[DINE] The Den of Deception

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DWaM
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by DWaM »

I turned to my partners. "Alright. Let's do this."

I led Nao back into the lounge and did my best to get the others' attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure that you've gotten the general idea of what happened, but for the sake of being absolutely clear, I'll explain it regardless.

Mr. Gabriel Levine is dead. The circumstances behind his death have led us to believe that he's been the victim of foul play."

Sounding fancy, are we, Edwam?

I could hear his voice again. He had been waiting for this.

"...The situation is this. Due to the storm, the police are unable to reach us at the moment. As such, until their arrival, we -- that is, the three of us -- have been put in charge of handling the preliminary investigation.

And yes, I'm afraid it gets worse than that.

Due to the aforementioned way Gabriel was killed and the storm, it is very unlikely that this was the work of an intruder. Especially since, I imagine, any and all signs of a break-in would've been noticed far before the body was found. Just the same as anything being missing or out of place would've been. It's not a possibility we're ready to fully eliminate, of course, but..."

I paused.

"...But, we are, at the moment, far more inclined to believe the killer is among us. I'm afraid none of you are above suspicion."

Another pause.

"I suggest you stay calm and cooperate with us, so we can get to the bottom of this as efficiently as possible.

Our first order of business will be conducting a room search. It's standard procedure when it comes to these things. The room searches will be conducted in the presence of the room's owner. Afterwards, we will interview each and every one of you individually. Your official statements will be taken, as well as your fingerprints.

If anyone has any objections or questions, please state them now.

I would just like to note that this mansion is now a murder scene. Therefore, the aforementioned room searches will be preformed with or without your permission. Doing it with you present is, frankly, a matter of courtesy. Same with giving your fingerprints. You may refuse the interview, but... That just means you'll be forced to deal with police interrogators later. And trust me, from experience -- afterwards, you'll probably wish you'd gone ahead with us when you had the chance."

Silence.

"So. Anyone?"
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by Bad Player »

The household had varied reactions to Edwam's announcement, but they generally seemed shocked and confused.

Rachel, as previously mentioned, was a wreck, with puffy, bloodshot eyes. She was sitting on the sofa, periodically covering her face with her hands, with Seth sitting next to her trying to awkwardly comfort her. He doesn't seem quite as disturbed... but perhaps it only looks that way because he's sitting next to his hysteric aunt.

The other person who seems the most affected is Asher, who has taken up a spot leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as far away from everyone else as possible. His eyes were suspiciously darting back and forth, seemingly trying to keep note of the slightest movements everyone else in the room at once.

Nao was sitting in a chair with a perfectly straight back, her hands clasped together in her lap. Her face is pale, but she seems to have calmed down.

On the other end of the spectrum, Anne seems relatively unaffected. She's clearly not happy about what's going on, but also seems stoic and unemotional, sitting calmly in a seat.

Finally, Christian is standing near the entrance to the room, ready to be of service to anyone who needs him, as if this was a normal morning. Although he seems to have mostly recovered from unexpectedly running into a corpse, something about him doesn't seem completely up to par.

The group made a collective gasp when Edwam declared that the killer was likely among them, but nobody broke out into a panic. Nobody seemed particularly pleased with what Edwam was saying, although nobody disagreed with it.

...Until Christian opened his mouth, at least. "Actually," he began, "Because you have been deputized, you are now acting as an agent of the state, meaning you cannot conduct a search that violates our reasonable expectations of privacy without a warrant, as guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment.

"Of course, you are free to search as long as you have our consent. Considering the grievous nature of this crime, I'm sure we're all eager to help and have this case resolved. Therefore, I'm sure nobody here will oppose having their room searched." Christian's tone was kind, but the sharp undertone was obvious. Everyone else murmured vague consent.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by DWaM »

I was going to let out a remark about how the police, when faced with a murder of a guy whose eyeball literally popped out because he was impailed in a bunch of spikes, and a pool of suspects that were in the same house, would probably find a judge who would give them a warrant eventually - should they get desperate enough.

That, and we would've been able to at least do a general sweep, under the pretense of making sure nobody was hiding in the mansion. That would've limited us from being able to search the finer details, but, should we have seen something suspicious during that sweep, we would've been able to do whatever we wanted. Even if the chances for the killer to just leave something like that in the open were low.

Still. I wasn't in the mood for more conflict, given how cheery everyone seemed to be with me.

"Of course, Mr. Engel." I said, finally, my face relatively unchanged since my last remark. "Let's get started, then. We'll be moving from west to east, so we'll be starting with Asher's room."

And, assuming there were no objections, that was exactly where we all went next.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by Bad Player »

The group leaves the other people in the lounge, and lets Asher lead the way to his room.

