Arc II, Chapter 30: The Ribbon Cutting

Questioning Dr. Howard Halle was coincidentally very easy. All it took was a call to the number on his business card to find out that he was at an event at Hallowed Heart Hospital just up the street.

He was Jed Geist’s personal physician. He knew something. He may even have been the killer. It was clear that the plot was pushing us in his direction.

We could have walked, but Chief Willis (Officer Willis in this storyline) insisted on driving us.

“Can’t leave my vehicle unattended out here,” he said. “Gun theft is a rising crime.”

That was his subtle On-Screen way of telling the audience there were more guns in the car than what he had on his person. When we went Off-Screen, he told us that explicitly.

“Carousel has a sticky relationship with guns,” he said. “Doesn’t like them making things too easy. You understand that you’ll do just fine. Listen to the flow of the battle and move with it and you’ll get the best results. Hotshots out here trying to force a win end up on a little white missing poster sooner or later.”

He was mostly talking to Antoine. Antoine was our powerhouse. We only really had one fighter so if we got a gun, we knew who it would go to nine times out of ten. I could probably use it to blow up a gas tank or some other feat of precision, but if we needed to gun something down, we had to put it in our Athlete’s hands.

“Is that what happens next?” Cassie asked nervously. “We have to fight?”

“No use worrying about if you have to fight,” Willis said and he pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. “You’re never more than a few scenes from a fight. After a while, it’s the peacetime that will make you nervous. Now use that Moxie to act brave and let’s get this show on the road.”

As we approached the non-emergency entrance of the hospital, we saw balloons and banners celebrating the opening of a new wing at the hospital.

All we had to do was follow the signs.

The hospital was one of the expensive, fancy ones I had only seen on television. The banquet room we arrived at was on par with the ballroom at the mansion that had hosted the pickled wizard masquerade.

A hundred or so NPCs were in attendance and all of them dressed in their best tuxes and gowns. We were completely out of place.

Luckily, it would seem, we arrived right at the end of the event.

A man was standing on the podium in the middle of a speech. Behind him, a large, red ribbon hung tight ready to be cut. On the red wallpaper, his name was Dr. Howard Halle, the very man we sought to talk to. He was a refined and well-dressed gentleman with an ease of elocution that almost distracted from the fact that he was marked as an enemy on the red wallpaper.

Dr. Howard Halle in Cold-Blooded Things.

Dr. Halle spoke smoothly and intelligently in a dated mid-Atlantic accent that seemed completely out of place in this story.

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“As we gather here on the eve of Carousel’s Centennial Celebration, we are not just marking a milestone for our town, but also unveiling a beacon of hope with the inauguration of our new Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Wing. This wing is more than a building; it’s a promise—a promise to restore, to renew, and to uplift the spirits and lives of those who have been touched by trauma.

“Tonight, we’ve brought together some of the—I’ll just say it—deepest pockets in Carousel.” He paused while the crowd laughed, “As I’ve often said, ‘With better incomes, come better outcomes,’ and the outcome is all that matters. I’m sure our benefactors here tonight agree that the only nip and tuck we’re interested in this evening is nipping the ribbon behind me and tucking into some of the excellent food our caterers have prepared for us!” Another laugh from the audience. “I’m sorry for that one. I couldn’t help myself. No wonder my nurses tell my patients ‘This is going to hurt a bit’ every time I’m about to tell a joke.

“Let’s not forget, while this new wing was built with the support of generous donations, it’s the compassion and expertise within its walls that truly make it a cornerstone of hope. It’s your unwavering support that transforms lives, giving our patients not just the medical care they need, but the confidence and courage to face the world anew.

“So, as we stand at the threshold of this new era, let’s celebrate the collective spirit that makes Hallowed Heart Hospital a haven of healing. Here’s to a future where every individual can embrace life’s journey with strength and self-assurance. Thank you.”

With that, Halle took a scalpel from his pocket, removed its cap, and then used it to slice the red ribbon behind him to the applause and laughter of the room.

He posed for a few photos and then made his way into the crowd, which, over the course of twenty minutes or so, began getting food and filtering out of the building. Dozens upon dozens of well-dressed NPCs followed their scripts to help set up the next scene where we had a one-on-one chat with Halle.