Puppet Shows and Shadow Plays

[Silver Priest]

The pair answer the agent's questions.

"We can get you access to the crime scenes, though I doubt you'll find anything," says Colorados. "The victims cars are at a local impound yard, and the fisherman's belongings and anything found on reach of the crime scenes are stored in the evidence locker's here. Mostly trinkets.

"No known disappearances, no, but that does not tell us much. It took well over a week for the tourists to be reporting as missing for us. This time of year what with the busy travel season, folks could have gone missing days ago and we've still not heard," Garrett adds.

"Nothing really significant about the month to my people. Nor have there been any recent releases from the jails that I believe capable of pulling off a scheme this complex. I will of course get you a list however. So long as you promise you are looking for a criminal, not just a scapegoat.

"The weather was fine as well. Hot every day, but normal for those of us use to the local temperatures. Even in the winter we don't get much relief.

"We thought at first it was AIM related, but the Begay's made that seem unlikely. Chief here says they were a pillar of the community, respected by all."

"Indeed. It also looks as though this was not personal. Some of these could have been targets of opportunity. The tourists for example were unlikely to immediately be missed. And the Curtley's the uh, first victims, car was found with a flat tire out in the middle of State Road 70. We think maybe the perpetrator or perpetrators happened upon them as they were attempting to fix it."

"The disappearances all took place near the southern end of the reservation, on or nearby State Road 70. None of the incidents occurred more than a half mile or so from the road. Perhaps someone is trolling it looking for victims."

Garrett consults his notes. "Let's see... Nope, says here our foreign friends used different rental agencies. Arrived by different airports too."

"You see what we've had to deal with. The victims are all from different walks of life. It's been difficult to pin down anything connecting any of them, aside from where the disappearances took place.
However, the last disappearance that we know of currently, the Begay family, there was a witness... of sorts. One of their neighbors had a conversation with Victorio the night before he went missing. It's our best lead at the moment. Frankly it's our only one. I'm willing to take anyone who wants to come out to meet with him and see if you can all get anything else from him.

"And my boys and I are gonna take one of the choppers up to survey the road from the sky. It's all desert out there, so anything suspicious should be easy to spot. Y'all welcome to come see how real law enforcement is conducted." The Major puffs his chest out, clearly having great confidence in his abilities.

[Dave Syrinx]

Stanyard looks at the locals, "Since you mention the AIM, there was a debacle some years ago, I believe. What was that about? And could this be some kind of payback at the area? Not the specific individuals - but at the area's reputation. And, Major Garrett, how does the remaining log of -99 and Arizona look regarding missing people and disappearances, not solely State Road 70? Even the entire stretch of the 70? It does cover a substantial ground. The two major intersections at Globe and Safford should have the highest population where we could find some traces of the tourists. As you said, they've not been found. If these people chose to vanish, they's most likely be in those towns. No way they'd be roughing it in the plains." He pushes a new note to Marchand.

Spoiler:

We need to trace the calls to this station. Two calls came in when we arrived. One allegedly from a newspaper or a Mystery Show from TV. Or it could be the police here is covering something and don't really want our help. If those callers have called at earlier intervals in December we could have a trail. Also, I would like to interview the producers of the show. Could it all be a publicity stunt?

Stanyard lifts an eyebrow at Vanessa when he pushes the note.

"Sheriff Colorados, incidentally, what's with the tabloids writing about the cases? Have you checked their sources? "

[HoneyDog]

Nik

Nik casts a sidelong glance at Stanyard. "Where's this guy coming from?" he thinks.He doesn't want to cause a problem with a senior agent, but he surmises that what is happening is probably the work of a local serial killer.

He clears his throat. "Perhaps, as our local colleagues seem to be thinking, the victims probably didn't choose to go missing. Why would these tourists, including a wealthy retired couple, choose to disappear in the middle of the Arizona desert?".

He looks at Marchand. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to talk to Sheriff Colorados' witness."

[Dave Syrinx]

"They might not have chosen to disappear but been kidnapped and taken to one of those locations. All in a ruse to create a manhunt or media circus. Something we might be on the brink of."

