| Details for Clean Slate |
| Summary: | Elijah looks for a little civilian help from his former partner. |
| Date: | June 17, 1938 |
| Location: | Hammer Investigations |
| Related: | Red Chess Club and Muggle Killers |
| Characters |
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Hammer Investigations, London
This hole-in-the-wall office is crammed between a laundry and a pawn shop. It's narrow door would barely be noticeable from the sidewalk if not for the freshly painted words in the window: Hammer Investigations.
Inside, the cramped space is sparsely furnished with a coat tree, a bookshelf filled with various reference books and ledgers, and a single potted plant in the corner. A small desk divides the room in half, its surface mostly bare save for a mug fill of pens and pencils, and a single framed photograph of a brunette woman. The walls are freshly painted, but still show signs of cracks and warping. Upon the walls are a few other frames, including a picture of a very young Gideon freshly graduated from M.L.E. training, another of an older Gideon with a different dark-haired woman, and those documents proving the business' right to operate and investigate criminal activity.
The sun is lazily resting on the horizon, pondering going back to bed. In these early hours, Adamantus Gideon is hard at work. Well, it may not look like work to some. He's sitting behind his desk at Hammer Investigations, fiddling with a camera, snapping practice photographs of his office.
A few moments pass before a wrapping can be heard on the door indicating that someone's has arrived. That someone would be none other than the great Elijah Lovegood, standing dressed more Muggle than usual with a brown paper bag in his hand. Seems he comes bearing gifts.
"It's open," comes Gideon's usual warm, friendly bark. Once the door opens, he snaps another photo of the entrant. Impulse. It was just nice to have a living subject.
Elijah blinks a bit and rubs at his eyes before offering a nod to Gideon. "Adamantus." He closes the door behind him and walks over to the desk where he places the bag, which, upon investigation, hides a bottle of eighteen year old Glenlivet.
Gideon lowers the camera, now seeing who has darkened his doorstep. "Elijah." He puts the Muggle device aside, leaning back in his chair, his features hardening…no wait, they're always like that. His eyes flit to the bag, then back to Elijah's face. "What brings you here?"
"Two things, really. One: I never gave you an office-warming present, so I'm making up for that and two, I know you've got your ear to the ground when it comes to Muggle affairs. At least, you're doing a damn sight better than anyone else I can think of." Elijah slips his hands into his pockets and awaits a response.
Gideon chuckles, reaching over to pull the bag down around its contents, revealing the bottle. "Alright. You've got my attention." He gestures to an empty chair on Elijah's side of the desk.
Elijah slides his coat off and drapes it over the back of the chair before he sits down. "There's a group of muggle baiters that's begun popping up more frequently. They're selling dangerous magical items to Muggles and a lot of them are ending up dead." Elijah looks tired. It's obvious he's spent a few nights in a row chasing down leads.
Gideon frowns, immediately taking a pad of paper out of a drawer to scribble notes. "I haven't gotten wind of it. No doubt the M.A.C.'s squashing it before it gets to me. Got any names?"
"Thomas Chimney had charges brought up against him for selling magical items to Muggles. One of the key witnesses in his trial just happened to turn up dead a few days later. From what I can divine, he's working with a group of people who go by the name Red Pawn. They leave these little red pawns with their victims. Well, Muggles victims. Knights for other gangs…and rooks for police. We've been getting a lot more rooks, lately." Elijah sits back in his chair, rubbing at his tired eyes. "Brass is keeping me away from this one, as far as any real investigation goes, so I'm technically on a trip to Scotland right now."
"Red Pawn?" Gideon jots the name down. "Never heard of 'em. Think they're wizards? Are the killings magical in nature? And why the hell are they keeping you off of this?" He furrows his brow suspiciously.
"Yeah, magical in nature, and I'm quite sure they're wizards. I did some basic criminal profiling and I think it's safe to say that they're doing this out of some sort of admiration for Gellert Grindelwald. Though, they aren't pure-bloods. A pure-blood would never risk getting his hands this dirty." He sighs and says, "But they want into the upper-crust, even though I'm sure they know it will never happen." Elijah takes a deep breath and says, "They're keeping me off of it because one of the suspects in the Butcher case disappeared."
Gideon writes "PURE-BLOOD" in big, bold letters, turning it to show Elijah. "Don't be daft. Of course there are pure-bloods that get their hands this dirty." He sets the notepad down, folding his hands. "So, you want me to do what, exactly? How does my 'expertise' in Muggle affairs help you track down murderous wizards?"
"See if you can't keep your eyes out for suspicious activity. There's a damn ring of people selling magical items to Muggles and I can't get a damn lead on them." Elijah rubs at his eyes again leans forward. "This whole 'vying for Superintendent' thing is rough, Adamantus."
Gideon nods, reaching forward to write another note, sliding the pad around for Elijah to read: 5 Sickle/day. He frowns in confusion at Elijah. "Superintendent? What in Hades are you talking about?"
"I'm trying to work towards a promotion. It's rough on me." Eli groans as he stands, cupping his lower back. "Not to mention the moonlighting I took up after you left." Elijah pulls a few coins from his pocket and sets them on the table. "That should cover the week. I'll see about dropping by in a few days and checking your progress."
"Merlin. You a superintendent? You'll be miserable." Gideon slides the coins over, dumping them unceremoniously into a desk drawer. "I'll shake up some of my contacts. See if anyone knows anything. Are they any particular kind of artifacts?"
"All I know is that they're dangerous if misused. I wish I knew more, but I'm sure you can work it out." He scoops up his coat and drapes it over himself, "Say hello to Niamh for me." He begins his way toward the door, limping with every other step and stops as he grabs the handle, "Thank you, Adamantus. Your help means a great deal to me."
Gideon stares Elijah as he goes, internally debating whether to say anything. As the Inspector is about to shut the door, he grumble and calls out. "Elijah. Clean slate," is all he said, giving the man a nod.
Elijah nods back to Gideon over his shoulder and says, "See if you can get in touch with Aldercy Preves. She's in charge of the prosecution of Mr. Chimney, so she might have a little insight. She's a frigid, vile woman, but she's commited to getting a conviction." With that, Elijah shuts the door and disappear on his way back to his 'vacation'.