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Post by Yoshimitsu on Dec 6, 2010 16:20:16 GMT -5
OOC- Okay here we go! The first part of the Phoenix Wright RP! There's gonna be a few details at the bottom of the post, so make sure to read those.
POHATU SEZ: Half the following conversation provided by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POHATU
"One." A card slides across the table. "Two." Two more. "Show." Both hands are revealed. "Waste of time... You're a filthy cheat. You think I can't tell?" "Unusual. One does not usually find oneself being called a cheat after losing the important hand." "Don't patronize me. There's no way I could've won, I haven't played since college. As if I even liked these kinda games." "This is a game of fortune, Commissioner. How do you suppose a card game is won without fortune?" "There's no such thing as a victory without skill. You're the ace, boy, not me." A pause. "And you are also a cheat, which I know when I see. You fixed the deck. You played to lose." "You wound me with such slander. I never play to lose. Why should I?" "Must be trying to lure me into a false sense of security." "There's no honor in cheating at cards. If I can't beat someone like you under with my own skill, then I should not be playing." "Great. Here we go. Honor among -- You think you know what honor is, boy? What is this, the gambler's creed? Don't get high and mighty with me, now--" "Please. Getting high and mighty on you is second nature to most folk. Maybe it's a fault of your own." " Shut up." Another pause. "So: you're a liar, a cheat, and an elitist prick. Good. That's fine. That's just human nature. You've got people in every squalid den this side of the Pacific muttering that no one can beat you at cards, of course you think you're hot shit. But let me tell you this, boy. You're not better than me just 'cause you play a good game of poker. And you're sure as hell not better than me because you can feign losing and then lie your ass off about it. No one gets ahead by breaking the rules in Winstone. Not while I'm here to uphold them." Silence. "I'm very sorry for wasting your time. Who knows how many rules you could have been off enforcing tonight! All of them, perhaps. Naturally, I am sure the police force could have accomplished more in this time frame, if only you hadn't insisted on your escort." "You arrogant son of a b--" "Tut tut, Williams. You are obviously forgetting my reason for calling you here. Unless, of course, you have better things to do than pursue the criminal who has eluded your capture for the past half a decade?" "Heh. You make him sound like my archrival... Hate to disappoint you, kid, but everyone in my line of work's looking for the Butterfly. Frankly, long as he's not screwing around on my turf, I couldn't care less." "Oh really? So you're forgetting the fact that a Power managed to relieve you of your own badge from underneath your nose. It must have taken divine intervention for you to keep it, after that debacle." "Shut up!" "My apologies, again. Clearly still a sore subject. However, I hardly think it's an exaggeration to claim that you will need all the assistance offered to you. And since by some miracle you managed to win the game, I am obliged to answer all of your questions. Begin." A faint sound of grinding. "You're a cocky little brat." Bang. ~*~*~10AM, Winstone Penitentiary, Special Confinement~*~*~ "Antonio?" Illiana stepped up to the bars of the cell, running her fingers along each metal pole rhythmically. Prisons made her nervous for some reason. The idea of being forcibly held behind bars, confined within such a small space. She suppressed a slight shiver at the thought and focused instead on why she was here. The most unlikely of events, which nothing could have braced her for. A phone call, from an acquaintance who typically referred to himself as The Butterfly. It was barely an hour ago, her phone vibrated quietly in her jeans pocket with an incoming call from an unknown number. Unusual. Very few people even had her number, and those who did would have had little interest in sharing it. She wasn't exactly the girl to phone up for a gossip session, after all. The person phoning her called himself 'Commissioner Williams', about 'standard procedure for incarcerated criminals'. Then the phone was handed to an all-too-familar person. Antonio, requesting that she arrive at the Winstone Penitentiary as soon as possible. "You finally got caught, did you?" She asked, keeping her tone carefully neutral. She gripped the bar her hand was currently hovering over. A slight tingle told her that this was no ordinary cell. "Don't insult me, I am the perfect thief," Antonio retorted in a bored voice. Nothing fazed this boy. Even being sat in prison seemed like only a mild hindrance to him. In a way, Illiana was jealous. Not that she'd ever admit it. "So how come you ended up in here?" The cell itself was fairly typical, though it seemed a fair bit more luxurious. Still bleak grey colours and bars. However, the furniture itself was what set it aside. A comfortable armchair, a slightly bigger bed than she would have expected and a small desk with a pen and paper. Were all criminals in Winstone given this? Or was it specifically for Powers? Strange. "Unfortunate confusion," Antonio replied, idly checking his nails. "I was engaged in a game of poker with Commissioner Williams when a murder took place. Due to the circumstances, I was the prime suspect. They charged me with being an accomplice, as it was completely unfeasible for me to have been the murderer." "Did you kill the victim?" Illiana asked, unable to stop herself. "I am no killer, Illiana," Antonio answered, a strange strength in his voice. "However, due to the evidence at the scene, the police are under the impression that I am associated with The Butterfly. Similarly, they think that he orchestrated the event through possible powers and contacts. The evidence they have is fairly straightforward." "Evidence?" Illiana repeated. "Indeed. The mere fact that I was present already threw suspicion over me," Antonio explained, nodding. "The investigation team has also acquired one of my cards, which are well known to be left in the place of the stolen object." "Sounds like you were framed," Illiana commented. "Who'd want to frame you?" "Someone with knowledge of my whereabouts at the time," Antonio answered. "They have more decisive evidence, however. A revolver was found at the scene of the crime, with my fingerprints on the handle. The gun itself is apparently registered to me." "Winstone has gun laws? You're allowed to own them here?" Illiana asked, slightly surprised. "Under specific circumstances, yes. I have never so much as held a gun, let alone possessed one. Someone has extensive resources at hand, and clearly the ability or authority to utilize them rapidly." Illiana felt like she was still missing one key aspect, though. "So why did you call me?" She asked. Antonio raised an eyebrow, as though the reason should have been obvious. Illiana wasn't jealous of that at all. "I wish for you to represent me in court," he stated simply. Illiana's grip on the bar tightened as her eyes widened. Words escape her for a moment as she tried to register what the boy had just said. Represent him? In court? Was he insane? She was a Summoner, not a defense attorney! No legal background at all! "How do you expect me to do that?!" She demanded, gripping another bar with her second hand. She faintly registered that she and Antonio were having a strange role-reversal; shouldn't he be the one gripping the bars and shouting? "This is no ordinary court case. With the involvement of Powers, it has been decided that common folk have no place within the proceedings. The Judge, the Prosecutor and the Defense Attorney are all to be Powers, as decided by the Grand Judicial Council. Williams is livid." "But what does this have to do with me?!" "You are one of the few Powers I know well, and one of even fewer that I trust," Antonio stated. "You are also a perfect character witness. You also know me well enough to realise, once you examine the crime scene, that murder is not my style. This specific brand of murder is even less fitting." Illiana didn't respond. It was a lot to take in. This was completely beyond her. She had no idea how a court case was supposed to happen! She'd never even seen one, let alone know the finer points of exactly how one worked! How on Earth was she supposed to stand at the defense's bench and prove that Antonio, the most suspicious man alive, wasn't a murderer? "Illiana, if I may interject into your internal monologue," Antonio said, ripping Illiana out of her daze. "I am aware that we have a strenuous relationship at best, and I am also aware that you suspect I am the murderer. I am entrusting this with you, because I know you." Odd. Antonio was losing his composure. The normally sarcastic and formal boy was sounding almost sincire. Was this a ploy to get her trust, or was he being honest? Illiana couldn't tell. "What if I refuse?" Illiana asked. Antonio responded with a short laugh. "I find a real Defense Attorney and pray he knows what he's doing," Antonio answered. "If it was allowed, I would be my own attorney." "Yeah, right, like the suspect would ever be allowed on the defense's bench," Illiana muttered, rolling her eyes. "No one could twist a story like me," Antonio stated. "Hopefully you will do a passable job. I assume, of course, you will accept?" "I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Illiana asked. "I'm overwhelmed to hear it," Antonio said in a bored voice, checking his nails again. ~*~*~ Winstone Penitentiary, Interview Room One~*~*~ "What am I getting myself into?"Illiana fiddled with her green ponytail as she sat at the table. The interview room wasn't really anything like she expected either. No blinding light shining in her face. It was pretty well lit, actually. About as small as she thought it would be, but well lit and somewhat comfortable. Bland striped wallpaper and a checked carpet, a mostly metal desk. Nothing too out of the ordinary. The door was left open, so that she didn't feel too claustrophobic. That was nice of the police. She'd been told there would be a few formalities to go through before she'd be assigned the case. A general overview of her powers was needed, to make sure that she wouldn't be able to directly influence the judge if using them. After that, she'd need to have a badge assigned, then introduced to her co-counsel who would help her through the first leg of the case. Nothing too difficult, nor time consuming. The form in front of her wasn't anything too challenging either. Name: IllianaAge: 20Occupation: TravellerReason for taking the case: Request from DefendantPowers: Limited healing and fire spells, summoningSimple enough. There was some talking outside the door, just out of her eyeline. She could hear the voices, talking in hushed tones, but she couldn't hear what was being said. Probably something unimportant, at least to her. She checked the form again, just to make sure there wasn't anything she missed. "Alright, Illiana?" A familiar voice said. She looked up to see a blue haired boy about her age grinning at her. "Yoshimitsu?" Illiana asked, frowning slightly. "You're my co-counsel?" "Yep!" The boy confirmed, throwing himself into the chair opposite her. "I got a tip off about it and figured you'd like a friendly face to help you out." "I thought it was the quiet life for you?" Illiana asked, a small smile forming on her face. She had to admit, it was a relief to have a friend beside her at this point. It was such a crazy situation, to be called up out of the blue to defend someone that she didn't really trust or even like that much over a murder accusation. How anyone was supposed to deal with that, she had no idea. "This is quiet, compared to what stuff usually goes on," Yoshimitsu replied. "I'm not really directly involved here, all I've gotta do is give you a push in the right direction. I'm only here for today and tomorrow anyway." "Today and tomorrow?" Illiana asked. "Geez, didn't they tell you anything? Pretty much every case around here is made up of investigation and court proceedings. You've got today to investigate, then you're in court tomorrow," Yoshimitsu explained. "I'm the lucky guy who gets to explain a bunch of stuff to you as well." "Explain what stuff?" "Well, you've got the Prosecutor, for one," Yoshimitsu said. "Interesting guy from what I hear. Called Nopcsa. He's another Power, and a pretty worrying one at that. File says he can do light mind-reading, so I'll bet he's gonna lay on the scare tactics." "Mind-reading? So why can't he just read Antonio's mind to find out if he really did it or not?" Yoshimitsu laughed, then shook his head. "That's not the Prosecutions job, Illiana. He's being paid for this, and probably gonna get a bonus for getting a guilty verdict," Yoshimitsu explained. Illiana's face fell at this. "Thing is, there's more to this trial than getting Antonio proven innocent, which Nopcsa wont care about." "What's that?" "The truth. Antonio didn't kill that man." "You believe him? You think Antonio's innocent?" Illiana couldn't stop herself from asking. "Nope. You know Antonio as well as I do, so you should know he wouldn't shoot someone. Dunno about killing, I wouldn't bet on it, but he definitely wouldn't shoot someone." Illiana didn't respond immediately. She agreed, at the end of the day. Antonio wasn't the type to shoot someone. He'd think he had more class than that, and he'd probably be right about that. Even in the other world, he hadn't killed anything. Not even on the bounties. Antonio was no killer. And as for the gun, that was absolutely too common for him to even consider. The evidence told a different story, though. "But the evidence says otherwise..." "Do you really think the evidence is true?" "Well, no, but..." "And you're missing the other fact here. If Antonio didn't kill this guy, who did? Truth's more important than a guilty or not-guilty verdict." "Okay..." "As a defense attorney, your job is to prove that Antonio is innocent, given the evidence provided to you," Yoshimitsu said, maintaining his relaxed posture. "But this evidence isn't the only evidence available." "Isn't it?" Illiana asked, a little desperately. "Nope. You've got a day to investigate. This means the scene of the crime and the victim's home are open for you to have a mooch around," Yoshimitsu explained. "Actually, I think we're pretty much set here, so let's head over there now." Okay, this is a good point for anyone who wants to be a witness to step in. Whether used in the first trial or later is yet to be seen. Alternatively, someone at the police station assigned to the case is super. The investigation post will be up soon, as soon as I've finished it
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Dec 6, 2010 19:04:35 GMT -5
OOC: Who decided this? Tell me, so that Williams may hate them.
More to the point, it'd be helpful if you could give a particular reason why the trial is being held this way. There's positively no way this can be the first time a Power has been brought to court in the Archipelago, so it's not like this is an exceptional case on its own. Is there someone new up top on the judicial side and is this the first trial under their term? And are they really, really weird? Whatever the justification, let me know because Williams is not going to be able to keep this issue off his mind. Ecruteak Council, i figured, are the "powers that be" in Ecruteak. Basically, they're the City Council who get the final say in all matters. For the sake of the RP, and perhaps Ecruteak in general, let's say that the Council decided that Powers had to judge other Powers when it came to crimes, but they had to do it within a setting of their choosing, hence a Court Case run by Powers. PM me if there's anything I need to ellaborate in depth
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Dec 9, 2010 16:10:48 GMT -5
~*~*~11:30am Winstone City, Felice Potabile~*~*~
Felice Potabile, not the nicest of places to go. No self-respecting, law-abiding citizen would be caught dead even whispering the bar's name. It was renowned for its usual clientele; people who worked on the wrong side of the law. Thieves, murderers, arsonists, blackmailers. Whatever the crime, it was a sure bet that the criminals in question would turn up in Felice Potabile. Its grime-covered windows and sticky floor were home to one-too-many secrets.
"This place just screams 'murder case'," Illiana muttered, pushing open the door.
The police were all over the place. Many were situated outside, ensuring the public could not enter. Fewer were inside, for the space within the bar was hardly generous. A few detectives were scattered around, doing detective-y things like dusting for prints and luminol testing. All in all, it looked like a standard crime scene with very little room for misinterpretation. Some worn out chairs sat haphazardly around alcohol-stained tables, the bar looking lifeless with its grimey and dusty bottles of who even knew what kind of hell-broth.
"Shame the crime didn't happen here," Yoshimitsu commented, apparently reading Illiana's thoughts. "It was in the next room over. Let's check it out."
Illiana made her way into the adjoining room, squinting slightly in the darkness. The lights were ancient, apparently too tired and well-used to cast as strong a glow as they should. Several men were stood around with flashlights, discussing things in hushed tones. On the floor, the location of the body had been marked out with white tape. A small sign had been placed with a picture of a gun on it. Other than that, there was little else in the room.
"Are you the defense attorney on the case, ma'am?" A man in a brown overcoat asked Illiana.
"Oh, um... yes, I am," she responded hesitantly. Politeness was usually a big give away for something serious.
"I have the autopsy report here," he said, holding out a brown envelope.
