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| Episode 1.4: Briefing and Fact Finding | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 3 2011, 02:09 AM (18,126 Views) | |
| Captain Jeremiah Hutchins | Jul 6 2011, 12:34 AM Post #121 |
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Hutch
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9/13/10 New Hope Commune Hutch liked that Mac took the initiative to lead the questioning. That gave him the chance to watch the Reverend's reactions. “Just one more question, I think, and we’re done here, Reverend. Are you aware another whore was murdered last night? And not that far from where you left your belt. So, I must ask, can you verify your whereabouts last night? Do you have any vid or a person who can confirm when you came back here?” The Reverend's reaction was a mix of horror, disbelief and more oppressing guilt. "Right next door?" he asked. "The Butcher was right next door? Callista was getting cut on while I was flipping out and whipping Rachel?" He buried his face in his hands and wept. "I was trying to save the wrong girl. Maybe if I wasn't so blinded with my desires, I could have noticed something was wrong. Or heard something," Reverend Marley spoke softly. "I have failed another girl. God help me and may God have mercy on that girl's soul." It was a few minutes before he was able to speak again. "So Reverend Marley," Hutch asked. "Did anyone see you come back here?" Reverend Marley nodded slowly. "I've been here all night," he said. "Flora was in here cleaning when I arrived. I passed by Clancy at the entrance too. Four other parishioners of mine have come in and prayed while I was there. Would you like their names?" |
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| Skye MacKenzie | Jul 6 2011, 12:35 AM Post #122 |
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"Mac"
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9/14/10 New Hope Commune And there it was—the slip up. No one had mentioned Callista by name, yet somehow the Reverend knew it anyway. Still, it wasn’t enough to hang a confession on. He may have heard about her from the local rumour mill. Everyone would have known Callista was dead even before she knew it; that’s how fast gossip travelled in a small, tight community like this. Now Mac was at an impasse. Push harder to see how much he knew of Callista and the murder or try the other leads she had. There was no way to tell how either would pan out yet, so it was pretty much just a random choice between the two. Flip a mental coin. Bradford came up. Marley could wait a little longer; he didn’t seem the type to flee. “Yes, we’d like those names, please.” After collecting them, she slid to the end of the pew and got up to leave with a "Thank you for your time, Reverend Marley. We'll be on our way now", but paused at the end of the pew. She may not respect Marley; hell, she had a hard time respecting anyone whose goal in life was to be miserable about something. But she also didn’t like to see someone in pain. No one should have to go through life carrying around that much anguish; she knew that much from personal experience. So, if there were something she could do to alleviate some of his, she had to try. The look she turned his way was about as compassionate and human as she had ever given anyone. She would have placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, too, but she was too far away to reach. Just as well, she didn’t think he would have appreciated such familiarity. “It would seem Rachel has already forgiven you. You should give some serious consideration to forgiving yourself.” And leaving those words behind her, she quietly slipped out of the chapel. |
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| Andrew Williams | Jul 6 2011, 12:36 AM Post #123 |
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AKA Panther
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9/14/10 After handing Jade a nice sizeable bundle of credits, Andrew turned to Adria. “You satisfied?” he asked sincerely, after the conversation seemed to end. He hoped she was able to make use of some of the information given, for he knew he sure as hell couldn’t. He glanced down at Jade as she edged her way closer with the chair. "You sure you don't want to stay a bit after she leaves?" Although he was beginning to grow weary of her clear dislike for Adria, he wanted to avoid being too upfront in case they should need to talk her again in the future. “Sorry,” he said, forcing a grin. “I have a job of my own to worry about.” He reached down and took her hand. He gave her wrist a brief kiss and released. “Thanks for your time,” he said. He turned once again to Adria, waiting for her to put a full conclusion to their visit. |
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| Adria Stark | Jul 6 2011, 12:38 AM Post #124 |
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9/14/10 "For now" Adria replied, leaving things open in case they had more questions later. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the whore's antics. Her expression remained neutral and professional. None of her exasperation and impatience to be gone now that they had their information showed on her face or in her posture. Adria nodded politely to Jade, then opened the door and stepped out. She turned back and waited for Andrew to catch up. "We'll head back to the ship and start searching the cortex" she said when Andrew reached her side again. She started walking in the direction of the ship. "The whore's information tells us what to look for, and gives us some leads to pursue. We have an idea of how far back to look now, too. And...in a way...tells us what we can expect next." She shivered slightly and the thought of anyone suffering like that. Well...those who hadn't committed horrific crimes, that was. She wouldn't bat an eyelash to see someone like Ink suffering in that manner, for example. |
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| ILEV Constable | Jul 6 2011, 12:39 AM Post #125 |
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9/15/10 Here is the report that Adria and Andrew will find back at the Constable when they move on to their research.
