|
 Connie Bellworth Character Sheet Connie was relieved when the road opened up into town. Mountain passes didn't usually bother her but there were a few more skid marks than she liked seeing on any road she happened to be driving down. Most of them were from people trying to slow down a little on a downgrade, but a few... A few had gone right off the edge of that guardrail-free cliff. The dense forest below was probably a natural graveyard. She hadn't said anything to the boys about it. Best to leave the gallows humor until they knew each other better. "Well, it's sure not what I was expecting." Connie said as they rounded the final bend and took their first look at the town. "An 18 wheeler would have one hell of a time making it up here. If the Scott girl hitched her way in, I think it was with a local." As they rolled slowly through town, Connie pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head and looked around. She'd thought that the Interceptor would just fade into the sea of SUVs and pickup trucks that everyone who lived this far out in the sticks used to get around but that was clearly not the case. It made them easy to keep track of. She didn't like it. Places like the last three towns they'd passed through - most of them old mining towns that were shrinking every day, with obvious signs of it - were easy, familiar. This was something older, much more self sufficient. This wasn't going to be easy. Connie peered over the steering wheel at the man in the leather hat and nodded to him as she pulled in to park next to the building. "It might be him." she said to Toby, then looked up in the mirror at the back seat. "John you got the files? We got a picture of Sheriff Rolland or Deputy Shaw?" --- Which side of the ravine is Main Street on? Any obvious landmarks on the other side? Is the bridge fit for vehicle travel or pedestrian only? What kind of clothing are the people in town wearing? What other cars are parked at the Courthouse? (If I need to roll anything to notice this stuff just tell me.) mistaya fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Apr 8, 2014 |
#
¿
Mar 31, 2014 08:41
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 11:19 |
|
|
Connie "If she came here it was probably years ago. She left her family and her boyfriend behind, so if she was with anyone we don't know about it. Here's the picture when she was last seen, and here's the mock up of what she might look like now." Connie offered the pictures to the Sheriff. "Before we start knocking on doors we wanted to ask a few questions of the people who were most likely to see her. We don't want to spook her, or whoever's holding her, into doing anything drastic." Trying to break the ice she smiled as she looked around the office. It was from an older era, but it was clean and in good repair. Sheriff Jim didn't even slightly resemble a donut, which she'd come to expect from the older small town LEO's. "I gotta say, getting up here was bit of trouble, but it's a pretty little town you've got, Sheriff. A lot nicer than your nearest neighbors, anyway."
|
|
#
¿
Apr 1, 2014 04:57
|
|
|
Connie Connie tried not to glare at Toby. They didn't know Jim Rolland from Adam, but he clearly knew their missing woman. Giving him more information now was a good way to get them cut out of the loop, and that was if he wasn't involved in whatever had scared Melanie, (or Megan she supposed,) bad enough to call home after over 10 years. John seemed to have picked up on something and while she wasn't pleased that he hadn't included her in the loop she wasn't going to hold it against him. Not yet, anyway. "Well Sheriff, if you need some bodies for a manhunt we're here anyway so you might as well make use of us. Do you have any good maps of the Palm, as you called it? Has she been found in any place in particular or just roaming?" She glanced out the window. "We've still got plenty of daylight left at least." --- I'd like to roll empathy to try to get into the Sheriff's head a little while covering for John/Toby's trip to the car.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 2, 2014 04:22
|
|
|
Connie Connie looked up from the map she was quietly memorizing. While they'd been trying to be discreet, she had a feeling the Sheriff was going to announce who they all were anyway. Better to do it on her own terms than wait for the introduction. "Afternoon, sir. Connie Bellworth, Kentucky State Police, here to assist the good Sheriff." She kept her tone carefully neutral. "Mind if I ask why you're bringing an armory to look for your lost daughter?"
|
|
#
¿
Apr 3, 2014 07:16
|
|
|
Connie Ah, right. Johnathan Hart was the type who took his arsenal to church on Sundays. Connie decided it wasn't something worth worrying over. What might be worrisome was 'half the towners' already knowing about Megan's disappearance. This was rapidly moving beyond their control. "Actually, Mr. Hart, much as I'd like to say I'm not afraid of mountain lions, I don't mind staying with your wife. She can come in here and I'll make her some coffee. We've got two way radios, so if someone happens to find your daughter and reports in we'll have a command center here and I'll call you straight away." She had a feeling Mr. Hart might think that women belonged at home with the children so he probably wouldn't object. But besides talking to Mrs. Hart without her husband's influence, (which was important!) She didn't want all three of them to be out in the woods with a bunch of local gun enthusiasts and no reliable witnesses. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sheriff Jim... But she'd learned to trust her instincts a long time ago, and right now they were screaming at her to be careful. We're posting man, give us a chance. Connie wants to talk to the wife while the men aren't around, using Empathy.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 4, 2014 03:47
|
|
|
Connie "Of course. You got a pen?" She walked over to Toby.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 4, 2014 21:35
|
|
|
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."
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2014 03:25
|
|
|
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?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 7, 2014 01:15
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 8, 2014 01:14
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 9, 2014 23:42
|
|
|
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?"