"Oh, thank you," she replied, taking the envelope. It hadn't been sealed, not that she was surprised.
"Prosecutor Nopcsa probably has one of these too. He's entitled to go question Antonio too," Yoshimitsu explained briefly. "What does it say?"
Victim: Larry Odio
Estimated time of death: 11 - 11:30PM
Cause of death: Single bullet to the heart. Death was instantaneous.
"Not exactly informative, is it?" Illiana commented, showing the sheet to Yoshimitsu.
"Could do with some bulking out," Yoshimitsu agreed. "Can't make a good story out of this."
"What about the victim himself?"
"Should be another sheet about that."
Illiana looked in the envelope again and extracted a second sheet of paper.
Larry Odio
Age: 45
Occupation: Police Officer, Winstone Police Station
City of Residence: Winstone
Nationality: Archipelago
Notes: Served in the Police force for 20 years. Ambitious, confident and flexible. Never sought for a promotion, despite having the talent.
"No wonder Commissioner Williams was so worked up about this," Yoshimitsu commented.
"What?"
"Williams has a huge vendetta against powers. There was a robbery from the museum recently, really lit a fire under him," Yoshimitsu explained. "Turns out there wasn't a power involved, even though all the signs pointed towards it. Since this guy probably worked under Williams, he's probably working his ass off to pin the blame on Antonio."
"And he's going to be a witness tomorrow, isn't he?" Illiana asked, secretly hoping she was wrong.
"Looks like it."
"Great... being a defense attorney seems sort of... detrimental to your health," Illiana said slightly dejectedly. Yoshimitsu laughed.
"Yeah but keep your eyes on the prize," Yoshimitsu said. "Any lawyer's job is to look for the truth. You've got that over Nopcsa. He's gonna be after a guilty verdict."
"Right..."
"Okay, take a look at the scene and see if you can see what I see."
Illiana nodded, and looked down at the white tape. It looked very cut-and-dry to her. The victim had been shot in the heart. With instant death, he'd fallen on his front. The gun had been abandoned or dropped close to the corpse, and the culprit had fled the scene.
Hold on.
Fled to where? The only exit out of this room was into the bar. The only way the culprit could have escaped would be past Antonio and Williams, not to mention the police escort. That was suspicious.
"I guess that's why Williams pinned the blame on Antonio. Does he even know what powers Antonio has?" Illiana asked.
"Probably not. Most people only know that The Butterfly is a master thief," Yoshimitsu replied. "It's just rumors that he has powers. Still, that's enough to cast suspicion on him."
"Right."
Illiana turned her attention back to the crime scene. Something about the scene in front of her was off, but she couldn't decide what. Something to do with the body. What was it?
"What was the gun used?" Illiana asked.
"Forty-five millimeter. Pretty hefty gun. Bigger than the typical police force gun," Yoshimitsu explained. "There should be a picture in the case file."
Illiana had a quick rummage and pulled out a photo of the murder weapon.
"That's... not a small weapon," she commented.
"Nope. The kickback on that thing could dislocate your shoulder if you don't know how to use it," Yoshimitsu agreed. "Good force behind it."
Something clicked in Illiana's head.
"Wait, how much force?"
"A lot. Not enough to knock you off your feet, but enough to make you stagger at least."
"So why's the victim died on his front?" Illiana asked. Yoshimitsu laughed again.
"Very good! That's two pieces of evidence you've found so far," Yoshimitsu congratulated with a satisfied smile. "There's one more really obvious detail here."
"One more..?"
"Yeah. It's what's missing from the crime scene."
"Missing?"
She looked at the scene again. What on earth was missing here? Despite what Yoshimitsu said, it wasn't an obvious detail. Everything was so cut and dry, a straightforward case. She took a few steps around the room, her shoes sticking to the floor slightly. Years of spilled drinks that hadn't been cleaned, giving the floor a shiny but revolting surface in muted hues. Almost all brown, with the odd patch shinier from a more pure form of alcohol. Even around the body's location, it was a messed up mixture of alcohols and vomit. No blood though, thankfully. The sight of stale blood on top of everything else here would have turned Illiana's stomach.
Hang on.
No blood?
"Spot on, Illiana," Yoshimitsu said with a satisfied grin.
"That's... suspicious," she commented, crouching down to examine the area. "And the floor is still a mess around here, so the blood wasn't cleaned up. There just isn't any."
"Great deductive skills. We'll make a lawyer out of you yet," Yoshimitsu praised. "I think that's about it for this area, so let's head over to Odio's place."
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Post by Beelzebibble on Dec 11, 2010 0:11:51 GMT -5
OOC: Long post is long! Expository dialogue is expository! Still, read this if you have the time. Give it a try! I think it's worth it. Elliot, PM me if anything wants changing. 28 Pennyroyal Drive, Winstone 12:00 pmThe police car pulled into the uphill driveway and came to rest. Two men, one thick and one narrow, stepped out and trudged along the gravel path to the front door. The narrow man rang the bell, to be answered in a moment by a sallow college-aged youth with unkempt hair. The Commissioner had met the youth once several years before at an evening gathering, but could not remember his name. He'd looked tidier then. He was a student at some university in Threadneedle; it seemed doubtful that he was already on winter break. The youth led them into the living room and went upstairs on the promise of fetching his mother. The Commissioner looked around for a moment at the relatively plain space, then eventually settled his frame into a cushioned armchair. The Inspector remained standing. Eventually she wandered downstairs, in a black dress, with her son following behind. The Commissioner was faintly relieved to see that she wasn't crying, although by the look of her puffy, reddened eyes, her pale cheeks hadn't been dry for much too long. She lingered on the last stair, staring into the living room from the hallway. "Commissioner Williams," she said. "Mrs. Odio," said Williams. Her gaze turned toward the narrow man. "This is Inspector Denham Landsvale," Williams explained. "Spoke to you on the phone this morning..." "Oh. Of course." Mrs. Odio stepped off the stair and walked into the living room, followed by her son, who was trailing close behind as if expecting her to collapse backward at any minute. "You remember Henry, Commissioner," she said. "From the, when was it, Christmas of--" "Yes, yes..." "Pleasure," said Landsvale, reaching out his hand to Henry. The boy shook it. "Sure." The mother sat on the couch. Henry sat next to her. "Please sit down," she told Landsvale. "'M all right, thank you," he said. She nodded. Without looking beside her, she said: "Henry. Get them something." "No need, thank you very much, Mrs. Odio," said Williams. "Is it time for lunch, should I--" "We're absolutely fine, Mrs. Odio, but it's much appreciated. Not to worry, Henry." The boy sank back into his seat. Williams glanced at Landsvale, then leaned forward with fingers interlaced. "I just want to say how sorry I am for your--" " Don't." Williams stopped short. "Please," Mrs. Odio added. Then, after a moment: "I'm sorry." She was looking down at the carpet. "That was rude of me. Excuse me." "No no," the Commissioner said hurriedly, "I don't want to upset you..." Feeling that this was a somewhat weak comment on its own, he continued, "Everyone at the station is mourning. He was a great man, and we're all--" " Please." The mother's gaze didn't waver, but Henry gave Williams a sympathetic grimace, as though apologizing for his mother's sensitivity. Williams, however, wasn't sure whether he'd ever seen anything that deserved an apology less in his life. In fact, he was dimly aware of feeling that he was an absolute idiot spitting out trite condolences with no grace or tact. He looked again to Landsvale for support, but the Inspector seemed to have locked onto the same patch of carpet and was of no use. After another few uncomfortable beats, Mrs. Odio said, "Tell me you've found something." With relief, Williams straightened up; this was, after all, why they'd come. "Right," he replied. "Well. I can tell you a few things, but you won't like hearing most of them." "Save the good news for the end," said the son right away. "Fine," said Williams. Easier that way anyhow. "To begin, I'm afraid we've come to the definite conclusion that a Power was responsible." This started Mrs. Odio out of her reverie. "You're sure?" she demanded hoarsely, staring at Williams. "Had to be," Landsvale explained. "Combed the back room of the bar with everything we had. There were no secret exits. No good hiding places, either. Only way he could've gotten out without getting caught would be if he could teleport, phase, turn invisible... something abnormal." The woman's bloodshot eyes were very wide. "But if he can teleport or turn invisible, how in God's name are you supposed to...?" "That's not as hopeless as it sounds," Williams assured her. Then he thought about it briefly and added to the son, "Sorry, Henry, I forgot. We're going to have to go bad news, good news, bad news, good news. Damned if I can figure out how to tell it in any other order." This actually elicited a tiny grin from the boy, even as his eyes remained sullen. "No worries." "Well, here's the good news, part one." Williams reached into his jacket and pulled out a playing card. The ace of diamonds. He held it up. "We found this at the scene of the crime." "Oh, my God..." She had clapped her hands to her mouth. "The Butterfly?" The Commissioner nodded tightly, glad Mrs. Odio hadn't forgotten the name. She shouldn't have. After all, it was her husband who'd discovered an identical card in Williams' office the day the Butterfly had... well, robbed him. He could see that she, too, was making the connection. "But that can't mean..." she began. "You don't think -- it was some kind of revenge a--" She swallowed abruptly and left the question unfinished and immediately launched into another. "But how are you supposed to catch the Butterfly?" "If it'll help, we may have already caught his accomplice." That got the room's attention. Both mother and son perked up immediately. Mrs. Odio sniffled. "His accomplice?" "You probably already know I was right there in Felice Potabile, out in the main room, when it happened." She nodded. "But do you know why?" She shook her head. "Then let me tell you. It happens I was invited there by a smarmy little kid who claimed he had information to share about the Butterfly. 'Bout your age," said Williams, gesturing to Henry. "Was it him?" Henry demanded. The Commissioner shook his head. "Couldn't've been. He was sitting down with me when we heard the shot coming from the back. Still, needless to say, soon as I saw..." He stopped short of saying "the body" and turned it instead into "...the card on the floor, I sure as hell wasn't letting that prick get away. He didn't even try to run. Knew I had a whole squadron parked outside to arrest his ass the second he gave them a reason to." "'S sitting in a cell in the Penitentiary as we speak," affirmed Landsvale, tucking away his cell phone. "Literally. Just texted them to check." "So if it wasn't him -- then -- but could he be the Butterfly?" Henry demanded, but with decreasing conviction. "Could be," the Inspector went on. "Though, doubtful. They've got him in Special Confinement just to be sure, but we don't actually know whether the kid's a Power. Plus he's a little young. Would've had to start work as the Butterfly before high school, even." "But why in Christ's name would the Butterfly put you and his... his sidekick in the bar at the exact time he was going to...?" The mother trailed off. "Mrs. Odio," said Williams heavily, "the Butterfly is known to have a twisted sense of humor." She buried her face in her hands; "Oh my God... oh my God..." Henry pulled her aside into an embrace. He looked up to demand with renewed vigor, "So what are you gonna do with this kid?" "He's standing trial tomorrow. Suspicion as an accessory to first-degree murder. And that's where we get back into the bad news." In another context Williams would have laughed as both mother and son gave him identical looks that indicated they hadn't realized any of the previous was good news. "You know the Council's ruled in Staudt's favor?" It took a moment for the significance of this to dawn on Mrs. Odio. " No. You don't mean--" "Who's Staudt?" "Not studying for law school, are you, kid?" Landsvale asked kindly. Henry shook his head. "Pre-med." "Okay, that's fine then. Still. Name you'll want to know. Associate Justice of the Archipelago Supreme Court, Bartholomew Staudt. Been in law for, don't know, couple decades? But just a few years ago, he came out as a Power. Craziest thing. Right up onna podium, live television, started making little thunderbolts jump between his hands. No one'd had a clue." Landsvale sighed. "Messy situation, let me tell you. Wife divorced him not long after. Still, he got through the scandal and kept his job. Open minds prevailed and all that, and anyway, it wasn't like he was hurting anyone." Williams huffed. "Define 'hurting anyone'." "Good point," Landsvale admitted. "Meant to say is, he wasn't frying anyone with electricity. Proved he could keep his power under control, so he stayed in the seat." "Isn't that not hurting anyone?" asked Henry blankly. "Oh he's been hurting people all right," Williams clarified. "He's been the most incessant pro-Power voice on the Council since his little debut. I haven't seen him give one Power a proper sentence in a case he was presiding over, the last few years. Always sets them about half the prison time anyone else would, and that's if they don't get off scot fucking free..." "And they ruled in his favor?" Mrs. Odio repeated. "What's this?" Henry asked. "Been lobbying for about a year now for a special all-Power court. Judges, jurors, defendant, attorneys, all the key players -- even the prosecution. 'S been Staudt's little pet project. Argued that only Powers can properly understand other Powers, you know, mentality and capabilities and whatnot, so they should be the ones to judge them. And it just went through. He's presiding over all Power-related cases in the Archipelago from now on." Landsvale shrugged as Mrs. Odio fairly shrieked, "But that's obscene! Who's to say he can't just rule them all innocent? Jesus Christ, what is it now, a blank check for all the Powers? Forever? How's anyone going to be held accountable?" She paused; an even darker question had occurred to her. She broke out of her son's arms and shouted in Williams' face, "What the hell did Staudt do to get the rest of the Council on board? What did he, threaten to electrocute them if they didn't sign the bill?" Commissioner Williams, however, was calm. "That's where the last piece of good news comes in." It was time for Henry to redeem himself for all his ignorance. "Who's the advising judge?" he asked slowly. " Exactly," Williams smiled. "Who is the advising judge. The advising judge is Associate Justice of the Archipelago Supreme Court, Mildred Hooper, and if that name doesn't ring a bell, Henry, then maybe 'the Inquisitor' will." "Yeah... She's a Power too, isn't she? But she's..." "'Bout as different from Staudt as you can get," Landsvale supplied. "She's been on record as a Power since day one. Never hid it from the public. But as lenient on his fellow Powers as Staudt's been, she's been just as harsh on them. She's not out to give Powers a free lunch, she's out to discipline them. Bring them in line with society. And that means she hasn't shied away from giving Power criminals some very severe sentences." Williams leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "Hell, maybe Staudt's right: maybe their kind do know their kind better. Cause Hooper just has an instinct for it. She can sniff out Power involvement in the most unfathomable cases, and she'll get the right perp locked up for it. Can't tell you how many deranged miscreants she's landed a spot in max sec." He paused for a moment, remembering a few of the scarred and hateful figures who'd been led out of her courtroom in chains... "Anyway, that, Mrs. Odio, is how Staudt got the Council to approve his motion. Not force. Compromise. With Hooper at his side, the rest of us know there'll be someone in the courtroom looking out for us. And that someone is the second most important someone in the room." "But second most important isn't good enough!" she protested. Her eyes were watering. "Just because she's advising Staudt, that doesn't mean he can't override her... And whoever -- whoever killed my Lawrence could still go free...!" "Staudt could," Williams said simply, "if he were an idiot, which he's not, so he won't. He knows all eyes are on him here. The Council could rescind their decision any time. I'm not saying it's a guarantee, but he'll have no choice but to give Hooper's argument a fair ear. If the court can't find sufficient evidence to convict the killer, that's one thing, but if the case goes undecided just because Staudt was pretending he couldn't hear Hooper right next to him... You see what I'm saying?" She blinked. She didn't seem utterly convinced. Then she said softly: "Perry... do you trust her?" And the Commissioner replied, "Ellen, if there is one Power in the world I trust, it's Justice Hooper." He stood up. "She is going to do everything she can to help you. And so is Inspector Landsvale, and so am I." The ghost of a smile had resurfaced on young Henry's face, and more importantly, on his mother's as well.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Dec 21, 2010 11:39:38 GMT -5
~*~*~ 12:15pm, 28 Pennyroyal Drive, Winstone~*~*~
Something beeped.
