Play@YSDC

Posted: **Wed Jun 21, 2023 7:00 pm**

A short drive down the A3 London to Portsmouth road takes you to the town of Godalming - more specifically the relatively modern edifice of Godalming Leisure Centre.

The place is quiet - probably due to most of it being closed due to an active police investigation. However, after pulling into the car park, staff can still be seen through the large entrance doors milling around the foyer.

Affixed to the aforementioned doors is a large sign, apologising for the inconvenience caused by a police incident.

Whatchya gonna do?

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2023 6:12 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 970 times

After a quick lunch, Leo uses the pool car to drive himself, Des, and Eli over to the Leisure Centre. As they pull into the car park, Leo looks around at the utility poles for any cameras that might have been far enough away to avoid being sanded.

As they ease into a parking spot, Leo looks over at the others and shrugs guiltily. "Well, it wasn't me this time. I promise."

The motor coughs a few times before dying. He looks over at Eli as he unbuckles. "I was thinking we could attempt to recover any CCTV footage sufficiently far enough away from the event to survived sanding. Maybe show pictures of Mr. Chichester to the staff and see if they recognize him or noticed anything unusual the night before. If we get lucky, maybe they can tell us something helpful."

"Does that work? I am open to suggestions."

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2023 8:46 am**

Eli nods in agreement. " From those initial enquiries we can see what develops. Hopefully with any CCTV from here and surrounding areas we can hopefully plot a route of the victim. Do we know if he had a car?"

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2023 11:10 am**

Des looked at Leo. Whether the victim had a car sounded like exactly the sort of thing a policeman ought to know…

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2023 3:30 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 937 times

"Yes, great question. I hadn't thought about that one. We definitely need to find that out."

OOC: Is there any chance that we can say Eli brought up the victim's vehicle at lunch, allowing me to get out my laptop then? Flashback style?

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2023 4:30 pm**

Seeing the look of confusion appearing on Leo’s face, Des sighed heavily. ”Jus’ ring da office, man,” she said.

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2023 5:48 pm**

" If he has, then most of these leisure centres make you sign your car in so you dont get a fine for overstaying your welcome, would help is establish a timeline." Eli mentions.

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2023 7:16 pm**

Oh go on then...

As Eli well knows, Karl Chichester's records say he drives (drove) a five year-old black Porsche Boxster.

Looking around the car park, there appears to be plenty of CCTV cameras.

While you're mooching about, a member of staff watches you through the entrance doors, frowning quizzically.

Posted: **Thu Jun 22, 2023 11:10 pm**

”Go show ‘im your badge,” Des nudged Leo, pointing at the person watching them from the leisure centre.

Des also had a badge, but (a) very few people took it at face value because of her age, and (b) she couldn’t be arsed… …

Posted: **Fri Jun 23, 2023 4:31 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 913 times

"Yeah,I better before the poor lady falls through the glass."

Leo straightened his tie, checked his teeth in the rear view mirror for any signs of kebab, ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times, popped a mint into his mouth, and then clambered out of the car. He pulled the cuffs on his suit coat cuffs, and as he headed for the door, he pulled his warrant card out of his inner jacket pocket in a smooth, practiced motion, smiling warmly.

When he reached the door he held it up, picture side out, so that she could see it. "DC Leo Dansby. These are my associates. Do you mind if we have a word?"

Posted: **Fri Jun 23, 2023 1:10 pm**

Des rolled her eyes at Leo’s elaborate preparations. ”You’re not on de pull!” she grumbled. ”You’re gunna ask her some question, not sleep wit her!”

Posted: **Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:56 pm**

Eli chuckled to.himself. "He is rather keen to please isn't he?"

Posted: **Fri Jun 23, 2023 8:31 pm**

Eyes widening at the sight of the warrant card, the staff member, who's name badge identifies her as 'Stacey', hurriedly opens the door.

"Oh! Are you going to let us re-open now?" she asks. "Only it's supposed to be aqua-aerobics in an hour."

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 12:01 am**

”You tell us who killed dat man, an’ you can open up,” drawled Des sarcastically, strolling up and casually waving her own warrant card. ”Udderwise, I don’ tink you’ll be doin’ no aerobic!”

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 12:10 am**

Brandishing his own warranty card Eli[/b responds "Sorry that the death of one of your patrons in your establishment is proving to be a hindrance. May i suggest you let us in and give us access to everything we ask then you maybe be able to open for your 'Aquafit':]

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 4:49 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 889 times

Leo refrained from responding to either of the jibes, but she was clearly not his type. Wrong set of chromosomes.

He was able to maintain his professional demeanor. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Stacey" Leo said as he wrote her name neatly in his PNB. "I promise we'll do our best to have you open again soon."

"We could use your help with a couple of items. First, we would like to know if the victim, Mr. Chichester, was a regular." Leo pulled up a picture of the fellow from his driving license. "Maybe we could have a look around the dressing room? Show his picture to the employees? See if they knew him? See if anyone noticed anything strange the night before?"

