Realistic or Modern Secrets in simplicity (currently closed)

[SophiaWilliams677]

Stanley stood next to his desk, his eyes directly locked on the floor. He blinked slightly, then rearannged his glasses. He then buttoned up his blazer, straightened his tie and then straightened his collar. Being 5'8 made it easier for him to seem more professional in his clothing.

He was preparing for something.

Every pen on his desk, every sheet of paper and every other item was articulately placed. The office he was standing in was entirely cleaned. It could basically be shining.

There was a knock on the door. Stanley took a deep breath, exhaled, and within seconds his emotionless, dead face was promptly replaced with a smile that never reached his eyes. He opened the door.

"Victor! Is that you?" he said, shaking Victor's hand. Victor seemed to be a young man, early 20s. Wore a suit and tie with shoes you could barely guess how much cost. He was Chilean.

"Transcending my sloppiness, I'm getting better, eh?" he responded, chuckling.

Stanley grimaced, faking a smile.


"I'm glad. Do you know when my partner is coming?"

"On their way now. You know, none of us actually know if it's male or female."

"Who knows. You.. You do know I can, do this investigation on my own? It's just a murder case."

"Nah, boss says it's not a one man job. Cheer up though, you'll finally get a friend!"

Victor patted Stanley on the back then walked away. His smile faded and his facade dropped. Stanley slowly closed the door and found himself sitting on his chair, hands clasped together as he stared, emotionlessly, but with a clear hint of anger. He was staring directly at a piece of paper.

"There will be no choices in this matter.
Note that this is for the BEST, Stanley .
Yours truly,
Howard Anderson.
1982."

 

[lost_girl]

Jennifer glanced back and forth between the office room numbers as she walked briskly down the hallway. She was still seething after her meeting with Anderson. He'd been so vague in describing her next assignment, she didn't even know who her partner was going to be. And it wasn't like she'd been down this particular hallway before (she'd made a wrong turn more times than she cared to admit), so she didn't even have a list of possible partners running through her head. If it wasn't for the generous sum she'd been promised by Anderson for taking on this job, she would've turned on her heel and walked right out of the building, haughty vagueness be screwed.
Jenn stopped outside a door labeled with the same number Victor had given her and caught a glimpse of herself in a nearby window. Her plain heels were a no-nonsense power move that added a good three inches to her otherwise 5'3 height and her light brown curls mirrored the frenzy going on in her head after being assigned such a mysterious case, but at least her blazer and blouse were free of rumples. She smoothed one hand over her pants and tucked a few stray curls into place before knocking rather hard on the office door and pushing it open.
She was surprised to see someone she'd never met sitting at the desk, a man wearing glasses and a meticulously straight tie. She glanced at his desk and grimaced at the articulately placed items before schooling her expression once more to an indifferent half-smile. The office she found herself in was thoroughly cleaned. It was practically shining. This guy was definitely tense. Though because of the circumstances of the recently assigned job or just due to his personality, she had yet to figure out.
"Hello. Jennifer Levine. Mr. Anderson asked that I meet you here, Mr.-..."

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

"Call me Stanley." Stanley responded, his hands clasped together still. He faked another smile and stood up, pushing one of the pens that was slightly out of place, back in place.

"It is an honor to meet you, Jennifer." Stanley said, holding out a hand for a handshake. On first glance, he seemed like a genuinely kind man.

He continued to keep his arms outstretched, his eyes locked on her face. Even if he had a convincing facade, there was something oddly eerie about him. And if you squinted below his shirt, you could see a bulletproof vest underneath.

 

[lost_girl]

"...Stanley," Jenn finished as he stood and adjusted one of the pens on his desk. Geeze this guy was passionate about cleanliness. She clasped and firmly shook the hand he offered her (refusing to be intimidated by the height edge he had over her), mind already buzzing with every little detail as she tried to figure him out. As much as he smiled and kindly shook her hand, she had this eerie feeling she just couldn't quite pin the reason for. His gaze was slightly too focused, his smile a bit too strained.
Jenn, in what she hoped was a discrete way, glanced at his clothing again. The meticulously straight tie was telling in and of itself, but as she let go of his hand, she glimpsed a bulletproof vest hidden just underneath his shirt. The strained smile, focused gaze, bulletproof vest...he was definitely protecting himself. Which was common in this line of work, but for him seemed personal.
Jenn once more looked back up at Stanley's face with a smile and made a show of looking around the room for a place to sit in order to hide her earlier evaluation of him. "Shall we get to discussing the case?"