Illiana turned to look at Yoshimitsu, ready to enquire about the noise when he noticed he was checking his phone. Checking his phone at a time like this? The middle of an investigation was not an appropriate time to be keeping up to date with friends and drama! Then she saw his expression change from his easy-going, carefree grin into a much more serious one indeed.
"Bad news?" She asked, slightly apprehensively.
"Sort of. The Judge and advising Judge just got announced," Yoshimitsu replied, frowning at his phone.
"Is... that bad?"
"Sort of," Yoshimitsu said again. "The Judge is okay. Staudt. He's a good man, if a bit more lenient than he should be. He's got good intentions, and definitely helpful for our case. As far as I know, he'll be interested in the truth rather than a guilty or not guilty verdict."
"But that's a good thing, isn't it?" Illiana objected.
"The Advising Judge is the issue. Hooper," Yoshimitsu explained. "Mildred Hooper. She's another Power. Didn't do what Staudt did, she was honest about being a Power from the get-go. Staudt wasn't, landed him in loads of trouble but he kept his job somehow."
"What's so bad about this Hooper woman?" Illiana asked, not really seeing the issue yet.
"She's about as far from Staudt as you can get. Every case she's ever Judged with Powers involved ended with a guilty verdict," Yoshimitsu said. Illiana felt her face fall. "Tricky situation. You've got to convince Staudt that Antonio's innocent, while somehow fending off Nopcsa. On top of that, you've got to disprove any arguments Hooper has. She's relentless when it comes to Power cases."
"I was right. Being a defense attorney is detrimental to your health," Illiana sighed, folding her arms in a defiant pose. The case was looking more and more hopeless. The only defense she had right now was that no one could prove Antonio was linked to the crime at all, outside of unfortunate happenstance. That wouldn't fly in court. Coincidences were always considered more serious and twisted to suit the prosecution, at least when it came to Powers. "Of all people, why did Antonio choose me?"
"Well, he trusts you more than the rest of us," Yoshimitsu said fairly.
"Well, just remind me to slap him when this is all over," Illiana replied. Yoshimitsu laughed and shook his head in mock-disdain. Illiana felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips, but suppressed it as best as she could. It wouldn't do for the family to see her smiling when there was a murder involved. "Can you tell me anything else about Hooper?"
"Not really. I'm not sure what her Power is, but she's managed to unearth any Power involvement in cases. Even if it's well concealed, she makes it come to light," Yoshimitsu explained. "I'm wondering if her Power is actually just being able to detect other Powers. Thing is, she's gonna get a very valid say. Staudt's been aiming for an All-Power court for a while now, and the only way he could do it was by letting Hooper be his advisor. He doesn't have a choice here, he has to listen to what she says or the entire thing might be called off and Antonio locked up for good. The Council can take back what they've said."
"It might help for the two views though. Maybe if we can cause enough confusion, I'll have a chance to turn the case around," Illiana considered thoughtfully, ascending the steps to the front door. She registered the door itself. Pretty nice. Not that ceramic plastic rubbish that was so popular nowadays. Real wood, with a deep red finish. Pretty snazzy.
"Yep, I think Antonio made the right decision, asking you. Oh and... Be careful what you say in there. Odio's family probably wont be happy that we're here, even less happy that we're investigating," Yoshimitsu warned. "They aren't the most Power-tolerant people, and Odio being murdered probably just made all Powers irredeemable in their eyes."
"Right. Let's just get this over with," Illiana said.
She knocked on the door. Just inside, she could hear conversation suddenly stopping and some shuffling as someone stood up. A moment later, the door opened a crack. Stood in the gap was a man in uniform, a sour expression on his face.
"Commissioner Williams," Yoshimitsu greeted calmly. "I take it you haven't met the defense attorney on this case. This is Illiana."
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Post by Beelzebibble on Dec 21, 2010 18:22:05 GMT -5
At the knock on the front door, Inspector Landsvale stepped forward. "I'll get it," he offered, but he stopped once he saw Williams move. "Allow me," said the Commissioner, moving his bulky frame out of the living room. If a door would need to be slammed in a face, he could not count upon Denham Landsvale to do it. Decent enough cop but Williams'd met pigeons on the street who asserted themselves better. "Not expecting anyone, folks, are you?" he added on seeing the curious expressions of Mrs. Odio and Henry.
They shook their heads. "But let 'em in if it's someone important," said Henry.
Williams nodded and stepped out into the hall, his feet falling heavily on the padded carpet. Another two silhouettes, more similar to each other in stature than the Inspector and the Commissioner, were faintly visible beyond the frosted glass of the front door. Consoling neighbors who'd baked a pie if Williams was lucky. Evangelicals if he wasn't.
He began to open the door, caught a glimpse of green hair, and kept it only an inch open. He grimaced. Whatever contentment and optimism he had found while discussing Mildred Hooper now slinked away. Standing at the door were a young blue-haired man and a young green-haired woman, both in street clothes. He'd forgotten Evangelicals weren't the worst-case scenario.
The young man said, "Commissioner Williams. I take it you haven't met the defense attorney on this case. This is Illiana."
Williams' eyebrows rose. "Oh, is it? You'll have registered at the station, the penitentiary or the court, then? So you'll have an approved form. Good. Show it to me, please. Your ID, too." He edged the door a further few inches open to address the blue-haired youth. "Incidentally, friend, you can take it I've never met you either. I'll need your identification along with hers. Then we can talk about whether you two are setting foot inside this house."
Don't hold your breath, he mentally added. He strongly doubted whether Mrs. Odio would appreciate being confronted with a girl who was trying to look like she belonged to that fucked-up South Pole clan.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Dec 21, 2010 19:10:36 GMT -5
Error, Pohatu! Antonio has brown hair, not blue and purple! "My... approved form?" Illiana asked, blankly. "Yeah, I handled all that already," Yoshimitsu said, producing a number of papers from inside his jacket pocket. "At the station. I believe you spoke on the phone to Illiana, at Antonio's request. These are all the forms we needed to fill in, signed and stamped by a member of the Council." Illiana seemed to shrink a little. Yoshimitsu was much more confident than she was, and much better at handling any situation. Why had Antonio chosen her, and not him? "My name is Yoshimitsu, I'm the co-counsel for the first day of the proceedings," Yoshimitsu continued, holding up the papers in question. "I'm guessing you got the right files this morning? We already have a warrant to investigate the place." Yoshimitsu produced another sheet of paper from the selection. "So, if you wouldn't mind..."
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Post by Beelzebibble on Dec 22, 2010 23:23:47 GMT -5
OOC: Illiana really ought to have the paperwork, not Yoshi. Well, at least, the form she filled out and got approved at the penitentiary. They wouldn't have sent her off without giving her a copy. "I don't believe I spoke on the phone to anyone on the defense, actually," said Williams in a low tone, "so I'm afraid you believe wrongly. Furthermore, I didn't get any files about you this morning, so it seems you guessed wrongly as well. That's oh for two so far. You want to keep trying, or call it a--?" "That Miss Silna?" came a voice behind him. He half-turned back into the hallway, still keeping a firm hand on the doorknob. It was Landsvale. "What?" Williams growled. "Illiana Silna. Talked to her on the phone, oh, ten thirty-ish? Defense attorney, right?" "So she claims," said the Commissioner, but he opened the door a few inches wider to allow Inspector Landsvale to have a look at the newcomers. Without making any effort to hush his voice, he added: "Inspector, if you spoke to the potential defense attorney on the phone, this would have been a fantastic thing to tell me at some point before we got here." Landsvale looked momentarily taken aback. Then he lowered his head. "I was going to tell you once the files came in, Commissioner, but they hadn't by the time we left and I'd forgotten." He swallowed. "'M very sorry." "Her files aren't in? They should have gone straight to me." Williams turned to the girl and asked sharply, "Where did you fill out these forms?" "The penitentiary," Landsvale supplied. "Not the station. She'd just been talking to the defendant when she called us. So, told her she could fill out the paperwork there. But -- just found out -- the penitentiary's fax machine's busted. They had to drive the copies over to the station. Text from the front desk," he added, holding up his cell phone in anticipation of Williams' query. "We've got the copies of her files now. Everything ought to be in order." The fax machine busted. Christ, it was always something. Commissioner Williams took the originals from the white boy with the wannabe-Japanese name and read each one, slowly, in turn. Name: IllianaAge: 20Occupation: TravellerReason for taking the case: Request from DefendantPowers: Limited healing and fire spells, summoning
He hadn't taken in more than the first line of this page before his eyes lifted to direct a withering look at the green-haired girl. "You know, human beings ordinarily sign official documents with their first and last names. Just a tip. Keep it in mind for next time." But the absence of a surname -- "Silda" or whatever Landsvale had said -- wasn't exactly going to be enough for Williams to reject this document if it'd already been approved by a Council member. He read through the rest of the form. Twenty years old -- Christ. A kid. Barely any older than Henry. "Traveller"... for that, read "drifter", he thought miserably. Where did they find these people? At "fire spells" he was struck with a sudden vision of the Odio residence engulfed in flames; "limited" was a meaningless qualifier... And then Williams read "summoning", his fingers clenched on the paper, and he fixated on the girl again with a sudden, violent start. So the green hair wasn't just a rebellious fashion choice. This girl was associated with the South Pole Summoners. He edged back slightly without letting go of the door, half expecting her to raze the house at any second. Destruction was second nature to these vermin! "Request by defendant" -- well, if the card-playing brat really had arranged Larry Odio's murder, this girl would be a nice choice of defense attorney, wouldn't she? Sure, just send her along to the Odio place with a search warrant and have her kill off the whole family for good measure! Williams thought of the watery-eyed Mrs. Odio in the living room, looking to him for confidence, guidance, protection; of pale Henry, wanting the good news last, asking for some sliver of hope in this catastrophe. Would he be risking their lives by allowing in the equivalent of a terrorist sympathizer? And in the name of God, who on the judicial council had just happened to be visiting the penitentiary this morning and had signed off on such an outrageous choice of attorney? But Williams knew before he even reached the bottom of the page. APPROVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER: Bartholomew StaudtDate: xx/xx/xxxx
Williams glared back up at the pair on the doorstep. He opened his mouth to speak, and obligingly, his mind supplied at that very instant the trump card which could mean he'd still be able to turn them away. "I notice you ignored my request for identification," he observed. "Personal identification, not our forms. Your ID, please. Yes, you too, friend. I already asked you both."
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Dec 23, 2010 0:00:53 GMT -5
"ID? No problem," Yoshimitsu responded, producing a black leather wallet from his jacket. He slipped out a white driving liscence, valid for Archipelago driving. Illiana pulled out a similar card, but a blue learner's provisional liscence. She eyed the holographic card in her friend's hand slightly enviously.
"As for my forms," Yoshimitsu continued, handing over the penultimate sheet in his hand to Williams. As he did so, something occured to Illiana.
"Commissioner, can I just say something?" Illiana asked, stepping out from behind Yoshimitsu. Something was clicking together in her mind. Brute force wasn't the way through the door. Even if Williams had some weird vendetta against powers, judging from the nasty look he shot at her while reading her forms, showing that she was reasonable might help. "Legally, you can't stop us right now, because we've got this warrant but... I mean... Do you want to call in a guard? Some officers to make sure we don't threaten anyone?"
She noticed Yoshimitsu shifting behind her, and she rather fancied that he'd just put his hand on his hip. Technically speaking, by signing up to the case, she'd promised not to cause undue stress or damage to anyone involved but somehow she didn't think Williams would believe that. Compromise, hopefully that might appeal to him more. After all, it's what Staudt's proposal approved. Maybe it'd work again. The threat was still there, that they would enter the house regardless because, legally, nothing was standing in their way any more. However, maybe Williams would respond better if she could suggest a peaceful alternative.
"Or if you'd like, you could take Mrs Odio out for dinner or something while we check out the house?" Illiana continued, hoping one of the solutions might result in a quicker entry to the house. "We don't need to ask her questions right now."
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Post by Beelzebibble on Dec 24, 2010 17:48:31 GMT -5
1. SILNA 2. ILLIANA N/A 3. xx.xx.xxxx 4. ... [/font]
1. YOSHIMITSU 2. N / A 3. xx.xx.xxxx 4. ... [/font]
Fine; Williams couldn't deny it any longer. The girl was, in fact, Illiana Silna, and everything was, in fact, as Landsvale said, in order. After looking at the other license, however, he barely managed to refrain from rolling his eyes. So this Caucasian-looking kid was such a Japan lover he'd not only changed his last name, but actually gotten his first and middle names filed off in some town hall somewhere. Williams extended his condolences across space and time to whichever hapless civic employee had processed the name change, considering they'd probably lost their job shortly after laughing in "Yoshimitsu's" face. As he handed the newcomers back their identifications with a nod, Silna put forth her unexpected offer. The Commissioner blinked in surprise. He looked to Landsvale, who motioned toward his phone, signalling he was ready to call for backup at a word from his superior... but Williams hesitated. If Silna and Mr. Yoshimitsu (his mind supplied the honorific with a curious backhanded defiance) were planning to murder the Odios and demolish the house, politeness certainly wouldn't compel them to wait until additional officers had arrived. And if, on the other hand -- and as was seeming increasingly likely -- they had no such intentions, then he'd simply have wasted a few more hours of his men's time. He still remembered very clearly the brat's words to him at the card table, and the sting of shame and anger they'd roused in Williams: " Naturally, I am sure the police force could have accomplished more in this time frame, if only you hadn't insisted on your escort..." The Commissioner's own superiors had not been impressed that he hadn't been able to apprehend the definite murderer with an entire squadron parked outside Felice Potabile. "That's thoughtful of you," he told the girl, "but I think the Inspector and I can handle ourselves if anything goes wrong." He was a bit surprised by his own phrasing; while this wasn't too opaque a statement, it was a good deal less transparent than telling them he and Landsvale would be ready to shoot them if they started acting like they needed a bullet between the eyes. Williams supposed he could appreciate Silna's attempt to be reasonable. He stepped aside and opened the door fully. "As for Mrs. Odio and her son, it's their decision whether they'd like to leave or stay. Anyhow, I guess you two check out. Come in, then." As they stepped in off the porch, Landsvale went ahead into the living room; Williams heard him inform the Odios that the defense attorney and her co-counsel had arrived with a search warrant. When the newcomers followed the Inspector, he began the introductions: "This is Illiana Silna, just appointed the attorney. Her co-counsel, Yoshimitsu." "And they have the pleasure of meeting Ellen and Henry Odio," Williams announced from the hall after shutting the front door. The last to file into the living room, he saw that Mrs. Odio hadn't stood up to greet her new guests. Williams doubted she would have been eager to meet the defense attorney under any circumstances, but there was more than dislike registering in her expression. An anxious twitch confirmed her understanding of what Silna's green hair signified, and Mr. Yoshimitsu's blue hair clearly wasn't doing anything to assuage her worries. A modest "How do you do?" was the best she could muster. Henry, though, had apparently decided to put a brave face on it. "Hey, I'm Henry," he muttered, shaking their hands in turn. Something about seeing Larry Odio's son, the Summoner, and her probable-Power comrade cluster briefly in the living room stirred a sudden pang in the Commissioner. It felt strangely like regret, though for no fault of his own. In another moment, though, he understood. The sight of these three young adults, so close in age, gathered together... They could almost have been college friends, the other two perhaps come to visit Henry on break. They could have lived in a dorm together, shared classes, gone partying on the weekends. They could have become lifelong companions -- but the colors of the guests' hair broke up the picture and precluded it from being perfect outside of the imagination. Illiana Silna and Yoshimitsu had made the decision to cut themselves off from normal society and there was nothing Perry Williams could do about that.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Dec 24, 2010 23:16:39 GMT -5
Illiana gratefully stepped into the house, mumbling her thanks to the commissioner as she passed. It was a nice home. As far as homes went it was the most comfortable she'd ever visited, not that she'd had much experience. There was a strong influence of family values. In every picture in the hallway she saw, the three family members stood in the same position. Larry Odio, then slightly in front was his wife, and in front of them both was the son. She smiled faintly, but quickly controlled it when she realised that she'd be meeting the victim's family.
