Beauty School Dropout

GM: Scurry Players: Lost, Posh, Krieg Synopsis: Posh is called upon by her contact Consuela. She and her team must solve a murder mystery involving embezzlement and stolen technology. An executive was already caught, but the mole he was using to funnel money and information was unknown to him. This is the mystery they must solve from amongst a pool of employees within the department store. Date: 9/7/2075 Map: http://stoodle.ck12.org/class/55c790e1161c7# -----> Contact for Posh (#11342) <----- Contact Name: Consuela Gallarda Level: 2 Type: azzie j GM Note: Posh helped out Conseula remove a couple of difficult customers from real estate that she'd been assigned to secure. The job helped to propel Conseula's career within Aztechnology, and now she works as a special project director in the office of the Aztechnology managing VP for the Azzie sector in Denver. INT 8 (Cerebral Booster), Negotiation 10 (Pheremones), Etiquette (Corporate) 6 (8), Shadowscene Players (6), Corporate Procedures (Aztechnology) 6(8), Famous Wetwork Missions 5. GM Note: Posh had completed a 20,000 nuyen favor with a playerplot run by Lost (Containment). GM Note: Posh had completed a 20,000 nuyen favor with a playerplot run by Posh (Truckin' Ain't Easy). *Boop* There's a voicemail waiting for Posh. For "Posh", not Vera, which means Consuela was calling for a specific reason. "Posh," Consuela's familiar whiskey voice and slightly slurred accent sounds unhurried. "Be a darling and catch a cab. Head down to the Az Sector. No SIN checks. No passes needed. It's the usual. You were never here and I certainly don't have a driver waiting outside for you. Bring one person, because I have a job for you. No rush, dear. I'm doing a favor for someone, and you'll be doing a favor to me. And querida? Keep the weapons to a minimum." Consuela sounds… amused, if that were possible. «Plot» Scurry says, "Roll Perception to Scurry now if you'd like to know why Consuela is amused!" «Plot» Scurry says, "Also give me consent." «Plot» Lost consents. «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Intelligence (to Scurry): 2 4 4 4 5 5 5 8 Posh has immediately been pondering the Aztechnology SIN that she had been planning to purchase soon. Considering that Consuela's aware that her 'Vera' identity is just that, an identity, Posh is quite happy to lift an eyebrow and respond quite directly, surreptitiously slotting both her Spanish and Nahuatl chips, just in case she needs to catch some particular under the breaths oaths. It proves unnecessary," she says. "Well, you know that's a little hard for me…but minimum it is," she teases, wondering why she'd have to keep the weapons low in a land that has the most lax weapons law of all. Still, she shrugs, a little smile flickering on her face, and she nods. "You know we go back, Consuela. Doing favors for you is a privilege. That doesn't mean I'll let you forget," she teases. "Be there in a trice, Connie." She considers a bit, looking across the half empty bottle of wine she'd been sharing with Lost. "Well, Lost," she says. "I was wondering if you might be interested in meeting someone who's been a very big help to me. There might be a little nuyen in it, but it sounds like she needs a little help. Feel like a little jaunt to the Azzie sector? No weapons, so I don't see why we couldn't enjoy a nice little ride in Loretta…" «Plot-Page» (To: Posh) Scurry says, "It sounds like Consuela secured /a lot/ of privileges for you. It's hard enough to get into the Azzie sector; for her to sound so unhurried, with so many clearances, this didn't cost her a dime. Typical for Consuela: she's taking her time to maximize the expenses someone else had to pay." Posh glances over to Loretta. "We've got temporary Azzie passes - real ones," she says. "Might make me take out a room at the Burnsley." She grins. "Actually, I've been considering that lately. Anyway, in any case," she says, thoughtfully. "Shall we?" she asks, eager to sit in the passenger's seat of Lost's incredibly awesome car. Posh gets a text fron Consuela: Come in disguise. The only requirement. Lost glances at the bottle, perhaps a bit saddened that the remnants will have to wait for another time. But, in any case, she nods to Posh with a smile, "Let's see… work, or keep sitting here and enjoying this bottle of wine… decisions, decisions." She spents a long moment weighing the options, trying to look serious as she does so. The illusion is broken, however, as her lips curl into a grin, "Guess we might as well do a favor for your friend. Not like all the wine in the world will be drunk between now and when we're finished. Let me just go grab a couple things and we'll head out." That said, she throws her SecureTech jacket on over her normal street clothes, adds her shades for good measure, and heads down to the parking garage to meet with Posh. "We shall!" She answers, getting in the driver's seat. Loretta rumbles to life with what can only be described as a sexy purr before Lost punches the coordinates Consuela had given into the AutoNav. Posh gives a chuckle to Lost. "All right," she says, shifting her color to a nice gentle honey color. She raises her purse. "Well," she says. "I've brought my disguise kit. If we're going on Azzie passes, best, perhaps, not to look like ourselves," she says, with a grin. «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Disguise for "fiberoptic for me": 3 5 5 9 «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Disguise for "for Lost": 1 3 5 7 "Posh? Querida, something came up. There's no security footage. Someone cut the wires. Can you imagine such a thing?" Consuela sounds deeply, /deeply/ amused. "I'm forwarding you another pass. You're going to need someone good with tech. An independent third party. One of your party," She adds. "See you when you get here. And take your time. Enjoy the ride. It's a lovely day." Posh's pocsec, which is implanted inside her cyberarm, does not 'go off' so much as relay an alert message in her vision, directly, through its connected image link. She sends the message to her FOV and nods. "I see. A techie with expertise in security systems. I think I know quite the lady. We can talk about the details a little later, but I am fortunately able to help with this." "Probably a good idea, yeah." Lost replies with a grin, shifting in her seat so that Posh has a little more room to make her look like someone else, "As per usual… I'll let you do the talking. I don't speak a word of Spanish anyway. So I'll just do my best to look harmless and inconspicuous." She can't help but start to nod in agreement with herself, but stops so as not to interrupt the disguise Posh is furnishing for her. "You are brilliant, dear," Consuela says. She's in full lighting, and she looks immaculate… As is the usual. Behind her, Posh can see that she's in what looks to be a department store. A makeup counter behind her gleams brilliantly, with all of its electronic wizardry turned off. Posh arches an eyebrow as she glances behind Conseula, a little smirk spreading her lips as she looks back to Lost. Meanwhile, she directs her pocsec to send a quick message to Krieg, informing her of the opportunity. "Our associate has already been informed, and here's a link where she can retrieve pass information, Connie," replies Posh. "She should be arriving soon." As a brassy honey blonde, Posh smiles, dipping her head politely. "I'll admit, my dear," she says. "I didn't expect this to be in the purview of your special projects. Gone from murders and assassinations to mergers and acquisitions?" She grins. "Or is this sort of a Clausewitzian riff…crime is the logical extension of business? "I'll explain it when you get here," Consuela says, her smile genuine but provoked by something else… Likely something off-camera. "As I said, a third party was needed. The facilities are non-operational. I was happy to offer my assistance. Chao querida. Drive safely. Stop and get a soycaf; just bill it to me when you cross into Aztlan proper." A quick message returns from Krieg to Posh, "Would it be easier to just meet you there, what would you like brought?..that does depend on the details." Posh replies to Krieg, "Little change. We'll pick you up on the way. That way I can doll you up. No weapons, or Senshi, but if you need a kit or something to do your magic, that would be ideal," she says, rather thoughtfully. "And can you stop so we can get a soykaf, Lost?" she asks with a quick flash of a grin. Lost and Posh are still sitting in the parking garage. After all, Lost just put in the coordinates. She didn't start the AutoNav. Listening to at least /half/ of the exchange between Consuela and Posh, the dark-haired elf, disguised with a considerably darker complexion than normal, glances to the other elf in the vehicle, "What's a Senshi?" She asks, before nodding and fiddling with the AutoNav system. Lost is clearly not the most adept when it comes to technology, but she manages to alter the car's route to stop at a convenient coffee shop on the way to the Azzie border. Another reply to Posh, "No weapons, No Senshi, concealed armor is fine yes?. I will need some of my tools and Decks, I would prefer to maintain a bag or backpack for this to be done easily. I will move to a location along your route, Doll me up?" The coordinates lead to a shopping mall— Cara Cara— in the Aztlan Sector. The coffee pickup is easy, the AutoNav warns Lost briefly about traveling to the Aztech sector, and Krieg is picked up along the way. Posh nods, then realizes that Krieg can't see that motion, and sends a thumbs-up emoji. Cara-Cara then, she thinks, frowning a little bit, giving a big smile to Krieg as she comes. With her weapons built-in, with the mage not needing any, and with Krieg for electronic backup and to deal with any security, Posh grins as she looks around at the two others. "You know, this team covers quite a bit of capabilities," she says. "Conseula's lucky." She waits as the vehicle heads, now, to the shopping mall, curious about what she'll see when she gets there. The ride through the checkpoint and into the Aztlan Sector is smooth going. The passes are full day passes, appropriately colored, and Lost's car even gets to go through the express lane. It is the approach to the mall where things begin to become more… Shadowy. The street leading up to CaraCara is blocked off, but the trio are let through. Only one city-block and fiften stories tall, it is a tiny little thing in comparison to the excesses of the Diamond District. Parking is available in the parking structure, but Lost is motioned to park literally in front of the curb where valet would normally reside. "Thank you for your attendance," The CorpSec says, shrugging an assault rifle on his shoulder to get more comfortable. His tongue is unable to muster the same effort with English. "You are to go to the second floor beauty department and report. Please have a nice day." Krieg simply follows along until she is more aware of what's being asked of her. Just sticking to Posh closely, for the momment. "Beauty Department?" "Mmm." Lost agrees with a nod, quite enjoying the drive. With the