Murder

burglary

Murglary

Burglary or Juvenile

Murder most fowl

Murder.

Berglery.

1/3 BAN 2020/05/28(Thu)21:15 No. 968331 ID: 7ae189
File 159072574516.jpg - (268.66KB , 800x685 , cop2.jpg )

You're torn about it, but murder does sound exciting. Anything to get out of this building.

You get someone to dish out the other two cases, take the murder file and head for the car.

>"Took you long enough, boss."

There's Sergeant Dane. She's a cop.

2/3 BAN 2020/05/28(Thu)21:21 No. 968332 ID: 7ae189
File 159072611083.jpg - (141.26KB , 1227x667 , cop3.jpg )

The two of you pile in the car. As you head toward the bridge, you check the file again.

One Joe Durst drowned in the river yesterday. Apparently, things look sketchier than a stock suicide.

That's weird, there seems to be a crowd at the end of the bridge.

>"Oh, fuck this," Dane grunts.

3/3 BAN 2020/05/28(Thu)21:28 No. 968333 ID: 7ae189
File 159072652659.jpg - (286.81KB , 800x602 , cop4.jpg )

An army of reporters are crowding around base of the bridge. You can barely see your boys' setup behind their blockade. Was this guy famous?

You barely make it out of the car before they come down on you. Shit, you're not good in crowds...

>"YOU! SIR, YOU THERE SIR!"
>"EXCUSE ME!! EXCUSE ME!!!"
"Sorry, I--"
>"SIR, ARE YOU A DETECTIVE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HAPPENED TO JONATHAN DURST?"
"I--"
>"IS IT TRUE THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT HERE?? WHO CALLED FOR HIM TO BE KILLED??"

Time for the good ol' standby.

"No comment."

Beckon him to come closer, like you're going to whisper him a secret... then yell I HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE CRIME SCENE YET!
This should surprise him enough to prevent him from interrupting you.

>>968333
Tell them you cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, and to get out of the way or face charges of interfering with the investigation.

Have you heard of this Durst guy?

"no comment, get yer soundbites elsewhere ya vultures!"

"How do I know you didn't kill John Durst?"

Begin hop-dancing while chanting "No Comment".

push forward while ignoring all reporter's questions and get to the actual crime scene so you can see what is going on

Dane, they're all yours. don't shoot anybody I wouldn't.

1/3 BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)05:59 No. 968348 ID: 7ae189
File 159075716506.jpg - (314.39KB , 800x634 , cop5.jpg )

You think about getting snippy, but your nerves are getting the better of you. You end up mumbling a lot. "Er, well, I haven't seen the scene yet, so..."

>"HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS??"
>"SIR, ARE YOU FROM THE FIRST PRECINCT?"
>"YOU HAVE TO KNOW SOMETHING! TELL US!!"

"Uh, I--"
>"TELL US!!!!"

>Dane shoves through the mob and plants herself right in front of you. "Alright assholes, let us through!! You're obstructing an investigation!"

Shit, you can't let a subordinate do all the heavy lifting. She's always bailing you out of these kinds of things.

>"WE DESERVE TO KNOW SOMETHING!!"
>"IS THE CASE BEING HANDLED BY THE FIRST PRECINCT? IS IT TRUE THAT YOU'RE UNDERMANNED??"

>"Listen here, you motherfucker--"

"Dane, cool it," you interrupt. "I've got this."

2/3 BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)06:08 No. 968349 ID: 7ae189
File 159075769310.jpg - (249.24KB , 800x433 , cop6.jpg )

You start shuffling around wordlessly. The reporters seem caught off guard. Soon you're full-on dancing.

"Uh.... No comment~! No comment~!" you start singing.

Dane looks like she's ready to kill herself. She tries helping you save face by dancing too. You owe her big time.

>"SIR, WHAT ARE YOU--"

"No comment~! No comment~!"

>"WHAT--"

"Get in my way and I'll arrest you~! No comment~!"

The two of you have scared the reporters into letting you pass. You'd better get a promotion for this.

As you krump past the cameras, it comes to your attention that you don't even know who this Joe guy was. You're not the most generally aware person, though. Maybe other people know more about him.

You dance up to the middle of the bridge.

3/3 BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)06:14 No. 968350 ID: 7ae189
File 159075807875.jpg - (408.80KB , 800x949 , cop7.jpg )

You don't know how the reporters got wind of it, but your guys really are undermanned... The "crime scene" currently consists of some cheap barricades and two of your boys standing around.

There seems to be a big chunk taken out of the brick wall. There isn't much else that you can see, right away.

>One of your cops approaches and salutes. "Welcome, sir!"

ask what the situation is and what they've found so far.

Ask about the giant hole in the wall: was it there when the first responders arrived?

I would like to hear the Hole story

BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)08:20 No. 968355 ID: 7ae189
File 159076561113.jpg - (190.33KB , 800x694 , cop8.jpg )

"What's the situation?" you ask, walking over to the hole.

>"At some point last night, Joe Durst fell off this bridge and drowned in the river. A fishing boat found his body and called 911 around 9 AM. The body hasn't been examined yet. Things are really fucky, sir."

>"It's the fucking Second Precinct again," the other cop chimes in. "They keep stepping over their jurisdiction! Mr. Mayor should've died closer to the station..."

"What's up with this hole? Was it here when the first responders showed up?"

>"Yeah, we're guessing this is where Joe went over. No sign of a weapon or a car collision that could've made it. Maybe this part of the wall just wasn't secure. I wish we had more to start you off with sir, but that's what we've got."

"So, that's the...HOLE story."

You ignore the glare that Dane shoots you and begin musing on what to do.

wait, he was the Mayor? as in our Mayor?

Doesn't seem like the type to be walking home.
I guess we inspect the bricks, then move on to the cadaver.

wait, if this is where he fell into the river wouldn't that mean all the bricks that are piled up next to the hole be in the river? If anything it looks like something came from outside the bridge wall and smash it's way in.

what's on the other side of the bride/road? Just wondering that if something did punch through the wall from outside it might of knocked our victim into across the road and knocked him in from the other side. If so he might have had something knocked loose of his person that might still be here on the bridge.

Where's the body?

"If the bricks gave out on their own, they'd be in the river, not up here in front of the hole. Speaking of, what led you to find this bridge after the body was called in?"

If their answer amounts to 'it was right above/upriver from the body and had a suspicious hole,' reply with: "So until we get that autopsy, we only have circumstantial evidence our guy even took his dip from this spot?"

What are those markings under the hole on the outside?

Also, wait...

"What do you mean when you say 'the Second Precinct is overstepping' and that our guy 'should have' died closer to the station?"

You're not the most aware, but you can at least tell us what Precinct you're commissioner of - You are the commissioner/head detective, right? - and as much of the situation with the Precincts as you're able to tell.

>>968355
What's that under the bridge? Footprints?
Also ask who Joe is. Somebody famous?

1/3 BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)15:47 No. 968395 ID: 7ae189
File 159079242722.jpg - (169.53KB , 800x709 , cop9.jpg )

You crouch down by the hole for a better look. Geeze, this is kind of high up.

"How do we know he dropped from here?" you ask.

>"He was in the water nearby," the first cop replies. "From the sound of it, the fishers almost hit the bastard just a little bit downriver from here.

"So until everything's checked out, it's just circumstantial evidence."

>"Sir? I'd say it's pretty straightforward..."

"Look at how this wall broke," you say. "If his body caused it, these bricks would be in the river, not on the sidewalk. Which means...!"

>"Something came from the other side?" Dane asks.

You look over the edge. There seem to be four relatively deep gashes in the side of the bridge. A man with a climbing tool could've made them, or maybe someone like yourself.

"Is there anything on the other side of the bridge?"

>"Nothing, sir, it was clean when we got here."

"Hmmm..."

So something or someone came from the other side of the bridge, broke through the wall. If you assume that Joe did in fact go under from this bridge, this mystery climber is a prime suspect.

"And where's the body, now?"

>"Being held at the morgue until we get the 2P off our asses. They really want dibs on this."

The Second Precinct... They're the reason your life as the First Precinct's captain has been so shitty. They steal all the new hires, they stomp all over the edges of other precincts' turf, the mayor loves them...

Wait a minute!

2/3 BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)15:49 No. 968396 ID: 7ae189
File 159079257293.jpg - (144.98KB , 800x547 , cop10.jpg )

You jump up from the bricks and turn to Dane. "Wait!" you yell. "Did he say Joe was the mayor? As in, our mayor?!"

>"You.... You didn't know that he was the...?"

Uh oh, her vein is popping again. You quickly try to defuse her temper. "Uhm, of course I did--"

>"No you didn't."

"Ye--"

>You literally didn't know that the mayor got tossed off a bridge." Dane's anger management courses seem to be paying off, good for her.

"Er, I was just confused! You wouldn't expect Mayor Joe Durst to just walk home at night."

>She doesn't seem to buy it, but the idea distracts her from her rage. "Yeah, what was he doing out late? Didn't his people know?"

>"The Durst campaign hasn't made any statements yet, ma'am," the cop says. "I think they're waiting to talk to lawmen before answering the newsies."

After you secure the body, you'll make sure to pay them a visit and--

>"Gentlemen!" a new voice calls out.

Fuck everything. If you had a mouth, you'd be snarling.

3/3 BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)15:50 No. 968398 ID: 7ae189
File 159079260396.jpg - (377.04KB , 800x975 , cop11.jpg )

STEVE is approaching your crime scene. He's a cop. He's also a dick.

"Hello, STEVE," you sigh.

>"BAN," STEVE says in his stringy asshole voice. "Thanks for securing the scene for my guys. The cavalry will be here soon, so the 1P won't have to play detective for too much longer, haha."

Dane is literally trembling with fury. You think you're starting to see red.

This is an active crimescene, STEVE.
We're still collecting evidence, and be happy to share our findings later, STEVE.
Please tell your friends to go home, STEVE.
If that's not enough, feel free to file a complaint


...STEVE.

>>968398
Tell Steve this is not his jurisdiction. We have to play this one by the book, it's an extremely important case.

"The case reached my desk. I'd wager that means it was assigned to our jurisdiction. If you plan to take the case over, I'd like to see the notarized paperwork for the transfer of authority first. If you really want this, you should do me dirty by the book, at least... Oh, and while I seriously hate to speak glibly of the dead, I doubt dear old Mr. Mayor's in any state to be taking your side this time... STEVEY."

>>968396
>If you had a mouth, you'd be snarling.
If you don’t have a mouth, then how are you talking?

>>968398
Why don’t you live up to your name and BAN him from being here?

>someone like me
You’re tough enough to dig into concrete with your bare hands?

>STEVE
Get Dane to go look under the bridge and see whether those marks outside also go under it, and where they originate, if so. She looks about ready to blow a gasket and needs the distraction. Does anyone here have a camera? Get them to start taking crime scene photos.

Then tell your ‘friend’ that if he’d like to transfer you some of his excess manpower to help 1st Precinct with the investigation into the Mayor’s untimely death, he’s absolutely welcome to. You really appreciate the offer, especially considering what a high-profile case this is going to be. Gonna need the best on hand.

(And if they’re under your chain of command you can assign them to deal with traffic tickets.)

>>968398
"STEVE, I'm going to ask very nicely, and I hope you appreciate what a struggle that is for me, that you vacate our precinct and let us handle this. This is a delicate situation, and I'd like to keep it on the down-low. Having two entire precincts looking into one crime scene is going to attract a lot of attention we do not need right now, and the press is already getting antsy. So, having said that, kindly go away."

1/2 BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)22:40 No. 968451 ID: 7ae189
File 159081724695.jpg - (305.52KB , 800x573 , cop12.jpg )

"Dane, take our guys and try to get under the bridge," you say, keeping your eyes on STEVE. "See if there's more marks underneath it. Try to get pictures of everything. Oh, and tighten up our barricades, too."

>"And leave you alone with him?! Boss, I--"

"Just do it, sergeant," you bark.

>Dane's face twists into a scowl as she takes a step back. "You tell me if he does anything stupid," she spits. "Say the fucking word, I'll chop his balls off!"

>"Temper, temper," STEVE chides. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, sergeant."

After murdering both of you with her eyes, Dane takes the other two subordinates and heads back toward the end of the bridge.

2/2 BAN 2020/05/29(Fri)22:44 No. 968452 ID: 7ae189
File 159081748921.jpg - (168.98KB , 800x411 , cop13.jpg )

>"What a joke," STEVE laughs as soon as your cops have left. "Keep your girl on a tighter leash, man, jesus."

You square up on STEVE. "Don't start with me."

>The mirth is gone from his eyes in a flash. "What, you've grown some balls now?"

"This is an active crime scene, STEVE. I don't have time for your shit."

>"Crime scene? This?" STEVE gestures around. "This is a playground. Did you even find anything before I showed up, pal?"

You try to keep your cool. It's very hard. "We'll be happy to share what we find later, STEVE."

>"How professional, that's cute. When my boys get here, maybe I'll let you stick around."

"If you're offering to transfer some of your boys to the First Precinct I'd be happy to take them, we could use some extra hands on this."

>"Cheeky! You've gotten a lot funnier, BAN."

You clench your fists. "I'm not joking, STEVE. The only way anyone from your side of the river is getting in on this case is if they've got a 1P badge on their arm. This is huge, there's a lot of press watching, and everything's gonna be by the book this time. If you want dibs so badly, do the right paperwork and try me again."

>The captain's face darkens. "And you think that'll be a fucking problem for me? Nobody wants your fucking circus handling a case this big, and you know it. My request would be approved before I'd even dipped my fucking pen."

Now it's your turn to be smug. "Yeah? Not to be an asshole, but it's not like you'll have Mr. Mayor on your side, this time."

>"Oh, fuck you."

You relish in the brief flash of anger that STEVE displays. This is the first time you've had anything barely resembling an upper hand in years. You decide to milk it.

"I'm asking nicely, and you know that's hard for me. Turn your guys around and get out of my precinct."

>STEVE takes a second to regain his composure. Before long, his shiteating demeanor's returned. "This isn't how I expected this to go, BAN," he chuckles. "I don't know if you're just posturing for the girl or what, but you are really acting like a big dick policeman today. Unexpected, seriously."

>He closes the distance between you even further. "But what if I call your bluff?" he hisses. "Humor me, 'captain,' what exactly would you do if me and my boys just walked on up this bridge and took over your shitty crime scene?"

>>968452
You'll report him to the chief of police, saying that he and his "boys" stormed onto an active, high profile crime scene outside of their jurisdiction without following proper procedure or filing the necessary paperwork. That alone would be bad enough, but following it up with reports of what is essentially his precinct harassing yours? Major trouble.

Threaten that with enough spin, you could implicate Steve's insistent breach of primary protocol in a major case as intent to tamper with a crime scene for political reasons. It wouldn't stick, but without the Mayor to keep the PR up? He'd get 'reassigned' by the department to save face, possibly doing a few years of playing nanny for the dancing hobos and their negative-hotness hooks. All because he couldn't get some @#$%ing 2-page paperwork done first.

You'd be GLAD to step away from this case if you had legal precedent. That's what this - this whole mess - is all about. Doing a legal investigation of a major crime that threatens to destabilize the region, and reinstating faith in the political process that puts fillet mignon on Steve's tables by getting revenge on the asshole who committed murder despite knowing how deep-^&*( the consequences for others could be.

In short: it's his @#$%ing job to be a paragon of order, at least in public. If he can't do that right, especially now? They may as well fire him.

Well gee, STEVE, I think the media might be pretty interested in that obvious breach of zoning. Enough local coverage and the Feds get involved.

1/2 BAN 2020/05/30(Sat)07:19 No. 968468 ID: 7ae189
File 159084835734.jpg - (296.49KB , 800x568 , cop14.jpg )

"What would I do?" you snap back. "I'd go to the chief about how you blatantly breached your zoning, without papers, to tamper with my crime scene and harass me and my guys. Maybe I wouldn't even have to, there are plenty of reporters out here to get it all on film."

>"Oh that's fucking rich, the brass? The media? You'd be willing to dance that dance with me?"

"If I have to. If you can't follow protocol you might as well be fired, STEVE."

>STEVE stares coldly at you for a moment before closing his eyes, shrugging and turning away. "You know, that's a great point, BAN," he says. "If a cop can't do his job right, he shouldn't be one. Sorry for losing my head like that, I'll do this the right way. My boys will stay out of it, the case is yours."

You've never heard this man apologize before, you're a little taken aback. "Er, it's alright--"

>"Three days." The asshole waves and starts walking back the way he came.

Something in his voice puts you on alert. You haven't sensed a vibe like this from him before. "What?"

>"My request will be fully processed in three days," he calls back to you. "And if there's one miniscule thing out of place with your investigation I'm not just taking your case. I'm taking your head, you little shit, you got that?! Your whole precinct, your badge, your fat butch sidekick, mine!!!"

Your heart's dropped into your shoes. "Yeah, right," you retort.

STEVE has left the crime scene.

