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mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Connie

"Of course. You got a pen?" She walked over to Toby.

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Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

"Yeah I've got one here, but John's still got the report outside, we'll get our ducks in a row and roll out." Toby walks out again, presumably with Connie in tow.

Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 02:41 on Apr 5, 2014

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!
John

John nods his head at the two agents and beckons them over. Seeing the pen in Connie's hand, he holds out some paperwork whilst Toby and he fill Connie in on their fears.

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Connie

Connie just nodded. "If you manage to find the girl first, see if you can get a read on her before you call in the family. I'll work on the mother. Remember, she's over the age of consent so if she wants to stay here we've got no right to remove her, Governor or no Governor. But we need to do our due diligence on this one. Be careful, Detectives."

She headed back inside. "They're all ready to go, fellas. Good luck out there."

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
A large gust of wind blows through, more powerful than anything you've ever felt. Black clouds begin to roll over the mountains and despite being fairly early, you feel the need to get some flashlights.

If you want to grab something (especially a coat!) do it now and announce it and let me know you are ready to leave. The weather looks nasty.

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!
John

Allowing himself a quick shiver, John went over to the car and put on the jacket he'd brought, and changed into his heavy-set hiking boots. They weren't as comfy as trainers, but much better suited to traipsing in the woods. He made sure he had a flashlight in his belt with his sidearm, and moved his hold-out from his now-useless ankle holster into his pocket.

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

Toby checks his gear - hiking gear that he'd personally tested in the winter Rockies, survival kit and rations, his flashlight - and packs them along with his handcuffs and extra ammo. He places the brass knuckles into his jacket pocket. He turns to John. "Are we taking the truck? Otherwise we'll have to leave some gear behind."

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
"Yes sir, it's got four wheel drive and it'll get us where we need to go. Are you ready?

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!
John

"Ok then, let's get going while the light's good!"

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

"Let's roll out. Where are we headed first?"

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.


You hop in the truck with Jonathan and he takes off just as the first rain begins. You go past downtown and over the hill towards the mountain beyond. You see several farms in the distance, as well as a large but remote building at the base of an adjacent mountain. You drive down a country 'road' that has become a sludge as the rain falls sideways.

"I'm going to try over by the base of Big Lou here. Megan likes to go here to think and forage and occasionally sneak off with that Carignan kid. She thinks I don't know, but really I just like her being happy and having her space. I'm worried, sometimes people set traps in this area, and Megan's vision isn't the greatest.

...

So what are you folks in town for?"


~Meanwhile~

Sheriff looks at Connie and Meryl.

"You folks found a place to stay yet?"

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

Toby still felt far too in-the-dark about this situation, but the truth was that they hadn't begun with any sort of strategic advantage to be lost. John's read of the sheriff had unnerved him, but with Jonathon asking questions, Toby had to call an audible. He weighed the risks of this decision - the sheriff had described the foster father as having a temper, and he was certainly large enough and well-armed enough to be dangerous, but Toby had worked Kentucky long enough to know that heavily armed people lacking in anger management skills were very common, and not necessarily trigger happy or violent. That was just the way of life in the sticks. Besides, Toby's gut pointed to Hart being more of a papa bear type than a loose cannon waiting to be jostled. It was clear that the girl meant much to him.

More importantly, for all the risks that being open with Mr. Hart entailed, Toby had a feeling that lying to the man would almost certainly come back on the team in disastrous ways. Earning his ire might physically endanger the team and would almost certainly scuttle the investigation. Toby knew that sometimes, in breaking a case, you had to gamble and show your throat. Hart's trust, Toby felt, was worth gambling over. And if Hart was in on whatever happened to Melanie (and he was feeling more and more that foul play was involved here) then they were probably never going to find her anyway. Still, Connie had been right - due diligence would need to be paid.

But the sheriff was the one who had made the initial call to Hart asking over "Meghan", and there was no use in a cover when a man as perceptive as Hart would ascertain the conveniently timed call came at the Troopers' behest. He likely already suspected that they had rolled into town to find her. The trick now was getting his trust and assistance. Toby turns to Jonathon, using the most firm and reassuring tone of voice he can muster.

"Let me level with you, Mr. Hart. Yesterday we received information about a 13-year old missing persons case that pointed us toward Tokacha. We came here to follow up on that lead. When we arrived and met with the sheriff, he indicated a suspicion that the girl in the file was your daughter Megan."

"Truth be told I couldn't give about our case right now. As soon as we learned that Megan was missing, our priorities changed. There's a girl out there alone facing this weather and who knows what else, and she needs to be brought back safe and sound, as of now it's our job to ensure that happens."

