#Beaumont Enterprise

[jkanelis]

This news really hurts

Freddie Campbell was a dear friend, a confidant and someone with whom I could discuss just about anything. He died the other day, apparently of complications from cancer. I struggled a bit over how I want to remember Freddie. I came up with something to share, so … here goes. We worked together for nearly 11 years at the Beaumont Enterprise. I ran the editorial page, Freddie was the paper’s IT…

[angelasscribbles]

Behind Closed Doors Chapter 2: Arrival

Series: Behind Closed Doors

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 524

Rating: PG

Warnings for this chapter: None

A/N: I don't know what happened. I started writing Riley, and Bertrand shoved his way to the front of the line! 🤣 I blame @harleybeaumont for this nicer, softer version of the older Beaumont brother. (If you haven't read Never Have I Ever, you're missing out!)

My other stuff: Master List.

Riley’s head felt like it was on a swivel as the Beaumont limousine snaked its way down the long, twisting drive of the Cordonian National Palace.

She was bouncing in her seat and squealing as she took in the sights.

“She’s not going to act like this in front of people, is she?” Maxwell’s older brother Bertrand eyed the commoner skeptically.

“Be nice!” Max admonished him.

Riley Brooks had been a staple in the Beaumont household since Max’s kindergarten years, but never had they taken her to a royal event. He was simply worried about her manners; it wasn’t personal. Bertrand liked the girl just fine. She was good for his brother and that’s all that mattered to him.

Well, it wasn’t all that mattered.

This was a big year for him. He was turning thirty soon and his father was making noises about retirement. His parents had broached the subject of marriage a couple of times. They were trying not to push, but he could tell they were getting anxious about it.

In addition to heading the government of Ramsford and taking the reins of Beaumont Enterprises, he was expected to marry and produce heirs for the future of both the duchy and the business.

His eyes slid sidewise at Max and Riley, envying their carefree chatter and exuberance for what they saw as an adventure.

For him, the upcoming social season was a source of great anxiety. This was the first year that his parents weren’t attending. He was the representative of his house. His father had been clear on his expectations for the summer. Bertrand was to expand on his business contacts, take more of a prominent role in governance, and hopefully find a wife.

It was that last part that had him losing sleep at night.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the main entrance and the trio exited as servants appeared from nowhere to retrieve their luggage.

A gathering on the front lawn drew his attention. Scattered around the ornamental fountain across from the front door were several groups of nobility. The sound of multiple conversations interspersed with laughter drifted through the slight chill of the early afternoon air.

The most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on in his life caught his gaze and gave him a little wave. The smile that blossomed across her face sent butterflies exploding through his stomach. He returned the wave and then quickly dropped his eyes.

He felt an elbow in his ribs. “Want me to find out her name for you?”

His face flushed crimson as panic shot through him at Riley’s offer. “No!”

“No?” She arched an eyebrow.

Even though he tried not to, he couldn’t stop his eyes from finding her again. She had returned to her conversation, but as he watched, her head turned and caught him staring. Once again, she gave him a heart stopping smile.

Returning his attention to Riley, he amended his answer. “Okay, yes, but don’t be obvious about it.”

“I know how to be subtle!”

“Do you?”

“Of course!” She assured him as they followed the servants into the palace.

[gabbieranting]

My Silly Application Piece for Screen Rant

Why Only Terry McGinnis Should Succeed Bruce Wayne as the Next Batman 

The cowl has been passed throughout the Bat Family with reverence, and possibly, with too much frequency for something which has been identified by the Lasso of Truth as a singular person’s true identity. Bruce Wayne, as Superman says in Superman/Batman #76, is the disguise. The true identity is the one that formed in the dark, and much of Bruce Wayne died in Crime Alley with his parents. However, one of the many Paul Dini creations to make it from cartoon to comic, Terry McGinnis, is the most appropriate successor to the title Batman, for several reasons. 

The Gotham that Terry lives in is different from, but similar to, the Gotham which Bruce aged protecting. A technological arms race with Batman and his team has led to street gangs armed with hovercrafts, drones, and explosives. Criminals have taken up the themes and adapted the costumes of classic Gotham villains. Wayne Enterprises has been merged with Powers Industries to form Wayne-Powers, and its leader, Derek Powers, murders Terry’s father to hide the development of a mutagenic nerve gas. Early in his career, Terry creates his own first nemesis, exposing Powers to the toxic chemicals that will turn him into the villain Blight. In the same manner as his mentor, Terry creates a slowly escalating chain reaction among the Gotham underworld. 

Terry’s personality is also the most similar to Bruce’s. Of all Bruce’s proteges, Terry’s brooding is the most familiar. Dick is unique in his ability to heal emotionally from trauma, Jason in his inability to do so. Damian is, in a way, loved and raised by both of his parents, as is the Helena Wayne who is the daughter of Bruce and Selena (in Tom King’s Batman/Catwoman.) Each of these Batmen wear the cowl in situations where they are mourning Bruce Wayne, their surrogate father. When Bruce is off-world or when he is dead, a Robin picks up the mantle. But Terry is trained not as Robin, but as Batman, by Batman. Terry is a direct answer to the Gotham he serves, and has solid reason to avenge himself upon the city. The loss of his father to a brutal crime, the creation of his own nemesis, his refusal to fully join the Justice League, and his perpetual exhaustion from living two lives leads Terry to be a mirror of Bruce in his misery. 