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2014 00:34
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2014 05:49
|
|
|
Connie "Jesus Christ." Connie said but didn't broadcast, looking out the window at the rain. It was getting worse. If Toby was spooked enough to start making up conspiracy theories the scene must be pretty ugly. "Don't get paranoid on me, Shaw. Melanie Scott was the one who brought us out here and if someone did murder her than its on us to figure out who it was and get them locked up. Now slap some sense into that local and get back to the truck so you can wait out the storm. Drag him if you have to. There's not much you can do about the scene with the rain as it is, so bag and tag what you can." She thought for a few seconds. "Stay safe, Toby. That's the important thing for now. But I have to tell the Sheriff you found her or it'll look mighty suspicious and we're going to need him on our side. It'll come out by the end of the day anyway. Did Hart seem like he knew where she was found or were you boys just lucky?"
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2014 07:44
|
|
|
Connie "Will do, Toby. Stay in touch. Over." Connie sighed and headed back into the office, half-soaked from being out in the storm for a minute. Being the bearer of bad news wasn't something she enjoyed. "Sheriff, Megan was just found at a campsite in the woods. She's..." Words failed her for a second. There just wasn't any way to say it that wasn't terrible. "She's dead, Jim. I'm sorry." Try Empathy again, I want to see if he's sincere in whatever his reaction is. I'll tell him about the scene after the initial shock wears off.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 11, 2014 08:47
|
|
|
Connie Connie headed for the record room. "I don't know about you boys, but I'm not tired yet." she said. "Let's have a look at what you found. We need to catalogue the remains before they can be given to the family. And I want a full description of the scene, every detail. I've got the report sheet right here. Let's do this by the book."
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2014 07:58
|
|
|
I just wanted a private spot to get Connie caught up with the cougar wreath and stuff, not to go through the files yet.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 14, 2014 00:06
|
|
|
Connie Connie spent some time looking over the cougar-paw wreath but she'd never seen anything like it before. It was... really odd. She didn't have the stomach to look at a poor girl's severed head right before bed, so she left that bag closed. "Right. Let's get the remains to the medical examiner... I guess that'd be the town doctor. He's next door. Then we can eat something and sleep." Someone has to put that in a fridge overnight, anyway. You can just assume we did that and then head to Norah's Mugrim, unless there's something to talk to the Doc about.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 16, 2014 01:15
|
|
|
Connie Connie shakes Norah's hand and introduces herself, then helps herself to a bowl of beans. They're pretty decent, for what they are. She points at the bottles of whiskey on the shelf. "If this is on the State's dime, how about a sample of the local flavor?" She smiles as she sets the fork down. "And one for yourself, you look like you need it."
|
|
#
¿
Apr 17, 2014 11:39
|
|
|
Connie Connie takes the bottle and gives the label a once over, then shrugs and tosses it back- but only once. "That is some fine whiskey." She says appreciatively. She sets it back on the counter with a sigh. "But we've got work in the morning so that'll have to be all for now. Hold onto it for us? When this is all over we'll celebrate properly." Connie notices Norah's non-reaction when Toby runs across the street instead of eating. Didn't she just tell him not to get all paranoid? "Don't mind him, ma'am. Bit of a city slicker sometimes, but he's not a bad guy." She sets her (cleaned) plate down and pushes the bottle towards John in case he wants a hit, then she stretches. "I'm going to hit the sack. Don't stay up too late, John." Heading to the bedroom. Connie will sleep in a T-shirt and sweatpants unless I had to declare what kind of jammies she had in the other thread. Playerchat: Connie doesn't mind being the litmus test in case they're drugging our food or the whiskey is cursed or something.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 19, 2014 08:57
|
|
|
Connie "Fine, I'll drive. Just don't let him get sick in the back seat or you're cleaning it." Connie didn't bother swapping her sweatpants, just tied her boots on over them. She wasn't exactly happy about missing more sleep but the Interceptor was her responsibility. Besides, John had drunk too much and Toby was way too wigged out over the crime scene to be behind the wheel right now. "Is your sat-phone acting up or is it just mine?" she asked, curious if she'd gotten a faulty model.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 22, 2014 03:14
|
|
|
Connie Connie wasn't sure just how right Toby was, (though she was pretty sure how right he thought he was.) She sighed. "Right. Let's keep it simple. Password is 'Rocky'. Use it in a sentence. Counterpass is 'Mountains'. If you don't get the right reply then there's ears on the other end. We're going to need you in the morning Toby, so take care of yourself. Sheriff Jim already told me to say hello to the lady that runs the school so I'll look into that first. St. Lawrence's School for Wayward Children, he called it." She thought about it, wondering why it bothered her. "St. Lawrence was kind of an odd duck, I remember he was martyred but..." She shook her head. "Anyway, it's time we got back." With that she headed outside. The thin tall plants she didn't recognize drew her eye, and she pulled a leaf off of one of them and pocketed it before climbing back into the SUV. "Looks like we're not the only ones out tonight." she said, looking at the fires in the distance. Connie will go back to Norah's and go to bed. John can come with or stay as he likes.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 25, 2014 09:24
|
|
|
Connie That got Connie's attention. Toby might have been given to dramatics at times, but John wasn't. "You think... Whoever went after the daughter might come back for the parents?" she asked in a low whisper. What Hart had said made her wonder just how much of a snakepit they'd really stumbled into.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 25, 2014 23:21
|
|
|
Connie Connie woke up late, rubbed her eyes, got dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, and walked down the stairs following the siren scent of pancakes. "Oh thank you, Norah! That smells great." She said, plopping down in the seat next to Hart. "Seriously, if there's anything we can do to help out around here that won't interfere with the investigation don't hesitate to ask." She gives the dog a scratch on the ears before noticing that Hart had dropped his ham to it. "You a vegetarian or something?" She asked him quietly, hoping Norah wouldn't hear. When her own plate arrived she dug into everything. Home cooking was a rare enough treat in her life, and home cooking while on a murder investigation was basically unheard of. The pancakes were delicious. Her ears perked up when the old man Toby was interviewing mentioned his name, and she shoveled the rest of breakfast down in order to follow them upstairs. "Duty calls!" She said, waving to Norah and chasing after Toby. It wasn't just what Hart had said the night before that had her in such a rush, it was the fact that she didn't trust Toby alone with the God-damned press in his current state. Seriously, the paranoia was starting to get to her. Talking about 'THEM' as if there were aliens watching their every move here. Wasn't plain old murder bad enough? -- Sorry yesterday was super busy for me!
