The skies had opened suddenly and with no warning. Stella found herself caught in the downpour and severely unprepared for the weather; no umbrella, no hood on her coat, and impractical shoes for running to her destination. A stack of papers were stuffed under the inside of her coat to keep them dry.Â
Stella could not afford to be late to the lab today, but the only thing worse than showing up late to the lab would be showing up with sopping wet paperwork (that she had been up all night finishing). She liked to write her notes with fine-liner pens, which she had learned the hard way were not the most waterproof of materials. She would just have to be late. There was no arguing with the rain. Or her notes. Or her soggy shoes. The girl, allowing a sigh of defeat to pass through her lips, ducked under a nearby canopy and prayed that the rain would be nothing more than a flash shower that would disappear as quickly as it came.
Dutch seemed to have the uncanny ability to show up and see people at their worst whether it was when someone had stepped in a large pile of gum on the street or got soaking wet in the rain. She stepped up under the canopy as she saw Stella standing there shivering, her hair sopping wet, with her arms pressed tightly against her coat as if she were trying to keep something from slipping. A sly smile crossed Dutchâs lips as she approached the girl. âIt seems that you are quite unprepared for the weather,â she said. âDid someone fail to read the Daily Punctilio today? Surely by now you know that when someone predicts sunshine all day that it almost certainly means it will rain and be incredibly dreary.â Dutch stood a bit closer to Stella and watched as the rain fell onto the sidewalk and cars. âBeing unprepared for something as simple as the weather puts you at a great disadvantage, especially if there is a fire. And by that I mean itâs incredibly difficult to start one if there is rain or snow.â
Dutch couldnât help but laugh as the personâs face turned bright red. âRelax, it was a joke. Donât be such a baby about it,â she said in a dismissive tone. She waved her hand as if to wave whatever it was she said away. Then, she turned to someone passing by and she stopped them in their tracks. âHey! You got time for a question?â She didnât even give them a chance to say no before she spoke again. âWouldnât you say that these shoes makes them look like a clown at Caligari Carnival?â She asked, pointing to the other personâs shoes that were in fact quite large.
âTonight?â He asked with a small stutter to his tone. He wasnât due to work this evening, meaning that he needed a good reason for waltzing into the hospital. âOkay.â He finally said.
Dutch leaned even closer towards Vivek. This time, her tone had no hint of being at all kind and friendly. âTonight. You donât want me to tell anyone that youâre not doing your job, do you?â It was a threat. What the firestarters had over Dr. Varma was enough to make him bend to their will at every turn. Once Vivek finally said heâd do it, Dutch leaned back in her seat and relaxed some. âIâm coming with you. And itâs not because I donât trust you, although I donât completely...but I need to get answers myself. So, instead of waiting, Iâll come with.â
âPsst⊠Hey, Dutch.â With some haste, Stella linked her arm with Dutchâs, to ensure there was no way the crowds would separate themâ It had already been a collision course through the party in order to even find Dutch (it really seemed like she was in two places at once), and a friend had distracted her for too long to miss this opportunity. âTotally weird time to be remembering this, but I have that, uh⊠money that I owe you.â From her purse, Stella pulled out a small amount of dollar bills.
In reality, the wad of cash was nothing more than 3 dollars, wrapped neatly to conceal a note. What the letter said, Stella wasnât sure, but it was imperative that Dutch received it. She knew better than to ask her mentor leading too many questions. âYâknow, for the coffee the other day.â
Dutch turned around to see Stella, a younger firestarter who had lots and lots of potential. She smiled, as she always did when she saw Stella. She liked the younger girl and if Sofia hadnât been Stellaâs mentor, Dutch would have volunteered. The girl had a certain...spark that was good for the organization. âStella, itâs good to see you again,â she said with another smile as she started walking with the younger girl with their arms linked. Dutch hadnât expected to see Stella at the party, but she was happy that she did.Â
Dutch glanced down to see her handed over a small wad of cash. She knew what this meant and continued to play it cool. She didnât get word that sheâd be receiving a note which she assumed was from the other firestarters, but then again, the firestarters werenât ones to give a warning beforehand. Dutch took the money from Stella. âThank you so much. I am a little short on cash,â Dutch said with a smile. âMind joining me to get an alcoholic beverage this time? Theyâve got mint juleps at the bar.â
Dutch is taken into a back room where Detective Seong sits at a table. She shrugs off the officers that tried to take her by the arm and lead her to the seat at the table. She can handle herself. She keeps herself calm and collected. She had nothing to hid per say...at least not when it came to Scott Sheffield.Â
She sits down in the chair and leans back, crossing her arms over her chest. She half tunes out when the Detective gives his spiel about who he is and what he wants and what theyâre investigating. Then, he starts into the juicy stuff.