2/2 BAN 2020/05/30(Sat)07:21 No. 968469 ID: 7ae189
File 159084851878.jpg - (108.65KB , 800x367 , cop15.jpg )

You slump against the wall and gasp for air. You feel like puking but you don't want to contaminate the scene. 'Yeah right?' Really? You were too scared to get anything else out.

You've never talked back to that dickwad before, much less argued with him. You wonder if any of the other precincts that border the 2P have done something that ballsy. Holy shit.

Your heart's pounding. Can people like you have heart attacks? You think you're going to pass out.

Three days.... Your watch says it's Wednesday, 12:00 PM on the dot. You're so fucked. You're going to lose your job by the weekend. You try to calm down and think about your next move.

That's assuming he even has that kind of power. It's possible that bullying is always how STEVE gets his way, with maybe a little help from a pocket-mayor, and all it takes to put him in line is for the other precincts to grow a pair.

> Can people like you have heart attacks?
So you're not just an anthropomorphic capybara, I take it? Something tells me there's stuff about "people like you" that we should know if we're going to solve crimes in this world.

> What Do
Check up on Dane's progress and ask about talking to those fishermen about finding the body. Also, make plans to meet with the mayor's guys to put together his movements during his final day and figure out why he was out here alone. Don't go anywhere else before visiting the morgue, though. Also, since you're probably going to have to face those media types again, you should probably think about what to tell them to back off a second time, and hopefully clear out for good. You can't give them confirmation or denial of their crack conspiracy theories, but for a case this big, they do deserve to know when a press-release is happening. Maybe two days from now at, say, 4:00 pm?

>>968472
no major refinements to this.

>>968472
I'm down with this plan, but I feel I should stress the need for discretion. Until the situation is under control, mum's the word.

>>968469
You know, this looks bad for you, right? Since the victim always favored Steve and his precinct, your precinct stands to would benefit with their death. So you'd better work fast and find the real killer before you guys are all framed for murder!

Think for a second, he’s playing by the same rules as you now. Even if he has more power with the system now you can finally get shit done without worrying that he’s gonna overstep. And his threats are bullshit because what’s he gonna find out of place when you finally have a chance to do your job properly.
There’s not much chance of solving a murder in only three days but we can use this to prove we can competently handle our work and then use that to leverage ourselves for more leeway down the line. All we gotta do is our job.

Let everyone else know that everything has to be done by the book. This is an important case and also the 2nd precinct is breathing down your neck about it.

Take a deep breath and focus at our task at hand. Holler down and see what they've found on the underside?

1/2 BAN 2020/05/30(Sat)19:00 No. 968567 ID: 7ae189
File 159089043045.jpg - (184.00KB , 800x347 , cop16.jpg )

You start walking and try to pull yourself together. You're still spooked but your heart doesn't feel like it's going to explode, anymore.

You try to convince yourself that STEVE was just talking out of his ass. There's no way he could actually get you fired or frame you for murder or something...you hope. All you've got to do is run a tight ship and he'll have nothing on you. Life sure is hard as a...a, uh......

....What are you, exactly?

You catch yourself before you go down that rabbit hole again, now isn't the time for another existential crisis. You remind yourself that people like you and STEVE might be different, but you're still more or less human. Kind of. You're definitely not a demon or something like the religious types would want you to believe, at least. You feel like you're too civil for that to be true.

You reach the end of the bridge. The reporters still haven't left.

>"SIR!! SIR, WHAT ARE YOUR MEN DOING ON THE RIVER??"
>"WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO DANCE LIKE THAT?"
>"HAVE YOU FOUND ANYTHING AT THE CRIME SCENE???"

You try to channel some more of that big dick aura and push your way past them. "Uh, we're still in the early stages of our investigation," you say. "I won't take questions now, but we're planning a press release on our findings two days from now at 4:00 PM."

>"CAN'T YOU TELL US SOMETHING NOW??"
>"IS IT TRUE THAT THE CASE MIGHT BE TAKEN OVER BY THE SECOND PRECINCT?"

"No comment~! No comment~!"

2/2 BAN 2020/05/30(Sat)19:02 No. 968569 ID: 7ae189
File 159089057626.jpg - (198.86KB , 800x495 , cop17.jpg )

A little off the road, you find Dane and your boys on the river bank. It looks like they found a raft somewhere.

>Dane jogs up to you. "You okay?" she asks, checking you over. "He didn't pull shit, did he?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. How're we doing?"

>"Look at these." She shoves a handful of photographs at you. "That track runs all the way across the bottom of the bridge. And it looks like it starts on the other end of the bridge."

"Fun..." Just your luck. Whoever it was got onto the bridge from STEVE's end of the river. Following that trail will lead to more headbutting, you're sure.

>"What's our next step?"

"Everything we do for the next couple days has to be as lowkey as possible." You start pacing. "We should get statements from those fishermen about finding the body. And can we get in touch with the Durst people, too? We need to know what he was doing, how he ended up here..."

>"We've got the phone numbers of both of the fishermen," one of your cops pipes up. "Me and Johnny could follow up on them."

>"We'll have a list of big names in the Durst campaign by the time we're back at the station," Dane adds.

"Great. Before we do anything though, I want to see that body."

>Dane nods. "The morgue's in Crosstown, maybe thirty minutes away. We done here?"

Any muddy footprints, tracks, whatnot, close to the water's edge that ain't of recent cop shoes? 'specially if they're close to where the marks start.

Also, get someone to see how deep the marks are and how they're shaped - might give some clue as to what exactly did the damage, whether it was a weapon or something else.

How the marks are spaced out might tell you something about the perp as well, like a 'their arms had to be at least this long / this far apart'. Could be useful for narrowing down suspects.

Also, get one of your boys to glove up and bag up every last brick from the bridge. Could be material from whatever impacted them still stuck to them - or blood or skin from the Mayor, if he got struck by them when whatever happened, happened.

And finally, close down the bridge more proper. It's been damaged and some civil engineer's probably gonna need to look at that before you can drive heavy traffic and shit over.

>>968569
Might want to get some analysis done on the holes in the bridge. Up-close photos would be nice, see if you can figure out what made the holes.

What's the usual procedure for following evidence across precinct lines? Do it by the book, but definitely do it.

Is that something sticking out of the ground right at the foot of the bridge?

>>968574
You mean the oar on the raft?

Wait, ask where they got the raft.

Is that a katana or an oar? Inspect the stick.

BAN 2020/05/31(Sun)20:25 No. 968651 ID: 7ae189
File 159098190646.jpg - (257.30KB , 800x733 , cop18.jpg )

"One sec," you reply. "Let's look around some more." While you're here, you might as well check for any tracks near the water.

A brief search of the surrounding area turns up nothing of note. You glance at your watch nervously.

>"We can keep looking around if you want to go see that body, sir," one of the cops offers.

"Call in some more guys to help while you're at it," you order. "Get public works on the line to get this bridge closed off. Everything gets analyzed, I want every loose brick bagged as evidence, and some closer shots of those marks, too."

>"Yes sir!" the second cop barks. "We'll get some great shots with this camera!"

The gears are turning, now. Once a few more men get on the scene, your bases should be covered nicely. There's just one more thing...

"Also, I was wondering... Where did you get this raft, anyway? And that camera?"

>You watch in terror as that vein on Dane's face slowly begins to swell. "I brought them," she grits. "You were there. I put them into the car in front of you."

"O-oh! Of course, of course," you laugh nervously. "I just forgot."

>Ohhh, no. Another vein starts popping out. "We're gonna talk, later."

Your subordinates shoot you apologetic looks from behind Dane's back. You're somehow more on edge than you were when you butted heads with STEVE.

>"Anything else, boss?" She makes it sound more like a threat than a question...

>>968651
No.

...do you have memory problems, Ban?

1/3 BAN 2020/05/31(Sun)23:31 No. 968663 ID: 7ae189
File 159099306046.jpg - (258.88KB , 800x908 , cop19.jpg )

"We should be good," you say, sweating bullets. "Let's head out..."

>"Sure."

The two of you leave your boys to handle the scene and pile back into your patrol car. As soon as the doors lock, the storm hits. The drive to Crosstown is miserable.

>"You never fucking listen to me. You never listen to me! You don't even fucking look at me!! Every fucking case it's the same thing, you wander around doing fuckall and I'm just there to make you look like you know what you're doing! Well, you can't keep up this aloof routine and solve a fucking murder at the same time, BAN. Get your fucking head out of the clouds before that fucking asshole makes us all look like idiots!!"

You wince as she continues her tirade. You really do try to stay on top of things. You wouldn't say your memory's bad, it's just...not good, all the time. In your defense, the raft thing was probably the last time that you've truly spaced out today. While you were at the crime scene, you felt like you could actually focus on things, almost uncharacteristically so.

>"I SAID PROMISE ME, DICKHEAD!!" Dane roars, punching the dashboard.

"Huh?!" You glance over and catch a glimpse of your partner's burning eyes, and the new dent in your dash. "Er, I mean, I promise! I hear you and I promise!"

>She seems surprised. "And you're actually going to pay attention from now on?"

"Yes! Yes, I promise!"

>She sits back in her seat and takes a few deep breaths. "Okay, then," she says, turning a lighter shade of red. "Okay. I'm holding you to it, boss."

Flawless save, BAN. Bomb defused, for now... You let out a sigh of relief and try to focus on the road.

2/3 BAN 2020/05/31(Sun)23:32 No. 968664 ID: 7ae189
File 159099313445.jpg - (162.94KB , 800x356 , cop20.jpg )

You arrive at the morgue in Crosstown. No windows...creepy.

You get out of the car at the doorstep. Dane takes the wheel to find parking while you head inside.

3/3 BAN 2020/05/31(Sun)23:33 No. 968665 ID: 7ae189
File 159099321576.jpg - (172.74KB , 800x509 , cop21.jpg )

In the lobby, a man in scrubs is waiting. When he sees you approach, his face lights up.

>"Ahhh, you must be Captain STEVE. I'm the medical examiner, call me Ishmael. When I finally found out where they took old Joe, I came over myself. It's a good day for science, isn't it?"

You bet.

You get it all taken care of? Any last minute surprises?

>>968665
Huh, was there a delay in informing the medical examiner?
Ask him if he's got time of death, cause of death, all that good stuff. Also take a look at the body. You're no mortician but maybe you can find some evidence that's been overlooked.

>>968665
Offer a hand to shake.

"Captain BAN. I'm looking into this case until STEVE takes over. How goes the science?"

"Captain BAN, actually, from Precinct 1. Although STEVE promised to take over in three days, that's no reason to delay the autopsy, of course. You came over from a different morgue, you say? I suppose that means you have a special interest in this case, then?"

Correct him, reassure him why that doesn't change anything, then turn to a new subject before he has a chance to complain anyway.

I'm slightly interested in what this guy would tell captain STEVE, though. no reason to spoil the joke

Yeah, I don't see a need to correct him. Looks like you're spacing out again, huh? Whoopsie.

>>968710
>no reason to
Actually there is. Pretending to be STEVE to this guy might be one of those things STEVE can pin on us once our handling of this case gets examined for procedural errors.

Giving the impression we're just a friendly coworker of STEVE and that BAN being here is normal should be fair game. We don't even have to mention our Precinct unless asked, the guy was clearly expecting someone to show up and be given the deets.

If he says he expected 2P to be working on the case, tell him the murder seems to have happened on your side and the paperwork hasn't gone through yet to transfer the investigation. It's a high profile case, gotta play it by the book.

1/2 BAN 2020/06/01(Mon)19:19 No. 968745 ID: 7ae189
File 159106439243.jpg - (163.87KB , 800x538 , cop22.jpg )

You almost just roll with it and pretend to be STEVE, but you're too scared of what would happen if he found out. "I'm actually Captain BAN," you say, holding out a hand. "I'm, uh...I'm handling the case for STEVE, for a few days."

Ishmael catches your hand in a vicegrip and gives you the weirdest handshake you've ever experienced. He smirks at your visible discomfort.

>"You like that? A new prosthetic, my design," he gloats. "So you're not STEVE? I was sure they'd put The Hammer in right away for a high-profile murder like this one. I was going to get an autograph, heh heh."

Of course he's big enough to have a nickname, too. You conceal your jealousy. "Everyone's got their hands full," you reply, "even The Hammer. How's the body looking?"

>"Ahhh! I'm so glad you asked. Come on, let's admire this together."

2/2 BAN 2020/06/01(Mon)19:22 No. 968746 ID: 7ae189
File 159106455547.jpg - (378.06KB , 800x1043 , cop23.jpg )

You follow the examiner through a series of hallways. Along the way, an attendant tries to get you into some scrubs. It isn't a complete success, but it works.

Soon, you're face to face with the corpse of Joe Durst.

>"Just look at it," Ishmael sighs. "They could use a picture of him in a textbook, he's a perfect specimen."

"Has everything been figured out?"

>"Of course! This body wrote its own report more or less, I'm very proud of it."

>Ishmael begins circling the operating table, and beckons for you to do the same. "I started with his affects. He was in his Sunday best when he got here. If I was a detective, I'd say he was definitely out on business when this happened. No notable signs of a struggle on his clothes. When he was forced in--and he was forced in, captain, I'll show you in a moment--it happened with just one decisive strike.

>"Now look here," he says, passing you some X-rays. "Look at these fractures on the shoulder blade, and all this damage to the upper spine. These aren't from repeated blows. No, Mr. Durst was shoved just one time from behind, and this was the result. Injured and in shock he fell into our tranquil Cross River, and promptly drowned. A nasty death, but so crisply executed."

"Any thoughts on the time of death?" you ask.

>"It's not my strong suit, but from the level of water damage and decay present, I want to say that he was in there no earlier than 12 or 1 AM. I'd wager a dollar on it."

"I'll take that bet." Every penny counts in this business.

>"To conclude, my mental image of the perpetrator," Ishmael continues, leading you around one more circle. "Without a doubt, whoever did this was a creature like you, Mr. BAN. Forgive me for not being PC, but only a demon would be able to generate the force needed to do this to his back in one go. If you find your murderer, this'll be a big one for the papers, for sure."

>The examiner stops his pacing, rests his false hand on the edge of the table and bows. "Thus concludes my presentation," he announces. "What do you think?"

Ask him if he found anything in the wound or if he possibly could get a cast of the wound?

So we can make sure it matchs the marks on the walls or not.

>>968746
Could the back wound be caused by an impact with a hard surface? Like, for instance, Joe having fallen off the bridge onto something floating on the water, like a boat? The bridge wasn't too high, maybe there wasn't enough distance for the fall to make that impact...
Could it be the victim was shoved from the front, then impacted on something behind him, like the side of the bridge? It doesn't change much but we might be able to find some evidence of that on the bricks.
How sure are we that the Mayor fell off the bridge and died there? Bodies can float along a body of water; could he have died somewhere else? Or does the river not have much of a current?

From the evidence we have it seems the demon climbed along the bridge and hid at the side by the wall, waiting for the victim, then bust through the wall and knocked him off. So, how did the murderer know the mayor was going to be there? Did he have a meeting on the bridge with someone late at night? ...we might want to find out what the Mayor was doing out that late.

BAN, you have an alibi right? How many demons are there in the city?

"Mr. Mayor always had a scar over his eye, yeah?"

"And you're sure he was pushed in, not pulled? Though I guess the fracture explains how he couldn't just swim out."

Try to remember how high the bridge was. If it was 'decently high': "You're sure the blunt trauma wasn't from our guy hitting the water? I'm almost surprised he lived long enough to drown."

"Finally, you got us the start of his time-of-death window, but I suppose if you guessed at its end, you would have told me by now?"

If these questions don't yield any new info, I think we can safely conclude a few things about the case:
1: The killer beheld immense strength, on par with a demon, or perhaps merely through some heavy gear.
2: The mayor wasn't expecting to meet his killer on the bridge. They wouldn't have needed to climb around otherwise.
3: The mayor was on the bridge for a reason, and the killer wasn't supposed to be there. Therefore, the mayor likely met with a third party shortly before his death, and this third party could be a witness.

>Only a demon
Admonish the coroner for using profiling as a means of ruling out suspects; that fuels hate-speech and any physical qualities in the average statistic can easily be replicated with modern-day technology. Just say "there was a LOT of force involved at this height and angle" next time.

>>968746
There's a problem with his assessment.
When BAN was investigating the scene, the part of the bridge where Joe fell was collapsed inward, not outward. According to Ishmael, Joe was pushed from behind, meaning that the collapsed area would have fallen toward the river, not the bridge.
There are also those strange holes to take into account. Let's say that whatever made those holes climbed the wall, broke through the bridge, then killed Joe.

>>968757
Conceivable someone could have climbed the bridge, Grabbed him and slammed him against the outside? Then dropped him in the drink?

Following the demon angle, do y'all display muscle like humans do, or are you abnormally strong? Someone who could lift a grown man off his feet while hanging off a bridge would be world class.

>>968757
Demon breaks through wall (spilling the bricks into onto the bridge) and smacks the mayor over the other side of the bridge. Easy.

>What do YOU think?
You think this doesn't match up with the crime scene.

