Play@YSDC

Posted: **Sun Apr 16, 2017 6:00 am**

The days pass in relative peace, as the three agents resume their normal lives.

Haunted by what she recently had to do, Vanessa spends time with her mother. It helps her forget Marlene Baughman's screams. Still, her mother is getting older. Vanessa may wonder if the situation ever presented itself if she'd not have attempted the same.

Her attempts to retreat to nature prove more difficult. Clyde Baughman had created his horror somewhere out in a place like this. It made it hard for her to relax.

Nik improves his accounting skills and leafs through the books Baughman so nicely left for him.

Edmund keeps a close watch on his sister, appreciating the normalcy after what he's seen. He vows to keep her safe. He also examines the tape, and from it does some research on the Pastor on the side.

OOC: Both of the results of your actions can be found in the OOC thread if you've not looked already.

It isn't until nearly three months later that the group is called for again.

May 10th, 1999

The email shows up in all three agent's inboxes early in the morning.

Subject: A Night at the Opera

Your team has been invited to an opera performance in Long Island, New York.

Arrangements have been made with your superiors to assign you the case later today. Once assigned, make your way to Glenridge, Long Island, and report in to the authorities there. We have reason to believe they are investigating a case that requires Opera Lovers intervention.

Below is a number for a local Agent in the vicinity. Once you've reported in to the locals contact MARCUS and brief him on the situation. He is to be your source of contact to the group for the duration of this mission.

This is a high profile investigation, so caution is strongly urged to avoid exposure of the organization's existence or goals.

Be Seeing You.

It takes a few hours, but all three agents are called into SAC Hobbson's office. Of course, SAC Hobbson himself is long retired now, happily spending it at various fishing spots across the country. Their new superior is a stern faced man in his 40's named Reynolds. He lacks Hobbson's social tendencies and is very much no nonsense, but he does not seem overtly vindicative. But then, why would he be? He had gotten the job he was angling for.

"Agents, glad you all could make it. We've got a case in Long Island, New York and you've been asked to assist with it by the higher ups. Apparently your cracking of the Santana case carries a lot of weight.

"I'm afraid I don't have much detail at the moment, but some serial killer has been stalking the town of Glenridge, Long Island. You've all been assigned to assisting the local police with the case. Make your arrangements, we're taking you out on the 4'o clock flight today. Whoever wants you there wants you there today."

OOC: Let me know if you guys want to do anything on the flight or so forth, research, etc. I'll update tomorrow with the arrival.

Posted: **Sun Apr 16, 2017 6:55 am**

Nik

“Opera, huh?” Nik whispers to the others as they prepare to leave. “I hope its Philip Glass. I don’t really like opera otherwise. I’ll see if there is anything on VICAP about this case.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 16, 2017 5:40 pm**

"I'm sure 'opera' is just code for 'operation,'" replies Vanessa. "I'll look up past crimes in the Glenridge area. Serial killers generally start smaller. Arson and cruelty to animals are big indicators. Bedwetting's the other major one, but that won't be in the police records."

Posted: **Mon Apr 17, 2017 7:22 am**

Nik finds the first Glendridge murder had taken place on April 3rd of this year. Another had taken place on April 28th and May 7th. All three murders were characterized by brutal trauma and extensive mutilation. In all three cases the heads were removed, and in only one case was it recovered. The agents discover the killings have made the news. A local reporter for a tabloid had given the killer the nickname The Glenridge Chiropractor, and it had apparently stuck.

There were few reports of past crimes though. According to what Vanessa finds, Glendridge is a very wealthy and self contained community. The last murder she can find took place in 93, where the wife of a prominent doctor shot him for cheating on her. The case had attracted some attention, including an airing of Inside Edition. Other than that though, there are no real other crimes that stand out.

The team flies into John F. Kennedy Internal Airport. From there, they're given a rented car. It takes less than 50 minutes to arrive on Long Island, and only fifteen or so more before they're in Glenridge.

Glendridge is a very wealthy community. Mansions and large homes are the norm here. The grass is pristine, and sprinklers shower every lawn they pass. Joggers are out and about, and almost every home has at least two cars out front. It's a charming little community with a history dating back to before the Revolutionary War. The large Great Peconic Bay borders the town, along with the historic Old Sampson Lighthouse that seems to overlook the rest of it. Needless to say, the agents may feel a bit out of place, especially because the car they were given was a Ford model a few years out of date, with a few scratches and flaking paint .

The small police station is located in the middle of the small downtown. It's not much bigger than the San Carlos police station had been, but Glendridge has a small population of just over 15000, and a lesser of a crime rate.
The insides of the building are as immaculate as anything else. An officer is at the receptionist desk. She seems to be in her late thirties, early forties, and looks at the group with tired disgust.

"I told you we don't have any comment. Now get outta here before..." Her eyes narrow and she frowns. "Wait, you're not reporters. You look like the feds we were told to expect."

Presuming someone shows her a badge, she gets an embarrassed look on her face. "Shit, sorry. This whole horror show has attracted a lot of attention. But it takes one cop to know one, and you're not cops, but you're close enough. You don't have the self satisfied look of the reporters." She gets up and introduces herself. " I'm Officer Kathy Greenwich. Real glad to have you here. Follow me if you would, Detective Gregson is our officer in charge of the case. He's going to brief you on it."

Posted: **Mon Apr 17, 2017 9:58 am**

Nik is hoping that the perpetrator isn't another one of those traveling space parasites. He wonders too if they will get a visit from the ' NSA'.

"I'm Siilasvuo, this is Rue and our team leader, Marchand. I hope we can help you clear this up" he says sincerely.

With the others, he follows the officer.

Posted: **Tue Apr 18, 2017 4:48 am**

"Pleased to meet you," says Vanessa, following the officer. "Hopefully we can be of help. Glenridge rarely sees serious crimes, which is nice most of the time, but when it does happen it's not easy to deal with it when you don't have as much practice."

Posted: **Tue Apr 18, 2017 7:12 am**

"We appreciate your help," Kathy says. She seems to mean it.

The officer opens the door and the investigators find themselves in the briefing room. It's a spacious one, certainly bigger than the San Carlos briefing room had been. A dozen or so black chairs surround a large table. The only person in it appears to be Detective Gregson. He's an older man, mid 50's and looks fairly plump. But his uniform is pristine and his yellow badge shines, suggesting a certain pride in his work. He puts down a folder he's reading and greets the team.

"These the Agents, Greenwich?"

"Yes sir."

"Good to hear. Please, have a sea.t I'm Andrew Gregson, the Detective in charge of this case. I'm afraid I don't know your names yet, so if we could get reintroduced. Kathy, would you get us guests some doughnuts and coffee?"

"Sure thing."

OOC: anyone who likes can make a HUMINT roll. success makes it clear Kathy's not appreciating being the team's errand girl.

"Now," Gregson says, folding his meaty hands in front of him after the team settles in. "I want to start by thanking you all for coming. And I want to reassure you we're giving you full authority over this case. There won't be any power plays here between us locals and you feds. We've got a dangerous criminal on the loose, and I know my officers well enough to know we're all out of our league in stopping them. Myself included. So anything you need, I'll do what I can to provide.

Officer Greenwich returns with the refreshments. She goes to leave, but Gregson allows her to stay, and she happily takes a seat.

"That said, let's get to it. Just be warned; some of these pictures will require a strong stomach." Taking a doughnut, Detective Gregson gets up from the table and activates the projector at the front of the room. A picture appears. It was of a smiling middle aged man with dark brown hair and eyes and perfect, shiny white teeth. He looked to be in good shape and had probably had a face lift.

"Right, this right here is Dr. Carl Maretti, one of our local dentists. Dr. Maretti was 45, married, two preteen daughters. He was reported missing by his wife on April 3rd. when he didn't return home from work. Apparently this was highly unusual, as he usually came straight home. He was found the next morning in a culvert around 9 by a jogger in Adams Park, just off the Bay."

He flips to the next picture, and the smiling man is replaced by an obvious corpse lacking a head. Extensively mutilated, It looked like nothing more than a bashed and ripped bag of severed muscles and shattered bones.

"That's Dr. Maretti. What's left of him, at least. As you can see his spine was forcibly removed and many of his bones were completely shattered. His head was missing but was located a short way nearby in the park, lacking a jaw. Both eyes were, let's see here, ah, removed from his head like they were gouged out. Of note, this is the only body we've recovered the head for. Based on the damage we assumed it was some sort of large animal attack, but none of them are known to be loose in Glenridge. And the second murder dissuaded us of that notion."

Another picture came on this screen. This showed a small woman who seemed to shirk back from the photograph. She wore conservative clothes and her smile was very clearly forced. She was the textbook definition of a wallflower.

"Vanessa Hatvan. 41. She was a librarian at the local high school. Unmarried, not seeing anyone as far as we knew. Few close friends, which makes it hard to pinpoint the exact time of her disappearance. She was found early on the morning of April 28th just before school started by another teacher, forty feet up a tree right on the school grounds. She was also missing her head, and we've not managed to find it." he moved forward to the next picture, which showed the librarian headless and her body absolutely devastated by severe physical trauma, her clothes torn to shreds." Gregson shook his head. "Never gets easier to look at." He takes another doughnut.