AutoNav enabled, Loretta's governed at the speed limit for whatever road she happens to be on, but that doesn't stop her from getting up to that speed in a hurry. The acceleration is nice and smooth, though, so passengers won't be constantly thrown around in their seats. The fun really starts after the border crossing. As soon as the team is given clearance in the express lanes, Loretta's engine roars to life, and the 'normal' speed traffic in the other lanes can only watch in amazement as the car zips past. Once parked, she gets out of the car and nods to the CorpSec, ready to move up to the second floor with the rest of her team. Posh glances off to Lost, and Krieg, a little curiously. "Thank you very much," she says, politely, before she gives just a shrug to Krieg. "I suppose so," she says. "Let's not keep Conseula waiting," she says. "I just heard that one of my…well, most of the times I'd say associate but in this case, I -do- like Connie's cattiness. So one of my friends needs some help with something…strange. And we're going to help find out more about it." CaraCara is a typical mall, except that at this very moment, it is dead empty inside. There are cursory lights on, but not much else. The trip to the second floor is a creepy jaunt through abandoned kiosks, junk stores, and other such things that litter the ground floor before parting ways to the more luxurious second floor. There is no need to actually find Consuela; one need only follow the path of terrified assistants, lower-ranking corporate henchmen, and an increasingly dangerous array of holstered weapons until the trio finds Connie. She's still in front of the makeup counter. Behind her, a very large man in a perfectly tailored suit is staring daggers into her back. She is seemingly perfectly content with the silence, and has taken this opportunity to touch up her makeup. With an infuriating perfection. "Posh, darling," She says, stepping out of the chair to extend her arms. "Welcome to CaraCara. Have some free samples. Was your ride enjoyable?" She asks, apparently luxuriating in social niceties. Krieg simply nods and remains the quiet one for now. Theres plenty to watch and consider here for the momment, no need to add more confusion to the enviroment. She simply stays close enough to reaction, but far enough to not die if Posh explodes. Posh glances around as she looks around CaraCara, the shrine to moneymaking, and moseys on past the terrified assistants and holstered, then finally slung weapons. "Why thank you," she says, arching an eyebrow, giving a smile as she sees someone who weaponizes her appearance nearly as much as she does. "I'd be delighted. If you'd like," she says, a smile spreading on her feature. "It's been nearly four days since my beechbox came in the post and I fear I may be undergoing 'new product withdrawal.'" It's easy to resist the urge to go on an impromptu shopping spree when the mall is empty. In fact, the dead silence in the place is a little unnerving, for Lost at least. "This place looks haunted." She mutters to no one in particular. Upon locating Posh's contact, however, she tries to shake the feeling, though the trail of assistants and corporate muscle isn't exactly helpful. Nevertheless, she manages to put on a polite smile for Consuela. "It was a lovely day for a drive, to be honest. And I'd always wanted a pass on the express lanes." She adds with a grin. "Help yourself to whatever," Consuela says. She waves a hand to the counters. "Yourself and your associates." She has the kind of money and taste that affords a suit whose cuffs fit perfectly even when she extends her arms. "Here's the situation. Someone moves something through this front. I do not know what. I don't even care what." A motion with her hand slices any interest she may have off. "It is not anything I am associated with. However, it is something an associate of mine /is/ associated with. Three major interests are represented here." She gestures with a hand to the expansive floor plan; bracelets and rings jingle softly. Clothing, boutique booths, hair products, everything society needs to tell women of any metaspecies how they could be better. "A higher-up was caught embezzling company funds, and was found guilty of espionage. Someone here, on the lower end of things, was an accomplice in moving money and patent data. I suppose even though it is not important at all, fashion still makes money, no?" She asks with a tilt of her head. Her smile waxes as the giant man who was behind her frowns deeply. "Marla was the whistleblower. Marla is dead. We do not know who killed Marla, and all three interests are demanding an investigation. Whoever killed her is likely the accomplice, but the executive didn't know the identity." Posh nods, thoughtful. "I see," she says, with a smile. "In any case, this is a lovely project, I have to admit," she says. "Ah, patent data?" she asks. "And who says it's not important? Anything that people value is important. That's why we're in this business, eventually," she says. "I see," she says, nodding. "So someone killed a whistleblower so that they can continue harming the bottom line," she says. "So. There is information in here, somewhere," she says. "How much do you want this tied up?" she asks. "Find proof and eliminate the executive for you, dear?" she asks. As Posh chit chats, Krieg takes a momment to look around from her spot near Posh. If something specific peaks her interest, she'll investigate, but for now it's negotiation and information time. Perhaps feeling it would be impolite of her to interrupt the rather familiar, pleasant conversation between Posh and Consuela, Lost keeps quiet for the moment. But as she listens and gets a sense of what the Azzie exec is asking of the team, her eyes light up and her lips start to curl into a grin. "Well, that is the interesting part," Consuela says to Posh. "Jorge? Bring LeSatre." The very large man says nothing even as his face hardens. He opens a pocsec and hits a few buttons with his huge fingers. "I'm glad your ride in was pleasant. Any friend of Posh is a potentially useful friend of mine," Consuela says to Lost, her eyes actually twinkling with amusement. "So, what I actually need you to do is find the killer themselves. No one was allowed in or out when Marla was found." As Consuela talks, the sound of boots stomping on the ground in the distance approaches. The avenue leading to where Consuela, Posh & Co. are chatting is light in the distance by motion-sensitive lights. They blink on at a steady pace, until the windowless gloom is obliterated. Two security officers are dragging a man by his arms. Lesatre's shouting drowns out the sound of armored boots on tile. He is likely the executive, from his dress, and his face has seen far less swollen days. "I want this made clear," Consuela says, raising her face as she turns away from Lost, Krieg and Posh to address the employees. "These are our investigators. They are to be accomodated to any measure. Impedance will not be tolerated. Failure to comply with the investigation will be met with extreme prejudice." She finishes talking as LeSatre is dropping a few yards away on the dias. "Shoplifting will not be tolerated." The guard to LeSatre's left unholsters his gun and shoots. LeSatre's head explodes, and his shouting stops. The display is made to intimidate the employees. So, Lost, seeing the writing on the wall, looks away as one of the guards decides to do some impromptu redecorating with the corpse formerly known as LeSatre's brains. She clears her throat, falling back into a default, polite smile as she looks to Consuela, "Well, I think we can find your culprit and leave the rest to you. Wouldn't you say so, Posh?" Posh frowns a little. "LeSatre," she says. "Well," she says. "I'm so glad to see that it was," she says, with a nod, glancing back to Krieg and Lost with a shrug. "Well," she says. "I suppose one is to expect such things to happen to one who steals directly and consciously from Aztechnology, and more specifically, from one of your projects. What is that they say? A fool and his life are soon parted?" she asks, with a little chuckle, as if she's a totally coldblooded corp killer as well. "So, I see," she says. "Where exactly was Marla when she was killed?" she asks. "You've taken out the ringleader, but you need us to get his covert henchman," she says, understanding dawning. "Lateral thinking here. The best way to find who it is, will be to figure out exactly how the deed was done. Then we can elmiminate nearly everyone with no chance of having that particular capability," she suggests. «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Etiquette + 4 for "Cold blooded!": 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 5 5 7 Krieg nods politely, and watches the body for a momment before returning to watching the others. Wondering if any react strangely to the incident. "Get back to your stations and stay there," Consuela says, in her final address to the employees. They vanish. "Truth be told, it was not my choice," Consuela says softly. "I do not waste assets like that. With the proper simsense, he could have seen the light. My only role here was to provide an impartial, third-party investigation. Which is where you come in. Take names, find a motive, find the killer. We are without recording, so you'll have to go about this the old-fashioned way." «Plot-Page» (To: Posh) Scurry says, "Re: Etiquette. Consuela is an arbitor here. The killing of LeSatre is out of her hands, and not her decision. You can see that the entire setup was done to unify the image of the corps in front of the employees." "Well, we have a motive, right? The killer was commanded to do so by the executive," says Posh, thinking out loud a bit, turning to Krieg and Lost. "We'd like to take a look at the crime scene, and we'd like to start with a list of everyone who had access to that building. It's a long list, but we'll work on cutting it down," she says. "Or was access control not set up yet, either?" she asks. "Ok then." Lost begins with a nod, looking from Krieg, to Posh, and then back to Consuela with a smile, "If that's all, I suppose we should get to work. We'll get this handled for you as quickly as possible." Then, turning to the group, she glances around the room briefly, "The first thing that comes to mind for me is that LeSatre must have been compensating his lackey in some fashion. So if we can get access to financials, we might be able to spot a few people with more money than they should have. It'd give us somewhere to start, anyway. Other than that… I suppose we could check the security camera archives, look for any suspicious activity. See who LeSatre might have been meeting with in the more cloistered parts of the mall, perhaps?" Looking to Posh, she grins, "Well, the building was shut down when Marla was found… so anyone who might've been involved must be here, right? Depending on how long it was between Marla's unfortunate demise and the discovery of her body, of course…" "If you had been hired to kill this person, would you still be here regardless of a security lockdown?" Krieg says somewhat quietly