Turkeyed! |
Summary: | The Gobbler strikes, a mundane criminal stealing frozen turkeys from around Staten Island, Stargirl and Jack investigate |
Date: | (2014-11-06) |
Related: | NA |
NPCs: | Gobbler |
Scene Runner: | Mutual |
Social/Plot: | Social |
So Jack is getting over his lost vote, his 1 tally lost for the year in the primaries. 360'ish (days) to go for another round, he could count them down to participate in democracy again. However, the next morning after, it seems he spent some time on-line and texted Stargirl with a picture from a Staten Island/New York City news article. It shows a blurry image of a man in a turkey costume having stolen a load of frozen turkey's from a supermarket. The article points out its the second one in two days. Under the image, Jack adds 'He's one upping your Santa robber, we should find this guy - The Gobbler! I'm on my way to Staten Island now …'
"OMW!" Courtney texts back, and she will probably beat him there considering she can fly and all. And of course she does and is waiting for him at whereever it was they agreed to meet at "What took you so long?" she teases "And why would someone steal frozen turkeys? Is the demand for them that high on the black market?"
He ends up coming by bus, he probably could of ran faster once he got of the Lex/Stark train between NYC and Metropolis, but Jack took his time. "Site seeing, stopped by Liberty Island for a few rounds." Of whatever they have there sold by the round. "I did some research," on oddity in itself for Jack, "I think there are a few programs in the state that subsidize turkeys for like homeless shelters or food programs. Maybe our culprit is trying to do that?" Or just black market, who knows, maybe to inflate another stores prices even. The turkey market is serious business come November every year.
"It would have been faster if you just took the subway to Battery Park and took the ferry over." Courtney shakes her head but leaves it alone. It's no big emergency really since they are just investigating an all "I hope it was a relaxing ride at least. Probably a bit crowded at the statue.
"Oh yeah, subway to ferry, now you say it, well, bus was super awesome anyways." Grins Jack. He meant the statue visit as a joke, but the bus was probably just as crowded, with night time workers that clean the buildings living for home in the distant, more affordable suburbs off the island of Manhattan. "It was a nice ride though, gave me time to ponder turkeys and how I can't wait for Thanksgiving. Maybe we can look for a Butterball delivery truck?" As if the driver would know, or care about, the importance of frozen turkeys and why some nutter is lifting them from supermarkets.
Courtney nods at him, "Where was the last place hit? We may want to start there." she chuckles at the suggestion for finding a truck "Do they have trucks specifically for turkeys?" she doesn't pay attention, maybe they do "Thanksgiving is great. My mom puts on a big spread. Maybe you and Vance should join us." assuming they don't have their own families to go visit.
Looking at his smart phone as the article is in a tab on a browser there, he offers, "Some place called Waldbaums?" Not to familiar, but Jack grins. The only thing that comes to mind when thinking midwest …, "Maybe its like Wall Drug?" Sure, Wall Drug is an odd crazy super store in the middle of nowhere South Dakota that gets more tourists than locals, most on their way to Rapid City and there abouts, but its midwest right. Its all close to Nebraska in his mind. "Ya, that'd be awesome, I'd go visit your folks, see baby forest prince kidlet." Not up for baby watching, visiting is something else all together.
Courtney looks at the screen of the phone as Jack brings it up. "Whatever kinda store it is they obviously sell groceries." she gestures to the phone "Bring up a map and I will fly us there." the Wall Drug gets a laugh "I haven't been to that place in ages. I'll have to go next time I visit home.
Hitting the map section in his search, Jack gets directions and will read off, give the address and/or directions as needed. "Scene of the crime, a better plan, I'll give you that." He grins looking at her, letting her do her thing in getting them there. "I think I just wanted to drive a delivery truck or something. How about if we go visit your folks for the holiday, we make a trip to Wall Drug after we get stuffed?"
A hand is put on Jack's shoulder and the pair quickly lifts into the air and begin their flight over the neighborhoods of Staten Island "Maybe. Maybe not. I'm sure the police probably did a bit of investigation…after laughing thier asses off."
A nod from Jack as they fly towards the location of the local grocery/supermarket, "I'm hoping they laughed so much that its just on the list of someone to watch out for rather than spend money tracking. We have to get this guy." Like a new thing, track down bad robbers with schticks that are funny and not working.
Aerial navigation through a dense city isn't perfect, but Courtney can get them within a few blocks radius "Did it say where he has hit before? Maybe there is a pattern. Like if you dotted a map it would make the shape of a turkey." that totally sounds like something Jack would say, so she bets him to it.