The next picture came up on the screen. This one showed a smiling teenage girl dressed in a cheerleading outfit. She was absolutely stunning, with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a toned, athletic body.

Lauren Harrogate. 17, Cheerleader at the high school. Well liked, very popular. She was kidnapped from her home on the night of May 6th. We actually have a witness to this one, her mother. The assailant gained entry by smashing through the balcony door that connected the exterior of the house to her room. This caused a silent alarm to go off, and the police were alerted. We got there in under fifteen minutes, but by then the assailant and Lauren were both gone. When we got there, we only found Lauren's mother sobbing uncontrollably. We suspect she witnessed the event, but due to psychological problems she could not tell us anything. In fact, since the incident she's gone into a catatonic state and had to be committed."

"We conducted a wide scale search, but it wasn't until the morning of May 7th that we found her. She was found the next day on an electrical tower just off highway 31, sixty feet up in the air. Her body was just like the others." A picture confirmed it.

"We're assuming the killer must have access to a helicopter to dispose of the bodies, but none have been reported rented in the area recently."

He settled back down into his chair. "So we got some sicko offing people in this town, and Glenridge is on edge. Hence why you feds were called in. Hopefully you can use your skills and get to the bottom of this. Because I'll be honest; none of us can."

OOC: Can everyone please give me a san check for violence 0/1d3. The brutality done to these bodies has only been matched by the San Carlos killer. And given what it turned out to be, that may bode ill for the type of case this will evolve into...

Posted: **Tue Apr 18, 2017 4:25 pm**

Nik has mentally prepared himself for the sights to follow, although the sheer violence of them is not what he had expected.

"Yeah, this is definitely not your average killer." How the hell did they get left up in these high places? Perhaps the key to this is finding out why these victims were chosen.

"Detective, did the victims know each other? Is there any connection between them that you know of?"

Posted: **Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:55 pm**

Rue sits quietly trying not to show how much these gruesome scenes affected him, especially the young girl, so much like Amy.

He grabs a coffee with a shaking hand and downs a lot of it in one long swallow. Although this has still affected him, he feels a bit more in control now, especially knowing that his sister is safe, well she was just a few short hours ago.

Come on guy ... focus thinking: these people and their families deserve your full attention - right now!

Posted: **Wed Apr 19, 2017 4:31 am**

Vanessa shudders when she sees the gruesome pictures, blinking back tears. "Well, the second and third victims were both at the high school," she says when she recovers. "Were they patients of the dentist, perhaps? Also, how were the bodies without heads positively identified? I realize that it's highly unlikely that one of the bodies would be someone else and the missing person still unaccounted for, but it's best to cover all the bases."

Posted: **Wed Apr 19, 2017 6:15 am**

"These murders have been very rough on all of us." Gregson says, noticing the groups discomfort.

"Two of the victims working at or attending the high school did make us curious, but Dr. Maretti has no connection to Glendridge High as best as we can determine. He's not an alumni of it and neither is his wife; both moved here from upstate. His two daughters are still in elementary school.

"Let me see..." he goes through his papers. "We do know that Lauren Harrogate did see Dr. Maretti for a routine checkup around three months ago. His secretary can't even remember the appointment, which suggests it was routine. As you said, small town. A coincidence like that's not unusual. Vanessa Hatvan--that's the librarian-- there were no records of her ever visiting with Dr. Maretti. Sot here does not seem to be an obvious connection between all three.

"The two victims being from the high school is interesting. But from what we could determine, Harrogate and Hatvan hardly knew each other. Lauren was a very popular student with plenty of friends. Hatvan was the school librarian who, according to her co workers, mostly kept to herself. We haven't had one friend of hers come forward, and her parents live in Georgia. So we're really struggling to find something that puts all three of these folks together.But hey, that's why you're the FBI and I'm just a local cop." Gregson says this without a hint of resentment, and one gets the feeling this arrangement suits him just fine.

"The bodies were identified by forensic testing. In Ms. Harrogate's case,a small butterfly tattoo on her left ankle offered us quick confirmation. If you want to see the lab evidence, I suggest you consult with our medical examiner, Dr. Stephen Santorini. He's been working this case since the first body. It's just after 6 now, but he might still be a this office. He's a hard worker." He gives the address.

"You might want to talk to the victims friends and families as well. We've done so, with little success, but maybe we're missing something. and if any of you want to see Dr. Maretti's office, Lauren Harrogate's home or Vanassa Hatvan's home or place of employment, we can drive you out there.

"The only one who might be hard to get in touch with is Lauren's mother. Mrs. Harrogate is currently a guest of the Swansea Psychiatric Hospital. She's apparently unresponsive, which is pretty frustrating, since we think she witnessed her daughter's abduction. Probably for the best though. If she knew her daughter was dead who knows how she would react."

"But it's late, so if you want to hit the hay and get to it in the morning I can't blame you after your long flight. We've got you reservations at the Excalibur Hotel. It's right on Glenridge Bay. Has a wonderful view of it too in all its rooms."

OOC: You've got a lot of options for your first move. This scenario is a bit more open than the others. So think carefully and let me know what you want to do first.

Posted: **Wed Apr 19, 2017 10:01 am**

Nik

" I'd like to speak with Lauren's mother if nobody objects" Nik tells everyone. " I understand her situation but we really should cover all the bases. I'll be discreet about the fate of her daughter " he promises.

Posted: **Thu Apr 20, 2017 3:41 am**

"Thank you, Detective Gregson," says Vanessa. "All right, Nik, see what you can find out from her, if anything. I'll go talk to the medical examiner, if he's still there. I speak the lingo, and I'd like to get his take on the bodies and see the autopsy reports."

Posted: **Thu Apr 20, 2017 5:48 am**

Gregson nods in agreement to both ideas. "Lauren's mother may prove hard to get much out of, but I certainly welcome the attempt. If she could remember what happened to her daughter that would go a long way to cracking the case. I'll call over to let them know you're coming, but I can't imagine they'd have any objection to it. And I'm sure Doc will appreciate the opportunity to go over what he's learned. Just be aware he can be a little...eccentric."

OOC: If there are no other questions I'll move us on once Rue declares if he wants to go with either of you or set out on his own.

Posted: **Thu Apr 20, 2017 4:58 pm**

OOC: With Nik following up the girl's mother and Vanessa seeing to the ME, Rue volunteers to have a go at Dr Maretti's wife.

Edmund Rue

"I'll go see if I can get anything from Dr Maretti's wife. Do we know anything about her, and is the culvert where he was found have any significance, i.e. within a certain distance from their homes or workplaces?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 20, 2017 5:52 pm**

"I don't mind eccentric," says Vanessa with a smile. "I have a feeling I'm going to like Dr. Santorini."

Posted: **Thu Apr 20, 2017 11:24 pm**

"Dr. Maretti's widow is named Caroline. She's a homemaker and cares for the children. We don't think the culvert's of any significance, though it's part of the park Maretti was known to jog through at times. It's plausible someone waited for him and chose to strike while his guard was down."

The trio leave and gets in their vehicle. Gregson had given all three of them directions, and thankfully the town was small enough that all three stops were on their route. Nik could drop off Rue and Vanessa on his way to the sanatorium.

But the agents are barely on the road before a black van abruptly pulls along side of them. The side doors open, and a woman gets out. She is beautiful, with a toned body and fashionable clothes, and a Winona Ryder styled head of black hair. Her brown eyes are big and expressive, and she offers the group a dazzling smile as she raps on the car window with her fist.Should the agents bring the window down, she leans in.

"Sonja Dewey with Phenomen-X. Can you confirm the interest the FBI has taken in the Glendridge Chiropractor investigation, and if you are presently pursuing any leads? Our viewers find this case most interesting and want to know what's really going on." She's leaning into the car's window as far as she can, and her eyes look hungry for a scoop.
[/i]

OOC: everyone can roll Bureaucracy. Success indicates that the reporter tracked you all down remarkably fast. It's highly likely she has a contact at the station who alerted her to your presence.

Posted: **Fri Apr 21, 2017 12:16 am**

"I'm sorry, we can't comment," says Vanessa.

Posted: **Fri Apr 21, 2017 7:27 am**

Nik
“Goddamn, she’s stunning” thinks Nik, getting a good look at her.

“Step back from the car, now!” he growls, revving the engine.

Posted: **Fri Apr 21, 2017 11:56 am**

Edmund

Bureacracy,skill 40%

[dice]0[/dice]

Posted: **Fri Apr 21, 2017 9:01 pm**

As Nik revs the engine Sonja steps back, her hands in the air. She looks completely calm.

"Well if you decide to talk, give me a call." She tosses her card into the car's window. It contains her name and a phone number.

The agents leave her on the side of the road. She apparently has the good sense not to follow. But it was concerning she had tracked them down so quickly. Especially since this meant media were probably flooding the town.