Thanks to Amanda Waller, another Terry is an appropriate successor to Bruce’s city is because he is Bruce’s biological offspring. Waller, fearing a world without a Batman, found a psychological match to Thomas and Martha Wayne in Mary and Warren McGinnis, and used nanotech and a sample of Batman’s blood to replace Warren’s DNA in his reproductive cells with Bruce’s. Terry, and his brother Matt, therefore, are biologically Bruce’s. Waller’s original intent was to have Andrea Beaumont - the Phantasm - murder Mary and Warren in front of Terry as a child, to spur him into a crusade against crime.

Phantasm backed out at the last minute out of respect for Bruce, and Waller agreed, canceling the project; but her actions unintentionally spurred on the McGinnis’s divorce when Warren found out his sons weren’t his and suspected an affair. Terry coming to grips with his origin in Project Batman Beyond further aligns him with the struggle of the original Batman. 

Finally, out of all of Batman’s potential heirs, only Terry has the luxury of never having worked alongside Bruce as Robin. Terry and all his rogues are a clean slate, a new chaos, and unlike any of the others,, Terry has never been a sidekick. In Batman Beyond, Bruce the role fulfills is Oracle’s; manning the computers from the cave and feeding intel into the comms.

For Terry, Bruce isn’t Batman; the batsuit isn’t Bruce’s skin, his identity, and taking on the name Batman isn’t the burden of wearing your father’s shoes for Terry in the way it would be for any of the former Robins. Terry has the ability and distance to become his own Batman, and not a temporary replacement for the real thing.

[jeongyunhoed]

As seen on my FF.net Also seen on my Ao3

Following the events of fifth year, a new adventure awaits for Norah Lee. Boys, exams, school events, common room parties, and old foes outside of Hogwarts. Even battling pensieve guardians was easier than this.

Main Pair: OC/? Genre: Adventure/Angst/Fluff (it's a little of everything, tbh)

KEEP IN MIND: Characters are aged up (even if the story's got them in sixth year) to make it more appropriate. Time period is leaning towards the modern day so in case you might find anachronisms in the dialogue or references, this is why. This may also be quite a lengthy fic too.

BE WARNED: Social anxiety, mentions of blood and injury, grief, drinking, kissing but nothing more than that, death (this is Hogwarts Legacy, after all)

P.P.S: Some "trauma dumping" ahead between Norah and Garreth. Also some slight sexual tension too. I'm setting up what would be a very FWB relationship ahead. No smut though. Smut's gonna be in the sequel.

Masterlist

Chapter 16

The congratulatory comments Norah heard didn't seem to stop at Hogwarts. Everywhere she, Amit, Sebastian, and Natty went, she would be met with well-wishes from people whom she helped the year prior. At the back of her mind, Norah felt like this seemed to pose a distraction from the fact that Harlow was still on the loose and was rebuilding his business enterprise, perhaps finishing what Ranrok and Rookwood started but failed. As much as she wanted to revel in the good feeling of having achieved such an accolade, Norah felt like there was still more to be done. Even Madam Beaumont had previously warned her that she had done all that she could. And Merlin knows what Mrs. Daisy Rabe and Madam Bickle would tell her next about this.

Or worse, that damned Officer Ruth Singer. Norah didn't have fond memories of her encounters with the so-called law enforcer. If she and Natty had to take matters into their own hands to catch Harlow the first time, she was doubtful Officer Singer and the authorities would make more of an effort this time. The lack of effort only made Norah despise Officer Singer.

But, as Norah had observed, only months into the sixth year at Hogwarts, she was also undergoing the very familiar, but also quite bittersweet, feeling of her friend circle going through some changes. Because Andrew and Poppy had now become an item, she hardly hung out with them as she was now absorbed into Andrew's circle of friends. Natty seemed like she was on the verge of it as well, given the possible nature of her relationship with Henry, whatever it was that was going on between them. This reminded her that the wizarding world wasn't all that different from how muggles lived their lives. Including friends who ditched their friends to be with their romantic partners.

Nevertheless, Norah had come to terms with it, but it left her unsure of who to turn to now. They only had a year left until they were finished with Hogwarts, and what then? They would be on their own. Those thoughts had left her with the conclusion that she seemed better off hanging out with whoever wanted to hang out with her.

The price to pay for being a Slytherin, perhaps. Everyone would eventually not like her as much. It seemed like a lonely life was ahead, and being named the Hero of Hogwarts wasn't as all as it's cut out to be.

She dwelled on those thoughts while sitting at the bar of the Three Broomsticks one afternoon, with days left until the Hufflepuff common room party. More than a month left until the Yule Ball as well.

"Sickle for your thoughts?"

Norah snapped out of her continued dwelling when she saw Garreth appear, seating himself on the stool next to her while Sirona poured him a pint of butterbeer. "What?"

"You looked like you've got something on your mind," Garreth replied before taking a sip of his drink. "In fact, if I recall correctly, you've been like that for a while, is something wrong?"

Norah smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I can deal with it."

But the redhead didn't seem so convinced. "Even heroes need help, you know," He teased.

"Hero," Norah scoffed. "That's interesting. I don't feel like it, that's for sure."

Garreth's teasing expression faded at her words. "I'm sorry, that might've been inappropriate for me to say."

Norah waved a hand dismissively. "No, no, it's not your fault. I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling like myself today."

The Gryffindor looked down at his drink, then glanced at her. "Norah, I know our last conversation ended the way it did, but that doesn't change the fact that you've helped me, that you've been willing to help me, without even asking for anything in return."

"Then do me a favor and please don't ask," Norah quipped, glancing at him. "I know you're just trying to help, but I can assure you, I can handle it. Whatever it is."

