MEET ME HALFWAY? SPAGHETTI DETECTIVE!

He had to hand it to her. She might not think things through in advance, but she caught on fast. It wasn't as thorough a job as it could have been, but it would do. One thing she hadn't considered was disposing the tissues afterward; he had to grab them and stuff them into his jacket pocket before someone discovered them and worked out what they'd been used for. He'd have to make extra sure that they didn't fall out when he went through the window. But still. Not bad for a first-timer.

I mean, he would guess, if he had an in-depth knowledge of these things. Which, of course, he certainly didn't.

Trevor knew how to climb, alright. He frequently found himself forced to use that knowledge, whether he liked it or not. Hot on Jade's heels, he cleaned up the sill on the way out, dropping down next to her into the alleyway. Glancing around, he pulled one of the tissues back out of his pocket- again, watching to ensure there were no unwanted jailbreaks- and stooped to pick up one of the loose bricks that had already come off of the wall of the building, keeping the layer of thin paper between the brick and his skin.

Then he hefted it above his shoulder, wound his muscles, and chucked it up at the window. It dinged the bottom of the frame dead-on where he'd wanted it, toppling forward through the glass and punching a fist-sized hole in the glass. Bullseye. He still had it. On the far side of the building, a light flickered on.

"Bingo," he laughed, grabbing Jade's elbow and making a beeline for the least conspicuous of his options for streets. "Lesson number two: Misdirection. Now they'll think your trick with the window latch was the result of some dumb kids and a flirtation with vandalism. No reason to suspect a break-in."

Trevor didn't like her line of work, and he didn't like those little smirks much, either. But he was in a good mood after this little backhanded windfall, and they had a lot to talk about. There was a diner not far from here that would still be open. Mike's. Trevor knew the guy, and the guy knew Trevor. He and Jade wouldn't have to worry about curious ears. "Want a cup of coffee? I'm buying."
 
"Hmm. Smart, I guess." Damn, that was smart. Jade hoped she managed to keep her face impassive and not let slip that she found the trick impressive. That was on point for him, and knowing how to break, enter, and leave without a trace. ....Though it could also mean he was exceptionally good at being a criminal too. Jade kept that in mind. Don't trust the tricky detective.

"If you're buying, coffee is good." She finally replied. Falling in to step next to him when they started down the sidewalk. Now that they were out and about, walking under well lit street lights, Jade was finally getting a good look at him. What did he say his name was? Cane? Detective Cane looked like one of those trouble making guys. He was probably a couple years older than her, but not by much. Dressed decent, considered good looking if a girl went for that whole 'rolled out of bed' look. Jade could definitely see him breaking in to places, causing a big scene, or being a pain in the ass to cops... But being a detective? Maybe she just still had her sister in mind when she tried to picture it.

Jade ran her hand through dark hair, but quickly snapped her fingers when she remembered the datebook. It was out of her pocket in seconds. Pages being turned by neatly manicured nails now that she had enough light to see.

"I figured I'd hunt down who some of these appointments are. Like, write off legitimate meetings for the Auction House and then make a list of people that gave me that vibe."
 
Aw hell, the datebook. Trevor was off his game, after all. He was going to have to go back and sneak the thing back in when they were done with it, or Caruso would eventually notice.

He gave the lady walking along with him a sidelong glance, since a flashlight hadn't been enough to give him much of the skinny on her. She was cute, if not the sort of busty bombshell that turned heads, with a smug little nose and striking eyes. She was younger than he'd figured; couldn't have been long out of college. He'd split the middle down his best guesses and put her at three years his junior. Her state of dress was put together, but sensible. Trevor approved; she'd have lost points in his book if she were silly and vain enough to look like she was going clubbing instead of committing a misdemeanor.

"Sounds like a plan. How much do you know about Caruso?" he asked her. He didn't expect her to reveal her source- reporters were especially pigheaded about that- but it had sounded an awful lot like she was on a fishing expedition, to him. Not surprising, since the police were circling Dominic Caruso like a pack of slavering wolves. They didn't want it to let slip that he was a person of interest. "Might be a good idea to compare notes."

Personally, he only knew the bare-bones facts. There'd been a slew of fishy items turning up on the market, leading to one or two arrests of local auctioneers. The cops were keeping an eye on the antiques trade in the area, and Caruso's name had popped up a few times in connection to something dodgy. Nothing that didn't stop just shy of being incriminating, so the investigation was stalling out dead.
 
"Um..." Jade had to pause and think about it. Or more specifically, pause and explain how her convoluted thought processes worked. Most of her information relied on 'hunches' which weren't stapled in real evidence, which were totally unusable for pretty much anything other than gossip and speculation. Which in the end explains why she was still taking classes and just barely passing, instead of getting articles published in local newspapers and magazines.