The agents make it to each of their objectives.

Posted: **Sat Apr 22, 2017 12:05 am**

Edmund flashes his badge and introduces himself.

"Hello there Mrs Maretti, my name is Agent Rue. We are looking into the recent events that have unfortunately hit Glenridge. May I discuss this with you please so that we can see if the local force, unlikely though it is, to see if they might have possibly overlooked anything?"

Posted: **Sat Apr 22, 2017 4:41 am**

Vanessa smiles, her instincts about the doctor confirmed. "Thank you, Doctor," she says. "I'm one of the Federal Agents, yes. Vanessa Marchand. It's true, FBI agents are getting more attractive in the nineties - or at least more female. I'm what they call a 'Starling,' one of many young women who joined the Bureau after being inspired by the character of Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs. I've seen pictures of the bodies, and those were bad enough, but I may benefit from a closer look. I have medical training too, which is why I was the one who came here. But let's start with the autopsy reports. I'd like copies of the full reports, please, not just the summary."

Posted: **Sat Apr 22, 2017 3:46 pm**

Nik
Nik realises that he's going to have to lie through his teeth to pull this one off. But he has no doubt that this woman has seen something that has completely shattered her view of what she thought the world was like, and he can understand that. He looks Doctor Feldman straight in the eyes.

“Listen Doctor. I know that you want to protect this woman from any further damage. And I swear that I won’t tell her the truth about her daughter. But the reason I’m here is that I specialize in cases like this. My brief is to interview witnesses who have undergone extreme mental trauma. I can’t have any distractions – she needs my full attention and I need hers. So please, let me have the room. I won’t hurt her any more than she is already suffering now. By the way, what's her first name?"

Posted: **Sat Apr 22, 2017 9:19 pm**

Vanessa,"[color=#0040FF]Well a pleasure to meet you, Agent Marchand. And please, just call me Stephen. I hate formality, especially when we're both examining a corpse. Short of fornicating I can't imagine much more intimate than that[/color]." He chuckles. "[color=#0040FF]Right, the reports. If you would step into my office[/color]..." Stephen's office is messy. Papers clog every available surface, and Vanessa finds herself standing backwardly as the doctor looks through a stack of them, apparently using his own sorting system. Finnally though,h e holds out a folder for her. "[color=#0040FF]Here you are, my dear[/color]." Looking it over, Vanessa can find that all three victims were in good to excellent health pre killing. The cause of death was the same for all three; intense trauma caused by an unknown weapon. Santorini believes the tool used to be something like a tree-limb cutter, a blunt yet strong tool. He has some questions however, since the wounds do not line up exactly the way they would if someone used such a tool. But at the moment he notes it's his best guess for what they're looking for. Portions of the body were also marked by wounds caused by a thin yet serrated weapon, much like a bear trap. Yet Santorini notes again that none of these wounds match any known weapon exactly; a bear trap is simply the best estimate. The doctor also says an animal could have technically caused the wounds, but no animal that he knows of could match the exact wound patterns found on the corpses. The spines of each of the victims were removed violently from the base upwards to the back of the neck. There is severe trauma all over, especially in the hips, shoulders, and ribcage. Santorini compares the bodies to ruined bags of bones and severed muscles. The spines were never recovered in any of the murders. Examining Hatvan and Harrogate in particular, Santorini offers his opinion that these two bodies were dropped from a large height, explaining some of the trauma. He suggests the police look for helicopters or some other type of flight craft . He does note that all three bodies were very likely dead before they were dumped. Lastly, he notes whatever was causing these murders had a degree of superhuman strength that is nearly unfathomable. When Vanassa is done reading, Stephen looks at her with some sympathy. [color=#0040FF]"It's perplexing, isn't it? Before I came here for my pseudo retirement, I worked in NYC. We saw a lot of strange and brutal stuff in that office. But nothing on the level of this[/color]. [ooc]Vanessa can roll HUMINT. A pass gets the impression the doctor very much wants to say more, but is reluctant.[/ooc] "[color=#0040FF]I did find some psychical evidence on the bodies. A moment[/color]." He unlocks his work safe and brings out several test tubes, handing one to Vanessa. Inside it is some sort of gray gooey substance. "[color=#0040FF]That was found underneath the victim's fingernails. I have no idea what it is. I can't even make an educated guess. I sent it off for testing at Quantico, but they've not gotten back to me yet. Aside from that, no hair, skin, blood, or saliva samples could be found on any of the victims. But whatever this gray goo is, it's our only lead on who the killer is."[/color]

Posted: **Sat Apr 22, 2017 9:53 pm**

Edmund drinks his coffee and compliments Mrs Maretti on it, (though it's not really to his taste.) He nods as Mrs Maretti paints the picture of her husband as a saint, Well he may have been but this seems too good to be true - a man without flaws is a man who has learned to cover his tracks well in Agent Rue's experience, or is it just the recent cases that have him so cynical and jaded.

"Where is his practice please, and does anyone else work at there?" As he says this he thinks to himself;

"Maybe there is someone with some information that could shed some light on this case?"

Posted: **Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:06 am**

"It seems like there's something more you want to say," says Vanessa. "It might help you to get it off your chest, Stephen, and I'm a good listener."

Posted: **Sun Apr 23, 2017 8:37 am**

“Sandra, I’m Nik” he begins. “I’m here to help you get Lauren back.”

He feels like a shit for such a blatant lie, but he doesn’t have any choice. He wants to know if he can reach out to her, and help her understand what she saw.

“I know that you saw something that you couldn’t believe was real. I know that because I’ve seen things like that too. The shock can hurt you for a while, but you will feel better. You have to feel better. Did you see something like that? Something that people say cannot be real?”

Posted: **Sun Apr 23, 2017 3:33 pm**

OOC: Assuming Mrs Maretti gives the practice's address, or I could get it from the police files / phone book if needs be.

Thank you for your assistance Mrs Maretti, Would you mind answering one more question for me please. Do you think that the children could know anything about this? I don't really want to go around asking them personally, but you understand that we have to uncover any possible lead we can. Again, you have my deepest ssympathies, and if there is anything I can do, please do not hesitate to contact me on this number," as Rue hands her his card.

OOC: Assuming, again that she is compliant then I'll go and see what I can find out at his practice.

Posted: **Sun Apr 23, 2017 9:15 pm**

Posted: **Mon Apr 24, 2017 12:42 am**

"I don't think you're a loony at all, Stephen," says Vanessa in a soothing tone. "I've seen my share of seemingly inexplicable things in my own work. There is an explanation for them, we just don't know it yet. There are surely rare animals unknown to science. They have been witnessed, but often scientists disbelieve the witnesses. These animals are known as cryptids. The Loch Ness Monster is probably the most famous of them. Plenty of people have seen it, but nobody has brought back proof yet. From the description, it may be some sort of remnant aquatic dinosaur - or more likely a small family of them, considering how far back the sightings go. Whatever is responsible for these killings may be something along those lines. Thank you, I will be careful. I'm ready to examine the bodies now. I'm sure you've done a thorough job, but a second set of trained eyes wouldn't hurt."

Posted: **Mon Apr 24, 2017 5:25 am**

Nik
"I can help you if you tell me what you saw. I can help Lauren. I know that these things are real. They can be beaten."

Posted: **Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:01 am**

Posted: **Mon Apr 24, 2017 2:39 pm**

Nik sighs inwardly. He needs a way to get through to her, so that they can find out what they are up against. He decides to try once more with the same approach.

“Lauren needs our help Sandra. I can help her, but only if you’re able to tell me what you saw. I need you to come back to the world, and help me fight this thing. You have to do it, for Lauren.”

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2017 5:14 am**

"Yes, sir, we got in fine," says Vanessa, answering the call. "We've just finished getting briefed, and now I can fill you in." She goes over what she has learned so far.

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:55 am**

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2017 7:31 am**

Nik changes tack.

"Tell me about Lauren, Sandra. What kind of person is she? She must be popular at school. I bet you two are particularly close though. Am I right?"

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:25 am**

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:54 am**

Nik

"This is going nowhere " Nik thinks. "How can I bring her out of this?

"Why was Lauren taken, Sandra? What did she do? What did you do?"

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:38 pm**

Posted: **Wed Apr 26, 2017 12:12 am**

Nik is about to give up when an idea hits him.

"Sandra, can you hear me? Can you look at me?"

Posted: **Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:04 am**

"Thank you, Stephen," says Vanessa. "One of my fellow agents was going to pick me up, but you giving me a ride will save him the trouble. I'll just let him know he doesn't have to come and I'll meet him at the hotel." She calls Nik to fill him in.

Posted: **Wed Apr 26, 2017 5:38 am**

OOC: We'll say Vanessa's a bit ahead of Nik, so he gets the message from Vanessa as he's due to leave in the future.

Posted: **Wed Apr 26, 2017 5:59 am**

Nik

“Now we’re getting somewhere!”

“Sandra, I guess you’re not able to talk, so I’ll try to make my questions as simple as I can. Did you see what took Lauren? Was it human?”