"Also, we are interested in any CCTV footage that might have the victim, on it. Were there any cameras that might have caught him entering the centre or the dressing room overnight?"

"We'll be out of your hair in no time."

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 9:40 am**

"Also, do you keep a record of all the your patrons cars? If so could it be possible for a printout of all the licence plates from the day the body was found?" Asks Eli smiling.

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 12:12 pm**

Whoever has the lowest Luck out of the three of you, please make a Luck roll.

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 12:32 pm**

OOC: My luck is 60%

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 1:43 pm**

OOC: Des’ luck is 69.

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 5:09 pm**

OOC: My Luck is 63, so Eli should roll.

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 7:22 pm**

OOC: Okilydokily....

1d100

OOC: Youuuu dirty so of a gun!!!

Posted: **Sat Jun 24, 2023 9:06 pm**

Ooh so close! Shame you can’t spend luck on Luck rolls! I’ll do an update when I’ve a mo.

Posted: **Sun Jun 25, 2023 8:14 pm**

"Yeah - as I explained to the policewoman - Sergeant Dhillon? - Mr. Chichester had been a member for a about a month. Used to use our gym facilities. We don't keep records of members' vehicles - parking is free, so there's no need - but we do have CCTV covering the road entrance and indeed throughout."

She pauses.

"Though not in the changing areas, obviously. You can look at them of course."

She gives the investigators, especially Des, a nervous smile.

"It really would be great if we could open soon."

Posted: **Sun Jun 25, 2023 8:32 pm**

" Do you have a system for keeping track pf how many/which members are usingvthe facility?" Eli asks.

Posted: **Sun Jun 25, 2023 8:34 pm**

"Um, no, not really. Like, if the pool is heaving then yes, we'd restrict access to that."

Posted: **Sun Jun 25, 2023 8:51 pm**

" So in the event of an incident, like say a fire.
How do.you know of all the people are accounted for?"

Posted: **Sun Jun 25, 2023 9:20 pm**

“Well, the staff are trained to, like, usher members out to the fire assembly point in the car park. Plus we have designated fire wardens to check the toilets and that.”

Posted: **Mon Jun 26, 2023 6:55 pm**

Des sighed heavily. ”Oh dear! Dat really don’ sound good enough me. You have a copy of yor health an’ safety policy?” she asked the woman.

Posted: **Mon Jun 26, 2023 8:03 pm**

The colour drains from Stacey's face.

"Oh! Um, I-I- You'd have to speak to the manager," she stammers.

"Would you like to see the CCTV?" she continues, in a blatant attempt to change the subject.

Posted: **Tue Jun 27, 2023 5:11 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 610 times

Leo summoned his best disarming smile.

"How about both? Speaking to the manager and the CCTV footage?

Posted: **Tue Jun 27, 2023 11:47 pm**

”U mean u don’ know where de policy is or wot’s in it? Oh dear! Oh dear!” said Des, pushing home her advantage. ”U betta run along an’ get yor manager!”

Posted: **Thu Jun 29, 2023 8:24 pm**

Stacey does indeed run along, never to return (or at least never to return while you are in the reception area!)

In her place, a tall, muscular, smiling man in his early 30's saunters towards you. Clad like Stacey in shorts and a t-shirt, he runs a hand through his tousled blonde hair as he approaches.

"Hi, I'm Liam. Stacey said you wanted to see the CCTV?" he asks. "Let me fire the system up for you."

He beckons you over to the reception desk and after a few moments of keyboard tapping, spins around a monitor so that you can see it.

"There you go - I've rewound back to when Mr. Chichester drove into the car park; just before 6pm the day before yesterday. Oh, and here's the icon for our logging in register - customers are supposed to present their membership card, or the version on our app, at the reader by the door as they come in."

He leans forward and whispers conspiratorially.

"Stacey runs an awesome zumba class, but she isn't very good with computers."

Posted: **Thu Jun 29, 2023 11:23 pm**

Eli leans into the computer screen, " Can we have a list of all the members who signed in that day? Where does the CCTV cover in the centre?

Posted: **Fri Jun 30, 2023 5:49 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 579 times

While Leo outwardly maintains his professional demeanor, his pulse climbs a few tics as he sees the tall man. A smile spreads across his face as he quickly scrambles for a card which he proffers to Liam.

"DC Leo Dansby. It's a pleasure, Liam," he said with a genuine earnestness.

He turned back to him, leaning in, so incredibly thankful for checking his teeth and the gum. "Thank you so much. This is a great help. Oh, and I'm sure she does. Seems very competent."

Leo makes a note of the time code on the CCTV footage of when Chichester enters the car park.

"Can we use that program to show who all checked in that day and when? Can it generate a list for us?"

OOC: Do we see anything unusual in the video? Is it after hours?

Posted: **Fri Jun 30, 2023 7:17 pm**

”Christ! He definitely on de pull now!” cackled Des.

Posted: **Sat Jul 01, 2023 2:54 pm**

Liam is more than happy to bring up a list of visitors. Cutting a long story short, it confirms what you see on CCTV.