Garreth didn't press any further, taking a long drink of his butterbeer as he glanced at her every now and then. "My oldest brother thinks the same way whenever we can tell he's having a hard time. Thinking he can deal with it on his own because it's what's expected of him. Whenever we ask if we could help, he brushes it off, telling us not to worry because he, as you said, could deal with it. He thinks we simply don't understand," He said quietly as he recalled those memories. "I'm really going to back off after this, but just know that it's good to let it out. Better out than in, is what my mum always says."

He finished his pint, asking Sirona for another one, in which she obliged, glancing at Norah with a hint of concern on her face from time to time. The two of them continued drinking in silence. Norah was stubborn that way. She didn't want to involve anyone out of knowledge that most of them couldn't even fathom what she had to face the year before. Even as they had repeatedly assured her that they would be fine.

As Amit once told her after they went through the goblin mine, that the whole escapade was enough of an adventure for a lifetime.

But if she wanted to change it, to change this thinking, she knew she had to make an effort, and it was going to be hard. She was, what the muggles would call, brooding, and she didn't like it.

"I don't know what to do," She suddenly said, after feeling some difficulty saying it. Garreth glanced at her, not saying anything but he remained still, ready to listen. "We're in sixth year, I don't know what to do after we leave Hogwarts, what profession to take up, and as much as I say I don't care if no one asks me to the Yule Ball, it still stings to know that it might be true. I have some unfinished business to take care of, NEWTs might become my cause of death, and I'm not sure if I still have my group of friends this year."

Garreth stared at his own drink while he listened. He wasn't sure if it was a good time to try and make her feel better, but his instincts told him not to say anything for now. Perhaps Norah was going to say more, and she did.

"Frankly, I was still embarrassed after the whole boggart thing. Carrow cursing me in the entrance hall was another thing to be embarrassed about," Norah somehow felt herself becoming more at ease. "Adele Kang told me I would've been confused for a Gryffindor because of how much I bled, apparently. But I ultimately felt ashamed, because people have this image of me in their heads, that I'm brave or something, that I couldn't get hurt, that what happened to me down at the caverns was nothing. I'm having a hard time trying to live up to that."

You don't have to, you never had to, Garreth thought. He wanted to say it, but he knew better than to do so for now.

"In reality, all those things that happened to me the year before? I was just as terrified, I feared for my life just as much as anyone. Imagine having to face several acromantulas in one year? Fighting troll after troll after troll? An entire cellar full of spiders big and small, multiple loyalist and Ashwinder encampments? Inferi?" Norah sighed. "The cave near the castle that's been infested with dugbogs, a dragon fighting ring. Sometimes I get the shivers just imagining those dead dugbogs still floating in the water."

Garreth also shuddered at the thought.

"But most of all? It's terrifying knowing that I actually fancy someone. But I know he doesn't plan on anything. He's too scarred by his own past to consider anything, not that I know he likes me back, but," Norah shrugged. "It's like everything and nothing all at once."

The description seemed familiar, and Garreth had an idea of who she was talking about. He's a complete idiot if he doesn't ask her to the ball, Garreth thought. But hearing her explain what was on her mind seemed to humble him a little bit and comfort him at the same time. The hero of Hogwarts, the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, admitting how even she had been struggling this entire time. Perhaps since the end of fifth year even.

Norah glanced at him, having been quiet this entire time. "I'm sorry for suddenly dumping this on you, I know it's a lot," She said, emptying her pint. "I told you I needed to deal with it on my own."

Garreth shook his head. "It's not a problem. In fact, I think it's a wonder that you managed to make it out of those in one piece, no injuries, nothing," He said. "...You still don't have a date to the Yule Ball, do you?"

She shook her head. "No, but I just think it's because I've scared anyone who would want to try, off," She muttered with a sigh. "Or maybe I'm just not anyone's type, which leaves me wondering what I should do to appear otherwise."

"You don't have to do anything," Sirona blurted out, refilling their pints. They can tell she had long wanted to say something. "You won't lose anything if no one asks you, but you should never feel like you're doing something wrong. In fact, I think it says more about those boys than it does about you if no one seeks you out for the Yule Ball."

Norah stared at the bubbles and the foam of her butterbeer. "It is pointless to try and make all that effort to get a boy to notice me," She nodded. "Besides, it's not the end of the world if no one asks me to the ball, compared to what Natty and Nellie are making it out to be."

The mention of Nellie made Garreth look up, then sigh. "Nellie really fancies Amit," He said. "You were right last time, maybe I really should move on."

Norah frowned. "It went downhill, huh?"

Garreth hummed. "She said she never really saw me as anything other than a friend, a schoolmate even. What's worse? I'm not even her type."

"I'm sorry, you must really like her," Norah said, moving her pint towards his in a toast. "The next round of butterbeer's my treat."

She laid down some more coins before Garreth could decline. "Thanks," He said, only to sit up when he remembered something. "My brew's ready now, by the way. It's in the Honeydukes cellar if you'd like to come try some," He suggested.

"We can finish this first," Norah joked as they downed what was left from their mugs.

~

A moment later and they found themselves in the sweet shop's cellar, looking at a barrel painted red with gold letters that said "Weasley's Fizz-beer." Garreth conjured some mugs to fill it in with the bubbly amber-colored liquid that smelled like the sweet treat itself. "Took a while to perfect, a year and a half, but I think I've nailed the recipe now. I would've preferred to make it look like the candy, but this is much better," He was pleased, taking another sniff of the beverage.

Norah brought the mug to her lips to take a sip. It tasted just like Fizzing Whizz-bees, only much stronger. It wasn't sickly sweet, but sweet enough to mask the alcohol content for a moment. It took her a moment to realize that she was already inches off the floor, as was Garreth, who looked even more overjoyed and nearly spilled his drink in the process.

