A Victim of the Art

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   Since this is the first thing you guys are really purchasing, I'll say you can all chip in, sure. No penalty this time. And sure, you can take shifts watching the house. Feel free to come up with a schedule for that.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,I can take the first shift. We could take three shifts of five hours each. That will take us from when we start (around 4 PM) until tomorrow at around 7 AM, at which point we'll all want to be awake. We can pick up some food for dinner and breakfast, because you can't spell stakeout without takeout. We'll all sit in the car, one in the driver's seat on watch and two resting and/or sleeping in the back. One of those not on watch can go somewhere else if needed. If anyone gets suspicious and asks us what we're doing there, we can flash our badges and say it's a stakeout, but not give any details (though they'll probably figure it's related to the murders).

[HoneyDog]

OOC,Sounds fine Mr.Handy! Let's go with that.

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   Okay. So Vanessa first, Nik second, Edmund third? Anyone have objections to that? Posting Vanessa's shift, but let me know if either of you guys want to try something else.

The team head to the local car rental, and pick out an impressive BMW coupe. Splitting the bill three ways they're all able to handle it, but hopefully they won't need it longer than a few days. Stopping on the way back for various foods, they park down the street from the Dengler home and begin to observe.

For the first few hours, not much happens. A woman pulls up to the home and parks in the garage. This would seem to be Eloise Dengler, though none of the agents have seen her before. She's dressed sharply in a nice suit and is made up quite well, suggesting some type of corporate job. She heads inside the house without so much as looking at the team.

About an hour later a man, presumably Mark Dengler, joins her. He's somewhat heavy and balding, and his clothes are not quite as impressive as his wife's, but by no means does he look like a slob. He too parks in the garage and heads inside.

And for the next several hours nothing happens. The blinds are still closed so it's impossible to figure out just what is going on inside the home, but the Dengler's appear tucked in for the night. By 9 in the evening there has been no further activity, and the agents are perhaps beginning to grow restless. But at least so far no one has seemed to notice them.

OOC:   Just confirming you guys want to continue the thrilling stakeout and start Nik's shift. You're in a position where you could see if anyone left the front of the home, though the back is still unobserved. Still, from what Nik saw there's no path out from the back, unless one of the Denglers wanted to climb a fence or two.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,I'm fine with continuing to the next shift. One good thing about renting this car and staking out the house is that we don't need to pay for a hotel room tonight.

[HoneyDog]

OOC,Sure, you can do Nik's shift next.

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   Unfortunately, the hotel was covered by the FBI, so you're not saving anything by forgoing it. But the bureau is sure to appreciate your thrift. Taking some small liberties with this post, I assure you none of them will lead to negative consequences in game. Rather, I just don't want to have you have to post where exactly you go to the bathroom or such. Also Cearlan,to keep us going I'm assuming you're going along with the others, please excuse me if that's not the case.

It grows dark. The agents occasionally need to use the bathroom or get a refill on the coffee keeping them awake. One of them has the bright idea to recruit a neighbor into the stakeout. A quick knock on one of the door's and a flash of the badge gains the cooperation of a local, and the agents now have a base a short distance away. Nothing is told to the neighbors, (an elderly couple) as to their target just yet. But if they decide to breech it later they certainly could.

Nik begins his shift as Vanessa naps in the back. It's about 10:30 before he sees the front door open and Mark Dengler exit the house. Brief excitement dies out when he sees that the man is taking his garbage out to the bin. This task done, the man heads back inside, and the wait continues.

Nothing happens for the next several hours, and Edmund's shift begins. He's much more fortunate. It's only an hour into his shift, around 3:00 in the morning, when something happens. Albeit it likely not what the agents were expecting.

Vanessa's phone rings, waking the sleeping agents.

"Agent Marchand?" The voice is that of Andrew Gregson, the Detective in charge of the murders here in Glendridge. He identifies himself before continuing. "Wake your team and get down to Glendridge Hospital.

There's been another murder."

[HoneyDog]

OOC:   Shall we have one agent stay and continue the surveillance?

[Mr. Handy]

"We're on our way," replies Vanessa, waking Nik and informing him and Edmund what has happened.

OOC,I don't know if there's much point. If [b]Dengler[/b] is responsible, he apparently didn't need to leave the house. It could be that whatever he summoned, whether intentionally or not, was able to go off on its own and without us noticing. Still, if someone wants to stay, I'll be okay with that.

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   If any of you want to stay behind, do let me know.

It takes less than twenty minutes for the agents to arrive at the hospital. Flashing their badges to the receptionist, they're directed to the third floor, and a tired looking Detective Gregson. He's in the midst of a conversation with Detective Kathy Greenwich when he spies the agents, and motions for them to come over. Greenwich nods at them before leaving.

"Call came in about 1 AM. We don't have confirmation that a murder has taken place yet, but judging by the other victims I don't think this one's chances of survival are very high. Our vic was a local high school student by the name of Chad Jordan. He and Lauren Harrogate used to date, so we're treating this as related.

