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8/26/2014, 8:17am Chapter 1: Over the Hills and Through the Woods  The curved roads go up and down the mountains for hours. Despite her years of leaving the boys in her dust, Connie can't bring herself to exceed 35 without risking going over the edge and based off the weathered skid marks you see every quarter mile, she's making the right call. The trees are more ambitious in this neck of the woods and outside of dead noon you can't stay out of the shadows. Spiderwebs the size of Volkswagens line the edge of the forest. You begin winding up one more mountain, hoping it's the last. Toby and John are snoring loudly next to a pile of gear. As you make your way over the pass, you see the town in front of you. The widens considerably. The town up ahead seems split halfway through by a ravine and a large bridge. This town is different than the last dozen you saw. The buildings are large and steady, stone and thick wood. The main street is surprisingly kept up and clean, nothing deteriorating or breaking down. As you enter town you get a lot of looks by every set of eyes. Few people seem to be driving anything and you get the impression many don't own a car. A man with an over-sized leather hat sits in front of what looks like the one stop shop county courthouse and Sheriff's office. It looks to be the oldest building in town. Across the street is a post office next to what looks like an old bar, a church, and a surprisingly tall school. Welcome to a Great Stillness! Posting conventions are as follows: quote:Character name Recruitment and OOC thread mugrim fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Mar 31, 2014 |
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Mar 31, 2014 04:54
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Saved for the future
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Mar 31, 2014 04:54
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 Toby Shaw {Character Sheet} Toby is roused from his light sleep as the twists and turns of the mountain road evens out. He rubs his eyes and cracks his neck, then adjusts his seat as to better accomodate wakefulness. He looks out at the town. "Is this the place?" Toby sits up and his speech drawls as he cranes his neck to gaze up at the towering structures, his mouth barely moving as he's transfixed. "Can't say this is what I expected... Look at these buildings." He turns to Connie. "How much you want to bet no contractor's ever touched these? These are old and... communally built, probably. Like Amish country. Communally built and communally kept. That or we're in the weirdest municipal enterprise zone in America." Toby points to the man with the leather hat. "That our man? Rolland?" Did we get anything back from the Army corps of engineers or the University of Kentucky history department before we left? Topographical data, geological surveys, any kind of historical info, that sort of thing? Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 10:37 on Apr 7, 2014 |
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Mar 31, 2014 06:29
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There is a stunning lack of coverage on the town in terms of state based accounting of it. You have some topographical maps but they're based off general models and not all that helpful, the last time a surveyor actually filed anything regarding the town was 1938 when the bridge was completed. Anything on the government side of things the state is still tracking down. Historically the area has been extremely remote. It has French roots and often stayed completely out of external conflicts.
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Mar 31, 2014 06:41
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 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 |
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Mar 31, 2014 08:41
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 John Williams Char Sheet here Rubbing his eyes and quickly wiping away a hint of drool, John cracked his neck and looked around. His colleague's words roused him to action and he pulled through the empty coffee cups, candy bar wrappers and various survival tools that littered the back seat before he found the files. "I'll take a look now. Think I remember seeing one somewhere but I'll be damned if there's any kind of order to these things. Flipping through the paperwork, he glanced up occasionally to see the alien buildings as they passed. All three of the police officers had small town roots, but this was nothing like what any of them remembered. I hope you guys brought some spare gas, looks like this place doesn't see a lot of auto traffic. He looked at Connie, "Good driving on the way up, hope we don't have to leave in too much of a hurry." --- I'll let mugrim decide what we have in the files. ForeverBWFC fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Apr 8, 2014 |
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Mar 31, 2014 14:49
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mistaya posted: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.) Phone Post: Main street crosses the ravine on the extremely wide bridge. The bridge not only looks solid, it is surprisingly beautiful and wide, much wider than the road that leads to it. People seem to be wearing denim or work clothes, albeit dated. They appear like they have their poo poo together and they are clean. There are two ford's in the sheriff's "lot", an F-150 and F-350,both with decals. The sheriff's matches the department photo to a stunning degree. He's eagerly awaiting your arrival, though he's kind enough to give you your privacy while you're in the car.
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Mar 31, 2014 19:48
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John Williams John flicked through the files until he found the page he was after. "Ah, here we go!" he said, to no one in particular. "Must be a pretty recent photo, because that guy's the spitting image of it." He paused to take another quick look round. Hell, even the people in this town looked like they were from another, older time. "I'm surprised, his photograph must be the newest thing in this town!"
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Mar 31, 2014 21:53
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Toby Toby unbuckles himself and opens his door, letting the car's digitized bell ring for a few seconds. "Might as well introduce ourselves." he says as he climbs out and strolls toward the man in the leather hat, holding out his hand. "Sheriff Rolland? Toby Shaw." Did we figure out a cover story?