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

Stanley watched her carefully. He could see her observing him, and as a subtle way of communicating to her that he knew what she was doing, he buttoned his top button up and straightened his collar.

"So soon? I'd like to get to know my partner first. Not often you see a woman here." Stanley said with his usual smile. He sat down, opposite to her and clasped his hands together in opposite directions, looking like he was a professional business man.

"Tell me, Jennifer, what probed you to enter a case such as this? You could be out there, working as a waitress as such. Why here?"

Stan kept his eyes locked on her constantly. Like a shark locked on his prey.

Except when he slightly glanced at the paper that stated he had to have a new partner.

 

[lost_girl]

Jenn mentally kicked herself as she sat down opposite Stanley. Of course he would notice her once-over, she should've been more inconspicuous. She was surprised at his insistence on wanting to get to know her before they got to work. Maybe she'd misinterpreted his office's cleanliness as a strict dedication to his work when really it was just one of the symptoms of being a clean freak?
Jenn bristled at the all-too-familiar underlying tone of surprise to Stanley's statement that women were not often seen in this line of work. So that was it then. Not just dedicated to his job or a clean freak but he also had the same haughty attitude most men in this building seemed to be born with. She felt her fist tightening. Why was it always the same? Always feeling like she needed to prove herself when she'd already done so multiple times. While they landed a job here with as little as a smile, she'd had to work twice as hard to prove she should be here and three times as hard to prove she should stay. She unclenched her fist and smoothed the fabric of her pants. That was fine with her, she'd easily knocked many others down a few pegs when they'd underestimated her skills and this would be no different. There was one perk to being a woman in a man-dominated career field. You were never expected to be a threat until it was too late.
Jenn ignored Stanley's intense gaze and mirrored his professional posture. Two could play at this game.
"I felt the need to serve and protect, same as every man who steps in this building. And as much as Mr. Anderson hates to admit it, I have an edge above most who work in this field. No one suspects the woman with the charming smile to be keeping an eye on them. Even if you doubt my drive for this job or my skills, I know the value I add to every investigation, Stanley. I will not be intimidated by you or anyone else who thinks I am in any way less than. Because I know I'm not."
She'd conveniently forgotten to mention the more personal reason she'd been so invested in a career here. Her sister's face flashed before her eyes for a moment and she blinked, clearing the still-tender memory from her thoughts. That was when she caught his gaze flick to a paper on his desk.
There will be no choices in this matter.
Note that this is for the BEST
So Anderson had forced Stanley into accepting a partner. That explained a little of the tension.
Jenn straightened in her chair and again looked Stanley square in the eyes. "Even if you may feel like you'd be better off working alone on this investigation, I'm an asset you need."
((Sorry that was a lot))

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

Stanley paused as Jennifer confidently spoke against him. She was very much outspoken, seemingly refusing to let anyone shove her down.

His once smile began to slowly drop, and now Jennifer was face to face with... Someone completely new. He had a deadpan, cold and emotionless face. His eyes devoid of feeling.

This was the real Stanley Manderson. Not any facade, nor font. For a second, he had dropped his cover.

Stanely took a deep breath, then stood up, accidently knocking over some of his pens. He didn't pick them up. He walked over to the drawer near the desk, and picked up a stack of paper work, then walked back and placed it down on the desk. He picked up a piece of paper with the victims names and their credit card statements as well as familial relations.

He looked over to Jennifer with that same look.

"Well? Get to work. We leave to the house in 2 hours."