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| Captain Jeremiah Hutchins | Jul 6 2011, 12:41 AM Post #126 |
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Hutch
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9/15/10 New Hope Commune “Reverend, it would seem Rachel has already forgiven you. You should give some serious consideration to forgiving yourself.” Hutch watched as Mac left the chapel. The Reverend looked up at Hutch with questions in his eyes. "I only guessed it was Callista because you said the next murder occured by where my belt was left. I tossed it between Jana's and Callista's flats. It was only a guess," Reverend Marley told Hutch. Hutch nodded in acknowledgment. "But what did she mean that Rachel has forgiven me?" "She refuses to press charges, Reverend," Hutch told him. "You should consider yourself lucky." Marley exhaled in relief. "So my congregation will not know of my transgressions?" "Not by us," Hutch answered. He was relieved. He'd be able to stay and keep doing his work, both at the commune and in the District. Perhaps someday he'd be able to tell them of his weakness. Hutch exited the chapel to catch up with Mac. "Suggestions on our next step?" he asked, letting her lead their investigation tonight. He knew she needed something to keep her mind busy and so far, she was doing a good job. As long as she was, he'd let her continue. |
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| Skye MacKenzie | Jul 6 2011, 12:42 AM Post #127 |
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"Mac"
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9/15/10 Mac paused in her departure long enough to let Hutch catch up. Funny how distinctive most people’s footsteps were. She hadn’t needed to look behind her to know it was him; she’d recognised Hutch’s stride right away. While she waited for Hutch, she finished up giving her report to Cooper back at the ship, telling him about the interview with Marley, then poring over the information that he’d sent her. Information regarding similar murders on Newhall. So, Jiangyin and Newhall both had Butcher-style murders, and already her mind was at work, trying to put together the picture from these new pieces. Hutch wrote: "Suggestions on our next step?" She turned her pad his way, so he, too, could read the text message from Cooper. “That now makes three Butcher-style series’s of murders. On Jiangyin, Newhall and now here.” She slowed down for a little while, lost in her own thoughts. And when she continued, it wasn’t entirely clear if she was talking to Hutch or to herself. “The kid on Newhall would be about 20 now. But would he have been old enough to have murdered there, then come here and start up another spree, if he even is a ‘he’? That doesn’t fit the timetable. If he murdered there, too, he would have had to have started as a teen. And while it’s possible he did start out that young, he would have been sloppy—anyone new to murder takes time to develop a routine and to learn enough to avoid making mistakes—and thus far, there’s been no indication of that. These modi operandi all suggest someone familiar to murder and already (mostly) set in his method. So, that pretty much rules out that kid. Which leaves someone else as the Butcher. “I need to know when the Jiangyin murders took place. It’s possible the Butcher was from there instead. If the Jiangyin murders predate the Newhall murders, that could fit a timetable and give us someone with motive. If not, if the Newhall murders were first, the Butcher’s not a copycat. He must be the same person in all three sets. Still likely the son of a whore, though.” She looked up, noticing Hutch's presence with a small measure of surprise, as if she hadn't expected him to be there. “Sorry, mostly talking to myself. In any case, we need to find who here came from those planets.” “First, I need to talk to Adria. See if she found out anything more about the incidents on Jiangyin. I need to put together a timetable, so I can narrow down some options.” Mac was a mite upset that Adria hadn’t seen fit to update them on any of her investigation so far. It was possible she’d not found the whore from Jiangyin, but she should have reported in with even that much had she really been on the ball. Other than the way she’d responded to the gunfire, Mac hadn’t been much impressed with the other woman—either her attitude or her skill. Then again, Mac wasn’t very impressed with herself at the moment, so perhaps she should cut Adria some slack. “Then there are two ways we can approach this. Talk to someone like Bradford who might know who came from the most recent set of murders—Jiangyin or Newhall. Or, investigate Ink’s background. Find out where he came from before landing here. I’m not persuaded Marley is the Butcher. So that leaves Ink as our last suspect. “You want my opinion? One, find out what Adria’s learnt. Two, have someone do a search on Ink. See if anything shows up on Ink’s background, especially where he’s from. Three, go talk to Bradford about Ink and who came from where. And continue the Cortex searches; that has been our best information source thus far. Maybe somewhere in all of that, we’ll find something of use. “We’d better, because that’s the last I have. After this, I’m totally dry.” She didn’t even bother to hide the defeated bitterness in her voice about that. |