Posted: **Wed Apr 26, 2017 6:29 am**

Posted: **Wed Apr 26, 2017 9:57 am**

Nik's mouth is suddenly dry, and he gulps involuntarily.

"Are you able to draw or write?"

Posted: **Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:44 pm**

Posted: **Wed Apr 26, 2017 11:50 pm**

"Shit" Nik thinks.

"Is there some... thing, which is stopping you from talking? Are you in danger?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 27, 2017 2:19 am**

Posted: **Thu Apr 27, 2017 3:24 am**

Nik

"Sandra, what you saw, was it like, an alien? Was it erm.... grey?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 27, 2017 6:52 am**

Posted: **Thu Apr 27, 2017 8:32 am**

“Do you know why Lauren was taken? If you don’t, is there someone else who would know?”

Posted: **Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:42 pm**

Posted: **Fri Apr 28, 2017 5:19 pm**

Posted: **Fri Apr 28, 2017 9:23 pm**

Posted: **Sat Apr 29, 2017 7:48 am**

Nik

“Demon? Dear God. And the motherfucker can fly. How the fuck do we fight this one?”

Nik completely understands Sandra’s condition now. Whatever she saw must have snapped her mind. What’s it going to do to him?

“Just one last question Sandra. Aside from yourself, who would you say Lauren is most closest to?”

Posted: **Sat Apr 29, 2017 11:20 pm**

OOC: No real reason to use spoiler tags anymore I suppose

Chad Jordan. Boyfriend.

There's a knock on the door and Dr. Feldman comes back in.

"How are we doing? You've been at it for quite awhile, and I don't want Mrs. Harrogate to become unduly stressed. ."

Posted: **Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:28 am**

Nik

“That’s fine Doctor, we’ve finished for now” Nik tells him.

He looks into Sandra’s eyes. “Sandra, I’ll be back to see you with a report. Try and rest now”.

“Poor woman” he thinks, as the doctor escorts him out. “I wonder if she knows she won’t see her daughter again. I guess demons probably aren’t big on ransom demands”.

Posted: **Sun Apr 30, 2017 7:59 pm**

All

Nik and Rue make their way to the hotel. It's a very luxurious building positioned overlooking the bay. Once there, the two quickly discover they'll be sharing a room next to Vanessa. It's a very nice room with a balcony, large beds, a small kitchenette, and cable television.

The party meets to discuss their individual findings. It also occurs to the agents that they've not had dinner yet, and they're all at least peckish.

OOC: Okay, everyone's back together to plan their next moves and report on what they've learned. One quick minor question; will you be conducting the briefing in your rooms or doing it over a late dinner at the in hotel restaurant/bar? We'll say it's around 11 and the place is open to 1.

Posted: **Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:39 pm**

Edmund drives past the practice to have a look at the layout of the building, after which he returns to the motel where the rest of the group are staying to await their return.

Posted: **Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:41 pm**

Posted: **Sun Apr 30, 2017 9:39 pm**

Edmund sees a standard dental practice. The sign out front reads Maretti and Cummins dentistry. At this time of night, no cars are parked in the spaces allocated for it, and no lights can be found within.

***

The party all reunite over dinner. The main kitchen is closed, but soups, salads, and sandwiches are still offered. And what few people are around are quietly drinking or carrying on conversations at their own tables. The trio easily find a table far away from everyone else, where they can speak in privacy over the soft piano music piped through the speakers.

Posted: **Sun Apr 30, 2017 11:16 pm**

"It appears that the victims were killed by some sort of creature unknown to science," starts Vanessa. "Looks like this case is right up our alley."

Posted: **Mon May 01, 2017 9:47 am**

Nik

"Lauren's mother was only able to communicate with me by blinking. But she said the same thing.Lauren was taken by what she described as a monster and a demon. It had wings, which explains the locations of the victims."

Nik stares silently into his glass for a time. "She couldn't offer any explanation as to why Lauren was taken. I have her boyfriends name though, he might be worth checking out."

He thinks for a moment. "We're going to need some serious firepower."

Posted: **Mon May 01, 2017 8:51 pm**

As the trio discuss their options, a newcomer enters the dinning room. It's Sonja Dewey, the reporter who had harassed them earlier today. She looks as stunning as ever, and catches eye of the party and moves towards them. Grabbing a chair along the way, she pushes up to their table.

"I suppose charm alone won't cut it. Fair enough. Give me two minutes." She holds up her fingers. "I have a proposition I think you'll find mutually beneficial."

Posted: **Tue May 02, 2017 5:03 am**

"Two minutes," says Vanessa. "I'll listen, but I'm not making any promises."

Posted: **Tue May 02, 2017 5:39 am**

"I'm with Phenomen-X. Have you heard of us? To tell the truth, the audience of my show hasn't met a conspiracy it doesn't like. My last assignment before this was hunting for Bigfoot out in Oregon. I'm not exactly doing real journalism here. Truth be told though, that's fine. I'm viewing this as a stepping stone to help me make network. And if I have to sensationalize a bit, so be it." she smiles, all sparkly white.

"So here's what I propose. I need a juicy story here, and it always helps to cultivate contact. Talk to me. It can be largely off the record, I understand the realities of your jobs preclude anything else. Feed me some information to keep my viewers interested. And when you solve this case contact me before anyone else and spill the goods. Make it as sensational as possible. If all goes according to plan I'll impress my boss and the talent hunters for legitimate news. Fun as this is, I don't want to chase space aliens the rest of my life.

"In exchange? Well I don't doubt you three are persuasive, but I've been told I can be as well. I can check out leads for you and pass the information back to you, or assist your investigation in anyways you see fit. You help me, I help you.

"Besides, think of this as a way to control me. You three are my best lead at the moment, and until I get a better one you'll all be the center of my attentions. Unless we come to an arrangement."

Dewey leans back and waits to here the group's answer. The agents know having a civilian anywhere near this case could expose Delta Green and what they're trying to keep hidden, but can they hope to keep her away?

Posted: **Tue May 02, 2017 2:16 pm**

Nik

“She’s amazing” thinks Nik, trying to be discreet about eyeing her up.

“We need to discuss this” he says coldly. “Come back in five minutes and we’ll give you an answer.”

Posted: **Tue May 02, 2017 7:38 pm**

"I'll do that," Sonja says, and by the way she smiles at Nik he knows she's caught him. But she seems used to such things. Rising from her seat, she goes to the bar and orders a drink, leaving the team alone.

Posted: **Wed May 03, 2017 3:53 am**

"Pick up your tongue," Vanessa says to Nik with a sly grin. "You dropped it on the floor. We can't have her around, that's for sure. Maybe we can pretend to agree and send her across the country on a wild goose chase, ostensibly doing research for us into a 'similar case.' That might get her out of our hair until we can solve this one. We could put her onto the murders in Arizona. The NSA has swept that under the rug, so there's little danger of her exposing anything, but there's something real behind it, so she won't just turn around and fly back here."

Posted: **Wed May 03, 2017 7:01 am**

“Huh” says Nik grumpily. “I’m not fooled by her seductress bullshit, no matter how hot she is. I’ll be glad to see the back of her. Good idea, send her to Arizona. Let’s hope she’s not there though when we get back”.

He calls over to Dewey at the bar. “Hey, get over here.”

Posted: **Wed May 03, 2017 7:40 am**

Sandra downs the rest of her drink and swaggers over. It's a very nice sight, at least for the male investigators.

"Have you come to a decision?" She asks.

OOC: Alright, whoever talks to get her to go to Arizona will need to make a persuade roll. It will be an opposed roll by Sandra's HUMINT rating. If both succeed, the higher success wins.

Posted: **Wed May 03, 2017 10:18 am**

Nik

“Sit down” says Nik. When she is sitting, he continues.

“Earlier in the year we investigated a series of murders in Arizona, and we think that the events here may be connected”. He proceeds to fill her in on the basic facts of the Reservation investigation.

“There’s strong evidence of a link between the killer in Arizona and what’s going on here. But the locals weren’t always very open with us. There’s a lot of bad history between the FBI and the Apaches. You might well succeed in talking to them where we failed.”

Posted: **Wed May 03, 2017 8:25 pm**

"Really?" Dewey responds. Her voice is level, but the agents can hear an edge to it. An edge of eagerness, for a big scoop. "Where would this be? San Carlos? I always did think things got swept under the rug there rather easily..."

"Understand that this is the big story right now. If I go off on a fruitless search my bosses will not be happy. Nor will I. It's going to be hard to convince them to allocate resources to another case with The Chiropractor investigation our main story."

She appears conflicted, but the risk taker in her wins out, and she gives a slight nod. "Alright. I'll check it out. But if you fuck me on this..." she's still smiling, but no warmth reaches her eyes. "Well, let's not go there. To our new partnership." The warmth returns. If no one else has anything to say she soon after leaves. The agents are undisturbed for the rest of the night.

***

The agents awaken the next morning with several avenues of investigation open to them.

OOC: Assume we want to move on. If you have anything further to say to Sandra/do during the night, let me know and we'll add it in.