"This is Illiana Silna, just appointed the attorney. Her co-counsel, Yoshimitsu."
"And they have the pleasure of meeting Ellen and Henry Odio."
An auburn woman sat in armchair within the living room. Illiana did not blame her for not standing to greet her. Doubtless, the summoner was not the first person that Mrs. Odio wanted to see right now. She noticed a quick glance to her hair, which only confirmed her suspicions. This was going to be a tricky situation, but she couldn't decide on where to start first. As a means of gaining a bit of confidence, she turned to Yoshimitsu.
"Please don't lose your temper with the Commissioner," she requested, her eyes locking with the boy in front of her. He looked unimpressed, and kept on glaring briefly at Williams. "There's no need to be hostile. Our... My job is to gather evidence, not offend the people who might help us."
"Can you handle the investigation by yourself?" Yoshimitsu asked, his expression changing to one of concern. Illiana would have smiled in any other situation.
"Trust me on this one," Illiana said.
"Alright then," Yoshimitsu replied, nodding. "I'll be outside smoking. I need to make a couple of calls, too."
"Okay."
Yoshimitsu nodded to Williams, then left the room. The sound of the front door closing filled the room, then an uncomfortable silence fell.
"Mrs. Odio, I'm going to be honest now," Illiana started apprehensively. "I don't think Anto- the suspect commited the crime."
She paused for a second to gather her thoughts, ignoring the looks on everyone's faces.
"But I'm not after an innocent verdict. If the suspect is found innocent, then that's only a bonus for me. Mrs. Odio, what I'm looking for is the truth. I want to find to killed your husband, and why."
She paused again, and looked Ellen Odio in the eye.
"And I want the culprit to feel the full extent of the law."
She took a deep breath, and waited a moment to allow the full impact of her words to sink in.
"I know I've got a search warrant, but... I'd rather ask you. Can I look around your house for evidence regarding the murder case?"
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Post by Beelzebibble on Dec 26, 2010 13:38:31 GMT -5
Commissioner Williams had to credit Silna with a little self-awareness; she was obviously trying not to step on anyone's toes. He couldn't say it looked as if she'd sold Mrs. Odio, though, who hadn't yet shown she was able to hold eye contact with Silna for longer than a second or two at a time. Her eyes kept flitting down to the coffee table in front of her knees, and Williams briefly wished he and Landsvale had accepted her offer and at least had a cup of coffee when they'd arrived: It would have given her some china now to bustle noisily into the kitchen. Instead she was resigned to sitting stock-still as the green-haired girl addressed her. "I know I've got a search warrant, but... I'd rather ask you. Can I look around your house for evidence regarding the murder case?" Mrs. Odio drew in a slow breath, then responded quietly, "I don't really have a choice, do I." Immediately Silna opened her mouth to protest, her eyebrows pained, but the mother anticipated her. "No, yes, I understand," she went on. "Thank you for asking. Yes... Feel free. Miss Silna," she repeated under her breath, just to confirm the name, apparently. The Commissioner cleared his throat. "Landsvale and I will stay here for the duration of Ms. Silna's search," he volunteered. "So, Ellen, if you and Henry don't want to stick around -- we'll..." He uncharacteristically left the sentence unfinished, but did his best to convey the intended meaning -- a caution of the still-potential danger the Odios might accept by staying through the investigation -- with a grim jerk of the head. Henry was faster to pick up on it. "Yeah -- mom -- if you want to head out, I'll--" But she caught on almost immediately after: "Yes, dear -- why don't you take the car and..." Then they both fell into an awkward silence. Williams could tell they were both thinking the same thing. "Really don't have to stay," Landsvale reaffirmed gently. But neither mother nor son made to depart. "I think..." the mother muttered eventually. "I think we might stay." She gave Henry a sharp look, possibly on the verge of insisting that he clear out, but whatever strength she would have needed to command him had apparently escaped her. "We'll... be down here. Commissioner -- make sure she has everything she needs, will you?" Commissioner Williams caught Mrs. Odio's eye long enough to nod smartly before she fixated on the coffee table again. OOC: The layout of the house is yours to design, obviously, Elliot. You know what Illiana needs to take out of this scene and I don't. Lead the way.in your dream, he is the architect. It's him
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Jan 2, 2011 13:08:20 GMT -5
"Thank you," Illiana said sincirely when Mrs. Odio had allowed her to search the building. She bowed slightly. "I promise you, I'll make sure the culprit is brought to justice."
She stood up straight again and turned, headed back into the hallway. There was a staircase there, if she recalled correctly, and the first place to examine would be the victim's bedroom. As far as stairs went, these were surprisingly steep. Probably an older house, refurbished. Must have cost a pretty penny. Illiana put that thought to the back of her mind as she reached the top of the stairs, and was presented with a selection of doors. The Commissioner was right behind her.
"Which room is Mrs. Odio's?" She asked, not wanting to barge into every room. Williams pointed to a room at the end of the landing. Plain white doors, she noticed. Still completely clean. The wallpaper was very modest, a simple cream colour with a subtle raised design, soft ridges and grooves covering the walls. A few pictures of the family hung on the walls. It was with a slight pang of sadness that she stopped to examine one. All three of the Odios, stood in front of a crystal clear lake, happy smiles on their faces. The carpet underfoot, too, was understated but homely; a faded red, well-worn surface. She passed two doors, the son's bedroom and the bathroom she guessed, before reaching the final location.
She turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. It moved silently, and very easily. Presumably the hinges were new, or at least well-oiled. The red carpet from the hallway stopped, turning into a soft cream colour. Underfoot, it felt barely touched. Was it cleaned regularly? Illiana pushed this detail from her mind too. Stay on task, she told herself. The bed rested underneath the window, a king-size with the duvet and pillows in position perfectly. Two wardrobes sat on opposite walls, and on either side of the bed was a dressing table. A large painting of the family rested on the wall opposite the bed. Illiana frowned at it. There was someone else in the painting. A tall, thin man, with thinning brown hair that had some grey streaks in it, dressed in an immaculate black suit with white shirt. The entire family looked smart. Mr. Odio dressed in a dark grey suit with a blue tie, Henry in a shirt with the top button undone and Mrs. Odio in a modest lilac dress. They looked like the perfect family.
"Who's this man?" Illiana asked Williams.
"Charles Dacten," the Commissioner replied gruffly, looking at the painting. "Friend of the family, worked with Mr. Odio regularly."
"Dacten..." Illiana repeated. She pulled a small notepad and pen from her pocket and jotted down the name on the list.
Evidence: Autopsy Report - Bullet to the heart, instant death Crime photo - No exits from room, no blood Murder weapon - 45 caliber gun, heavy recoil Charles Dacten - Family friend
She slipped the notepad back into her pocket and turned to look at the room again. It was highly unlikely that any evidence would be on display, so it was time to do some rummaging. She walked over to one of the dressing tables and opening the drawer. Foundation, eyeliner, lipstick, lip-gloss, eyeshadow, blusher... Probably Mrs. Odio's table. Nothing immediately remarkable, all very typical objects for a woman to have. She closed the drawer again and glanced quickly under the table. A few pairs of shoes. It was a long-shot anyway. The door opened again as she was standing up, and Yoshimitsu walked into the room.
"That was quick," Illiana commented.
"I'm to the point when I have to be," Yoshimitsu replied, the carefree grin back on his face. Illiana nodded, and walked around the bed to the other dressing table.
As soon as she touched the table, she knew something was off.
"What is it?" Yoshimitsu asked, noticing Illiana's hesitation.
"Magic leaves traces," she muttered, opening the drawer.
The usual assortment of items, though a surprising quantity of them. Some aftershave, hair gel, a comb, some cologne. There was something in this table that was leaving a strange tingling sensation in Illiana's hands. She picked up each bottle in turn before placing them on the table. With each bottle she moved, the drawer emptied further and further. Finally, she pulled out a small, transparent vial. Inside, there was a pale blue glowing substance. Not liquid, solid or gas. It just seemed to exist.
"Yoshimitsu, take a look at this," Illiana requested, showing the vial. Yoshimitsu stared at it for a moment.
"Bottled magic," Yoshimitsu commented. "I'd have to send it for some tests, but if I had to guess... That's a non-lethal type of magic."
"How can you be sure?" Illiana asked.
"The type of glow, the colour, amount of magic," Yoshimitsu listed briefly. "There's a bunch of giveaways. I can tell you straight away that it's magic designed for a specific purpose. Raw magic can't be contained inside glass, it has to be something organic."
"Organic?" Illiana asked, her mind full of imaged of glowing rats and birds.
"Araini, for example," Yoshimitsu said. "He holds his magic inside his body, it's why he's so adaptable."
"Right," Illiana said, nodding. "But this raises the question... Why did Mr. Odio have this?"
"Commissioner Williams, can I ask you to take this to Justice Hooper for testing?" Yoshimitsu asked, taking the vial from Illiana and offering it to Williams. "There's every chance this could be an important piece of evidence. Justice Hooper would surely be able to verify the contents of this."
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Post by Beelzebibble on Jan 4, 2011 23:03:33 GMT -5
"Who's this man?"
Commissioner Williams had noticed the portrait too. Strange. He'd never pegged the Odio family for much wealth, but they must have had a few dollars under the mattress to indulge in an old-fashioned painting like this instead of getting a photograph like the rest of middle-class suburbia. There were Larry and Ellen in their Sunday best; Henry between them, a few years younger and a few inches shorter, probably not even a high school senior yet; and on Larry's other side... well, well.
"Charles Dacten," he said aloud in answer. "Friend of the family, worked with Mr. Odio regularly."
And that was all he said. Pressed further, he might conceivably have added that Dacten was a forensic expert on the force; that the tall, slightly balding man had been Larry Odio's closest friend since long before Henry had been born; and that Larry and Ellen had named him the godfather upon Henry's birth (there was no godmother; Dacten had never taken a wife). However, Silna simply took out a notepad on which she'd already written a few things and added another line, probably Dacten's name. Williams opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again. He was ready to point out that, quite apart from having worked with Dacten for many years (if not as closely as Odio had), Williams couldn't see that a forensic expert was likely to think he could commit a murder and get away with it... but Silna wasn't necessarily jotting his name down as a suspect. Whatever she wanted to commit to memory was her business.
Anyway, he wouldn't have had much time to discuss the point, since at that moment blue-haired Mr. Yoshimitsu came waltzing into the bedroom, very considerately bringing the smell of tobacco with him. The Commissioner wrinkled his nose. He'd have to check the bathroom for some Lysol spray after the defense team departed.
After Silna and Mr. Yoshimitsu exchanged a few words, she stopped and touched the dressing table with a thoughtful expression. Then she began rummaging through the contents of the top drawer. Gentleman's hygiene products: aftershave, cologne, and so on -- the departed's effects. Finally, from the very back of the drawer, she extracted an unlabelled vial containing some kind of blue phosphorescent substance and showed it to Mr. Yoshimitsu. They speculated that it was "bottled magic", which sounded a little optimistic in Williams' view. To him it looked like a glowstick, the kind of thing Courtney and Alicia would take home from birthday parties. He could well remember Courtney tugging the newspaper out of his hands a few months ago, imploring him to turn the light off so they could "have a Star Wars fight..."
But then Silna handed him her find, and that sensation put his attention very firmly in the present.
"Commissioner Williams, can I ask you to take this to Justice Hooper for testing?" asked Mr. Yoshimitsu. "There's every chance this could be an important piece of evidence. Justice Hooper would surely be able to verify the contents of this."
"Uh..."
Williams made a bad start at responding and let it rest for a moment. He was too taken aback by the feeling of the luminous vial in his palm to articulate anything. This was no glowstick, unless they made them with uranium these days. It was cold, and tingled faintly, and felt -- alien, his mind supplied. Otherworldly. As he clutched it, images of locations he'd been earlier that day flickered nonsensically through his brain: the living room downstairs, the neighborhood outside, the police station lobby, his office, the driveway at home, the hallway outside Alicia's My Little Pony-decorated bedroom door... Then the images ran down. Williams blinked at the two youths.
"I can't say I imagine Mildred Hooper," he said slowly, "or Staudt, for that matter, would have an easier time figuring this out than you or me. Her power isn't focused on this kind of thing." Though if you were hoping to freak Mrs. Odio out a little less, Hooper would be your go-to woman, he felt an insane impulse to add, and a bizarre chuckle almost escaped his lips.
What were the options? If this were a genuine supernatural artifact, the Winstone Police Department wouldn't have direct access to the equipment necessary to analyze it. And if it were a potentially useful piece of evidence with regard to the imminent trial, their possibilities in shipping it to a private laboratory for testing were limited. Who had a facility close enough to Winstone that Williams could send the vial there overnight and have it back by the afternoon?
But Williams knew the answer before the question had fully formed.
The Foundation, obviously.
"However, it happens that our department is in contact with a paranormal research organization. Appraising the contents of this vial would probably be child's play to them, I suppose." The Commissioner held the object up. "I commend your spotting," he added heavily to Silna. "What in God's name Larry Odio would have wanted with something like this..."
