Log:The Problem with Vigilantes

The Lady in White 2020/03/09 Night Marshal|Carpenter Tamara Garcia 1

The Elvis Presley Diner has chrome plated everything, booths, tables, chairs, menu's and even curtain blinds! Pictures of the famous Elvis Presley are plastered all over the walls, along with imitation records and posters that depict an era that is still loved today. Waitresses dressed in typical 1950's style dress bustle along tending to their customers. Cooks wear the sailor white hats that was common for that era, while entertaining the patrons with fancy flips of burgers and other infamous foods.

Tamara's been awfully busy. As has Carpenter with his dayjob and moonlighting gig. A few days after Grimm's case is dropped by the D.A.'s office, Tamara invites Carpenter to dinner to catch up. Nothing fancy. She picks a greasy spoon diner popular among cops in the city, especially the night shift for breaks, making it a relatively well patrolled place at the right times.

Tamara is seated at a booth in the back corner, still in her work clothes even though it's well past her usual office hours, browsing a menu with her briefcase tucked under the table.

Carpenter smiles and takes a seat in the booth. "Hey there. I hope you weren't waiting too long. How have you been?"

Tamara drops down the menu enough to have her smile be visible for Carpenter. "Hey, Stranger. Been busy. Lots of interesting cases crossing our desk, and I've had to help pick up some of the work while Richard was recovering from his abduction.* I saw some things that sounded like they'd be ones you're on."


 * (See issue #4 of The Inquisitor Asks the Questions).

Carpenter smiles. "Oh? Like what? I'm trying to remember what cases I'm working on now." He gives her a wink, and starts to look at the menu. But he only looks at it for a moment. Because of course he knows what's on it already.

"Like...well, another Porter case to add to his already extensive file. And the night stalker who's been attacking crooks who got were let off on technicalities or missing witnesses," Tamara comments. That's the night shift detectives job. "The vigilantes in this town are getting ruthless," she says disapprovingly.

A Waitress comes along, a middle aged woman with her hair held back by clips. "Have you decided what you want? Or does your friend need more time to decide?"

Carpenter smiles. "A coffee for me. Two pancakes, and two eggs, scrambled."

"Oh ho, brinner," Tamara smiles and looks to the waitress. "I'll have the Homerun with bacon. And coffee. Thanks."

"Sure thing, you two," the waitress smiles and scribbles on her tablet. She walks off, and comes back from the counter station nearby to place two coffees on the table before moving on to the next table.

Carpenter raises a brow at the mention of Porter, "What did Porter do now? Other than end up in the hospital? Or is that what you're referring to?"

"Yeah, that's what I was referring to," Tamara chuckles briefly as she reaches for a single serve of creamer and one packet of Equal. "That's probably the third case of his that made it up to the D.A.'s desk in the past month. Though the others were lawsuits. The other one was more interesting. The one you were on," she comments as she starts adding all the creamer to her coffee.

Carpenter nods. "Thankfully it wrapped up well, more or less." He added some sweetener to his coffee, but that's it. As he takes a sip, "You're not wrong about the metas in town, though. They do tend to think they're above the law."

Tamara smiles as she sweetens her coffee and stirs it. "Color me surprised. This latest vigilante is another one of those judge, jury types. They got awfully close to being executioner, too."

Carpenter nods. "Which vigilante are you talking about? I don't think I've seen a case about someone like that just yet."

"I haven't gotten a name yet. It's someone new on the scene. The perps claim they were attacked by a ghost or a phantom, but we don't have a name. But they shared the same description. We call her the Lady in White in the office at the moment," Tamara comments over a sip of coffee, in business mode already. They really have trouble not thinking about the job. "The latest perp was an alleged domestic abuser whose lawyer got him off. He's in the hospital in worse shape than the girlfriend he 'allegedly' beat up." Tamara doesn't seem torn up about that point.

Of the known metas in the city, the Lady in White sounds like the few reports of the latest Cartesian. Though vigilante work doesn't fit the Cartesian from what Carpenter understands of it.