What is your name, occupation, and where do you live?
Dutch gives him a small smirk. âDutch Balotelli. Iâm currently in between jobs,â she said. Itâs the best way to state her job status without giving too much away. It is a little difficult to explain that she was a fortune teller but only part of the time when sheâs impersonating her sister. âI live at Hotel Denouement right now. Hoping to live somewhere else soon.â
How long have you lived in the City?
Dutch shrugs her shoulders. âAll my life.â
Did you know Sybil Halloway? Were you at her party when she died?
âI knew her. Never interacted with her that much, but I feel like I really knew her, like we were friends just by what other people said about her,â Dutch says with a small smile. She leans forward as she speaks to the detective. âI was at the party, but I left before she died. Wasnât feeling the scene so I left early for something that had a bit more energy.â
What brought you here to the premiere and afterparty for The Valiant Fishermanâs Demise?
Dutch purses her lips as she tries to remember why she even decided to go to the party in the first place. âTickets were cheap and how often are premieres and their afterparties open to the public?â She raises her eyebrows and smiles. âIâm curious. What kind of answers are you getting from people when you ask them this question?â No answer.
Do you know anything about the Blackout that happened a few weeks ago?
Dutch tilts her head as the detective asks about the Blackout. Oh, boy, she definitely knew about the blackout. She knew because she was the one who caused it. She leaned back in her seat again. âNo. Iâm thinking itâs just a mechanical malfunction though. Do you know anything? Actually, donât answer that. Iâm assuming no because youâre asking me if I know anything and your job is supposed to be you trying to find the culprit.â
Did you know Scott Sheffield?
"No. He wasnât in my social circle and I donât think heâd ever get close to my social circle.â Dutchâs voice is flat and blunt.Â
Where were you March 12th, the night that Scott Sheffield was murdered?
âWhere was I? Iâm pretty sure I was at home, alone, freezing as all the power was still out at the time,â Dutch says, shrugging her shoulders again. âAgain, what kind of answers are you getting, sir?â She raises one eyebrow. â
Do you have anyone who can corroborate your alibi?
âLike I said, I was home. Alone,â Dutch reiterates. This time, she enunciates each word. âHome. Alone.â The detective frowns. âFine. I live in a hotel, so employees probably saw me going in and notice that I never came out of my room. Happy?â
Scott Sheffield was seen at Sybil Hallowayâs party. Do you know if they had some sort of relationship whether itâs platonic or something else?
Dutch furrows her eyebrows as she heard this piece of information. Sheâd never noticed the younger man before at the party. She frowns at the fact that she never noticed him and she prides herself in being very observant. âNo. I didnât. Like I said, I didnât stay at the party long and I didnât know Scott Sheffield.â
Do you have any questions or concerns that youâd like to bring up now?
Dutch stands up and pushes the chair in. âNo. I doubt youâd answer them right now anyways. But, Iâll be sure to give you a call or send a telegram if I do have any questions and concerns. Are we done?â When Detective Seong nods, Dutch gives a smile that isnât entirely sincere and she turns to head towards the officers who will escort her back to the room she was in.
