From The Desk Of...

**Bailey** · June 10

Prologue

Grayson Fletcher, born 12th June 1856, was simply a boy who was destined to become man of God, of justice and of duty. He was a planned blessing to Martha and David Fletcher; honest workers of Chalmette, Louisiana. An only child; he was considered a blessing by his parents, as his birth was their third attempt at becoming parents, after two unfortunate miscarriages. His father, Deputy Chief David Fletcher of the Chalmette Police Department; instilled a sense of discipline, duty, community and ambition in young Grayson from a young age, which eventually drove Grayson to do what so many other young men have done in the past; and that is to follow in the footsteps of their Father. With this, in March of 1874; at the age of eighteen, an ambitious and ready Grayson Fletcher enlisted in the local police academy, in hopes of becoming half the community leader his Father had before him.

"CHIEF FLETCHER'S PRODIGY ENLISTS IN POLICE ACADEMY"
The Chalmette Gazelle, 11th March '74

The Academy

Young Fletcher wasn't exactly a credit to his class. Perhaps it were the overwhelming pressure of living up to a Deputy Chief still in service; or perhaps it were just because he didn't take the obvious route of nepotism to get himself employed in the local force. A man of honesty, sure enough. His skills shined elsewhere, seemingly in the tasks that required less movement, only movement of his wrist and a writing instrument. He had a talent for the quieter times in the academy, those that required more brains than brawn.

Luckily, he had enough physical prowess to scrape his way through the academy, and graduated at the age of twenty-one, in the fall of 1877. It was from there, that Grayson immediately found an employment in the C.P.D. - one can never know if this employmnet were in the end, as a result of obvious bloodbound nepotism; or whether it was an earned opportunity. The community didn't care much, however, as he took to the role like a moth to a flame.

Soon, headline after headline would depict young Fletcher for his acts of quick wit, heroism and his positive flare for public relations. The Fletcher clan soon became pioneers of their small town of 2,000-or-so, and they were a kingdom uncrowned.

"FLETCHER & FLETCHER RULE THE POLICE DEPT."
Chalmette Sentinel, 28th September '80

The Rise & Fall

Paradise. Utopia. Perfection. All words that perhaps describe Grayson's life in the Summer of 1882. Twenty-four years old, and his life were set in gold. Grayson was fortunate enough to have two parents who loved him dearly, a job that was secure in that his immediate superior was quite literally his flesh & blood, and a talent for his workload that meant his quality of work never suffered. Of course, there is no story that doesn't hold the genre of comedy or tragedy, and this is unfortunately no comedy.

A tragic scheme and the subsequent light of the interrogation room shines upon the local governence of the little town of Chalmette; in where various members of the city ordinance and council both were found guilty of several counts of money laundering, smuggling, counterfeitting and fraud. The case was a kidney punch, perhaps two - to the community. It gutted several local businesses, and the civil & public service was no different. Hundreds lost their jobs, across medical and lawful rosters both - and both Fletcher's were of course caught in the crossfire. David Fletcher was simply too old to re-seek employment; a man that had only ever known the badge, at the age of sixty-nine, simply did not have a place in our society; especially having lost his wife many moons ago. This left Grayson to provide for what was left of his family, at the age of fourty. He'd struggle to find work himself, having a similar resumé to his Father.

After months of jobseeking, Grayson, now alone after an unfortunate battle with an undiagnosed illness claimed the life of his Father, lands in Saint Denis, Tahoma; and shoots his shot at the local Police force. As luck would have it, the City is out on it's ass - and needs every body, soul and brain it can get to pull it from the depths of the ocean. He finally had somewhere to give his life purpose once more, and a home of workforce that could perhaps provide him with the final few years that he needed before a retirement amongst the Hall of Fame of lawmen of the century. A man never tempted by the dark side of lawfulness, and never found to be corrupt or malicious in his dealings; Grayson Fletcher stepped into Saint Denis with a new-found love for the law, and one that any criminal finding themselves in his sights would be most unfortunate to come across him. Let's see what Grayson Fletcher can do for you, South Tahoma.

"HUNDREDS LEFT WITHOUT WORK AS BUDGET CUTS STRIKE CIVIL SERVICE."
The Chalmette Gazelle, 6th April '86

The Assignment

Graced with a position amongst the Detective's Bureau of the Saint Denis Police Department by one Chief Russ McCluskey and his new-found enthusiasm to bring peace and tranquility back to the criminal-infused streets of the City. Detective Grayson Fletcher were immediately assigned to the hot case atop the stack that seemingly were taking up much of the Precinct's time; and of course, this were the case of the Gaetano, Dalmasso & Malgeri and their connections throughout the criminal underworld of the City.

It became obvious to Grayson early on that he had been thrown in at the deep end, and even though this veteran could swim amongst a thousand sheets of paperwork and investigative documentation, perhaps nothing like this had ever come across his desk. An intricate web of families, friends, businesses and operations spanning City-wide, no, perhaps spanning the vastness of the County, is what he's found himself a part of.

No task were too big. A trait that had not always served Grayson in his own best interest, is that once he had honed in on something; a mere two things were bound to happen. Either the case would be solved, or he would die. There's no way to pretty that up for a lovely autobiography. Once Grayson had his sights set on something, moreover, a case; then either the case would see it's end, or so would he. A reputation for completion, and a record unheard of back home - perhaps Fletcher can grace the S.D.P.D. with such brutal work ethic. Time shall tell, but those who share the surnames of Gaetano, Dalmasso or Malgeri need sleep with one eye open tonight, tomorrow, and every night until their next sleep is behind bars.

