notes

Session 7

Player Characters

End of Previous Day

Offscreen: LOTTIE calls VELASQUEZ and fucks, gaining advantage on stress relief roll. VELASQUEZ gazes lovingly into her eyes, doesn't leave after. Despite the attempt at stress relief, LOTTIE still feels empty, looking into VELASQUEZ' beautiful almond-colored eyes.

MO has a few drinks, continues developing alcoholism.

PIZZA calls SHELF with a briefing:

PIZZA: "we're not getting any results on APBs and bolos on the perps. We've gotta have your operation wrapped up in Maryland by end of day. You, staties, county, all debrief tonight 9pm in the basement of the GH FALLON FEDERAL BUILDING, Baltimore.

PIZZA: "Remember, your objective is not to solve the case, it's to give the media something to chow down on that doesn't trace back to the program.
PIZZA: "Also, noon, press conference with OWEN and a reporter TOOMEY"

SHELF knocks on each HOLIDAY INN room door with a coffee, "Downstairs in 5"

VELASQUEZ: "Oh, joe!"

SHELF: [does not comment]

VELASQUEZ and LOTTIE

VELASQUEZ: Red Lobster tonight? See you later blush

SEAMUS: "Teach!"
LOTTIE: "Yeah..."

Robert "SHOOTER" McMasters -- new agent brought in by PIZZA. Meets us in the lobby. Forensic Accountant. (SHOOTER's a high school nickname from sports).

SHELF: "Ok team, two missions for the day. We've gotta close this one down by 9pm. A mundane explanation for OWEN's press conference would be good. A mundane explanation for the recent

Plan for Cover Stories

LOTTIE Calls VELASQUEZ

VELASQUEZ: Hey there barb! Good to hear your voice! (VELASQUEZ)

LOTTIE: It's a very exciting morning!
VELASQUEZ: Turns out the murder weapon was an icepick on all 4 of these victims! Anyway: I was thinking the brass might think our new relationship is inappropriate, so we should keep this under wraps for now. I'll need to talk to HR. (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Uh, don't do that. Right now, the most important thing is that we focus on the case and having fun. That's what life is all about! (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: You know I always put work first. That's what's gonna make this work so well: I know you get that. (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Yeah! Let's talk this over at Red Lobster; don't talk to HR yet. (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: I agree, keeping it secret is sexy. But eventually, you know, I don't like going behind the organization's back like this. And besides, I don't think it's gonna be a problem; you're federal, I'm state. (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Yeah that's a thought for later. Anyway, I wanted to say thank you so much for those leads with the Russians. We looked into it more and we think it's a very Russian problem. We were going through HOUGHTON's papers and we found a link to the Russians. It looks solid. Quid pro quo. FRANKLIN PRICE too. (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: FRANKLIN PRICE? I heard he died recently! Of natural causes! Very unusual circumstances! This ties everything together! (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Have you heard about the press conference? (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: Seems like that'll be a county problem. (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Have you heard from COSTA after he was missing yesterday? (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: nope (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: CDC tested the PUDDING and it was just roofing tar or something. Mundane. (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: I gotta run. (VELASQUEZ)
SHELF: elbows LOTTIE bring up the retribution thing, put that in her head. Ask if it lines up with what she's seing today
LOTTIE: does so
VELASQUEZ: yes that's what it looks like (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Anyway I'll see you at Red Lobster tonight bye.

MO calls TOOMEY

MO: This is agent Lester Foote. Heard about the press conference.

TOOMEY: Perfect, I've been meaning to get ahold of you. Do you mind if I record this?
MO: No problem at all. We heard about this press conference. You gonna be in attendance? We've been looking into some stuff and we wanted to make a statement on behalf of law enforcement here. Sorry I wasn't more forthcoming earlier. Anyway, you're aware of the PUDDING he was concerned about?
TOOMEY: yes of course. By the way, is that true that the government was trying to cover this up?
MO: Anyway, with this goo, we've been calling it PUDDING. CDC checked it out. It's just roofing tar.
MO: talks really shady
TOOMEY: anyway, I'm more concerned about the violence issue. OWEN said the FBI wanted to rough him up?
MO: We're not affiliated with COSTA at all.
TOOMEY: You're on a task force together. That's an affiliation, wouldn't you agree?
MO: um, er, (freezes up)
SHELF: (grabs the phone)
SHELF: Foote's indisposed. Yes: he's on the task force. Our statement is: what he did was reprehensible. Acted alone.
TOOMEY: Is the bureau gonna plead not guilty then?
SHELF: Sounds like a lawyer question. Anything else I can help you with?
TOOMEY: What about the investigation 15 years ago. Was that still Brighton Beach Gangs?
SHELF: Nothing to say on that at this time, but we expect to make a public statement by end of day. What I will say: the old agents were closer to the mark than we thought. You know where to reach us.