Once their feet were firmly on the floor, Garreth put his mug down, arms suddenly outstretched and coming in for a hug. Norah, taken by surprise, wrapped an arm around him to return it, feeling a little calm now at the contact. He was warm, they both were, from the few butterbeers and then this. The brew aside, Norah could get a whiff of his cologne.

"I have to hand it to you, Garreth, you did well on this. You should bring this to the Hufflepuff party," She suggested as they pulled away, taking another sip and feeling herself float off the floor a few inches again. It was mostly to hide how she felt her cheeks heat up at how close they suddenly got. She reminded herself that it was because of the butterbeers and the brew.

Garreth grinned. "You think I should?" He said, making sure to reach out to her while she took another sip.

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't die or break out or anything, I think it's a success," Norah gave him a thumbs up as her feet were back on the ground.

She put the empty mug down, followed by a quick evanesco to clear them. "I'm quite brilliant, aren't I?" Garreth looked proud, as if his little revelation about his heartache earlier never happened.

Norah laughed as they went down the secret passage to leave. "Don't push your luck, you might not be to successful next time."

They passed through the familiar caverns, opting to swim rather than make the jump instead to get to the other side. Garreth took the lead, his cheeks suddenly getting ruddy when Norah emerged from the water, followed by a charm to dry their clothes. He was going to pretend he didn't accidentally glance at the way Norah's wet clothes clung to her.

"I'm forever glad you told me about this passage, Garreth. With people trying to look for me all of a sudden, even those I don't know, this is a nice way to go back to the castle," She said as they passed through the narrow lanes, some of which were covered in cobwebs.

Garreth turned to her, the thoughts of the two of them getting wet from the body of water they climbed out from and their little hug in Honeydukes cellar still on his mind. At this point, some parts of her dark brown hair were still wet at the ends, further reminding him of how she looked.

"Well, you were the new fifth year, I needed to tell you some of the ins and outs of the castle, even ones not many teachers know about, especially Professor Black," He tried to say as coolly as possible as they entered the lift that would bring them up to the entrance of the passage. "Besides, it looks like we ended up in Hogsmeade and back together after all," He said.

Norah smiled, the two of them getting off the elevator and climbing up the steps to the door that was behind the statue. She could feel herself getting rather light-headed, a little tipsy even, and she suddenly giggled, making Garreth turn to her, holding her by the arm in case she fell over.

"We might have had a bit to drink, huh? Or my brew was surprisingly strong," The redhead started laughing as well. "Ironically, I didn't even put alihotsy into this brew," He leaned toward her, the two of them leaning on each other for support. "Oh no, this isn't going to sit well with anyone."

"Your brew was stronger than you thought," Norah playfully slapped his arm, which slinked around her waist while they held each other up. "But I think we needed it, to clear our minds of whatever we're going through," she said, looking down at their feet.

As she looked up, she caught his gaze, their expression softening the closer they got to the entrance, the looming figure of the statue near. "I've got some hangover tonic in the common room," He said quietly. "You know, I'm curious as to what it would be like to kiss you."

Norah's cheeks turned pink at the remark. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" She challenged, another giggle escaping her.

The redhead hummed and groaned. "If I do anything, it will feel like I'm taking advantage of you again," He said, shaking his head.

Another giggle came from her. "I'm giving you an advantage. You get to kiss me, I finally know what it'll be like to be kissed by someone not related to me," she said. "This doesn't mean anything anyway, you were curious, I let you. And of all places, we're here, where hardly anyone can see us."

Garreth chuckled. "I don't know what it is about you Slytherins, especially you, Norah Lee. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you fancied me."

Norah scoffed. "I simply took the opportunity of wanting to know what it's like to be kissed. If you don't want to, it's okay. That just means you're a good person."

As if on reflex , Garreth wrapped his other arm around her waist. "You're making it hard for me to resist. Are you sure nothing will happen?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Norah patted his cheek, which he immediately leaned into. "You really made something strong with that brew, if the two of us are being like this..." She muttered, staring when Garreth pressed his forehead on hers. "How are you going to give me that hangover tonic when our common rooms are far away from each other?"

Garreth hummed. "You're right. Do you think we should sleep it off?" He said, giving her a little squeeze before letting go. "Maybe I could get Sallow to bring it to you."

"Sebastian?" Norah laughed. "I don't think anyone should know, at least for now."

"If you say so," Garreth sighed, trying to hold back his laughter as they stepped out.

[lonestarflight]

Space Shuttle Enterprise in the Mate-Demate Device to be attached the 747 SCA at NASA Dryden Space Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Date: August 9, 1977

Dan Beaumont Space Museum: link

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 2

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 2,622

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

They pulled up in front of a row of buildings. Walker and Son Investigations sat near the middle of the block; the name emblazoned on a plate glass window that overlooked the street. A dry cleaner on one side, a coffee shop on the other.

“Can you believe I found parking on the street?” Riley gloated as she parked the Tahoe at the curb.

“I’m pretty sure this is tow away zone, Riley…”

“It’s fine, we won’t be in there that long!”

Max heaved a long-suffering sigh, knowing from experience it was fruitless to argue with her when she was hot on the trail of a story. She became focused to the point of being obsessed, stubborn, pigheaded, and bossy.

Not that he didn’t like the bossy part.

She also became excited, exhilarated, and spontaneous. Her eyes sparkled and her enthusiasm was contagious. Despite the abuse and neglect of his precious Estelle, he enjoyed her single-minded determination very much. His adventures with her were worth the risks to his car.