Avery shook her head quickly. âMy vocabulary is actually quite large. I was just told it makes you look prissy if you try to use five dollar words for a two cent conversation.â She shrugged once again, not getting offended at these comments despite what her mother might have said if she were here. That woman was never one to âroll with the punchesâ so to speak. In fact, she might have thrown a punch or two at this place if given the chance. The girlâs question brought her back to reality briefly, still going on about the fake bet. âYes yesâŠ.cashâŠ.â She mumbled dismissively. âHave we spoken before? You look vaguely familiar.â
The corners of Dutchâs lips pulled back into another smile. She tilted her head to the side and then took a sip of her drink. The girl did look familiar. Perhaps it was a relative that she knew who bore a striking resemblance to the girl in front of her. âPerhaps. You may have seen me or my sister or both of us...maybe in our very fancy disguises,â she said with a laugh. âWe often times do a lot of acting and performing,â she added. It wasnât a total lie, but it wasnât the whole truth either. Dutch and Diana spent turns acting like each other in an attempt to get the upper hand. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didnât.
Vivek let out a small sigh of relief at the task he was given. Sure, stealing from work wasnât the best, but it was better than what he has been asked to do in the past. âWill do.â He said, calmly.
"We need you to do it tonight,â Dutch said in an assertive tone. She leaned forward to get closer to Vivek. âWe think someone might be acting on their own interests and not for the good of the department.â She pursed her lips after she finished her statement. There were rumors floating around about Scott Sheffield having the camera that had gone missing from Sybil Hallowayâs penthouse, but the camera was never found among Scottâs belongings.Â
Avery felt a small sting with the sarcastic retort. Her first instinct was always to crawl back into her shell and hide like her mother raised her, but her grandmother was much more spicy. So, instead of apologizing and making her leave, she gave a wide smile. âYes, actually they did. I am currently winning. We also had a bet to see who the clumsiest person at the party was.â She held up two fingers. âTwo for two. I am getting a good bit of cash after the after party.â She did a little dance and made sure to sip her drink until it was harder to spill.
The girl in front of Dutch looked awfully familiar, but she couldnât quite place her finger on where she knew her from. It bothered Dutch and she hoped that sheâd figure it out soon before the night was over. âWell, congratulations on winning,â Dutch said with a smile. âIâm sure it is something you will be prideful about for the rest of your life. Having a small vocabulary and two left feet,â she added with a laugh. âBut I suppose if youâre getting cash for these downfalls, itâs not all that bad, hm?â She raised an eyebrow.Â
Kitty spent the premiere in the back row of the theater with a bag of fresh popcorn and a fizzy soda. She liked the cinema, liked sitting in the dark with strangers and letting her mind go. Parties were a different story. Sheâd go for the free food and drinks, but she doubted any of the fancy uptown city people would find her company amusing. She dallied outside with the crowd in no rush to make it to the after party and nodded at the strangers offered cigarette. âDefinitely.â She took a drag, sighing on her exhale. âYou think they got some chocolate at premiereâs like this.â
Once the other girl was done taking her turn, Dutch took her cigarette back and took a drag. She smiled at the girl as they headed towards Veblen Hall for the afterparty. âI definitely think theyâll have some chocolate at the afterparty,â she said with a laugh. âI believe that Kakao is providing the catering...or at least they are for the desserts, which means plenty of chocolate,â she added. She took out one hand from her pocket and held it out to the girl. âIâm Dutch. Dutch Balotelli.â Dutch smiled again and held out the cigarette to her for her turn.Â
âOne could only hope,â he laughed. It seemed like the only way to relate to the woman would be to play into her twisted sense of humor. âThough, now that I think about it, those lions seem far more like the kind to sink their claws into your tongue than my cat. Theyâre viciously feral demons, if you ask me.â He frowned at the very thought. âSo youâre a fan of Madame Luluâs? Iâve only gone to see her once. She was⊠insightful, to say the least. Though Iâd say she raised more questions than answers, if Iâm being honest. What is it about her that makes you trust her?â