Karl Chichester pulled into the leisure centre car park in his Porsche Boxster, shortly before 6pm, two days ago.

The footage shows him locking his car and walking into the centre with a small holdall over his shoulder. Switching to internal cameras, he ascends the stairs to the first floor, where he makes his way to the disabled changing area (sandwiched between the male and female rooms), knocking on the door first and pausing for a few seconds before entering. A few minutes later, the door opens and then closes, as does the door to the female changing area.

Leo - at this moment your phone rings. it is Jordan.

Posted: **Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:37 pm**

"So we have our victim entering the disabled
changing room, but his body was discovered in the female changing rooms. The CCTV does not show him leaving one and entering the other. It does however show both sets of doors opening and closing with no one around. Curious." Eli mentions to Des as he straightens up from the screen."We may have a regular Dr Griffin here." Turning to Liam " Has anyone been in the disabled chang8ng rooms since?"

Posted: **Sun Jul 02, 2023 12:06 am**

Des studied the screen again, asking for the tape to be rewound and played again. Was there no obvious sign of anyone opening the doors? If not, how had they opened?! The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she had to suppress a shudder…

Posted: **Sun Jul 02, 2023 5:09 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 540 times

He knew better than to mention it in front of Liam, but Leo would bet that Chichester used magic to move through the wall. Because everything electronic was up and running, Chichester must have accumulated all that damage over time.

Leo feels the vibration of the phone in his pocket and sighs. "I will just be a moment," he assures the Liam and his coworkers.

He walks to the sidewalk before pulling the phone out of his pocket, and it distinctly relieved when he recognizes Jordan's name.

"Hey, mate. We found some non-fried video of him entering the car park and dressing room that may or may not be of use. All of the electronics are up and running, so the "event" my have been over the long term rather than a single powerful event.

Making any progress on your end?"

Posted: **Sun Jul 02, 2023 7:44 pm**

Eli - Liam considers your question. "Yeah - if you look at the CCTV, all of the changing areas are as busy as usual. They're what we call 'dry' changing rooms - where people change for the gym, racquet sports, fitness classes and the like. The 'wet' changing village is downstairs, next to the pool."

Sure enough, the leisure centre was obviously doing a brisk trade, judging by the amount of people coming and going through the changing areas' doors. Finally, things quieten down, with the last users being three women, who leave the female area at about 19:20.

"If you fast forward to the next morning, you'll see the cleaners arrive. They go into the female changing area and then run out screaming," Liam says with a shudder. "You know the rest."

Des - Scrutinising the CCTV footage, you can't see anyone or anything obviously moving the two doors.

You're welcome to make an Observation check to be sure, but you're pretty confident that you're not missing anything.

Leo - You wait for Jordan's reply.

Which I'll post after he writes one!

Posted: **Sun Jul 02, 2023 10:17 pm**

"Hey, Leo," says Jordan. "Chichester's phone was bricked, but we were able to salvage the SD card and found out what he was doing in the ladies' changing area. The creep was secretly taking pictures of them as they were changing. Skipper determined that they were taken with a phone, not a camera. It might not have been this phone, so see if you can find another one hidden there. The cause of death was cauliflower brain, all right. We also found out other details. He was known to the police already. He got into a scuffle with Shaun Rushgrove when he tried to hit on the man's girlfriend, Holly Tremlett. No charges were filed, but he was cautioned."

Posted: **Sun Jul 02, 2023 11:09 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 886 times

A wave of anger washes over Leo as Jordan shares his update. "Holy...Okay, we will definitely search all the changing areas for any lingering devices of that nature."

"One more thing, the video shows Chichester go in the disabled changing area. Then the doors to the other rooms open and close without anyone visible doing so. I will try to get a copy to bring back to The Folly to share."

"Anything else?"

Posted: **Mon Jul 03, 2023 3:40 pm**

"Sergeant Dhillon got a call while we were here that could be related," says Jordan. "A Nick Lucarotti in a sports car got into an argument over a space at a Tesco's car park with an old lady in a Morris Traveller named Bernadette Stevens. Someone called it in, but the chap calmed down and apologised by the time the officer got there, and there were no charges."

Posted: **Mon Jul 03, 2023 4:26 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 860 times

"That's everything on my end, mate. Thanks for the call," Leo said as he hung up. He fished around in his pocket until he pulled out a large capacity USB flash drive -- one of the more magic resistant pieces of modern tech, since it didn't have a current running through it unless it was plugged in.

As Leo marched back into the leisure centre, he found himself becoming irrationally angry about the man's purpose. After a few years on the job, you think you'd be more resistant to what some of these punters do, but it still angered him when he heard about things like this. Resuming his professional mien, he said to his colleagues, "I apologize for that."

"Thank you, Liam. You have been very helpful. Is there any way that you can copy the videos to this flash drive? Or some way to get that video to us?" Leo offered the USB drive to Liam, just in case he could use it.

