A Victim of the Art

[HoneyDog]

Nik

“Wait!” cautions Nik. “If it is Dengler, he’s highly dangerous. If we piss him off, or if he feels threatened, we’re in line to get attacked. I know that people are at risk from Dengler, but we still don’t know what we’re up against, and even if bullets can stop this monster thing.”

He holds out his hands. “Why don’t we surveille him? Try and find out more about him? Break into his place if we can. At least until we hear from Jensen Wu.”

[Cearlan]

Edmund Rue

"Good idea to keep an close watch on him, though there is no need to rush the surveillance on Dengler. According to Maretti's secretary, Dengler was in for a routine cleaning. I could swing by and see if there was any prior treatment, something like extractions or root canals. I think that it's unlikely that he thinks we are on to him - just yet. We can get his details from the school administration. If needed, one of us could get over to Dengler's house now and set up first watch."

[Mr. Handy]

"Of course, the more time that passes, the more likely it is he'll strike out at someone else," says Vanessa. "If we draw his fire, at least we're armed and trained. Still, if we've got him under surveillance, he shouldn't be able to go after anyone without us knowing. How can we be sure he'll head directly home?"

[HoneyDog]

“We can’t. Anyway, we don’t even know what he looks like. Why don’t we try and get his file from the Principal? And maybe search his locker if they’ll let us. If we can get into his house and search his things it should be able to tell us something more about him. Can you find out anything more from the dentist Rue? We can confirm if Dengler had a run-in with him.”

Nik pauses with his hand on the handle of the office door. “I’m thinking that this monster might be one of two things. Either Dengler controls it directly, using some kind of power, or it might be an extension of his unconscious id, like in that movie Forbidden Planet”.

He leads the way to the Principal’s office. “We’re gonna have to think of a story to spin for him.”

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   I'd say a successful persuade roll can get you access to Thomas' information and address. Rue can also easily call the dentist office without going over, if he wants to do that. No persuade necessary

[Mr. Handy]

"I was also thinking of Little Shop of Horrors," says Vanessa. "Seymour's not a bad guy, but he's got this carnivorous alien plant that eats people. One of them was a dentist, in fact. What we're dealing with here is an animal rather than a plant, but it may be acting on Dengler's behalf against anyone he feels wronged him, with or without his conscious knowledge."

When they get to the principal's office, Vanessa is easily able to get him to divulge the requested information.

OOC,Persuade roll (70% skill) to get [b]Dengler[/b]'s information and address: [dice]0[/dice]

[Cearlan]

Edmund Rue

Edmund calls the dentist's office to see if there was any more information forthcoming. He adds a couple of names to 'hide' the fact that he is concentrating on Dengler.

"Hello there, Florence is it? I called by earlier today and was wondering if you could give me some more information on a couple of the patients that Dr Maretti dealt with. What we are looking for are the records of any treatment for the following, covering say the last six months. We have Lucilie Montana, Thomas Dengler and Mark Corvi. Yes I'll hold."

[Silver Priest]

Vanessa does not even have to offer any bluster. A smile and polite request is enough to convince the secretary to hand over the necessary files.

Thomas Peter Dengler is 16 and in the 11th grade. The picture included in his file shows a tall, gangly boy who looks slightly uncomfortable at being photographed. A parody of a smile is across his face, but it is heavily strained, and his eyes show his unease. The note indicated this was taken at the start of the school year. In addition, his address is listed. It's not too far from here, maybe a ten minute drive.

Edmund meanwhile cleverly requests three patients information in an attempt to throw off suspicion. The receptionist quickly obliges. She rattles off Montana and Corvi's information, and perhaps unsurprisingly nothing jumps out. Then she gets to Dengler.

"Thomas, let's see... The only thing I'm seeing is a normal appointment 6 months ago. He came twice a year since he was, oh, 4 or 5. He's a very nice boy. Scared of his own shadow, if you don't mind me saying, but I don't blame him. Some people are uncomfortable with going to the dentist, and I think he is."

[HoneyDog]

Nik

“Principal Harolds, we think that maybe Lauren gave Thomas something pertinent to the investigation before she was killed. I know it’s unorthodox, but time is of the essence. We need to look in his locker.”

Persuade,Persuade 70: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/522146]Persuade[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]3[/b]

[Silver Priest]

" Of course," Harolds says deferentially. Nik gets the feeling he still terrifies the man.

The locker contains neatly organized text books, all of which seem to be standard high school fare . There's also a standard notebook, the kind a student might do their assignments in or take notes in.
The agents look the evidence over. The textbooks are quickly confirmed to be just that. The notebook also seems to be more of the same, detailing assignments and the like. But throughout the book they notice Dengler has written Lauren's name several times. Sometimes it's underlined, sometimes circled. A few times it's affectionate. I love you from afar, Lauren.

Near the middle of the book a few pages seem dedicated to writing some sort of poetry for his crush. One of the highlights:

L is for your lovely lips.

A is for your attractiveness.

U is for your unique beauty.

R is for your refinement.

E is for your energetic cheers.

N is for my never ending love for you.

This is not even the worst example of the poems. All are cringe inducing to one degree or another.

More recent pages of the notebook do not have these little asides to Lauren. But according to the dates Thomas has written for various assignments, it seems clear these notes were taken after her unfortunate death.