 

[lost_girl]

((Yessss broke through the shell. Success! : ) ))
Jennifer blinked in surprise at the first sudden change in demeanor from Stanley since she'd entered the office. Though the tiniest bit cold, she found she greatly preferred this to the facade he had been putting on previously. His now obvious lack of feeling made her wonder if there was ever a point in his life when he had felt for something or someone (family or friends perhaps) and if so what happened to make him lose that feeling.
Jenn was jarred from her thoughts by Stanley's abrupt movement and accidental spilling of pens. Yeah, some facade had definitely broken between them. "So what, I don't get a turn questioning you now?" she said with a smirk under her breath but just loud enough to where she knew he'd hear her. She felt some of the tension of constantly having to prove herself melt away after seeing she'd struck a nerve somewhere in him and he wasn't going to pretend with her now.
"Sir yes sir," she added a mock salute to her remark before getting to work on reading the documents.

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

(you never know, might regret that decision ))
Stanley wasn't truly amused. He didn't speak at all throughout the entirety of when Jennifer spoke to him. He simply flicked through his pages, and made a point of looking at that same letter over and over again.

After the two hours of awkward silence, Stanley stood up and rearranged his glasses. He then looked down and picked up his pens and arranged them back in order. Now everything looked the same as it should be.

Stanely then looked to Jennifer. There was almost this sense of disgust. He certainly didn't like her attitude.

"High heels, bad for running. No bulletproof vest, bad for injury." was all he said.

Stanely then moved his hands on the desk to stare straight into Jennifer's eyes.

"You wish to be respected? Then don't make the same mistake twice."

And with that, he grabbed his car keys and left.

 

[lost_girl]

((eesh ))
Jennifer rolled her eyes when she glanced up from one of the documents to see Stanley looking pointedly at the letter on his desk. She knew he might not like her, but he could at least be civil. They were working together on this case, whether they liked it or not. Still, she'd take this straightforward version of him any day over the frustratingly fake one she'd initially met.
Just as Jenn finished reviewing the paperwork, Stanley rearranged his glasses and the pens on his desk. Both good moves in keeping up his facade. The glasses and clean order of his office exuded a professional personality this place valued without stopping to see if it was real. Professionalism was power here and she had to admire his attention to detail.
"High heels, bad for running. No bulletproof vest, bad for injury."
Jenn looked up at the comment as Stanely then moved his hands on the desk to stare straight into her eyes. She didn't flinch and instead held his gaze as he continued.
"You wish to be respected? Then don't make the same mistake twice."
Jenn watched silently as he all but stormed out of the office. So much for being civil. He had a point though, as little as she cared to admit it. In her determination to be taken seriously in the office, she'd dressed for appearances instead of functionality. However much she hated him (and he her), he knew what he was doing.
So she took his criticism in stride and asked Victor to grab her a vest. Once she got outside, she stopped by her car to grab more comfortable shoes and a less formal shirt and pants. There was no use in dressing like she belonged if she couldn't prove why she should be there.
Once she was ready, she locked her mustang and joined Stanley in the building's parking lot. Without the height her heels added, she felt unnerved and aggravated by the difference between them, but tried her best to hide it.
"No mistakes this time. I can assure you that I will be respected. Are you ready to go?"

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

Stanley had watched as Jennifer went out of her way to heed his advice. His face lightened up ever so slightly. Not in a happy way, more in a way a human sees a puppy.

He had torn up that letter so that it wouldn't frustrate him further. He wasn't a man of distractions.

As Jennifer returned, Stanley admired the press to not make mistakes. Stanleys constant need for perfection merely came from the fact that he had gotten so much into the role of seeming professional and friendly that it became a double life to him.

"Adequate, I suppose." he said to Jennifer. Victor returned, rubbing his eyes.

"That all? Christ, I ain't your errand boy. Maybe good old stab victim 'Drew' can do it for you." Victor laughed and wavered them away, moving away. Stanleys perfectly fixed and frozen posture was slightly disrupted by his fingers twitching ever so slightly. He stared down on the ground.

Finally, he snapped out of it and opened his car door, going inside and shutting it.

"I will see you there."

And with that, he drove off.