Okay, you all have several leads to pursue. I'll list some of them here if you need a refresher.

You can go to Dr. Maretti's office and look through his files or interview his receptionist. Apparently she was there the day of his murder.

You can go to one of the victim's homes, especially Lauren Harrogate. She was abducted from there so there may be some clues.

You could go to the high school. Two of the victims had connections with it. You could investigate Vanessa Hatvan's office or interview her colleagues. Same with Lauren. There's also her boyfriend, Chad Jordan.

Or something else. And will you split up again or go as a group?

Posted: **Wed May 03, 2017 9:36 pm**

Edmund Rue

"As I talked to Mrs Maretti, I'll follow up on the practice." Rue volunteers.

Posted: **Thu May 04, 2017 3:21 am**

"All right," says Vanessa. "I'm the forensics expert, so I'll check out the scene at Lauren's home."

Posted: **Thu May 04, 2017 7:11 am**

Nik
"Okay, it's back to high school for me". He sighs. He hated high school, being the kid with the funny name no-one could pronounce.

Posted: **Thu May 04, 2017 8:53 pm**

After a quick breakfast, the team sets out.

Posted: **Fri May 05, 2017 2:51 am**

Vanessa begins a systematic grid search of the crime scene and finds something of interest.

Posted: **Fri May 05, 2017 6:24 am**

Nik shows his badge and ID. “I’m investigating the recent murders. I’d like to speak to the Principal please.”

Posted: **Sat May 06, 2017 6:02 am**

Posted: **Sat May 06, 2017 7:04 am**

Nik advises the principal on the correct pronunciation of his name.

“I’m genuinely sorry for your loss” he continues. “I’m sure you’ve met with the police already, but they requested our help and so please bear with me. I might want to ask you some questions later, but first I want to speak to Lauren’s boyfriend, Chad Jordan. And I’ll need access to Ms. Hatvan’s workspace and office.”

Posted: **Sat May 06, 2017 3:47 pm**

Vanessa collects a sample of the goo for later independent analysis, then sits down to read the diary. While it may be an invasion of privacy, there is the possibility that the diary may contain leads relevant to the case. It would be worth it if it leads to solving Lauren's death - and preventing anyone else from meeting the same fate. After helping to torch an old lady, peeking at a dead girl's diary doesn't seem like such a big deal.

Posted: **Sat May 06, 2017 5:46 pm**

Edmund Rue

Edmund adopts a serious mein and says to the receptionist, while showing his credentials to her.

"Sorry ma'am, but I am not in need of an appointment but am here on official business myself. Flo, if I may call you that, first off may I say that I'm very sorry to hear of the loss recently of Dr Maretti, which of course must have been very upsetting for everyone concerned. As you can see, I am Edmund Rue, and with my partners are looking into both his and the other deaths in Glendridge. In order to help speed up the investigation, I would like very much to have access to his recent appointments diary and to have a quiet word with both yourself and Dr Cummins. I know you will both be very busy at this sad time, but I will be as quick as I possibly can with you both. Your help would be very much appreciated."

Posted: **Sat May 06, 2017 8:50 pm**

Vanessa,The diary entries are thankfully dated. [i]June 8th, 1998 My therapist told me this would be a good idea. He thinks writing down my feelings now that dad's dead will help me come to terms with it. We'll see. I don't think I'm the one that needs to come to terms with it though. I hear mom crying all times of the night, and more than once I've come home to find her halfway through a bottle. But I do miss him. It was so sudden. [/i] The next several months seem to be pretty uneventful. Lauren talks about teachers she hates, friends she's feuding with, and cheer practice. Another notable conversation piece is her boyfriend Chad. They seem to be on again, off again. Lauren complains about him constantly, and the only things keeping them together seem to be social status and the sex. Around four months ago an entry catches Vanessa's eye: [i]January 6th, He said yes! I was afraid to even talk about my crush before because it sounded so silly, but I was right, he was into me. He told me we have to be careful though. I can meet him after school but I have to be careful not to smile at him or anything during. I don't want to get T in trouble. But I'm shaking right now, I can't even explain![/i] [i]Jan. 14th So hard to pretend I still like Chad. I sit with him at lunch and listen to him drone on and on, and of course he can't keep his hands off of me. But I really want to talk to T. Feb. 4th Went to T's house today. We slept in his bed and he told me "One day this will be our life." Then we just cuddled and talked for an hour before I had to leave. He's perfect. March 16th, Chad is starting to get suspicious. He wanted to know where I was last night. I made out with him to shut him up, but that's not working anymore. Why can't he understand what we had was over? But T says I should stay with him as cover. April 4th T says he's almost ready to leave his wife. Once I graduate he says we can start seeing each other more frequently. He promises me we'll get married once enough time has passed. It's so frustrating having to wait, but I don't want to get him in trouble.[/i] They go on and on. It seems pretty clear Lauren was having a relationship she was trying to keep secret. Vanassa checks her last entry and finds it to be a mundane retelling of a class project she was working on two days before her murder.

Posted: **Sun May 07, 2017 2:52 am**

Vanessa calls Nik to fill him in. "I found Lauren's diary," she reports. "She was having an affair with a married man she refers to only as T. Maybe he's even a teacher. She was stringing Chad along, but he was starting to suspect something. T promised her that he would leave his wife and marry her once enough time had passed, but I wouldn't believe that for a second. Also, her father died suddenly last year. I'll look into how that happened."

Posted: **Sun May 07, 2017 8:30 am**

Nik

“If we thought you did it Chad, you’d have been arrested”.

“What a punk” Nik thinks.

At that moment Nik’s phone rings and Marchand supplies him with the new information. “Now we could be getting somewhere”.

“Principal Harolds, if you don’t mind I’d like to speak to Chad alone. We have to discuss personal matters, and he would appreciate the privacy I’m sure. Is it okay to use your office here?”

Posted: **Mon May 08, 2017 4:44 am**

OOC: Nik recalls Dr. Feldman mentioned that Lauren's father died of lung cancer. I presume you're going to mention this to Vanessa, though either of you are certainly free to investigate it further.

Posted: **Mon May 08, 2017 6:42 am**

Nik

“Nobody thinks you did Chad. I just want to learn more about Lauren, and find out why she was killed”.

Nik indicates for Chad to sit down. “You were close to her. What kind of person was she? We all have a public face, the side we show to people, but maybe Lauren had characteristics which she kept private.”

Posted: **Mon May 08, 2017 9:33 pm**

Looking back through the appointments diary for Dr Maretti, Edmund checks to see if there is any patterns to be built up. He looks back for say the last six weeks to two months.

Posted: **Tue May 09, 2017 5:46 am**

Vanessa gives Stephen a call to ask him about Lauren's father's death and verify that it truly was due to lung cancer.

Posted: **Tue May 09, 2017 7:06 am**

Posted: **Tue May 09, 2017 7:20 am**

Nik wonders why Chad doesn’t want to be truthful. Is he embarrassed by Lauren’s infidelity perhaps?

He raises his eyebrows in feigned surprise. “Come on now Chad, surely you want to know who killed her and why? Do you want to have a murderer running around your town? Tell me more about her.”

Posted: **Tue May 09, 2017 9:24 pm**

"Thank you," Vanessa tells Stephen. "Please do take another look. It's probably unrelated, but you never know, and I don't want to leave any stones unturned. Was Mr. Harrogate a smoker?"

Posted: **Wed May 10, 2017 8:07 pm**

Having made notes of the names of the people seen by the late Doctor Maretti. Edmund waits patiently until he can speak to his partner, Dr Cummins to see if there is anything he can learn from him.

Posted: **Wed May 10, 2017 8:52 pm**

Posted: **Wed May 10, 2017 11:25 pm**

This all sounds convincing enough to Nik.

"Her father died fairly recently, didn't he? Did she talk to you about it?"

Posted: **Thu May 11, 2017 3:34 am**

"Thanks again, Stephen," says Vanessa. She gives him her cell phone number so he can call her back. She heads to Vanessa Hatvan's home next to see if she can find out anything there.

Posted: **Fri May 12, 2017 8:00 pm**

Posted: **Sat May 13, 2017 3:39 am**

Nik sighs. He doesn't think Chad can help much.

"Just one last question. Did Lauren ever mention seeing anything strange recently? Was she ever scared or worried?"

Posted: **Sat May 13, 2017 3:56 am**

Vanessa searches her namesake's study, but she doesn't find much of interest other than the computer, which she tries to access.

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 1:23 am**

Having gaining whatever information he can from the dentist and receptionist Edmund returns to the hotel.

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 5:23 am**

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 6:32 am**

Nik

“Yeah, yeah, so you keep telling me.”

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 6:56 am**

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 3:43 pm**

The attack takes Nik by surprise, but he reacts calmly. Waiting for Chad to swing again, he seizes Chad's outstretched arm, and redirects Chad’s weight towards himself. He slides his hand down to Chad's wrist, twisting Chad's hand back and bringing it up to his own shoulder, attempting to put him in a wrist lock.