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, that's fine," says Vanessa to Nik. "I'll go with you. I'd like to talk to the witness too."

[Dave Syrinx]

"I'd be obliged to hitch a ride with you and your men, Major Garrett, Sir." Stanyard adds.

[Silver Priest]

"AIM's always been a bunch of rabble rousers. They murdered those two FBI Agents back in... what was it? '75?"

"Allegedly."

"Well all I'm sayin' is, they've got a history of violent protest. Maybe they kidnapped all these folks to make some kind of point. In their minds the folks were trespassing on sacred land or some such nonsense. Maybe the Begays found out and had to be removed."

Colorados looks skeptical. "This would be a huge step up from anything else AIM has ever done. And I thought you were willing to discount them?"

"A good lawman don't discount anything, Chief. In many of these cases more than one person went missing. in the Begays four were taken, right from their own home. I don't think we're dealing with just one perp here."

Coloraods shakes his head. "We've examined the local towns, no one has seen a trace of any of the victims since their disappearances. The last correspondence the tourists made were at their hotels, both of which were outside San Carlos."

At the question about tabloids, the sheriff rolls his eyes and Garrett chuckles.

"Yes, the loons have come out of the woodwork. Ever since this story hit national, we've been besieged by 'reporters' convinced that their fringe theories are what is at play here. The worst by far is Phenomen-X." All of the agents had at least heard of it. A paranormal "news" show, It aired at 2 am on one of the basic networks, tucked neatly in between ads for psychics and exercise machines. "They're convinced aliens are the culprits, pointing to some strange lights that have been seen in the sky by a few people. Of course, last year they were around these parts hunting for Bigfoot, so I don't give their words much credence."

OOC:   I'll split you guys up once I know which team Edmund wants to go with.

[Mr. Handy]

"What tips have you received about the case?" asks Vanessa.

[Cearlan]

Edmiund Rue

"I'm happy to go fly in the chopper" Edmund chimes in enthusiastically - perhaps a little too enthusiastically he realises halfway through.

[Silver Priest]

"Oh plenty," Colorados says in response to Vanassa's question. "Problem is, they're all garbage. Cranks, nuts, jokers... the typical type you get on an investigation of this size, or so I'm led to believe. Still, I'll be happy to share them with you if you think it will help. For now though, I want to go see our witness. While there, you can inspect the Begay ranch. As the most recent crime scene and the only one where the victims had been home, it might prove useful."

***

Nik and Vanessa,Colorados drives the pair out to the Begay Ranch. It's located only a few miles from the State Road and has a road leading right up to it. It's a large property,probably the largest one the agents had seen around here. A large residence and barn could be seen, and several flocks of cattle wandered about outside in fenced in enclaves. "[color=#008000]I took the liberty of asking John Rope to meet us here[/color]," says Colorados. "[color=#008000]He's our witness. He's also been nice enough to come over and tend to the animals while the Begays are...away[/color]." The group approach the home, the animals cries the only sound besides their footsteps. Sitting out front of the home is an old man. Grizzled and with sun tanned skin, he looks to be at least 80. Still he's able to rise up on his own, and moves to shake the sheriff's hand. He does not offer it to the agents. Sheriff Colorados says a few things to the man in another language. Rope nods, causing Colorados to switch back to English and address the feds. "[color=#008000]John Rope says that the last time he saw Victorio Begay was the day after Christmas. They are old friends, and one of the man's frequent complaints was that someone was stealing his sheep. John Rope says this had been going on for about two months. The sheep were Victorio's lifeblood, and he was fed up. He told John that he was going to sit out all night with his rifle and wait for the thief to stop by. John Rope says he tried to talk Victorio out of it, but that he was adamant that he wanted to catch the thief red handed. He went to visit Victorio on the 27th, but found no sign of any of the family. There were no signs of a struggle or forced abduction. The only thing out of place was that Victorio's rifle was found not too far from where John was just sitting. It had been unfired. "John Rope knew that the Begays would not leave their herd, so he called us down at the station. We did a thorough search of the property and found no signs of anything amiss. Whoever made the Begays vanished did so without leaving a trace behind[/color]."