between the group. "Their level of professional skills then would likely not put them in the realm of a hired hit, if they are. Surveilance is good, if they have it, access controls to certain areas, utility and cleaning drones record some sensor feeds, speculation is fine for now. It would be ebst if we start where it happened and examine the results." "You have seven employees who were here when the murder occurred," Consuela says. "Mr. Gomez here will furnish you with a list of their employee records. I am afraid that I, however, must leave you. When the investigation begins, this becomes extraterritorial to me. Marla was left undisturbed." Posh consdiers a bit. "I see," says Posh. "All right," she says. "Seven employees. We'd like to have that, and we'd like to inspect where she was killed, so that we can do this properly." Posh realizes that she wishes she had a forensics kit. "All right," she says. "For starters," she says, turning to Lost. "I'm wondering what you could see in the spirit world that might give clues. There might be a lot of spirits in the area, something like that. Somebody might know something," she says. "In any case, can you get hints on those?" she asks, nodding to Conseula. "I understand, Conseula. And we will be delighted to help you with this. Would you like to make sure that we mention your name associated with this investigation?" she asks. "There is no need," Consuela says. "The reason I have to leave is due to my being in charge of providing the impartial investigation. But /whatever/ you need, please feel free to ask of Mr. Gomez. The execs want this done in twenty four hours. And I believe I have said too much, so I really must excuse myself lest I bias your discovery. Good meeting you all again, and happy hunting." "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Lost says to Consuela, offering the woman a smile and a nod in goodbye. She must be a very busy person, after all, and the dark-haired elf is ready to get to work in any case. Turning to Posh, she nods, "A mall would make a pretty good hangout for a city spirit. Especially down in the basement or maintenance sections of the building. I'll take a look around and see what I can find." Looking to Mr. Gomez, she smiles, "Excuse me, do you have a map of the building I could use? A paper copy would be ideal, if it's not too much trouble." "We should get started." Krieg mentions quietly to Posh..as she watches the John departing. Posh nods to Consuela. "I understand," she says, considering, and mentally adding Mr. Gomez to the list, deciding whether or not she wants to ask any further questions. "Indeed," she says, with a grin. "All right, I suppose let's have a look at the list, and let's get started. This might be dangerous, eventually, but we're well covered for surprise danger. Anything heavier, well.." She grins. "We'll figure it out. But we have to /find/ that danger first, it seems," she says, thinking to Krieg. "All right," she says. "So. Let's see what we have, and start narrowing things down. First, let's see who we want to eliminate from those we have to interview." Gomez is not happy, but he does provide Lost with a map from a clipboard of the layout of this floor. Posh grins to Krieg. "See if you can connect to any sort of system they have," she says. "We need to find any information. Right. Let's look at the pieces we have," she says. "We know Marla was killed, supposedly by a ghost," she says, thoughtfully. "So let's go there first. We need to see the scene, so we can see what sort of capabilities were required to complete the murder." «Plot» Posh says, "We're going to investigate the specific scene of the crime. Whe nconvenient, Lost will do her astral search and Krieg will look for any sort of security system/records we can look at if there are any jackpoints underway. I know the cameras were off, I'm talking about other data, any withdrawls, weird transfers, and so on." "O.k." Krieg glances around for a momment and begins to move away from Posh as she begins her hunt for technology within the area. Surveilance maybe, climate management perhaps, utility and maintenece systems, likely. She begins with just giving the place a good once over as they hopefully begin moving towards where the body is and the scene of the crime. It would seem Mr. Gomez is on his last nerve, and Lost really has no desire to press the man and make things worse. "Thank you." Again, she smiles warmly at the man, hoping that will at least brighten his day somewhat. "Ok. Sounds good. We'll check out the scene, put our detective hats on, see if we can't determine cause of death and all that jazz. I'll scope out the site on the astral to see if there might any left behind clues." In the meantime, she takes the opportunity to scan the place astrally as she moves through the building. Krieg will run into a wide variety of technological apparatuses: registers for purchasing, only a handful of climate control devices, cameras whose power sources have been cut, et cetera. Depending on what she chooses to do… Krieg is already off to investigate, making her way to the tragic scene which happens to be in Women's wear. She's carefull to note anything out of place as she makes her way along. Camera's disabled, is an interesting thing and one she will return to later. First, the body and what happened to it. Posh, Krieg, and Lost find the scene of the so-called crime. They also find Estella, who is a sprightly young thing with big, wide eyes and the general demeanor of a hummingbird. She is behind her counter in the women's wear department. Only a few rows of clothing separate her from the dead body that was Marla. There isn't all that much blood— it remains to be seen just how Marla was killed. "Good afternoon!" Estella says, her voice a quavering dramatic soprano. She smiles desperately at Krieg. "We… have a… sale. Yes. A sale special today!" Posh looks at Estella with a grin. "Easy there," she says. "We're not here to shop," she says, thinking Estella…nervous…says that there's a sale. "Thank you," she says. "We were wondering what you can tell us about Marla," she says, wondering. Informed by Mr. Gomez that such a thing is not possible at this time, Posh realizes that she's going to have to rely on the not inconsiderable perception of herself, Lost, and Krieg. She walks over to the scene, as well, looking around carefully, expecting Estella to follow. «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Intelligence for "checkin' out the bod": 1 2 2 2 2 4 5 9 "So, we have our crime scene." Lost notes, stating the obvious as the team happens upon Marla. As Posh starts to chat with the seemingly nervous Estella, Lost heads for the body. She maintains her distance, far from being a qualified crime scene investigator, opting to use her astral senses on the scene. «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Intelligence for "Astral Perception": 1 3 3 4 5 8 «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Aura Reading for "Astral Perception Comp": 1 5 5 Lost pages: <Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "The general malaise of public places where people move through without thinking hangs over this floor. One thing sticks out at you, because the death occurred literally hours ago and the residue is still fresh: Marla was surprised. Not scared, but surprised. Surprised enough that the feeling lingers in the air like a firework." «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Intelligence for "Being observant": 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 5 Krieg just stares at the women for a momment when she starts talking about sales, then skirts around her in a circle and continues on to the body without a word. Marla was a young-ish blond woman in a yellow dress. The body on the floor is on its back, and a large /very/ red metal spike is sticking out of her right eye. She must have died instantly from the wound. Estella has stayed put, as per Consuela's /very/ convincing orders. After spending a moment looking at thin air, Lost raises both eyebrows, hmming softly to herself as she paces back toward Posh, "Marla was surprised when she was killed." She notes, sounding certain of it, "But… I suppose that's not so strange. All our suspects were coworkers of hers, so it would make sense for her to be surprised by being murdered by someone she knew. Now that…" She says, motioning toward the spike, "Looks like something that would have required a fair amount of strength. That should help us narrow things down, wouldn't you think?" «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Biotech + Task Pool: 1 for "A spikey thing hmmm": 1 2 3 4 5 5 «Plot» Scurry says, "Lost, roll Intelligence." «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Intelligence for "Am I smart enough?": 1 1 2 2 3 7 «Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "It's more relevant that she died fast enough from something unexpected— surprise and fear typically occur simultaneously. Whatever happened, it was fast." Krieg promptly begins looking the body over and the strange object, seeing if an aproximation of the required strength for such a thing would help. She makes sure not to touch aything as of yet, just noting the bodies position, blood loss and any splatter, angle of impact etc. Suprised, likely, but death is often suprising to those who see it coming or live long enough to experience it. Lost paces around in a small circle, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, "And I believe she died fast… it's possible she was just chatting with her murderer normally before… well, she had this spike driven through her eye. It was definitely unexpected, and as far as I can tell, she was dead before the fear hit her." «Plot» Scurry says, "Give me an intelligence roll or any sort of forensics roll, if you have it." «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Intelligence for "As Seen on TV?": 1 3 3 3 5 5 5 11 Posh leans in to take a closer look at exactly what the spike is, where it comes from, and what it's made of. "Yeesh," Posh says. "Nasty but quick, I suppose. Death would have been quick, that's why there's not that much blood around," she says. She specifically looks at the 'base' of the spike, to see if it's snapped off. Most importantly, does it look like a weapon, or was it improvised as one? «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Intelligence for "Is it a weapon, or just used as one?": 2 2 2 2 3 5 8 26 "Death is a poison to the energy around us. Violent death more so." Krieg says quietly as she lurks over the body for a bit longer. "No fear, just suprise. The weapon is improvised and the injury either incredibly precise or unintentionally lucky." «Plot» Scurry says, "It's the red heel to a stiletto. The sharp end is currently having tea with the festering remains of Marla's brain. The other end is identifiable only by the padding on the heel itself." Posh grins as she uses a link from her cybereyes to her pocsec to record the image of the broken off stiletto, trying to create a 3D model for it. "All right," she says. "It looks like we get to play Cinderella," she says, with a