"Chad was on a 'date' up at the town's lover's lane when he was apparently abducted. His, ah... 'girlfriend' witnessed the entire thing, and she drove to a nearby payphone and called us. Unfortunately though she's delusional, spouting off about flying creatures and some such. Given the hysteria that Lauren's mother suffered witnessing her own child's abduction, I think we may be looking at a killer who's using some sort of chemical to cause witnesses to hallucinate. Yikes, we've been mostly kept clean of the NYC drug epidemic, even back in the 80's. But this is something else."

"Anyway, I've had Greenwich start a search for Jordan, but like I said I don't think he'll turn up alive. And now I have to handle the media firestorm this is all going to cause." he complains.

"We're keeping Chad's date, a Kimberly Talden, here under observation. Hopefully she'll sober up and prove more able to tell us what happened."

[HoneyDog]

OOC:   Nik is fine to leave.

On the way, Nik gives his thoughts. “If it is Thomas, this proves that he doesn’t have to be in the immediate vicinity when it happens. Whatever happens tonight, at least one of us needs to get into that house tomorrow.”

At the hospital, he listens to the news silently.

“Can we talk to Kimberly now? It can’t wait” he asks.

[Silver Priest]

Gregson's eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.

"You didn't get the news? Huh. I guess us locals are more on the ball, for once. But this all happened so fast, wires have been known to cross.

"About a half hour ago I received a call from the NSA. They told me they were taking over the case, effective immediately. Apparently this has all been approved and cleared with the FBI as well. The agent on the other end told me that we were to keep the patient secure and under no circumstances let anyone see her until a team of their agent's has arrived. Apparently this includes doctors, and well, you. I protested, but the man on the other end of the line was very clear that this is national security related matter.

He appears conflicted. "I can't say I'm happy with yet another group of newcomers coming in and taking the case over, but I'm equally sure that these guys are not the type I want to cross."

OOC:   If you want to see Kimberly a persuade roll will be required. Gregson appears nervous.

[HoneyDog]

Nik grows alarmed. “Believe me Gregson, those guys do not have Kimberly’s best interests at heart. Does that sound at all normal to you? Let us in to see her, we’ll take care of her.”

Persuade,Persuade 70: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/524559]Persuade[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]81[/b]

[Mr. Handy]

"No, they never notified us," says Vanessa. "Anyway, they're not here now, and we are. This is a matter of life and death, and every second counts. It may not be too late to save Chad Jordan's life, but it could be if we wait for the NSA to get here. Kimberly may have a vital clue buried in all that noise."

OOC,Persuade roll (70% skill) to convince [b]Gregson[/b] to let us see [b]Kimberly[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

[Cearlan]

Edmiund Rue

"Let me put it to you this way Detective Gregson, these NSA guys are more than likely going to bury this case. And that includes anyone who may happen to get in their way, trust us, we've seen them in action before, and it ain't a pretty sight. We have the best interests of both the girl and Chad in mind here and we really need to speak to her before these other goons get here. Time is against us all here."

OOC:   Damn - I failed the roll by 1%

[Silver Priest]

Gregson looks genuinely conflicted, especially as the agents attest to the NSA team not having Kimberly best interest at heart. He weighs his options, but his stare soon becomes firm.

"I'm sorry, but I have my orders. You're to wait here."

"Of course, there are three of you and one of me, and my eyesight is not what it once was. If one of you were to sneak past me while I was engaged in conversation with the other two... that would be most unfortunate." He shifts his position slightly, allowing access to the room he was previously standing in front of.

[HoneyDog]

Nik

Without hesitating, Nik walks into the room. He shows his badge to the girl.

"Kimberly, I'm with the FBI. We know you saw something strange but we believe you. You're not crazy or confused. We're searching for this thing. We want to move you to somewhere more secure for your safety ."

He extends his hand. "Come with me."

[Silver Priest]

Kimberly Talden looks to be about 17. She's a thin girl with sandy brown hair and big blue eyes. She is clearly pretty, but at the moment her rather obvious unease detracts from her beauty. It is obvious she had been crying, and even now she seems troubled.

When Nik shows her the badge, she quickly gets out of bed. She seems to trust him implicitly, and the agent thinks that she's focusing on the badge as a symbol of safe authority.

"It was awful. I can still see it, and hear Chad's screams!"

She looks ready to follow Nik out the way they came in. There is no other exit.

OOC:   Nik can make an idea roll here.

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   It occurs to Nik that trying to hide Kimberly from the NSA agents would likely paint a broad target on the team's backs, and reveal their DG affiliation. In addition, Gregson would probably object to moving her anywhere else. Maybe it would be a better idea to keep Gregson watching for any attempt for the goons to remove Kim from the hospital. Of course, he could go ahead with his plan. If Kimberly's life was truly in danger, getting her out of here might be the only way to protect it.

[HoneyDog]

OOC:   We can move Kimberly to another part of the hospital while we question her. Gregson can give some story about her undergoing treatment and can't be disturbed. If the NSA only want to question her that's fine, but if they try to remove her from the hospital we might have to step in. What do you think?