Perhaps the bridge is a smokescreen to hide the real location of dear Mr. Durst's fatal plunge into the river? Whoever did it couldn't have been terribly clever, though, what with the bricks being all in the wrong way.

Not to mention, who dresses up in finery to wander all alone through the streets? He's a mayor. He's got valets and cars and stuff. Something skeevy must certainly have been going on.

>"What do you think?"
Any indents or marks on his back to indicate what, precisely, shoved him? Also, what's the toxicology report say? Was the mayor in otherwise good health? Was he drunk that night?

>>968770
Hitting a grown man with enough force to send him flying would've sent bricks scattering further afield, no?

>>968777
He was hit around the upper back and shoulder region. That will topple someone OVER a waist-high wall, not through it.

BAN 2020/06/03(Wed)11:31 No. 968866 ID: 7ae189
File 159120908183.jpg - (307.24KB , 800x913 , cop24.jpg )

"Firstly, it seems a bit like profiling to just call it like that," you grumble. "Anyone could've done it, with the right tools."

>"Anyone could have," Ishmael admits sheepishly. "I suppose we'll see where the investigation leads."

You look over the dead mayor one more time. "He's always had that scar over his eye, yeah?" you ask.

>"Yes, he was an officer in the last war. It was a big selling point on his last campaign, if I remember right. A real veteran success story."

Join the army and you too can be mayor one day, you think bitterly. Or stuck in a dead-end job.

You try to visualize the scene again in your head. "You're sure he was pushed, not pulled? And this isn't just blunt trauma from hitting the bridge, or the water?"

>"The bridge they say he fell from is high, but it's not that high," the examiner replies. "If the water or some obstacle had done it, the injuries would speak differently. It could have been anyone as you say, but I'm confident in my theory that this came from some person's powerful push."

"Can I see his back? Are there any telling marks?"

>Ishmael turns the body over carefully. "No punctures, as you can see. There's significant bruising where he was struck, but we're not so lucky as to have gotten a hand print or something."

"What about the toxicology report?"

>"He was as sober as death, pardon the pun. No drugs or alcohol in his system, nothing."

"You mentioned when he went in, but when would he have actually died?"

>"The difference between those two times is negligible, honestly. A grown man can drown in a minute or less on a good day, and with the hit and the fall, I'd hazard it took even less than that."

"Hmmm..."

You try to process everything you have. The river doesn't move very fast--you haven't done the math on it, but you're pretty sure that Joe falling from that bridge checks out in relation to where he ended up. Assuming that the scene on the bridge isn't all a red herring, you think you're beginning to put together a possible series of events. As far as you know, someone climbed the underside of the bridge, broke through the wall, and killed Joe Durst by showing him over the edge from behind. And despite your remark about profiling, you have to admit that this does sound like the work of someone like yourself.

There can't be less than four thousand people like you in a city this large, and any male among them with basic physical training could have accomplished that. That narrows things down considerably from the millions of citizens that live here, but this search will still be tricky... You briefly wonder if STEVE would have the balls to try and blame you for it. You hope that eating a TV dinner, watching Combat Cop and going to bed last night is an acceptable alibi.

Argh, your head hurts. Even making the safe assumption that the crime scene is real, the situation is just so strange. What was Mr. Mayor doing on a bridge in the First Precinct at night, miles from his mansion, alone and on foot? Was he meeting someone? You think about what you should do next...

>>968866
We definitely need to investigate the Mayor's activities. Go visit his office, maybe his home too. No probable cause for a search warrant of course but maybe you can get permission to look at some of his things.

It's a city of millions. Cities like that never sleep. Canvas the neighborhood around the bridge, see if anyone was up and heard or saw something - and put out a call for potential ear/eye-witnesses (if it won't stretch your resources too thin).

The entire assault seems like it'd make a bunch of noise (holes in the bridge, railing broken), especially if they were rushing to get at the Mayor. Of course, the sneaky assassination angle suggests they actually managed to be silent until the last moment, which... would that even be possible, given the physical evidence?

Anyway Mayor likely both saw AND heard them coming. Unless he stood with his back to the breach and it happened too fast for him to react - Mr Durst, instead of running down or up bridge, tried to go for the railing. What with having been struck in the back and ending up in the river and all. Odd reaction, if so! Maybe they knew or realized something about the killer? Like... they couldn't swim well, or that he'd be able to swim better than them?

We know whoever did this was physically powerful (and thus possibly large), so the fact that there were no tracks near the water may indicate they actually DID swim to the bridge from elsewhere. Or walked on the bottom? You have no mouth. Do demons -need- to breathe?

...get someone to do a paranoia check at the bridge below the water's edge for recent weird scratches or wear.

Anyway, that means another thing you could look for is reports or eyewitness accounts of someone taking a late-night river dip - or coming up from one. Another thing you could investigate - manpower pending - are recording devices that could've caught the Mayor on his way to the bridge.

And, of course, getting in touch with his campaign/family and asking who he was last with, then calling them in for a Q&A session is also a good plan.

>Question for Ishmael
How large would he say the actual point of impact was? Like, if it was a palm or cudgel, how big would it have had to be to inflict that kind of damage? And just to be sure, there aren't multiple points of impact, no? It was all one blow, correct?

Lastly, where's he based from? What's his contact details? In case you need to ask follow-up questions later on.

We need to canvas the neighborhood by the bridge for clues!

We need to have a good idea of why the mayor was there that night and if this is a regular thing.

If he took a jog out this way on a regular basis someone could have been waiting for him. If this was a new event maybe its a crime of oppertunity.

So get a search of the area going to check with any regulars in the area. Homeless and shop owners and brige folk. Check if there are any cameras that could have caught any signs.

1/4 BAN 2020/06/04(Thu)09:16 No. 968936 ID: 7ae189
File 159128740207.jpg - (283.60KB , 800x1077 , cop25.jpg )

"To be sure, it's just one point of impact for all this damage?" you ask again.

>"I'll stake my reputation and another dollar on it," Ishmael states.

"How large do you think whatever hit him was?"

>"The size and range of the affected area makes me think of a very large open hand," the examiner muses. "It would have to be an absolute specimen of a human, or one of your larger peers."

You nod. "I think I have all I need, for now," you conclude. "How can I contact you? I might have more later."

>Ishmael procures a card out of thin air. "I'm based in Northtown so this is a bit of a drive for me, but for science I'd do it anytime. My phone and email's on here, too."

You take the card and slip it into your wallet. "Excellent. I'll see you later, Ishmael."

>"Good luck out there. If you find some more bodies, I get first dibs!"

2/4 BAN 2020/06/04(Thu)09:18 No. 968937 ID: 7ae189
File 159128750475.jpg - (312.43KB , 800x592 , cop26.jpg )

You give Dane a call and she's back with the car quickly. She must have used the time for some meditation, she seems much less irritable.

>"How'd it go, boss?"

You fill her in on your findings. "This is all going to take some doing... How many of our boys are free?"

>"I called the precinct while you were in there. Seems like The Major's reorganized some guys into a special team for this case."

"Who do we have?"

>"KYLE got switched from that juvie case to this one. We've also got a few patrol cars pulled from the rotation, they can handle groundwork for us."

The only person more invested in one-upping the 2P than you or Dane is The Major. You'll be sure to thank her later. "Get those patrol cars canvassing the neighborhood near the bridge. Have them ask around, we need any kind of witness we can get, or security camera footage. And let's get those guys from the bridge to triple-check the river. Get them to look below the water's edge, too."

>"Will do," Dane replies, pulling out her radio.

"I think we won't get much further without more info on Joe," you muse. "Up for a road trip?"

3/4 BAN 2020/06/04(Thu)09:21 No. 968938 ID: 7ae189
File 159128767320.jpg - (194.49KB , 800x874 , cop27.jpg )

The mayor's mansion is in the middle of Northtown. It'll take an hour or more to make it there, if the traffic gods are willing to be kind. You glance at your watch... 3:00 already.

Driving across the city always feels a little strange. You've been at this long enough that it gets difficult to unsee the invisible borders that you spend your days staying within. In Crosstown, the 1P badge on your car is comfortably neutral, and of course it looks good in Shiptown, where you and your sister precincts work and get along. But cross the bridge into Wartown, and you're subjected to a painfully long stretch of time spent taking dirty looks from 2P patrol cars and their ilk. As you enter Northtown, the scenery gets more pleasant, but that uneasy vibe doesn't seem to change much...

4/4 BAN 2020/06/04(Thu)09:23 No. 968939 ID: 7ae189
File 159128782187.jpg - (400.91KB , 800x1173 , cop28.jpg )

The gate to the mansion's driveway is shut, and an all-too-familiar mob is clamoring around outside of it. You start loosening up your vocal cords.

>Most of the reporters are busy talking amongst themselves or broadcasting for their stations, but one turns around and catches your eye. "H-HEY!! HEY, IT'S YOU!!!" he exclaims.

Goddammit...!

>He runs up to you and Dane, tape recorder in hand. "SIR!! SIR, CAN I.... UH...." he notices heads beginning to turn, and suddenly lowers his voice. "Look, can I talk to you? Please?"

"No comment~! No--"

>"No no, listen!" He jabs a thumb back toward the mansion. "You're here to talk to those schmucks, right? Well, you'll want to know that something's going on in there. Bunch of Durst campaign guys, no cops. The gate was locked before we even showed up. And get this, Joe Durst's wife was out here a couple minutes ago, and she was hysterical. Like, 'might do something very crazy and very scoop-able' hysterical."

>"What do you want?" Dane grunts.

>"This is a golden moment and nobody's doing anything. Those chumps jerking off by the gate, they're reporters. Me? I'm a journalist. I'm not happy out here and neither are you, so please! Let's scratch each other's backs and try and bust in there somehow, what do you say?"

Gah, he's asking you to out on a limb and cover for him! What nerve! What risk!

Better check this guy out. Like, whether he works for a reputable paper, a scandal rag or something in-between. Does he have a press badge? String him along while you do. (Or just ask him if there's no badge.)

"S-sir... the widow of a recently deceased man may have reason to be somewhat hysterical. What about her attitude made you think things will be scoop-able?"

Also, try to remember... did anyone call the Durst campaign ahead of time and tell them you were coming? Is your visit a surprise, or anticipated?

>>968939
Ask this guy's name, and get some credentials, then check them. For all we know this could be an accomplice trying to get in to erase evidence, or plant evidence.
Also we must continue to play it by the book. You're not breaking in, and if they let the journalist in with you it's going to be with their full awareness.
Maybe we can convince someone to do that though. Find a guard or something, let him know the police are here to ask some questions.

Fundamentally I'd like to help, but if I stick my neck out I know for a fact someone's looking to cut it off.

We're police, and we can't get you in.

However, if you have any lines of inquiry that might lead us to a break, let us know and we might be able to ask.

(Oh god damn it I had a big thing written up and tgchan ate it.)

Check his info and see if its legit before doing anything. Could be a random bad guy for all we know.



If he is a actual journalist then hustle him over to the side and check him for recording devices. Only talk off record.

Tell him that we can only work together if his story is published after the fact. This is big politics and any info getting leaked mid case is going to ruin things.

If he can take that deal give him a test. Like distracting the other reporters or finding info or whatever.

Then see if he does well or not. Maybe give him some info that could not hurt us and see if he is trustworthy with it.

If he is then get all the help you can and give him a nice story after its all done.



If he is a dick then dance away singing no comment. That is your thing now.

Unrelated to the current situation, but I missed adding it earlier: Make a note to contact whatever city department is in charge of maintaining the bridge the mayor was found near and ask them if there was a damage report put in before the mayor's death for the busted in brick wall on the bridge or the gouges in the underside or sides. You're looking to find out if that damage was unrelated to the mayor's death. Also interview commuters that crossed that bridge yesterday if they saw that broken wall. Find ones that crossed as close to before the time of the mayor's death as possible.

1/3 BAN 2020/06/07(Sun)19:31 No. 969155 ID: 7ae189
File 159158350098.jpg - (326.97KB , 800x1408 , cop29.jpg )

The reporter is about to go on, but you interrupt him with an outstretched hand. "Slow down," you order. "Who are you, are you recording this? Let me see your press badge."

>"Oh yeah, of course!" He pulls a tattered lanyard out from under his shirt and removes a card from it. "Devin Fowler, Crosshair Media. My recorder's off, for now."

"Ohhh." You nod and hand the card back to Devin. You've never heard of the news company, but the badge seems very official...

2/3 BAN 2020/06/07(Sun)19:37 No. 969156 ID: 7ae189
File 159158387491.jpg - (192.52KB , 800x474 , cop30.jpg )

>Dane doesn't seem convinced. "Crosshair? Conspiracy theories and celebrity butt shots are hardly news."

>"We're a legitimate newsgroup that fills a specific niche with high quality content. There's real care placed into every issue, especially my--er, those photos!" Devin replies indignantly.

>"Shouldn't you be prowling a beach or something? There's no way Crosshair sent you here to cover real news."

>"Maybe they didn't! Maybe, as a journalist, I saw a chance to get a real scoop for once in my life and I took it, overtime!"

"The mayor's wife became a widow today, it makes sense for her to be upset," you say. "What made you think there was something scoop-able here?"

>Devin squints at the mansion. "Oh, don't be so naive. She's holed up in her mansion with every big dick affiliate of her husband's campaign. Something's going down, and the waterworks from earlier were either a ploy to buy time, or a cry for help. Whatever's behind that gate is pay dirt, for all of us!"

You rub your chin and think it over. You can relate to the guy's hunger for job advancement, at least. But...

Finally, you shake your head. "We're police, and we can't get you in, sorry. If I stick my neck out, someone I know is going to cut it off. We're going to get in there by the book, and you coming in with us or not will be entirely up to them."

>Devin sighs. "Another loss for hardcore journalism. Let me stick around until someone comes back outside at least, will you? Please??"

That's acceptable, you guess. You're sure this guy will get filtered out when they let you in, anyway.

3/3 BAN 2020/06/07(Sun)19:42 No. 969157 ID: 7ae189
File 159158417257.jpg - (397.64KB , 800x893 , cop31.jpg )

Devin proves surprisingly useful in pushing through the mob of reporters. It seems like journalists from other companies try to avoid being close to him, opening up extra space for you and Dane to slip through. Soon, you're in front of the gate. You look around for any guards or staff that you could introduce yourself to. There really is nobody but the reporters, out here.

"We did call ahead that we were coming, right?" you ask your partner.

>"Yes, 'we' did," she replies darkly.

You're saved from another diatribe when the reporters start yelling again. A figure's emerged from the mansion, and it makes its way down the hill to the gate.

>A man in a tactical vest unlocks the gate, cracks it open and steps through. "Hello, everyone," he yells, looking around the crowd. "My name is BILL, and I'm the head of security here. There are a number of VIPs who need to use this road to exit the mansion, so please disperse for now! Clear a path, or I'll shoot you~! Clear a path, or I'll shoot you~!"

You recoil at this asshole's blatant use of your new schtick. You don't have long to sulk, though, because the moment he locks eyes with you he reaches for his pistol!

>>969157
Announce yourself as police. Depending on what the mayor's wife knows, this guy might suspect a demon was involved, and your badge isn't visible, so you look very suspicious.
If he draws, definitely fucking get out of the way.

CAPTAIN BAN, first precinct.
You're going to want to keep that holstered.

Look him in the eye right back.

"Don't try it sunshine."

Also remind him he is not legally allowed to shoot reporters.

>>969157
>"Yes, 'we' did," she replies darkly.
When you get a moment alone with Dane, you should explain that your bad memory is due to the stress of what Steve threatened he’d do to the precinct. That might get her to cut you some slack if you forget something again.

>You don't have long to sulk, though, because the moment he locks eyes with you he reaches for his pistol!
Tell him that if he does it, you’ll arrest him for endangering the public, assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon, and attempted murder.

BAN 2020/06/09(Tue)16:57 No. 969333 ID: 7ae189
File 159174707351.jpg - (162.32KB , 800x341 , cop32.jpg )

Your badge flashes out milliseconds before BILL's pistol. "Don't try it sunshine," you warn. "Captain BAN, First Precinct. You're gonna want to put that away."

This is just like a scene out of Combat Cop. You congratulate yourself on the badass line delivery.

>BILL doesn't lower his weapon. "BAN? I haven't heard of you. I was told the Second Precinct would be handling this."

"It actually fell under our jurisdiction, so..." You glance at the pistol that's still aimed at your chest. "...Can you put that down? Shooting me or anyone else here is illegal, you know."

>"Sorry, but we're not allowing guys like you into the mansion at this time. My bosses were very adamant about the order."

>"What, so you're barring the police from entering?!" Dane asks incredulously.

>"That's not what I meant," BILL says.

You get the drift. "So you're barring me from entering."

>"Bullshit!" Your partner looks ready to jump this guy. "He's the lead investigator on this case!"

>"Sorry miss, but the Dursts tell me to do something and I do it," BILL replies. "Unless his name's Captain STEVE, he's not stepping foot on the premises. If you've got permission to come in, you're doing it on your own. Those are the rules~!"