"Also, my colleagues and I need to take a look at the changing areas. Straightaway, if possible."

Posted: **Mon Jul 03, 2023 9:13 pm**

A few moments later, Leo receives a text from Jordan, telling him that about the possibility that Chichester was invisible and may have taken the pictures with the phone they found after all.

Posted: **Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:58 am**

" We should maybe start with the disabled changing room as thats where the..er.....change...as it were, happened" Eli mentions to Leo. " How soon can we have that list Liam?"

Posted: **Tue Jul 04, 2023 4:43 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 843 times

Leo texted back a quick "Thanks."

Then, Leo sent Nightingale a quick text. Good morning, DCI Nightingale. It looks like Chichester, the dead man we are investigating, was indeed a hedge wizard. Based on CCTV footage, Chichester appears to turn invisible and open some doors before hiding a camera in a dressing area. If he is actually turning invisible, could he potentially turn an object invisible, as well? In theory, how long might it stay invisible?

Leo smiled and thanked Liam again, and then gestured for Eli and Des to join him far enough away from the other employees that they could talk undisturbed. Lowering his voice, he caught up his colleagues with all of the updates from Jordan, including the bits about Chichester's hidden phone cameras, the bricked phone, and the possibility of more phone cameras on site.

"We need to search the dressing areas for additional camera phones. Also, I texted DCI Nightingale about this, but based on that footage, I think we need to allow for invisible objects. If Chichester could turn invisible, it's possible that he could find a way to make objects invisible, as well. If invisible Chichester was solid enough to open and close a door, then an invisible object will be solid enough to hold something harmless like water droplets or talc that we could toss around that would show us its location."

"We can figure out the particulars later, but if we don't actually see anything at first, it wouldn't hurt to try."

"I agree that we should start with the disabled changing room. Any other suggestions before we head to the dressing areas? Des?"

Posted: **Tue Jul 04, 2023 3:00 pm**

Liam happily prints out a list of customers for the day before yesterday, including Chichester's log-in at 6pm.

"Here you go," he says with a smile. "We can't make people log in, but most people do. Changing rooms next? No problem - follow me."

He jogs up the stairs to the first floor, taking you along a brightly-lit walkway, past a couple of gyms and workout rooms. He stops at the door to the disabled changing area, which sits between the male and female areas (the latter sealed with 'police' tape).

Posted: **Tue Jul 04, 2023 4:31 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 825 times

As Liam brings the list back, Leo does a quick ring check to see if he is wearing a wedding ring. Strictly for professional purposes. "Thanks, mate. We really appreciate it."

When they get to the dressing area, Leo says, "I think we should take our time searching all three areas, starting with the handicapped one, as Eli suggested, including looking for cameras, seen and unseen."

Leo walks into the handicapped dressing area and takes his time as he reaches out for any vestigia in the room.

OOC: I spent 8 Luck to make the Sense Vestigia roll a success.

Posted: **Tue Jul 04, 2023 5:19 pm**

Oops, I forgot to write Nightingales reply. Will do that when I’ve a mo

Posted: **Tue Jul 04, 2023 11:31 pm**

”The pics on ‘is phone? Would dat tell us where ‘e was when ‘e took dem?” suggested Des as she looked around the changing room.

Posted: **Wed Jul 05, 2023 9:29 am**

" I dare say they would. But like .odt things, best to start at the beginning. From the video we know that the deceased must've turned invisible in here, so there may be some trace of whatever ritual or substance he used to perform that task." Eli says in that way that all teachers and lecturer's speak, even when not working, that slightly condescending way that they can't help themselves because it's been ingrained in themselves that need, to explain everything in obvious detail.

Posted: **Wed Jul 05, 2023 4:16 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 801 times

Leo nodded at Des. "I believe so. If we find a phone here, it most certainly will tell us where any pics on it were taken. If he has a cache of pics somewhere else, that would show us where to look for other cameras. Also some of these guys swap pictures online. While you can scrub that data, sometimes these punters forget."

Posted: **Wed Jul 05, 2023 7:01 pm**

The disabled changing area is well appointed to cater for the needs of patrons of the leisure centre, although the room is smaller than the male and female areas.

Leo - trying to block out the smell of cleaning disinfectant, you sense a familiar, albeit slightly weaker, vestigia - a floral scent, the feeling of strong sunlight on the skin and the chittering of tropical birds and insects. It seems stronger at a bench in the corner of the room.

At that moment, Leo's phone pings to announce a new text. It is from Nightingale:

"Interesting. Invisibility spells can exist in theory, but to change the Human body in such a way - no doubt fatal within seconds! I know of no spells that could do it, but I reference DC Grant's adventures in Hfds - invisible unicorns. Possibly something Fey? Will task Abigail to research. Be careful!"

Posted: **Thu Jul 06, 2023 12:00 am**

Posted: **Thu Jul 06, 2023 9:22 pm**

While Leo can detect the vestigia, Eli is less experienced in the matter, and merely detects the sweet smell of flowers.