grin. "All right. We need to give an order for the body to be guarded, and for absolutely nobody to touch it. That heel is the clue we need," she says, frowning a bit. "It's also very surprising that this happened," she says. "Because this frankly looks more like a crime of passion than anything else. Either that, or it's disguised as one." «Plot-Page» (To: Posh) Scurry says, "It wasn't a weapon, but it /was/ used as one. And fashion-savvy Posh recognizes the brand, too— Louboutin. She died a very expensive death, it would appear, at the expense of a really good heel. The angle is also important: it was driven into her eye socket angling from below. Whoever did it, they did it from such a height that they had the acceleration to stab upwards." Lost hmms softly, nodding, "Well that squares cause of death away for us. And we can infer some of the circumstances as well. Now, if we were to start assuming…" The elf begins, grinning, "Which, of course, is dangerous territory, but if we /were/ to start assuming, I would assume that our murderer is pretty well coordinated. I think the average person would be more likely to miss. Or flinch." After a bit of scrutinization shows the murder weapon to be the heel from a shoe, she makes a face, "Ugh… death by shoe. How horrible! And I'm sure they were a cute pair of heels, too." Looking to Posh, she nods, "Finding the rest of the shoe should get us /somewhere/ at least. You'd think someone would have noticed by now if one of the employees was walking around without a heel." But, perhaps feeling a twinge of paranoia, she glances at Estella, and more specifically, her shoes. "The other portion is likely discarded already. Unless someone came here with the intention of using it for a weapon they likely took a replacement form the store inventory to wear. So they would be wearing very new, unworn foot gear that is more than likely not registered as sold. The other option may be that someone who wears non-assosciated shoes used store stock to commit the crime in a way to send investigators off their trail." Krieg rambles a bit to herself a loud before getting up and heading over to check on any cleaning service drone that may be nearby. Posh nods. "Well, the first thing to check is whether we can find it in the shoe department. It appears to be A Loubotin," she says, thoughtful. "They are not cheap. In fact, that makes the choice so odd," she says. "They're likely under lock and key in the shoe section, like other name designer shoes often are," she says. She nods to Krieg. "I agree with you, indeed. Our killer appears to be shorter than Marla," she says. "More importantly," she says, thoughtfully, looking carefully at the pattern of the break, the shape of the heel. Krieg, can you look at this very carefully and estimate the shoe size?" she asks. "Well, it would seem you're a regular Sherlock Holmes." Lost says to Posh with a grin, "But that gives us a lot to go off of. If the designer shoes are indeed locked up here, then we should be able to narrow our list down to whoever has a copy of that particular key. And if you can get a fix on the size, that'll narrow down our search for the missing pair of shoes." Nodding to herself, her grin only broadens, "We're on the trail!" She proclaims, getting caught up in the investigation. Posh arches an eyebrow. "Well," she says. "It appears, if you look closely, that the spike was going up a slight angle," she says, rubbing her chin a little bit, flashing a grin to Lost. "Well, perhaps that'll be my Halloween costume, then," she says, with a little snicker. "Yes, indeed. Getting a fix on the size will help." She nods to Lost. "All right…the game is afoot, yes!" She chuckles a bit. "So. To ladies' designer shoes, then." "Unfortunately comparative size analysis would require a same make model shoe of relative sizes. Since the store does have them, we should be able to make that determination. Otherwise it will simply be a SWAG." Krieg replies to Posh as she is asked of the heel. "The employee who works in that section would be a good source of information along those lines." she notes and goes to hunt down a possible discarded bit of evidence. "Could be a good costume." Lost replies with a nod, laughing softly. "Afoot, a-shoe, the game is certainly on." The dark-haired elf continues, unable to keep from laughing as she starts to stride toward the Shoe section of the floor, "Consuela did say we could help ourselves to some free samples… maybe we could requisition a couple nice pairs of shoes for ourselves?" She mentions, a grin on her lips, "But… it's a shame we're here to work and not to shop in any case." Posh agrees with Lost. "So. We need to find Remina next," she says. "Krieg…now we're getting somewhere. I'm wondering if you can find a way to break into the sales system. They likely keep tabs on every pair of Loubotins, just as they would Manolos, even if they aren't rung out yet. If a customer were to attempt to try them on, or walk out…the shoes are too valuable, at least a few thousand nuyen a pair." «Plot» Scurry says, "Posh? Intelligence check, por favor, vs 5." "We supposidly have full access, and we can simply ask the employee to show us this information, right?" Krieg blinks a bit as she replies, continueing on her search. She does stop eevry so often to look at things, but her professional attention is on the events at hand. "They're big ticket items, for sure." Lost agrees, nodding, "I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to find someone fashion-conscious that /wouldn't/ want at least one pair of Loubotins in their collection." Keeping her head in the game, Lost ignores the shoes that surround her while looking around for Remina, going up on her tiptoes to get a slightly better vantage point. Looking to Krieg, she nods, "Consuela has pretty much ensured the cooperation of the staff, I'd say. But… at the same time, if it's our culprit who has the info we need, well, I'd expect them to try and keep it from us any way they can. So that's worth considering." "You always ask for the information from more than 1 source, and compare the results. The number of people you beleive involved increases the number of sourced individuals to reduce possability of obfuscation." Krieg continues along after the others on her own search, looking mostly at the technical and security related aspects of the store. Seeing if anything off the typical camera system was still enabled at the time. "It is similar to error correction processes in high speed memory." «OOC» Posh says, "Colt, GM, Nissan, and Sony are. Why not Loubotin and YSL?" «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Intelligence vs TN 5: 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 14 = 5 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Security Design for "Perhaps their is intention in the disadvantage created by disabled surveilance.": 1 2 2 3 4 4 11 Posh nods to Krieg. "True as that is, it might tip off a given employee," she says, thoughtfully. "It was just a consideration, Krieg, my apologies," she says. "And that's indeed true," she says, trying to ignore the temptation to lift a pair, you know, as a finder's fee." She nods at Lost. "Well, it seems like we were on the same track, but…" She frowns a little. "Do we know if the surveillance was disabled by our killer, or if it was simply not properly installed yet?" «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 1 vs TN 6 for "Krieg— yea or nay?": 5 = 0 Successes «Plot-Page» (To: Krieg) Scurry says, "The wires were cut, so yes, there was very definitely intention :)" "I cannot confirm who, but the methodology does not seem technically advanced. Disabling a device in such a manner is rudamentory at best." Krieg goes to take a better look at the surveilance system that had been disabled. "I would like to repair and see if the system kept record up until the power outage." Lost grins at Posh as she catches her looking at the shoes a bit covetously, "I'm thinking we'll have to make some time for some shoe shopping in the near future. But sadly… now's not the time." Looking to Krieg, she tilts her head thoughtfully, "Huh… yeah… aggregate information and all that, right? Admittedly, I don't have the slightest idea how error correction in memory works, but I'll take your word for it." She chuckles softly, "In any case, I'm thinking we'll want to avoid tipping off any of the employees until we have a solid idea of who our killer might be." «Plot-Page» (To: Krieg) Scurry says, "Posh said that the angle at which the stiletto pierced was from down to up— which is odd. How on earth did that happen?" Posh nods. "I see," she says. "Well, let's go back to Estella first," she says, eager to scope out the woman's height, her shoes, and…" She frowns a bit. "Is there any reason she couldn't have been laying down like that, and got stamped down on?" she asks Krieg and Lost, just before heading back over to Estella. Estella is still nervously fidgeting at her counter. She is absent-mindedly processing returns— at least physically, since the computer systems are on lockdown. Lost looks back to the body briefly, considering that for a moment, "Hmm… I guess it's possible, but I think there would have been a sense of her fear on the astral. I think there would have been some fear if she'd been knocked down before getting stomped in the eye…" Blinking, she continues, "And didn't you say it looked like the heel came in at an angle? If she'd been stomped on, wouldn't the heel have gone straight in? I suppose she could have, say, fallen face first right onto the heels in some kind of freakish accident, but I imagine that'd take a lot of force… seems unlikely to me, anyway." As the group approaches Estella, Lost smiles disarmingly at the moment before taking a glimpse at her astrally. «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Intelligence for "Astral Perception.": 1 1 2 2 4 11 «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Aura Reading for "Astral Perception Comp. roll": 1 2 8 Estella is about 5'6, and wearing flats; Marla was about the same height, but in two inch kitten heels. And Lost can see that, unlike the unfortunate Marla moments before her demise, Estella is barely holding it together. She is terrified. It is also apparent to Lost that Estella is a lot like a field mouse— she even shakes like one. Her MO is run, hide, freeze. "Go easy…" Lost says to Posh, leaning in to whisper just loudly enough for Krieg to also hear her, "Estella seems like she's about to shatter… not sure if she's afraid of being caught or just afraid of Consuela. In any case, snap judgement? I don't think she has the physicality needed to have done Marla in with a heel." She momentarily seems unsure, rolling her shoulders before she paces away, giving Posh some space to work with. Krieg lets the others go to deal with fleshy bits. She turns her attention back to her technical search. It's likely the security system is remote in nature, but perhaps a local node exists. She looks to Lost for a momment, "I have witnessed more traumatic injuries from those even smaller in stature." She notes before tracking down an access jack. Posh