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| Cooper Mandrake | Jul 6 2011, 12:43 AM Post #128 |
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9/15/10 I sent a red flagged message to the Companion Guild, day or night someone would be woke or have their door knocked on until they answered it. It was a nice and simple request to unseal their files on the murders in House Madrassa. Another form comm to the central office getting a court order to unseal and forward them. It might be faster if the over priced hookers decided they needed a lot of time to 'ooh la la' about letting someone see a bit of their soiled undies. 'oh imagine... someone killed a companion just like a common whore'. "Mustn't let anyone thing that." I said aloud. After forwarding a summary of notice to the updated case files I retraced the murders again and sent and avitar after information on Sarah 'Sissy' Sorenson, the adopted Strumpet offspring. Then I went back to the earliest dated murders. The details on the files would be good, see the form of the first killings. Though without certainty of the connection, the coincidences were too large. I punched up the comm for the investigating officers current location. It was a good chance they'd remember the companion house; and the Newhall and Jiangyin were recent enough the cop would like still be on active duty. I kicked back for a few minutes and had a cigarette. I let the latest wash over me a little without putting my mind to it. |
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| ILEV Constable | Jul 6 2011, 12:44 AM Post #129 |
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9/15/10 The Constable Incoming Wave to the Security Center... "My name is Advocate Henry Dabner from the Companion Guild. We have received your request for information regarding the two deaths at House Madrassa?" Mr. Dabner said when Cooper answered. "We would like to answer whatever questions we can. Is Detective Cooper Mandrake available?" |
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| Adria Stark | Jul 6 2011, 12:45 AM Post #130 |
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9/15/10 Adria opened up the file that appeared on the screen, trying to glean as much information as possible. "Andrew, we need to start cross referencing this information. Let me know what you find" she said. She sent a copy of the report to Andrew. She opened up a few more windows and started searching records for information on Hettie and her daughter. "We might also want to expand the search to other planets as well. It's feasible this guy's gotten around on more than one world. Eight years is a long time for a serial killer to go between cycles. Nearly outside the realm of believability, in fact." While Adria was waiting on the information about Hettie and Sarah to load, she followed her own suggestion and started typing in search parameters for similar cases. She paused a moment, then decided to include all known worlds in the search. It would be a lot of information to sort through, but it was best to be thorough than to miss something. There was no such thing as 'too thorough' when it came to investigation as far as Adria was concerned. "If you've got any other ideas, feel free to share" she said. Her tone was focused, rather than sarcastic. Somewhere in her searching, Adria found the time to send a quick text message to Hutch with a summary of what they'd found out from the whore, and telling him that she and Andrew were back at the ship doing some searching on the cortex. She didn't want to comm him in case she blew his cover or something. |
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| Cooper Mandrake | Jul 6 2011, 12:46 AM Post #131 |
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9/15/10 The other two techs I didn't remember, I introduced my self to them as "Detective Mandrake." and ran up their clearances in full view of them watching me; then I returned to my chair. I was just pressing the last of the cigarette out when the Companions got back to me. I looked myself over and stood up. Companion Advocate.. terrific, shouldn't be too stuck up ... "Detective Mandrake here Advocate, thank you for getting back in such a timely manner." I stood in a near attention, feet just slightly apart, hands not quite at my sides, a little behind me. I bowed like he was the Prince of the Policeman's Ball and Retirement Fund. "We have a similiar pattern to the incident of," I looked over to the file... 'discretion' I thought.."CGHM dash 46792 dash... M..." "I am formally requesting all sealed files be released to me and to only authorized detectives for the duration of the investigation; all files to be resealed and verified as such by your self or a duly authorized agent of House Madrassa after what we expect to be an arrest and conviction of the culprit." ![]() . our Security Center / Crime Lab / Bullpen / Mandrake is in the middle left chair, which he's staked out as his. the sort of yellow one. SO... ADRIA AND ANDREW are there too yes? Edited by abbey, Jun 10 2018, 01:13 AM.