"...I have a friend that works there, totally true by the way, who talks about her work a lot. She's been working there a long time, so she knows what's normal for the place and what isn't. Soooo all of a sudden Caruso is in charge of the place, and suddenly they're moving twice as many items in and out than they're actually putting up for auction. 'Course, she didn't want to start snooping for me, since she needs the job and didn't want to get caught... thus I had to try and do some dirty work myself." At the time, Jade just had the 'hunch' that the business was going a little shady. But once she started looking up information about Caruso she was pulling up all sorts of criminal ties. He may not have ever been convicted of anything, but it was enough to get her gears started.

They came up on the diner. Jade recognized it on sight just by the fact it was the only place open and with it's lights on. She pushed through the door with a jingling of chimes and dropped herself in to one of the corner booths. The place had that clean enough look about it and a mixture of three different eras mashed together for it's decor. It was the coffee Jade was after, though. Once a waitress stepped over, Jade ordered the largest coffee she could get with extra sugar and cream.
 
He ordered coffee, too- black- and a Reuben with fries. Hey, he was hungry, and Mike made a mean sandwich.

When the waitress (and also Mike's niece, Nikki, if Trevor had his facts straight) clicked away in her high heels toward the kitchen, he pulled the datebook across the table towards him, drumming the fingers of his free hand against the slick, recently-bussed surface. A glance at the first page or two didn't tell him much, other than that Dominic Caruso had a pretty full calendar. As he flipped through, keeping his eyes on the book, he decided to fill Jade in on a few more details. "Caruso sends up all kinds of red flags, that's for sure. Have you heard about the recent antiques smuggling scandals?"

He expected she had. Hell, she'd probably written an article on it, being a journalist. What paper was she with, anyway? He'd have to get the name from her. "The police think it's more than a couple of shady dealers. They think there's a ring, and they think Caruso's in deep. And so do I."
 
"Smuggling seems almost too easy..." It was a rather flippant comment, from her. Probably born from that hidden inner desire to amp up the drama and intrigue twice as much as what was actually reality. Jade knew about some of the recent smuggling issues, if only because that made a lot of sense when you had an auction house and priceless items. But Jade also liked to think that the obvious answer wasn't always the right answer.

...then again, that could also be why she still wasn't a published journalist. The obvious answer was usually the only answer.

Jade pulled her notepad out. About as small as the appointment book, only with a painfully neon art cover, it likely had been hidden away in one of her jean pockets. She took the pencil out of the rings and flipped it open a few pages. Stopping where she had her first notes about Caruso written down, and starting writing some new things. The first of which were a few names off the appointments list, along with dates and locations.

"Looks like I'm going out to somewhere fancy tomorrow. He's got a dinner date. A little conversation spying always goes a long way. Unless you've got some more professional tricks up your sleeve, mister Detective?"
 
Smuggling was a bit obvious, that was for sure. Trevor wasn't so positive that it was the thin and thick of the matter, himself. He hated to give credit to any journalist, but it did seem like Jade had a good enough head on her shoulders, despite the sign painted on her forehead reading New with a capital N. Anyway, he agreed with her, like it or not. But obvious or no, this was the best lead that anyone had on Caruso, and it was the ticket to digging up more dirt.

Nikki- or was it Vicky?- brought out their order, the smell of hot grease and sauerkraut mingling with a coffee aroma that had him buzzed just from the scent alone. Popping a fry into his mouth, he offered the basket to Jade (he could be a gentleman when he wanted to, and if they were going to work together he had to at least make an effort). "Dinner date, huh? Let me see that."

He checked the planner and whistled softly as he read the entry in question. "Panzavecchia? I know that name, alright. That's black tie stuff. I'd better call as soon as they're open and make a reservation for two, because it's not the kind of place you go to eat alone."

Hell and damnation, what had Trevor come to? He was making a date with a newshound. Not a real date, no, but it still made the bile rise in his throat. It would be a nicer evening if he spent it with a snake; at least the snake he could trust.
 
Jade had no problem taking a few of the fries and munching on them while she continued copying down as many of the appointments and names from the book as she could. Knowing this guy, he was probably going to take the damn thing with him, and she wasn't too sure whether or not he was going to try and ditch her at the first opportunity. She did look up from the notepad with a raised eyebrow when he mentioned dinner date for two. So he was serious about the whole working together thing? ...sounds like she was getting a free dinner out of the bargain too. Here she thought she was going to have to dine and ditch with a place like Panzavecchia.

"I'll borrow something snazzy from one of my sisters. Might as well look the part for a super secret undercover dinner operation." She was making a joke about it, but that's what it was. A real in disguise investigation. Pretty damn interesting.

Once she had everything she needed copied, she flipped to a blank page in her notebook. Jade scribbled down her address, ripped the paper out and slid it across the table to Trevor. "That is where I live. And if you don't pick me up on time, I know your name now, so I'll probably find your office and break a few of your windows. That good?"
 