nods. "Ah, I see," she says, looking back at Estella for a second, looking at the flats. "Do you ordinarily wear flats to work at a high end department store?" she asks, arching an eyebrow at Estella, curiously. She grins at Lost. "Anyone can use an expendable focus and become the Hulk, if I am not terribly mistaken," she says, nodding to Krieg. Seeing as a jackpoints so easily accessed Krieg retreives her Deck and sets herself for a quick turtle terminal test of the jack before commiting to an actual ASTI connection., "Yes, this is a strange world." She replies to Posh. Estella blinks rapidly a few times, and actually jumps backwards. "Oh! Dios. You startled me," She says, staring wide-eyed at Posh. "I stand behind a terminal all day— I can wear flats. They're bejewled," she says, sticking out a foot for Posh to see. Lost shrugs in Krieg's direction, "True enough. I suppose I should keep my thoughts to myself until we've got some more info to work with. But that was just my impression." Looking to Posh, she chuckles softly, shaking her head, "They don't quite work that way. One still has to be able to cast spells to use Expendable foci." She says, going into pedantic mode briefly before leaving Posh to interrogate Estella. For her part, though, she watches the clerk astrally, just checking for any changes in her emotional state. «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133)'s Looted Electronics (#6784) has the Voucher Item 5 Hacker House Microdeck-4 with the following information (only to Scurry): ----------—[ Shadowrun Denver ]—- =======================> Item 5 on Looted Electronics <======================== Posh grins at Estella, glancing behind her. "Hmm," she says. "All right. Where were you at the time of death?" she asks. "Oh wait! Yes. THat. I should try to narrow down the time of death. Fortunately, I've got the right equipment and knowhow for exactly that." She grins. "Back in a jiff." And she goes to inject some nanomachines into the body, getting information back and interpreting it. "So, exactly where were you at…" She gives the time. «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Biotech + 1 for "Time of Death, savior medkit": 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Biotech + 1 for "Time of Death, savior medkit karma o.o (1 spent)": 1 2 3 3 5 11 11 "Were you given any access codes for their network here, or permissions as an employee at least for the purpose of this investigation?" Krieg asks in Posh's direction. The credentials they were given may have some access coded to them, so until she knows better she will check that route. You paged Posh with 'No" to Krieg's question. They don't want you here, they sure as hell don't want foreigners getting into their systems ;)'. "Um… I don't know exactly where I was, because I don't know exactly when it happened?" Estella says. "I was coming back from lunch with Remina, but I was by myself. And all I remember is that I saw Marla at the counter sorting through gear and clothing to put on the new display models. So…" In her soft voice, she says, "I was probably at the counter when the body was discovered." Posh nods. "All right," she says, frowning a little. "So," she says. "You were at lunch. With Remina. Did she eat lunch with you the whole time? Did you go anywhere between lunch and here? How long would you say it took between when you last saw Remina, and when you saw the body?" she asks. «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 1 for "Confusion: 1 low, 10 high": 4 "Uh…" Estella says, glancing between Posh and Lost as she leans back. Her hands grip the counter. "Yes. Remina and I ate lunch and then came back. Her station is back that way, in Lady's Shoes, so… Maybe five minutes? I was two minutes late swiping back in, so I saw Marla at around 11:32 before she headed off…" Estella trails off into silence. "Over there." Posh nods. "So, are you telling me that your lunch time starts at…11?" Posh asks, a little surprised. "That seems rather early, doesn't it? Or does your shift start early?" she asks. Then, she abruptly changes tactics. "What did you have for lunch? Was it good?" «Plot» Krieg says, " Krieg's just going to check on what level of access her credentials give her here. If they allow her to check the department records, or view anything security related. If not, we'll go from there." «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 1: 2 «Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "Estella's aura is way the hell out of whack. She's starting the slide towards a nervous breakdown." «Plot-Page» (To: Krieg) Scurry says, "You have zero security credentials. Most systems are powered down, which means your deck has nothing to connect /to/." Lost looks to Posh, « Easy. » She subvocalizes over the comm line, turning her head to make it look as though she's simply gazing about absently. « She doesn't look like she's gonna hold up to vigorous questioning at all. » She warns, starting to move in the direction of Remina's section of the store as if trying to gauge the amount of time it might take to travel the distance Estella is describing. "That is interesting." With the lack of a network Krieg disconnects the jack and looks around. She gets up and collects her things before moving over see if she can find a non-integrated system here. Along the way she continues her casual search for the discarded broken heel, perhaps the restrooms offer an answer to this. Posh awaits for the answer, and then nods to the others. "Thank you so much, Estella. We're going to go ask some questions of Lucy, if that's all right?" she asks, with a smile. "You've been very cooperative and we'll make sure to let your superiors know," she lies. "All right," she says, looking around for Lucy, and doing the important work of collecting alibis. Asking what Estella had for lunch will make it easy to check if she'd actually had lunch with Remina. Krieg will find an empty mens' room. It's lit, and every so often, an automatic toilet flushes. "Look, all I heard was the sound of her falling," Estella says. "I don't remember anything else. I didn't go check it out— I thought it was just the mannequin falling over." "It doesn't matter, what you tell them," Estella says, her voice quavering and her eyes tearing up. "If you don't find the killer, they're going to kill us all." Posh seems a little surprised. "You heard the sound of her falling?" Posh asks. "No other sound…no wet thunk?" Posh seems a little surprised - given the injuries that the only sound that could be heard would be her falling to the floor. "Oh, don't you worry," she says. "We'll find the killer." Posh does add, "I'll need an answer, though - what did you and Remina eat for lunch?" "Yes," Estella says, looking relieved. "I heard a sound. I thought it was the mannequin she was dressing. I guess it… was her." "We had ramen," Estella says. "Just generic ramen." Posh gives a grin. "Thank you," she says, glancing back to Lost. "All right, before we stop in on Remina or Lucy, either one, it seems to me that the basic way to go through this would be to get all the alibis. Then, we check the alibis against each other for inconsistencies. That might be the first really good lead we get - anything weird or funny in the alibis. We've got a good time of death, we have a murder weapon, we have a motive. Isn't that what all the TV shows say? Means, motive, and opportunity. So all we have to find is who had the opportunity here?" «Plot» Posh says, "Second part of that is turned away and out of earshot." While escaped from the others a momment, Krieg does marvel at being in a place she has never before ventured. She quickly checks to see if anything is hidden away under the counter or in the trash receptacles before making her way back out and heading towards the next restroom. catching a bit of Posh's speach, or not. «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 1 for "Krieg's Luck": 7 After a moment, Lost heads back to Posh and Estella, giving the latter a consoling smile, "We'll find them. Just try and stay calm until then." Turning to Posh, she shrugs, "That's what the shows say, yeah… but this isn't some trid show." She shifts her weight a touch uncomfortably before continuing, "And now six of these people's lives depend on us. So… the stakes are higher." Taking a breath, the dark-haired elf calms herself, "Collecting alibis sounds like a good place to start… if we're going to go off the TV shows, we're going to need some hard evidence before we can really interrogate anyone." Before Krieg can get to the lady's restroom, she spies with her little eye a foot. Sticking out of a display. Posh shakes her head to Lost. "No, all we have to do is find the right series of mistakes, and find ways to trick up or catch someone in a lie. Once that happens, I bet they will unravel," she says, with a little smile. "Do let me know, though. I have a tendency to plunge headlong into a problem." «Plot» Scurry says, "If you have Logic, a reasoning-based skill, or other academic knowledge, roll that vs 5. If not, Intelligence vs 8." Without drawing any undue attention to herself Krieg wanders over towards the display. «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Intelligence vs TN 8 for "In case it was a roll request for me.": 1 3 3 4 4 4 7 11 = 1 Success «Plot-Page» (To: Krieg) Scurry says, "That's strange. Estella said something about a mannequin, but there was no mannequin at the scene of Marla's death. It's also odd because there's a mannequin's foot poking out from behind a display case in front of you." Posh moves to approach Lucy next, inquiring where she was at the time of the murder. And, she gets a good look at the gal's height and feet." "Estella would unravel if caught in that sort of lie." Lost replies, grinning somewhat, "But these other six might be made of sterner stuff. Who knows? In any case, yes… if we call someone out on a shoddy alibi, they might let something else slip. But they might not let everything slip, right?" She shrugs, looking sheepish, "Although, to be honest, I'm just digging into all the detective show tropes I'm familiar with." Krieg fidgets around near a display for a bit. Seeing if she can determine how and why the innocent mannequin was put there and if anything is wrong with it. What could the purpose of hiding it be. Posh nods a bit, tapping her cheeks. "Well," she says. "In any case, it seems rather clear that our murderer effectively posed as a mannequin, while Marla was attempting to dress her. That's my guess, at least. That's not easy to do. I could do it, but it requires a magical or cybernetic level of control. Certain adepts can do it, but…" She grins. "All right. Working at this job for ages would be pretty rough." Posh nods. "All right. Let's see. How would you do this," she says. "Oh! You'd go in, you'd remove the mannequin, hide it somewhere, and take its place. So it needs to be someone who can effectively impersonate a mannequin. It's here in Women's Wear, so it's got to be a female mannequin. That means, without a doubt, that our killer is a woman." Posh adds, "Or a non-woman person small enough to add padding to