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 4:52 pm**

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 7:54 pm**

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 8:05 pm**

Vanessa calls Nik to fill him in. "I've been to Vanessa Hatvan's house," she says, "which is really nice and very expensive. At first I wondered how she could possibly afford it, but looking around showed me what her alternative source of income was. She was actually famous romance novelist Rebecca Hartford. Not really relevant to the case as far as I can tell, but it does clear up that question. Are you ready to meet and discuss our findings so far?"

Posted: **Sun May 14, 2017 8:26 pm**

OOC: Nik gets Vanessa's call as soon as he reacts to his last post. HoneyDog, You can go ahead and respond to it in the same post.

Posted: **Mon May 15, 2017 12:49 am**

Nik hopes this won't all get blown out of proportion. He maintains his grip on the student's hand

"Chad here has some serious anger management issues. As well as poor judgment. He just assaulted me."

Nik's cellphone rings and he uses his free hand to fish it out of his pocket and flip it open. He listens to Marchand's explanation.

"I'm done with the boyfriend but I still need to look at Ms. Hatvan's things. He doesn't know very much. I'll call you when I'm done".

Finishing the call, he turns back to the matter in hand.

"I appreciate you might be dealing with some issues about Lauren's death Chad, so I won't take this any further. But if I let you go and you come at me again, you'll be under arrest for assaulting a federal agent. Do you understand me?"

Posted: **Mon May 15, 2017 1:09 am**

"I'll come join you at the school," says Vanessa before Nik ends the call. "If you're not done by the time I get there, I can help you out." She calls Edmund to update him and heads to the high school next.

Posted: **Mon May 15, 2017 8:44 pm**

[Spoiler-Button]Int x 5 = 50

[dice]0[/dice][/Spoiler-Button]

OOC: Wowzer

Edmund sits in traffic on the way back to the hotel when a brainwave hits him.

What if there is a link between the doctors patient list and the evidence that the others are working on.

Posted: **Mon May 15, 2017 11:27 pm**

OOC: I assume everyone is meeting up at the school. If this is true I'll bring the group back together.

Chad looks at Nik with hateful eyes, but relaxes. He seems unwilling to press the matter.
"Fine."

"No, it is not fine!" says Harold's. "Agent Siilasvuo, I apologize. Rest assured Chad will be punished accordingly."

"But he started it!"

"That's enough!" Harolds fixes him with a stare. "Now get out! We'll discuss this later" Chad does so, but not before shooting a dirty look at Nik.

Harolds turns back to Nik. "We do appreciate you keeping this under wraps, Agent."

It's around this time when the receptionist informs the principal that two more agents are there to see him.

OOC: Vanessa and Edmund both arrive at this time

Vanessa heads to the school, and is shown to the principal's office. Edmund soon follows, having gotten a call from her suggesting they were all meeting there.

"Ah, the new agents," says the principal. "I'm principal Harold's. I was speaking with Agent Siilasvuo, and he was just about to inspect Ms. Hatvan's office. Would you like to join him?"

Posted: **Tue May 16, 2017 12:40 am**

As Harold takes them to Hatvan's office, Nik addresses him about Chad. He's pretty pissed off.

"I don't want that kid punished Harold, I want him in counseling. He's a danger to himself and to others. If he's already in counseling, the counselor needs to know about today. You got that?"

He points his finger at the principal. "I'll be checking".

Posted: **Tue May 16, 2017 3:56 am**

"Yes, that would be great," says Vanessa. She turns to Nik. "What did we miss?"

Posted: **Tue May 16, 2017 7:24 am**

Nik

“Please go on ahead Mr. Harold, we’ll follow” Nik says to the Principal, so that he cannot overhear them.

As they are led down the corridors, he talks to the others. “Chad knew about Lauren cheating on him, but he doesn’t know with who. It seems he cared for her, but he knew that the relationship wouldn’t last. It doesn’t seem like Lauren had confided anything that was troubling her. She wouldn’t talk about her father and he said that she had her secrets.”

“I really don’t think Chad knows anything about the murder. But he was very insistent on denying any involvement which was strange. He didn’t like my tone of voice so he took a swing at me. That’s the way these alpha male asshole types usually deal with their pain I suppose.”

“Let’s all talk properly when we get to the office. For all I know it was probably the Principal who did it. Most Principals are monsters, in my experience.”

Posted: **Wed May 17, 2017 3:38 am**

Vanessa nods and continues walking to the office.

Posted: **Wed May 17, 2017 9:43 pm**

"I promise we'll get him into it. Again, thank you for not taking this further. I'm sure Mr. Jordan is just upset over his girlfriend's death, though that's no excuse for attacking you!"
He heads off and meets them at the library. It's a standard school library. Some students are studying in the rows, though most of the group seem to be quietly whispering to one another. Harolds leads the investigators to the back of the library, where an office seems to be attached.

"This was Vanessa's office. Anything she kept in school would be in here, we have yet to clean it out. If you need me, I'll be outside."

The office is cramped and crowded, and school related papers are everywhere. Most of them seem to be general announcements.( the bake sale has been moved to the 4th...) And It takes awhile to find anything related to the case.

Eventually though the Agents find a ledger that seems relevant in one of the desk drawers. It contains Hatvan's day by day accounts of the detentions she gave out and the reasons behind them. By the number of names in her book, she apparently gave detention out somewhat freely. If the agents check the day of her death, they can find the notes of whom she gave detention to.

Amanda Krantz- Chewing gum.

Charles Sullivan- Shooting spit balls.

Chad Jordan- inappropriate language, backtalking.

Courtney Thorben- Talking during study period.

Thomas Dengler- Talking during study period.

Trevor Pastore- Sleeping during study period.

Posted: **Thu May 18, 2017 12:05 am**

Nik

"Chad again". He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "There's something about him. I want to speak to Lauren's mother again. But first, what did you guys find out? And I'm not being obsessive, but did Chad's name come up?"

Posted: **Thu May 18, 2017 3:28 am**

"Lauren talked about him in her diary," says Vanessa, offering it to the others if they want to look through it. "I'm more interested in this 'T' guy she was having an affair with. I think it's important that we find out who he is. There could be a connection to the case. We know he's married, so that narrows it down a little. We need to find out the names of the adults she knew. Vanessa Hatvan was famous romance novelist Rebecca Hartford. Some of her writing was on her computer at her home. I like romance as much as the next gal, but I don't really care for her style. I much prefer Outlander. Hmm...wait a minute, maybe there is something to Chad. He has a temper, and he had an axe to grind with two of our victims. Maybe he had something against the dentist too. We need to see if there's a connection."

Posted: **Thu May 18, 2017 6:46 am**

Nik

“Yes we should see. Maybe Rue can help us here?”

He pauses. “Actually I thought of something else. We should ask DG about flying monsters. All this stuff is new for us but I forget that DG have been going awhile. There might be earlier cases involving those specific kinds of … things.”

Posted: **Fri May 19, 2017 2:49 am**

"That couldn't hurt," says Vanessa. "I just thought of something else. What if it's the dentist who was having an affair with Lauren? That would wrap everything up in a neat little package. We know he's married. Perhaps T is short for Maretti. That would give Chad a motive to kill all three of them - and now he has a reason to come after you. Maybe the principal too. We need to cross-reference the dates in Lauren's diary with when she had a dentist appointment. He agreed to the affair on January 6th. We know he was reported missing on April 3rd, and Lauren said on April 4th that T said he was almost ready to leave his wife. Hmm...if it is him, though, she'd have noticed his disappearance and death and mentioned it in her diary. Plus, she did mention in her diary that T was there during school because she said she had to avoid smiling at him during school. So he definitely works here, whoever he is. Maybe Chad just thought it was him...or maybe I'm way off."

Posted: **Fri May 19, 2017 10:08 am**

Nik

"Was there anything about a fight with Chad in the diary? I want to ask her mom about it. He was scary Marchand. He was so angry over a tiny perceived insult. He really hated me. But he couldn't have done the murders, at least, not knowingly."

He thinks for a moment.

"Let's ask the Principal for a list of staff. We can check who has an initial 'T'. And if there's none, we could check with her teachers both present and past. It might take a while, but if we sweat 'em, one of them might crack."

"And another thing, if we contact DG, we need to request some serious firepower. Light machine guns, maybe a grenade launcher with buckshot rounds."

Posted: **Sat May 20, 2017 3:29 am**

"Good ideas," says Vanessa. "She didn't mention a fight, but she did think he was getting suspicious in her entry on March 16th. He'd asked her where she was the night before, which would have been March 15th. Obviously she was with T then. She was also in his house during the day on February 4th. Let's get that list of faculty and staff. We'll be able to tell a lot by their reactions when we ask them about Lauren."

Posted: **Sat May 20, 2017 1:13 pm**

OOC: Sorry I thought we were meeting back at the hotel, and I just saw the post saying we were meeting at the school instead - mea culpa !!!

