CTI: Crime Team Investigation

mkennedy · Fri 17/07/2020 23:32:58

Quote from: JackPutter on Fri 17/07/2020 21:53:32
The chief drums his fingers on his desk. "Officer Ullman is still in hospital after getting a fire axe lodged halfway through his calf. The available units for searches are Sergeant Pangborn, Officer White, Officer Collins, and Officer Leland. Do you want to send two officers to Silver Creek and two to Smithers Industrial Complex at the same time?

"I've looked into flights to and from Salzburg, there's no airline flying those routes at the moment. I had such a strong feeling about that idea too, Salzburg seemed like it had great promise."

Just send two officers to one location and the remaining three to the other. You can decide who goes where.

Ian Aloser · Sat 18/07/2020 06:15:50

Hey, we have three possible locations now.
One for the killer and actually TWO for the filmteam:
The production site AND their AirBnB.
EDIT: I can hardly believe how long it took us to not find SCHAALBURG until Officer Hunt finally got it.
Actually, it was so easy that we should have found it right away and therefore it might be a trap.
So we have a staff of four : White and Collins are a well-proven team, I believe they should stick together.
That makes it even harder, I think we cannot afford to miss a shot.
Chief, please cancel my previous POTENTIAL SOLUTION until we come up with a better plan.

heltenjon · Sat 18/07/2020 09:32:49

We have to send people to Schaalburg. If it's a trap, so be it. We cannot ignore it. It's the best lead we have, and the chief has been urging us in that direction.

I can't really believe that we have to find both locations in the same turn.

Ian Aloser · Sat 18/07/2020 09:38:03

Okay Office Heltenjon,
Give it a potential solution ! Whom shall we send ?

heltenjon · Sat 18/07/2020 11:32:54

Why don't we send Pangborn? He can probably avoid any traps, and if this is the perp's location, he's our best card in taking him down. He can pick his own partner.

Ian Aloser · Sat 18/07/2020 11:51:42

Yeah, do it !

heltenjon · Sat 18/07/2020 19:27:57

potential solution Send Pangborn and the officer(s) of his choice to Schaalburg, please.

Ian Aloser · Sat 18/07/2020 19:36:08

Thanks Officer Heltenjon, now let's pray for the best ...

JackPutter · Sun 19/07/2020 10:31:17

Clicking in the button on his radio, Sergeant Pangborn called back to the station. "White and Collins, come in." He checked his watch and looked over to Leland, who was going door-to-door asking the residents of Schaalburg for information. Gillian's voice crackled through the radio, "White and Collins here, go ahead Sarge." Pangborn cleared his throat and leaned against his patrol car. "I want you two out in the prowler, ready to take off if we get a lead on another location. We might not have much time left." Gillian's reply was swift. "Roger that Sarge, we'll be standing by with the engine running." Pangborn smiled despite himself. He was happy to have White and Collins back as a team.

"SARGE! Get over here!" Pangorn spun around to face Leland, who was standing on the doorstep of a nearby house. Beside Leland stood a thin man with dark hair and a beard speckled with grey. As Pangborn started to stride towards the house, he called out to Leland, "What's up?"

Leland spoke to the man next to him. "Tell the Sergeant what you told me." The other man seemed a little confused, but complied. "Well, like I told your officer here Sergeant, my name's Michael Fimognari. I'm a cinematographer, I'm here on a location scouting trip for an upcoming film. We've been delayed because no-one on the team can get in contact with the scout that we sent out in advance so-"

Arriving on the doorstep, Pangborn cut him off. "Michael, I know this is sudden, but I need you to get out of the house now. Get everybody in the house out of there. We need to take you all to the police station IMMEDIATELY." Pangborn could tell by the look on the man's face that his confusion had only grown. "What do you mean? What's going on?" Pangborn dropped his hand to his waist and unholstered his service revolver. "Sir, I don't have time to explain the whole situation, but we believe we have received a direct threat against the lives of everyone from Intrepid Pictures and we need to get you to safety NOW."

Michael's face turned pale. "How did you know we were with Intrepid Pictures? Christ, that doesn't matter, I believe you." Pangborn watched as he turned into the house and shouted to his co-workers to leave. There wasn't any movement from the people inside, so Pangborn signaled to Leland to move in. The two officers moved through the house, repeating the conversation they had with Michael with each new member of the crew they came across.