"MYSTERY MURDERS IN STATE CAPITAL!"
The Lemoyne Journal, 6th June '90

The Criminal Underworld

It became clear to Detective Fletcher that something was going on in Saint Denis; the only problem, call it a minor inconvenience in his investigation is that, he had no idea what the fuck that something was. The intricate web of seeming-businessmen who he had a hunch were involved in something much more sinister became nothing more than a fleeting thought. He'd began his process; a series of meticulous note-takings, some stakeouts outside of key locations, and the gift of the gab. Grayson would soon find himself approaching every man with a three piece suit, assuming they were the next big thing in organised crime; and softly grilling them with questions that may seem like pleasentries, but were actually allowing him to build a case profile for every single fucking one of them.

The Gaetano Family were quickly absolved, at least as far as they were concerned. An extensive conversation with one of them inside the Theatre Royale, following their beautiful debut of amazements and wonders left him to believe this were nothing more than a business family trying to shake the history of a disgraced Mayor.

The Malgeri Connections, seemingly immigrant operators of Doyle's Tavern; something that they have rebranded into an Italian Cantina to act as a magnet for men who can't afford the delight that is the Bastille. That place has character, though, there's absolutely no denying that. One CARMELO MALGERI seems to be the head of the operation, but as far as that 'operation' goes - right now, we're not looking at an intricate criminal syndicate; we're just looking at a barman.

The Dalmasso Clan - he'd only met one of. A Mister FEDERICH DALMASSO. How did we come to know him, we hear you ask. Is this man a convicted felon? A man on the run? A former criminal with a vendetta to execute? Well, no, he's a fucking Bar-licensed attorney, so as you can imagine, that gave Grayson plenty to go on.

The case were quickly becoming more complex. Offshoots upon offshoots were creeping up day after day, and Detective Fletcher were being introduced to more and more families, clans, organisations and entrepreneurs as the summer months went on. It became clear very quickly that this wasn't going to be a one and done case; but luckily, that's nothing new, is it?

"THIS IS A CAREER-MAKING CASE. A HIGH-PROFILE MESS."
Notes of Detective Grayson Fletcher, Saint Denis Police Department

On July 8th, 1900, history was made in the city of Saint Denis. Detective Grayson Fletcher, one of the last-standing workhorses of the department following the rapid depletion of action, activity and motivation of the existing roster; made the career-threatening decision to call out the entirety of the Police Administration, and the entirety of the Office of the Chief of Police in front of a live audience. In what would be a seismic move, that ultimately paid off for the ageing veteran; the press conference saw the attendance of some of Lemoyne's best and brightest, and some of the most influential figures in the State of Tahoma. "I call out Chief Russ McCluskey, Deputy Chief Hanz Spielmann, and I regretfully call out Inspector John Mulhaven", the words uttered. A shockwave sent through the media landscape of Lemoyne; and sure enough, a five course meal for the local Journal.

"FROM THE DESK OF... THE CHIEF OF POLICE."

A dangerous venture, perhaps - for an elder of policing, and yet a youthful recruit of the local Department. A new-found fire were certainly lit under Grayson's ass; seeing the rise of organised criminality, common street crime, and property-crime alike - and a clear lacking response from those who are supposedly sworn to protect those who can not protect themselves. This simply could not stand, action must be taken, and so action were.

A mere six days later, without a whisper from any of the aforementioned sworn officers of the law; saw the resignations of the trio, in a rapid succession. The resignation notices would be dispatched to the personal office of Fletcher; perhaps a sharp and cold gesture from the Police Commission. Ultimately, he had just gutted their entire leadership by publicly putting the names on blast ahead of the entire residency of Saint Denis.

The department was now starved of motivation; personnel; finance and leadership alike. A dire situation, but only one avenue of sense for Grayson. He began to build his team, first calling to former Detective Otis Steele to join his campaign as his to-be Inspector, the right hand man to the new hopeful leadership of the Saint Denis Police Department - followed by a series of press releases, and conferences; to reignite the faith of the residency in the now-starved Department.

15th July, 1900. The day that everything changed. Notice were passed down from the Police Commission that one Grayson Fletcher had successfully achieved the rank of Chief of Police for the City of Saint Denis, with immediate effect. Some scathing sentiments attached to a separate hand-written note, alluding to the fury of the Commissioner due to his 'stunt'. The note were quickly discarded by the thirty-two year veteran of policing affairs; and work immediately began. Within just 12 hours, Fletcher had formed a press release; which were printed immediately and distributed to all local vendors and media. Four Constables and two Detectives were immediately onboarded; and hope were beginning to restore in the eyes of the people.

A wonderous celebration were to be hosted at the Bastille Saloon, at the kind gestures of Miss Winona Garrett and Miss Emilienne Valeura alike - a private function for Lemoyne's most influencial figures would assist in ushering in the brave new world. Endorsements from the Governor, the Oil Baron, and House Blackley flooded in - as hope were once again restored in the eyes of many. Now, the task begins - to reform the Police Department into a staple of the Capital. To reinforce justice and duty to the department's roster, and to vanquish criminality from his new-found beloved City at the earliest possible convenience.

Criminals be damned, for there is a new face of justice.

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