Stanyard and Edmund,The small state copter is not far from the tribal police station. Garrett had apparently already called it in. Inside the cramped helicopter is the Major and four state patrolman, along with a pilot. The reactions of the men seem to be one of wariness, aside from Garrett, who's all smiles. "[color=#0040FF]Much obliged you fellas wanted to join us. Let's just get one thing straight though; this is my baby. Y'all can throw off whatever fancy suggestions y'all have, but just keep in mind we're runnin the show here. So long as you know that we'll get along just fine[/color]." The helicopter itself seemed to be touring the length of the State Road where most of the disappearances had happened. Looking out, the agents quickly discover the area surrounding the road is largely barren. Caves and ridges can be seen further from the road, suggesting there were some places a person could go to lay low around here. [color=#0040FF]"So, you folks got any ideas 'bout what we're dealing with here? In my mind it can only be an organized conspiracy. This is too big for one person. Especially the Begays. An adult man and two teenagers just going missing, all without a fight? That's more than the work of one man. The lack of trouble suggests it was someone they knew too. Maybe they were lured out and abused a safe distance away from their home. Not a pretty picture, it ain't. But it sure will be good to bust up a whole cache of troublemakers[/color]." The major chuckles. "[color=#0040FF]Be downright prestigious for our little department.[/color]" [ooc]You both can make Search rolls as you're examining the Road and its surroundings via air[/ooc].

[Dave Syrinx]

Stanyard eagle eyes the terrain. "Can you get us over the Begays farm? I'd like to see if there are someplace close you could hide away a family."

Spoiler:

SEARCH 50%
[dice]0[/dice]

[HoneyDog]

Nik

The house depresses Nik. A whole family disappearing to nowhere. “This is a bad case” he mutters to himself. “It’s going to end badly”.

Acknowledging the old Apache Mr. Rope with a nod of his head, he asks Colorados: “Did any other homesteads in the area report any missing animals? Anything at all? Cats, dogs, chickens?” He’s heard that sometimes killers will remove animals which might give the alarm away.

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa greets John Rope with a friendly wave. "Yes, and were any additional sheep missing from here since the last time he had seen Mr. Begay?" she says. "Perhaps the sheep thieves were responsible for the disappearances, and they could have taken more sheep at the same time. Does he know if the Begays kept a count of their sheep anywhere?"

[Cearlan]

Edmiund Rue

Edmund looks towards the series of caves;-

"Err I don't mean to intrude here, but I take it that the caves, or at least the approach to the caves have been searched by now. It seems to me that you could hide an army up there between the ridges and the caves if you knew the area. Now I know that tracks can be covered easily enough, but I reckon that people who know what to look for could tell the signs."

[Silver Priest]

Edmund and Stanyard,[color=#0040FF]"Sure. We're about fifteen miles away from the Begays now. I'll have us fly over it." "We've searched most of the caves in the surrounding few miles or so, with no particular success. A few of the places are off limits, Tribal importance or some such. Takes awhile to negotiate the right to look through those places. But you're right, anyone could keep a few people pretty well hidden in these parts. Makes our work frustrating[/color]." [ooc]Making a quick roll for Edmund to see if he spots anything[/ooc] [dice]0[/dice] Fails Suddenly, one of the deputies gives a shout. "Down there!" Looking out the window, the agents spot it too. he spots something down below. Out about a half mile west from the road ,the glint of sunlight seems to be reflecting off something metallic. It looks like part of a car of some sort, perhaps the roof, is peeking out of the ground.