Posted: **Thu Jul 06, 2023 11:27 pm**

Des made her way into the disabled changing room and looked around. She knelt by the seats and looked underneath, running her hand along the underside in case something was hidden there but was invisible to the naked eye.

Posted: **Thu Jul 06, 2023 11:31 pm**

OOC: Could Eli recognise the flowers in the scent? Or is there a roll i can do?

Posted: **Fri Jul 07, 2023 9:16 pm**

If you have Science (Botany) then you can roll for that. If no-one else has that skill you could use the Try Your Luck mechanic, spend 10 Luck and roll against half your INT. If you succeed, you can spend another 10 Luck to gain that skill at half your INT.

Posted: **Sat Jul 08, 2023 12:44 am**

OOC: not this time.....

Eli breathes in deeply. " Can anyoneelse smell that? A faint floral smell.Doesnt smell like the usual dressing room air freshner. :

Posted: **Sat Jul 08, 2023 5:15 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 946 times

Leo walks over to the bench where the vestigia is the strongest and gestures for Des. "It...whatever it is...happened here."

"I smell it, too. I can't figure out what kind of flowers, but yeah. Faint, but I smell it, too."

"Nightingale said he wasn't aware of a way that a human could become invisible that wouldn't kill it, although Peter encountered invisible...creatures, in the past. If he did turn invisible, maybe that's where he did it."

"I suppose the other possibility is something like a Mage Hand where he opens the doors remotely. Anyway, let's check all three areas for anything weird."

Leo begins by looking upward, to see if any vents or lights look like likely hiding places.

Posted: **Sat Jul 08, 2023 10:02 am**

Eli nods and follows suit , searching the opposite side of the room.

Posted: **Sat Jul 08, 2023 10:04 am**

OOC: oops.... Eli is suddenly struck blind...

Posted: **Sat Jul 08, 2023 11:57 pm**

Des glanced at Eli and shook her head. All she could smell was cleaning fluid and some questionable aftershave choices.

She moved over to Leo and squatted to take a closer look at the bench. ”Was ‘e sat ‘ere? Is dat why yor sensin’ whateva it is?” she asked him.

Posted: **Sun Jul 09, 2023 8:07 pm**

If there's anything hidden in here, you're unable to find it (unless a dirty sock can be construed as covert surveillance equipment).

Watching from the door, Liam stifles a yawn.

"Um, you'll want to look around the female changing area too I guess?"

Posted: **Sun Jul 09, 2023 8:49 pm**

”P’raps I shud take de ladies changin’ rooms?” Des said firmly. ”You do can go an’ check out de men’s.”

Posted: **Sun Jul 09, 2023 11:45 pm**

Looking at Liam Eli asks, "Who found the body?", before looking at Des "there is no need to search the men's as the video footage does not show our chap entering them. Though it may help to be thorough if we find nothing in the ladies changing room."

Posted: **Mon Jul 10, 2023 5:55 am**

OOC: Des, can you try searching for something in this room? If you don't find anything, I will push the roll by spending extra time.

Posted: **Mon Jul 10, 2023 8:14 am**

Please hit me with some Observation and Sense Vestigia rolls for whichever changing area you’re checking out.

Posted: **Mon Jul 10, 2023 9:00 am**

Posted: **Mon Jul 10, 2023 9:33 am**

Posted: **Mon Jul 10, 2023 10:44 am**

Posted: **Mon Jul 10, 2023 3:47 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 879 times

Men's Dressing Area

Women's Dressing Area

Posted: **Mon Jul 10, 2023 7:57 pm**

"The body was found by a couple of the cleaners," Liam replies to Eli. "I could find out their names if you want. We have quite a few domestic staff - big place like this."

You find nothing of interest in the male changing area, not is there any particular vestigia.

However the female changing area is, to those sensitive to vestigia such as yourselves, positively awash! It is the same as in the disabled area - a floral scent, the feeling of strong sunlight on the skin and the chittering of tropical birds and insects.

Leo - the vestigia hits you particularly strongly. You feel delicate petals suddenly brushing against your face, as if you were running through a flower garden, The sensation sends you reeling - so much so that you stumble backwards, crashing through the door of a changing cubicle and landing heavily on your backside!

Leo, please take 1 Damage and mark yourself as Hurt. I think that's the best way to handle a fumbled Observation roll and a critical success on a Sense Vestigia!

Vestigia aside, you find nothing else of interest, except maybe the look of alarm on Liam's face!

Posted: **Mon Jul 10, 2023 10:31 pm**

" That would be most helpful Liam". Eli says as he tries to draw his attention away from Leo.

OOC: Can i do and observation and Vestigia role in the fe ale chabging room?

Posted: **Tue Jul 11, 2023 6:38 am**

Certainly.

Posted: **Tue Jul 11, 2023 7:07 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 864 times

Leo quickly scrambles back to his feet. It takes all of his willpower not to rub his poor, aching arse in front of the hunky manager.

"I'm okay," Leo lies to Liam, blushing deeply. Then he turns to the door and tries to assess whether he did any damage on the way out.