Edmund Rue

Edmund leans forward

"Sorry I was daydreaming there. I have got a list of the names that Maretti worked on over the last six weeks. In and of itself there is nothing that leaps out at me on the list. These are the ones that he saw on the day he died and what they had done;

Lucilie Montana- Cleaning
Martin Randall- Cavities and cleaning
Seth Hale- Root Canel surgery
Thomas Dengler- Cleaning
Reina Hoover- Tooth removal
Mark Corvi- Gum care

Now if we are pursuing this "T" the only one I can see is this Dengler though his name didn't come up on any previous visits, y'know for extractions or root canal work, that kind of thing. Although following this Seth Hale also has a "t" in his name, as does Martin Randall, bur their 't' is in the middle of their name not like Denglers, which makes them less likely. See I've always just been known as "Ed" and, as far as I'm aware, not been written about in a teenager's diary, so would I be shortened to "E" in this case?"

Posted: **Sat May 20, 2017 3:47 pm**

Nik

“Let’s check out this Dengler character. With luck he might be on the staff list. I’ll call DG, and see if they can give us anything.”

Nik calls the Delta Green contact.

“This is Agent Stanley. We’re chasing down some leads, but we need a heads up if you’ve dealt with this kind of thing before. A large entity described as a monster or a demon with wings. Possibly acting at the behest of a human controller.”

“We also want long guns” he continues. “Two M249s with 2000 rounds, including armour piercing and tracer. One full auto rifle in 5.56, grenade launcher attachment with buckshot rounds. Can you do that?”

Posted: **Sat May 20, 2017 5:22 pm**

"If it's anyone on that list, it's him," says Vanessa, "but then again, it might not be. We'll have to see if he works at the school, whether as a teacher or something else."

Posted: **Sat May 20, 2017 9:56 pm**

Nik starts by calling Delta Green. Their contact MARCUS answers, and he does not sound happy.

"I will allow it this once, but in the future all contact to me or anyone in delta Green is to go through your cell leader. We try to keep things as compartmentalized as possible. Only in the most dire circumstances are you to break that line of communication. Understood?

"I've never had personal contact with that sort of creature. I'll have to make some calls and see if anyone higher up knows more. It could take some time, but I'll try to get back to you within a day or two. You might also want to try contacting Dr. Jensen Wu at the Museum of Natural History. He's one of ours, to a degree, and would know if this sort of thing has shown up in folklore and the like. Try to gather more information though. There are a lot of these things that fly.

"Do you have any suspects as to the human controller? If so, I suggest you go hard on them. Be willing to interrogate the suspect and see if you can learn anything, by any means necessarily. Do not show your face to them though, unless you intend to eliminate them afterwards." MARCUS says this all very casually. "Sometimes our job requires us to be more aggressive than the law allows. Just remember, we're doing this to save innocents."

As Nik requests greater firepower, the agent laughs. It's devoid of humor. "I'm afraid the chances of us getting you any heavier weaponry is remote. Requisitioning that sort of thing leads to questions being asked, and that leads to an investigation that we can ill afford. Worse, it may attract our... competitors interest. The most I can probably swing you is a submachine gun, but not until tomorrow. Think you can wait until then?."

The rest of the team report to Harolds and demand a list of everyone who works at the school. They soon receive it. There are a few names that begin with T, but none that were seen on the list of Maretti's patients the day of his death.

OOC: Everyone can give me a Int*5 roll to get a clue.

Posted: **Sun May 21, 2017 12:09 am**

Edmund

OOC: It occurs to Edmund that the best way to determine the mysterious T's identity might be asking for a transcript of Lauren's classes and seeing if she had any T teachers.

It also occurs to Rue that Thomas Dengler, while not on the staff lists, may be a student. If so, Harolds would probably know him.

Posted: **Sun May 21, 2017 12:38 am**

Vanessa can't think of any better ideas.

Posted: **Sun May 21, 2017 8:05 am**

Nik

“Thanks, you’re real fuckin’ helpful” says Nik, and hangs up on Marcus.

“You talk to those assholes next time, Marchand.” he tells Vanessa. “Only a submachine gun for us, it ‘brings too much attention’ otherwise. No information for a couple of days, unless we talk to a Jensen Wu at the Museum of Natural History, who knows about folklore. Folklore!”

Disgusted, he sits down. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but I think we’re pretty much on our own.”

He sighs. “Did you get the list? Let’s have a look.”

He peruses the list, but nothing comes to him. He's suddenly too tired to think.

Posted: **Sun May 21, 2017 4:55 pm**

"Yes, I think it's best that I do the talking from now on," says Vanessa. "We still have our pistols and the shotgun, and the SMG will help when we get it. I do think we should speak to Jensen Wu. I wouldn't be so dismissive of folklore. It was certainly relevant during our initial assignment in Arizona. Many legends and myths have a kernel of truth."

Posted: **Mon May 22, 2017 3:33 am**

Nik

“I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t be too dismissive. Okay, I’ll give him a call”.

He calls information and gets the number for the Museum of Natural History, and then makes a new call, asking to be put through to Jensen Wu.

Posted: **Mon May 22, 2017 8:06 pm**

It takes a little while, but Nik is eventually connected with Wu.

"This is Jensen." The voice on the other end of the line is an older sounding gentleman, his voice cultured. "How may I be of service, Agent?"

Posted: **Mon May 22, 2017 11:31 pm**

Nik

"This is a matter relating to er...folklore. I was informed that you might be able to help us."

Nik continues. "I don't have very much I'm afraid. We just heard about a erm... legend of something described as a flying monster or demon, very strong and violent. This is only a personal theory, but perhaps it does the bidding of a person, who may or may not be consciously aware of it. But honestly, maybe the thing just does whatever the hell it wants to. Did you ever hear about anything like that?

Posted: **Tue May 23, 2017 11:00 pm**

OOC: To keep us moving, I'm going to assume Edmund chose to share the info he got from passing his idea roll with Vanessa( as Nik's on the phone) Mr.Handy, I'll leave it up to you if you want to act on either suggestion.

Dr. Wu gives a soft chuckle. "Yes, that is my area of expertise." He listens carefully as Nik describes the situation.

"Hmm... not a lot to go on, I'm afraid. I'll have to do some more research. Still, I think you may be on to something. Tales are filled with sorcerers who makes contracts with "a being from the stars above" to perform their bidding. The important thing to remember is that there's generally a focal point to these dealings. It may be anything from an elaborate blood ritual, to a ring or pendent that one needs to meditate with to summon the creature. Or a spell that needs to be cast, a rune that needs to be drawn... the possibilities, I'm afraid, are endless. You may do well to first figure out more about how the creature or creatures is being summoned. Once I know the ritual being used, I'll have a better chance at tracking down what we are dealing with.

"Do keep me informed. And if you find the specific summoning tool, bring it here to the museum. I'd be very interested in studying it."

Posted: **Wed May 24, 2017 12:02 am**

Nik thanks Wu and hangs up, promising to get in touch. He fills the others in on the content of his call.

"We're back at square one though. We need to establish a motive, and we need to find a link between the victims, or go on the basis that it just attacks targets of opportunity. But there must be a reason it came here."

"What shall we do about this list?"

Posted: **Wed May 24, 2017 3:44 am**

"Rue suggested that we get a transcript for Lauren's classes and see if any of the teachers with a T in his name taught them," says Vanessa. "We can also ask the principal if Thomas Dengler - or any of the dentist's other patients - is a student here, since he's not on the staff list."

Posted: **Wed May 24, 2017 5:36 am**

Nik

"Okay, let's get back to Principal Harolds".

Posted: **Wed May 24, 2017 7:11 am**

Harolds seems to happily provide the information.

The transcript of Lauren's classes shows she has two teachers with a first name that starts with a T. Teresa Hernandez taught chemistry, while Timothy Thornton taught classic literature.

On being shown the list of names who were patients the day of Maretti's murder, Harolds shakes his head. "I'm afraid of that list only Thomas Dengler is a student here. A junior, I believe? If you'd like to talk to him or one of Lauren's teachers, I can arrange that." He seems to not think the investigators would possibly consider any of them suspects in this.

Posted: **Wed May 24, 2017 10:09 am**

Nik

"Timothy Thornton? Double 'T'! I bet that's him. He probably seduced her with Robert Frost poems or some corny shit" thinks Nik, his cynical mind at work.

"I think we should talk to Mr. Thornton" he tells Harolds. I'd like to interview him, if anyone else would like to join me."

Posted: **Thu May 25, 2017 5:15 am**

"I'll go with you," says Vanessa, knowing that Nik isn't exactly a people person. Which is okay, as he makes an excellent Bad Cop, but that routine only works if there's also a Good Cop present.

Posted: **Thu May 25, 2017 9:08 pm**

OOC: Of course Edmund will share whatever information he has as soon as possible.

Edmund Rue

Edmund, chips in - "So, we have Timothy Thornton, T.T. Hernandez and Thomas Dengler we need to be looking at. If you two are heading to seeThornton, I'll take Hernandez and see what information she can give us."