 

[lost_girl]

((A puppy? I didn't know Stan was capable of liking puppies. He doesn't seem to have feelings about much of anything lol))
Jenn took Stanley's statement that her outfit was adequate as a small victory and glared at Victor's joke about stab victim Drew. This guy had no tact. No sympathy for the dead and their loved ones, he didn't care about any of it. It was because of people like him that her sister hadn't stood a chance. But she would never let something like that happen again. She was going to be the gosh darn best even if she had to practically kill herself to get there.
It was then that Jenn noticed Stanley's posture change. His fingers twitched ever so slightly and his gaze fell to the ground before he'd seemed to have enough of Victor's antics and left. Well, that had definitely upset him. The only other time he'd dropped his whole professional businessman facade was when she'd stood up to him in his office, so whoever this Drew person was, Stanley had known them.
Jenn's mind was racing as she drove towards the address of the house she'd read from the paperwork. Before completely reaching the house, she hung a right and left her car on the side of the road a few blocks away from the location. Better to be safe than sorry. She double-checked that her car was locked before making the rest of the way to the house on foot.

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

(more to the fact that he sees her as a rogue puppy that won't be quiet)
Stanley parked his car specifically 2 blocks down, at an angle where nobody would see him. He then made his way out and calmly walked over to the house. Howard was there. Stanley took a deep breath and let on a smile.

"Stan! So good to see you! You are here for the investigation, yes?" Howard asked, chuckling. He had a strong American accent and every word he said was both quick and snappy and also slow and easy.

"Wouldn't be here if I wasn't." Stanley responded, peering over to see Jennifer.

"And I assume you've met Jennifer, lovely woman." Stanley added, almost introducing her. Howard chuckled "Hehe, sure have. Gave me a mouthful after I told her to smile more. Fiesty lady, eh?" Howard made the silly impression of a tiger, before laughing some more along side Stanley, who was more clearly faking his laughter.

"Anyways, ill leave you two to it. And, Stan. Sorry about Drew. Hurts to lose a friend like that."

Stanley's smile dropped for a second, before reappearing "I'm almost already over it. Let's go find some dead bodies." Stanley laughed, before walking along.

 

[lost_girl]

((Oh. Wow. And here I was hoping for some private investigator partners bonding ))
Jenn, winded from talking Howard's ear off for telling her to smile, took a moment to breath and Howard took the opportunity to greet Stanley. She thought it was ironic how Howard called Stanley by a nickname yet didn't really know him (the real him at least, the one where he didn't put up a professional facade). And it just went to show how much appearances mattered in a field like this when you wanted power.
She turned to see Stanley as he half-introduced her and rolled her eyes at Howard's impression of a tiger. She'd still rather be seen as someone who couldn't be messed with rather than be seen like one of the secretaries who were always treated like they could be walked all over without consequence. She caught the slight difference of tone between the men's laughter and allowed a small smile. Maybe Stanley really did believe her capable. It was a nice thought. If that were true, he was already better than three quarters of the men that worked in their building despite his cold personality.
Jenn was snapped out of her thoughts by Howard's slow and easy drawl.
"Anyways, I'll leave you two to it."
Finally. The guy grated on her nerves, she couldn't wait to be rid of him.
"And, Stan. Sorry about Drew. Hurts to lose a friend like that."
Wait, so she had been right. Stanley and Drew had been close. They were friends, even. And Drew'd been murdered. The parallels between Stanley and Drew and Jenn and Amber were uncanny. She watched as Stanley's smile dropped for a second and felt like she might understand him a little more now than when they'd first met. Then the smile reappeared and the facade was back and she was following him toward the house.
As they approached the porch, leaving Howard and his annoying voice behind them, Jenn looked up at Stanley. "Hey, you okay?"

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

Stanley stood inside the house, putting on his rubber gloves and unbuttoning his blazer to place it to one side. He then paused to watch Howard leave, then looked to Jennifer. He smiled.

"Drew was more of a buisness partner. Of course, he didn't deserve to die. But I've suffered worse losses."

He paused at that line.

"Some men... Killed someone very close to me." he smiled again, putting his arm out to pat Jennifer's shoulder. "But there will be justice. No doubt. Yes... Justice..."

Stanley paused to stare to the ground. A hint of pure, raw anger was shown, before he turned to smile at Jennifer.

"Now you will shake my hand, and go to your post, which is the upstairs bathroom."