dimensionally fit in the mannequin's space." "That sounds…" Lost begins, pursing her lips to the side in thought, "Complicated. But… hmmm. I guess it would be possible. But if our killer could disguise him or herself as a mannequin, don't you think they probably could have escaped the building by now, without anyone noticing?" She shrugs, unable to keep herself from pacing, "I feel like there's something here I'm not seeing…" Krieg checks to see how heavy this thing is, then quickly looks around. Did anyone look like this thing, could she possibly have not recognized someone who worked with her? A lot of new questions to be asked. She notes the location and wanders back over towards Posh. "While statistically I would tend to agree, there are possabilities of numerous variances. Without some form of disguise, how would she be unaware of their familiarity as a co-worker?" She looks around a momment, "I found the Mannequin in question." "Not necessarily," says Posh. "Being able to stand as still as possible doesn't mean you can get out through a guarded entrance easily," she says. "No doubt they are planning something," she says. "And that's a good question, although a polymimetic mask could certainly do the trick," she says. "You can even get a polymimetic face if you're truly dedicated to the craft," she says, thinking for a bit, biting her lip. "Well," she says, with a grin at Krieg. "Since you did…" She taps on her cheek. "Indeed, Krieg. Someone with the capability to hide as a mannequin could indeed do any number of things. Right now the best idea I have is to check alibis, though I'm listening if anyone has something to cut the Gordian knot." "Why would a person with those capabilities work here, unless they were a plant for such purposes." Krieg nods and leaves Posh to deal with the fleshy bits again. She returns to her search for the rest of the broken heel, perhaps the other restroom will offer more. Posh grins at Lost. "Well, they would likely be able to conceal them," she says. "Not just that though, they could have just as easily killed one of the workers off site and are now posing as them," she says, thoughtfully. "Again - it's what I'd do." Posh makes a face. "Though it's unlikely they'd be dead. I prefer bribery for setups." <Plot» Scurry says, "All three of you, Perception vs 6 :)" "I guess that's true…" Lost admits, rubbing the back of her neck before looking to Krieg, nodding, "That's what I was thinking too. Someone with that kind of skillset would have to be a plant. If nothing else, I imagine it'd pay a lot better than working retail." Turning back to Posh, she smiles, "Ok. We'll go get six more alibis, and then see where we're at. Shall we talk to Lucy next or Remina?" «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Intelligence vs TN 6: 1 4 4 4 5 5 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Intelligence vs TN 6 for "The Elves have ears.": 1 1 2 5 5 5 5 11 = 1 Success «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Intelligence vs TN 6 for "KP1 used.": 1 2 2 3 5 11 = 1 Success «Plot» Scurry says, "Why /would/ someone with those capabilities be working here? It's such an interesting question! Whoever was helping LaSatre embezzle money was probably funded through illicit means, and furnished with the capabilities to either higher magic or tech." «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Intelligence vs TN 6: 2 2 2 3 4 5 5 10 = 1 Success Posh nods. "All right," she says. "Is there any reason," she says. "Now that we know such extreme capabilites are available, that we can't find the source of them? You would be likely able to tell if someone had a polymimetic face in the astral, right? Or if they had some sort of awesome tattoos?" she asks. "Maybe it might narrow things down?" she asks. "It's time to call everyone together, since we plan to ask the same question of all: Where were you at the time of the murder?" She grins, nodding to Lost. "That'll give you an excellent chance, right?" She looks around. "Where's Mr. Gomez?" "Getting them all together would be one way to do it." Lost replies, nodding, "I should be able to gauge their reactions individually… And if they use a tattoo, that should be easy to spot. Not sure about a polymimetic face, though… I don't think I've ever seen that before." Shrugging, she continues, cracking a slight grin, "I gotta say, though… in most of the detective shows I've seen, you usually wait until you have something substantial before you get all your suspects together. But I don't really have any better ideas other than questioning them individually." Posh glances back at Lost. "All right, then," she says. "We'll have Krieg observe them silently. She might be able to pick something up that we miss. She's sharp, but she's also a little less…direct than either of us," she says. "I suppose you can see their aura response, is that right?" she bumbles. "While we question them?" Lost nods in response, "With any luck, yes. If any of them happen to be initiates, that might make things tougher." She admits, "But then again, that might help narrow down our pool of suspects. Anyway… Let's get to it. Who shall we start with?" To recap: Marla is dead. A red stiletto was driven through her skull from an angle that suggests someone was standing on the mannequin podium. You have the the weapon (Stiletto), the motive (whistleblower would blow cover), and the time of death. You also have six remaining suspects. Posh nods. "Before we call them all together, let's get a quick alibi from each one separately. So that we can compare notes." And so, before bringing everyone together, that is what they do, Lost and Posh quickly asking where they were at the time of death before they alert Mr. Gomez to bring everyone together. Mr. Gomez has complied with your request, and the seven employees are gathered in the semicircular boutique area. Estella has told you what she told you before. Lucy is a very tall, gorgeous woman— the kind of woman who would look equally at home on the runway, a magazine cover, or selling perfume. Which is what she does. She looks extremely nonplussed. In her sultry voice, she informs you that she was working a double shift and left her counter an hour before Marla's death to use the lady's restroom. Remina is shorter than Lucy and although she'd be pretty on her own, next to Lucy, she's just short and squat. She is, however, dressed to the nines. Expensive heels, a gorgeous dress, and a lot of makeup. She sells shoes, and she corroborates Estella's story. She came back with Estella after lunch, clocked in, and resumed work. Tita is a middle-aged woman about Estella's height. She sells makeup, nano-fab cosmetics, and the especially complicated aesthetic implants. There isn't enough makeup or magic in the world to cover up her "I'm too old for this bullshit" expression. She was running from boutique to boutique that day, ate lunch alone, and returned after the body had been discovered. Esteban is a charming young man with doe eyes and a deep voice. He still smiles his way into his words, as if not really comprehending the severity of the situation. He's quite tall and very well-built. "I was restocking the clothing in the men's department that morning," He recalls. Which is exactly where Krieg found the mannequin. "I only remember the fuss and noise it created, so I ran to see what was going on." Pablo is a janitor and, in the same vein of Tita, is way too old for this shit. "I was cleaning out the bathrooms when Marla was discovered," He says. "I saw her in the hallway just before she must have been killed. She smiled at me before returning to… Well, there," he gestures to where her body is. Paco is a more charming, suave version of Esteban. You can smell the cologne from here. He offers a charming smile. "I was sizing a man up for a suit when the body was discovered," he says. "I had several appointments that morning, all clients coming in for fittings." Lost takes the opportunity to glimpse each suspect astrally while they give their stories, just on the off chance she can catch someone in an obvious lie. Once the alibis are taken, she sighs, looking to Posh, "So, Remina's story checks out with what Estella said. Tita doesn't have a solid alibi since she ate alone, and neither does Pablo, since he was probably the last person, other than the killer, to see Marla alive. Same with Lucy… we can't really account for her whereabouts during her lunch hour. Plenty of time to have dragged the mannequin to its hiding place before taking her position…" She shrugs, grasping at straws before continuing, "Esteban doesn't seem like he's quite all there, but that could be a front to throw us off. And then there's Paco… We should probably check his appointment book, see if we can't call up one of his clients for corroboration. In any case… none of their stories conflict. So I don't know if calling them together and asking the same question will help us at all." Posh nods to Pablo. "While you were cleaning out the bathrooms," she says. "How long do you think you'd say that took?" asks Posh. Considering that Lucy would also be in that department, she's the obvious suspect. Too obvious, Posh thinks. "When did you return to your desk, from the lady's room?" she asks. "So you were at your counter at the time of the murder?" She folds her arms. "I don't have a desk," Pablo says sullenly. "I just have a broom. I sweep things. Very rarely do I clean up bodies. Just… you know, toilets. It always takes me ten minutes to clean the restroom. Exactly how long I can block it off from customers before I get in trouble." Krieg just watches the Tridish situation, saying nothing for now and wondering where else something could be hiding…«Text to Posh Via C-Link»<When was that done last, in case the timeframe overlaps an alibi of one of the individuals.