A dark-haired woman looked up from her desk when the bell tinkled as they entered the tiny office. “Welcome to Walker and Son Investigations, how may I help you today?”

Max peered around Riley, “Hey, Savannah!”

“Oh, hi Max!” her face lit up in recognition, “What are you doing here today? Who’s your friend?”

“This is Riley. We’re looking for Drake. Is he in?” Max’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the other three desks in the room, all empty.  

“Yeah, he’s in the back, moving boxes of files into storage,” She lifted her head and raised her voice, “Drake!”

It took a minute but a man appeared from the hallway at the back of the office, “Do you really have to scream like that? You could have just-Oh! Shit, sorry! Didn’t realize we had company!” He wiped his hands quickly on his pants to get rid of the dust and extended one toward Riley, “Drake Walker, PI, at your service! And you are?”

Riley shook his hand as she took in his appearance. He looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties, tall, broad-shouldered, definitely worked out, with chestnut hair that hung just below his ears. His eyes were the color of gold-flecked copper as they bore into her, and his touch sent electricity jolting down her arm. She certainly wouldn’t kick him out of her bed.

“Riley Brooks, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions.”

“Sure,” he grinned at her as he motioned to his desk, “Have a seat. So, what do you need?” He asked as he settled into his chair across the desk from her and Max, “Cheating husband? Lost dog? Background check on a new boyfriend?”

“No, nothing like that,” she laughed.

He leaned forward with a smirk, “So you’re single?”

“I am. Why do you ask?”

“I find it hard to believe that a woman with your…” his eyes dipped down her body and back up, “attributes is single.”

She rewarded him with a coy smile, “I could say the same about you.”

“Maybe we could discuss it over dinner sometime?”

The grin on Riley’s face broadened but Max leaned forward, clearing his throat, “Yeah, she’s too focused on her career for serious dating. Could we get back to the subject?”

Drake barely glanced at Max before asking Riley, “What’s the subject?”

“What do you know about Katie Sloan?”

Drake turned his head to give Max a suspicious look before returning his gaze to Riley, “Who’s that?”

“The wife of Sloane Enterprises CEO, William Sloan.”

Shooting an accusing glare at Max, Drake snapped, “What makes you think I would know anything about her?”

“Because you had me follow her!” Max blurted out.

This time the look Drake gave him was murderous, “Have you ever heard of client confidentiality Beaumont? What the fuck?”

“I….” Max’s shifted nervously in his seat, “Not really…”

“Well, if I did pay you to follow someone, then you’re bound by the same standards I am with regard to client privacy!”

“No one told me that!” Max gulped.

“Savannah!” Drake bellowed at his sister.

“What? I was rushed that day; I didn’t get a chance to cover everything. I sent him home with some paperwork.”

Drake heaved a long-suffering sigh as he muttered under his breath about being surrounded by incompetence before snapping at Max, “Did you read it?”

“No…” Max admitted, “It seemed pretty boring.”

Drake shook his head as he looked up at the ceiling as if asking God himself for guidance. After several deep breaths, he returned his attention to Riley, “Why are you asking questions about Katie Sloan?”

“Because Max photographed her with Trenton Hayes.”

“So?”

“So he’s dead. Someone just shot him.”

Drake froze for a moment, his face expressionless as he gazed at her. “That’s unfortunate for him, but I don’t know anything about it. What did you say you do for a living? You’re not a cop.”

“How do you know that?”

“I know. Now who are you really and why are asking so many questions about a homicide?”

“I’m an investigative journalist.”

“You’re a reporter?”

“Investigative journalist and true crime author.” She corrected him.

“Anything I’ve read?”

“I don’t know. Do you read true crime?”

“Not really.”

“Then I’m guessing not.”

“Well, Miss Brooks, sorry I couldn’t help you, but even if I theoretically hired Beaumont here to follow this Katie Sloan, I couldn’t tell you.” Drake pushed away from the desk and stood up.

Riley stood, but made no move to leave, “If you theoretically did hire him for that, what might be a theoretical reason?”

“Yeah, I’m not doing that.”

“What’s the harm in playing a game of theoreticals?”

“Nice try but I wouldn’t stay in business very long if I went around-“

“I’ll go to dinner with you!”

Drake froze again, “What?”

Max also froze, “What?”

Ignoring Max, she took a step closer to Drake, reaching out and adjusting the collar of his shirt, “I said, if you’ll indulge me in a game of theoreticals for a moment, I’ll go to dinner with you.”

“I….” Drake stood unmoving with his arms crossed over his chest as he fought an internal battle. He already knew what his father would say. And Savannah would probably rat him out if he did it.

Still. The girl was hot.

Max shook his head, “No, Riley, you don’t have to-“

“Shut the fuck up, Beaumont!” Drake finally moved as one hand shot out to strike Max in the chest. Eyes locked on the brunette bombshell in front of him, he licked his lips and then agreed, “Okay, but everything I say is just theoretical, right?”

 “Of course!” Riley fluttered her eyelashes for added effect then asked, “If you were theoretically following Katie Sloan, what would be the theoretical reason?”

“I can’t speculate on something like that, but I can tell you that the most common reason anyone hires a private detective is to catch a cheating spouse.”

“So, William Sloan thinks his wife is cheating on him?”

Drake shrugged, “Theoretically if he hired a PI, that might be why.”

Riley’s eyes widened, her head swiveling between Drake and Max, “Was she cheating with Trent? Because that would be motive!”