Laughing at the idea, Jack can't overlook it either. "Hrm, Western Beef Supermarket, some fine provider of various meets … must include turkeys." He looks at a map, "Well, with the two, we have a straight line down, and its in the upper NorthEast corner of Staten Island … its possible. There is a Top Tomato Super Store that pulls up under supermarkets, just east of here ,could make a nice beak?"
"Western Beef, sounds like it would be some kind of asian market. How about I take the one to the northeast and you check out the other." Courtney is leaning over to look at the listings on his phone, probably blocking his view of it too.
"Geeze, I can text you a screen print …" grins Jack, not put out that his view is blocked though, more teasing is all. "Okay, two for one special, you're faster so if the Gobbler strikes again, you can zip over." He's sticking with the moniker Gobbler it seems.
The Western Beef supermarket is pretty colorful (http://blog.silive.com/northshore/2009/08/large_westernbeef0831.jpg). Probably western in US west and beef, but its full on market in side, more fresher than most with tons of meat to choose from, including frozen turkey, but the Western Beef is their schtick. Despite having a number of frozen turkey's taken at gunpoint, they're still in business and doing qutie well the day after.
"Huh." Courtney says as she lands in full Stargirl regalia in front of the meat market "I totally didn't picture this at all." she pulls out her camera and takes a pic that is sent to Jack with Welcome to Texas! as the caption. That done she heads into the store, probably turning heads, because how often does a costumed hero go into a meat market.
Plenty of heads, including a shift manager, maybe his lucky day. Super hero shopping in his store. Much as she snapped an image of the front, she'll see his smart phone come out. Though the young man of perhaps 22, given the title shift manager just to make him feel important, will at least hold up the phone, as if asking if he can snap a picture. Some pointing and discussion amongst some, saying who she is, some guessing wrongly cause they don't watch enough TV as the others.
She's kinda used to the pictures, but someone actually asking first is a nice change. "Hello all. Don't mind me, I'm just here on business." she heads over to the young shift manager, after letting him take her picture and gets down to the business of questioning the man.
Its the same as the police were told, a strange man in a turkey costume demanded a shopping cart full of turkeys at gun point. It was odd in that he probably could of loaded a cart and ran out and got away with it. Oddly still, with so much merchandise and the gun, its pushing into the realm of a federal offense.
Jack gets to looking around his place, less pictures other than guessing who he is, mostly all incorrect even. He exits his store and is hit by a falling frozen turkey then. Phone is out, he is looking around but calls to Courtney. If it picks up, he doesn't wait for a response, "Its the Gobbler, he got me, I don't know where he is." Probably because he can't fly.
Courtney is just about done with her interview with the manager she her phone rings. It's the national anthem, so she knows immediatly that it is Jack calling, anyone else would have probably gotten her voicemail "What the what?" she exclaims into the phone. "Where are you, the tomato place?" she quickly thanks the man for is time and is out the door. "Tell me what happened.
"I went in, looked around, no turkeys stolen. I was gonna head out and wait a bit just in case, see if the turkey on the map would pan out," says Jack. She can tell his hand went over the phone as if being secretive, "And then, next thing I know, a frozen turkey hits me in the head. I mean, doesn't hurt, but the humanity …" While there are a couple of buildings nearby, the Tomato place is probably the best place to hide on a roof and drop turkeys, one might guess.
Stargirl is at the scene and circles above, looking around for any one that is dressed up like a turkey. "Jack there is no one that could have tossed a turkey at you, frozen or otherwise." she lands nearby, eyeing the frozen turkey on the ground. nudging it a toe "That's just weird.
He probably should of called sooner, the Gobbler nailed him and ran. Now this case has become personal. Jack points, its there, dethawing, hours away from cooking ready, but its there. "Ya, jeeze, if it was one of the stolen ones, do we have to give it back?" He goes to pick it up. Nudged by a toe, dropped on the ground, doesn't mean it can't be edible still.
Especially since it is all wrapped up in plastic "Problem. We don't know which place it was stolen from." Courtney bends over to pick the partially frozen bird up, "It will probably take the rest of the night to thaw enough to cook. We could take it to the place your friend Gary lives. Early Thanksgiving for them…well tomorrow evening at least." because not only does it have to thaw the rest of the way, but it will take hours to cook.
"You're a genius, two Thanksgivings, one with Gary, one with American Gothic family in Nebraska!" Cause everyone in Nebraska must look like that, so bored of cornfields they can't smile and everyone has a pitchfork. "Okay, it wasn't that funny, no more teasing about Nebraska, Arizona was probably just the same, only more hot, and closer to California is all."
Courney shrugs "Dude I was born in California. Nebraska was just a pit stop in my teenage years, before coming here." she then grins "And yes, I am a genius. I don't think we are going to get much more today. We will have to set up some kind of sting situation. Let's head to your friends place and drop this off."