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| ILEV Constable | Jul 6 2011, 12:47 AM Post #132 |
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9/15/10 The Constable's Security Center "I am formally requesting all sealed files be released to me and to only authorized detectives for the duration of the investigation; all files to be resealed and verified as such by your self or a duly authorized agent of House Madrassa after what we expect to be an arrest and conviction of the culprit." "Oh I am not just going to hand you over sealed files, Detective Mandrake," Advocate Henry Dabner responded with a polite smile on his face. "The Constable's track record is unproven. What is this? Your first case? The Guild is not willing to give up records they'd rather have the press and public forget to a freshman experiment. No insult intended. We are just being careful. "However, we would like to help. I am here to answer any and all questions you have," Henry said. "Call me Henry. I was there at the time of the crimes. Witnessed their aftermath. The only person more knowledgable on the subject than me would be the bù rén dào guài wu who committed these killings." |
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| Captain Jeremiah Hutchins | Jul 6 2011, 12:48 AM Post #133 |
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Hutch
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9/15/10 Hutch and Mac “You want my opinion? One, find out what Adria’s learnt. Two, have someone do a search on Ink. See if anything shows up on Ink’s background, especially where he’s from. Three, go talk to Bradford about Ink and who came from where. And continue the Cortex searches; that has been our best information source thus far. Maybe somewhere in all of that, we’ll find something of use. "Agreed," Hutch said. "Call it in. Get Adria and Andrew started on it. Then we'll take a walk through the District on the way to Bradford's. Shiny?" |
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| Andrew Williams | Jul 6 2011, 12:48 AM Post #134 |
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AKA Panther
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9/15/10 Andrew hated chancing any further returns to the Constable, knowing well that his time there was limited. His blind need to accompany Adria like a lost puppy was easily excusable for him, however. He had left a few personal belongings behind, and the fact that that smart-ass, know it all leader of the tribe, Mr. Hutch, was out and about somehow gave him the courage to put his mind at ease. That, and he was stupidly addicted to the adrenaline of risk. As it seemed... so did Adria. Though in the end, it might not be too hard to convince them that she was entirely unaware of who he really was... should he ever get caught. Beside his little misconceptions, Andrew convinced Adria it was a smart idea to get in, gather what information they needed from the cortex- and get out. While inside, Andrew found the place was pretty clear, and he followed Adria’s directions at ease. Parking himself on a chair, he put his feet up at the terminal and began running through the files. As time went by, his attention began to delve deeper and deeper into the task, so much so as he hardly took notice of the third party. He glanced over at the man he instantly recognized as Detective “Cooper,” they called him. “Andrew,” he replied. The need for ‘Alex’ didn’t seem to come as a necessity anymore... not like it made much use last time around. He watched him silence. Andrew felt a pang of fierce annoyance as Cooper made his point of checking their clearance while they were watching. Smug cocksucker , he thought bitterly. Suddenly feeling that all too familiar surge of adrenaline, Andrew stared at Adria in dismay as his hand inched to his holster- prepared for anything. With a clear apologetic expression to her, he focused back over Cooper’s shoulder as his identity came up.... Clear... That wasn’t my doing... His sharp eyes pierced the screen. He caught notice of a few things from what he could see. He was pegged as a private investigator, involved in the closing of some high class cases. He sat back in his chair, letting his arm drop. Though instead of feeling relieved, he suddenly became further troubled. Turning back to the terminal, he stared down at the keyboard before him, contemplating the issue in his head. This wasn't the first time someone lurking in the shadows was secretly intervening in his life. There was still the question of who hired Adria... not too many people knew about him. He scratched his chin, further thinking the options. |
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| Skye MacKenzie | Jul 6 2011, 12:49 AM Post #135 |
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"Mac"
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9/15/10 Hutch wrote: "Agreed. Call it in. Get Adria and Andrew started on it. Then we'll take a walk through the District on the way to Bradford's. Shiny?" That knocked Mac out of her unpleasant reverie. At first, catching only the barest gist of his comments, she thought there was more going on than met the eye. In the army, anyone that asked you to perform a task he could have done was grooming you for a position of responsibility. And Mac nearly reacted to it that way before realising that couldn’t be right. She was doing this because she was the one requesting the info. Silly her. She shook off the mental cobwebs and got back to the task at hand, berating herself for having gotten distracted in the first place. She pulled out her comm and pushed the button for Adria. “Adria, Mac here. Have you gotten any info from the Jiangyin woman? And could you send that to me? “Also, Cooper found similar murders on Newhall. I’ll send you and Andrew (that earned a quizzical look in Hutch’s direction) the info, if you don’t already have it. We’ve interviewed Reverend Marley and he has an alibi for last night. So, we’re down to Ink as our last primary suspect. Can you do a background search on him and see if you can find anything connecting him to either Jiangyin or Newhall? Then again, anything you can find on Ink’s history would be useful. “Captain Hutchens and I are going to go talk to Silas Bradford, so if you find something, send it to my pad. I don’t want to interrupt Bradford unexpectedly. “Thanks, Adria. Mac out.” She signed off, looking a little belatedly to Hutch to see if there were something he had wanted to add or change. “Who’s Andrew?” And before she could stop her mouth. "Shiny? You sound like a Rim hick... Uhm, sir." Tsao. Okay, time to find a hole and crawl in. |
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9:43 AM Jul 11