Idea: MKULTRA on OWEN...?

Idea: plant SHOOTER at the press conference to ask leading questions. Going with this. We get fake press credentials.

Press Conference

Down the block from the county jail.

SHOOTER enters separately, in the press pool. Badge says Joseph Fitzroy, with the .

OWEN: Hello. I'm OWEN Becker. I'm a victim of police brutality. Like many people, I've suffered at the abusive hands of law enforcement. Look at my bruises and scars. (he has bruises and scars). This was perpetrated on my by the county police, because I was seeking to bring truth to an investigation that the whole country was watching. I was targeted by county police at the behest of the FBI, because I was trying to bring the light of truth to the cabal of pedophiles that run this country. They want me to be silent, but I will continue to shine the flashlight of honesty into the dark well of untruth. I'll be bringing my case against the Federal Government and the County Police.

SHOOTER: Mr Becker, you found an unusual substance at the site? Can you produce that?
OWEN: Yeah, I found a substance. I was just in jail.
SHOOTER: I'm interested in hard proof. Your story's not adding up. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this.
OWEN: Sorry, what was your question?
SHOOTER: I'd like to see the substance!
OWEN: The substance reached out towards human flesh like it had a mind of its own.
SHOOTER: You're alleging that you saw a substance that reached out towards human flesh like it had a mind of its own? That's an incredible claim.
TOOMEY: I think we're gonna move on.

COSTA is standing with a bunch of county police goons. SHELF glares at him. He looks nervous.

2pm

With nothing left to do, SEAMUS and SHELF go bowling. Montage. Heinekens. LOTTIE and MO are drunk.

6:30pm, Red Lobster

VELASQUEZ walks in, first time we've seen her in a dress. She looks beautiful.

VELASQUEZ: Barb, it's good to see you. You can call me Ali. (VELASQUEZ)

VELASQUEZ: Sorry, yeah, 2 for VELASQUEZ? (they're led to a booth) (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: I'm so excited for the cheddar biscuits! (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: I'm lactose intolerant. (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: That's ok, I can tell you what they taste like! (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: Tell me more about you! About your family! Are you from the area? Where are you from? (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Somewhere in Maryland. I got divorced 15 years ago from a man. To a man. From a man. I have a son, but I don't really talk to either of them anymore. (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: What's your son's name? (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Dick. My husband named him. He was a forceful horrible man. (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: I'm so sorry (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: It's ok: out of the two horrible men in my life, I got two wonderful women! (LOTTIE)
LOTTIE: I love dogs do you love dogs? (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: I love dogs! (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: For a long time I bred Basset Hounds as showdogs. (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: Oh, I don't love dogs that much. (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Anyway, I was doing that for years, but then I decided the rape has to stop. (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: What? (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: All the breeding! I got the perfect specimen of a dog, Charlie, Peanut and I. And now I'm done. He's the perfect dog. He can sniff out anything. (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: I love your sense of justice. Sorry, who's peanut? (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: My dog trainer, Peanut! (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: I'll have the lobster bisque. (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: Aren't you lactose intolerant? (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: They have a vegan one. (VELASQUEZ)
VELASQUEZ: Anyway, BASWELL was such a mentor to me. You remind me a lot of BASWELL. Because of your sense of justice. With your dogs. He wanted to find out who had done crimes. (VELASQUEZ)
LOTTIE: It sounds like you were close? (LOTTIE)
VELASQUEZ: He was like a father to me, I cherish his memory. With his case opening back up, I just wanna do justice to his memory. (VELASQUEZ)
they eat lobster
VELASQUEZ: Can you give me a ride to the meeting? (VELASQUEZ)

8:30, federal building

Cold fluorescent-lit basement. Whiteboard. PIZZA.

PIZZA: Come in. Thank you for joining us, COSTA, VELASQUEZ. Agents. Let's have the special agents in charge here present the findings so far.

SHELF: Here's what we found. Blah blah russian gangs.
COSTA: You're not gonna pin me on this! Pin this on me! I was at the DENNYS!
SHELF: What are you talking about? PIZZA, you want me to get rid of this guy?
PIZZA pulls out his service pistol and shoots COSTA in the head.
VELASQUEZ: "What?!"
LOTTIE: Grabs VELASQUEZ's hand.
PIZZA: Two ways out of this VELASQUEZ. You can go like that moron, or you can learn the truth.
VELASQUEZ: ...ok...
PIZZA: Read her in. Deal with this dead moron. I can work with this. Great work here. Next stop: Florida. Take a week, rest up, make your excuses. See you then. (holsters and leaves).

We read VELASQUEZ into the program.

A rat (ANIMALS) bites SHELF in the ankle.