Dutch gave him a smile that bordered along being a very sly smile as he seemed to carefully choose the words âviciously feral demons.â He seemed to have a hint of a grasp on her organization, but he didnât seemed to completely understand what it all meant. âInsightful is a good word to use,â Dutch said, tilting her head down a little. âMysterious and informative is another way to describe her.â Her smile got a little wider. âNot entirely sure. Perhaps itâs her eyes that make you trust her. Maybe itâs because everything she told me came true.â
Avery Ngo had been oddly fascinated with the theories and stories following Scott Sheffieldâs death, but she couldnât really find anything or get anywhere with it since it was still fairly recent. Instead, she asked her grandmother for advice who recommended she attend the movie premiere and following party. Avery had not been much one for parties or big events, but it was a chance to raise spirits, meet locals, and get ideas of what life would be like for her in only a half a yearâs time, when she turned eighteen. She glanced around wildly at all the bright lights and the even shinier people. So much to behold that she didnât see the person she bumped into, nearly knocking her own drink over. She whipped around and began to apologize. âI am so terribly sorry for being so terribly rude on this terribly beautiful evening. Are you alright?â
Dutch put a hand over the top of her glass when she ran into a girl. Luckily, with her fast reflexes, none of it spilled anywhere. For a split second, she saw red, but she knew better than to lose control of her temper around here. âOh, donât worry about it at all,â she said with a kind smile. It probably wasnât the most sincere smile, but it was an attempt and she didnât care all that much what others thought of her. âDid someone make a bet with you to see how many times you can use âterriblyâ in one sentence?â she asked before taking a swig of her drink. âIâm perfectly fine. No need to apologize.â
Ruby glanced at the cigarette extended in her direction. Now that the night was picking up, less people were bothering her. Finally, she could catch her breath. All she wanted was to decompress, so the offer was tempting. âIf youâre offeringâŠâ she hesitantly began, looking again at Dutch for confirmation that the offer was legitimate. With a short nod, she took her own drag before passing it back. âThanks for sharing, itâs been a long day.â She let out a long breath. âHow are you enjoying the party?â
"A long day indeed,â Dutch said, taking the cigarette back from Ruby. They werenât friends per say, but they were familiar with each other. They werenât total strangers but one may not categorize their relationship as even acquaintances. âHaving a party open to the public is a very fascinating decision, but I quite like their decision. Itâs not every day you get to go to an A-Lister party. I will say I wish they had better music. Perhaps something to dance to.â
âIâm not mak-â He cut himself off when he realised how loud his voice was, and then finished off the sentence in a whisper. â-ing a scene.â His eyes darted around the room for a moment before falling back onto the woman. âDutch?â He asked in the same hushed tone he had earlier, but with a hint of relief, which he knew wasnât going to last. âWell, to be fair, there is a lot of resemblance.â As she placed the paper down, he felt his heart thud in his chest. âWho is it, this time?â
Dutch smiled at him again, finding him to be incredibly endearing. âSettle down,â she warned him. Sheâd hate to have to report him to the firestarters for possibly blowing their cover. Not to mention, if he stepped out of line, any loan shark or casino owner he screwed over would come after him. She knew for a fact that he wouldnât want that. âYes, itâs me,â she said. âBut always check to be sure itâs me. I often times impersonate my sister and in return, she may impersonate me. It makes for a tad bit of confusion from time to time.â She unwrinkled the paper, which had a message on it telling him a date and time when he needed to finish his task. âWeâre spread too thin right now and thereâs too many eyes watching after the blackout. We need know what was on the medical examinerâs report for Scott Sheffield along with his personal effects. Normally, Sofia would take care of this, but as sheâs not around and occupied with the ever nosey Detective Seong, we need you to get them.âÂ
âI donât know, do they believe what you tell them?â Diana countered, figuring that Dutch had about the same amount of skepticism and belief that she did. Though sometimes she wondered if the fortunes that they told were increibly different. She approached the job trying to find out things about the people and then find a way to give them hope. And yetâŠshe had to admit that didnât seem like it would be her sisterâs style.  âI actually donât think that everyoneâs self-absorbed, but itâs basic human instinct to put yourself first in a time of crisis. Survival of the fittest and those sorts of ideas,â she said with a shrug, âAnd of course I have, though I donât see how that would really interest you, unless you know something more about this blackout than the rest of us.â