OOC:   Not sure what skill fits here, but everyone can give me an Art roll to examine Thomas's handwriting and see if it has changed at all. It might be able to tell you something about his mental state. I'm open to other skills being rolled if you can argue for one convincingly, but this seemed most appropriate to me.

[HoneyDog]

Nik

OOC:   Sorry, I don't have Art and I don't think Nik has any other suitable skills. I'll just include his deductions from the notes. If they're wrong, please say so!

“God!” cries Nik. “This is terrible. No wonder she laughed at him. Poor guy.”

He looks through the later notes. “After her death, he stops mentioning her. There’s no expressions of lost love or sadness. She just doesn’t exist. You’d think that if he loved her, he’d mourn her loss. What does that mean?”

To Marchand he says “Why don’t we go check out his place when you’re ready? What does it say about his family in the file?”

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   Actually I'm going to say forensics would be an acceptable roll here, so any of you can make it if you have it.

Dengler's parents are listed as Mark and Eloise, but that is the extent of the information provided in the file. They both seem to be alive and living with Thomas.

[Cearlan]

Edmund Rue

Edmund laughs, hoping to keep the receptionist onside. "I hear you on that on - I still think the book and movie Marathon Man has a lot to answer for on that front. The phrase "Ees eet safe?" in a flat Germanic accent still sends shivers down my spine. But back to business I guess, just what treatment did Thomas undergo Florence?"

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa studies the writing carefully.

OOC,Forensics roll (80% skill) analyzing the handwriting: [dice]0[/dice]

[Silver Priest]

The receptionist laughs. "You know,we get that a lot. Many patients are really hesitant to come to the dentist office. They expect it to be something out of a horror movie or something. Dr. Maretti always tried his best to explain exactly what he was doing and when, and he'd talk the patient through their anxiety. It seemed to help." Florence's tone became sadder, as she reflected on the loss.

"I'm looking through Thomas' medical history, and I don't see anything more severe than a cavity now and then.The boy just seems a little sensitive in general, if you don't mind me saying. Most boys his age seem to be dedicated to showing how tough they are, but he never seemed to put up a front.

"Actually now that you mention it, I do remember he looked a bit shaken up after the last appointment. It was nothing too severe, he just seemed a bit pale. I think he was very glad once the appointment was over. I'm sure he felt better within an hour."

Vanessa meanwhile examines Thomas' writing. Obviously it's hard to be sure, but it definitely seems to have degraded a bit in the most recent entries. Thomas does not complete all of his letters and they seem to droop a bit and tilt towards the side. This seems to have started after Lauren's death and rejection of him, but it is hard to say which he was feeling more upset about. But based off his writing, Vanessa does feel confident that he's been upset recently.

[Cearlan]

Edmund Rue

"Hmm that's interesting. Did you say he was just down for a cleanng? Surely there is nothing to get shaken up in that."

[Mr. Handy]

Vanessa shares her observations with Nik. "Having his heart broken must have messed him up badly," she says. "That could have pushed him to do things he wouldn't normally do."

[HoneyDog]

Nik

“Like summon a monster from outer space to brutally murder her? That's some broken heart.”

He closes the locker door. “Why don’t we go and get a look at his place? I want to case it a little. We need to know what we're dealing with cause sooner or later he's gonna go off again, and someone's gonna die.”

[Silver Priest]

"I would think not," said Florence. "But some people do have a rough time with any dental procedure, no matter how minor. They see it as invasive. Even a cleaning may have made him a little uncomfortable. Still, I'm sure no lasting harm was done." Thankfully the receptionist did not seem suspicious. Rue gets the feeling she's more bored and eager for the chance to gossip.

***
Whenever the agents set out, they soon find Thomas Dengler's home. It's a nice two story residence, located on a quiet street that seems pleasantly ordinary for the area. No one seems outside at the moment, though several vehicles are pulled into neighboring driveways, and the lights from televisions are seen in several windows, suggesting people have started to come home from work.

The House,[img]https://s24.postimg.org/cr7qhluv9/Home-with-_Attached-_Garage.jpg[/img]

The Dengler residence itself seems quiet. No car is parked in the driveway. The windows are closed and blinded, preventing anyone from getting a look inside. There was an attached fence to the right of the house though that seemed to lead around to the back of the property. The only other entrances seemed to be two first floor windows, each located on opposite sides of the house, and the front door itself.

OOC:   It's maybe 3:30 now. School let out at 3. No sign from here that anyone is in the house, though of course any cars could have pulled into the garage and the blinds being down obscure any activity from within. Dengler's file did have contact information for his parents, including phone numbers. No way to tell if it's the house number or work information, though. So, you guys planning to do some breaking and entering, or you want to just case the place? If you need more info let me know and I'll try to answer any questions.

[HoneyDog]

Nik regards the house silently, thinking about how to proceed. He wonders if the answers to their questions can be found here. "I need to get into that house" he thinks. But there must be an alarm system.

"If we case the house, we need to make sure no-one's home. We can't let Dengler know we're on to him"

He is silent for a time, then says to Marchand, “Something happened to that kid, I’m sure of it”. He pauses. “I wonder if it has anything to do with his parents?”

He makes a call to the local field office, and asks if there are any criminal records pertaining to the Dengler family, including Thomas, and if there is a history of any crimes having been recorded or reported at their address.