Drake held his arms up in front of him, “Whoa now! Don’t be jumping to conclusions! We have no proof of any cheating! And I’ll tell you this because it’s a matter of public record, but if you say the information came from me, I’ll deny it….” He leaned forward and lowered his voice even though they were the only ones in the office, other than his sister who sat watching the whole exchange with amused disbelief, “Trent Hayes and Katie Sloan used to be engaged.”

Riley’s eyes widened, “Oohhh, an ex-fiancée! That’s interesting! Why’d they break up?”

“You’re an investigative journalist, look it up. Shouldn’t be hard to find. She was a fucking heiress before she married the rich guy.”

“Right. So, society pages. Max-“

“Already on it!” He told her as his fingers flew over the keyboard of his smartphone, “Katie Vanderhilt, college graduation…..engagement announcement….inherits grandmother’s fortune….second engagement announcement….wedding to William Sloan….ah, here we go….the gossip page! Hmmm…..just an article saying she suddenly dumped Trent and went on a cruise….no reason given….speculation was that once she inherited all that money, she knew she could catch a bigger fish. Sorry, dead end.”

Riley turned her attention back to Drake, “Is there anything else that I should theoretically know?”

“Can’t think of anything,” he gave her a scorching look, “but if I come up with anything else, we can discuss it over dinner.”

“Absolutely!”

“Tonight at seven?”

“Sorry, can’t tonight.”

“Hey, we had a deal!”

“Yes, and I fully intend to live up to it, just not tonight. Here,” she handed him her card, “call me later and we’ll get it set up! Come on, Max, let’s go!”

“But-“ by the time he glanced up from the card, Riley and Max were already out the front door.

“Dad is going to eviscerate you,” Savannah told him gleefully.

“You could just not tell him…”

“In exchange for what?”

Drake’s head fell back with a sigh, “I’m not letting you drive my car, Sav!”

“Just for one night! It’s my high school reunion! Besides, if I tell Dad what you just did-“

“Fine! One night! But I swear to God, Sav if there’s one scratch on it when I get her back-“

“Oh, cool your jets, I know how to drive,” she turned her head to the plate glass window, “Your new girlfriend just talked her way out of a parking ticket.” 

“Did she now?”

“She did. And she’s parked in a tow-away zone too! You’re going to have to be careful with that one. I’m not sure you can handle her.”

“Shut up, Sav.”

Outside on the pavement, Riley climbed back into the driver’s seat of Max’s Tahoe, “See? I told you it wouldn’t get towed!”

Max shook his head ruefully, “Yeah, well, if that had been me talking to that cop, I would have gotten a ticket and gotten towed! I got to hand it to you….you always seem to get your way.”

“It’s a gift!” She laughed as she threw the car in gear and pulled out into traffic.

“Are you really going to go to dinner with Drake?”

“What?” She glanced at him and then back at the road, “Yeah, why not?”

“I don’t know….he doesn’t seem like your type.”

“Trust me, he’s my type! Besides, a deal is a deal!”

 “I guess,” Max thunked back against the seat with a heavy sigh, “Where are we going now?”

“Seventh precinct!”

“Why?”

“Because we have to tell Liam that William Sloan has a motive for murder!”

“Is that the only reason?”

“I mean….if we happen to stumble across some more information about the case while we’re there then so be it!”

“That’s more like it!” He grinned, his good mood returning at the promise of further adventure.

Built in the early 1900s, the seventh precinct stationhouse took up most of the city block that it sat on. Three stories above ground and two below, the many renovations it had endured over the years made it a labyrinth of hallways, stairwells, and a sometimes confusing mix of old architecture and new. The homicide division was located in a warren of offices on the second floor.

“I need to speak to Detective Rys, I have some information regarding a murder,” Riley told the desk sergeant as they entered the building.

“Second floor,” The officer waved his hand in the general direction of the one lone elevator.

“Thanks!” Riley chirped as she grabbed Max’s hand and drug him away from the elevator and toward the stairwell. Lowering her voice, she told him, “I don’t trust that thing! It creaks, groans, and shakes like it’s hanging on by a thread!”

“Yeah,” Max agreed with a backward glance at it as he allowed himself to be pulled up the stairs, “It probably hasn’t been inspected or maintained in a hundred years!”

“That would be a violation of the fire code,” Riley quipped, “How ironic since the 112 is right across the street!”

“Yeah, well…”

They exited the top of the stairs, made their way down a long hallway, took a right about two-thirds of the way down, and found themselves in a large, open area filled with desks, filing cabinets, and a few scattered couches. The wall to their left was covered from left to right in giant casement windows. Directly across from them were doors to private offices and to their right a myriad of doorways and hallways lead off to places unknown. A water cooler gurgled in the corner.

“Can I help you?” A tall, pretty redhead asked them.

Riley adopted her best professional stance, radiating that she had every right to be there as she replied, “Yes, I’m looking for Detective Rys. Have you seen him?”

“He’s around here somewhere, that’s his desk,” she pointed to one close to the windows, “I’m sure he’ll be with you in a moment. I’m Lilith,” she offered her hand.

Riley took it, “Nice to meet you, Lilith! I’m Riley. Are you a homicide detective?”

“No, just a sketch artist,” she smiled.

“Oh? Are you working on the Hayes case?”

“Miss Nevrakis!” a voice called across the room.

“Oh, that’s me, gotta go!” Lilith gave her an apologetic smile as she scurried over to a desk near the water cooler to talk to the man who had called her name and a nervous-looking woman standing next to him.

“Hey! That’s Liam’s boss!” Riley squeezed Max’s arm, “Aren’t you two related? Go see if you can get any information out of him!”