> Posh nods. "Do you know when you started cleaning?" asks Posh. "And did you clean both restrooms?" she asks, glancing back at Lucy, and then over at Lost. She considers a bit. The person who had hit Estella was on the podium. Since it's possible that they change their shape, they…could probably already change their height, as well, if it were magical. "I started at 11:10 sharp," Pablo says. "Just like I always do. That way it's done by 11:20 and I can start the women's restroom." The workers look distinctly uncomfortable. «Plot» Scurry says, "To recap: The names on the map reflect which section the employees work in, and to which counter they were sent when Consuela told them to return to their stations." «Plot» Scurry says, "Marla died somewhere around 11:30-11:40. Estella had just gotten back from lunch with Remira. Paco saw Marla leaving the women's restroom around 11:20, when he was getting ready to enter the women's restroom." Posh nods to Pablo. "At any time," she says. "Did you see Lucy?" she asks, who apparently spent an hour in the bathroom. "After all, you were cleaning the women's room when she was in there, not killing Marla, am I correct?" she asks. «Plot» Scurry says, "That should have been Pablo, not Paco." «Plot» Scurry says, "Tita didn't see anything and didn't get a break." «Plot» Scurry says, "Also, roll me Perception por favor :)" "No ma'am," Pablo says. "I had left by that point," Lucy comments dryly. «Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "Of all the people, Lucy is the only one who shows no anxiety or fear. Just quiet confidence." «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Intelligence for "It's not staring if they pay you.": 1 1 2 2 2 4 5 10 Lost nods a few times to herself, seemingly ready to pose a question of the janitor, but Posh gets there first. So, she merely sits back with a grin, taking a peek into the astral every so often, just to keep tabs on emotional states. « Good catch. But if they're both telling the truth, it doesn't eliminate either of them. Doesn't really help their alibis, either. But I can tell you… Lucy's the calmest person in this room right now. » «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Intelligence: 1 1 1 2 3 4 «Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "When Lucy speaks, Remina's aura flares red. She's terribly jealous of Lucy." «Plot-Page» (To: Posh and Krieg) Scurry says, "Tita appears to be central to all of this. Literally. She is in prime position to see /everything/ that comes and goes, and she never left her counter. She's literally in the middle of everything." «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Fashion: 1 2 5 8 «Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "Maybe that's why Remina is so expensively dressed. To compete with Lucy. Which does not explain how someone on her salary can afford those threads. Estella is in flats, after all, so how the hell does Remina afford the stuff she buys?" Krieg awaits Posh's judgement of this situation. She patiently watches the strange people before moving off to check around Tita's area for a momment. Checking the sight lines from it to the hiding spot for the maniquen and the eventual body of the victim. Lost rubs her chin thoughtfully as Posh leads the interrogation. « Lucy's demeanor could just be a result of years of being hit on constantly. Or, you know, years of working in retail. » She casts a thoughtful gaze in Remina's direction briefly before looking back to Lucy, « And Remina's almost obsessively jealous of Lucy. Not to mention suspiciously well dressed. I don't know how she affords that kind of wardrobe on retail wages. » Posh nods. "So, Tita," she says. "When did you see her go back to her counter?" she asks. "And, given your panoptic position, when or how did you ever see a mannequin being moved anywhere, and by who?" she asks. "Since you didn't leave your counter." «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 1 for "Is it there?": 2 Krieg can see that Tita can look through rows to scout out individual people, but she likely can't see the daily goings-on. People, clothing, and racks interfere. She can, however, see the entire avenue. No one could have crossed with a mannequin from one side to another without her knowing it. Tita crosses her arms. She might just volunteer to be shot, her expression says. "Lucy, she went back to her counter exactly when she said she did. She was working double, just like me. And the mannequin… I saw Esteban moving a mannequin just before I saw Remina and That one" Estella, who flinches "Come back late from lunch." Lost arches an eyebrow at the way Tita refers to Estella. « Not sure if /that's/ relevant. » She says of Tita's obvious dislike of the other woman. Looking to Posh, she shrugs, "So far, things are checking out. I'm thinking we should ask Esteban where he moved the mannequin and how it was dressed when he did." Esteban suddenly blanches. Krieg returns to the others and reports the information quietly before pausing a momment to think about Lost's question. "Why, would be move it as well." She just watches Esteban. Something catches Lost's attention, and she looks in Paco's direction, suddenly suspicious. « Maybe we should talk to Paco first. He said he had appointments, and there should be a record of that. Let's see if we can't ring up one of his clients. » Posh arches an eyebrow. "Moving a mannequin?" she asks, nodding. "All right," she says, turning back to Lost with a smile, and then over to Esteban. "All right, Esteban," she says. "Where did you take the mannequin?" she asks, glancing back at Tita. "Two minutes late back from lunch, right?" she asks. "Esteban, please clear this up for me. What would moving a female mannequin from the ladies' department have to do with restocking the clothing in the men's department?" she asks. "It's what I was told to do," Esteban says nervously. "I set up the displays in the men's department. The…" Esteban is clearly searching for words. "Creative vision isn't mine. I just do what I'm told. I didn't have the dress orders for it yet— that's Paco's job." Posh nods to Esteban, "Ah, I see," she says, with a smile. "So it's Paco's job," she says, turning to Paco with a smile. "So, do tell me," she says, turning back to Paco. "Can we have a list of those who made appointments with you this morning?" she asks. "And then, Tita, does this list correspond with the activity you saw heading to Paco's department today?" «Plot-Page» (To: Krieg) Scurry says, "Just a reminder: The mannequin was wearing red socks." «Plot-Page» (To: Krieg) Scurry says, "The first contradiction: Esteban said it wasn't dressed yet. Yet it had socks." Krieg again ventues away from the group and attempts to retreive the manniquen from it's resting place. She begins the ponderous task of bringing it back to the group to plop down infront of Posh. When she does, she points to the red socks it seems to be wearing. "Who wears red socks?" Is Esteban's first reaction. God bless his little soul. "I did /not/ do that. That matches nothing." For just a moment, he appears to have forgotten that he's theoretically under a death sentence. «Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "Esteban's reaction to the socks is genuine. His aura veritably says "Eww"." Lost seems to agree with Esteban's fashion sense. "Red socks would be positively gauche." She says with a nod, looking to Posh. « He's telling the truth. » She adds, subvocalizing, before waiting for Paco's appointment records to be produced. Posh frowns a little bit. "There's two things we are mentioning," she says, thinking a little bit, looking at the socks a little closer. Are they men's or ladies' socks? What do the socks look like? "And what about the broken Manolo?" she asks, looking around. "Marla was killed with a pair of Manolo Blahniks," she says. "Or at least one of them." "I also had this question, who wears red socks." Krieg says quietly, even her relatively fashionless knowledgebase understands color co-ordination. She again lets the group talk as she continues for her search of a broken shoe. Her next stop is Pablo's area where such a thing should stick out if not well obscured. "Wait. I think it had red socks when it was in the women's department," Esteban says thoughtfully. "Marla mentioned that. It just didn't have anything on it when I moved it." «Plot-Page» (To: Krieg) Scurry says, "Something clicks! The last time Marla had seen the mannequin, it must have been wearing red socks. That was around the time Esteban removed it, when it wasn't wearing socks. So whatever was on the pedestal when Marla returned was wearing red socks… and someone else had to return them." After Posh slips that little bit of misinformation, Lost searches the gathered suspects for some kind of reaction on the astral. In the meantime, she blinks as Esteban remembers that bit of information. « Sounds like Esteban may have unwittingly moved the killer onto the stand. » She mentions over comms. "So," Posh says. "The mannequin has no socks on it when Esteban removed it. But it had socks on it when Krieg found it, is that correct?" she asks. "Why would someone put socks back on the mannequin?" She turns back to Tita. "Did you see anyone wearing red socks this morning?" she asks, considering that the socks might have been a means of entrapping Estella into the position. "No," Tita says, shaking her head. "I deal with the face, darling. The /face/." Because Posh might decide whether or not Tita lives or dies, but Tita's had enough retail that this does not intimidate her. «Plot» Scurry says, "Huh. Posh, roll disguise. Actually, anyone who has disguise, roll it." Krieg returns from her search and pondering time, she eyes the suspects and then looks to Posh. She says nothing, but something is exchanged. «We seem to have the most critical information already, placing several people within a time-line of events. The window of opportunity for the killer is small. Since the socks were gone by the time Esteban retreived the maniquen they had already been aquired by the killer. Who must also have known it was being moved, able to wear the reds and capable of returning them without notice. They would not have been wearing them in the morning. So, it's your call.» «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Disguise: 3 4 5 7 «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Disguise for "Not a professional, but I dabble.": 3 5 9 11 «Plot-Page» (To: Posh and Krieg) Scurry says, "Marla mentioned to Esteban on her way to the bathroom that the mannequin had tacky red socks. When Esteban removed it, it did not. When Marla came back, the height differential that allowed the heel to enter her eye was very likely due to the fact that she was kneeling to remove socks. Whoever was on that pedestal planned this." «Plot-Page» (To: Posh and Krieg) Scurry says, "In other words, this was part of the murderers' disguise. They didn't have red socks. And then they must have removed them afterwards… So who isn't wearing socks now? ;)" Lost takes a long moment to think, letting the available information stew in her brain. As Krieg summarizes things, she nods, using the commline. « If they're men's socks, Paco probably would have been the closest to them. If they're women's, it would have been Remina, Lucy, or Estella who was closest. Estella doesn't seem like the murderer, and neither does Lucy. Remina's alibi checks out, but… well, I wonder if Remina didn't bully Estella into saying they had lunch. But… since it would seem Marla must have seen them and immediately moved to remove them, men's socks would have been the most out of place on a mannequin in Women's Wear. Which leads me to suspect Paco, since no one can account for where he was when Marla was murdered. » Posh nods. "So, in any case, the socks were put on," she says…"Even if you didn't spot them, that means that they had to come in wearing socks, I suppose as their mean piece of outside gear for this work…" She grins at Esteban. "Who else here knows how to coordinate? Who's shown any head for fashion, aside from, of course, Lucy?" Esteban snaps his fingers in response. Paco smiles, a sultry smile. "I know how to dress to please a woman." "Mmmhmm, chica," Esteban mutters under his breath. Krieg blinks a bit and admires all of the employees shoes, and accessories. «Plot» Scurry says, "Remira and Lucy are wearing socks, as both are in heels. Estella is also in socks. Tita is in hosiery, erase that image