Shit, it doesn't look like he or his gun are going to budge on this... You think about the best way to proceed.

Oh boy, a conspiracy.

You've got one chance to step aside before you get booked for obstruction.

This is an active investigation for a public figure's murder.
How's it going to look when I come back with a warrant?

While you're thinking on that, the zoning is clear cut, so who informed you that there would be a breach of city protocol?

(I'm sure your journalist pal will love every minute of this)

A Durst has to tell you to clear the way. Gotcha.

Dane, call the Durst campaign, again, and tell them to have their enforcer stand down unless they want to add further bad publicity to an already bad day. You can already see the headlines. ‘Durst demon shoots lead investigator on Mayor’s murder mystery’.

Really. One couldn’t make one’s motives more suspect if one tried.

>>969333
Call him out on his bullshit. You just heard him moments ago copying your literal song and dance that you gave the reporters on the bridge, so he knows exactly who you are. So he's breaking the law by pointing his gun at someone with the clear intent to use it, without a legitimate excuse. Tell him to put the gun down, or you'll have to press charges. It'd be assault with a deadly weapon (because threatening someone with a gun is assault, legally), or at the very least brandishing a weapon. There are rather a lot of witnesses here that would testify you made no threatening action and identified yourself as police.

Dane called ahead, they know you're coming. You have permission to be here, and not knowing the captain is a demon is no excuse for barring you at the entrance.

>>969344
This

1/2 BAN 2020/06/11(Thu)21:31 No. 969562 ID: 7ae189
File 159193630807.jpg - (125.53KB , 800x322 , cop33.jpg )

You decide to pull a hail mary and press him. You steel your nerves, ignore the gun and step closer. "BILL, you've got one chance to step aside before I book you for obstruction," you declare. "And assault too, if you keep pointing this thing at me."

>"My pay grade's too high to be spooked by a no-name cop," the security guard replies.

"A no-name cop? Then how did you know me well enough to pirate my singing schtick?"

>"Er..." BILL falters for a moment, it looks like that caught him off-guard.

"This all feels suspicious," you say. "And now that I think about it, the city's zoning is clear-cut. Who exactly told you that the Second Precinct would be breaching protocol and taking over on a crime that happened in Shiptown?"

You suddenly realize that the two of you have become the center of attention for the legion of reporters. Devin's eyes are twinkling, and the REC light of his recorder is on. BILL's starting to fold under the added pressure.

You go for the kill, turning to Dane. "Get the Durst campaign on the line, will you?" you ask. "Tell them to have their enforcer stand down before their PR nosedives even further."

>"Gladly," Dane replies, pulling out her phone and dialing a number.

>BILL's really breaking a sweat, now. He takes a step back and raises his arms placatingly. "I'm just doing what I was told to do, alright? Go over my head if you want. I'm over this~! I'm over this~!"

Another victory for the book, looks like you've gotten the upper hand again. Also your singing voice is much better, you think smugly.

2/2 BAN 2020/06/11(Thu)21:38 No. 969563 ID: 7ae189
File 159193669541.jpg - (191.00KB , 800x709 , cop34.jpg )

It sounds like someone answers Dane quickly. She explains the situation and requests for the two of you to be let in. Her expression sours when she gets a response.

>"What? No, the First. I don't get why--! We've already gotten permission, we--! He's just as qualified as Captain STEVE, sir, that shouldn't even be--!"

She continues arguing with whoever's on the other end. Her face is getting redder by the second... You glance at BILL, but he just shrugs and continues to sulk.

>"Okay, well just think about how this all looks, will you? Just for a minute." She's about ready to snap, now. "Has today not been enough of a mess already? You want every single member of your campaign to be a potential suspect? No?"

>After another minute of debate, Dane hangs up and sighs. "We can go in and get statements from the Durst family--both of us," she says. "But I'd keep an eye out for any bullshit, boss."

>"Bullshit like that?" Devin asks, pointing past the gate.

Several limos have appeared in the driveway and are coming your way. The gate opens wider to accomodate them. The lead car honks its horn, prompting the mass of reporters to clear a path. Soon, the only people left in their way are you and your companions.

>"What the fuck is this, now they're leaving?!" Dane demands.

>"These are just donors and supporters of the campaign, not the mayor's family," BILL says exasperatedly. "Can you please just let me do my job and help them pass? They can't be that important to your case."

We need names and phone numbers, SOP.
We won't contact anyone without cause, but we need to know who was here today.

We trust you to get it all in writing BILL, because if anyone's missing, we'll be giving you a call.

>>969564
Seems reasonable.

"I'll concede that, but I want a comprehensive list of who those guests were, and how we can contact them should they come up as people of interest."

We don't have to worry about BILL lying at this point; his defenses are down, and even if he was lying, and the Dursts are in one of those limos, that's just political suicide at that point. Why? Because someone in the Durst foundation would be getting arrested if they pulled that, even if I'm unsure who at this point.

Oh they are? You wont mind if I check that personally?

1/3 BAN 2020/06/13(Sat)01:17 No. 969645 ID: 7ae189
File 159203622164.jpg - (202.69KB , 800x1109 , cop35.jpg )

"Oh really? Do you mind if I check that personally?" you ask.

>BILL's completely deflated now. "You'll waste my time and yours, but go ahead..."

You do seriously consider going down the line of cars, but you trust that this guy's too thoroughly beaten to lie to you further. "I'll let them off, but I want names and numbers of everyone who was here today," you tell BILL. "And if anyone's missing from that list, we'll be giving you a call."

>"I'll do it, I'll do it!" With a sigh, he gets out of your way.

You and Dane step past the guard and start toward the mansion. Devin moves to follow you, but he's caught by a grumpy BILL.

>"W-WAIT! WAIT FOR ME, YOU GUYS!!" he screams, waving his recorder around. "I HAVE QUESTIONS TO ASK TOO!! WAAAAIIT!!!"

2/3 BAN 2020/06/13(Sat)01:19 No. 969646 ID: 7ae189
File 159203636889.jpg - (191.69KB , 800x683 , cop36.jpg )

The two of you head up the long driveway and reach the mansion. You reach for the door handle, but hesitate. You should get something out of the way before shit hits the fan again.

>"What're you waiting for?" Dane asks.

"Uhm..." You stare at your shoes. "While we have a second, I just wanted to say sorry...again."

>Your partner scoffs. "The mopey capybara eyes don't work on me, asshole."

"I'm serious! Stressing over this case and STEVE's bullshit has turned me into a real space cadet."

>"As if you're not a space cadet all the time..." Unless your eyes deceive you, Dane's face softens a bit. "I might be pissed, but I'm not pissed, alright? And I'm not gonna let you screw up an opportunity to upstage that little shitstain. Don't worry so much."

You're pretty sure that's the closest you've ever gotten to scoring brownie points. Keep this up and you might even have a quiet ride home for once, you think.

3/3 BAN 2020/06/13(Sat)01:21 No. 969647 ID: 7ae189
File 159203646623.jpg - (116.28KB , 800x428 , cop37.jpg )

The two of you enter the mansion. It's uncomfortably quiet inside. In the foyer, a butler greets you.

>"You must be the detective. I apologize for the confusion, there seems to have been a bit of miscommunication between the police and our people."

>"Just a bit?" Dane beats you to the snide remark.

>The butler ignores the jab. "I understand that you want to speak to the surviving Dursts. Mrs. Durst is upstairs in her office. I believe the young Mr. Durst is out in the yard, and his uncle is downstairs at the bar. I can lead you to whoever you wish to see first."

Split up, talk to Mrs. Durst and Durst Jr. first. Then meet up with uncle Durst and grill him.

Is there anyone else in the household at the present? Other servants, visitors, guests?

When was the last time he saw the Mayor?

Head for Mrs. Durst while Jane takes down basic-sense statements from the butler, tell her to join you once she's done.

If Mrs. Durst is gonna cause a scene, or start accusing us of a demonic plot, we should do her last. We effectively only get one shot at this.

1/2 BAN 2020/06/15(Mon)13:22 No. 969763 ID: 7ae189
File 159225253171.jpg - (219.48KB , 800x564 , cop38.jpg )

You think about who to speak with first. You consider going straight for Mrs. Durst, but if she gets out of hand you might not have a chance to speak with the others...

"You said the kid was in the lawn? I'll start with him," you finally decide.

>"Follow me, then." The butler starts down a hallway.

"Is there anyone else in the household that I should know about?" you ask. "Servants, guests, anyone?"

>"There's the chef, the bartender, a few cleaning staff... I'm not sure how much help they would be, though. Mrs. Durst was being consoled by a number of men from her husband's campaign, but I believe they've all left now."

"And when was the last time you saw the mayor?"

>"Just last night, at 8 PM. I was finishing my shift when he walked out the front door. I believe he said he was headed out for an important meeting. It's such a shame, he did a lot of good for this house."

The butler leads you to a sliding door that leads to the gardens behind the mansion. "Dane, get some basic statements from this guy and the rest of the staff," you say as you step outside. "We'll meet back up when you're done."

>"Yes, sir!" Dane barks.

2/2 BAN 2020/06/15(Mon)13:25 No. 969764 ID: 7ae189
File 159225275647.jpg - (188.73KB , 800x922 , cop39.jpg )

It takes a couple minutes of wandering before you run into Joe Durst's son. You see him up ahead, sitting hunched over by some bushes. Is he crying...?

>When he hears your footsteps, he bolts to his feet and scrubs at his eyes. "What the fuck do you want?" he asks, voice cracking. "If you're a cop, just fuck off, alright? I'm not talking to another fucking pig today!"

If I am not the first cop that you talked to today then something has gone wrong.

I am sorry for your loss and extra sorry if one of our sister precincts has offended you. Your dad was not a fan of how they do things and that department is up to some shifty crap today.

"another"? Ask him who talked to him before.

Hum. Procedural errors, huh? Wonder who dunked on the kid. Also, do we have recording equipment or did we lose out on that when we didn't pick up Devin? Cuz nudge/whisper to Dane to catch this on record if you can.

I also wonder if this interview was recent and our cop in question was hitchhiking with that gang of campaign goons.

"Captain BAN, 1st Precinct... if you've been interviewed already, give me the time, name and/or badge number of the pig that talked to you. Might come back later if they weren't thorough. That okay? Not here to dump on anyone, so if you need space I'll give you some."

Reason and appeal.

"It's just important we get all facts straight so the killer gets caught. Sometimes even officers get overzealous or overlook things in their lines of inquiry, and the fresher an interview the clearer the details, usually. Hate to come back later when memory's gone to seed."

When you clear out, ask the butler about the cop visitation and a description of the cop, especially if you didn't get much useful intel from the kid.

"I'm not a pig. I'm a capybara."

Chide him on his conduct.

His father died. Crying is practically mandatory. What isn't mandatory is trying to hurt others with bad language to make himself feel better. That just makes everyone afraid of making him feel sad. Or makes them want to keep him away from their lives forever. In politics, that's suicide.

If he wants something done, he has to do everything he can. As a child that is not much, but he's the son of the mayor, so not much can lead to so very much. Doing as little as telling you the details - what went on this week, who his father's enemies are, who else insisted on asking these questions, stuff that should be public - might make the difference.

So does he want to make the difference or keep bullying people with his tears?

“No offense, but there shouldn’t have been any ‘pigs’ here before me and Dane. I can file a report on them for breaking procedure on an investigation, if you want, and if you need some space, I can give you a moment while I talk to the others.”

BAN 2020/06/17(Wed)20:22 No. 969977 ID: 7ae189
File 159245054847.jpg - (199.87KB , 800x493 , cop40.jpg )

Wait, another? You bristle as you think about who else could have come by. You almost wish you'd dragged Devin in with you, if only to use that recorder of his.

"Captain BAN, First Precinct," you introduce yourself. "I'm not a pig. I'm a capybara."

>"You're a fucking pig!" the young man yells. "I don't know anything else, so just leave!"

"I can't just do that, Mr. Durst." You're not that great at dealing with emotional people, but you try your best. "I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm extra sorry if someone from a different precinct has offended you. If I'm not the first cop you've talked to, something's gone wrong."

>"What...?" The young Durst wipes his nose on his jacket sleeve. "What do you mean?"

"I'm in charge of the investigation for this case. There shouldn't have been any 'pigs' here before myself and my partner. When did this other cop come by? Do you know his name, his badge number? I could file a report on them for breaking procedure, if you want."

>"You mean he wasn't even supposed to be here?!" You watch as his confusion turns to anger. "Fucking asshole! I don't know his name, he was some prick with these horn spike things on his head. He came in a couple hours ago and fucking grilled me about my dad. Unbelievable..."

"If you need space, I can give it to you while I talk to the others," you offer. "But for anything good to come of this investigation, I could use everything that you know, too. Any small detail that you know could make a big difference in figuring all of this out."

>The young man seems to seriously think it over. "That other pig really wasn't part of your outfit?"

You shake your head.

>"If you promise to kick his shit in, I'll tell you what I told him," he decides, sniffling.

"I promise," you reply. You make a mental note to find out more details about this other cop. "What did you tell him?"

>"He came out here and pushed me around when I called him a pig. I had to tell him my name, John Durst, and he asked me what I knew about the...the murder..." John starts tearing up again. "But I don't know anything! I hated that my dad was the mayor, I was never around this fucking place! The last time I even saw him was two fucking days ago, he was telling me off for skipping school. He...he told me that he wouldn't always be able to bail me out of things... Fuck, I wish I knew more...."

"You don't know if your father had any enemies, do you?"

>"What? No, I'm the only asshole who ever really talked shit about him. Maybe the politicians running against him didn't like him, but his army guys always had his back. He was untouchable with those guys behind him. I never could've guessed that he could get..." John pauses to wipe his eyes again.

>He heaves a sigh and looks at the ground. "Is that enough, do you need more? I don't know much else, I swear..."

>>969977
Ask if his parents got along okay. Did the mayor's wife get involved with any of the politics? What were all those people doing here today anyway?
What did the other cop look like? Did he show a badge number or other identification? Also, when did he show up?

>>969977
Your father normally has bodyguards with him, correct? Any idea why he would've gone somewhere without them?

>>969981
>What did the other cop look like? Did he show a badge number or other identification? Also, when did he show up?
He already told us that. He said the other cop had horn spike things on his head and that the cop came in a couple of hours ago.

>>969977
This adds a few suspects to the list.
A political opponent could have had him assassinated, or perhaps one of his army associates went rogue on him. There's also this unknown cop to consider. From the description, he may have been a demon. We know that whoever offed the mayor was likely a demon, so there's a possibility that this unknown "cop" and the murderer may be the same individual.

I don't think we'll get much, but-
Why would your father go for a walk in the city, alone, late at night?
did his vehicle stay at the house, or did someone recover it after the incident?

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you remember anything about the first officer, as that's seriously suspicious behavior.

>>969982
I... don't know how I missed that.

BAN 2020/06/18(Thu)07:52 No. 970013 ID: 7ae189
File 159249194756.jpg - (158.80KB , 800x690 , cop41.jpg )

"So your father usually had bodyguards? Why would he go out into the city alone, at night?" you wonder aloud.

>"Fuck, I don't know," John says. "They were always with him during the day, but he'd send them home when he was done with work."

"And was his vehicle left at the house, or did someone recover it after the incident?"

>"I wasn't here so I don't know, I was out with my friends. People are saying he just walked away..."

"Did your parents get along okay?"

>John shifts from one foot to another. "I mean, they argued sometimes, but it was just about their jobs... They got along alright, I guess."

"Their jobs? Was your mother involved in any of the politics?"

>"Yeah, they did almost everything together. She's been working with all the suits that run my dad's campaign for a while, now."

"Those were the people who just left, right? What were they doing here, anyway?"

>"Probably getting another fucking strategy together," the young man says grimly. "They're treating this whole fucking thing like a game..."

"Hmmm..." Your list of potential suspects is expanding. The hit could have come from political opponents, disillusioned peers from the army... You're also growing more suspicious of this unknown other cop by the second. You think on if you have anything else to ask before moving on.

>>970013
"Kid, politics is all about getting your enemies to fight each other instead of you. There's no room for ideology. Not even hatred.

Alright kid, I have something for you to do. See this? It's a cryptography book. I want you to study this and take this key. If you figure out anything, send me a letter in code."

>>970013
Alright, that should be enough from him.
Thank him for his cooperation and tell him that if he needs help or if anything else comes to light, then he should contact you straight away.

Ask him about his jacket.

Did your father serve in the army as well? Is that where he got the scar over his eye? Do you know anything about in what divisions the men served? (if he doesn't, tell him don't feel bad if they didn't tell you anything, that's how you know they wasn't lying about being in the service.) Do you remember any names or descriptions? Were any of them obviously in charge?

What was your impression of the campaign people? Are they scrambling? Infighting? In denial?

After you're done, let him know you're going to go talk to his uncle before he truly drowns his sorrows, and then talk to his mother. Maybe add that once you leave, he should consider doing the same; You understand he wants to be left alone, but his family probably shouldn't be.

I think we've learned what we can here.