"Can we count on you, Mr. Hart?"

Roll for persuasion, if necessary. Also roll empathy to read body language.

Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 11:25 on Apr 6, 2014

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.


Johnathan is silent for what feels like an entire minute for responding.

"It's not very comforting that the two people helping me look for her represent a department that couldn't find her for 13 years despite a missing persons report. Tell you what, you spot her, and I won't consider your departments failures a measure of your personal worth. Deal?"

He looks around the truck and interrupts the silence.

"I'm sorry. If she's out here, she might be in an iron trap. I'm worried. Is there anything I can answer that might help you out?"

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

"Can't say I blame you, Mr. Hart. A man's measured by his willingness to do his duty. We'll do whatever it takes to get Megan safe."

"If she's walked about here before, it's as good a place to start as any. How long has she been gone? We noticed when we came into town that cars seemed relatively scarce. How far could she have gotten on foot?" Toby grimaces as he looks at the tumult outside. "And this Carignan kid, any reason why Megan would run out with him at short notice? What's his family like? Do they know about their relationship?"

"You also mentioned traps. If we're going to canvass wilderness where traps are set, it will help to know how to spot them." Toby stares out the window. "Would hate to be mistaken for big game by anything, especially in this weather."

"Does Megan have any means of contacting you? A radio, a satellite phone? Would she know where to get one if she needed to call for help?"

Really hoping for a body language roll here. I've told him a lot already, but the details of the call are our most sensitive info, and likely our means to break the case. Also, has my unseen sense tripped at any point so far?

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!
John

John listened quietly to the two other people talking, but decided to stay quiet for the minute. The sheriff wasn't worried about them meeting Jonathan, which meant that the big man probably didn't know anything that'd explain the law man's weird vibe. He was definitely concerned about the missing girl though, John could tell, and Toby perhaps wasn't helping their case by spilling details in the hopes of drawing something out of him... Still, he kept an eye on the hunter, to see if maybe Toby was on to something

Also checking body language.

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Connie

"Don't feel like you have to stay here on our account, Sheriff." Connie said, before turning to Mrs. Hart.

"They'll get her back, ma'am. Don't you worry." She sat down across from the other woman and watched her closely. "Well, I say that but it's impossible for a mother not to worry, I know. The Sheriff mentioned that there's a lot of adoptions in this neck of the woods, does Megan have any siblings?"


For as gung ho about leaving as the Sheriff had been a minute ago, he sure wasn't leaving. Great.

Trying to get Mrs. Hart to open up a little. Empathy or maybe Investigate if she's being unresponsive?

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
You get the impression that he is being 100% honest.

"Last saw her last night when she was supposedly going into town to make the rounds. I did not know whether it was really to do that, or to go see the Carignan kid. I don't wait up, if she sneaks off with him too long, she'll wait outside until I eventually go to sleep, and I don't want her to catch a cold or pneumonia. She doesn't take a radio with her or anything."

He turns right abruptly. The truck jumps up and down a gravel path with huge patches of mud.

"'Going towards a spot they often go to be alone. Carignan is a good kid, though I haven't seen him. That's not surprising, his family works the Post Office, and he often gets stuck with night duty as the low man on the totem pole. He's probably sleeping now. He sees her mid day, around that time he'll be hitting me up on my radio to make sure she's okay."

~meanwhile~

Maryl seems completely unresponsive. She drinks her tea and does not answer anything, looking straight. It seems really really off, almost like a break.

The Sheriff interjects.

"Hazel Johnston runs our school, we occasionally take orphans from the state whenever we have room, the school has dorms and some staff for them. We keep it really simple, take what we can to help out."

Can everyone do me a favor and post their character sheets? I have to keep going back to the recruitment thread. Thanks!

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

"You know the area, we'll follow your lead." Toby does one last gear check. He turns on his radio and tests it to see if the connection to Connie is strong. "Radio check, this is a radio check. Trooper Bellworth, do you read? Over."

I added a character sheet link to my first post in the thread. Let me know if you'd rather I roll it out with newer posts.

Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 10:39 on Apr 7, 2014

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Connie

"Loud and clear, Detective Shaw. We're all snug as bugs here. Find anything yet? Over." Connie answered, hoping he would take the meaning that she was not alone.

Looking back to the Sheriff, she had a feeling the Federal grant money had a lot to do with the town's willingness to take in orphans. Still, from what little she'd seen of the place, it was probably a lot better than being stuck in the foster system. There was one thing she was curious about though.

