CSI: Chalet

*Disclaimer: Two people were killed tonight. This is a somber post with inappropriate humor scattered in.

I'm starting to think that the neighborhood where the Chalet is located is not as safe as I once thought. We all sat stunned the night Char had her tires stolen from her vehicle. The night the flower seller used the bathroom to smoke crack was humorous. Tonight was not funny, even with the wise-cracks flying back and forth.

DM and I arrived at the time we usually do, probably missing the action outside by only a few minutes. Bobby was not working this evening; his girlfriend gave birth this past week and he won't be back until Wednesday night. Theresa, another bartender, was working and served us food and drink and we noted how slow the Chalet was. Soon, Theresa was announcing to the bar that Bryan would be a bit late. He needed to find an alternate route to the bar due to a police roadblock. Bryan was the last to arrive before we were told to stay at the Chalet.

The televisions were set to a local news channel and breaking news was being played. There had been shootings and two people were dead, one north and one south of the bar. Theories have flown already about it being gang related and we kept walking outside to see police barricading Rice Street (where the Chalet is located) between the two closest intersections. No one could arrive and no one could leave. A fire truck was brought in and a light was hoisted from the top of a ladder. Police formed a line and paced the street with flashlights, searching for clues. As far as we know, there were no arrests tonight and we were allowed to leave the Chalet after midnight, three hours after the chaos started. The bar closed early tonight due to the lack of customers. DM and I were only accompanied by 11 others, including Bryan and Theresa.

With the lack of people, it was decided that it should be New Song Sunday. We didn't sing much anyway, but the songs we did sing were not part of our normal rotation. Angie was there and sat with us, singing new songs and we did have a bit of fun. When other singers sang, non-regulars and maybe people who drank a bit too much this evening, we would run outside to watch the police scan the street and nearby park and lake.

Now, for the funny parts. This is just how we coped with the events going on around us. This is not meant to offend anyone.

While discussing who the police were looking for, I made an observation that Bryan was the only person to arrive since the police started looking. A guy whom we've never seen before found this the appropriate time to run and tackle Bryan while yelling, "I got him!"

Angie's turn to sing came up in rotation and we were looking for her. Bryan commented, "She's out wiping her prints off playground equipment."

Benny was allowed to arrive through the barricade close to midnight because he was in possession of keys the bar staff would need to close down. He was not allowed to drive down the street so we asked where he parked. It turns out he and his cousins parked at the Lamplighter, a local strip club. Jokes were made, of course, about what he was doing there. We did find out then that his cousins were female and not interested in a female strip show.

With it being so slow, we had decided on New Song Sunday. The thought process behind this was, "Hey, if you suck, the audience can't leave!"

DM was prone to say, "Stupid dead people" over and over tonight. I do not blame her. Both of us were dressed up quite a bit (she has awesome new pink hair!) and looking forward to seeing other people (in DM's case it would be Gil and I was hoping just for some fun flirting tonight).

After we were allowed to leave, DM and I headed to Perkin's for a quick bite to eat. We drove a bit and listened to my iPod and I had a fun night, even with the sadness from the murders and the disappointment. I think I may be a bit in shock and this was much funnier until I started typing it out and realizing what truly happened.

But hey, now DM and I can both say we were in the middle of a double murder investigation.