Posted: **Thu May 25, 2017 10:21 pm**

"Right" nods Harolds before giving the class numbers. "It's around 2:30 now. They should be teaching their last classes of the day, but given circumstances I'm sure they'd not mind you interrupting them."

Posted: **Thu May 25, 2017 11:56 pm**

Nik

"We're sorry to interrupt Mr. Thornton, but its imperative that we speak with you. Its about one of your students." He doesn't identify himself and Vanessa yet as he doesn't want to spook the man.

Posted: **Fri May 26, 2017 4:42 am**

"Ah, Kate Chopin," says Vanessa. "I've always liked her writing. That takes me back to my own high school days. I still remember The Story of an Hour."

Posted: **Fri May 26, 2017 10:55 pm**

Posted: **Sat May 27, 2017 1:58 am**

"I'm hardly old enough to have a child in high school, Mr. Thornton," says Vanessa. "No, we'd like to ask you some questions about Lauren Harrogate." She watches to see how he reacts.

Posted: **Sat May 27, 2017 5:01 pm**

Edmund Rue

"Miss Hernandez I presume? No I am not one of the parents I'm afraid. May I please take a moment of your valuable time with your students." Edmund smiles congenially as he pulls her to one side in order that the class does not hear their conversation. His attention is fully honed in on her looking for any tells that may indicate something awry. "I will be blunt Miss Hernandez, so please forgive me if I appear brusque. I have come to ask you about a student of yours ... or rather a former student. I am looking into the recent terrible deaths in the area and was wondering what you could tell me about the unfortunate demise of Lauren Harrogate. I am here with the blessing of Principal Haralds who, due to the situation, told me to come right away rather than wait until the end of your class. I'm sure you understand!"

Although his mouth is smiling with a charming demeanour, his eyes watch for her every muscle twitch and gesture.

Posted: **Sat May 27, 2017 9:23 pm**

Posted: **Sun May 28, 2017 1:19 am**

"Well, tell us what you know, and we'll see if it is useful in our investigation," says Vanessa. "How well did you know Lauren?"

Posted: **Sun May 28, 2017 4:24 am**

Nik watches the teacher closely, attuned to any sign of something amiss.

Posted: **Sun May 28, 2017 5:32 am**

Posted: **Sun May 28, 2017 6:48 am**

Nik

“Oh can it Thornton!” Nik whispers harshly. He doesn’t want anyone to overhear. “We know all about Lauren. We read her diary. If you like, I can raise my voice and your students will be able to hear all about it too. Now start talking.”

Posted: **Sun May 28, 2017 7:50 pm**

Posted: **Sun May 28, 2017 11:45 pm**

Nik

"What diary? The one where she details your affair. Talk to us openly and honestly about your relationship with her if you care just one tiny little bit about who killed her. We have no interest in exposing you, but if we don't get any cooperation I can't guarantee this will go well for you."

Posted: **Mon May 29, 2017 12:43 am**

"If you were to lie or to withhold information, that would only raise suspicions about your possible involvement in her death," adds Vanessa. "I don't believe you did, and I wouldn't want to have to reassess that opinion."

Posted: **Mon May 29, 2017 4:55 am**

Posted: **Mon May 29, 2017 6:18 am**

Nik

Posted: **Mon May 29, 2017 7:23 am**

OOC: He's lying or at least deempathizing his relationship with Lauren. He also seems very arrogant and self assured. But as best Nik can tell, Thornton seems genuinely clueless as to who killed her and seems to be speaking the truth that he did not want her dead.

Posted: **Mon May 29, 2017 9:52 am**

Nik is beginning to get angry at Thornton's evasiveness. He steps up to him and looks him squarely in the eyes. He knows he's pushing it, but he figures he has nothing to lose.

"Listen to me very carefully. We know you didn't kill her, so we're not going to arrest you. But I will go back into that classroom and tell your students that you were fucking Lauren. Then I'm going to tell the Principal. And when I'm done telling him he has a sexual predator on his staff, I'm going to call your goddam wife. Do you understand me? I will see to it that you are ruined here. This is your last chance."

Posted: **Mon May 29, 2017 11:45 pm**

"I suggest you think carefully about your answer, Mr. Thornton," says Vanessa.

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2017 1:17 am**

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2017 3:40 am**

The man’s selfish attitude incenses Nik. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down.

“It matters, Thornton, because there must be a motive as to why she was killed. And there are some people, unlike you, who actually care about that. So you’re going to help us, whether you like it or not.”

Nik produces his badge and ID, and formally introduces himself and Marchand. “Now, you know exactly who we are. If you lie to us again, I’ll arrest you for obstruction of justice. And then the truth about you will come out. Understand?”

Without waiting for an answer, Nik continues. “We need to talk in private now. Dismiss your class. Do it now.”

To Marchand he says “We can use the classroom.”

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2017 4:04 am**

Vanessa nods. "Unless he'd rather we bring him down to the station," she says,

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2017 4:28 am**

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2017 5:05 am**

Nik

OOC: We haven't even got started on Thornton yet!

"Thornton! Where the fuck are you going? Get your ass back here" Nik shouts. He can't believe how arrogant this man is.

Closing the door of the classroom, Nik indicates Thornton to sit down.

"We own you now. I will fuck up your goddam selfish life if you don't cooperate. We have questions, and you will sit and answer every one of them until we're satisfied. If you don't, or if you give us anymore of your selfish whiny shit, we're going to the Principal's office and explaining your extra-curricular activities."

He calms down with an effort. "Was Lauren behaving any differently in the days leading up to her death?"

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2017 7:56 pm**

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2017 9:58 pm**

Edmund Rue

"Sorry, forgive my poor manners ma'am, my name is Scott, and we are not ruling anything out at this time, so we are naturally covering all the bases. I'm sure you understand that I cannot discuss the details of an on-going case. You say she was well loved, was there anyone in particular that you know of that she may have had a special relationship with? As for who did it,, well like I say we cannot discuss the case."

Posted: **Tue May 30, 2017 11:53 pm**

Nik leans forward at the mention of the name.

"Thomas? You mean Thomas Dengler? Did Lauren describe his reaction to being turned down?"

Posted: **Wed May 31, 2017 4:54 am**

Posted: **Wed May 31, 2017 5:11 am**

Vanessa opts to stand rather than sit in one of the student desks, maintaining a height advantage. "At what time did you last see Lauren on the day of her death?" she asks.

Posted: **Thu Jun 01, 2017 4:23 am**

Posted: **Thu Jun 01, 2017 7:23 am**

Nik is barely listening, a thousand thoughts running through his head.

“I don’t have any more questions for him” he tells Marchand. “We need to discuss this with Rue.”

Posted: **Fri Jun 02, 2017 3:51 am**

"That's all for now, Mr. Thornton," says Vanessa. "If we have any further questions for you, we'll find you."

Posted: **Fri Jun 02, 2017 6:46 am**

All

As Edmund continues to speak with Ms. Hernandez, he is surprised by the entrance of the other two agents. Both seem to wish to speak with him, and if he follows them they can soon find some space in private to talk.

Posted: **Fri Jun 02, 2017 9:57 am**

"Let's use Hatvan's office " says Nik.

Once inside, he begins to tell Rue what they learned. "Thornton admitted he was seeing Lauren. But the thing is, he said that on the day she died, Lauren was asked out by another student, who she knocked back, and maybe not too gently. It was Thomas Dengler. He has to be the guy. He got a detention from Hatvan and later that day she was killed. Did Moretti's clinic say anything about them having a problem?"

Posted: **Sat Jun 03, 2017 5:10 am**

"We need to find out what class Dengler is in right now," says Vanessa. "The principal should be able to help us there. We should be able to catch Dengler before he leaves."

Posted: **Sat Jun 03, 2017 6:06 am**

Alas, no sooner does Vanessa say this then the final bell for the day rings. Students can immediately be heard filling the halls. If the agents want any hope of catching Dengler before he makes it out of school, they'll need to act fast. The agents do know that there is an intercom system in the main office. Perhaps if they went there and convinced the secretary to let them use it, they'd be able to summon Dengler before he leaves. But the halls are crowded, and every second will count.

OOC: I did say this is coming, so I don't feel too guilty.

Let's have a luck roll from the next person who posts, presuming they want to proceed with the plan above.

Posted: **Sat Jun 03, 2017 6:21 am**

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.”

Posted: **Sat Jun 03, 2017 6:11 pm**

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."

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2017 4:42 am**

"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?"

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2017 9:34 am**

“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.”

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2017 9:01 pm**

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

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2017 10:45 pm**

"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.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:03 pm**

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."

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 4:11 am**

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."

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 5:03 am**

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.”

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 6:54 am**

" 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.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 7:49 am**

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?”

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 8:00 pm**

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.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2017 10:44 pm**

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?"

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2017 5:19 am**

Vanessa studies the writing carefully.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2017 7:33 am**

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.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2017 10:39 pm**

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."

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 5:11 am**

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."

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 5:18 am**

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.”

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 6:40 am**

"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 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.

Posted: **Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:15 am**

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.

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Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art

Re: A Victim of the Art