"Tell me Sheriff, is it a secular school?"


Added char-sheet to first post.

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!
John

With nothing better to do, John drew and checked over his sidearm.

"So, what kind of wildlife can we expect in these parts?"

Also added my char sheet to my 1st post.

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.


Trees become too numerous and the path stops.

Johnathan flings out of the truck, shutting his door hard enough you worry about it's integrity.

He begins marching towards the mountain.

"Stags and Cougars, Bears, and even some wolf packs. Smaller stuff includes 'coons, rabbits, squirrels, ducks, that kind of thing."

He walks maybe 30 yards with you before he grabs a stick and puts it in front of him. He presses down on the ground and a loud ungreased mechanical noise deafens you. The stick has been broken violently by an iron trap.

"Watch out for those."

He looks around and moves forward.

"Try and stay straight behind me"

The rain begins pouring to flash flood levels.

**Three hours go by**

You are walking through the woods and you notice a camp site about 15 yards away. There's no fire, but a firepit has been made, and a spiral stone pattern seems to wrap around the camp. There is a makeshift tent made out of canvas. A backpack is nearby. You see a form wrapped in some kind of fur under the canvas. Everything is still.

Johnathan is unable to move, completely stunned.

~~Meanwhile~~



"Well it is St. Lawrence's School for Wayward Children if that answers your question. You should ask Hazel about it when you get a chance, she's quite proud."

The Sheriff lets out a little chuckle.

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

Having dutifully followed Johnathon for several hours through dangerous terrain, Toby stops as his guide does. Noticing the camp and the figure within, Toby reaches out to grab Hart's arm with one hand and raises his hand to alert John with his other hand, then releases the catch on his holster. He looks back at John, places a finger on his lips to indicate silence, then points with middle and ring fingers to his own eyes before gesturing at the ground between them and the camp. Watch your step.

Toby notices that Hart is seemingly paralyzed and catatonic, and he looks back at John, waving his hand in front of his face to indicate that Hart is unresponsive. Then, while facing the camp and watching his step carefully with his weapon drawn, he examines the stone circle more closely.

Toby will walk slowly to minimize the sounds of his footsteps, which shouldn't be hard if the rain is still coming down. Investigate on the ground to watch for traps of any kind. Then investigate the pattern.

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!
John

John nods that he understands, drawing his weapon too, and keeping a watchful eye over his colleague as he picked his way forward. Whilst Toby was forced to spend valuable time watching where his feet went, John kept his head up and swept his pistol left and right, keeping an open eye out for his erstwhile partner.

Do I get anything from my sense danger? Also, investigate to watch the area for anything suspicious.

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
John, it would have come into effect had Toby not checked.

Toby's nose stops him dead in his tracks, his foot inches from coming down on the hard iron jaws of an animal trap. A red mess of what may have been a fat squirrel, bloated with rot, just saved him from being hobbled. Toby counts nearly a dozen of the horrid things as he triggers them and moves closer to the canvas. Neatly combed blond hair spills out from the side.

Turning it over reveals Megan's beatific face peeking out of a large fur, smiling as if in the middle of a dream. Toby nudges Megan to wake her, and her head tumbles out of the wrapped fur into the dirt. There's no human body, but a chaotic mass of tiny cougar limbs arranged in a roughly humanoid shape, claws out.

There is virtually no blood around, and no body can be found.

Johnathan drops to the ground on his knees and sinks into the mud.

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

"What the gently caress is this?" Toby whispers to himself, before orienting himself and checking around him once more to make sure they haven't walked into an ambush of some sort. If the coast is clear, he'll signal to John to point out Hart and press two fingers to his throat to see if he needs medical attention. He'll then move to the backpack, carefully and scanning for traps as before, and examine it.

Check for an ambush (investigation + wits, I assume, or just wits) then investigate for traps to examine the backpack.

Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 03:37 on Apr 9, 2014

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
As far as Toby can tell, there is no ambush. Unfortunately the flash flood is washing a lot of the ground away.

The backpack has the following things inside: A ring, a steel flashlight, rope, a pocket knife, and a set of keys.

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

Toby will examine the items in the bag, specifically the ring and the keys, to see if he can discern anything about them or where they came from. He'll stow the knife, rope and flashlight.

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
The keys have a cute keychain, the kind of thing that looks like it was made in a summer camp, with a string of charms that read out "Megan".

From Mr. Kent's face you get the impression that he is keenly aware of who those belongings were owned by. It is probably all what Megan would walk around with.

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

"gently caress." Toby clenches his jaw, unnerved. "gently caress this poo poo."