"I hear you," Trevor answered, eying her warily. He was willing to bet she wasn't just bluffing on this one; he was a witness to her history of window vandalism.

He gave her address a casual once-over before folding up the scrap of paper and slipping it into his coat pocket. Good thing he recognized the neighborhood, and that she only lived fifteen minutes away from him. It made their little arrangement that much easier. Hell. He hadn't been on a date since... Yeah, not going there. Besides, it wasn't as if this were a real date, anyway. It was just their cover.

"I'll need your number, too," he pointed out, getting his phone ready for adding her contact info. "I'll give you a call when I have the reservations sorted."
 
Jade drank her coffee as quickly as she could swallow it down, then laughed as if he made a hilarious joke. For her, it was. The first guy to ask for her number in ages, and it was a detective about to take her on a non-date. She was already sliding out of the booth and leaning over the table to pluck up a handful of his fries. The grin she cast him as she leaned over the table could only be described as deviant. Out of her back pocket came a business card. Jade Maxine Sparrow written in gold script, with her phone number and email address, but no hint about what she actually did for a career.

Before she took more than a few steps away, she turned back to him with a wry grin. "By the way, if you're going to do that whole nosy detective background check thing on me -- Save yourself the trouble and don't. I want to at least TRY this whole stake out thing before you get all intimidated and back out like a coward." Jade didn't explain what she meant by the comment. Only waved her hand as she left the dinner.

Poor schmuck would find out sooner or later about her family situation. The longer it took, the better.
 
For the fifth time, Trevor checked his hair in the rear-view mirror. Yeah, it was still artfully disheveled, alright. Not that it mattered. He wasn't really trying to impress a lady, here, after all; this was a serious undercover operation. For all he cared, Jade Sparrow could think he was the biggest slob she ever laid eyes on... Well, okay, so his pride would smart if she didn't think he looked sharp, but that was it. This wasn't a date.

It felt an awful lot like a damn date.

He rolled up to Jade's place at 7:30 on the dot, combing his fingers through his hair one last time for good measure as he jumped out of his dark green Mercedes and made his way to the door. Trevor knocked once- a brisk rap of knuckles on wood- before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his slacks and affecting a casual pose. I'm cool as a cucumber, his posture radiated, I'm not nervous, because that's a dumb thing to be on account of some broad I just met and am taking on a fake date to dig up dirt on a mark. Yeah, Trevor had this under control. This was going to be a cakewalk.

They could discuss tactics on the way to Panzavecchia; their reservation was for 8:00, same as Caruso. Trevor had called in a few favors to ensure that they got a table close to the curator's. Eavesdropping shouldn't prove too difficult.

Christ, how long did it take to answer the door? She knew he was coming by.
 
Jade wasn't thinking date when she went to borrow one of her sister's dresses. At least not until AFTER she had to bullshit her way through the conversation and lie through her teeth about having a boyfriend. When your whole family was either cops, detectives and lawyers, you really didn't want to let it slip that you were snooping around about a case when your own 'career' was a half-assed journalist. Last thing she needed was one of them ruining what was going to be -her- big career break.

When she opened her door, she was still trying to pull on her shoes. Leaning in the frame, wearing this slinky black dress that was too tight around the hips and too loose in the bust, and probably made to be that way. Jade gave him a sly little look at his suit. "I guess you clean up pretty well. Are you gonna be able to play the party of a ritzy rich guy?"
 
Trevor blinked. She looked... unexpectedly classy, herself.

"This is no sweat for me, lady," he told her, waving a hand dismissively. "You can follow my lead if you're nervous."

He hoped to God this wasn't her first time around the block. The last thing he needed on a big tail like this was to have his cover blown by a girl who didn't know her dinner fork from her dessert spoon. At least she seemed to know how to look the part... He barely recognized the sophisticated woman in the slinky dress as the nosy newshound Jade Sparrow. Ah, hell, was he staring? He gave himself a firm mental shake and offered her his arm to escort her to the car; might as well start practicing now.
 
Jade was smirking wide as he checked her out. Yeah, she noticed. That was a nice boost to her ego. He was going to be equally impressed when she played the part of a classy date. It was all for the story, of course. Had nothing to do with the fact she was curious about how he'd handle the flirting.

Making sure she had a small clutch purse in her hand, Jade took his arm. A feather-light touch just to start the night out right. She was REALLY going to enjoy this! Damnit, focus on the story! This isn't a real date! Clearing her throat, she followed him out to his car. The dark green Mercedes was a surprise, but that only crossed her face as a curious quirk of her eyebrow. Interesting.

"While you were out, likely trying to get your hair in that perfect right-outta-bed look, do you know what ~I~ was digging up about our mutual friend? Or should I see if you have any new tidbits first?" she asked curiously.
 
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