"All yours," he says as he opened the door to a very plain bedroom. Except for the undone bed and a laptop on the desk, this room does not look lived-in. In addition to the bed and desk (which also has a lamp on it), there are some dressers. Asher's suitcase is in the corner. From the window you can see the conservatory.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by DWaM »

"Alright, let's see, here..."

In my mind, a list of steps to take while searching the bedroom formed. It went as follows:
  • Search under the bed and check the pillow (as in, try to look inside it, since the feather might've come from a pillow?)
  • Check the dressers
  • Check the suitcase
  • Check Asher's clothes for any signs of tearing or blood (since it's very unlikely that the killer would've been able to get those traces of blood off in such a short amount of time, in the event that some had gotten on them)
  • Look outside the window
  • Search the room for gloves
  • Go into the bathroom to see if there's anything suspicious
    • Check if the toilet is working properly (killer might've tried flushing their gloves down the toilet?)
    • Look inside the toilet tank, in case anything there was hidden
  • Examine Asher's shoes for any suspicious traces
  • Take Asher's fingerprints
...That was the list. My fingers were crossed Asher was willing to help us out with all of them before we got to questioning.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by Bad Player »

  • Under the bed is... nothing! Not even dust! Wow! The pillow is indeed a down pillow... While it's mostly down clusters, digging around (but making sure not to ruin Asher's pillow) you manage to find a feather that you think is like the one found in the iron maiden.
  • The dresser has a dirty set of clothes and pajamas, which you recognize as what Asher had been wearing yesterday.
  • The suitcase has a couple of sets of clothes, a tablet, a book, and some documents Asher says are work-related and doesn't let you look at.
  • You investigate the clothing Asher is wearing and the dirty clothing in the dresser, but don't find anything amiss.
  • Outside the window, the lawn extends a bit until it reaches an impenetrable forest. To the right you can see the ocean, and the very edge of what used to be the living room. Below, you can see the conservatory. Since the outside walls of the conservatory are made pretty much solely of glass, you can see right into it.
  • No gloves.
  • In the bathroom, you find standard toiletries like a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, etc. Asher watches you skeptically as you flush the toilet and check the tank, but there's nothing there.
  • There's some dirt on the bottom of Asher's shoes, but it looks like normal wear-and-tear.
  • Fingerprints taken.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by DWaM »

"...Hmm. Interesting. That would mean that probably..."

I murmured to myself. Aside from taking one last glance over at the book found in Asher's suitcase, I decided moving on to questioning would be the best option.

The set of questions I had in mind were:

Starting first with the ones related to the crime...
  • What was your relationship with Gabriel? Did you two get along?
  • Did you notice any strange behavior from him, or anyone else, since you arrived to the mansion?
  • Can you describe your movements from last night, after leaving dinner?
  • Have you heard or seen anything unusual -- tonight and in general?
  • Have you discussed about what you found in the urn with anyone? Have you discussed the riddle in general?
  • Can you think of anyone that might've done this?
  • If not anyone in specific, can you think of a reason someone might've wanted Gabriel dead?
...And then onto more general ones.
  • When exactly did you leave the mansion? As in, when did you move out?
  • What do you do for a living?
  • What is your current financial situation?
  • Are you aware of any other person in this mansion being in significant financial trouble?
  • Have you heard any strange rumors regarding anyone in the mansion?
  • Given that it's likely that the explosion that happened was caused by someone here - any likely suspects for that? (Anyone that might've had a reason to go along with it, had Daniel asked them to?)
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by Bad Player »

What was your relationship with Gabriel? Did you two get along?
"Well... I'd say so, I guess." Asher stared at the floor. "Uncle Gabe was a lawyer in New York, and Father was a stage magician here on the west coast, so our families didn't get to meet very much, but... Well, Father would have a show in New York or Uncle Gabe would have a closing in LA, or we'd go on a vacation together, so it's not like we never got to see each other. Our relationship was... normal uncle-nephew stuff? I loved him, but we weren't that close..."

Did you notice any strange behavior from him, or anyone else, since you arrived to the mansion?
"Hmm..." Asher leaned back in thought. He grinned at his own answer before he said it, but even his smirk didn't seem to have the same enthusiasm as yesterday. "As far as I can tell, the weirdest people here are you three."

Can you describe your movements from last night, after leaving dinner?
Asher remained silent for a few long moments. Just when you thought he had simply zoned out, he finally opened his mouth. "I ate the sandwich I took in my room, did some work, and wasted some time on the internet. I then wanted to... spend some time with Mom. After we found that... whatever-it-was in her urn, I went to sleep."