Eventually they had cleared out the bottom floor of the building, and the two officers stood in the hallway by the front door. "Is that everyone?" Pangborn shouted to the small group out on the sidewalk. "Except Mike!" called one of the women. "He went upstairs to use the john." Pangborn turned to Leland. "I want you to stay outside with them, keep them together. Get in touch with White and Collins, tell them we've located the film crew and that we need extra hands to take them back to the station. And for God's sake, keep an eye on your surroundings. That maniac could be out there watching us." Leland nodded and headed outside.

Pangborn leapt up the stairs three at a time and made his way onto the landing. A handful of doors presented themselves to him. He approached the first one on the left and knocked. No answer. Same result with the second one. Frustrated, Pangborn hammered on the third door and was relieved when he got the chipper response, "Just a minute!" Pangborn sighed, then got back to business. "Mike, this is Sergeant Pangborn, you are in a dangerous situation and we need to get you to safety," Pangborn called through the door. He heard the sound of running water stop, before the door was unlocked and swung open. Pangborn was greeted by a round-faced, slightly-balding man in his forties. "What seems to be the problem officer?" he chirped.

Pangborn quickly explained the situation and found that Mike was more than eager to comply. Pangborn let Mike walk ahead of him across the landing - he wanted to make sure a police officer was the last one out of the house. Mike seemed frazzled by the situation, mumbling to himself as the two men descended the stairs. "I don't get it, who would threaten a film production, we're not doing anything illegal, we get all the right permits and permissions..."

CLICK!

Pangborn grabbed Mike's arm and told him to shush. He had heard something, a click or a switch or a clunk. Whatever it was, he couldn't hear it now. Pangborn felt Mike start to shift his weight to resume walking down the stairs, so Pangborn looked down. "DON'T MOVE!" he cried, and Mike froze in place.

Crouching down, Pangborn could tell that the board under Mike's left foot had been tampered with. It didn't fit squarely to the staircase, and looked like it had been removed and hastily replaced. Pangborn shut his eyes and let out a low, guttural groan. Goddammit. A hidden mine. Christ, this asshole was probably watching the house and saw us evacuating. I bet they activated the mine as soon as they saw us at the door, and I just got lucky on my way up by not standing on this particular stair. Damn it all to hell!

"What's wrong?" Mike stuttered, clearly none the wiser but definitely concerned. Pangborn thought for a moment about what to do, but after only a second's contemplation he knew what course of action he had to take. He slid up beside Mike and placed his own foot on the booby-trapped stair. "Mike," he said in as calm and collected a tone as he could muster, "I want you to get down this staircase and out to the street as quickly as you can. Now. Go." Mike didn't need telling twice. Pangborn held his breath as Mike stepped off the rigged board and he shifted his own weight onto it, and sighed with relief when nothing happened. In a flash Mike had disappeared out the door, leaving Pangborn alone on the staircase.

Pangborn weighed up his options. Obviously he couldn't stand on the staircase for the rest of his life. He could put in a call for the bomb squad, but they would be hours away. If he got tired or his foot cramped up and the pressure on the board changed, that could be the end of him. They could try putting something else on the stair as a weight so he could step off, but getting something heavy enough that would also fit onto a single stair in a residential house would be near impossible on short notice. He considered it a minor miracle that he had gotten the timing right in putting his own weight on the step, not to mention the stroke of fortune of the two men weighing roughly the same. It was just as Pangborn was settling on a course of action that Leland appeared at the doorway to the house. "Sarge...?"

"STAY BACK!" called Pangborn, stopping Leland in his tracks. "Leland, get everyone outside to a safe distance. Make sure you get the neighbours out of the houses next door too. Put a call in for an ambulance and the fire department. Hide yourself behind the prowler, and when the dust settles you get your ass in here ASAP. You hear me?" Leland paused for a moment, taking a long look and Pangborn. Then Leland nodded, and ran out of Pangborn's view. Pangborn could hear Leland shouting to the civilians to get out of harm's way, and couldn't help but smile. That rookie will go far, he thought to himself.

Pangborn reflected on the previous bomb that had gone off. White had managed to tackle Collins clear of the immediate blast site, and he escaped with relatively minor injuries. This bomb-maker probably didn't have the skills or resources to put together anything that would level a building. It was about an eight foot drop from where he was to the floor, and probably the same distance straight across to reach the foot of the staircase. Assuming that the bomb itself was directly under his right foot, and assuming he was recalling his high school math lessons correctly, if he managed to make it to the foot of the staircase that would put him about 12 feet from the epicentre of the explosion. He hoped that was enough. He put his gun back in his holster and fastened it. Didn't want that becoming a projectile. Well, enough time had gone by for Leland to evacuate everyone. It was now or never.

