Save The Chronicle (Adeline)

[Leonardo]

“I'm telling you, Shepard. We just can't afford for you to continue doing this.”

“C'mon Chip. Just gimme a little more time, man. What's done in the dark WILL come to light.”

It was a typical day at The Chronicle. Situated behind the old courthouse, it was the number one center of public information to the dogs and cats of Bensonhurst. There were three columns—Crime, Conspiracy, and Economy. The three most popular topics in this area of Brooklyn. Admittedly, they were having a rough time lately. Their number of followers was beginning to steadily drop, and they needed more interesting content. Chip Caesar, the supervisor and head writer, turned to the weakest to put him on the line. Shep Diggs.

“I'm sorry, Shepard. But I'm afraid we have to be downsizing very soon...and you're column will be the first to go.”

“But it's simply not fair, Chip,” Shep argued. “I've dedicated my life to my column. Hell, I even paid to have t-shirts made. You can't alienate me like that creepy little kid in the basement who lives with his parents.”

“But you are that kid, Diggs. You stay couped up in here all day. You don't even get out anymore, friend.”

“That's because I'm scared for my job!” Shep knocked his things to the floor. “I spend all this time doing research and actually working for what I've got—because I don't write like an angel. Things don't just 'come to me' like friggin' Michelangelo—I hafta actually live this. So I eat when I gotta eat, shit when I gotta shit, and post when I gotta post”

Caesar shook his head. “Look, I love your column. I'm a fan, I promise you. But so far, it's been very critical of the Mancinis. I know I would be annoyed if someone were to be constantly picking on me--”

“OH Christ Chip what are you afraid of? You think they're gonna storm the courthouse and crucify me? You sound like my ex-wife man.”

“I'M simply saying....you should be careful. If you want your articles to be effective, you should broaden your research and stick more with the facts. I know your article is opinionated, and heavily, but please, please take my advise. You must gain more followers to your column.”

Shep sighed. “Yea. Yea fine whatever. Sure. I'll just do that. Why don't you uh..why don't you leave me to getting the 'facts' huh?”

Chip left, and Shep slumped back against the wall. If he didn't come up with something, he'd be ruined. And it would take a miracle to get anything concrete enough to save his job...

[Frost]

It had taken Adeline forever to find this place, she had gotten lost and needed to ask for directions several times. London streets were never like this, Brooklyn was a difficult place to navigate. There seemed to be no real pattern to the streets here, which made it confusing, but the Dalmatian somehow managed to find the right kind of people to ask about directions. There was one dog who had mislead her, but she was able to get back on track.

Looking around, Adeline saw somebody who looked utterly hopeless, he didn't look to be the type who would turn away anyone with questions, but he also looked like who the Dalmatian was looking for, though she couldn't be sure. She walked over to him. "Excuse me," she said kindly. "I'm really sorry to disturb you, but I'm looking for a mister Shep Diggs. Would you happen to know where he is at this time?"

The Dalmatian awaited his answer patiently.

[Leonardo]

When Shep caught sight of the beautiful Dalmatian, he nearly scowled. It was probably another concerned citizen of Bensonhurst around the age region of 2 to 4, and a 7 to 10 on a scale of attraction. Usually they were coming to visit Chip, and tell him what an amazing writer and good samaritan he was. And give him a little 'gift', for doing such a good job. No wonder Chip kept it up. He was such a little pimp. Well, he'd show him. He needed a little attention from a pretty woman anyway. It was alright if Chip missed out just this once.

"Yes I'm Chip--" Wait a minute, she had come to see him? Say what? Perhaps she was a fan of his column? "--I mean Shep. Shepard Diggs. How can I help you, ma'am?"

[Frost]

Adeline gave the dog before her a strange look, unsure as to whether he was actually who she was looking for or not, but she decided that even if he wasn't, the info would get out someway or another. "I have heard of you and your writings and I have some information that I believe you would be very interested in," the Dalmatian wasn't sure exactly how this was supposed to go, but she knew that she'd figure it out.

"The information is about a rising rival to the Mancinis," she made sure that he'd be interested. "And I have an eyewitness account of one of this rival's dastardly deeds," she wasn't going to let on that she was the witness, not yet anyway.

[Leonardo]

Shep nearly exploded from where he sat. A fan! And, like an angel from dog heaven, she had come to save his job.

"Hey Chip? Why don't you go get us some lunch? Your treat."

Chip poked his head out from his office space. "Oh ummm...I have a lot of work to do and--"

"Thanks Chip you're a pal. I won't forget this."

Chip grumbled as he started to leave. "Neither will I Shepard..."

Once Chip was gone, he turned to his visitor. "You! I mean, hey. So, I mean, you've read my column? This is great. This is great because now I know people are actually taking the time to pass by my work. And now I can see that it's affecting people's lives. I do what I do because I'm tired of crime and gang activity in general. We're dogs. We're supposed to be happy, dammit. Instead we rip each others throats out because we live two blocks down the wrong direction. I just want peace. You know what I wanna do? I wanna eat hot dogs. The other day I went to a hot dog stand and some gangsters told me I had to leave because I wasn't cleared with Don Mancini to eat from that particular stand. You know there is something wrong if a guy has to walk a half a mile to find someplace decent to eat that doesn't have thugs crawling around asking for some form of tax. It isn't fair. I love hot dogs. My last wife left me because I preferred the company of the hot dog vendor man to hers. I don't care. She didn't look as good as a hot dog, she didn't smell as good as a hotdog, and she sure as HELL didn't taste as good as a hot dog. But I've prolly crossed four different lines there, so why don't we talk about what you've brought me Miss....?"

