being in two explosions was enough for La Contessa to put The People through for one day, and Luc and Ramirez could take care of things at the other bomb scene while Helen made herself presentable again.
"That's why you did it, isn't it? Not getting us buried alive; I'd like to think you'd have consulted me on that one first." Helen confirmed this. "But you planned for her to do that while we were out on the hunt?"
"I didn't tell her to do it. I thought she might when I brought up doing Right Things and Wrong Things, though. WE can do stuff like beat info out of scum and go shooting Nazis. MARIA can do stuff like call upon The Sword of San Finzione and have it come to her immediately! If I'd tried the same thing, The People would probably do It for me too, but there'd be ass-dragging. That's a power that Vincenzo's True Heir possesses that his widow doesn't: When I say 'Everybody loves Maria,' that's backed by detailed statistical and demographic data."
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