"Anything I burn d...I mean, I break while we are here, I will be happy to repair."

Posted: **Tue Jul 11, 2023 9:13 am**

OOC: hard success on observation. Vestigia...meh....

Posted: **Tue Jul 11, 2023 11:47 pm**

Des resorted to type and rolled her eyes as Leo fell on his arse. ”For fuq’s sake…” she muttered.

Once Leo was back on his feet, she said, ”I got flowers an’ birds an’ dat. Wassat mean?”

Posted: **Wed Jul 12, 2023 6:54 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 610 times

Luckily, Leo was still recovering from his fall and didn't see Des rolling her eyes. Once Leo was sure that Liam couldn't hear, he said to Des. "The flowers and birds are the sign of the practitioner that performed the spell. Their magical fingerprint, if you will. And a 100% confirmation that this is a SAU case after all."

Posted: **Wed Jul 12, 2023 7:55 pm**

Liam looks somewhat perturbed at Leo's gymnastics.

"Um - I'll find the cleaners' details. I'll meet you back in reception yeah?"

Eli - your search is pretty thorough, but you find nothing of interest in any of the changing areas, except perhaps a faint floral smell (or maybe that's your imagination, fired by Des and Leo's discussion).

So, what now?

Posted: **Wed Jul 12, 2023 11:42 pm**

Des waited until Liam had headed back to the reception area, then said, ”So dat smell is what ‘appens when someone does magic? Ok… …”

She looked around. ”So we know ‘e was ‘ere an’ dat ‘e was spyin’ on people getting’ changed, but ‘ow did ‘e die? ‘is brain got turned to mush. Ain’t dat like what ‘appened to my fone at de skittle alley?”

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2023 12:11 am**

Eli turns to Liam, " If we could habe the names of the staff who.fplound the body,the lost of members who sogned in yesterday and a copy of the CCTV footage please."

Posted: **Thu Jul 13, 2023 3:44 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 577 times

Leo nods as Eli makes the request. "That should do it. Thanks for all of your help, mate. One quick text to the governor and you should be good to reopen."

Leo sent a text to DCI Nightingale: "DCI Nightingale, there were vestigia in the dressing rooms I texted about but we didn't find anything unusual when we searched. It's definitely a case for us. Do we have permission to allow the leisure centre to reopen? Anything else to check before we go?"

Posted: **Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:25 pm**

Des - you are correct. Remembering some of the gruesome safety lectures given to you by Nightingale, magic can indeed scramble both microprocessors and brains alike. It's a phenomenon called Hyperthaumaturgical Degradation, or HTD.

Eli - Heading back to the reception area, you find Liam downloading the CCTV files and visitor logs onto a USB stick.

"Here you go," he says cheerfully. "Oh, and the cleaners were Flora DeSilva and Maggie Wojcik. The police have already taken their statements, but I've got their contact details."

He hands you a scrap of paper with their phone numbers and addresses (both modest dwellings at Aarons Hill, Godalming).

Leo - you quickly receive a reply from DI Nightingale:

'Not my call, but if you're certain no danger is posed to the public, I'll pass your recommendations on to the SIO of the case at Surrey Police.'

'Your next step? One assumes the deceased drove to the centre? Is his car still there?'

Posted: **Sat Jul 15, 2023 5:12 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 562 times

Leo texts back Thank you. At this point, I do believe it is safe. We do know he owned a black Porsche Boxster, and we are going to check the car park for it before we leave.

Posted: **Sun Jul 16, 2023 10:24 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 555 times

As Leo finishes the text, he takes a moment to walk over and look through the window into the part of the car park that he can see through the window to see if he sees a black Boxster anywhere.

Posted: **Sun Jul 16, 2023 11:20 pm**

”Wot’s up? Wot u lookin’ for?” asked Des, appearing at Leo’s shoulder.

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2023 6:35 am**

An Observation roll for anyone looking for the Porsche please.

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:07 am**

" I believe we ate looking for the deceaseds car, a Porche Boxter i believe." [b[/b] Eli replies to Des as he suddenly appears at her shoulder, in that way that only teachers can do.

Looking around, all Eli sees is a sea of cars.....

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:08 am**

You could always spend 13 Luck to make the roll…

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:16 am**

I think i will spend the 13 luck. Luck now 47%

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2023 10:24 am**

Distracted by Eli’s creepy teacher vibe, Des couldn’t pick out the car.

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2023 4:00 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 533 times

Posted: **Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:58 pm**

The Porsche, having being left unattended in the car park for a couple of days, is covered in dust and thus difficult to find.

However Eli is a little more eagle-eyed than his colleagues and eventually spots the car, tucked away in a quiet corner.

On trying the door handle, you find the Porsche Boxster locked.

Posted: **Thu Jul 20, 2023 2:28 am**

: DC Leo Dansby(1).jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 510 times

Leo wipes a clean spot on the window and peeks inside to see if anything useful is in eyeshot.

OOC: Is the amount of dust consistent with the amount of time since the murder?