1/2 BAN 2020/06/21(Sun)20:22 No. 970246 ID: 7ae189
File 159279612391.jpg - (245.05KB , 800x459 , cop42.jpg )

"What's the deal with your jacket?" you ask, glancing at the shoulder patch.

>"My jacket? It's just an old army one my dad gave me, I put some extra shit on the back of it for fun. Why?"

"Just curious," you reply. You're certain that you recognize the patch on the sleeve as the Advance Team insignia... Mayor Durst must have had a miserable time during the war, if he was in that unit. "The army's where your father got that scar over his eye, right?"

>"Yeah, it happened during the war," John says, wiping his nose again. "He never told me how, though."

"Do you know what divisions the men that he kept around him were from?"

>"A lot of them have jackets like this one but I don't know, I never really talked to them or anything..."

"It's alright if they didn't tell you much. Are there any that you'd recognize, anyone who was obviously in charge?"

>The young man racks his brain for a moment. "Fuck, I should've payed more attention...! One of them was also in charge of security or something, he had this weird floating head. The others were really lowkey though, I can't even remember their faces."

"What about the campaign people?" you ask, shifting the subject. "What sort of feeling did you get from them? Are they scrambling, arguing, in denial...?"

>"Scrambling's a good word," he says bitterly. "Nobody's denying it, they're all just trying to move past my dad as fast as possible. They'll make my mom or someone else the mayor by tomorrow, I fucking know it. It's not right..."

You nod. "I think I've got enough for now. If you need anything or have more to say, let me know," you say. "I'll go talk to your uncle and your mother, next. Maybe when I leave, you should do the same--they're probably hurting, too."

>The young Durst hangs his head. "Just go, already," he sighs. "I really fucking hope this helped."

2/2 BAN 2020/06/21(Sun)20:24 No. 970247 ID: 7ae189
File 159279624165.jpg - (175.47KB , 900x361 , cop43.jpg )

You return to the mansion and run into Dane and the butler again. Together, you head for the stairs to the basement lounge.

>"I got the basics from the staff," Dane reports. "Nobody who was on duty knows why Durst left, or where he was going. Seems like he walked out and got picked up by a vehicle outside the mansion's premises."

"I got some good stuff out of the son," you tell her. "We'll deal with the uncle, next."

>"That might be a little difficult at the moment," she says. "I was down here with the bartender a second ago, and..."

You reach the bottom of the stairs and quickly see the issue. Uncle Durst is currently slumped over a table, sleeping in a puddle of tears and spilled beer.

>Dane lightly kicks the man's chair and gets no response. "Out like a light. What do you want to do with him, boss?"

No law against being drunk in a residence, thank god.
Ask the servants for help. Smelling salts, cook him some steak, toss him in the shower, whatever they've tried before. And keep him OFF the booze.

While he composes himself, we talk to Mrs. Durst.

>>970250
Yeah.

>>970250
Agreed, though we might want to hold off on confronting Mrs. Durst just yet; those tears could be normal grief, or indicative of guilt regarding something he could have prevented, but we won't know either way if we get thrown out before he wakes.

1/2 BAN 2020/06/24(Wed)22:05 No. 970616 ID: 7ae189
File 159306153684.jpg - (134.84KB , 800x477 , cop44.jpg )

You walk over to the bartender. "Is there any chance that someone could help clean him up?" you ask, pointing at the drunk. "Some food, maybe a shower, definitely no more booze."

>"It's a work in progress," he replies. "I've already cut him off, and I think the chef's working on something. I've never seen Sam like this before, it's so sad..."

"I guess we'll go for Mrs. Durst while we wait," you tell Dane.

>"Mrs. Durst?" The bartender looks uncomfortable. "Maybe you shouldn't, she doesn't want to talk to anyone right now. I'm sure if you came back a different time, she'd be a little more receptive."

"The timing isn't ideal, but we really need statements from everyone here. We'll just ask her a few questions, and--"

>"Oh you will, will you?"

>The bartender's gone white as a sheet. He's looking up over your shoulder. "M-Mrs. ALICIA...!"

You turn around...

2/2 BAN 2020/06/24(Wed)22:09 No. 970617 ID: 7ae189
File 159306176190.jpg - (238.23KB , 800x759 , cop45.jpg )

Ducking her way through the doorway is a very long woman dressed in black. She looks genuinely mad.

>"You're a First Precinct detective," she says.

"Yes ma'am, I'm Captain--"

>"It's been very, very long day, so let's skip the bullshit," she interrupts flatly. "I want to know who gave the OK for anyone outside of the Second Precinct to walk into my house, question my staff, and shake down my fucking son. And if I don't like the answer, your entire precinct is getting castrated before the end of the workday."

Jusisdiction.

The case ended up on our desk, due to the zoning of the crime.
I can assure you we're going to do our best to solve it, just like we would for anyone who died under such circumstances.

But we need to know some things before we get there.

>>970617
Lead with clearing things up about her son. The officer that came here earlier did not do so under your orders. You are going to find out who that was and ensure it won't happen again. Did the officer give her a name or a badge number?
As for why you're here, juristiction first off, and Steve agreed to file the proper paperwork. First Precinct will handle the case for three days, then hand it over to 2P once the paperwork is in order. It's an important case and we should do things by the book to make sure the court case doesn't get thrown out on a technicality.
Tell her you're aware that the mayor had a good relationship with the second precinct, and you are hoping to do a good enough job in their place.

Okay, time to professional up.

Retrieve a pen and a notepad, which you'd better have on hand (if not borrow from Dane). It'll give you an air of seriousness.

"Ma'am, I'm Captain BAN. To answer your questions, Captain STEVE is not in charge of this case, thus a different precinct is responding. Your people let me in so that there would not be a scene for the media circus outside to feast on.

I emphatically did not 'shake down' your son and I wish to track down the officer who appears to have done so and, to put it mildly, kick their ass for what appears to have been both a breach of jurisdiction and basic protocol, which is to treat the bereaved with respect and sympathy in their time of grief. My condolences on your loss, Mrs. Durst."

Click the pen and put the point to paper.

"Now, I, too, am troubled. Can you please answer me why you are under the impression that 2nd Precinct would be handling a case taking place within 1st Precinct jurisdiction? And why another police officer - whom I presume to be 2nd Precinct if they have the run of your house - to enter prior to me, the officer in charge of this case - whom your staff almost did not let in - and, in fact, 'shake down' your son?"

Start taking notes, verbatim, of what she's saying in response.

It's my jurisdiction. And for the record, I'm not the one who shook down your son, he said I was the second cop he talked to today. (hmm, we'll have to remember to ask what the cop wanted to know.)

Now, why is it so important that second precinct and noone else be investigating your husband's murder?

BAN 2020/06/26(Fri)20:34 No. 970783 ID: 7ae189
File 159322888295.jpg - (97.51KB , 800x374 , cop46.jpg )

You'll have to turn up the professional charm for this one. You reach for a pad and pen for extra credibility...and soon realize that you've left yours at home.

"Sergeant Dane, do you have something I can write with?" you ask in your big cop voice.

Dane rolls her eyes, but takes out her notepad and a pen. You take them and face the widow again.

"Firstly, I have to clear up that I didn't shake down your son. Whoever was here earlier wasn't from my team--the cop who spoke to your son first broke both protocol and human decency, and I'll deal with them the first chance I get. If you have a name or badge number I can work with, it'd help a lot."

>ALICIA's glare doesn't let up. "So there's more than one unknown detective that's been stomping around my home. What a relief. I don't have any more information on that one than I have on yourself."

You try to continue unfazed. "To answer your question, this case ended up on our desk since it happened within our jurisdiction. For the next three days we'll be handling it, before turning it over to Captain STEVE when the right paperwork's been processed. I'm sorry for your loss and I know that the mayor had a good relationship with the 2P, but we'll be doing our best for him too, in the interim."

>"The next three days? Captain STEVE is going to be off of the case of the death of my husband, the mayor, for the next three days?"

You flip to an empty page and click the pen. "Ma'am, if I can ask this, why is it so important that only STEVE and his men handle your husband's murder? It seems like a number of people are under the impression that they're already on the case, despite the jurisdiction lines." You water down what you wanted to say, in order to avoid getting too accusatory toward her. Something about this is rubbing you the wrong way.

>"As if it's any mystery," ALICIA replies, tossing her hair. "Captain STEVE is an excellent man, and his work on the Wartown Murders was legendary. His partner served in the army with my husband. Their precinct has the experience and the resources to catch whoever took my love from me, swiftly."

"And the city's other precincts do not." Steady, BAN, don't get pissy now.

>She stares you dead in the eye. "No, they do not."

"I see..." You're swallowing so much pride, you half expect a shirt button to pop off. Dane shifts behind you, but says nothing.

>ALICIA lets out an exasperated sigh. "If this is how it has to be, though, fine. I want your word that by the weekend, everything--everything, you hear me?--that you come up with gets immediately into STEVE's hands."

"...Of course, ma'am."

>"I'll give you ten minutes. You're already writing what I'm saying down, yes? Ask your questions, get your answers, then get out of my house."

>>970783
Rotten bitch. I'm willing to bet she's involved with the murder somehow.

Does she remember anything unusual about the date in question? Was her husband acting strangely, or were there any changes to his routine, minor or major? Had he been speaking to anyone new? Had there been any disturbances in his social life? Problems at work?

...well I guess we'll have to find out from the head of security who that maybe-cop was. Surely there's no way the guy got past security without giving out a name?

Questions:
Does she have any idea why the Mayor went out that night?
Did the Mayor use his own car when he left? Where is the car?
Does she know of anyone who would have wanted him dead?
What were those businessmen doing here? Anything she can fill you in on?
Was she home that night? Did she notice any odd behavior from the Mayor that day, or in the weeks prior?
Did the Mayor have any business dealings with Demons, or Demon-related groups?
Does she know much about the Mayor's time in the army?
Can you check out his office? Like, you'd specifically be looking for a book he keeps times and dates in for his meetings. Could be some clues as to why he left that night or who he's been dealing with lately.

>>970789
I mean, she's basically right. 2P has way more resources, and apparently their captain really knows what he's doing.

The homocide happened after he left the house on foot, with no security detail. Who was he meeting? Why not do it at the mansion? And what did he tell you?

Lots of good questions so far.

I can add in a request + question.

"I will need access to Durst Manor later, preferably some time tomorrow. For one, ten minutes is not a lot of time for a thorough statement. I also need statements from anyone who've yet to give them. It's SOP, Mrs. Durst. Anyone who has interacted with the Mayor in the time prior is of interest to us.

That said, do you know of anyone outside this household and his campaign that might fit the bill? Any old war buddies he still kept in touch with outside of STEVE's partner?"

Also, her response to the knowledge there was another cop was insufficient, so we need to dump more info on her.

"And... can't you just ask your staff to tell you who this other cop was? Or even make an educated guess? Presumably your people let them in. Seeing the difficulty I had earlier, there should be a limited number of spiky-horned officers who could sail through like it was nothing and, apparently, talk only to your son. Or... maybe he talked to Sam as well, hard to say. But not you. You were in a meeting. You didn't know he was here."

Hmm...

Glance around at the help to spot their reactions.

"... has the guy even left yet? I would like to speak to him if he is sitting in the wing waiting to talk to Mrs. Durst."

>>970792
Though the reasons for this appears to be blatant favoritism by the Mayor for a war buddy. That said, BAN should still treat this case with all the seriousness the murder of a person - and Mayor - deserves. The city's poor treatment of non-2nd Precincts and her poor attitude towards BAN does not invalidate that.

Also, the way STEVE showed up at the crime scene and this presumed 2nd Precinct cop rattled young Durst makes me think they know more than they've let on. In which case they're assuredly doing something bad by not informing you of it. You should definitely pass on a request this evening for any and all information they have on the case and maybe even go take the statement of STEVE's partner - y'know, as a person of interest. You can definitely use young Durst's statement as supporting evidence they've begun doing some manner of rushed investigatin' on their own.

Oh, ask why the head of security wanted to keep you specifically from entering the premises.

These are all good. Let me tack on:
"Some of the reporters outside seem to be under the impression that you were making some kind of scene. Care to elaborate on that?"

"We've yet to talk to Uncle Durst, but he doesn't seem to be cohesive enough to give a legally valid statement at this time. Can we arrange to have him give his statement down at the station tomorrow morning if you aren't comfortable with us returning to the residence?"

"Oh, one more thing; is there anyone else besides you that has authority over BILL, your chief of security?"

I don't think we can press her about BILL's fib directly, as it's just our word against his for now - we can only start pushing that angle if we mark another strike against him or the media dresses our encounter in our favor overall. However, we can make a list of "Suspicious People Who May Have Tried to Hinder Us Through BILL."

"I think that'll be all. I'll want to ask BILL a few more questions about this undeclared 'cop.' I'd appreciate it if someone called ahead to tell him I'd be doing this so that I can get out of your hair all the faster. I'll leave you to your mourning, then."

(If BILL knew we were coming, but the wife didn't, and if we consider how the unknown cop had to have gotten in... I think we have enough information at this point that we can press BILL about his part in this "Undeclared Cop" mystery.)

We are going to need some luck to do this all in 10 minutes.

1/3 BAN 2020/06/27(Sat)22:27 No. 970869 ID: 7ae189
File 159332205463.jpg - (162.40KB , 800x969 , cop47.jpg )

Mrs. Durst pulls out her phone and starts a timer. Shit, she really means ten minutes. You try to pick out your most burning questions.

"Before we get into the rest, I just wanted to know. Why did the head of security want to specifically bar me from entry?"

>"Look at yourself, do you really have to ask that? If I had my way, the only demon in this house besides myself would be Captain STEVE."

You assumed as much. "I just wanted to be sure. The rule could be confused as an attempt to keep cops out, not just people like me."

>"'Not just demons.'"

You ignore the attempted correction. "Rewind to before the incident for me. Was anything different with your husband, recently? Was he acting oddly, talking or doing business with anyone new?"

>"I didn't notice anything different, no. He was a little stressed with the elections coming up, but nothing out of the ordinary. He kept his usual company, and was going to his usual meetings."

"Were any of those meetings with, er, people like ourselves? Or their interest groups?"

>Her eye narrows at you. "Demons. Say the word, detective. We're demons."

"...The question stands."

>"Yes, he met with the Anomaly Collective about once a month as part of his public outreach work."

"And who all is in that group?"

>"Representatives of demon communities throughout the city. Politicians, workers, veterans... You didn't know that?"

You tactfully avoid the question. "I'm hearing a lot about vets today. Do you know much about the mayor's time in the army? Are there any other war buddies that he's stayed in contact with?"

>She heaves a sigh. "I've heard my share of stories. He was an officer, and he loved his men more than his family sometimes. It seems like whenever he was done working, he had another soldier over for drinks. I never bothered to learn all of their names. BILL is our head of security now, I know. Of course there's also ERIK, STEVE's partner. Sam served with him, as well. Whenever Joe went out, some of his people followed like bodyguards."

"Except for last night. Do you have any idea why he would leave here alone and on foot, at that hour?"

>"Oh, don't make me relive it again," she says heavily. "We were arguing about stupid campaign slogans. I let myself say some terrible things, and then he suddenly remembered some meeting he had to get to. He just walked out of the bedroom, and out the front door."

"Did he take his own car when he left? Who was he going to meet?"

>"No, he just walked, as far as I know. If he was picked up, it wasn't close to our driveway. He didn't say who he was meeting... God, for all I know it was just an excuse to go let off some steam."

"Can I see his office? If it was real, his meeting might be documented in an agenda, somewhere in there."

>"You're more than welcome to try to get to it in the"--she pauses and checks her timer--"one and a half minutes you have left, but that might not be the best use of your time."

"I'll definitely need to return then, preferably sometime tomorrow. If I'm going to follow standard operating procedures, I'll need more than ten minutes, you understand. There's also more statements to take, and yours isn't quite finished--"

>ALICIA cuts you off with a noncommittal wave. "Someone will be in touch with your precinct about it, I'm sure."

You subtly let out your frustrations on the pen clicker. "You don't know of anyone who would've wanted Mr. Durst dead, do you?

>"Besides every other bureaucrat in the city? There isn't a single mayoral campaign that will mourn my husband's passing--they finally have a chance at winning, now."

"Speaking of campaigners, I saw a number of businessmen leaving when I arrived. What were they doing here? Anything you can fill me in on?"

>The widow's face somehow manages to sour further. "It was an emergency meeting to discuss the future of the Durst campaign. We utterly failed to reach any sort of conclusion. Twenty seconds."

"Before we're done, I just want to know more about this other cop."

>"I'm sorry, but I honestly don't have anything else to give you on that topic."

"Maybe you don't," you say, glancing at the bartender. He's too busy cowering at Mrs. Durst to notice. "But can't you just ask your staff about him? I'm assuming your people let him in. Given all the trouble I had getting in, there's no way someone with his description could've come in without issue. I know he talked to your son, but who else? Was he waiting to talk to you? Has he even left yet--"

>"And now you're overtime, detective," ALICIA grates. "It's time for you to go."