Toby reaches for his radio. "Connie, do you read? Over."

I'm assuming "Mr. Kent" is Johnathon

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!
John

"Oh gently caress!" John thought, when he saw Toby make the horrible discovery a few feet away. Immediately Johnathan had slumped to the ground, and John couldn't say he blamed him. Even before Toby signalled him, he went down to one knee, putting one arm around the high point of Mr. Kent's shoulders, keeping his head up and drawing his face slightly away so he didn't have to look whilst not being so violent that he wrenched his head round. This loving rain would destroy their crime scene, and evidence, so John knew what he had to do. He didn't like it, but he knew.

Turning round to the big guy, he said softly, "I have to cover her up." Taking the waterproof police poncho out his ruck, he started walking carefully towards the young girl's remains.

So, I intend to take the poncho and spread it over as much of the crime scene as I can. Can I use Academia (law) to remember the best way of preserving evidence in these conditions?

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
John successfully tries his best to cover the crime scene, though the flash flood is making quick work of it. He at least can ensure that things are in place where they should be once it dries.

Upon examination, the fusing of the cougar limbs is incredibly well done. No matter how it is moved around, multiple paws are facing upwards. There are 23 limbs total in this abomination.

ForeverBWFC
Oct 19, 2011

Oh, the lads! You should've seen 'em running!
Ask 'em why and they reply the Bolton Boys are coming! All the lads and lasses, smiles upon their faces,

WALKING DOWN THE MANNY ROAD, TO SEE THE BURNDEN ACES!
John

John, trying to think as quickly as he can, pulls out his cell and starts taking pictures of as much of the scene as he can. No chance of sending it directly via mms, but he could email it back to HQ if he could find a decent wifi connection.

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Connie

Connie nodded. She didn't have anything against private schools, but she noted that 'Hazel' wasn't 'Sister Hazel'. Interesting.

And so they waited a while. For news. For the coffee machine to brew another pot. For a chance to talk without the Sheriff listening that never came.

Connie didn't know what to do with the catatonic woman in front of her. Talking had no effect at all. She'd seen enough people in shock to know what it looked like, and she was pretty sure that this was it. Which meant that Meryl might know something important.

It was worth trying another tactic, at least.

Connie reached across the table and took the other woman's hand. "Mrs. Hart. Meryl. If something's happened to Megan we need to know what it was. Can you tell us anything?"


I want to try this one thing first, if nothing comes of it, then I'll fast forward three hours and answer Toby.

Also who's Mr. Kent? That's Mr. Hart.

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
Meryl begins to look around all over, her eyes darting in every direction. She looks like she is being surrounded by an unseen swarm. She closes her eyes and refuses to open them.



"Meryl, I'm going to call Doc Rogers next door, he's going to come and take you to his room so you can sleep."

Meryl lets out the closest thing to a smile she has available at the moment.

Doc Rogers comes by and takes her next door. He gives Connie a look that says 'if I wasn't worried about this woman I would shake your hand'.

"Won't let her out of my sight Jim, you know the number."

Also, it is Mr. Hart. I had a name chance and forgot to put it on one of my notes. Whoops.

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Connie

"Is she usually so... high strung?" Connie asked, fishing for a nicer way to describe it. It was probably better for her to be laying down anyway. Maybe the Doc had something to help her sleep.

Toby's voice came in over the radio. He didn't sound happy. "I'm here, Toby. What happened? You alright?"

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

Toby does his best to keep his voice level. "Everything's fine out here but the rain's coming down pretty hard and we're a good ways into the wilderness now. Before we left Lexington I got some geo survey info from U of K, but I didn't bring them with me. They're in the truck. We need to cross reference, look for flood plains out here. Respond when you've found them, over."

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
Mr. Hart and friends are indeed in a flood plane that pockets up.

mugrim
Mar 2, 2007

The same eye cannot both look up to heaven and down to earth.
Feel free to assume Connie tells you

Basic Chunnel
Sep 21, 2010

Jesus! Jesus Christ! Say his name! Jesus! Jesus! Come down now!

Toby

"Is the sheriff there?"

My original intention was to draw Connie out of earshot to give her the rundown, probably should have made that clear. Whoops!

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mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Connie

"Just a second, Toby, over." Connie responded. She gave the sheriff an apologetic look. "Be right back."

Connie ran out through the rain to the Interceptor, climbed into the cab and shut the door. "Alright Toby, I'm looking for your maps but I get the feeling that wasn't what this was about. I'm alone. Over.


I got the subtext! Although it sounds like we're going to lose our evidence either way.

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