Posted: **Thu Jul 20, 2023 10:55 pm**

Des looked the other two. ”Did neither of u bring de key? U wan’ me to ring sumwan? I no a few people who get u in der… …” she said.

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2023 4:34 am**

Leo knows any magic here would only make things worse, so he keeps his mana dry, just in case.

"We may not need to use that method yet. There may be a legitimate way to access it that would be easier and save all our jobs. Like checking to see if the the keys were found with his effects or enlist the manufacturer's help through a legitimate request from the police department."

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2023 6:51 am**

”Mebbe a brick or summat?” suggested Des, who clearly hadn’t given up on the more direct approach.

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2023 10:52 pm**

" Surely the quickest way would be to get his keys from his belongings? Failing that maybe the other officer at the deceaseds home coukd find a spare?" Eli offers up as a suggestion

Posted: **Fri Jul 21, 2023 11:34 pm**

”Der’s a brick jus’ der,” said Des, pointing to a corner of the building where the mortar had perished and a loose brick sat on the ground. ”Jus’ sayin’… …”

Posted: **Sun Jul 23, 2023 7:34 pm**

While you're deciding what to do about the car, please make a Sense Vestigia roll. Oh, and whoever has the lowest Luck out of the three of you, please make a Luck roll.

Posted: **Sun Jul 23, 2023 7:41 pm**

That'll be me then....

OOC: Double fail. My sense Vestigia is 30%...not 60%.....unfortunately

Posted: **Sun Jul 23, 2023 9:19 pm**

Posted: **Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:17 pm**

Des, slightly distracted whilst eyeing up a suitable rock, is nonetheless able to sense a now familiar vestigia on the surface of the Porsche - the smell of tropical flowers, the feeling of strong sunlight and the chirruping of exotic birds or insects.

A 'beep' of a car horn attracts your attention. You all turn as a police car pulls into the car park and an officer steps out, holding something in a plastic evidence bag,

"DC Dansby? Mr. Venturini? Miss, um, Des? Sergeant Dhillon's asked me to give you this..."

After asking you to sign for it, he hands you the bag, in which lies a set of keys, including one with a Porsche key fob.

"Your colleagues reckoned you might need it," he continues, eyes darting to the rock.

"I'd like to stay to help, but we've got some middle-life crisis geezer pulled over for speeding and he's kicking off, so I'm needed to support."

He nods and, with a friendly wave, heads back to his car.

Posted: **Mon Jul 24, 2023 10:57 pm**

While the others stood their gawping, Des took the keys and unlocked the car. Stepping back so the door was between her anything inside, she opened the driver’s door…

Posted: **Wed Jul 26, 2023 1:59 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 584 times

Leo had never been so happy to see someone in his life when the policeman pulled the key out. It took a great deal of will not to run forward and hug the poor guy. "Thank you, officer. You have just saved all three of our careers." The relief in his voice was tangible.

Posted: **Wed Jul 26, 2023 6:59 am**

Des rolled her eyes. She thought it was more likely that Nightingale would take issue with Leo hugging one of his fellow officers than her putting a brick through the car window.

Posted: **Wed Jul 26, 2023 8:32 pm**

The interior of the car is spotlessly clean and uncluttered.

There is little of interest in the glove compartment - a small, unmarked map book, a tub of mints and a dust cloth. There is a USB stick plugged into the car stereo and a Porsche air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror.

Perhaps the most interesting thing is that the vestigia you felt on the exterior is considerably weaker than inside the car.

Posted: **Wed Jul 26, 2023 11:16 pm**

”Why would it smell stronger outside ‘is car than inside?” asked Des, with a puzzled look on her face.

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2023 8:41 am**

"Curious, Des is it strong all the way around the car? Or only a specific part? Maybe we should check the boot and the engine compartment?" Eli said walking slowly around the car.

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2023 8:48 am**

Des walked around the car in the opposite direction to Eli, trying to get a sense of whether the Vestigia changed. She wasn’t about to admit that she wouldn’t have the first clue how to open the bonnet, but when she got to the boot, she opened it and carefully looked inside…

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2023 5:22 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 553 times

Leo also moved around the car with Des, reaching out as he did so, also attempting to experience the vestigia with his colleague and search it.

OOC: I didn't actually hug him. It says I resisted the urge.

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2023 5:40 pm**

OOC: I know. Des was just reading Leo’s body language through her 17 year old, cynical, world weary mindset…

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2023 7:00 pm**

Successfully sensing vestigia confirms your findings: the vestigia is stronger on the exterior surface of the Porsche, but barely noticeable inside.

The boot (or trunk, if you're that way inclined) contains a set of jump leads, a bottle of screen wash and an empty plastic shopping bag.

However, while poking around, you come across a small glittery patch in the bottom of the boot, as if some spilled some shimmering liquid which has subsequently dried out. The vestigia is stronger around this patch.

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2023 7:20 pm**

"If the vestigia you sense is stronger on the outside I wonder if he sprayed the body of the car? I wonder what effect it would have on it?" Eli says stroking his chin as bends down to examine the body work/ boot.