2/3 BAN 2020/06/27(Sat)22:30 No. 970870 ID: 7ae189
File 159332222673.jpg - (147.00KB , 800x813 , cop48.jpg )

Before you can argue, the butler appears and half-guides, half-shoves you up the stairs and out the door.

You and Dane share a look as the door closes behind you. She's shaking, and she's turned an unhealthy shade of red.

You think up a solid one liner to defuse the bad air. "That--"

>"DON'T," she growls. "Talk...in the car..."

So much for a quiet ride home.

3/3 BAN 2020/06/27(Sat)22:33 No. 970871 ID: 7ae189
File 159332239305.jpg - (153.16KB , 880x440 , cop49.jpg )

You're met with the same crowd as before as you approach the gate. You pray that neither of you lose the rest of your patience before getting past all of these cameras.

>"Clear a path, will you?!" BILL yells, trying to move reporters out from in front of the driveway.

>"CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN BAN!! WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE DURST FAMILY?"
>"IS IT TRUE THAT ALICIA DURST IS MENTALLY UNSTABLE?!!"
>"WHAT IS THE FIRST PRECINCT'S NEXT MOVE??"
>"HOW LONG UNTIL CAPTAIN STEVE TAKES OVER THE CASE?!"

>One voice manages to be even more deafening than the rest. "HEY!! HEY, PARTNER!!! YOU REMEMBER ME, RIGHT?! HOW DID THE MISSION GO?!!"

Keep saying "No comment" and do a rap-dance this time.

>>970872
At least after we get sacked, we'll be youtube famous.

>>970871
You're not gonna do the damn dance this time, just tell them no comment, move out the way, and also you need to ask Bill some questions about his time in the army with the Mayor.
And also, ask him about the "cop" that came by earlier.

Once the media calms down a little you can tell the "real reporter" that she didn't do anything "scoopable" at all. She's a grieving widow, show some respect. (it is worth noting that she was more composed at this point than the rest of the family, ignoring her public display, and has no alibi... but that's just speculation, as her possible motive for doing it is unclear)

Speaking of the widow, did her hands look scuffed at all? I have to imagine climbing the underside of the bridge would leave some abrasions even on a demon.

Hold up a hand for silence.

"Press conference to be announced at a later date. Until then,"

Hit your most dulcet hymnal tones.

"NoooooOOOooOoOOOooooOOooOoOOOoooooo~

Comment!"

Then look to the gate guard.

"But before I go. BILL, what was the name of the spiky-horned cop you let through a couple hours earlier? I was not informed anyone had been in prior to me."

And poor BILL, and poor whoever this cop is, cuz' even if BILL denies his presence - or knew nothing about it! - the press will definitely do the work of digging up that cop's dirty procedural deed for you. Heck, this definitely counts as giving the spiky-horned cop grief, too, fulfilling your promise to John. Trial by media.

And the best thing? It's got nothing to do with revealing any ongoing details of the investigation and leaves your conduct above board. It's a simple fact. It just says so much to anyone with the brains to spot it. Which I certainly HOPE is at least ONE reporter here.

1/2 BAN 2020/06/28(Sun)10:21 No. 970896 ID: 7ae189
File 159336486483.jpg - (160.57KB , 1000x438 , cop50.jpg )

You raise your hands as officiously as possible, and the crowd hushes itself. Every ear and every recorder is trained on you... You hate this part of the job.

"I want to tell you all that there's nothing 'scoop-able' going on in this home, so please get that out of your heads now," you say to everyone. "Mrs. Durst is a grieving widow, show some respect."

You turn to BILL. "Before I go, I have a question or two for you."

>BILL writhes as the attention shifts to him. "What else do you want? You got in, already."

"I just want to know more about your time in the army with the mayor."

>"Oh, that?" his expression grows a lot more distant. "I was in the Advance Team with him. We fought all the way to the Canardi border together, before I went and got injured..."

>He remembers where he is and shakes his head. "Now's not the time for that talk, though. Are you done here?"

"Just one more thing," you say. "What was the name of that 'spiky-horned cop' that you let in a couple hours ago? I wasn't informed that anyone had entered prior to me."

The crowd starts murmuring. In the front row, Devin looks ecstatic.

>The security guard glares at you. "The hell is this, you want to frame me for something now? What are you talking about?"

"So you know nothing about a horned cop who entered the Durst mansion before me, and apparently attempted to investigate without my go-ahead?"

>"Hell no, I don't!"

There's a brief explosion among the reporters. You raise your hand once again. "That's all I wanted to know. The press conference will be taking place at a later date," you announce. "But until then, I do have something to tell you..."

You close your eyes and take a deep breath. Everyone leans in in anticipation. Devin's mouth is practically watering, now.

You sing out in the purest of tones. "NoooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOooooOOOOOOO comment~~~~!!!"

Everyone goes insane. You and Dane shove your way through the screaming reporters and head back toward the parking lot. You're tempted to dance again, but you don't think Dane is mentally ready for that.

As you make your retreat, you see many of the reporters descending on BILL with more questions, including a fired-up Devin.

2/2 BAN 2020/06/28(Sun)10:29 No. 970897 ID: 7ae189
File 159336535106.jpg - (122.10KB , 800x618 , cop51.jpg )

The two of you take a breather by the car. You check your watch... 6:15 already, damn.

>Dane looks like she's guaging whether or not her hand will break if she punches the car door. "That frigid fucking bitch," she mutters. "Fucking bitch!"

"She's grieving. I'm sure she was just lashing out," you say, but the words are empty. Honestly, Mrs. Durst's vibe had been getting to you, too. A weird hunch makes you try to remember what her hands looked like. You think hard on it, but you're sure that they were too small and clean to have caused those marks on the bridge.

>"Fucking bitch," your partner repeats. "You know none of the staff fucking mentioned another cop, right? And I talked to every person in that goddamned building besides the family. This all stinks!"

She's about to continue her rant when a call comes in on her radio. The conversation is brief.

>"The Major wants us to check in with the other guys that she put on the case before midnight," she reports. "You buying our dinner before or after we head back to the station?"

You blink. "'Our dinner?'"

>Dane looks at you with an unreadable expression. "You already forgot. The promise, BAN. In the car."

Shit, shit, shit. "No no, I remember, I'm just thinking. About where we're going, when I buy our dinner. Like I promised."

>"Uh-huh." Dane gets into the car and slams the door.

Fuck. When and why did you agree to this? Your wallet's going to be crying in the morning, you never eat out.

You think through your options. You could try and find somewhere up here, but it might take longer since you don't know the area very well. Alternatively you could just make the drive back to Shiptown first, there are a few cheap food joints there that you know of. You've also got to report to the 1P at some point before midnight. You make a quick decision as Dane glares daggers at you from the car...

You need to think this through, and that means steak.
Now, not like great steak. Cops don't get dry aged wagyu.

That Greek place by the wharf ain't too bad, and you can fill up on salad and fries. Couple small ribeyes, grilled onions. Some coffee for later.

Or you could just find a fabled cheesesteak dynasty and hope for the best.

Try the ramen stores nearby, or get a custom-made pizza. Make sure you get something that you can take-out. All the ritzy restaurants just overcharge you for the privilege of staring at ugly-detailed decor they use to insult your lower class.

Make sure you ask what she likes; that whole 'you need to know what I like' mentality is screwed up. Seriously where does it come from?

Hmm, strange. The staff never saw the spiky-horned fellow, and... the only person he spoke to was the son? There's no way that was a cop. That was someone who somehow snuck in past security and questioned the first person he could get his hands on, then ran off. Might've been a reporter... or someone involved in the murder who was trying to find out how much the family knew. Maybe you can check around the perimeter of the mansion to see if someone dug under the wall or climbed over.
The horn-spikes on his head may have even been a disguise, but I hope not. We'd have no way of identifying him then.
You should call the other precincts and find out if they have any officers matching the description you were given.

...surprised Dane managed to question the staff during the time you were (making an attempt at) questioning the family. Ask if she found anything out.

Eat at a shiptown diner. Not a chain restaurant, she'll never let you hear the end of it if you do. Besides, you'll have to be somewhere by 12:00.

...Is that news van with no channel number, news organization or anything else identifying it suspicious in any way? Be certain before you have another potentially embarrassing brain fart moment. If you still think something's wrong, get their plates and knock.

>>970899
seconding greek. It's middle-price, tasty as hell, and good for you. Who doesn't love a good lamb gyro?

Did you get the list of visitors from BILL?
Whose news van is that?
Further leads we can investigate: the Anomaly Collective, talk to BILL about his time in the army, see if you can speak to ERIK too.

1/3 BAN 2020/06/30(Tue)21:23 No. 971142 ID: 7ae189
File 159357740276.jpg - (159.52KB , 800x846 , cop52.jpg )

Think, think, think...! You remember somewhere that you used to eat at, years ago. You tap on Dane's window and get her to roll it down. "I know a Greek diner back in Shiptown, what do you think?" you ask.

>Her eyes light up for a moment. "What, are there gyros there?" She catches herself quickly and her poker face returns. "...I'll take it."

Oh, thank god. "Great. One sec, I want to check one last thing."

You walk over to the news van sitting nearby. As you get closer, you see that it's definitely seen better days. Besides the big, generic 'NEWS' label plastered on its side, it's almost entirely unmarked. You almost find it suspicious, until you notice the Crosshair Media decal on the windshield. This must be Devin's vehicle... Kind of fitting for the man, you think.

Before you head back to your car, you take another second to sort everything out in your head. You make a mental note to dig into this Anomaly Collective more. It'll be a drag, but you'll try to speak to ERIK eventually too, and BILL--

Shit, BILL's list! You kick yourself for forgetting to grab it on your way out. You don't want to tango with the reporters again and your welcome here is definitely overstayed, so you'll have to collect it when you return.

You return to the car and start the drive back to familiar territory.

2/3 BAN 2020/06/30(Tue)21:26 No. 971144 ID: 7ae189
File 159357758408.jpg - (160.94KB , 800x737 , cop53.jpg )

The return drive is pretty alright. You get chewed out for not getting the list, but you expertly redirect Dane's anger back to the Durst mansion's inhabitants...

>"They're all suspect," she continues. "I don't trust any of their statements except maybe the son."

"You really got through all of them while I was outside?" you ask. "Did you find anything out?"

>"It wasn't that hard, most of them didn't know anything. That asshole butler seems to have been the only person who saw Mr. Mayor exit the mansion, not counting the wife. The bartender, the cooks and the cleaning staff had already cleared out for the day."

"I see..."

>"I can't believe they'd all omit the fact that a fucking policeman came in before us. It has to have been someone that they know, probably some fucking 2P detective."

"Or maybe they really were unaware," you muse. "I'm starting to doubt if it was even another cop... The guy could've snuck in from somewhere, and stayed just long enough to find out what other people knew about the crime."

>"You think it was the killer?"

"Who knows," you sigh, glancing over at the sunset. "Can you call the other major precincts? We should see how many cops actually fit the description, as vague as it is."

>"I'll hit the 2P through the 5P," she says, pulling out her phone. "They can handle checking their sister precincts."

You cross your fingers and hope that the horns weren't just a disguise. You're getting desperate for some kind of foothold, here.

>Dane looks at you sideways as she dials one of the precincts' numbers. "So... This place we're headed does sell gyros, right?"

3/3 BAN 2020/06/30(Tue)21:38 No. 971146 ID: 7ae189
File 159357829421.jpg - (165.82KB , 1414x467 , cop54.jpg )

Down by the docks of Shiptown, there's a Greek diner that used to be constantly packed with soldiers and sailors waiting for assignments. This isn't quite the way you imagined yourself returning. It's a lot emptier now, but it's also nowhere near as beat-up.

You head in first while Dane changes in the car. The owner seems to recognize your face--he gives you a grave nod and leads you to the same table you used to sit at. You check the time... 8:00, great. You're only about ten minutes from the station, so you have plenty of time to eat and leave.

Dane walks in, straightening her clothes. You're technically off the clock now, so she's swapped out the kevlar for something more comfortable, like another uniform. The owner's face lights up when she sits across from you.

>"Now isn't this a pleasant surprise," he says. "You've really turned out alright, young man. What can I get for you two?"

>"A lamb gyro with everything, and a coffee," your partner says immediately. She glances at you and subtly narrows her eyes. "Actually, make that two gyros. And fries."

You wince as she twists the knife into your chest. If your wallet is dying tonight, you might as well eat well too. "Just give me the ribeye steak and fries," you tell the old man. "I'll take coffee too, why not."

>The owner walks toward the kitchen and yells something in another language. "I'll get your coffee," he calls back to you.

>Dane pulls out her journal and opens it. "From those calls, it sounds like there are only 35 patrol officers and detectives that have anything that could be called horns," Dane tells you. "ERIK is on that list, too."

"Interesting... We should try talking to him, tomorrow."

>"Someone should. Do you have a plan for the rest of the team, yet?"

"Uh--"

>She rolls her eyes."I know you don't. Just think about it before this meeting, okay? You can't just wing it when you're giving orders to cops that aren't me."

>The diner's owner returns with your coffee. "The food will be along shortly, lieutenant," he says as he walks away.

"Thanks." A sip confirms that the diner's choice of coffee grounds hasn't changed in years.

>Dane picks up her mug, but doesn't drink. "BAN, answer this for me and don't try to give me any bullshit."

Your heart skips a beat. Shit, did you forget something else...? "Shoot."

>"This is our case."

"...Is that the question?"

>"Yes." She leans in a little. "This is really big for us, and I want to know. Are we actually gonna give case this away to that asshole in a couple days?"

>>971146
Depends.
Assuming the paperwork is approved? Only if we don't solve it before then. Can't go against upper management after using them as a way to get STEVE off our case. Of course, if ERIK interfered with the case... we might be able to argue that 2P wasn't acting in good faith from the start.
If the paperwork isn't approved? Hell no we're not handing it over. So long as this case is officially ours, it's ours. If 2P wants to honestly help with the investigation we can make use of their resources. God knows they have more than us.

>a plan for the rest of the team
Refresh your memory: who do we have? Any specialists?
Some basic things we can do is send people to interview the people on BILL's list, ask what they were there for, where they were the night of the murder, those kind of basic questions. We can also interview people who live along the most likely route the Mayor took to the bridge, see if anyone spotted him.
We can have some of them go over the collected evidence from the crime scene, see if we can pull any more clues out of there. One important thing is we can get a good idea of how big the climber's hands are, and use that to narrow down possible suspects. We can also compare that size of hand to the impact damage on the body, to confirm they match.
We can have people follow the marks on the bridge over the other side (I'd hope we already did this, honestly, it's not good to let tracks go cold)

We're not doing it at STEVE's pleasure, Dane. But with the kind of favors he can call in? I'd be facing steep charges if I don't.

If we can find something soon that shows bad faith on the 2nd's part, that balance changes. That's what I'm hoping for.

If I get direct proper orders down the chain of command I will hand the case over to them within the proper timeframe.

Aka stall as long as possible.

So we need to solve it before then or get so close that it would look horrible for anyone to take it away from us.

Stuff to discuss with Dane.

1. Motives. Who would want him dead and why. We need to look into the Mayors history. Is highly likely its not a random killing. Someone wanting him dead for something he did years back? Did the Mayor know the killer and have dealings with them?

2. Means. Was someone waiting for him under that bridge? If so how did they know his route. Did he often take walks there? Or could he have been meeting someone there and they offed him?

3. Why talk to the Son? The kid was the only one who the so called cop talked to. There has to be a reason for that. If it was a cop then they thought he had important info. If it was not a cop they could be looking for other info. If it was the killer? Well maybe the killer did not get what he wanted by killing the mayor. Could be after something the Mayor had and did not get it.

4. Paranoia check. This is big politics. If the mayor was in bed with the other precinct maybe they had more than just a professional relationship. Could Steve have more reasons to take the case than just pride? Quietly look into the relationship between the mayors household and your sister precinct.

Oh yeah look up any laws or legislation the Mayor recently passed or was working on passing. Might help with motive.

Not unless the man upstairs says so. STEVE gets it all done by the book? A promise is a promise. But if Durst's son does finger ERIK as the guy that harassed him, that'll get a lot harder for them real fast. He does seem to be the most likely suspect in that little tangent - 2P had a good relationship with the campaign, and he was an old army buddy of Mr. Durst, so assuming that BILL wasn't lying, ERIK would have had more than enough means to slip in with the campaign members. Plus, he has horns. Run his photo by the son before confronting them about that, though; this is not something we want to get wrong.

"If we confirm to the son that the harasser was from 2P, could we prompt him to press charges? Technically, we couldn't do that on our own, as that separate incident is definitely with 2P's jurisdiction, not ours, but what would happen if they were called upon to process a charge on one of their own?"

"Although, come to think of it... if it were just 2P sticking their noses where they aren't allowed, that'd just be a slap on the wrist, and a PR hit. But considering ERIK's relationship with the victim, he could officially become a POI in the case if young Mr. Durst does finger him."

As for orders, we need a reminder of what exactly we have to work with here.