He held his hand out, his eyes flickering between the other people glancing at them.

 

[lost_girl]

Jenn could breathe easily again once Howard was gone. The jerk wore down her resolve with every snide little remark and she was glad he was gone so she could focus on the task at hand. She shook her head when Stanley explained how he'd lost more than just Drew as she followed suit and donned a pair of gloves. There were more layers to Stanley than an onion she expected, what with the front he put up at work, the mysterious constant presence of a bulletproof vest most would at least take off in the safety of the office, and the series of losses he kept hinting at with Drew and now someone else. Despite the little fluency in reading Stanley she'd gained from spending time around him, she doubted she'd ever really know him, there was just so much he hid from everyone.
In a way, she kind of envied him, the way it seemed so easy for him to switch between professionally cordial and who he really was. Though she was very observant and felt like she was decent at reading people, she wore who she was on her sleeve, which was almost never a good thing in this line of work.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the slight pressure of Stanley's hand on her shoulder.
"But there will be justice. No doubt. Yes... Justice..."
Jenn watched Stanley's sudden display of raw anger with curiosity before his mask of a smile was back. She made a mental note to try to get information about Drew and whoever the other person was out of Victor as soon as she was off duty.
"Now you will shake my hand, and go to your post, which is the upstairs bathroom."
This was a clear powerplay in the presence of the other people in the room, and Jenn seethed silently over the injustice of it all as she sucked in a quick, de-escalating breath and instead gave him a nod. "Upstairs bathroom. Got it," she said before turning and heading upstairs, ignoring the curious stares of the others.

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

Stanley stood with his hand out, before letting it drop to his side, giving her a sideways glance as he straightened his blazer and kneeled down at the evidence.

You went up to the upstairs bathroom to find a blanket over the murder victims wife. That murder victim being Drew, and his wife being Linda. There was blood scattered everywhere.

And much to one's discomfort, Victor was there.

"Seems Miss Know It Alls here. Hollar if you need me, I got witnesses and suspects."

He leaned against the bathroom wall, staring at the body as he smoked himself a cigarette.

 

[lost_girl]

Jenn was still seething when she got to the bathroom. Let them stare. Gosh, they acted like they'd never seen a woman before. They never batted an eye when their female secretary got them coffee and lunch but the second they saw her working the same job they were? Suddenly, they looked at her like she was the center-stage act at a circus. It was draining, all the negative attention she'd gotten since applying for a position in the field. But she'd been accepted for a reason and here was her chance to prove it.
"Seems Miss Know-It-All's here. Hollar if you need me, I got witnesses and suspects."
Jenn could barely keep from rolling her eyes at Victor's comment. Great, just what she needed. Someone to distract her from her work.
"I'd appreciate it if you kept the unnecessary comments to a minimum, Mr. Stranten. But thank you, I'll just do a quick once-over of the room first."
When she approached Drew and his wife's bodies, her gaze immediately went to Drew's face. She tried to suppress it, but couldn't help seeing Amber's face where the victim's should have been for a moment before she blinked the memory away and took a notebook out of her pocket to take notes of her observations. She noted the shape and size of the blood splatters and the positions of the bodies before turning to Victor. "Okay, what witnesses do you have for me?"

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

Victor smirked as you finally looked to him, asking for witnesses. He was very keen, despite being very cold to those who suffered.

"Guy named Fred Swanson. Says he seen a couple of dudes walking outta this house wearing masks. They were 6'1, both of em apparently. How about that, huh?"

Victor chuckled and nudged Drews body with his foot.

"Also, ain't your post, but we found several bags of cocaine in the basement. Howard's saying he was a dealer." He shrugged then looked to Drews wife.

"I mean, if Drew was just dead, I don't think I'd even give a shit. But his wife... That's a line you don't exactly cross."

 

[lost_girl]

"Fred Swanson," Jenn repeated, copying the name into her notebook. "And he didn't notice any other characteristics besides their height? No tattoos or perhaps an injury that made them favor one arm or a leg over the other?"
Jenn almost lost it when Victor kicked at Drew's body and talked about the man being a dealer. "I'm sorry Mr. Stranten but may I remind you that we are conducting an investigation of a man and his wife's murder? Many people make hard decisions in life, and many would be willing to make the wrong decision in order to provide for someone they loved. We are here to investigate a crime and bring the murderers to light, not pass judgment on someone who's troubled life we know very little about. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to know how I can contact Mr. Fred Swanson in case I have further questions about what he witnessed."