[Frost]

Adeline sat and listened patiently while Shep rambled on. She found him rude, selfish, and incredibly disrespectful. Unfortunately, she didn't know of anyone else that would make what she knew public knowledge without making it seem like a hoax. The Dalmatian lost interest in what he was saying when he started talking about hot dogs, she hadn't come to talk about eating, she had come on serious business.

"Halbrook," Adeline said crisp and business-like when prompted to give her name. "I am Adeline Halbrook, and frankly, I think talking about it in a place where a member of either the Mancini, or the rival gang could overhear is unwise. If either gang knew that I was the source of this information, there would be two prices on my head, one for blood, and the other for information," she was very cautious when it came to handling sensitive information, but people needed to know what was going on in the city around them.

[Leonardo]

Shep scratched his head, looking around. "Oh brother..." he thought to himself.

"Ma'am, I can assure you that nobody's here but us. We've never had an issue with spies at The Chronicle. But if it's really important to you that we do this someplace else..." He thought for a bit. "I suppose I could meet you at my house in Dyker Heights later on this evening. Or you could make an, uh--" Shep was about to suggest an anonymous tip, but he was getting a vibe from her that she didn't seem like the type. There was a method to these things, of course. Dogs can't write. They leave messages by "marking their territory" as humans called it. The Chronicle was actually the front of the Old Courthouse. The three pillar-like columns on the top of the steps were reserved for each chronicler, and each one "marked their territory" when there was a new story. Those who wanted to "read" came by and, well, took a whiff. It was perfectly normal to him and several other dogs in the area. But Adeline's heir of "I'm-better-than-you-ness" screamed to Shep that she wouldn't be the type to just place down her message and allow him to read it. Yea, those were a lot of quotes. "--Uh forget about it. Look, I know one spot that's pretty close by. We'd be kinda squeezed in tight, but it will work. But before we go, what can I offer you in return for this info, Ms. Adel--er, Halbrook?"

[Frost]

"I have no clue how these things work but I demand honest compensation, though you will have to let me know what's available," she said. It seemed that is attitude was becoming more like that of a businessman. "Now if you would be so kind as to lead the way to said place, I would much appreciate it,"

Maybe mister Diggs was not as bad as she previously thought, but that remained to be seen.

[Leonardo]

"Uh, alright then. The secret place..." Shep walked out of his office space and made sure they weren't seen. Checking to make sure they would not be followed, he led her around the corner to a large apartment building. There was crack on the north side of the wall, and the brown, brittle brick was turning green at the edges from algae build up. Needless to say, the place was wet. He crawled underneath the house, the mud sticking to his fur and the dank, foul aroma invading his nostrils. Scowling, he found a place where he could lie comfortably, but he would not be able to stand. The place was far too low for that. Besides, this area was only made for the sewage pipes to enter the city undergrid. It wasn't like the whole apartment building was up on piers. He sighed, and spoke to her in hushed terms.

"Nobody can hear us in here. So I'll make this quick, because this place is gross. Depending on how credible and how relevant your information is, I can offer you anywhere from a day's meal to week's meal, a false collar, a place to stay temporarily, dry dog food for storage purposes--even balls or frisbees, if you're into that sort of thing. Hell I'd give you a back rub if you asked for one. That's how desperate I am for this. My column is going to fail if I don't get some good leads. Now, again, this all depends on how juicy your story is, so why don't you give me the details and we can go from there, okay?"

[Frost]

Adeline certainly agreed with Shep's description of the place, it was one of the filthiest places she'd been in, but with the gravity of the situation, she understood the need for such a place. She quickly made a decision on how much she would let him know, then began to recount what she had seen in the alleyway.

"I was walking through the area known as the system after doing some business across on the other side of the area when I heard agonizing screams. I ran to see what was going on, but I didn't expect what I saw next. I arrived at the scene just in time to see two large dogs break a pitbull's paw. It didn't seem like something unusual for the system until I saw the leader of the two dogs. His name is Mister Crowley, and he made it quite evident that he was torturing the pit because he hadn't given Crowley 'payment'. Now this still doesn't seem extremely unusual if you don't know Crowley. He's in the meat business, in fact he seems to be trying to become a rival to the Mancinis. He seems like a nice guy if you don't know him well, but I personally watched him break another one of the poor pit's paws," Adeline had almost finished recounting the story, but she still had a bit more to say. "I approached him soon after, without him knowing that I'd seen what he'd done. He didn't let on that he'd just left a dog to die, nor did he show any signs of remorse, in fact he was quite jovial."