from your mind; that leaves only Pablo, Paco, and Esteban. Because you cannot see their feet." Long distance to Krieg: Scurry chuckles Esteban is of course included in that group. "Well, gentlemen," she says, nodding as she notices the stockings. "I hope you'll all do us the honor of removing your shoes." She smiles brightly. Esteban removes his shoes by stepping out of them. He's wearing socks that match: Black, with an argyle pattern that shifts due to a nanofiber weave. Paco… Is sockless. Pedro needs a few moments, but he's wearing socks. You didn't want to see his feet, even clothed, but you did ask for it. Posh gives a smile to Paco. "All right," she says. "But that doesn't…quite cover it," she says, glancing a little closer. Are either Pedro or Esteban wearing brand-new socks that they could have filched off the rack today? Lost winces at the sight of Pedro's feet. But the main event, as it were, is that Paco isn't wearing socks. She takes a closer look at his shoes, wondering if they could reasonably be worn without socks. Especially in a retail environment. «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Fashion for "Socks or no socks?": 1 2 4 5 «Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "Well, they are loafers, but even in Aztlan, those would need socks." Krieg is just quiet and points a fingergun at Paco. She has no real fingergun, unless it's magic. "So I'm not wearing socks," Paco says, throwing up his hands. "But that means nothing. I didn't kill Marla. You can't even prove how I would do it— how could I be mistaken for a female mannequin in the women's department?" He asks, mocking Posh's earlier choice of words. "Expendable focus," Posh says, glancing back to Lost. "Other uses of magic that could pull this one off," she says. "And I'm not saying anything. Let's just see how well your alibi checks out." She nods. "You were in appointments all morning. Who were your appointments, from 11:AM going forward?" she asks, asking about approximately half an hour before the murder on up. Lost nods to herself after looking at Paco's shoes before she smiles at the man, "It means everything. No way do your feet stand up to a whole shift without socks in /those/ shoes." And then Posh continues the line of questioning, grilling Paco on his alibi. With a smile that's more smirk than anything, Paco opens up his pocsec and a holographic calendar pops up. He flips to today, and it does indeed show sewing appointments all morning. Especially in the time period where Marla died, Paco was likely cupping some guy to determine an inseam. «Plot-Page» (To: Lost) Scurry says, "Paco couldn't have used an expendable focus— he isn't Awakened." Posh gives a grin. "All right," she says. "What orders did each of them place? Can you show me?" she asks, remembering a time she went suit-shopping with an ex-boyfriend and there was much waiting, between the tryons. Much waiting. "It's right there, madam," Esteban says. Across from each name is the nature of the transaction. Whether a fitting, a purchase, or a consultation. «Plot» Scurry says, "Posh, be a dear and roll Perception vs 5." Lost glances to Posh shaking her head briefly, « He's Mundane, he couldn't have used an expendable focus. » The data in the PocSec is viewed with scrutiny, « If any of his clients were regulars, the store likely has their contact info on file. Give them a call if you can. And there's no reason he couldn't have just filled his schedule app with all this stuff. » «Plot» Scurry says, "Oh hell. All of you, Perception vs 5." «Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Intelligence vs TN 5 for "Am I smart enough?": 2 3 4 4 5 11 = 2 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Intelligence vs TN 5 for "Paying attention or..?": 1 2 2 2 3 4 10 11 = 2 Successes With Paco's hand right in your collective faces, it becomes clear that— despite his perfect manicure— he's got something white and crusty underneath his fingernails. «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Intelligence vs TN 5 for "Sorry, I missed your +pl scurry. XD": 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 4 = 0 Successes «Plot» Posh says, "Woo, I fail!" Posh doesn't notice the right hand, and shrugs. "Well, we have 24 hours," she says, "I don't see why we can't cross check with these appointments," she says, still feeling like she's missing something. "All right," she says. "Why aren't you wearing socks, with those shoes, then?" she asks. "After all, if you dress to impress women," she says, feeling she's getting stuck on the socks, but rather out of ideas. Krieg nudges Posh and points out the strange evidence in a less direct method. «Kriegs Text to Posh»<I am not aware of what that material is under his nails, but it seems contrary to the overall aesthetic.> Lost doesn't grab the man's wrist, but she does notice whatever it is that he's got under his fingernails. « I can't tell what it is… grab his right wrist, Posh. There's something under his fingernails, and I would say he gets a manicure pretty regularly. So it's certainly out of place. » «Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Reaction vs TN 4 for "Trying to grab his wrist.": 1 1 2 2 3 5 5 7 7 10 = 5 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 3 vs TN 4: 1 3 4 = 1 Success Unfortunately for Paco, he does not succeed. Posh has his hand. Which means that he drops his pocsec, which is conveniently available for either Krieg or Lost to peruse. «Auto-Judge[]» Krieg (#6133) rolls Reaction vs TN 4 for "Smooth Save?": 1 1 2 2 4 4 5 5 14 = 5 Successes Krieg makes a quick move in an attempt to acquire a free PocSec. Elves do seem quite Nimble. Krieg gets the pocsec. Posh has Paco's hand. The crumbly material under his fingernails is really caked on there. "What are you looking for?" Tita asks curiously. "I know every substance." Posh glances at Tita. "What do you mean, you know every substance?" she asks, a little surprised. She glances at the pocsec. "Well," she says. "What's this under this guy's fingernails?" she asks. "Looks like it might be…cement or filler or something. In any case," she says, with a smile to Paco. "Why do you have gunk under your fingernails, and what is it?" she asks, preparing to cross check Tita's suggestion on wikipedia or what have you. Lost leaves the gadgetry to Krieg. But, now that Posh has a firm grip on Paco's wrist, it's a little easier to see under his fingernails. Tita's interest jogs something in her brain, "You said you dealt with the face, right Tita?" Lost asks, tilting her head to the side before nodding in the direction of Paco's hand, "Does this look like… I don't know, maybe foundation or some other kind of make-up?" Krieg leaves the talking to them, if the PocSec hasn't relocked yet she quickly retreived a Optic line and links it to her Deck. In a swift instant it's not difficult to copy the memmory and access any available acounts. For now she'll just keep it unlocked and await any questions that Posh may have for the device. "I. Sell. Only the best." Tita says, dramatically putting a hand to her chest. She moves forward to examine the material— the examination of a crumbly material. She scoops it out over Paco's protest, and examines it between her fingers. She doesn't say anything, but gives Paco a strange look. She says nothing but moves to one of the counters. Several keys later, and then… "I have three jars of Synthmasc. It's a ridiculously expensive synthmaterial. Like… Oh, liquid latex, except that it forms a skin you add on over yourself." She eyes Paco. "There are only two jars here. There ought to be three." "All right," she says. "Hold everyone here. I'm going to go check around Paco's work station and trash for the missing jar," she says. "It looks like we might have all the pieces here," she says. "Just need the best piece of proof we can find," she says, as Paco doesn't seem to be offering another explanation. Lost nods to Posh, making sure nobody decides to bolt. And if they do, she's got a bolt for them. Of the stunning variety. Looking to Tita, she smiles, "Thank you for your help, Tita. I don't know if any of us would have recognized the Synthmasc." "I cannot /believe/ you stole my Synthmasc," Tita is telling Paco. This, this has her truly furious, and her aura flares like the red of lava. "All of those bottles were promised to Producer Chung! This will ruin me and that connection." Over in Paco's corner, Posh will find not a whole lot— the regular tools of his trade. Suits hanging up. The final clue is, presumably, what someone might see as trash. And who would know the trash in the building better than the janitor? That's Lost's thought process, anyway. She looks to Pablo with a smile, pointing at one of the full bottles of Synthmasc, "Pablo, while you were cleaning, did you happen upon a bottle like one of these?" «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 4 vs TN 7: 1 1 3 3 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 4 vs TN 7 for "KP1": 1 2 2 7 = 1 Success "No," Pablo says. "No, I did not. But… If that synthmasc takes the form of whatever it was cast on, when Paco took it off… /If/ Paco took it off… I wouldn't throw it away. He wouldn't have had the time. I'd hang it up in a suit." «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 4 vs TN 7: 5 9 10 10 = 3 Successes "He had to have hung it up in a suit, that he would take home," Estella says suddenly. She's still quiet, but she looks angry. "That's what I would do. He would have an excuse to take his work home with him. Check the suits." Posh arches an eyebrow at Pablo, after returning "All right," she says, turning back to men's fashion, to look for a mannequin with an oddly…feminine face. If there is such a thing. As both Pablo and Estella indicate that looking in Paco's suits would be a good idea, Lost decides to do exactly that, heading over to Paco's stations and looking through the suits he's got hanging up. She specifically looks for suits that aren't being displayed for sale. «Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls 1 for "1-4 no, 5-9 yes": 2 Krieg stays put this time, as others are investigating. She watches the suspect, and checks to see what PocSec games he may have. Lost will find, in the second suit she looks within, the skin-like substance tucked carefully into the body of the suit and hanging on the hanger. Posh grins. "THank you all for your time." She bows. "Darling," she says, ringing up Consuela on her pocsec. "We've got your killer. It's Paco." She details the theory of the killing. "And we found a good bit of proof too," she says, offering a sweet smile to them all. "Well," she says. "It seems our work is done here," she says, grinning at Krieg and Lost. "Couldn't ask for two better to help out," she says, with a grin. Gathering up the suit with a smirk, Lost returns to Paco and shows it to him, nodding in agreement with Posh, "I would say the evidence is fairly damning, but…" She tilts her head, looking to the man in question, "What do you have to say for yourself, Paco? Did you not have enough Synthmasc for your feet?" Krieg gives herself a bit of distance from Paco, in case he explodes.