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

"Phone numbers with Howard. As is all witness material. Christ, you are new ain't ya? Guess Howard got desperate."

He smirked and mimed kicking the body again, before putting his own gloves on and kneeling down in the other room to inspect the bed that had been destroyed to bits.

The men in the room picked up the bodies and began to take them away. Another man noted "Axe wounds. Multiple throat gashes. Finger missing on each body."

He then looked to you in surprise, before looking back down at his notebook. "And they're hiring women now... Great." he muttered.

The atmosphere in the room was incredibly awkward.

 

[lost_girl]

((Why is literally everyone trying to mess with Jenn I feel protective of her lol))
Jenn sighed. Of course, the one person she could ask for the information she needed just had to be Howard.
She felt her fist tighten when Victor mimed kicking the body. Honestly, how old was this guy again? Because he was acting like a child. But she rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, loosening the tension in her fist. She knew he was trying to get a rise out of her and there was no way in hell she was going to give him the satisfaction.
The amount of self-control it took for Jenn to hold back from simply smacking the self-righteous man who, for some reason, thought it was his duty to comment on things that really had nothing to do with him, with enough force to send him across the room was a lot. But she resisted and instead analyzed the way he'd spoken. He hadn't spoken directly to her, which meant he had a reason he didn't want to. He'd muttered the comment in a way that conveyed his lack of satisfaction. Her conclusion based on the evidence? He was jealous and unsatisfied with his position compared to hers as a private investigator.
"Yes and last time I checked, you weren't hired to mutter childish comments under your breath. Very mature and brave of you to not say it to my face. Now that I think about it, the lack of maturity must've been why you weren't seen as fit to be a private investigator alongside me. Now the reason for your uncalled-for comment suddenly makes sense: someone's jealous," she stated confidently in a clear voice to make sure the man heard as she finished with her notes and left the room to find Stanley (the only co-worker she'd met that somewhat acted his age) and let him know about the information she'd gathered.

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

(that's the 1980s for ya)

Stanley was taking his gloves off, having wrote a big list of things that he had noted. He turned to you.

"Fred Swanson? Yes. I know of him. Hes a witness."

Stanely paused, baring that same stoic face to the wall.

"And a suspect. We ask him, where were you at the time? He won't tell. We ask him, did you have any relations with the man? He won't tell. But he's willing to reveal that two men came out of his house. My conclusion? He ordered the hit on Drew, then gained a moral conscience."

Stabely turned to look at you, before pausing. There was this unreadable look on his face.


"Go to Howard about Swanson. I have to talk with Victor."

 

[lost_girl]

Jenn nodded, deep in thought as Stanley explained his theory.
"Hmm. What you're saying makes sense. But maybe a little too much sense. I don't know, something just feels off. Like why wouldn't he just say he doesn't know them? That would be a lot less suspicious than refusing to answer. Maybe he knows them but was scared into silence?" she suggested.
Stanley turned to her with a weird look on his face and she furrowed her brow in confusion. She was unable to read him.
"Either way, you're right. It's a good idea to have a crack at him ourselves. Besides, maybe he'd be more willing to tell me something than you guys," she hesitated before heading out to track down Howard. "Hey, is everything okay? I understand if this whole investigating your co-worker's murder thing is weird, and as much as you hate me, I'm your partner. I'm always here if you need to talk."

 

[SophiaWilliams677]

Stanely began to walk away, before pausing. He turned around and frustratingly enough, smiled. His facade, back again.

"I have buisness to attend to. So again, I will ask, Howard. I don't want this topic to be brought up again."

He nodded his head and walked away, going over to a group of other men and shaking their hand.

Victor came downstairs and jumped at the last step."Yo, wherever the big man is, tell him my little brother needed picking up from school." he then left. You were now standing in an awkwardly silent, empty room.