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Apr 1, 2014 00:17
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"Welcome!" He extends his hand out and provides a firm handshake for each of you. "Sheriff James Rolland, you can call me Jim. Now I've been hearing a lot of Hubbub this morning and despite my best efforts to find out what it's about they seem to have all failed. Well let me congradulate you on allowing me to be the first Welcome Wagon in quite some time." While you are pretty distant from most people and no one can hear you, the Sheriff knows better. "Lets go inside where it's a bit more private." He leads you in the County building and you examine its architecture. It's stone and logs arranged beautifully, with some kind of Adobe face and courtyard. You notice that it's littered with holes big enough for your thumbs to fit through. Inside you find a large office with a pair of cells. There is a conference table a few offices that are seemingly empty, and a hallway with a sign that says "Records" above it. "So, how can I help you?" 
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Apr 1, 2014 02:09
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Toby Shaw "Well Jim, it's a long story. How much did the boys in Frankfort tell you about our visit, exactly?"
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Apr 1, 2014 02:40
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"They told me to expect three Kentucky State Officers and they wanted to give me a heads up. Beyond that they're as quiet as can be. You mind telling me how we can help here? I hope this doesn't come as discourteous but the sooner you get what you need the sooner my town can rest."
mugrim fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Apr 1, 2014 |
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Apr 1, 2014 03:26
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Toby Shaw "Not at all, Jim. Last thing we want is to step on any toes. There's a girl by the name of Melanie Scott, vanished without a trace 13 years ago. From what we can tell she ran away from home and went hitching, but we lost track of her movements. Yesterday her mother got a call out of the blue, said it was her girl asking for help. Now, we triangulated the signal and it seems to have originated round these parts. A satellite phone, registered internationally." "That's about all we know for sure at this point. Melanie was 12 when she went missing, so she'd be about 25 now. Could be she came here of her own free will and has been living out in the open, could be she's being held, or it could be the call was a hoax, or misheard. We don't know. But given how cold the case has been the state's gotta investigate, which is why we're here." Toby holds his hand out to convey reassurance. "Now like I said, we don't want to be stepping on toes. Tokacha seems like a quiet, peaceful town and we don't want to be a disruption. But we've got a job that needs doing, and as soon as we've due diligence has been paid we can get out of your hair." "Our records back in the capital aren't great, and we don't know a whole lot about Tokacha. If we could count on your help in this investigation, we could really speed things up, and we'd be grateful." Toby employs his warmest smile.
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Apr 1, 2014 04:05
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"Well that is troubling news sir, what was your name again?" He looks around. "I haven't heard of any strangers up here in a few months save you. Do you know who she was with? What she was doing? If you have a picture we can go door to door, see if anyone has seen her."
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Apr 1, 2014 04:26
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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."
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Apr 1, 2014 04:57
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The Sheriff's eyes instantly go wide when you he sees the picture and his otherwise brimming smile fades quickly.  "Megan..." He slumps over to a phone on his desk and begins dialing as he picks up the receiver. It takes maybe two minutes before it is finally picked up. "Johnathan, when was the last time you saw Megan? Yeah? I don't know where she is, that's what I'm trying to find out. No no, it's not a bother, I told you, you need to call me when this happens. Please come here, bring Meryl. Is she okay? I'll see you when you get here." The Sheriff begins moving some supplies around. "Well this visit might be a lot shorter than you thought detectives. I've known that girl for over a decade, Megan. We filed a missing persons report on her when Johnathan found her in his irrigation ditch. Poor girl was in the Clinic for almost half a year. We sent the proper paperwork into the state. We adopt a large number of children here from surrounding areas as a religious effort with the school and when we couldn't find a match Judge Collier remanded her to Johnathan Hart's custody. She's had a good life but the poor girl liked going off on her own a lot. This isn't the first time she's been missing, but I can't imagine why she would have remembered who she was and not told us. We shouldn't worry she is probably just scared. We lucked out, if she's in the thick we can probably find her. Should I organize the town to begin canvassing? What can we do to accommodate you?" Jim begins making some coffee.
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Apr 1, 2014 06:23
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Toby Shaw "Alright, this is good, this is good, we're getting somewhere. Let's back up. You said she's been missing before? Do we know where she went when she did?" Toby rubs his lips. "We've got to narrow down our scope. The call was made in the last 24 hours from a satellite phone, a foreign number, registered in England and Australia. Do you know of anyone who does business or would have contacts in those countries? Corporate offices, law firms, mining or timber exporters? Does she have friends she might contact?"
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Apr 1, 2014 07:02
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"I can't imagine who would have that phone. A fair amount of families in town have Satellite phones because of the nature of their work and our lack of a cell phone tower. It's possible that someone bought one second hand from a foreigner. As far as Meg's running away. It was always somewhere within the palm." He takes a moment to think. Oh, the palm is what we call this area we live in. 5 large mountains linked together in a circle with a bunch of rivers cutting through it, looks like the palm of an open hand from the sky."
