Play@YSDC

A brief phone call to Sergeant Dhillon leads to a rendezvous at Surrey Police headquarters, Mount Browne, Guildford.

The site is a jarring mish-mash of Edwardian country house and 1960's brutalist office block. Previously slated for demolition, it was granted a reprieve and, instead of being moved to another site, remains at it's current location.

Finding a parking space among the myriad of police vehicles, you make your way to the lobby entrance where a dark-skinned police officer awaits with arms folded - Sergeant Dhillon you presume.


“Special Assessment Unit huh?" she says without preamble. "My guv’nor wasn’t happy to hear you lot are sniffing around, but if you’re taking over the investigation it’ll save his budget at least. So what’s this about? Not those stupid crank calls is it? Ghost cars – Pfft! C’mon!”

"Dr. Jordan Schneider," says Jordan. "Pleased to meet you. Yes, that's us. You've been getting crank calls about ghost cars?" He isn't so sure these calls aren't genuine, knowing what he knows.

Skipper is briefly diverted by ghost cars. "Ghost cars? Like a Rolls Royce Phantom? Actually, weren't ghost cars on an episode of The Simpsons?"

"Never mind the transportation of choice for the Departed, I'm hoping to get a hold of the very late Mr Chichester's phone. Real phone, not one made of ghost, ah, snot." Skipper is sure there's a better name for ghost snot but can't remember it. He can remember Slimer from Ghostbusters though.

Izzy steps forward and shakes the sergeant's hand. "DC Izzy Cooper. And yep, SAU. I'm guessing you don't get many of our cases down here, usually."

She gives a quick glance towards the others, and then glances back at Sgt. Dhillon, with an almost apologetic look on her face, though her colleagues know it's not as serious as she allows her fellow officer to think. She knows full well that ghost cars are a thing, but not a trace of that is present on her features. As for the budget concerns, well, she's used to that. DCI Seawoll has expressed the same sentiments on many an occasion.

"No crank calls this time, just a dead guy in a leisure centre. The autopsy picked up something that might be Falcon-related," Izzy says, referring to the Met's designation for any Folly-related business. "We were asked to look into it."

Sgt Dhillon sighs when you ask about 'ghost cars'.

“We get calls from idiots trying to tell us that the Hindhead tunnel is supposed to be haunted. It only opened in 2011 for goodness sake; how can it be haunted? You’ll be telling me the ghost of Devil’s Punch Bowl is real next! Oh, and I believe the term is ectoplasm - my dad loves that film.”

She focusses her attention on Izzy - seemingly the most sensible of the party.

"So what do you want to know? Chichester was a middle-aged advertising executive who lived in an apartment in Godalming. He drove a Porsche Boxster - no mid-life crisis there. Police record shows a couple of speeding tickets and a caution for getting lairy with someone last week."

"The clothing and belongings found on her person at the scene are being stored here as evidence if you want to take a look. I've got someone in forensics on standby if you need them."

Skipper clicks the fingers of one hand, looking relieved. "Ectoplasm! That's the word I was after."

"Thank you," says Jordan. "Hopefully we can unlock his phone. We could learn a lot from that. With whom was he getting lairy last week?"

It's a good question from Jordan, and Izzy already has her notebook in hand with her notes from the morgue, ready to jot down the answer, while also updating her notes as they talk to Sgt. Dhillon. Potentially a line of enquiry, though it could just as easily have been an unrelated random punch up down the local pub with someone who Karl never saw again. Only one way to find out...

"Well, we did a bit of a background check, but nothing in depth - we knew about the love of cars, typical bloke I suppose." Says the woman in her early twenties who doesn't even own a car.

"If we can check the clothes and items then that would be a good start, thanks. I take it forensics did a full investigation of the scene? Did they pick up anything unusual at all?"

Sgt. Dhillon consults her notebook.

"Looks like he got into an altercation with one Shaun Rushgrove at a nearby bar. Apparently Mr. Chichester was - and I quote - 'leching' at Rushgrove's girlfriend - one Holly Tremlett. When Rushgrove remonstrated with him, Chichester apparently lost it and swung a poorly-aimed punch. Luckily the bar staff intervened and Chichester, raging like a lunatic according to witnesses, was restrained. By the time an officer arrived he'd calmed down and was full of apologies. Rushgrove declined to press charges and Chichester was cautioned."