He moved out of the bedroom and into the second-floor bathroom. No Lysol that Williams could see, but that didn't matter. What mattered right now was containment, and, not knowing the defense attorney would be investigating, he hadn't left the station with any proper containment equipment. He plucked a nearly-empty bottle of shampoo off the shower rack, unscrewed the cap, poured the remnants into the sink, and then rinsed the interior out. Then he wrapped the vial carefully in paper towels from the sink counter and tucked it into the bottle. He screwed the cap back on and placed the makeshift container into a pocket of his coat, pondering all throughout.
He had long counted Saeptum as a valued associate. It had been Williams who'd convinced the municipality to sink quite a fair bit of Winstone taxpayers' money into reinforcing several of the penitentiary's cell blocks using special Power-constraining technology which the Saeptum Foundation had developed. And the investment had paid off very handsomely in the intervening years. Not a single Power inmate had broken free from Winstone Penitentiary since the refurbishing. They might be hard to get ahold of, Williams often reflected with a fierce pride, but once he had 'em, he never lost 'em.
Still, Saeptum's higher-ups were notoriously fickle. There was no guaranteeing their service. Williams supposed he'd have to promise a substantial recompense to convince anyone in the organization to analyze the vial so quickly and on such short notice. But if that was the price of truth and justice, so be it.
Before heading back into the bedroom, he paused to wash his hands in the sink. Sensing that one stern scrubbing would be insufficient, he gave them a twice-over. They still felt suspiciously tingly.
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Post by ch00beh on Jan 6, 2011 18:59:45 GMT -5
"Tika tika tsss tat ta tat tat tsss tika tika tss tat ta tat tat—wacha!"
A fractal of pitch black exploded in the air in front of Antonio's jail cell. The repeating spines on spines spun and shifted, creating an increasingly intricate web of symmetry. It soon became apparent that there were four central points to the fractal arranged in a tight diamond. The central points moved in unison to form a square then broke apart. Spines and spirals receded to the four points while retaining the complex crossing paths.
"Pff ba da pffff shwicky shwicky POW!"
The four smaller fractals rotated laterally then flew up toward the ceiling, landing in the four corners of Antonio's cell. A man dressed in a white, sleeveless coat stood outside the cell. His right hand, covered in a white cloth glove with repeating patterns of black over it, was outstretched and gesturing at the newly placed ink spots. A similar fractal appeared on his left forearm, which was covered in a long white glove. The man pulled back his right hand and waved it over his left sleeve, the fractal set losing its definition and melting into a black mass. He then grinned and turned his head toward a woman who was standing nearby.
Julia was not impressed, nor was she amused, entranced, or fascinated by Barclay Edward Trent's antics. She had to put up with the incessant beat boxing and "dancing" for the past hour while he reinforced the magic guards on the jail cell . He was good at what he did—very good, there was no doubting that—but the sheer unprofessionalism really irked her.
"Can you just finish checking the security?" Julia said. She didn't quite betray her impatience.
"Awwwwwww, I used that set just for you!"
"Please."
"Man, I don't understand. This shit is way cool. It's fuckin' magic! How are you so bored at it?"
"We see this stuff every day."
"Still cool, dude."
"Yes, it is. Now use your cool powers to seal this place up."
"They see me rollin', they hatin," he started singing. Another fractal twisted into shape on his left sleeve, and soon after a sound akin to a synthesizer resonated from no where in particular.
Julia closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Beatboxing would be better than this. It was like talking to a child, except the child was in his mid twenties, studied and excelled at a powerful branch of magic with special attention to control and containment, and was paid substantially more than psychiatrists to detain and guard Powered inmates. The doctor groaned and looked for a seat.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Jan 8, 2011 16:54:36 GMT -5
The first half of this post takes place just before Julia and Barcley arrive ~*~*~12PM, Winstone Penitentiary~*~*~ The sound of footsteps filled the corridor, each step punctuated with a jangle of metal and a slight rustle of clothing. An easy tempo, as though the owner was not hastening down the corridor but taking it at his own pace. A slight clinking of glass and whirling of keys followed quickly. The keys in question were not the keys to the cell. The owner was simply seeking to antagonise the detainee. Jacob Marshall looked like he belonged in the wild west. His tan fedora was perched over his dirty blonde, messy hair at such an angle that it was difficult to see his eyes, and his fairly short poncho, connected at the front by a brooch, bulked out a little around the shoulders. His jeans were tucked into shin-high, brown cowboy boots with the trademark spiked wheels on the back. On one side of his ornately buckled belt, an empty gun holster sat, while a hip flask sat on the other hip. As he approached the cell, he whirled the keys around his finger and chewed on the toothpick in his mouth. He tapped on the bars of the cell. "Howdy, pardner," he greeted, with a slightly smug tone to his voice. The inhabitant of the cell turned his head. "Jacob Marshall," Antonio replied coolly. He idly checked his fingernails again, apparently deciding that Jacob was not worth looking at. "Knew you'd slip up sooner or later," Marshall taunted. "What were yeh tryin' to steal this time, 'Tonio?" "A police officer's dignity," Antonio answered. "Unfortunately, I'm being help for a crime I did not commit. Accomplice to murder." "Finally snap, eh, pardner? Get fed up of bein' cornered by the authorities?" Marshall taunted. "Murder. Knew yeh had it in yeh." "I am no common murderer, Sheriff," Antonio snapped. The full force of his glare his Marshall, who just smirked in response. "I am not one to stoop to homicide in order to achieve my goals." "But yeh have no problem humiliatin' poor cops?" Marshall countered, tapping the bars again. "Poor Williams nearly lost his badge again for that display. You woulda ruined an honest man, 'Tonio." "Williams deserved the humiliation." "Says who?" "Says me." Marshall stared at Antonio for a moment. "Yer not the absolute authority on right and wrong, pardner. It's high time you learned that," Marshall said. There was a condemning tone to his voice. "Yeh talk like a classy saint, like some camp Robin Hood, but yeh still only got yer own interests at heart." "I am a thief, what do you expect, Marshall?" Antonio replied, his voice chilling over. "An' I'm a detective. It's my job to sort you out, pardner." "Ah, yes, a detective who found himself out of the job when the court case turned against him." Marshall shook his head. "Yeh'll never learn, 'Tonio. Lady Luck dealt you a losin' hand." "And I suppose you were graced by a fortuitous roll?" "Every time, pardner. See you in court." ~*~*~12:30PM, 28 Pennyroyal Drive, Winstone~*~*~ "That sucks, I thought for sure Hooper would know what that was," Yoshimitsu commented as Williams left the room. "I guess it doesn't matter, as long as it gets analyzed." "You have a theory, don't you?" Illiana asked, turning her attention to the bed. She kneeled down next to it and lifted the duvet to peer underneath it. As she expected, there were a multitude of boxes. "I do, but I'm not gonna bet on it. It doesn't exactly help to make an assumption, just in case it turns out to be wrong and we've based the entire case on it," Yoshimitsu said, leaning against a bare patch of wall. Illiana pulled out one of the boxes and removed the lid, placing it lightly on the floor next to her. A bunch of papers filled the plastic. She picked one out at random and glanced over what it said.
1080HD Television $1800 Blu-ray player $500 Kingsize bed $400 Oak Wardrobe x2 $300 Bedside dresser x2 $150
Total $3150
"Pricey list," Illiana commented, showing the receipt to Yoshimitsu. "Expensive tastes, probably," Yoshimitsu agreed, giving the list a once over. "I wonder how big that TV is..." "Is it really important?" Illiana asked, rummaging through the papers again. "Probably not. Let's keep looking," Yoshimitsu said, sitting next to Illiana and pulling out a second box. As far as she could see, there was nothing immediately suspicious about the contents of the box she was searching through. Plenty of receipts, a few birthday cards, some old school certificates that Henry must have gotten when he was still in school. She pulled out a christmas card and glanced through what was written. Standard christmas greeting, nothing exciting. She continued searching, with a glance to Yoshimitsu's box. More papers. "The Odios like to keep records, don't they?" Illiana commented. Yoshimitsu laughed. Near the bottom of the box, Illiana found a plain brown envelope with the house address on it. Curious, she opened it and glanced at the letter inside. The sender was what made her read the entire letter through.
Dear Larry
I got the details of what you want to do, but this time I'm worried you're going too far. I understand what you want to achieve, but this is not the way to do it. You haven't considered just who you will be hurting. I'm your friend, so I have to tell you that this is not what you should be doing. It's been interesting, these past few years, but I think it's time to call it quits. We've done what we can, we don't need to go any further. Let someone else take over for us. You have more important things to worry about. Think of your wife. Think of Henry. Let it go. Charles
"Hey Yoshimitsu, take a look at this," Illiana requested, handing him the letter. She waited patiently while he read it. "Interesting... But I'm not sure. It's not conclusive of anything," Yoshimitsu replied. "There's no details here, so we don't know what was being talked about. We'd have to ask Dacten himself." "Can we do that?" Illiana asked, her expression changing to a more thoughtful one. "Probably. He may or may not be linked to this case, but this is suspicious enough. We can ask Williams," Yoshimitsu suggested. "Sure, but let's make sure we've got all the evidence we need from here," Illiana concluded. She resumed checking the paper in the box.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Jan 9, 2011 22:36:13 GMT -5
OOC: Autoing Yoshimitsu's line here with permission. Elliot, I tried to keep the wording neutral, but tell me if anything should be changed. "Commissioner, take a look at this. It might be relevant, too. Can you verify the writing?" The man standing in the doorway to the bedroom found that his hand almost imperceptibly flinched as it reached out to accept this next artifact from Mr. Yoshimitsu -- but Exhibit B was neither blue nor glowing nor unmarked. The plain brown envelope and plain white letter felt exactly like any other in his fingers. Williams read the envelope first. Addressed to Larry Odio from Dacten, dated six days ago. Hadn't the invitation from Antonio Sharpe to meet at Felice Potabile arrived at the Williams residence that same day? No, that'd been the day before, a week ago. Williams read the short letter very quickly. Then he frowned and read it slowly. Then he read it slowly again. As he read it for the third time, he took stock of Lawrence Odio once again in his mind. A good man. An honest man. A hard worker. Fine cop. Always carried himself well. Loved his wife and son. If not a close friend to Williams, that was simply the result of a polite professional distance, not through any fault whatsoever of Odio's. The Commissioner had always seen this man as the salt of the earth. So what for Christ's sake had he been up to? Years? Larry Odio had been able to keep this secret from the Winstone Police Department for at least three or four years? And Dacten, too? Charles Dacten had been his collaborator... They'd "done what they could" together... but some new direction had put Dacten off... It was true, actually. From what Williams could remember of the past week or so, he hadn't seen Larry and Charlie palling around in the station at all, and that'd made it a rare week for sure. Actually, only four or five days ago, Williams could remember seeing Odio and Dacten pass each other in the hall without a single word. Dacten had obviously been trying to catch Odio's eye, but Odio had marched on ahead without a glance... Was this Dacten's only letter to Odio? It seemed the defense team hadn't turned up anything else from him. Forensic experts weren't generally an old-fashioned enough type to bother with snail mail. The two had probably corresponded by phone or email, the past few years. That would have been how Odio had shared "the details of what he wanted to do" -- a message on Dacten's machine or in his inbox -- and when Dacten had tried to protest using either or both of those methods, Odio must have ignored him. Maybe Dacten had hoped that a series of conventional letters in the mail would have garnered Ellen's attention. Maybe even that she would have torn one open and read it for herself. But all of this was secondary to the main question: what for Jesus Christ's sake had Odio been up to? What did he "want to achieve" that might have "hurt" people if he'd "gone too far"? Larry Odio had never struck the Commissioner as a violent or hateful man. Sure, he'd seemed to harbor a bit of an anti tendency -- he'd advocated Mildred Hooper just as Williams did, and had complained just as Williams had whenever Bartholomew Staudt let a potential Power convict off the hook -- but was Williams part of some bloodthirsty anti conspiracy out to exterminate every Power within their reach? There were other parties who could "take over" for Odio and Dacten -- who? And what's the vial got to do with it?This last thought surprised him, but shouldn't have. He imagined Silna and Mr. Yoshimitsu had probably already made the connection. The vial was no trinket -- Williams could tell that as well as any Power could. Whatever it was, it could very easily have been intended as an instrument in some shadowy plan. Saeptum's analysis would hopefully shed some insight as far as that went. Analysis. Oh, right. Handwriting analysis. He'd forgotten that Mr. Yoshimitsu had asked him a question. "Looks relevant, all right," he observed. "Yes, we can test this to ensure it really is from Dacten..." He strained to remember Dacten's handwriting, but he'd only ever seen the man's signature on reports, not longhand script like this. The line work was generic enough that forgery wasn't out of the question, though he had no idea how and why anyone could have forged this. No, in all likelihood it had come from Dacten himself. For the first time since his initial readthrough of the letter, a thought which had been pushing up through Commissioner Williams' subconscious finally found room to surface: Charles Dacten had some explaining to do. "You'll want to talk to him, I assume," he muttered, slipping the letter back into the envelope and placing it in his other pocket.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Jan 11, 2011 1:10:52 GMT -5
"If that's feasible," Illiana answered, nodding. She glanced at the letter in Williams' hand. Something was amiss here. These two pieces of evidence were suspicious, but currently not incriminating against anyone. Highly unusual, as well. Why on Earth would the father of a clearly Power-fearing family be in posession of something so blatantly magical?
More to the point, what was the letter about? If Dacten was a close family friend, why would he have sent a letter like that? Why a letter, for one? There must have been better ways. Even talking while at work would have been easier... Unless it was something they'd get in trouble for. But then, if that was the case, what was the letter alluding to? Dacten must have known that Odio would get in trouble, which would explain why the letter was so deliberately vague. Yoshimitsu appeared at her side, interrupting her thoughts.
"I checked the boxes. There's nothing else there worth commenting on," he confirmed. "No more letters from Mr. Dacten, sort-of sad to say."
"Sort-of?"
"Well, I'm sad there's no more evidence but relieved that there was nothing else incriminating the police force," Yoshimitsu explained. "You read the report on Odio, he was a good officer. The force doesn't need to lose anyone else today."
Illiana nodded, noting the slightly forced aspect of Yoshimitsu's explanation. He was really trying, at least while he was here, not to offend anyone. She appreciated that.
"I guess this means there's no more evidence here," Illiana concluded. She turned her attention back to Williams. "... I don't think I'm going to question Mrs. Odio right now. Unless there's a really pressing need to, I want to avoid that where possible. Can you tell us where Mr. Dacten works?"