COSTA's blood has trickled into a pattern that spells the word "feed"

SHELF smells rotting meat.

SHELF: I was gonna show you some proof, but maybe you believe me now?

VELASQUEZ: ...yeah, I guess. Barb, you've been dealing with this for a while?
LOTTIE: My name's LOTTIE.

We explain everything. We pack up COSTA's corpse. We head to the woods.

The Woods

MO checks his orifices, flays his ass. Nothing inside.

SHOOTER checks his pockets and stuff. Phone, wallet.
Into the bog.

VELASQUEZ nudges LOTTIE for a flask. "Looks like there's nothing between us now."

LOTTIE, hesitantly: "I couldn't agree more..."

Downtime

LOTTIE

with CARMELITA, her daughter in law

wakes up 6:30pm.

CARMELITA: LOTTIE? Where's LOLA? Were you asleep? Have you been drinking?

LOTTIE: I took... a nap? I thought she was playing ticktocks on her phone?
CARMELITA: You took a nap? (CARMELITA)
LOTTIE: She's basically an adult!
CARMELITA: She can't even drive! (CARMELITA)
LOTTIE notices that her car is missing. Calls LOLA.
CARMELITA: God damnit Charlotte! All you're supposed to do is take care of a 14 year old, and you drink yourself into a stupor? (CARMELITA)
LOTTIE: She's 15, she doesn't need a babysitter
CARMELITA: She's 14! (CARMELITA)
LOTTIE: Close enough! happy quinceañera!
CARMELITA: Speaking of which, I think it would be better if you didn't come. Remember last time? you made a scene. (CARMELITA)
LOTTIE: What?
CARMELITA: I'm drawing a line in the sand here. DANTE would agree. (CARMELITA)
LOTTIE: I don't talk to DANTE!
CARMELITA: He's working really hard in Arizona. (CARMELITA)
LOTTIE: I didn't know he was in Arizona!
CARMELITA: You wouldn't, would you. Because you don't talk to your son. (CARMELITA)
LOTTIE: I want this to be over. Closes CARMELITA out the door.

LOTTIE later finds that LOLA went out drinking with her friends. Notices some liquor bottles missing.

MO

with JOHN THE WOODSMAN

MO's out going for a stroll; cool day in September.

JOHN THE WOODSMAN is hackin through brambles, classic JOHN THE WOODSMAN. Big beard. Redwings. Flannel shirt. Worn-in jeans. Sexy. (JOHN THE WOODSMAN)

JOHN THE WOODSMAN: "Howdy, MO! It's a fine September morning" (JOHN THE WOODSMAN)

MO: You know, I'm not doing so good. I've been going to some meetings.
JOHN THE WOODSMAN: Meetings, MO? (JOHN THE WOODSMAN)
MO: Yeah, I've been drinking too much.
JOHN THE WOODSMAN: Oh, yeah, my pa struggled with that. And listen: I've got no respect for alcoholics. Until you get your life back on track, I think it's best if we don't talk on our walks out here anymore. It's nothing personal. I struggled myself for a time. I just don't want a bad influence. A "put your own mask on first" kind of thing. (JOHN THE WOODSMAN)
MO: I understand. You've always been good to me.
JOHN THE WOODSMAN: Hope you find Jesus, MO. (JOHN THE WOODSMAN)

SEAMUS

with DIRK MASTERSON, from the service

DIRK MASTERSON: I gotta tell ya, the waves down here in Hawaii are incredible, you'd love it. (DIRK MASTERSON)

SEAMUS: You're in Hawaii?
DIRK MASTERSON: Yeah, it didn't work out with Sabrina, had to make my own way. (DIRK MASTERSON)
SEAMUS: That didn't work out?
DIRK MASTERSON: Young girl like that? She was looking for something I couldn't offer. (DIRK MASTERSON)
DIRK MASTERSON: Anyway, I was calling for a reason: you've called me on by birthday each of the last 20 years of our friendship. (DIRK MASTERSON)
SEAMUS: What's the date?
DIRK MASTERSON: September 2nd! (DIRK MASTERSON)
SEAMUS: Oh, fuck, DIRK MASTERSON, I'm so sorry! (DIRK MASTERSON)
DIRK MASTERSON: I'm worried about you, buddy! (DIRK MASTERSON)
SEAMUS: One question: can I come to the Quinceañera?
DIRK MASTERSON: Get high on the big island? Hell yeah. See you in late December. (DIRK MASTERSON)

SHOOTER

with his chipmunk friend

Actually, without his chipmunk friend!

SHELF

with SOLOMON, watching The Battle For Algiers

SOLOMON: Joe.

SHELF: SOLOMON.
SOLOMON: What's going on with ya? You have that look in your eye.
SHELF: sigh yeah. I don't want to talk about it.