Stan Marley, epi. 1, part 3

Announcer: And now, once again, back to Stan Marley in…

"The Sinister Cinderella"!
*Cue dramatic organ music*

*Classic phone ringing sounds, continues*

Stan: I awoke to my phone ringing off the hook. Groggily, I crept up from my bed to answer it. It was in the middle of a frantic ring whenever I picked it up…

*Phone sounds stop, followed by an answering click*

Stan: [absently] Hello?

Dingy: Stan! You'll never guess what we found at the crime scene!

Stan: [Still somewhat absently] What?

Dingy: A woman's shoe!

Stan: Woman's shoe? [Finally more awake] Really?

Dingy: Yeah! You gotta get down here!

Stan: Can't this wait until morning, Dingy?

Dingy: Not if you wanna get an early lead in the case!

Stan:…Alright, fine. I'll be down there in a bit.
*Cue more scene changing music*

Stan: Monday, July 16th, 1945...it was now 4:30 AM. I took  a quick shower, got dressed, and made a fast piece of toast to wolf down on my way out the door. Ready for a brand new day I guess, even if that day had started a little earlier than I had hoped for it to. I slightly wondered if Slick was having as rough a beginning today as I was. I met Dingy at the crime scene, and only he and a few men were there. He was holding the shoe ----- an ugly-looking little thing ----- in a plastic bag when I approached him.

Dingy: Looks like we gotta regular Cinderella on our hands here, eh, Stan?

Stan: [Addressing the audience] He nudged me with his elbow, which I was not taken to kind to. I decided to ignore it though.

[addressing Dingy] I suppose so. More like a sinister Cinderella if I do say so myself. Say, where did you find that shoe, anyway?

Dingy: In the fountain, of all places! That's why it was so elusive.

Stan: Well then. Say, Dingy, would it be interfering with the case or whatever if I were to take that shoe for evidence?

Dingy: You're the private detective, I guess it'd be silly NOT to let you have it for evidence. Here…

*Plastic bag crinkles as he hands it to Stan*

Stan: [addressing the audience again] Well, it looked as though Slick had been telling the truth. A female had been the one to steal the money. At least, it seemed that way, given she was in a hurry enough to leave her shoe behind. I suppose that when I met Slick today, I'd have that much to go on at least. I didn't tell Dingy about my rendezvous with him. The less people who knew I was working with the enemy, the better.
*Cue scene changing music*

I met Slick at Greenbank Park at around 2:00 PM. Slick looked the same as ever. His brown trench coat was buttoned and tied around his small build as tightly as it could go. The neck of it was upturned as best as it would and masked him from the nose down. Meanwhile, the matching dark brown fedora was pulled low to his eyebrows and finished the hiding effect. His pants were black, his loafers were a matching gray. He stood with his hands in his coat pocket, possibly fiddling with a revolver contained in it.

Slick: Told ya I'd be here!

Stan: So you are Slick. I guess I kinda had a feeling you would be. But that's not important right now. The real important thing is that me and the boys found a new clue.

Slick: Yeah, and what's that?

Stan: A woman committed the crime. We found this shoe at the scene.

Slick: Told ya it wasn't me!

Stan: Yeah, yeah, enough of the I-told-you-so's. The big question is, do you know any female criminal  masterminds that could have possibly been behind this or worn this shoe?

Slick: Well…I dunno who woulda worn that shoe but…

Stan: But what?

Slick: But I do know a pretty good female criminal mastermind.

Stan: So who's that?

He told me she was a dame named Sylvia, and that she used to be his old flame. He acted like he didn't wanna turn her in, but he was clearly looking out for number one. According to him, she lived in apartment 13-B in Ironbridge Estates. It seemed as though we should pay her a visit, so he and I got into my car and drove downtown toward the estates building. As we climbed up the floor via elevator, Slick seemed to get more and more nervous. It was starting to become obvious that he was having a change of heart. We walked down the carpeted hallway and up to the door. I gave it a quick knock while Slick hung behind me.

Sylvia: Who's there?

Stan: I pushed Slick forward and let him do the introducing…

Slick: Heh-heh, it's, uh, me! Slick! You, eh, you remember?

Sylvia: Slick? I thought I told you to never darken my doorsteps again!

Slick: C'mon Sylvia, I said I was sorry! Besides…I'm not alone.

Sylvia: Yeah? And who's with ya?

Stan: Stan Marley, P.I.

Sylvia: P.I.?

*Door clicks open*

Sylvia was a handsome woman, a little blond number. While often if you had seen one blond you had seen 'em all, Sylvia was different. Namely, I could see why Slick liked her. Of course, something about her showed why they had split up. That was her coldness. Her tightly pursed lips and upturned nose showed an expression of seriousness, and her black suit-dress and matching hat gave her a look as if she were going to a funeral. Her eyes were a steely green.

Sylvia: What do YOU want, dick?

Stan: Maybe you can tell me who the owner of this shoe is.

Sylvia: Ain't ever seen it in my life. What are you guys doing here for real?

Stan: Are you positive about that? From what Slick tells me here, you're a pretty sly little dame with itchy fingers.

Sylvia: Is THAT so?

Slick: Eh-heh…well, he had me at gunpoint, y'see…

Sylvia: Stow it! Slick, you've betrayed me for the last time. There's never a chance of us getting back together EVER.

Slick: Aw, but Sylvia!

Sylvia: We're always gonna be through! As for you, dick…I guess I could help out a short glass of water such as yourself.

Stan: You think so?

Slick: Sylvia!

Sylvia: Yeah. I know a dame who that shoe might belong to. Can't guarantee it, but Black Molly might be behind this. She's worse than I am when it comes to these things. I'm more of a diamonds girl, myself, you see. Anyway, she hangs down at the wharf. There's a little building down there she uses as something of a hideout.

Stan: And so she gave us the address to Black Molly's hideout. Slick didn't seem to happy about her helping me, but after the stunt he pulled, I couldn't blame her. Taking up the shoe once again, Slick and I headed toward the hideout of Black Molly…
*Cue dramatic organ music*

Announcer: And that concludes tonight's episode!  Credits for this evening include…

B. Roberts as writer and director, music by Matt Earls, voices by [insert names here], Garrenn, and me, [insert name here] as the announcer!

Remember to tune in next week for the continuing adventure of Stan Marley in…"The Sinister Cinderella"!
*Cue dramatic organ music*

Thank you folks, and goodnight!
*Cue audience clapping*

END EPISODE ONE