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Post by Beelzebibble on Jan 11, 2011 17:04:03 GMT -5
Williams clicked to attention at this last question. "Of course," he said at once. "He works at the station. I don't know if he's in today, but we'll see about that." Closest to the bedroom door, he led the way out into the hall and began dialing the station as he trooped down the carpeted stairs. Landsvale and the Odios had resumed seats in the living room. "...subsidize your tuition, obviously. Not like the government's gonna leave you two out in the..." The Inspector fell silent as the three from upstairs reappeared. The call went through. "Yes, Commissioner?" "We're coming back to the station, Mrs. Eschholz," Williams told the phone in a clear, crisp voice. He straightened up and pressed one elbow against the doorframe from the living room into the front hall. He felt better already. "First thing I'd like to know is whether Dacten's in today." "Yes, I think so. As far as I'm aware, he should be in his office. He might have gone to lunch by now, though. I can try transferring you to him if you'd like..." "That's all right, we'll stop by in person." Can't hang up on us that way, Williams privately added. "Also, the defense team has uncovered two pieces of potential evidence at the Odio residence which we'll be bringing in." Landsvale and the Odios visibly perked up at this. "One is a possibly supernatural artifact which I'll need tested, so please call the Foundation's PR desk and ask them to get in touch with me before--" "The Foundation? Oh -- Commissioner!" Mrs. Eschholz got through. She sounded very excited. "The Penitentiary sent word that a pair of Foundation representatives arrived there around noon. Reinforcing the Special Confinement blocks, you know. If you head straight there, I bet you could catch them!" Williams' eyes widened; he hesitated. The others in the living room were looking at him expectantly. He could feel the shampoo bottle pressing in on his waist in one pocket, the brown envelope jutting slightly out of the other. There was no telling how long the forensic expert's and the agents' locations would be accounted for -- either could slip away within the hour or so it'd take to visit them each in turn. It was time to decide: Saeptum or Dacten? "All right, this is what we'll do," he said, ostensibly to Mrs. Eschholz but loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'll drive to the penitentiary myself and find the Foundation reps. Inspector Landsvale and the defense team will head back to the station and meet with Dacten. Mrs. Eschholz, the defense attorney is a young woman named Illiana Silna. Her co-counsel you might have already met... Mr. Yoshimitsu..." "Oh yes, he came in to file his papers this morning," Mrs. Eschholz confirmed, before adding in a hushed voice: "Strange boy, isn't he? No hint of a first name, and that hair--" "Yes, yes--" "You don't think he's a--" "Great, Mrs. Eschholz, thank you," Williams interrupted. "Do me a favor and call the Foundation PR anyway, will you, just in case I miss them. That's it for the moment. Thanks very much and I'll be in touch again soon." He hung up. Landsvale stood to join him. "'M I hitching a ride with them?" he muttered. "If you don't mind." Williams pulled the envelope out of his pocket. "They could use you more than I could for this. Dacten knows a few things he hasn't shared with us," he added when Landsvale noticed the return address. "They'll explain. But -- hey -- listen." For the Inspector had nodded and looked toward Ms. Silna and Mr. Yoshimitsu. Williams gave him a hard stare. "Don't take no for an answer from Dacten, Landsvale. I mean it. He's not gonna talk to these kids by themselves. Don't let him push you away." Landsvale returned the stare with his tired smile. "Kick the door down if I have to," he said wryly. "Good man." The Commissioner moved to give him the plain brown envelope, then thought better of it. He stepped over to Ms. Silna instead, the hard stare not at all diminished. "You found this," he said, "so I'm going to leave it in your hands for the moment. I guess that's only fair. My advice is don't go waving it in Dacten's face right away. See what you can find out from him cold first. Then if you feel there's a good moment, yeah, show it to him. I want to know what he's got to say about it." "All right. Thank you very much," Ms. Silna said, and reached out for the envelope, but Williams didn't hand it to her right away. "Another thing," he added, and he was conscious of his own voice having dropped in tone. "Dacten may admit to having written the letter. Or he might deny it, and that could be the truth or it could be a lie. But listen to me. No matter what: Do not leave the letter with him. That's not advice, that is an order. If he says he didn't write it, well, obviously our boys'll need to run a handwriting analysis and see what they find. But even if he owns up to it, that letter's evidence and it's got to go straight to the court. So you tell Dacten whatever you need to to walk out of his office with the letter still in your hand, and then you leave it with Landsvale. Do you understand?" Ms. Silna swallowed, but her voice was firm as she responded, reassured by a smile from Mr. Yoshimitsu. "I understand, Commissioner." "Fine." He held out the envelope to her. "I'm trusting you with this. I think you've earned it. Don't prove me wrong." She took it. "I won't, sir. I promise." Mr. Yoshimitsu piped up. "Off we go, then?" "Yeah, I think so," said Ms. Silna, but she didn't sweep out the door right away. First she approached the Odios on the couch. "Mrs. Odio -- Henry -- thank you so much for your cooperation. We're really sorry for intr--" "What does the letter say?" Mrs. Odio had snapped this, taking Williams aback with the tone of her voice. Whatever Landsvale'd accomplished to cheer her up while they'd been upstairs, her face was reddening again. Ms. Silna shrank away slightly, and even Mr. Yoshimitsu's eyebrows rose. The mother rose off the couch, followed by her son. "Did Charles write it? Lawrence never showed me any letter from Charles -- What did he say? Why are you taking that? What else are you taking?" "I..." Ms. Silna began, but she was faltering badly. "It's... He said that..." Williams stepped in. Feel though he might for Ellen Odio, they'd be held up here for another hour if they tried breaking the news to her now. "I'm going to call you later this afternoon, all right, Ellen?" he asked, a little too forcibly, maybe. "And then I'm going to give you a full description of the two items we're taking to court. You deserve to know, but there's just not enough time right now. Is that okay? Ellen. Okay?" For she was still staring at Ms. Silna, eyes bright and teeth gritted. But then her face cleared. "I guess that's all right," she said distantly. "Yes... Yes, give me a call, won't you, Perry?" A bleary smile reached Ms. Silna and Mr. Yoshimitsu. "Well, then," she managed, "you'd better run along, isn't that right? No rest for the... For the..." Henry hurried forward and shook hands once more. "Nice meeting you," he told Ms. Silna and Mr. Yoshimitsu under his breath. The apologetic look had surfaced in his features again, no more justified than it had been earlier. "You too, Inspector," he added, shaking Landsvale's hand as well. "Yeah," said Landsvale slowly. "Take care." It was Mr. Yoshimitsu who broke the circle first. After a nod in Williams' direction, he rather awkwardly sauntered out into the hall and then out the front door. Landsvale followed him after a brief salute to Williams and a gentle wave to the Odios. Ms. Silna lingered the longest, blushing, probably still hurt and anxious after Mrs. Odio's outburst, her mouth open and on the edge of speech. When the sound of the visitors' car starting came in from outside, the spell broke: She murmured, "Well -- thanks again," directed somewhere in between Williams and the Odios, apparently so that all three of them would receive it, and then hurried out of the house, careful (judging by Williams' ears) not to let the screen door slam behind her. Which left him with the mother and son in the living room. "All right, Ellen. I have to take off, too. Like I said, I'll call you." She nodded, and he went on, "And I'll see both of you at the court tomorrow morning, yeah? Should we send along a car to pick you up?" Mrs. Odio frowned and shook her head. "I can drive us, it's fine..." But Henry exchanged a glance with Williams and quickly added, "A pickup would be good, I think." "Right. I'll let you know the time when I call you back." Williams shook Henry's hand. "You're handling this very well, Henry," he said, and even as fragments from the letter resurfaced in his mind You haven't considered just who you will be hurting
this is not what you should be doing.
he was able to add, "He'd've been proud of you." Then he took the mother's colder hand. "Stay strong, Ellen," he told her. "Whoever's to blame, we're going to bring them to justice." And I'm going to make goddamned sure your husband still has a lick of honor to his name when we're through, he did not add. She released his hand when he pulled away, but she was gazing at him very intently. The dreamy look had dissipated. "Perry," she said. "Yes?" "That girl... Do you know who she reminded me of? She reminded me of Bette Garrett." "Who's that?" Henry asked, kindly sparing Williams the admission that he had no idea either. "The dearest girl... She was in my class at grade school. That was back in the U.S., you know, and you didn't meet too many Powers there and then... But Bette was a Power. She had pre- -- oh, what do you call it, pre- something beginning with H--" "Prehensile?" Williams offered. "That's it. Prehensile. Prehensile hair. She could make it form all these shapes -- twists and curls and spirals and whatever she felt like..." She paused to recollect. Williams stole a glance down at his watch, imagining the Foundation agents disappearing off back through whatever wormhole in space they'd probably taken to get to the Penitentiary. "Some of the kids hated her, but my friends and I liked her. We always... We always reached out to Bette. We never avoided her, or bullied her, or -- or forced her to do tricks when she didn't want to, like a circus animal..." "What happened?" asked Henry, but to Williams' minor relief, Mrs. Odio changed gears with her next words. "I'm sorry, Perry, I'm keeping you -- what I mean to say is... I've heard things," and now she was speaking in a barely audible hush. "I've heard people saying that..." She took a deep breath. "That it might come down to war. That the Powers might just decide to take the whole Archipelago over for their own. They wouldn't even need guns or missiles, would they, they could wipe us out if they really wanted to... just blow us off the map if they really... But I think about Bette Garrett, and I look at that girl, and I don't want to believe they would do that. I want to believe they like us, and they wouldn't hurt us. But then... "What do you believe, Perry?" A blood-smeared restaurant; a flaming hotel; an apartment building reduced to frozen rubble. All in under a week. That was when the word "terrorists" had started circulating a lot more rapidly among the walls of Winstone City. "Who have you heard saying such things?" Williams asked. "Just people..." she mumbled. But he didn't let up. A horrible idea had formed. "Ellen, did he ever tell you anything like that?" Henry looked blank, helpless. Henry was away at college most of the year and did not hear most of the things his father said. But Mrs. Odio, her eyes glistening, on the verge of tears again, nodded. Williams gazed at her for another moment, the watch forgotten. "Ellen," he said, very cautiously, "one Power, two Powers, they go rogue, they can do a lot of damage. But try to get all the Powers in the Archipelago to agree on a place for dinner and see how far you get." "...will commence this Saturday in the historic city of Shin-Ra. A celebration of magical culture to which all are invited. Whether you're a wizened thaumaturge or have never cast a spell, we can promise you'll be dazzled by..."He mentally punched the power button on the remote control, and the memory of the commercial fizzled out to black. "Will they be a threat? Yes. Always. Not all of them, sure, but enough that the nice ones will never be able to fully answer for their kind. But war? No, Ellen. They're not that coordinated. They'll never be able to bring that much force against us at one time. To be brutally frank," he lied, "I'd be more worried about the Giarrettieras taking over Winstone -- even after the Ansonia incident! -- than about Powers conquering the entire country. "Now I really have to be going," he announced, before Mrs. Odio could protest further. "But if it will make you feel safer, I'll send another couple of my officers along to guard the house. They can stay as long as you feel you need them -- overnight, even, and then just drive you up in the morning. Will that help?" "That'd be a huge help," Henry said gratefully. "Of course. Good. Well. I'm going to call you again once I get the chance, right, Ellen?" She nodded. She seemed to be drifting away again. Henry stood up to show Williams to the door. "Thank you so much, Commissioner," he began, but -- "I'm Perry to you too, all right, young man?" came the immediate rejoinder. In the hall, Henry reached out his hand once again, but Williams, thinking it was probably getting tired of shakes at this point, clapped his own large, thick hand on Henry's shoulder instead. "Be safe," he told the boy. "See you tomorrow." Then he swung open the screen door and stepped out again into the bright, dry afternoon. He trudged down the gravel path and got back into the cruiser, alone this time. He slowly rolled it down the hill, off the driveway and onto Pennyroyal Drive. "I want to believe they like us, and they wouldn't hurt us.
"But then..."
Oh I'd like to believe that too I surely would, thought Commissioner Williams before turning on the radio. OOC: Just north of 14,000 characters and only two days after my last RP post. HOW YOU LIKE DAT, LEE.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Jan 13, 2011 4:20:26 GMT -5
"What's up, Illiana?" Yoshimitsu asked as Illiana paused at the side of the car, a worried, yet thoughtful expression on her face. Her frown looked slightly out of place, ruining the picture of a teenage girl who, for all the world, looked like she could be out partying every night.
"This case... I have a nasty feeling that something's going to go wrong in the trial tomorrow," Illiana admitted. She was about to step to the passenger seat, then thought better and allowed Landsvale that seat. The three slipped into Yoshimitsu's car. "When did you get a car, anyway?"
"A while ago, but I barely use it," Yoshimitsu admitted, adjusting the central mirror and checkin the view out of the wing-mirrors. "And you're probably right. There's not nearly enough evidence to name the true culprit yet. I don't have any clue who it is."
"Me neither, but this Dacten guy's looking a bit suspicious," Illiana commented.
"Mind if I ask... the letter," Landsvale said, glancing backwards to the green haired girl. She passed it forward for Landsvale to read. Like Williams, he read it three times before handing it back without comment.
"Could you tell us a bit about Mr. Dacten?" Yoshimitsu asked, pulling off the drive. He was being a bit more careful driving with Landsvale in the car. "What does he do?"
"Forensic expert, spent a lot of time at crime scenes," Landsvale explained briefly. "Good friend of the Odios. He's staying off this case for just that reason. Word from the higher-ups, you know. Don't want to see emotions getting in the way of professionalism."
"I see..."
"Maybe too close a friend..." Illiana commented.
~*~*~1PM, Criminal Affairs Department, Winstone~*~*~
"Y'know, I never thought being a lawyer would involve this much... leg work," Illiana commented, passing through the automatic doors of the entrance. She stepped up to the desk, fiddling with the shiny defense attorney badge pinned to her t-shirt. "I thought it was all court cases and nothing else."
"Well, the evidence has to come from somewhere, right?" Yoshimitsu said thoughtfully, stepping up beside her.
"I guess so. I think we found everything worth finding from the Odio's house," Illiana agreed. Landsvale stepped away from the pair and towards one of the numerous doors leading out of the entrance hall, indicating that Illiana and Yoshimitsu should follow.
The sliding doors opened again. Illiana turned her head to see a very unusual sight. A cowboy wandering into the Criminal Affairs Department? Now she was sure she'd seen everything. The cowboy wandered up to the desk behind the pair. His blue eyes flickered down to the badge on Illiana's t-shirt. After a moment of silence, he extended his hand.
"Howdy, Miss Attorney," he greeted. "Detective Jacob Marshall, at yer service."
"Jacob Marshall?" Yoshimitsu asked, looking at the man. Jacob shook Illiana's hand, then extended his hand again to Yoshimitsu. A brief shake. "Yoshimitsu. Pleasure."
"Illiana," Illiana said. She looked at him for a moment, wondering whether or not she should question the outfit. Before she could make up her mind, he spoke again.
"Defendin' 'Tonio, are yeh?" He asked, pulling a razor from his pocket. He sliced through some of the stubble on one side of his chin, then the other. This time it was Illiana's turn to raise her eyebrow. Scare tactics?
"I am. Do you know him?" Illiana asked.