I have a sneaking suspicion we'll have revealed a conflict of interest before then. How much do you want to bet our mystery cop was there getting everyone's stories straight and the kid didn't want to play ball? If not, all we have to do is keep our noses clean, don't give STEVE anything he can rake us over the coals with.

BAN 2020/07/05(Sun)19:46 No. 971554 ID: 7ae189
File 159400360847.jpg - (125.94KB , 800x901 , cop55.jpg )

"Depends," you reply, taking another sip. "If I get the proper orders, directly from command, then we have to hand the case over within the proper timeframe."

>"I said no bullshitting," Dane chides.

"I'm just saying that I'm not planning on it unless I have to. If we solve the case, or get close enough to solving it, there won't be a good reason for anyone to take it from us. And if the 2P gets caught up in something controversial before our deadline hits, the balance could shift considerably..."

>She gets your drift. "You mean if Durst's kid recognizes ERIK."

"He seems like the most likely person to be our mystery cop. If we show John Durst a picture of him and he's recognized, could the kid press charges? What would happen if the 2P had to process a charge on one of their own?"

>"You're talking like a politician." Your partner hides the suggestion of a smile behind her coffee. "If ERIK gets fingered for that incident, the 2P would definitely have their hands full."

"ERIK could even be considered a person of interest, if you think about his relationship with the victim. Whether he interfered on his own or for his precinct, it wouldn't look good. It'd be grounds for us to dig into the whole precinct's relationship with the mayor, too."

>"There's no way they could clear up a shitshow like that and be ready to investigate this murder in two days."

"It'd be a great opportunity for us." You stroke your chin. "I don't get why he didn't just go for ALICIA though, if it was him. Why press the son first?"

>"You said it yourself, whoever came in probably just wanted to get a feel for what people knew. If it was ERIK or some other cop, they could get that much from him and get out before we showed up."

Your food arrives. You realize that you've never eaten in front of Dane before... You hope that you don't look weird. You take slow bites(?) and try to calculate how much money is in each mouthful(?).

>Dane stops devouring gyro long enough to watch you eat another piece of steak. "That's...interesting."

"Let's go over the murder again," you say, self-consciously putting down the fork. "This most likely isn't a random killing. Do you think he knew the murderer?"

>"He spent years in army service and years in politics. It's probably an enemy from one of those circles, right?"

"Probably. The unit he served in was full of crazy types, I wouldn't put it past one of them to do it if they held a grudge for something."

>"Don't rule out that bitch ALICIA and her people, either. Political advancement's always a motive, and they probably had the best idea of where he was last night."

"Where he was last night..." You cautiously eat some more steak. "Whoever killed him was completely aware of his route, or at least his destination. If the mayor really did have a late night meeting, anyone who knew the specifics of it are prime suspects."

>"Joe Durst's office definitely needs to be checked out tomorrow. Hopefully none of those assholes tamper with anything before we get there..."

"Remind me again, who else do we have on the case now?"

>"You know KYLE already, he's gonna be an extra investigator. We've also got three cars from my patrol team. Car 1 is Walker and Vincent, Car 2's Josh and Megan, and Car 3's Hugo and Peter."

You mull over the roster. KYLE's one of the detectives under you at the precinct. He's a lot like yourself, just a little more generally focused and not as good at singing. The members of Dane's patrol unit should come in handy, too. You figure that with the help of these new cops, you'll be able to cover up to two detective-worthy tasks at a time, and three more menial, grunt-worthy tasks. Five processors completing jobs in real time... You're going to get a headache from this. You regret sleeping through your high school's contemporary maths class.

>Dane finishes her first gyro, and starts on the second in earnest. "You actually look like you're thinking," she remarks. "Coming up with the game plan for our guys?"

>>971554
"Absolutely. If you have any input, it'd be welcome."

Got to be done, right?

I just hope we can cover it all, without missing something important.

I mean, I already posted a plan earlier...
Itemize what tasks need to be done. Write it down in a list. Then it's easier to assign groups to them.

1/2 BAN 2020/07/07(Tue)18:31 No. 971682 ID: 7ae189
File 159417186846.jpg - (107.51KB , 800x636 , cop56.jpg )

You nod, rubbing your temples. "Yeah... If you have any input, it'd be welcome."

>"I just want another shot at that fucking mansion, honestly. Maybe try to send the others on other jobs and leave that for us, that's all I have."

"Alright, this is what I'm thinking," you start. You use the rest of your food to form a diagram. "We send KYLE after the people on BILL's list when we get it, and have him interview them. Get the cars moving along Joe Durst's most likely route, ask around, see if anyone saw him. They can follow those marks across the bridge too, if it hasn't been done yet. Who's got the evidence we collected at the scene? Someone should check it out again, I want a better idea of the size of the hands that made the marks on the bridge, and if they line up with the damage on the mayor."

>Dane scarfs the rest of her gyro and looks over the mess that you've made of the table. "Not bad, that sounds like a solid day of work."

"Hopefully we can actually cover everything. This case is already turning into a monster...."

>The diner's owner approaches with the bills. "Pay whenever you want, you two."

>"Thanks so much," Dane says, staring at you pointedly.

You grimace and spill your wallet's guts onto the table. Your pocket feels a lot lighter when you stand up to leave.

2/2 BAN 2020/07/07(Tue)18:32 No. 971683 ID: 7ae189
File 159417197610.jpg - (132.96KB , 950x649 , cop57.jpg )

A short drive brings you back to the First Precinct. The lobby looks as slow as usual when the two of you walk in.

>The receptionist waves as you approach. "Captain, the emergency homicide team's on call and ready to be briefed whenever you want. If you head to The Major's office, she can assemble them."

You walk over to the floor map. Your watch reads 9:15... You consider if there's anything else you want to do before getting your guys together. You're only a minute away from the evidence room, the shooting range, your office, and of course The Major's office.

>>971683
Time to take a closer look at that evidence.

Yeah, if we can squeeze in our own lookie-loo at the evidence before assembling everyone and ending the day, that’s just being efficient. Do make sure to warn everyone ahead of time that there’s going to be a meeting soon.

BAN 2020/07/11(Sat)11:58 No. 971934 ID: 7ae189
File 159449391498.jpg - (154.10KB , 900x550 , cop58.jpg )

"Let everyone know that we'll have that meeting soon," you tell the receptionist. "We're going to hit the evidence room first."

>"Of course, Captain."

The evidence room is one of the smaller areas in the precinct. A row of lockers houses evidence for every currently active investigation, and there's room on the side for examination and documentation. You check the directory for the right number, then walk over to where the bricks your guys collected are being stored.

>"Evening, you two."

>"What the fuck?!" Dane shrieks.

There's no way. You're overtaken by an uncharacteristic amount of rage.

Fucking STEVE is in front of your open evidence locker. He's holding an evidence bag. As your blood pressure rises, you wonder whether or not you'd get caught for socking him in the jaw.

He'd better have a very good explanation for this.

Calmly get out your camera and record Steve. You can have him indicted for tampering of evidence.

>>971934
You're under arrest for tampering with evidence in police investigation!

>>971934
STEVE
You have crossed the line.
My partner here is going to hold you - and she has my permission to be as rough as she likes - while I go contact the chief and tell him that you have not only attempted to act in this precinct without following proper protocol but have also been interfering with an ongoing investigation AND tampering with evidence.
Don't speak. I want to hear nothing out of you. I will be speaking with the chief and only the chief, and whatever is said between us will decide what happens.

You absolutely would.

You're out of fucking line Steve, get it through your damn head, you are off this investigation. Put my evidence down.

"You know what? ... I'm confused. You've pulled shit in the past, but this has to shatter all previous records. I'd wager the hole you've begun digging yourself into here is deep enough that even the Dursts can't bail you out without getting buried themselves. So come on; tell me. This is about more than just who gets the thunder, isn't it? I might even be willing to go lenient on the charges if you can tell me why you're going so far as to break the goddamn law so blatantly over this."

If appealing to reason doesn't work, and he doesn't move to attack us (because we absolutely should not be the assailant if a fight does break out), then appeal to his ego.

"You're serious, then? I heard you were 'the best of the best.' That there was a reason that you deserved all the resources and clout. I might've even believed that a little myself, deep down. Guess that's not wrong; after all, getting all that you got should be a sinch if you don't play by the rules. Or the laws you pledged to uphold. Your name is an insult to the badge far as all the other precincts are concerned, STEVE, and I'm not even happy about seeing that proven."

You've got about 30 seconds before I let Dane put you in a Mantis-hold and toss you in a holding cell.
Talk fast, or put the evidence down- I can't risk something important being damaged while you're eating floor.

He's too calm and way too casual to have been caught red-handed. Sure, it might be a bluff, but he doesn't strike me as someone who wouldn't at least TRY to cover his ass before doing outrageous shit like rooting through another precinct's evidence locker for evidence on a case he's not supposed to be on.

But perhaps that cover won't hold water if you keep your cool and get to the bottom of it. Or if it does, he's deliberately setting you up for an 'out of proportion' catfight over jurisdiction and this is the lead-in meant to make you pop your lid and lose face.

So first off, ask who gave him permission to retrieve the bricks from the evidence locker. Evidence typically needs to be signed out, and those sign out orders can be countermanded. Check if you or the Major has the right to countermand that order or - god forbid - if there's something wrong with the permission slip that lets you nay it.

Also, STEVE has become a person of interest in the case. Since he's here, would he mind going over to the interrogation room and answer some questions about his relationship with Mayor Durst while Dane goes to speak with the Major to get your team ready?

It shouldn't take too long, since he probably has nothing to hide.

Right?

(Worst-case, get Dane to take photos of every single damn brick from every angle while you're in the room.)

>>971970
This.
We don't want to cause a problem just in case he is actually here for a valid reason.

Since he is here, we will need to search him as well.

...hold on, do we know for sure that the Mayor had a good relationship with STEVE and 2P? He showed up to the crime scene without any signs of grief whatsoever, and if it was ERIK that gave the mayor's son the shakedown that's another strike against them. Hell, STEVE didn't even try to play the emotional angle to take over the case.
If 2P was somehow responsible for his death, that would explain their behavior, and also this attempt to tamper with evidence.

Even if they *did* have a good relationship with the Mayor at one point, it's possible that relationship turned sour, and efforts were made to hide it, or it was a sudden turn. Like, maybe 2P enjoyed the benefits of their relationship with the Mayor, then he decided he couldn't keep funneling so much money into the precinct and that pissed them off. Then all they'd have to do is ensure that the new Mayor is on their side. Maybe they have a candidate already lined up, and were going to pin the murder on the opposition, or make the case so sensational that the populous would follow their endorsement. But most of that is conjecture, with no evidence. A possible scenario.

It's also possible STEVE thinks he's helping, and that bag he's got is full of NEW evidence that he was handing over to our precinct. I'm not sure if that would hold up in court, though. Unless he wants us to just lie and say we found it, which could get us in trouble if the evidence is faked.

>>971934
he's a cop too meaning he probably has a reason to be here, stop dane-ing out.

Ask him what he's got there before you start flipping out on him, because as far as I've seen I still don't know if he's a trustworthy dickhead or JUST a dickhead.

1/2 BAN 2020/07/13(Mon)07:19 No. 972092 ID: 7ae189
File 159464997183.jpg - (149.43KB , 800x716 , cop59.jpg )

"You're out of fucking line, STEVE," you snarl, "get it through your damn head. Put my evidence down."

>"This is how we're starting? That's a pretty rude welcome, BAN."

You glance back at your partner. "Dane, make sure you're recording this," you say softly.

>"Sir." She pulls out her phone and tucks it into a breast pocket like a makeshift body cam.

You step toward the asshole, but try to stay calm. "STEVE, you're about to get arrested for tampering with evidence," you say. "You've really crossed a fucking line this time."

>STEVE gives you a sarcastic look. "Really, I--"

"Don't. Just don't say anything." You haven't been this genuinely pissed in years. "You've pulled some real shit in the past, but this is different. You're in too deep for even the Dursts to bail you out, and for what? You just had to steal our thunder again, didn't you? Seriously, what would make you go far enough to break the fucking law?"

>He rolls his eyes. "You're a real armchair psychologist, aren't you?"

You gesture, and Dane moves to STEVE's other side. "In thirty seconds, my partner is going to hold you, and she can be as rough as she wants. Then I'm headed straight to the chief to let him know every way you've fucked protocol and interfered with my investigation and my evidence--"

>"Touch me and you'll lose an arm along with your badge," the captain warns darkly. His shiteating grin has disappeared. "The chief sent me here, you stupid, dense motherfucker."

"What?" Oh, shit. Your anger dissipates and is quickly replaced by embarrassment.

2/2 BAN 2020/07/13(Mon)07:22 No. 972094 ID: 7ae189
File 159465014083.jpg - (159.85KB , 800x865 , cop60.jpg )

>"Yeah, dumbass. Now call off your dog and make her give me some fucking space, she's still eyeing me."

Dane tsks and puts her phone back in her pocket.

>STEVE roughly shoves the bag into your chest. "We didn't trust you chucklefucks to do it, so--with permission--me and my partner checked around our side of the bridge. We found this near the spot where we think the murderer started climbing from. I didn't touch a damned thing in your locker, and even if I'd wanted to, it looks like all I'd get to look at is a pile of fucking bricks."

"...I see. Thanks," you say sheepishly, taking the bag. A peek inside reveals some kind of pin or pendant.

>"Christ. We went through some shit to get you that, too, so you'd better fucking use it."

You clear your throat and try to save some face. "While you're here, though, do you mind heading over to the interrogation room to answer some questions?"

>That asshole face of his returns. "So moments after trying to arrest me, you want me in your interrogation room. Be a little more subtle, BAN, come on. You're really stretching for chances to get me."

"I'm not stretching for anything. There are a few things I want to put together about your precinct's relationship with the mayor."

>STEVE crosses his arms. "I'm not getting put in one of your cells, pal. If you've got something to ask me then do it right here, right now, and let me get the fuck out of this circus."

You would not believe the day I've just had.
OK, fine. We'll do it here.

We don't see ERIK with you, have you kept in touch with him?
Let him answer, then spring the details.

Fine. I need information on where ERIK's been for about a week.

Don't be so quick to trust him. There is a proper chain for evidence handling and if this was not submitted properly with the evidence clerk then what the fuck was he doing in here?

Well that could have gone worse.
If he has permission he probably went through the clerk. You're going to want to check, of course. No need to tell him that though, just make a mental note of it.

First, ask about the evidence. Did they already check for fingerprints or other trace evidence on what's in the bag? No need to do it again, if so. We're gonna have to do something like that on all the bricks...
Secondly, ask about the Mayor. They were friends, right? How much did he know about the Mayor's private or business life? Any idea who might have wanted him dead? Any idea what he'd been up to recently?
Would anyone else in his precinct know more? ERIK perhaps, since they were in the army together? What's ERIK been up to recently?

If we're serious about using ERIK's mishandling of the Mayor's son to keep them off the case, don't tip your hand too early.

Huh, what shit did they go through? Red tape?

>>972094
make sure you apologize before he leaves.

this is making me think more and more steve is actually on the level.

Bite thy tongue, BAN. Also, if ERIK has a bridge-searching alibi (ask our guys stationed there) our mystery horned cop at Durst Manor must be a different perp. Don't mention ERIK much at all - I think it's bound to get STEVE's hackles raised further and right now we want answers.

"For the sake of restored sanity we'll start off with an informal interview. Just know I had a good reason for overreacting and I'll get back to you on it."

Namely the mystery copper of probably 2nd precinct belonging. Anyway, notepad up, pro-face back on. STEVE's not out of the woods just cuz' you made a tactical error.

>Questions about relations and Mayor
What was STEVE's relationship with the Mayor - and his family, if any?
When was the last time he met and spoke to the Mayor?
Had the Mayor expressed any concerns for his health or life recently?
Had the Mayor expressed that he was meeting with or getting back in touch with anyone?
Who was part of the Mayor's bodyguard team? Were they all Advance Team veterans?
For that matter, what's the bodyguard team's history - why the daytime only thing?
Does STEVE know why the Mayor did not want their company during the evenings?
Any other 'old war buddies' of the Mayor out there besides Team Bodyguard, STEVE, ERIK and BILL?

>Questions concerning 2nd Precinct and Manor access.
What was 2nd Precinct's relationship with the Mayor?
For example, why does 2nd Precinct have access to the Mayoral manor as a matter of course?
Who among STEVE's people have that access? You'll need a list - preferably with names and pictures.

If he starts complaining about biased scrutiny, axes to grind, etc. explain that you consider these details relevant because as long as this appears to be a premeditated murder - and it does - whoever got to Joe had to have gotten him out of his home, without bodyguards or friends, on foot, at a specific time, to a specific place. That takes something - like trust or blackmail - and either way, someone had to have gotten a private message in to a rather public individual. That means people with access to the manor and the privacy it affords.

>The tag
AC is not like the Advance Team logo, but given the icon I'm sure we can find a match if we ask around and/or set someone on it. I'm not sure this is a clue that can be taken at face value though, and not just because STEVE brought it in. It's... oddly convenient if the killer would just drop something that might identify them. A shiny something, no less. That you somehow didn't spot earlier.