Dutch shrugged her shoulders. âEnough of them do,â she said with a sly smile. âUsually youâre just telling them what they want to hear. With enough questions, you find out pretty quickly. Most of the time they just want to know about love and their dead relatives.â She probably would have played the role of Madame Lulu very differently, but she was playing the role of Madame Lulu to get information from volunteers on other volunteers all for the firestarters. Sure, occasionally, she has her fun with unsuspecting customers, but she had a job to do, just as her sister, Diana, did. âHow far would you go to survive?â she asked. She pursed her lips and took a breath. âOf course not. The blackout is just as bewildering to me as it is to you.â
James laughed. He didnât know how else to respond. He felt like his cat liked him for more than just feeding purposes. She was aloof at times, sure, but she could be cuddly and friendly, too. âWell, that and the fact that Iâm really the only person sheâs known since she was born. I adopted her pretty young, so when it comes to her survival⊠Iâm all she really knows.â He could tell that the woman had other opinions, but she wasnât the one who owned a cat to begin with. âI have, actually. Theyâre pretty ghastly, arenât they? It seems like theyâre always starving. Youâd think that the carnival would treat them a little better, wouldnât you? â I take it youâve been to the Caligari Carnival? Did you go to see a show, or get your fortune read?â
"Hm. Maybe sheâll get tired of you one day,â Dutch said with a smirk. âSheâll take her claws and scratch your eyes out. Maybe sink them into your tongue. Then youâd really have a case of âcat got your tongue.ââ She laughed lightly at the thought. She didnât always have such a dark and sadistic mind, but her time with the firestarters certainly did that for her. âOh, those lions do get fed. Iâve seen them feed those poor beasts.â She tapped her nails against the table. Of course, she didnât tell him that sheâd seen them feed live people to the beasts at the carnival. âI go there from time to time, but mainly for the fortune teller. Thereâs something about her that is so enigmatic and wise,â she said with another laugh. âShe helps me with all my problems. I trust her to tell me my future.â
âI donât.. I mean⊠my motherâŠ.â Joanna took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. âI normally stay with a friend⊠or he stays here.â Joanna shivered at the suggestion that she was in danger in her own apartment.Â
âIâm Joanna Kingsley, though the apartment is listed under my motherâs name- Carolyn.â Joanna shifted her weight foot to foot, unsure what the protocol was when oneâs apartment was a crime scene. âShould I stay with my friend tonight?â she asked Officer Mock. âIâd hate to be in the way or accidentally destroy evidence or anything.â
"Where is your friend now?â Dutch asked. She looked around again before turning to the younger girl. âWell, I would suggest that you stay with him for the night. Just in case someone tries to come back here. Iâd hate for you to be here if they do,â she told the girl. What Joanna Kingsley didnât know was that Dutch would bet he one who was back. âCarolyn Kingsley?â She tilted her head to the side, acting surprised that that was who used to live here. âHm. Yes, I would definitely suggest you stay with your friend. You may be a target and I would hate for anything to happen to you. Wouldnât want you to disappear.â She headed for the door. âWould you like me to drive you there? Iâll call backup to come and collect evidence. Fingerprints, hairs, and such.â
Vivek shuffled in his seat for a moment, ensuring that he was well-positioned to give the woman his full attention. He was going to avoid going into too much detail about his job switch, that was for sure, but was he going to lie? He felt like if he lied too much, people would have reason to doubt and investigate into him, and his cover would be blown. Also, there was only so many lies a doctor/serial killer can carry around. âI did.â He said. âIâm of much better use there.â
Dutch smirked at the man as he squirmed in his seat. âNow, now, Doctor Varma,â she said in a low voice. âLetâs not make a scene, hm?â She raised her eyebrows at him. âOr did you think I was my sister?â She tilted her head to the side and then pulled out a piece of paper. âI have a job for you, Doctor Varma.â He wasnât her favorite person in the organization. He was skittish, perhaps cowardly, and terrible with gambling. But, he was certainly useful and his skills and occupation were needed.Â