After some more thought, the Lady in White sounds familiar. It takes a few moments, but something clicks as he recalls some old interesting historical crime cases. There -was- a vigilante who fits the MO and description. Dating at least back to the 1920's from what he can remember, appearing several times over the decades. The White Specter, a ghostly woman in white who exacted justice on the wicked. Sometimes, she just beat up the criminals. In later years, she sometimes killed them. Though the last appearance of her that he can recall was some 50 years back.

Carpenter furrows his brow. "Do you have more of a description of this 'Lady in White' than that?"

Tamara props her elbows on the table and holds her coffee with both hands as she thinks on it. "A woman all in white, with a hood, scarf, and cape. She floats and moves through walls and floors. Sound like anyone on your beat?" she teases. The waitress comes by with their food. Clink clink! The plates are served up before each of them, and a tray of syrup and jams is dropped off for the pancakes.

Carpenter shakes his head, "Based on the outfit, I initially would have said the Cartesian, but beating up gang members or whatever isn't really her thing. But...there WAS someone like that back in the 1920s. I don't think she could phase through things, though."

Tamara cracks a smile. "You sure do love the classics. I don't think they're putting out an APB on a hundred and forty year old vigilante," she muses as she sets her coffee down. She studies him a moment. "Hmm. You're probably wishing it's really that vintage vigilante, aren't you?" she asks knowingly.

Carpenter chuckles. "No, not really. But I suspect that it's someone who knows the history of the person? Maybe a descendant?"

Tamara starts working on her food. Her Homerun platter has bacon, hashbrowns, and a small side of biscuits and gravy. That seems like stress eating for her. "Interesting theory. Could be. Or a fan of the pulp era, like you."

Carpenter does notice the food, and he smiles. "Stress starting to get to you a bit? I can...kind of feel it."

Tamara is just cutting into her biscuits when she slows and looks up at Carpenter with a studious gaze, trying to figure out how he does that. Carpenter and his observant tricks! "How did you...nevermind. I forget how good you are at your job sometimes," she rolls her eyes. "A little," she confesses. Since it's pointless to lie to him sometimes.

Carpenter smiles and starts to eat as well. "Is it anything I can help with? You know you just have to ask."

Tamara sighs at how well he knows her and glances about briefly before going back to her food. "I'm just worried about a case," she says quietly. "We have a witness to testify against someone in the Capelli organization, but those witnesses always end up dead or missing," she now speaks in a whisper at this point.

Carpenter nods and leans in as well, lowering his voice to match hers. "Even the ones in protective custody?"

Tamara nods. "Yeah. We had one a few months back and their safehouse was hit. We're not sure how they found out. I can't talk too much more about it out here, though. Maybe back at my office sometime."

Carpenter nods. "Gotcha. Well, we should talk about it. I can see what I can do about it."

Tamara nods and smiles. "Sure, we can talk about it more later. Someplace less open." She takes a bite out of her hash browns. "I did seek counseling like you suggested. It's been helping. How've you been holding up after...y'know." She doesn't want to mention the coffee shop incident specifically.

Carpenter nods and sighs. "I'm doing okay. I...have difficulty going into the coffee shop. I tried forcing myself to do so. To just..face it. I only managed to hang out there for...twenty minutes before I had to leave."

Tamara rests her fork against her plate, still holding onto it as she looks at him sympathetically. "It's okay if you're finding it difficult. That was very brave of you to try and face it. I didn't last that long when I first got home, even though the kitchen was cleaned up. I ended up going out to eat. And then had trouble just trying to sleep in my own home. Did you go to counseling yet?"

Carpenter nods slowly. "I have, yeah. I'd have been a fool to not follow my own recommendation." He smiles slightly.

"Mmm, yeah, well...just checking," Tamara says in a teasing tone. "But in all seriousness, if you need someone to talk to, you know I'm around. Busy, but...around. After all, you were there for me."

Carpenter smiles. "Thank you. I appreciate it. I will...likely take you up on that."

Log:Volunteer Protection