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Apr 1, 2014 13:18
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John Williams This all seemed a bit too simple for John's liking, they came out here expecting mystery and intrigue, good old fashioned police work. Instead they had a helpful sheriff and a seemingly easy explanation. John honestly couldn't tell whether he felt relieved or disappointed. He decided to spruce things up in his own head, watching the sheriff speak to the others, not being hostile but just trying to get a read on the man as he spoke, see what he could pick up. Would it be possible to roll an investigation (body language) check? 4 pips, +1 for specialisation, but if there's nothing to see then it's not a big deal. ForeverBWFC fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Apr 2, 2014 |
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Apr 1, 2014 17:17
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John only John takes a good look at the Sheriff, and seems to realize that he was not at all surprised by this development. The Sheriff does not seem nervous at all about Johnathan though he might even be curious.
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Apr 1, 2014 22:02
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Toby Shaw Something about this didn't smell right to Toby. It was possible that whoever was assigned to the case 13 years ago hadn't done due diligence and wouldn't have caught a report of a traumatized girl fitting Melanie's description out of Tokacha, but somehow he doubted it. What really sat in the middle of his mind's eye like a stone was the fact that the alleged report hadn't turned up when the case was re-opened. State records gently caress ups weren't uncommon, but given the apparent dearth of any and all info about Tokacha it would have been hard to overlook. Why wasn't there a follow-up? Where was the press in this? Why just let the man who found Melanie keep her, like a stray dog? Toby couldn't shake all the little, just-off details about the case. Tokacha had only the thinnest of records tying it to the state, like there was only just enough to confirm that the place even existed - virtually no crime that two LEOs couldn't single-handedly cover, nothing in census data, nothing significant or even notable, over 30 years. A placid blind spot of 1800 people in the middle of Kentucky, a state that he knew to be rife with systemic rot. It was like the town existed in a bubble that was just now being pierced, like Tokacha was deep in the Amazon instead of the American heartland. "There was one other thing, Jim. The mother says that when she got the call she thought she made out Melanie saying something about... A mouth, whispers from a dark mouth, something like that. That she found a way to stop them." Toby shakes his head, looking bemused. "Did Melanie have any psychological issues that we know of? Schizophrenia, mania, anything like that? Would've manifested in the last ten years, I would think. Whatever happened to her wouldn't have helped. If she did we'll have to be more careful about our search. Does "whispering mouth" mean anything to you? Maybe she was telling us where to look." Toby is lying here. Melanie hadn't said she had found a way to stop the "whispers in the mouth in the dark", she said she couldn't. So he'll roll to lie, and then roll to investigate body language and detect lies in the Sheriff's response. Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Apr 2, 2014 |
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Apr 2, 2014 00:15
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John Williams Something about this whole thing was beginning to stink. John had watched enough men lie to know when someone was hiding something, and this sheriff was hiding plenty from them. The question was, why? He had a good position at the back of the trio, Toby had the Sheriff's attention held well enough for now, so John continued to watch the sheriff as he dug deeper and deeper. He couldn't alert his colleagues to his suspicions right now, but he got the feeling Toby suspected something too. Keeping his face impassive, he waited to see how Toby's little half-truth hit home... Could I check body language as well? ForeverBWFC fucked around with this message at 02:58 on Apr 2, 2014 |
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Apr 2, 2014 00:43
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John and Toby only, no other successes He is massively unsettled, though that is some really freaky sounding poo poo.  "Now I would keep allegations like that to yourself outside this room. I don't know any whispering darkness or mouths thereof, but when Megan first arrived she was barely alive. She's been a good kid ever since. When her father comes, I would recommend you focus on helping him and not calling her Melanie. The truth is a great thing, but for the last 13 years his truth was that his daughter Megan loved him and no one is about to get between him and that right now. Jonathan is a good man, but he is a bit of a hot head." You can hear honking in the distance. "That's probably him."
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Apr 2, 2014 03:52
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John Williams Grateful for the break in the building tension, John wonders how he can convey to his fellow officers the insight into the sheriff he gained from their little exchange. "Of course, sheriff, no one was insinuating anything" he said, calmly. "If it's all the same to you, would Toby and I be able to step out to the car and retrieve some files before Megan's guardian arrives? It may help if we take another look at the info we have, see if your new information can help us add to it and help us to better deal with the situation as quickly as possible, so we can be out of your hair. Rolling whichever is more appropriate of persuasion/socialise in order to buy Toby (who I think has cottoned on to the Sheriff's oddness) and me a chance to speak privately.
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Apr 2, 2014 04:05
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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.