"As for the man's belongings - yes, we have them bagged up here. If you sign the necessary paperwork you're welcome to take a look. Forensics found nothing of interest at the scene, but the odd thing is that no-one in the changing room saw Chichester - I'm sure his presence would've caused comment."

Sgt. Dhillon is true to her word and soon you are shown to a small room. Bagged and tagged before you is a pile of neatly folded clothes (a pair of tracksuit trousers and a plain T-shirt), a small holdall, a mobile phone, a plastic spray bottle and a set of keys (car keys with Porsche key fob, apartment door key and a smaller key to his garage).

Jordan examines the phone first, checking if it still works.

Skipper looks at Izzy in mock horror. "Typical bloke? I feel stereotyped and degraded. Judge me as an individual, not a cask-load of testosterone and ripped muscle."

"On the topic though, have the Met grabbed old mate's motor or is it still sitting in the leisure centre car park, I wonder?" He points at the seized keys without touching. "Might be some interesting odds and sods in it. As you know, a typical bloke's motor is full of personal stuff like a typical girl's handbag."

"Not to mention his house and lock-up, course. Lock-ups are well dodgy for storing your dead bodies, pervy stuff and the like."

He looks down at the other items and tilts his head. "Plastic spray bottle's a bit dodgy innit? What's that for?"

Jordan is very lucky.

Luck roll (51% stat) to see if the phone works:
d%

As if on que, Sgt. Dhillon's phone 'bings'. Excusing herself, she reads the text message with a frown.

"Hm, funny you should mention the bottle... Forensics have just taken a look at the liquid residue inside it - most of it had dried out, so there was only a thin scraping. Their results are pretty inconclusive - it's some kind of plant extract, but they can't work anything out other than that. They're scratching their heads - it actually says that - 'we're scratching our heads'."

Examining the phone, your hearts sink at the tell-tale sandy shaking sound it makes when you shake it.

However this, the bottle and the clothes all emit a strange floral smell.

How's about another Sense Vestigia roll?

Jordan detects something beyond the floral smell.

Sense Vestigia roll (30% skill) about the bottle and the clothes:
d%

You realise the smell is actually a vestigia. Concentrating a little harder, you also sense the feeling of strong sunlight on the skin and the chittering of tropical birds and insects.

Izzy quickly updates her case notes in her notepad and shares them with the others, as Sgt. Dhillon gives them the info.

Talk to Sgt. Dhillon - done and dusted What was his job? - Advertising executive - which company? Colleagues/clients connected to incident? Any immediate family/friends? Notified yet? Any close friends who may be practitioners? Anyone with a grudge - any recent fallings out? - Tried to fight Shaun Rushgrove after trying it on with his girlfriend, Holly Tremlett. Cautioned, no charges pressed. History of voyeurism? Vestigia around brain - flowers, sun on skin, tropical birds - has he been abroad recently? Likes sports cars - mid life crisis? Likes Grimesy, hates Loz Drivez, what were his political leanings? Red herring? - Drove Porsche Boxster - deffo mid life crisis. Check phone for microchip damage - sanded - as expected. CCTV - if entrance further from changing room, might be operational - could get time of entry - also other people, did everyone in building leave at closing time?

"Huh, perfect timing." Izzy gives a quick smile towards the sergeant as she takes a closer look at the bottle. "Hmm. Smells like my washing machine tablets. I take it by 'scratching their heads' they couldn't work out which plant the extract came from?"

Before focusing as usual on the vestigia clearly coming from the bottle and clothes, Izzy gives a slightly apologetic look at Skipper, though tempered by a mildly cheeky smirk, whilst clutching her shoulder bag just a little closer. "Most of what I have in here is work related, you know. Unless you count sandwiches from Molly, travel makeup, hair brush, keys, purse, emergency tampons," (she watches for a squirm at that one) "earphones, water bottle, mints..."

Before he can answer, she leans in and clears her mind for a moment...

Sense Vestigia: 60%

1d100

Lucky! Just about succeeded!