OOC: sigh.....one day...,..

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2023 8:42 pm**

”Wassat?” said Des, leaning into the boot for a closer look, even pulling out her phone and clicking on the torch so she could see more clearly.

Posted: **Thu Jul 27, 2023 9:42 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 534 times

Leo looked over at Eli and nodded. "I was just thinking the same thing about magic and the electronics inside this car. You know, Nightingale said he wasn't aware of a way that a human being could turn invisible that wouldn't kill them. We may be dealing with a completely new territory here."

Leo slips into the driver's seat and turns the key just far enough to see if the instrumentation lights up.

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 7:40 am**

" If the presence of magic does fry electronics, it might be interesting to at least try and start the car, aee if things like the radio or anyother electronics are working." suggests Eli.

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 8:13 am**

”Or see if it linked to a bomb… …” said Des, from the depths of the boot

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 8:20 am**

"Should be a lever under the dashboard to pop the bonnet or a button if its like most cars. Wouldn't sit in yet though...incase of a bomb under the seat." Eli says, smiling atDes.

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 1:17 pm**

Des straightened up and looked about. She spotted where the wall of the building turned a corner, walked around it and then shouted back, ”Is safe to turn it on, naa…”

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 4:08 pm**

Leo turns the key in the ignition...

BAMBADABAMBAMBADAM! BAMBADABAMBAMBAM!

THAT AIN'T WORKIN', THAT'S THE WAY YOU DO IT. MONEY FOR NOTHING AND YOUR CHICKS FOR FREE!

Dire Straits blasts out of the stereo at full volume!

Leo and Eli, please make a POW test. Failure and the shock makes you Impaired.

Any attempts to turn down the volume proves fruitless, as if the stereo system was somehow faulty.

At this stage, Leo's phone rings - it's Sgt. Dhillon.

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 5:18 pm**

OOC: Now thats a surprise.......soooo what does impaired entail?

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 6:22 pm**

in the RoL:RPG rules, you fumble on a 100, but if you’re impaired, you fumble on a 95+

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 6:25 pm**

: 1d100; DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 687 times

OOC: Considering all the times I did this as a kid to prank my parents, I richly deserve this one.

Singing along with the song, Leo exits the vehicle. Once he's far enough away to be heard, he answers the phone.

"Hey, friend. Thanks for the assist. That key saved my arse. What's up?"

Posted: **Fri Jul 28, 2023 9:56 pm**

"Um, I'm glad your arse is in one piece," Dhillon replies. "Listen, we've got a lead at a local garden centre - Flower's Fields. I'll text you the What3Words - can you meet us there ASAP?"

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2023 1:47 pm**

Once you I’ve finished at the leisure centre, I’ll bring you all back together in a new thread.

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2023 2:08 pm**

Amused by the loud music but slightly disappointed that the car hadn’t blown up, Des walked back over to the car to see who Leo was talking to.

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2023 4:41 pm**

Eli hands over his ears, flustered at his failed attempts to turn off the music, tries fumbling with the car keys hoping that will end the ear bursting music. "HOPEFULLY THE CSI TEAMS WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE A CLOSER LOOK AT THIS CAR!!!" He shouts to Leo....or Des.....or anyone who can hear.

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2023 6:19 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 638 times

"I have refrained from setting any fires, so far. Yes, we were just winding things up here. I will let the others know. See you there, soon-ish," he said."

Leo turns around to Des and says. "That was Dhillon. They want us to meet them at a garden shop ASAP. I told him we would head over straightway."

Before they leave, Leo does another quick straighten of his tie and quick hair check before running back inside. Although he's already given Liam one of his cards, he fishes out another one to hand to the handsome manager.

"Please give me a call if anything comes up." He pauses. "Anything."

Then he walks back out to the pool car to head to the next destination. "Shame we can't take the Porsche..."

Posted: **Sat Jul 29, 2023 8:03 pm**

What the hell. Leo, please make a Social roll.

Posted: **Sun Jul 30, 2023 2:11 am**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 629 times

OOC: Leo's a little rough around the edges, but he nailed this one...

Posted: **Sun Jul 30, 2023 8:35 pm**

Thrillingly, Liam holds Leo's gaze a fraction longer.

"Thanks, I'll do that..."

It is perhaps with a spring in his step that the detective returns to the others, as they prepare to head out to Flowers Fields.

Posted: **Sun Jul 30, 2023 9:37 pm**

Seeing Leo's newly found spring in his step Eli turns to Des "Looks like hes found a new line of enquiry......"

Posted: **Sun Jul 30, 2023 9:59 pm**

: DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 610 times

As before, Leo didn't respond his colleagues commentary. Not immediately, anyway. But this time, as he slipped into the driver's seat, they saw the beginning of a grin creeping up toward his ears as he eased the pool car into traffic.

Would he have news for his father during their weekly gathering? Only time (and the random number seed on this site) could tell.

Play@YSDC

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