Did STEVE identify the tag?
Where and how did he and ERIK find it?
Did anything actually place it as potentially belonging to the killer - asides from being near the spot they climbed?

Red herrings exist, it's a public bridge, stuff gets lost, etc. Also, if his evidence includes pictures of where it was found you can later compare and contrast to your own crime scene photos to see if it is even possible you guys missed this tag despite having gone over the scene.

1/2 BAN 2020/07/15(Wed)16:09 No. 972423 ID: dba489
File 159485455386.jpg - (157.58KB , 800x911 , cop61.jpg )

"Fine." You take a deep breath, put your game face on, and borrow Dane's pad and pen again. "For the sake of restored sanity, we'll just do an interview here. I had a reason for overreacting, though, and I'll get back to you on it..."

>"Sure you will."

"Alright. Let's start with this thing," you say, looking in the bag again. "Have you IDed it already?"

>"Of course I have. It looks like one of the tie pins that Anomaly Collective members wear. I've got one that I wear to chapter meetings."

"Where and how did you find it?"

>"Like I said, I knew you scrubs would make a mess of checking the bridge. Your guys hardly even looked on our end, probably too scared to step over the jurisdiction line. Me and ERIK had to promise to give up anything we found to your precinct, but we got permission to check out our end of the bridge. That pin was sitting in the grass, inches away from a gash in the bricks the size of your head. We checked the underside, and it definitely looked like the starting point for whoever climbed out to get Mr. Mayor."

"You said you went through some shit to get it, what did you mean?"

>STEVE picks at a new hole in his sleeve. "Just a run-in with some punks I arrested a few weeks ago. They were at the bridge and came after me, so we had to handle that problem first."

"I see... Did anything actually place this pin as potentially belonging to the killer? Besides being near where they climbed, I mean."

>"It's a safe bet to make. Most of us who actually give a shit about our jobs are part of some union or another that's connected to the Anomaly Collective. If the killer could climb that far and leave those marks, I'm guessing he's one of us, so more likely than not he was either a member of the actual Collective, or a chapter leader for some union."

"You don't have photos of the spot you found it at, do you?"

>"Unfortunately, getting shot at made us have to expedite the investigating process a little. If your cops are still too scared to do it, we can take some pictures tomorrow."

You slip the jab and keep going. "Were there any fingerprints or other trace evidence on it?"

>"No fingerprints. The pin did have some traces of silk on it, though."

You write everything down and consider what to ask next. You want to know more about ERIK's current whereabouts and what he's been up to for the past week, but if it'll make STEVE pissy it might not be the best move...

>The dick waves a hand in front of your face. "You still with us, BAN? Getting sleepy?"

"I'm fine," you grate. "When was the last time you met and spoke with the mayor?"

>"So that's the direction we're going. If you can't get me on procedures, make me a suspect..."

>"Just answer him," Dane snaps. She's been holding her temper admirably, but you can see that she's beginning to crack.

>"Down, girl, down," STEVE laughs, taking a step away from her. "He was at the station on Monday to speak with our major. I met him at the door and took him up to the office, that was about it."

"Any idea what he'd been up to, recently?"

>"Outreach, outreach, outreach. He was getting his foot in as many new doors as possible before voting started, and of course he was also still dickriding his current suupporters."

"Hmmm. Do you know if he'd expressed any concerns for his health or life, recently?"

>"No, not publicly at least."

"What about mentioning that he was meeting with anyone, or getting back in touch with someone?"

>STEVE shrugs. "All I knew was that he was going to meet with Major Greene. Any other meetings or concerns were outside of my paygrade."

"So you weren't close enough to know much about the mayor's private or business life? Or who could have wanted him dead?"

>"Not quite. I have some theories, but until this case is finally in my hands they don't mean much."

"Uh-huh..." You try and push yourself to think faster to avoid another quip. "What was your relationship with Joe Durst and his family like, friendly?"

>"I'm on good terms with them, sure. I got invited to the mansion for dinner once, after the Wartown Murders case was closed. It's not like I knew them personally, though, I don't have that army background."

"Not like ERIK, right? And whoever made up Joe's bodyguard?"

>The asshole raises his eyebrows. "So you actually did a little digging today, what a pleasant surprise. You're right, all of the mayor's escorts were soldiers in his unit during the war. ERIK was in that unit, too."

"So I've heard. What's the deal with them, why were they only on duty during the day? Did the mayor not want company in the evenings?"

>"At the end of the day they weren't official bodyguards, just guys who really liked the mayor. They followed him around during business hours when they had the time, but cleared out whenever the day was done. His mansion's got its own security detail, so he wasn't completely naked when they left."

"Are there any other war buddies of the mayor's out there besides these men from his unit, ERIK and the head of the Durst mansion's security?"

>"You'd have a better idea than me, wouldn't you? Or maybe not..."

You click the pen. "Why don't you tell me about the Second Precinct's relationship with the mayor? Why do they have access to the mayor's home as a matter of course?"

2/2 BAN 2020/07/15(Wed)16:12 No. 972424 ID: dba489
File 159485472346.jpg - (135.02KB , 960x617 , cop62.jpg )

>"Wait, you really are making me a suspect." STEVE had started to relax into his usual demeanor, but that question puts him back on edge.

"I'm just covering all my bases, here. As long as this looks like a premeditated murder, we've got to assume that whoever got Joe had to have gotten him out of his mansion, completely alone, and onto that bridge. That takes either trust or blackmail. Either way, it means someone had to have gotten a private message in to a pretty public figure, probably while he was at home."

>"You're not impressing me with your basic math, BAN. Do you really think that anyone in the 2P has that kind intimate access to the mayoral mansion?"

"Considering how close he was to some of your cops, yes."

>"Bullshit," he says angrily. "Even ERIK has only been invited over there a few times. I know you shitty minor precincts have this notion in your head that the mayor's in our pocket, but I haven't seen anything that could prove that. It doesn't matter the precinct, nobody can just go in and out of there on a fucking whim."

"Of course..." You hold your tongue about your experiences at the mansion...

>STEVE makes an annoyed sound and checks his watch. "Look, it's after nine and my buddy's still picking shrapnel out of our car, so how about we call it here? I'm sure we'll have some more riveting discussions when I take this case off of your hands."

We need approximate timing of the pickup of the button for our report. The shooting too, come to think of it. It was you, ERIK, and who else?

What were you guys doing before you decided to re-examine our crimescene anyway?

Let's see if ERIK has an alibi, and how flimsy it may be.

Something stinks here, but let's - just this once - consider it might not be directly STEVE.

>when I take this case off of your hands
...ah piss on the 'tude, just tell him straight anyway. It's nearly nothing he won't be finding out about anyway - heck, the media caught half of it.

The matter you mentioned: a horned individual claiming to be a cop apparently had the right of way into Durst Manor and hassled the mayor's son for details. When -YOU- got there, you got held up at the gate - the security chief, on open record, before a dozen plus reporters, said only 2nd Precinct cops were allowed through - only STEVE, in fact. And he seemed awfully well-informed on who you were.

Needless to say, you were not pleased by the implications.

For what it's worth, you can believe 2nd Precinct weren't that close or permitted in ordinarily as ALICIA seemed surprised and displeased when she was informed another cop had entered the estate before you, and she sure as hell wasted no time getting you out again... but. But but but. Mystery cop. BILL's attitude about only letting 2nd Precinct cops - STEVE - in. Fuck, STEVE can check the news if he disbelieves, it was pretty damn blatant, and hearing him protest no connection is pretty damn incongruous even now.

One theory is that BILL was trying to cover for someone. Probably a personal stake, maybe through ERIK or one of his buddies - and you get that he's gonna be in his partner's corner here, but he has to at least consider the possibility.

What you know for certain is that someone had the walk of the place and used it to further traumatize a mourning kid before making themselves scarce. Whether one of STEVE's own stepped way over a line or his Precinct is getting scapegoated for some kind of vigilante investigation you intend to grill BILL and the rest of manor staff about later. For now you'll make a formal complaint about the apparent breach of procedure. You'd quite like to know what that cop - if there was one - thought he was doing.

Snap your notebook closed.

"I hope that clears the air, as we've both had a bit of a day. I mean... shit."

Belatedly consider what he just told you. He might be a smug, arrogant bastard rival, but, uh, that's a bullet hole in his sleeve.

"Punks, shooting after you, wrecking your car? That's not something to take so lightly. Who were they?"

>>972424
He pretty solidly refuted anyone having easy access to the mansion. I don't think he knows ERIK was there today. Maybe it would be okay to tell him... If there's anyone that can dig up some dirt on ERIK, it's STEVE.

...how about we test the waters a little. Ask STEVE how well he knows ERIK. How much does he trust his partner? Murders are most likely to be committed by someone who knew the victim well. Close friends and family.

"What I do know is that Durst's son testified that he had been accosted during the Durst Campaign meeting, shortly before we arrived, by a horned man claiming to be an officer. BILL, the chief of security, was not aware of this until I brought it to his attention, and Mrs. Durst, having heard about it only secondhand, thought he was with us. As I doubt someone could hop a fence and dodge all those security cameras just to grill a grieving son, my theory is that they hitched a ride on the down-low with one of the campaign members. STEVE, I don't consider you to be a suspect, but I'm sure you realize how that looks. I was about to issue a request for a photo line-up from all precincts of all their horned officers for the son, and I'm really hoping I'm wrong about this, believe it or not, but right now, I'm afraid ERIK might be turning into a Person of Interest. Especially if he did this without your knowledge."

*sigh* "Look, I don't honestly think he killed the mayor. I'm about 90% sure that - assuming he even is our alleged mystery cop - he's just pulling a renegade cop on us and trying to get a jump-start on investigating the death of a close friend. But understand me when I say this; yes, throwing the book at you was partly motivated by frustration and a desire to win something against you finally. But I also genuinely believe that this case is too damn important to not do by the book. Hopping case jurisdiction lines without the right paperwork, harassing grieving witnesses, and allowing officers with an extremely personal stake in the matter to investigate is exactly the kind of shit that can get a case thrown out of court on a technicality. That is the last thing I want for Mayor Durst, and I doubt it's high on your list, either. If ERIK is the guy that was harassing his son, you or your major need to reprimand him, because nobody should be putting this case in jeopardy. Can we at least agree on that?"

>>972558
yeah this sounds pretty spot on, do this one

1/3 BAN 2020/07/20(Mon)16:22 No. 972865 ID: 7ae189
File 159528732101.jpg - (130.91KB , 880x501 , cop63.jpg )

"Not yet," you say. "What exactly were you up to before you went to re-examine our crime scene, anyway?"

>"What, you want our alibis?" STEVE sighs. "How's this for one, we were at the precinct filling out the request forms to take over this case. They're all done. While we were there we got the okay to doublecheck your guys' piss-poor detective work at the bridge, too."

"We'll need an approximate timing of the pickup of this button for our report. The shooting, too."

>"We came back around 1:00 PM. We found that thing pretty soon after arriving, and we came under fire no later than 1:15."

"So it was you and ERIK, who else?"

>"Nobody else, until the shooting started. A patrol car came in after the dust settled to pick up two of the fuckers, and ERIK went after a third who got away on foot."

You glance up from the notepad. "Alone? When did you see him again?"

>"The piece of shit took him on a goose chase around Wartown for a few hours, but ERIK always gets his man. He made it back to the station with the punk in tow around 4:30."

"STEVE, how much to you trust your partner? Do you know him well?"

>The captain shoots you a dangerous look. "Quit while you're behind, BAN. He's not a suspect."

"Murders are most likely to be committed by someone who knew the victim well, someone like--"

>"Stop with the common-sense bullshit," he snaps. "I trust him with my life, and he trusts me with his. We've worked in this dogshit city for years together. He is not a suspect."

"You can't completely ignore the possibility," you stress. After some thought, you decide to bring up the mystery cop and see what happens. "Want to hear about that matter I mentioned earlier, the one that made me overreact? Before we arrived at the Durst estate today, Joe Durst's son was accosted by a horned man claiming to be an officer. And when we got there, we were almost barred entry, since they apparently wanted to see you or other 2P cops."

>"What...?" STEVE shakes his head. "That doesn't make sense, we weren't even close to the mansion. Whoever it was could've been lying. And even if it was an officer who trespassed, how many cops are there with horns--"

"And how many of them have a long, close history with the victim?" you ask. "BILL, the chief of security, wasn't aware of this until we told him about it. Mrs. Durst only heard about it secondhand and thought that the officer was with us. Chances are low that whoever it was jumped the fence and snuck by every camera--I think that they hitched a ride on the down-low with one of the campaign members. Now, I don't think you're a suspect, but you've got to realize how that looks."

>You watch STEVE wrestle with the information for a second before shaking his head again. "I know how much you'd love being right about this, but there's no way that it was ERIK."

"I'll be issuing a request for photos of every precinct's horned officers for the son to look at. Believe it or not, I'm actually hoping I'm wrong about this. As it stands, though, ERIK might be turning into a person of interest. Especially if he did this without your knowledge."

>"This is such horseshit..." STEVE runs a hand through his hair. "We both know I've stepped on some toes to get ahold of cases before, but I've never tried pinning another cop as a potential murderer. You're a special kind of dick."

>"That means a lot, coming from you," Dane grumbles.

"Look, I don't honestly think he killed the mayor," you say. "Assuming he even is the officer in question, I'm almost certain that this incident could be the result of him pulling a vigilante cop on us, trying to get a jump-start on investigating the death of a close friend."

2/3 BAN 2020/07/20(Mon)16:24 No. 972866 ID: 7ae189
File 159528747344.jpg - (105.14KB , 800x598 , cop64.jpg )

>"I don't fucking buy it, BAN. I don't." STEVE looks more absentminded than you've ever seen him before. You're sure that he's replaying the day's events, trying to reinforce his confidence in his partner.

"I'll admit, part of throwing the book at you was just me trying to finally beat you at something," you continue. "But I also really do believe that this case is too important to not do it by the book. Skipping protocol, harassing witnesses, and letting extremely biased officers investigate are the kinds of things that'll fuck the prosecution over when this case gets to court. I don't want that, and I don't think you do either. If it turns out that ERIK is the guy harassing the mayor's son, you or your major need to reprimand him, because nobody should be endangering this case. Can we at least agree on that?"

>STEVE looks pissed, but he nods. "That's a really fucking big if, though. I don't want to hear about this bullshit again unless his picture is clearly recognized by that kid."

You close the notebook and relax your big dick cop persona a little. "That's all I have, then. I hope that clears the air, we've both had a bit of a day."

>"Speak for yourself. My day was going pretty fucking well until just now."

"Even though people shot at you and wrecked your car? That's not something to take so lightly... Who were they?"

>He scoffs. "Just a pack of wannabe gangsters from the Southern Bandits. It might sound serious to you, but that's just a cop's daily beat in Wartown--they weren't a threat, just another inconvenience. It was much less of a damper on my mood than some dick telling me not to trust my own partner..."

>STEVE shoulders his way past you and starts for the door. "Let us know if this shitty ploy of yours bears any fruit," he says. "You've turned into a real nuisance over the course of a day, BAN."

"Well, you too," you shoot back.

3/3 BAN 2020/07/20(Mon)16:31 No. 972870 ID: 7ae189
File 159528787547.jpg - (175.35KB , 800x945 , cop65.jpg )

The second the door shuts, you smack yourself in the head. You literally 'y-you too'ed at him this time. Fuck, you're really choking on the closing lines... You'll have to pick up some better material from Combat Cop when you get home.

>"That fucking cockroach, he's always in the way!" Dane looks ready to punch something, but hitting anything nearby could be considered tampering with evidence. She jams her hands into her pockets, instead.

"He brought something that might be useful, at least," you muse. "Something stinks about this whole case, but for once in my life I don't think it's him..." You look at the pin one more time, then tuck the bag into the still-open evidence locker.

>"What a fucking setback... If you still want to check out the evidence, we should make this quick."

Sifting around the locker, your current evidence pieces include the Anomaly Collective pin and a large sack of loose bricks from the bridge. A small file cabinet at the bottom of the locker houses a copy of a written statement made by the fishermen who found the body, a short summary of the medical examiner's findings, and a hastily-written list of the top contributors to the Durst campaign. You consider what you want to examine more closely...

>>972870
Look at the top contributors. Also see what kind of silk is stuck to the pin.

I wish the bricks were separately packaged. Them rubbing up against eachother is ruining any trace evidence and markings. Probably useless evidence now unless one of them has blood or something really obvious on it which we can analyze.

You should find out exactly who is in charge of the push to get the other precinct in charge of this case.

Because having you two fight over it and mess things up could be there goal.

He can be as big a red tape pedant as he wants to be, the problem is he's an insufferable smug conceited- UUUuugggghgh. Every time he opens his mouth I want to hit him with a fencepost.

Help me flip through this donor list before my blood pressure kills me, would you? The physical evidence can go to the forensics team.