“I don’t think so, Riley. He doesn’t really like me….”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, something about our family’s money being tainted and me taking it.”

“He doesn’t take any? No trust fund? Nothing?”

“Nope. Can’t you tell?”

She cocked her head to one side taking in the off-the-rack suit and shoes that had probably come from Mervyn’s or Sears. Bertrand Beaumont looked like every other police detective in the department. Eschewing the Beaumont money, he had risen to head of homicide on his own merits. A good twenty years older than Maxwell, he viewed his young cousin as irresponsible, frivolous, and entitled.

“Okay, fine. But that’s a little judgy. Not taking the money won’t wind back time and fix what your great-grandfather did.”

“That’s what I said!” People fell into two broad categories when they found out he was a Beaumont. They either judged him on his family’s history of having built its fortune from organized crime, or they wanted to use him for his money and family connections. Riley fell into neither of those categories. It was just another reason that he liked her.

“What are you two doing here?” Liam’s voice was so close behind her that she jumped.

Whirling to face him, Riley answered, “Looking for you!”

“I already told you that I’m not giving out confidential case information, Riley.”

“Well, then it’s lucky for you that I’m here to help you!”

“You’re here to help me?” Liam scoffed, “How?”

“I know someone that might have a motive for killing Trenton Hayes.”

Liam’s mouth fell open, “How the hell did you already find out the name of the vic? We haven’t issued any-“

“Detective Rys!” Bertrand’s voice boomed out as he strode across the room, clearly seething.

Confusion spilled across Liam’s features, “Yes sir?”

Bertrand waved a page from a sketchbook in the air, “Do you want to tell me why the main suspect in your murder case looks exactly like your brother?”

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

50's Jukebox Favorites 1988 Pop / Doo Wop / Pop-Rock

Went back to the 50s today with this short release from the single-biggest name in the history of the ever-crowded budget compilation game, K-tel, who gathered a bunch of hits together here that mostly came from the latter part of the decade. Through the years, K-tel has caught plenty of flak from folks for being a cheap and lazy enterprise that just repeatedly packaged the biggest hits of a certain day onto one release, but I'm here to tell you that, as someone who's sifted through quite a fair amount of oldies comps, a lot of the selections on this particular CD don't really seem to be fixtures of budget oldies comps in general. So, unexpectedly, without even having to evaluate the music itself, this CD already gets some points for its own uniqueness.

And the song that really seems to seal it all is Jimmy Clanton's "Just a Dream," the New Orleans teen idol's breakout hit, which also happened to be the biggest of his career, as it went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart back in 1958. I don't think that I've ever heard this song on another oldies comp before, and despite its composition being pretty typical for a late 50s pop tune, Clanton's own powerfully striking voice is the thing that makes it ultimately stand out, and is probably what enabled it to sell a whopping million copies in the first place.

But in addition to this comp dealing mostly with the late 50s, K-tel also seems to have primarily occupied themselves with a softer side of pop here too; there's no R&B, no soul, and certainly no rough-and-tumble rock & roll from the likes of Chuck Berry or Jerry Lee Lewis or Bo Diddley or Bill Haley & His Comets. And for a comp that claims to consist of "50s Jukebox Hits," you'd think that they'd try to present a broader range of what actually blasted out of jukeboxes throughout that decade, rather than narrowing its focus to mostly straight-up pop and slow and midtempo doo wop, which are types of 50s music that don't really seem to have stood the test of time all too well 😴.

That said, though, within this more anodyne realm, this album still has a couple more beauties on it. One is The Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You," which, despite never having reached the top ten of the Hot 100, seems to be included on loads of oldies comps nonetheless, and really shines when lead singer Jimmy Beaumont suddenly escalates with his own magnificent falsetto. A really essential doo wop tune there.

And the other song is The Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is to Love Him," which was legendary producer Phil Spector's first ever hit, notching itself a #1 spot in 1958. It's a song with a regular 50s-type of progression, but the production was exceptionally dynamic for its time, and it would eventually lead to Spector's own famous and patented 'Wall of Sound' technique. On this one, frontwoman Annette Kleinbard expands her voice beautifully on the bridge, satisfyingly raising the song's overall intensity, before returning to a mode of soft and unassuming sweetness to close out. "To Know Him" is another tune that you're sure to find on a bunch of other oldies comps too, but it sure is a remarkable one.

So, a nice, somewhat forgotten gem here that I've never come across on any oldies comp before, despite it having gone platinum, and then two other late 50s staples. I wish this K-tel comp could've been more eclectic, but for about a half-hour's worth of tunes, this isn't a bad look at some of what the latter half of the 50s had to offer.

Highlights:

The Skyliners - "Since I Don't Have You" Jimmy Clanton - "Just a Dream" The Teddy Bears - "To Know Him Is to Love Him"

[weatherman667]

Concept:  Game of Cowls

Bruce Wayne dies.

Harley Quinn, Talia al-Ghul, Selina Kyle, Natalia Knight, Pamela Isely, WW, Zatanna, Andrea Beaumont, and Babs all come forward with kids.  And the story is of them fighting over the mantle of the bat, the fate of Wayne Enterprises, the Wayne Foundations, etc.

[devilsgatewayhq]

MIKAYLA BEAUMONT, our ADRIA ARJONA, is looking for their FORMER CLIENT. THIS CONNECTION IS CLOSED.

