There were severe disadvantages to a hidden mansion. A broken television was one of them. The leak in the kitchen ceiling was another. The tiny inconveniences piled up over the years, fueled by Lupin's insistence on never revealing the location to the repairmen.
"Damnit!"
Jigen, who was previously assumed to be asleep, tilted his hat upwards. "Leave it alone."
"It worked before it rained!"
"Lupin," Goemon said, "if you don't wish to call someone, perhaps you should only invest in gadgets that you comprehend."
"This coming from someone who's never used a phone!"
Jigen broke in again. "What's the big deal? You don't like daytime TV."
Lupin had that look in his eye, cleverness hidden behind a mark of obliviousness. "I want to watch the news."
"There's the radio."
"AMERICAN news. You think I bought a satellite to hear about what's going on in Osaka?"
Goemon glanced over to Jigen, who was spread out on the other couch. Lupin had his back to them, but he added anyway. "It's sort of a job."
"Sort of?"
He put his hands up. "Fujiko's getting married."
Jigen was to busy fuming to answer that; Goemon decided only to reply in a cold stare.
"I know what you're thinking," Lupin said haplessly, "and yes, while I will again make a dashing entrance and win dear Fujiko's heart – Well, that's a given at this point. But the OTHER thing we can assume is that she's not marrying the guy for looks alone."
"Wouldn't put it past her."
"C'mon, Jigen. You know there's gotta be a rock the size of a continent for Fujiko to marry the mob."
Jigen merely huffed with disinterest. Lupin snorted and turned his attention back to the television. He fiddled with it until he finally produced a semi-clear picture. In the corner of the screen, the barely-legible station ID read, 'WMAQ5/NBC.' "Here we go."
"You believe Fujiko's marriage merits national attention?" Goemon said impatiently, because Jigen had either gone back to sleep or was still refusing to acknowledge Lupin.
"Not her marriage. It's more about who she's marrying." He turned the volume up, and stepped away from the TV.
An extremely unmemorable newscaster was in front of the desk, sitting beside a graphic of a grave. "A small crowd attended the funeral of James Marcello, alleged head of the Chicago underworld. Marcello died of heart complications on Sunday. While he was never formally charged, Marcello was a target of multiple FBI investigations. With his passing, authorities say they will concentrate their efforts on his successor, who has not been named."
Beneath his hat, Jigen twitched. Lupin apparently missed it, but Goemon said nothing.
"Sources say the decision is likely between two candidates, Marcello's son Antonio, and his nephew Christopher Magnelli. No word yet as to that outcome, as family first mourns the death of their patriarch."
Lupin muted it as the newscaster began to discuss a new medication on the market. "Fujiko's apparently engaged to the son. Anthony. Which means on top on becoming very rich, she could also become very powerful."
"And you intend to stop her?" Goemon said, picking up the slack from Jigen.
"Well, it's not so much stopping her as figuring out what she's up to. The family's reported to be wealthy, but hey – so am I." He rubbed his chin. "There's something else in it for her. And if I win her heart in the process – well, that's hardly a bad thing." He turned to them. "What do you say, guys?"
Jigen abruptly stood up. "I'm out."
"C'mon, I know you don't like – "
"I'm OUT. I don't want anything to do with Fujiko's scheme, if she even has one that's worth getting in over our heads for." He tipped his hat to Lupin. "Have the time of your friggin' life." He stormed out and slammed the door behind him.
"I totally wasn't finished trying to convince him," Lupin said in despair, sinking into his armchair.
"Leave him be," Goemon said. "I will go with you."
"Yeah, you'll fit in," Lupin mumbled.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fujiko was having a rough day, but she wasn't about to let anyone know it. Tony was turning into a rather demanding fiancé, and not in the usual ways. She went to the doctor's office only reluctantly, after a lot of coxing on his part. She would of course do it, but she made him work for it.
"Ms. Mine," said the intern who came in first, garbed in scrubs for some reason. "I'm just going to ask you some preliminary questions before you see the doctor. Age?"
She raised her eyebrow skeptically.
"I'll just skip a few," he mumbled. "Now, are you sexually active?"
"Oh, YES," she said with a great deal of emotion. As much as possible, really. "Very."
"Monogamous or multiple partners?" he asked. "Are you seeing anyone on the side?"
"C'mon, Lupin," she said without batting an eye. "You can do better than that."
He pulled down his mask. "You can't blame me for trying, Fuji-cakes." He touched one of her bare feet, up on the examination table. "The doctor also ordered me to do a preliminary –"
She responded by kicking him in head, hard enough to remove the rest of his upper costume. He stumbled back, rubbing his head. "That's no way for a lady to act."
"It is when she has to put up with men acting like horny adolescents. Seriously, Lupin. I expected more from you."
"Then you don't know me that well," he giggled. "After all these years. Really, Fujiko. Going off and getting engaged behind my back. You're just ASKING for me to make a dashing entrance."
"If you call an intern with wandering hands dashing," she mumbled. "And yes, I did sort of expect you, but that doesn't mean I want you to come."
"Yeah, I figured it out when I didn't get an invitation." He leaned on the wall and tried his best to look upset. "So are you gonna tell me the scheme, or am I gonna have to examine it out of you?"
"What if I told you there wasn't one?"
"Then I flew halfway around the world to cop a final feel. But I know better than that."
Lupin wasn't giving in, but neither was she. "The doctor'll probably be in soon."
"Yeah, but his bedside manner probably isn't half as good as mine." His hands began to roam again, which earned him a slap across the face.
"Seriously, Lupin, my fiancé will make mincemeat out of you if we're seen together. So why don't you get lost?"
"Tell me the scheme and I'll leave." He raised his hand. "Thief's honor."
"Maybe I just want a life of commitment?"
"Coming from a woman who's been engaged thirty-odd times, that's saying a lot."
She frowned. He wasn't going to leave. "It's a diamond the size of my fist."
"And it's Marcello's?"
"Family heirloom. Has been since his grandfather stole it. Don't ask me where it is, because I'm not dumb enough to tell you."
Lupin rubbed his chin, "That's my girl."
"And now – you said you'd leave?"
"Of course. Thief's honor and all that." He patted her on the back. "Good luck, Fuji-cakes." Replacing his mask, he left the room, leaving her to wonder if that had been a challenge. She decided it most definitely was.
To Be Continued...