"In a manner of speakin', yeah," Marshall confirmed, rubbing his hand over his chin to check how even his impromptu shave was. "I was just over there talkin' to the kid. Big fan of his, me."
"Oh really?"
"Naw, not really, heh. He landed me in a bit of trouble a while back," Marshall stated with a neutral expression on his face. Illiana looked at him, trying to measure him up. "How come he asked you to defend him anyway?"
"Because he trusts me."
"And do you trust him?"
"Of course," Illiana replied instantly. While not stricty true, she at least trusted that he hadn't committed the murder.
There was a moment when Illiana knew something was off. Weren't his eyes blue a second ago? For just a second there, she could have sworn they'd flashed yellow. Just for a second... Maybe it was just a trick of the light. She glanced at Yoshimitsu, but he had a tense expression. Marshall laughed at some unknown joke.
"So does Staudt apparently," Marshall continued. "Just saw 'im at the penitentiary. Offered 'Tonio a plea bargin. Kid declined it."
"What makes you think Antonio is even related to this case, outside of coincidence?" Illiana asked, a hint of defiance in her voice. She could tell already that there was some serious bad blood between this detective and Antonio.
"'Cause it's got his fingerprints all over it, Miss Attorney," Marshall responded. "Anyway, I've got business to attend to. If you'll excuse me, pardner."
As Marshall walked off, Yoshimitsu clicked his tongue.
"Some day I'll find out what his powers are," Yoshimitsu said.
"Marshall's a power?" Illiana asked. The pair followed Landsvale through one of the many doors, Landsvale running an ID card through each lock.
"I think so," Yoshimitsu answered. "Him and Antonio had a few run-ins a while back, that's what tipped me off." Before Illiana could question further, Yoshimitsu glanced significantly at Landsvale. Illiana kept her mouth closed about their 'friend'. It'd do absolutely nothing for their case if Landsvale heard them talk about The Butterfly instead of just Antonio, apart from maybe make it blow up in their faces.
"'Round here..." Landsvale said before stopping in front of a door. The plaque bore Dacten's name and title. He rapped his knuckles on the door three times. A few seconds later, the door opened and a man stood in the gap.
He was nearly identical to the man in the painting hanging in Mrs. Odio's bedroom. Greying hair, thin, slightly more wrinkled. His attire was slightly less formal too, his tie pulled looser, his jacket abandoned and his shirt untucked. He looked at Landsvale expectantly, but his pupils narrowed when he laid eyes on Illiana.
"This is Illiana Silna, just appointed the attorney on the Odio case," Landsvale repeated. "And her co-counsel, Yoshimitsu."
"Hello Mr. Dacten," Illiana greeted carefully. "We've come to ask you a few questions."
"Yes, well..." Dacten started, clearly looking for a way out of the situation. His eyes kept on flickering back to Illiana's hair. "I'm... er, rather busy... at the moment."
"We wont be long," Illiana persisted. "The Commissioner told us where your office is, and asked Detective Landsvale to accompany us here."
Dacten looked to Landsvale for some contradiction, but the detective just nodded.
"Mr. Dacten," Yoshimitsu chipped in. "All we require is fifteen minutes of your time. After that, we'll be out of your hair."
"I... that is..." Dacten stuttered, still flustered. "I... okay, just fifteen minutes. I have a mountain of paperwork to be filed."
"Thank you," Illiana said.
Dacten held the door open for the trio to enter. There were two chairs in the room, one on either side of the desk which was covered in papers. A laptop sat open, facing the far wall. Illiana let her eyes move around, examining every detail. A board with a number of pictures of crime scenes, drawings and typed papers pinned to it, with a slightly smaller one next to it with pictures of Dacten and the Odios. Behind the desk, a few certificates hung on the walls. A window with a view of the road was on the final empty wall.
Dacten closed the door behind him, and took his seat. Illiana hesitated, but quickly sat in the seat opposite him. With Yoshimitsu and Landsvale behind her, she decided, she still had the psychological upper-hand.
"Mr. Dacten, can I ask you a few questions about Larry Odio?" Illiana asked.
"Lawrence," Dacten corrected. "He preferred Lawrence."
"Sorry," Illiana said quickly. "But Mr. Dacten..."
"Yes yes, of course."
"Thank you. I was wondering if you might tell us about your relationship with the Odio family?"
"The Odios... Good family. I was close friends with Lawrence," Dacten explained briefly. "He and Ellen named me godfather to Henry. Biggest honor of my life, really. We vacationed together often. Lawrence was like a brother to me."
"I see... And how long have you and Lawrence been friends for?" Illiana asked.
"Six, seven years now?" Dacten answered, scratching the back of his head in thought. He closed his laptop lid, then crossed his fingers and rested them on top of his desk. "Met him during orientation, we got to talking, went for a few drinks."
Behind her, Illiana registered Yoshimitsu moving around. As soon as she did, Dacten's eyes darted to the boy, then back to Illiana.
"And you haven't had any arguments in that time?"
"One or two, but that's normal," Dacten said dismissively. He answered the question very quickly, Illiana noticed. "Any fights we had were fixed by a few pints down the pub."
"Have you had any arguments this past week?" Illiana asked. Dacten visibly paled.
"N-no, we've just been busy," Dacten argued. Yoshimitsu laughed. He appeared in Illiana's sight for a split second, then vanished again. He must have seen something on the desk, and moved too fast to be caught. She'd ask him later. For now, Illiana stood up and walked around to the back of the chair. She produced the envelope from her pocket, slipping the sheet of paper out. She read out a section.
I got the details of what you want to do, but this time I'm worried you're going too far. I understand what you want to achieve, but this is not the way to do it. You haven't considered just who you will be hurting. I'm your friend, so I have to tell you that this is not what you should be doing.
There was a moment of silence following her words. On one side, Landsvale stood watching the action. On the other, Yoshimitsu wore his lop-sided, lazy grin. Dacten stared at Illiana for a second, his eyes strangely unfocused as though he was staring through her instead of at her.
"I... didn't write that," Dacten argued, though his tone wasn't convincing anyone.
"I guess that's possible," Illiana admitted. "Detective, can we have the handwriting on this analyzed, please?"
"'Ll get right on it," Landsvale murmured, extending his hand for the letter.
At that moment, Dacten threw himself across the desk and lunged at Illiana. In a flash of blue, the entire scene changed. Yoshimitsu had Dacten, arm twisted around his back and pressed against the desk. Landsvale and Illiana both stared. It wasn't what Illiana had been expecting, to be assaulted in a police building. Live and learn, she figured. Yoshimitsu had his hand placed right in between Dacten's shoulder blades.
"I can't wait to see you in court, Dacten," Yoshimitsu said, and for once Illiana heard a hint of anger in his voice.
"Detective, can you call for some support?" Illiana asked quickly. Landsvale blinked, then registered what Illiana had asked. He was immediately on the phone.
"You don't wanna talk to us? Sure. We'll drag it out of you in court tomorrow," Yoshimitsu stated. "But keep your hands off my friends. I don't know what you and Odio were up to, but you can bet we'll find out."
"Yoshimitsu, that's enough," Illiana said loudly and forcefully. Yoshimitsu paused, glancing back at the summoner. He nodded. Landsvale ended the call for back-up, and produced some handcuffs. With Yoshimitsu's help, Dacten was cuffed and forced into his seat again.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Jan 14, 2011 18:15:44 GMT -5
"Denham."
Inspector Landsvale worked quickly, pressing first the bow of the left cuff against Dacten's left wrist, then the right. He double-locked the cuffs, allowing Dacten's hands to hang uselessly knuckles-to-knuckles in his lap, and then firmly pushed the forensic expert down into his chair by the shoulders. He did all this without looking up, using the busywork as an excuse to pretend to ignore Dacten. When the man spoke again, however, he relented.
"Denham," insisted Dacten. "Think about this. You can't really suspect me of...?"
"Of what? Of murder?" Landsvale asked softly. "Nope. Course not. Unless you're about to pull a Staudt on us." He considered reminding Dacten that only a Power could have escaped Felice Potabile without running directly into the police, but decided against; he was concerned Dacten would take it as an insult to his intelligence. He straightened up over Dacten's seat. "Attempted assault on the defense attorney at least warrants you a time-out, though."
"I was just grabbing for the letter, for God's sake! I wasn't going to lay a hand on her--"
"Uh-huh." Landsvale tucked the plain brown envelope into the pocket of his pants.
Dacten raised his linked hands, fingers splayed -- Please sah I want some moh, Landsvale thought nonsensically. "Listen, I lost it for a minute, I see that, and I apologize -- but can't you at least give me the letter? If someone's forging my handwriting, I want to figure out who. Don't I deserve that much?"
Landsvale shook his head. "Sorry. It's evidence. Boys downstairs'll need to analyze it."
"And get their pizza-greasy fingers all over it? We'll be lucky if we can read it tomorrow. I've seen the pawprints that come out of that room, what do you think I'm paid to notice?" Dacten leaned forward without trying to rise from his chair. "Come on, Denham. Please."
The Inspector made the mistake of meeting the forensic expert's distraught eyes. At first he didn't say anything. It was only after a moment that he was able to look down.
"'M sorry, Charlie."
From Dacten there came a quiet grunt.
"I get it. You're siding with them." He rested his head against the chair back and looked up at the ceiling. "Never thought I'd live to see a fellow on the force taking orders from a couple of kids with unnatural hair."
"Kinda like the blue, actually," Landsvale replied with a smile, before Ms. Silna or Yoshimitsu had time to protest. "Could do without the green, I guess, but what's it matter really, huh? You know they could be KKK members and that'd have nothing to do with helpin' us put Larry to rest--"
"Lawrence," the other man pressed.
"See, all right, now what's with this?"
"Lawrence: that was his proper name."
"His wife called him Lawrence. To you and me, he was Larry. Why so formal allova sudden?"
Charlie Dacten gave him a hurt glare.
"I'm just trying to honor the dead," he muttered, "which is more than can be said for you, Denham, bringing these kids into my office and waving some forged letter around, trying to make him look like a sociopath..."
"I feel he would've preferred you thinking about him the way you always did," said Landsvale slowly and deliberately. "Unless, of course, you don't think the same of him these days as you used to, which would be different, obviously."
There was a small silence. Immediately he regretted saying this. He'd gone too far. Dacten sat stonily, looking as if Landsvale had just struck him in the face. Landsvale would have apologized on the spot except that the backup unit arrived just then with much fuss and clamor and pretty soon he perceived that the moment was gone.
* * *
The enormous concrete walls of Winstone Penitentiary, home of all Tengaishima's finest depraved criminals (no, not all, Williams thought grimly, never all) stood to attention on the far outskirts of town. The Penitentiary would have been hard to spot on the horizon, being the same iron color as the mountains beyond it, if not for its rigid, angular design -- perfect, and so of course, wholly artificial. The Commissioner wasn't so far removed that he would have described the fortress as aesthetically pleasant, but there was all the same a certain wonder in watching the spiked iron gates rumble open to let the police cruiser in: the always-returning feeling that this must be what it was like to enter one of the pyramids.
"Yes, they're still here," assured the old man in the lobby, whose name Williams kept forgetting -- O'Ferguson or some such. "They'll be down in the Special Confinement blocks, I'm sure. If they miss you I'll have 'em wait back here."
But they didn't miss Williams, or rather, he didn't miss them. After walking for what felt like twenty minutes through the entire ordinary confinement complex, Williams came upon the featureless gray tunnel which led underground into Special Confinement. He was aware of more direct entrances into this subterranean network of cells, but the potential security breach meant that those entrances were opened only when immediately transporting Power prisoners into or out of the Penitentiary. This was a policy Williams found a lot easier to appreciate when his big black ass was in a leather rolling chair.
Huffing and puffing, he finally came upon the visitors from the Foundation in block SC-4. The freaky guy in the scarf was there, of course, working his acid-trip magic to reinforce the cells and singing badly out of key to pass the time. And there was an olive-skinned woman in a much more sensible suit whom Williams felt he vaguely recognized. He'd seen her once or twice before, he realized, though it was hard to identify where. She seemed to pass hither and yon without much fanfare.
He drew a heavy breath. "Trent," he called. "And you, ma'am. I'd like a word."
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Jan 20, 2011 7:56:32 GMT -5
Illiana and Yoshimitsu slipped out of the room as the back-up team appeared. Illiana reasoned, somewhat frantically, that she would only be in the way while they apprehended Dacten. Her real reason was that she was somewhat shaken by the sudden attack. In a safe, police environment with an officer and two powers, the last thing she had expected was for an assault. Yoshimitsu had followed her out, and she pretended that the look in his eyes wasn't concern.
"Thanks for that," she said, aiming for nonchalant. It sounded a bit more pathetic out loud. She was a summoner, for God's sake! She should have been able to handle herself.
"No problem," Yoshimitsu replied easily, his expression lapsing back into relaxed. There was a still a hint of concern there, though. "Thanks for stopping me before I really lost my temper."
"No problem," Illiana echoed.
The two waited in silence for a moment as the police officers left the room. Dacten resisted long enough to glare at the pair before he was forced along. Illiana frowned. Not exactly the most dignified expression in the world, but she couldn't say it was unexpected. After all, they had basically named him a suspect, insofar that he knew about the crime. Still, one thing bothered her.
"Six or seven years" was how long Dacten had said he'd known Odio; according to him, they'd "met during orientation." It just didn't mesh with the facts. If Odio had been on the force for twenty years, orientation was at least twenty years ago, not six. Was that true? Was he lying to her about that? Wait. That hadn't necessarily been a lie, because "during orientation" was an ambiguous phrase. Dacten might have just meant that he'd been going through orientation six or seven years ago when he'd met Odio, already on the force. Given the response to the letter, though... There was one immediate and easy way to set this straight. Landsvale was walking out of Dacten's office, tucking his cell phone into his pocket and checking the doorknob behind him.
"Inspector, a moment?" she asked. When he nodded and approached, she asked, "How long has Dacten been on the force?"
Landsvale frowned and opened his mouth wordlessly. Then he said, "Ah, hell... All honesty, I couldn't tell you." He must have caught Illiana's disappointed look, because he hastily added, "Only been with this department for a few months, you see. Transferred in after the Ansonia mess... I've kinda steered clear of asking people how long they'd been at it. Guess I thought it'd come off a little rude."
"Is there any chance we could look that up?" Yoshimitsu asked. Illiana noted the slightly knowing tone of his voice: he'd obviously picked up on her train of thought. "That's got to be on file here, his employment record -- right?"
"Sure, I could look that up in the..." But Landsvale was trailing off. "Wait. Hold on a minute."
"What is it?" Illiana asked.
"His godfather... The kid's--" The Inspector's baggy eyes widened. He snapped his fingers. "Charlie Dacten is Henry Odio's godfather!"
"What? Really?"
"Positive. Williams mentioned it a while ago, before any of this... 'D never met the kid before today, and I'd forgotten, but I guarantee it's true. Could call Williams for you and let him confirm it, if you want," Landsvale offered.