Have you heard or seen anything unusual -- tonight and in general?
"This whole place is unusual. Dad was a freak," Asher sighed. "Besides all the 'stuff' that's happened, though... Nothing really sticks out to me."

Have you discussed about what you found in the urn with anyone? Have you discussed the riddle in general?
"What? Is it supposed to be a secret or something?" Asher asked with a cocked eyebrow. He then sighed and looked off to the side. "I should've told everyone what the f***er did to Mom. I guess it's really not the time anymore..." He looked back to the detectives. "I talked about the riddle with Aunt Rachel over email a little, and a bit since I got here... It's kind of hard not to talk about, y'know? But nobody really had any ideas, which is why you guys were called in."

Can you think of anyone that might've done this?
"...No." Asher had paused, but his answer seemed firm. "I don't know Dr. Namad, but I don't think anyone else could kill someone."

If not anyone in specific, can you think of a reason someone might've wanted Gabriel dead?
Asher closed his eyes for a few moments, and then simply shook his head.

When exactly did you leave the mansion? As in, when did you move out?
"When I went to college. Once I was out of this hellhole, I never came back," Asher said, almost triumphantly. "I guess that was six years ago now?"

What do you do for a living?
"I'm a consultant in Boston," Asher answers simply.

What is your current financial situation?
"Fine," Asher spits. "Consultants get paid plenty of money."

Are you aware of any other person in this mansion being in significant financial trouble?
"No..." Asher says, but he doesn't sound entirely confident. "I mean, I guess I don't really know for certain, but I haven't heard anything."

Have you heard any strange rumors regarding anyone in the mansion?
"Uhh... No. These aren't really the people I gossip about."

Given that it's likely that the explosion that happened was caused by someone here - any likely suspects for that? (Anyone that might've had a reason to go along with it, had Daniel asked them to?)
Asher closed his eyes in thought. He seemed to consider this question surprisingly seriously. "On their own, I have absolutely no f***ing idea who would do something like that. If asked by Father, though... The only person that I think would do it is Christian. Nao is the maid, but I don't think she'd agree to something like that. And if Father told Seth to do something, he'd want to obey, but I don't think he'd have the balls to actually blow the house up."
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by DWaM »

"Thank you, Asher. I know this hasn't been easy for you. We'll find the person who did this." I said, leading Asher back to the lounge.

We decided for sake of efficiency to divide the suspects and rooms among us.

The next person on my own list was Rachel. I asked her to go along with me to her room, which I intended to search.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by Bad Player »

Rachel looked slightly startled at Edwam's announcement. She hesitated a moment, loudly and stiltedly said "Okay. I will be going with you," and then left the room with Edwam.
Spoiler : DWaM :
They go up to Rachel's room. It looks basically the same as yesterday. Rachel waits nervously by the door for Edwam to complete his search.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by DWaM »

Spoiler : DWaMQuest :
"Please, take a seat Mr. Johnson. Feel free to help yourself to some aspirin. Everything will be okay. We'll get to the bottom of this."

I then conducted the search of the room, with a relatively similar points of interest I had when searching Asher's room:
  • Check under the bed, the pillow, the bed itself
  • Search around for any gloves
  • Search the bathroom the same way I'd searched Asher's (including checking the toilet)
  • Check Rachel's suitcase, if she gives permission
  • Check the dressers and any other place where there might be clothes - check if there are any tears or signs of blood
  • Examine the nightstands for any change since last time
  • Lift the statue and examine if anything could've been hidden in the place made for the notch
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by Bad Player »

Spoiler : DWaMQuest :
  • Nothing under the bed or under the mattress. Rachel's pillows are also down feather pillows.
  • No gloves.
  • The bathroom has three people's worth of toiletries. Nothing in the toilet.
  • Rachel hesitatingly allows you to search her suitcase. You work together to take out and put the clothes back nicely. It's the same as yesterday, and you can't find any tears or blood.
  • The dresser has her dirty set of clothes and nightgown.
  • No change in nightstands.
  • Well, the notch in the statue is in the notch. But you lift the statue and find nothing.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by Reverie »

Spoiler : :
Haru returns to the Lounge, summoning Nao. If she complies, she and Haru head to Nao's room.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by Bad Player »

Spoiler : Spyro :
You and Nao go to Nao's room. There is a bed with a white bedspread, and a wooden nightstand with a small lamp on it. In addition to some dressers and a vanity, there is a desk with a laptop and stationary. The desk has some photographs of what are probably family members. There is also a shelf filled with some of Nao’s personal belongings, including some books and a sewing set.
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Re: [DINE] The Den of Deception

Post by kwando1313 »

Spoiler : :
"And... I guess I've got Christian. Would it be fine if I went and searched your room and asked a few questions?"
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