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Apr 2, 2014 04:22
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Toby Toby nods at John. "Couldn't hurt to get our ducks in a row before going public. I made some annotations on the way over, I'll go over 'em with you, see what we can disregard in light of this new situation." He turns to Connie and the Sheriff "I should jot down a quick sitrep anyway, given this development. Meet you both out in a few minutes and we'll talk to Mr. Hart, and we'll figure a plan from there. Thanks, sheriff. With luck we can find Megan and sort this all out by nightfall."
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Apr 2, 2014 04:38
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Phonepost: Update coming tonight.
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Apr 3, 2014 00:04
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John and Toby leave the building and make to the car. Connie is handed a map by the Sheriff. (I'm having trouble trying to find the one I drew. R is river, M mountain, B bridge, D downtown.) pre: RRRRRMMMMMM M
R M
M R M
M DBD M
M RRRRRRR M
R RRRRRRRR
R MMMMR MMMMM
A large blue truck parks right out from. A man with a chest like a barrel comes in, ducking under the door as he enters. He has a very large revolver on his hip, a rifle on his back, but for some reason his eyes and fists frighten you far more. His eyes are brimming with rage but his voice is calm. "We need to find her."  He looks at the Sheriff "Meryl is in the car, she's not spoken a word all morning. This time it's different Jim."
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Apr 3, 2014 02:37
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bump
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Apr 3, 2014 04:08
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Toby Toby opens the car door to make like they're busy. "What's your read on the sheriff? Seemed profoundly rattled to me, but unless he's a consummate actor, he wasn't expecting our line of inquiry. But it might be more than that..." He shoots John a look. "Tried to get a bead on him when I mentioned the contents of the call, see if he was holding back, but he dodged me. Something about this is weird." Toby sighs heavily and rubs the bridge of his nose. "I appreciate that we need to be discrete, but we've got to bring Bellworth up to speed."
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Apr 3, 2014 05:20
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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?"
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Apr 3, 2014 07:16
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John Leigh John rubbed his eyes wearily, this was turning out a lot weirder than he would have liked. He didn't know for sure if they were being listened to, so as the two detectives leant into the car he muttered quietly to his colleague. "Listen, I've been hanging back in a bit in there, trying to observe, you know, academy poo poo." he said, careful not to look up or around in a suspicious way. "The Sheriff's been expecting this. He didn't react to the girl being missing, almost like that's what he knew he was going to hear. He's not coming across as nervous at all, if anything he seems curious about what Jonathan's going to say to us. He grabbed the last file and paused for a second. "Something weird's going on here. As for our colleague, we'll have to see if she figures it out or if one of us can find a second alone with her.
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Apr 3, 2014 13:21
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 "If you want to take on a boar, a lovesick stag, or a pissed off cougar with your hands, you be my guest." Sheriff interrupts  "Tokacha is an old injun word, means Cougar. This area is littered with them and the boars they eat." Johnathan begins breaking it down. "I already got half the towners looking. If you all want to come with me you are welcome, this area is dangerous if you don't know where you're going. Meryl normally looks with me but she can't right now. I need someone looking over my shoulder, would you mind helping ma'am?"
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Apr 3, 2014 13:39
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bump.
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Apr 3, 2014 20:21
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last bump
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Apr 4, 2014 02:32
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Toby Toby shuts the car door. "Alright, let's rendezvous with Connie before we decide for sure how much we're gonna cut the sheriff out of the loop. Looks like the foster father's arrived, let's get back before a scene develops. Bring the file, if just for appearances." With that, Toby jogs back to the sheriff's office and walks in. "Sorry for the delay, Trooper Williams will be right in. Mr. Hart, I presume? Toby holds his hand out.
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Apr 4, 2014 03:02
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 "I need some eyes and guns to watch me as we head out. My wife Meryl is too shocked. Sheriff, you mind finding someone to stay with her?" The Sheriff turns around,  "Absolutely." Jonathan is ready to move. Are you?
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Apr 4, 2014 03:09
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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.
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Apr 4, 2014 03:47
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 Jonathan gives a quick and sincere hug to Connie. "I would appreciate that a great deal ma'am. Meryl hasn't spoken since last night, hopefully you can get her to open up." Connie goes to the truck and brings Meryl in. She moves with Connie but refuses to make eye contact. She sits down at the Sheriff's conference table and drinks the coffee that is handed to her. Meryl is wearing a nice clean flower print dress and a large wool coat, which is odd given the August air. The Sheriff does not look pleased about spending his time coordinating, you get the impression he'd rather be out looking for Megan.
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Apr 4, 2014 05:12
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Toby "Connie, could I talk to you for a moment? Gotta get you to sign off on the sitrep before I log it. You know how Lexington likes having all officers accounted for, and I'd rather just qet it done quickly before the search starts. Just need 30 seconds."
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Apr 4, 2014 09:30
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