The story was over, and the Dalmatian took a slight pause, then finished what she was saying completely. "I came to you because no one else would accept what I had to say without evidence, but I swear that every word was true. People need to know what's going on in the city around them, it's their right, which is the only reason I'm telling anyone about this. I don't want my name mentioned, and I would appreciate it if you would leave out anything that points directly to me. Thank you for listening," she finished speaking and looked at Shep to gauge his reaction.

[Leonardo]

Shep sat and listened attentively to what Adeline had to share. He memorized every word, replaying each sentence back in his mind, but at the same time his head was spinning with excitement. A rival to the Mancinis?! He didn't know if this was more good than bad or vice versa. All he knew was that his column was going to get a lot better, and that he would be able to put a stop to all this crime madness.

"Ms. Adeline, I definitely think you have earned a very good bit of compensation...if of course everything you say is indeed true. Now," he cleared his throat, "Not that I take you for a liar, but you have to understand that guys come in with all these crazy stories just to get in the column. Yours will be quickly verified within a day, and I'll start my work. Now, how does Purina sound to you? Or perhaps you're more of a Iams kind of dog. Personally I--" He stopped with the business tone and wagged his tail. "--OK I'm like really excited right now. This is awesome. Isn't this awesome? *Ahem*" He went back to business."So maybe I can get you to come by here tomorrow same time to pick up the reward? Sound good?"

Then he thought of something.

"You know what, Ms. Halbrook, how'd you like to make this a full time thing? Forgive me for these observations, but you're smart, you're beautiful, and you're....well, British. All things that I'm not. You can get close to these families in such a way that I cannot. I mean let's be honest. Do you think Crowley would have let me slide if I was anywhere near that scene? He would have put me in the ground. What do you say to being sort of an agent, huh? Infiltrate both sides as sort of a family friend, a guest if you will. I could set the whole thing up, make us a private meeting place, pay you remotely, keep you anonymous as possible even in the field. C'mon, I've done this sort of stuff before. Not everyone has the talent for it but you...I think you'd make a great Private Investigator." He shrugged. "Now before you hesitate, thing of how many lives we could save. You have to agree with me that this is getting ridiculous. I'm no high n' mighty, but my brother was a police dog and--" He stopped. That didn't matter. "Look, whaddya say?"

[Frost]

Now Adeline knew why Shep had seemed so rude earlier. He was someone who spoke his mind, no matter what was on it, with barely any filter, and of course, being from Brooklyn, many things hopped to the front of his mind. He seemed to be making more sense now, and the Dalmatian didn't have to think long about his offer.

"To answer your first two questions, Purina sounds fine, and yes, same time same place would work to pick up the food," she began. "And your offer sounds quite tempting. I do happen to have connections on both sides, which would help quite a bit. I am inclined to say yes, but I believe that I should probably take a little more time to think about it, just to be sure. You will have a definite answer by tomorrow," Adeline almost left it at that, but something in her mind wouldn't let her leave with just that.

"On second thought, no need to wait for the answer, it's a definite yes right now," she changed her mind about thinking about it. She was in Brooklyn now, not London, quick decisions made more of a difference here than long thought-out ones. Then she realized she had forgotten something. "Where did my manners disappear to? Thank you for the compliments," she grinned. "And personally, I'm beginning to be very excited about this myself."

[Leonardo]

"Well this is great. This is really, really great. If I knew how to shake hands, I would. Welcome to The Chronicle, Miss Halbrook. I already consider you a personal hero of mine. I'm sure that within the next two years or so, everyone will feel the same way." He lead her outside of the nasty spot they were in, and looked up at the sky, judging the time.

"You know what? I've still got 5 hours before I have to meet my ex-ex-ex wife for counseling." He shrugged and clarified. "She wants my balls," he shook his head sadly, completely oblivious to how bad that probably sounded. "Whaddya say I treat you to a late lunch? We could discuss our arrangement more."

[Frost]

Adeline was amused by the reporter's excitement. She was a bit shocked by what he said about his 'ex-ex-ex wife', but then she remembered that there were many crude sayings that residents of Bensonhurst used, so she let it slip. She considered his offer for a moment, thinking about her options.

"Why not? I have nothing better to do," she replied. "I suppose that it would be beneficial to figure out the details about this job before either one of us can be confused by complications."

[Leonardo]

It was a new week, and, thanks to Adeline Halbrook, there were many eager subscribers to the Chronicle that were ready to wolf down a new passage by Shepard Diggs. He had gotten their attention and excited them with the fact that he may possibly have a private investigator or maybe even tipoffs about his information. Sure, Chip's column was great, but Shep's was a much better read to the young and nosy.

The shepherd mix was walking to his place in Dyker Heights. He was going to meet Adeline there. Normally it would have been dangerous to be there, but nobody ever went to this neighborhood. It was like the white side of town. Boring. Being a pet himself, Shep was rarely messed with and usually the dogs that talked to him around here were other ignorant pets in the neighborhood. He hated speaking with them, because all they could do was talk about themselves and their problems. Disgusting. If only they knew about the wrongs happening in the streets.

He stepped into his owner's garage and curled up in front of the car and out of site. He'd take a little nap just before Adeline got here.....