|
|
#
¿
Apr 30, 2014 20:34
|
|
|
Connie Toby had a way of talking more than he listened, and Connie was frowning very hard at him dumping everything they knew about the case at this not-quite-local writer's feet when the man collapsed with a sickening thud. "What the gently caress?" She said, kneeling next to the stricken author. She tried for a pulse on Jerry. And there goes Toby again. "Goddamnit Toby." All that mystic mumbo jumbo about the weather and the lights... But she'd seen the lights, plain as day. That didn't mean they were made by the hungry souls of dead native were-cougars, or whatever the gently caress. But someone had killed Megan, and someone- several someones- had been out last night too. When you say 'broken' do you mean he died instantly? Or is he just knocked out?
|
|
#
¿
May 5, 2014 08:03
|
|
|
Connie Connie honestly couldn't believe what had just happened. She'd seen people faint before, but Jerry had just died in front of her eyes and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She went to the window and looked outside, not knowing what she might be looking for. She gave Jerry another once over before heading downstairs, past Hart and outside. "I don't know what just happened here, but I'm going to figure it out." Connie said, quietly. "And some son of a bitch is going to regret it when I do. We should follow up on what leads we have before anyone else has an 'accident.' I'm heading for that school, either of you want to come with me?" Is there anything Connie notices from the window? Also I'd like to do a quick Investigate on Jerry's body before going downstairs, especially trying to notice if there was anything in or wrong with his ears (were they bleeding?)
|
|
#
¿
May 6, 2014 08:17
|
|
|
Connie Connie frowned. That wasn't good news about Norah. "Megan must have been a student there, that's pretense enough to start snooping officially. If you two want to do anything UNofficial I will try to keep the madame busy for a few hours. Far as Norah's concerned, we might be able to lean on her but I'd wait until later when she isn't expecting it or we're just going to hit a wall." She glanced back in the door at Harts unconscious form. "Or worse."
|
|
#
¿
May 6, 2014 17:53
|
|
|
Connie "We just-so-happened on Jerrod." Connie said. She'd have said 'lucked on Jerrod' but well... Nothing seemed lucky about it now. "We have no idea who or where these Carignans are and if we start asking we might put them in danger too. I say we head over to the known quantity. The Sheriff told me to talk to the lady who runs the place, not just Hart." She looked up at the storm. "And I don't know about you but I don't feel like digging through a bunch of old unmarked folders on the off chance we might hit gold. Fresh leads first, we can hit the records if we run out of them." Connie wants to go to the school.
|
|
#
¿
May 7, 2014 10:36
|
|
|
Connie The science lesson had been a bit odd but mostly because of the fact that they were using squirrels instead of the regular frog or pig fetuses. Also the kids seemed a little young. Maybe they had to self-catch their own anatomy lessons here? "College program?" Connie asked. "Do your students tend to come back to Tokacha after they've gotten a taste of the outside or is it usually a one way trip?" There was still the question of who owned that Sat-phone that Megan had called from, after all. One other thing seemed curious. "This storm is getting pretty bad. Don't you send them home if there's weather like this?"
|
|
#
¿
May 12, 2014 08:44
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 11:19 |
|
|
Connie John did the favor of asking the class if they had any questions, while Connie pulled Hazel aside for a few more of her own. "Ms. Johnston, before we go, are there any other teachers here, or perhaps a student counselor who might have known Megan? I just want to make sure we've covered all the bases. What you said about Mr. Jerrod was... concerning." She tried not to picture the man falling down in front of her again but it was hard. Sorry I figured John was up.
|
|
#
¿
May 20, 2014 11:42
|
|