Character Name

UTP

Character Age

UTP

Character FC

UTP (Suggestions: Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Santiago Cabrera, Luke Pasqualino, Sean Teale, Sam Claflin, Fabien Frankel, Rege Jean-Page)

Gang Affiliation

Any's fine tbh but The Enterprise might be fun

Relationship to Character

Former client/potential love interest

Summary of Character

UTP

Desired Plot

This is a former client of Mikayla's when she was escorting back in New York. Why he hired her is up to you, whether for sexual reasons or just for company, I'm pretty open. I picture them having been a regular, maybe started out coming to the club to watch her strip and then eventually worked up to buying time with her privately. As time went on, feelings started to develop (could be on both sides or one-sided) and she got scared and cut ties, essentially ghosting him. I’m pretty open with how things worked here tbh but I'd love to work things out with you. This doesn't necessarily have to be a future romantic love interest situation either, but I'm all for the angsty potential this has.

If you are interested in taking up this connection, please send us a message and we'll connect you to the writer!

[jkanelis]

Lamenting media's sorry state

It is time for me to lament the sorry state of three newspapers where I worked full time as a print journalist. Two of them are still in “business,” but barely so; the third one — the first newspaper that hired me as a young sportswriter — is gone, kaput, history. I started work at the Oregon City, Ore. Enterprise-Courier in the spring of 1977. My first job was a temporary gig; it became…

[marrakeshfirst]

Morocco's earthquake killed thousands. But survivors marking Ramadan say it didn't shake their faith - Beaumont Enterprise

http://dlvr.it/T5Mb2w

[the-ghost-in-my-dreams]

The Decoy

This is the decoy image that was used on the profile that had a large amount of response and by a lot I mean a mob of males, a whole criminal enterprise if I may, lets call it what it is. Why? The location in the image is over Beaumont along the main street. This image shows a virtual map of who is online and active on the open view map. The censored profile on the bottom left is the person I had recognized because he is the one that had sent me that photo and other similar ones a few times in the past starting November 2022 I believe if not December. He hit me up from the city Cabazon and had said he cannot go past that area, he was from Riverside, and he was here for the weekends. The first time he hit me up I immediately thought it was Raymond but at the time it would be ridiculous and outrageous for him to hit me up after everything that happened. So I thought it was a random since I didn't think Raymond would have the audacity to hit me up again ever after what he did. It would be like if Hitler called up Israel after the fact for normalization. So anyways, the profile picture next to him on the right is a drug dealer who was always on the app I had seen before on Grindr and is known in the scene if you will. Bear in mind I did not know these two had any connection that I knew of but I guess so. He also lived right by Raymond for a long time or at least his avatar was there a whole lot and will show up again. Why he would associate with a rat snitch, I don't know and by now I don't care. Since I hate being lied to like more than once by this guy I texted him asking if he was from Riverside and why he lied. Of course I got no answer because these people hate facing the truth so I knew they were doing a drug deal especially with everything I know now, and I hit up the customer up on the right corner there. I know there's a motel right there so I assumed he was also there. Anyways all I got was lies and denial. It could of been prostitution as well but at the time I had not learned everything yet like Raymond's heavy meth use and administer of it and prostitution. Knowing this along with other observations I believe Raymond is head and running this criminal enterprise due to the loyalness and commitment to just him. After tests, no other suspected member received such response. And no other member I know to have a special name or alias such as Clockwork Boy that is also trademarked by the way. The date of the screenshot was late March 2023, while I was still going to court and he was out doing crimes. That's the criminal justice system for you.

Here is another picture of that same guy he sent, this one is dated middle of February 2023. This might be the oldest dated I have because I remember blocking him the first time but he kept hitting me up for some reason so that's when I started screenshotting. I used AI only to erase the penis which wasn't too much work. Very little if you know what I mean. It was probably overkill using AI for that. Should I keep going?...I will be adding or subtracting info as I go through my archive as I have several copies stored all over as backups. I want to clear out that storage so I'm deleting replicants too. Again, although I was not sure it was him at the time, it made me ask questions. Like it was only 2 months since he snitched and this BS is happening. Today I am still in denial it's not him but that's denial still because he is that kind of person that does this crap. Especially not cleaning his dirty fingernails before taking a photo. Another reason I am following through on this, someone will come out say this is their photo and things like that but here we are. I'm assuming the photos are weird because he was trying to fly under the radar of whoever he was with at the time or the the same group he is with now. A nude ass photo was also sent because I asked for one and that's how I know if I'm going to meet someone. It was definitely not his. He used someone else's straight up I know. Just the body and everything was not the same at all.

If this is you and your not Raymond Silva aka Clockwork Boy aka Raydawg, contact the blog by sending a DM. ASAP

The middle nude I censored is the same one he used in a profile he later used and recognized, and seen out with the dealer in the screenshot I begin with in the post.

The screenshot below is of the area in Cabazon, the town over by the casino, where this dude was sending me messages from.

This is probably the best evidence that I have collected and shows the drug dealer and this person I believe was Raymond together on the app.

[southjerseyweb]

Firefighters in New Jersey come to the rescue of a yellow Labrador stuck in ... - Beaumont Enterprise

Firefighters in southern New Jersey came to the rescue of a dog who got stuck in a spare…

[latest-breaking-news-video]

Watch Black Historical past Month | Black-owned Beaumont enterprise presents a versatile schedule for aspiring medical professionals - Google Enterprise News

[scottishdreams]

Scottish Standings - Beaumont Enterprise

Dundee ^ | Dundee vs. Aberdeen, 10 a.m. ppd. Hearts 2, St Mirren FC 0. Kilmarnock 2 ... Dundee 0, Celtic 3. Wednesday, Dec. 27. Aberdeen vs. Motherwell, 2:45 p.m. ... http://dlvr.it/T1ycX0