Vanessa and Nik,Rope greets the agents with a stiff nod. [color=#004000]"None that we know of. The Begays have some of the largest herds around here. Most of the other ranchers have maybe fifteen or twenty sheep at most, where Victorio had over 200. Perhaps the perpetrators expected it would be less noticeable[/color]. John Rope answers Vanassa's questions before Colorados can translate. He speaks to Colorados, who refers his answers to the investigators. "[color=#004000]John Rope says there were no new missing sheep since the last time he had seen the Begays, the day before their disappearance. And none have gone missing since. It could be our thief became spooked upon being discovered. "Yes, they have a ledger. It was always one sheep going missing, usually every three or four days. Once tow were taken, but never more than that. This happened roughly twice a week for two months[/color]." [ooc]If either of the agents wish to search the property, they can make rolls to do so now.[/ooc]

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," says Vanessa. "It would be interesting to look at that ledger, see if the dates line up with the other disappearances. With a ranch this size, are there any hands who work for the Begays?"

After the interview concludes, Vanessa begins to search the premises, bringing the evidence kit with her in case she finds anything of interest, but she does not.

OOC,Search roll (50% skill) searching the property: [dice]0[/dice]

[HoneyDog]

Nik

Nik asks for and is directed to the place where Victorio Begay was sitting when he was abducted.

Search 40% Search: 1d100 38

[Dave Syrinx]

-In the helicopter

Stanyard sees it too as the chopper gets a better angle. "Let's see if we can get down there and investigate!" He picks out a small scoped sight from his vest pocket.

[Silver Priest]

Edmund and Stanyard,"[color=#0040FF]Take us down[/color]!" Garrett tells the pilot, who complies. Helooks smugly at the pair of agents as they make their way down. "[color=#0040FF]Really glad we got your help boys. You've been a big one so far[/color]." A few minutes later the copter has (bumpily) landed, and the team gets out to inspect the scene. Patches of dirt have been dug up from the ground revealing a white car roof. It's clear some animal went to great lengths to dig up the car's roof, but strangely they left the rest of the car alone. Garrett lets out a sharp whistle. "[color=#0040FF]Well, well, ain't this promising. I think we just found our next victim boys. None of the previous ones cars went missing along with them, so this seems to be a new case." "I'm gonna call in some backup to help us dig it up. In the meantime, why don't you folks make yourself useful and look over the scene[/color]?"The major reaches for his radio and steps away. [ooc]You both can make Search and Idea([strike]EDU[/strike]INT*5) rolls as you examine the scene for any clues. Also, please see the OOC thread if you've not already. I'd like feedback on the rolls I require.[/ooc]

Vanessa and Nik,[color=#008000]"Good thinking[/color]," Colorados says. "[color=#008000]It's in lockup with the rest of the evidence in this case. When we get back to the station I'll have someone fetch it for you[/color]." Going through the house Vanessa finds it to be a lovely home, neat and comforting. Dishes are put away and clothes are hung neatly in closets. Various tribal statues can be found throughout the house, each one carved by an obviously skilled hand. The first thing she examines are the bedrooms. The only thing that stands out to her are that each of the beds are unmade. Given the neatness of the rest of the home, that seems a bit unusual. Still, there are no signs of struggle in any of the rooms. Nik is directed to a place just a few feet from where John Rope had been sitting. He examines the spot and finds it gives him a good view of the entrance to the ranch and barn where the animals were kept. With the lack of cover, Anyone coming in from the road would be spotted easily. The only other direction someone could come from was the back of the house, but they'd have to go through others property to make that route, and it was a long trek. Perhaps too long to justify stealing a single sheep. He looks around for a minute over the vast property when something catches his eye. Out to the west a flock of vultures were circling in the sky. Most unusually they were circling over a single spot of land. Nik knew that the birds were attracted to carcasses, meaning there was a good chance something was buried there. If Nik gets closer to the area, he sees that someone or something had already begun to dig it up, and the ground seems disturbed. It shouldn't require much more work to find out what was buried here, if he was curious. [ooc]Nik and Vanessa assuming she follows, can give me search rolls. Also, please see the OOC thread if you've not already. I'd like feedback on the rolls I require[/ooc].

[Dave Syrinx]

-In the helicopter

Spoiler:

Stanyard checks for signs where the car would have come from. He then peeks inside the car without entering it.

Search @50%
Edu (not applicable) Intx5=75%

Search
[dice]0[/dice]

Intx5
[dice]1[/dice]