"That's all right, I believe you," said Illiana, not wanting to take up more of the Commissioner's time today than she had to. She figured that testimony from someone on the force would be adequate in court, too. Still, this was a crucial piece of information. "Then Dacten can't possibly have been telling the truth about how long he knew Mr. Odio. No family waits until their son's a teenager before naming a godfather. Dacten must have known the Odios for as long as Henry's been alive -- twenty years, at least!"
"Probably longer," Yoshimitsu guessed, "since Larry wouldn't have named Dacten the godfather if they hadn't already been friends for at least a few years..."
Illiana beamed. "I knew he was lying about that. I knew it!"
"But the question remained, why? Why bother trying to lie about it?" asked Yoshimitsu. She recognised that tone. He wasn't challenging her, he was trying to trigger a thoughtful response.
"In the letter..." she said slowly. "Odio must have run something by Dacten... Maybe it'd end in Odio's death, we don't know yet, but I'm willing to bet on it and Dacten knew! He knew it might be one of the outcomes! So he's trying to worm his way out, saying he wasn't as close to Odio as he really was, so he's been distancing himself to avoid being murdered too!"
Yoshimitsu cuffed her on the upper arm.
"Look at you!" he grinned. "I love it. You're really getting the hang of this. Of course, that's assuming Dacten really did write the letter. I mean, the way he reacted, that's practically certain, but we'll still need to get that handwriting analysis."
Yes, the handwriting analysis, Illiana thought, but the question of forgery wasn't the only thing her hypothesis glossed over... There was still Antonio, in the center of all this. Her client, and she realized with a sudden pang of guilt that she'd barely thought about him at all since meeting Jacob Marshall in the lobby. Perhaps someone had murdered Larry Odio in order to protect whoever his plans would have endangered, and perhaps not, but that didn't change the fact that the murderer had clearly been looking to frame the Butterfly, and Illiana was yet at a loss to find any point where these two motives might have intersected. Would Antonio have been among those threatened by Larry Odio's hazy plans?
Would Illiana have? And Yoshimitsu?
"Sure thing," said Inspector Landsvale. "'M taking it downstairs right now. If Dacten wrote it, they won't need more than a few hours to confirm."
"Thank you very much, Inspector," Illiana told him firmly.
"Don't mention it," he said. He started off down the hallway toward the elevators. "And thanks for the ride," he added over his shoulder, before a gaggle of officers emerging from one of the elevators drowned him out.
"What did you find, anyway?" she asked. Yoshimitsu was still staring down the corridor, as though about to shout a question to Landsvale. He snapped back to reality just in time to catch the question.
"Not sure, yet," he admitted. "It's a letter, and it looks like it's been written in response to the last letter, but it's been typed. There's no way to check where it came from, outside of the return address."
"What does it say?" Illiana asked.
"Coward," Yoshimitsu said.
"Excuse me?" Illiana answered. She sounded slightly offended.
"That's all it says, look," Yoshimitsu explained quickly, handing her the letter. She slipped it open and pulled out the sheet of paper. Sure enough, right in the middle of the paper.
Coward
She slipped the letter back into the envelope and checked the address. One address was their current location, and specifically the same office that they had just left. On the reverse, she saw the return address. 28 Pennyroyal Drive, Winstone. There was no way to verify anything, outside of where it had left from and where it had gone to. She sighed, and slipped the letter into her pocket.
"Guess we've gotta wait around for a bit, then," Yoshimitsu commented. "Wanna go grab lunch?"
~*~*~ 1:30PM, Demitasse, Winstone ~*~*~
"Coffee, black, no sugar, please," Marshall requested, handing over a ten dollar bill. The barista nodded, and busied herself with making the coffee.
Marshall took a moment to glance around the coffee shop. It was nice, quiet. Very few customers this time of day, despite it being the lunch hour rush. Probably something to do with the price, but Marshall was willing to pay extra for decent coffee instead of the watered down rubbish that other places sold. A fuller flavour and richer aroma, at just the right temperature. A few other patrons clearly agreed with him, since it was clear that no one present was intending to rush their drinks.
"Here you are, Mr. Marshall," the barista said, handing him the cup.
"Thanks Loraine," Marshall answered. The barista, Loraine, giggled slightly at the use of her name. Marshall was on first name terms with the entire staff, but that wasn't altogether that surprising since he spent a fair bit of time there. He sat in his usual seat, a booth by the window, and relaxed. Time to consider what he knew so far.
An old friend on the force tipped him off that Antonio had been arrested. One of his few old friends, as it turned out. Apparently, too many people found his tactics dangerous and worrying. Sometimes a few bones needed to be broken, he always figured. As soon as he heard this, he made his way to the penitentiary. A good number of the convicts had been put there by him. Marshall had been a strong member of the force once upon a time, right until that time. That one case that turned everything on its head, and it was all that smart-mouthed brat's fault.
Marshall, for the longest time, had known about Antonio's other identity. The renowned thief, the Butterfly. That kid had grown up too fast in some ways, and not matured in the ways he needed to. The kid had a taste for crime and the skill to pull it off, not to mention the powers. At the end of the day, though, he was still a kid. Arrogant, shameless and self-assured to a fault. Kid thought he was the absolute on morality, but everything he did was for the greater glory of Antonio.
It wasn't until that case that Marshall realised just how dangerous a combination that was.
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Post by ch00beh on Jan 25, 2011 0:07:16 GMT -5
Julia noted the prisoner's bored posture as Barclay twisted another plane of ink through space. This Antonio was not fazed in the slightest by magic or prisons. He even seemed annoyed, as if this were all just a hassle. Kids his age usually showed visual fear or signs that they were hiding fear when incarcerated. Magic, too.
Barclay eventually let the repeating angles and points settle on the floor after he seemed to finish forming them. There was a brief flash of light connecting the eight fractals, momentarily shaping a box that bordered the prisoner's cell, but just as quickly as it appeared, darkness came back. The doctor's pupils didn't even have time to contract.
Barclay threw a dangling end of his striped scarf over his neck and turned to give Julia an impeccably white smile. The doctor noticed a small twitch from his right arm as a sparkle manifested at the edge of the man's mouth.
"That should take care of it! I think."
"You're the magic specialist here."
"Well, the old runes have been cleaned off, new ones are in place and shielded, and— Commishie, what's up!" the man turned around completely.
Julia turned as well to face the out-of-breath, African-American man who was straightening his back, presumably after slouching and/or resting his hands on his knees. His eyes were briefly on her associate, but quickly moved to her. She noted the look on his face. Mild distrust and judgmental thoughts indicated by a scrutinizing semi-glare with an attempt to hide it under a damp, furrowed brow that could easily be misconstrued as a fatigue, though the tell was the commissioner's changing expression. His muscles relaxed, his posture became more rigid, and his eyes stopped scrutinizing so that they could examine the doctor.
Julia smiled. She never forgot to smile when doing her first check, though nine times out of ten the look was genuine. The one time out of ten usually involved her sessions with Barclay, who she saw moving in her peripheral vision.
"Mishmash, haven't seen you in a while," Barclay said. He began to step toward the man, hand raised and palm flat. He didn't really expect to high five the man, did he? The doctor fought the urge to bury her face in her palms again. No progress with him.
Before Barclay could get any closer, Julia took a step toward the man, still smiling, and leaning slightly forward, knowing that her ambiguously aggressive posture would recapture the commissioner's attention, and knowing that her new position would be in the shortest path between her associate and the police officer. She reached a hand toward Williams, which he instinctively reciprocated. "Commissioner Williams, I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting in person. Julia Romanesco. Let's take our business into the hall while Mr. Trent triple checks the security?"
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Post by Beelzebibble on Jan 29, 2011 14:25:35 GMT -5
"Fine," Williams agreed, and led the way out into the hall. It seemed he was in luck this time: Saeptum had been gracious enough to dispatch someone sane to accompany Barclay Edward Trent. Of course they usually did, and the bar to clear wasn't high... but the last time Williams had met Trent here at the penitentiary, he'd thought the older man accompanying Trent might actually have been crazier. Even if he'd been dressed less bizarrely. But at least Trent was here with someone. Williams wouldn't have put the phosphorescent blue vial into Trent's hands any more than a baby's. He faced the olive-skinned woman. "I've got a favor to ask of your organization, Ms. Romanesco. I take it you're aware of the murder investigation underway right now?" OOC: Four days' delay and this is what you get. Sorry! I figured it would be better to actually take this conversation in beats instead of trying to auto Julia nodding etc. Though that could just be an attempt to defend my preoccupation with the messy birth of the upcoming dream sequence in Ninety's RP.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Feb 2, 2011 13:47:02 GMT -5
~*~*~1:40PM, Demitasse, Winstone~*~*~ "So let's review," Yoshimitsu declared, as he and Illiana sat at a table in the coffee shop, two fresh cups in front of them. Illiana picked apart the pastry on her plate, debating how hungry she was. "Larry Odio was murdered at about eleven last night, by a gunshot to the heart," Illiana started. "He was found at the Felice Potabile by Commissioner Williams. Antonio's presence and the antics of the Butterfly caused Antonio to be suspected of, at the very least, accomplice to murder." "That's the bare bones of the murder itself," Yoshimitsu agreed, sipping his coffee. "What evidence do we have so far?" "The letter from Dacten to Odio, the letter from Odio to Dacten, the vial of magic in Odio's bedroom," Illiana listed, consulting her notepad. "The large caliber gun, the lack of blood at the bar. Does Dacten's reaction to the letter count?" "Not really, sadly," Yoshimitsu answered. Illiana sipped her coffee, deciding finally that she wasn't hungry. She set her cup down, then pushed the pastry towards Yoshimitsu. He wasted no time in devouring it. "You have crumbs on your face," Illiana pointed out, a smile on her lips. "So our best defense right now is that Antonio's not actually connected to the crime, it's just a coincidence." "Pretty sure no court will believe that, but it's what we have right now," Yoshimitsu agreed. Illiana sighed. Dacten hadn't provided the lead with the case that she had been hoping for. Granted, she wasn't that surprised since the letter implicated that Dacten and Odio had a somewhat shady past which had come to an abrupt end. She was so curious about what the letter was hinting at. What could two police officers have done in the past, and kept secret from even their colleagues for years? There was much more to this case than they were discovering. With what little evidence they had, the trial was looking hopeless. "Howdy, Miss Attorney," a voice came. Illiana pulled herself out of her thoughts to look at the source, though she didn't need to in order to recognise that accent. Jacob Marshall stood at their table, coffee in hand. He was still chewing his toothpick. How on earth could he drink coffee and chew a toothpick at the same time? "Detective Marshall," Illiana greeted. "How're things in the wild wild west?" "The usual. Takin' a break from herdin' cattle to have a nice cup o' joe," Marshall replied. He pulled a seat over from the neighbouring table and promptly sat in it. "You don't mind, do yeh?" "Not at all," Illiana replied in a neutral tone. She hadn't figured out whether she liked the detective or not yet, and was refraining from passing judgement until the trial was over. They were clearly on opposing sides, with Antonio in the middle dividing them. "I thought you had business to attend to, though?" "Coffee should be ev'ryone's business," Marshall answered. Yoshimitsu laughed. "Takin' a break too?" "Sort of. We have to wait to talk to some potential witnesses, so we stopped for lunch." "Not eatin' anythin'? That's a bad diet." "Just not very hungry," Illiana answered quickly, aiming to avoid a conversation about her diet. It wasn't the diet topic that worried her, it was how perceptive Marshall appeared to be. "That's how it gets on murder cases," Marshall said sagely. He took his toothpick from his mouth briefly to sip some coffee, replacing it as soon as his cup was on the table again. So that was how he did it. "Yeh get caught up in the action an' forget to feed yehself. Don't see too much of that any more." "How come?" Illiana asked, though she had a feeling that she'd regret asking soon enough. "Work's hard to come by for me," Marshall stated. "Not much call for a freelance detective nowadays, not with people like Inspector Landsvale on permanent payroll." "I see." Illiana glanced at Yoshimitsu, who had a strange look on his face. As though he was trying to figure something out, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. "'Course, my job's probably a helluva lot more dangerous than yours, Miss Attorney," Marshall continued with a cheeky grin. "Defense attorneys don't usually end up wranglin' with murderers. Though, I guess yeh already know 'Tonio so maybe I'm wrong." "Antonio is no killer," Illiana replied, slightly forcefully. "I think I've spent enough time around him to know that fact." "How can yeh be sure?" Marshall asked. "Are you tellin' me yeh know him inside out?" "Not at all," Illiana answered honestly. She sipped her coffee again, the cup clinking as it touched the table again. "There's loads of stuff I don't know or understand about Antonio, but I can say with absolute certainty that he's not a murderer and wouldn't be involved in one, least of all one that implicates him as having a hand in it." "And yeh'll stick with that, eh?" Marshall challenged. "I'll represent him in court and get rid of the lies one by one until the truth is known," Illiana replied calmly. Marshall looked at Illiana for a long moment, as though he was measuring her up. "I had yeh all wrong, Miss Attorney," Marshall admitted. "I though yeh were defendin' him because yeh were helpin' with the murder or somethin'. Some tie to 'Tonio that'd give you reason to help him. Yeh smarter and more honest than that. Haven't seen that in a lawyer in a while." "You thought I'd have a hand in the murder?" Illiana asked, resting her hands around her cup. "Why?" "I know 'Tonio, an' I'd wager I know him a lot better than yeh do, either of yeh," Marshall explained. There was a strange edge to his voice, almost defensive. "An' he's no stranger to lies. When I heard yeh knew him, I thought he'd pulled in another seedy contact." "You really don't like him, do you?" Yoshimitsu chipped in, his face still curious and calculating. "I don't, naw. Like I said, he landed me into a bit o' trouble a while back," Marshall stated. He gulped his coffee, finishing it in one. "Anyway, I have stuff to attend to. Catch you later, Miss Attorney." The pair watched at Marshall placed his empty cup on the counter, then strode out of the shop with his hands in his pockets. Yoshimitsu whistled as soon as the door closed again. Illiana let out a nervous laugh. Marshall intimidated her in a way that no one else had before. When he looked at her, it was as though he could see into her words and further into the meaning. As though she could have no secrets while he was around her. It was unnerving, to say the least. "What sort of trouble could Antonio have gotten Marshall into?" Illiana asked, unable to hide her curiosity any further. "Technically, you can look through Marshall's records," Yoshimitsu said. Illiana heard the meaning behind those words. He was just as curious as she was, and he wanted to find out too. Illiana finished her coffee, then stood up. "What are we waiting for, then?" POHATU SEZ: Fixed the formatting.
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Post by ch00beh on Feb 3, 2011 17:05:06 GMT -5
Julia nodded. "Of course we're aware of the murder. It's why we're here." She gave a small laugh. The commissioner formed a polite half smile at the bad joke.
"So. A favor. What do you need from us?"
"Well, Ms.—"
"Please, call me Julia," the doctor said. She smiled and gestured to let him continue.
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