Taking a deep breath and spending a moment to think of his wife and kids, Pangborn jumped.

The explosion shattered every window of the lower storey of the house. The ground shook, and debris was flung far and wide. Flames and plumes of dust shot out towards the road, and Leland felt the heat even protected behind the police cruiser. Car alarms three streets away started to go off. In the distance, Leland heard the approaching wails of emergency response vehicles. As soon as the ground settled, Leland ran for the entrance to the house. God, he hoped Pangborn was still alive.

The chief emerges from his office with a solemn look on his face. "Not much to say. Pangborn is in intensive care. The man he saved, Mike Flanagan, is the director for the next Stephen King adaptation Intrepid Pictures is making. No evidence left that points to the identity of the criminal." With that, the chief enters his office and shuts the door.

heltenjon · Sun 19/07/2020 12:23:46

The names are real - these are the people behind the King adaptation Dr. Sleep, among other things.

Phew! That was some intense reading! I'm happy that we saved the crew and that Pangborn survived; I kind of doubt if any of the other officers could have solved that impossible situation, so I think (hope) sending Pangborn saved an officer's life as well.

Then it's on to the culprit!

Laura Hunt · Sun 19/07/2020 12:24:37

Ah, crap. I wonder if this could have been avoided if we hadn't spent time squabbling over whether to send someone to Schaalburg...

(Such a cool read though! Worth it just for that

)

We still need to find our perp, and I'm pretty sure the key is in the second part of the note, where they talk about themselves:

QuoteI can disappear. I am not old, my bones do not creak. Will I escape? Does the quick, brown fox jump over the lazy dog?

"I am not old, my bones do not creak" just stands out so much to me. Oldtown could be an obvious option, but it doesn't feel like the correct solution to me.

If he/she is the "quick, brown fox", then who/what is the "lazy dog"? Is it another pun like "cunning ham"? Maybe it's just a reference to the alphabet and I'm reading too much into it...

heltenjon · Sun 19/07/2020 12:45:37

I wonder if the killer's location is on the map...

I'm sure the chief doesn't want to be bothered right now, but I'll go buy some donuts and see if that can cheer him up. We have to send something to Pangborn anyway.
I'll take my way through Potential solution Alphabet City, just to make sure. I'm still thinking about that "I have 26 pieces left" line. I'm sure I'm only imagining things, but it seems like a small effort that can be done by ourselves without putting further workloads on the officers up north.

If anyone wants to tag along to help me pick out the flowers, there's room in the car. I'm admittedly better at buying burgers and donuts than flowers. But damn, Pangborn deserves some.

Ian Aloser · Sun 19/07/2020 12:49:51

Oooofff....
Well, I guess we have saved the film team, but sacrificed Sergeant Pangborn.
I wonder if there had been an opportunity to get hold of aK-9 dog, but I am quite sure
that Pangborn had thought of it beforehand.
Now we're after the killer and the clue seems to be found in the second paragraph of the note.
As Kastchey proposed, it could be Silver Creek (my bones do not creak), but it might as well
be Tweener's Way( I am not old ) related to the word "Tween".
We should interrogate Flannagan to get more information about the film project.
We have three officers left and a killer about, so what should we do now ?
EDIT: Officer Heltenjon, interesting idea, we should follow your suggestion.

P.S.: That was a narrative masterpiece, JackPutter ! I admit I was very nervous reading it slowly line by line....

Laura Hunt · Sun 19/07/2020 12:57:17

Quote from: heltenjon on Sun 19/07/2020 12:45:37
I wonder if the killer's location is on the map...

I'm sure the chief doesn't want to be bothered right now, but I'll go buy some donuts and see if that can cheer him up. We have to send something to Pangborn anyway.
I'll take my way through Potential solution Alphabet City, just to make sure. I'm still thinking about that "I have 26 pieces left" line. I'm sure I'm only imagining things, but it seems like a small effort that can be done by ourselves without putting further workloads on the officers up north.

Yeah, that line confuses me... Is the "26" part of the sentence, or was it part of the numbers we had to match to letters? But then again, "z" was not included in Schaalsburg.

QuoteIf anyone wants to tag along to help me pick out the flowers, there's room in the car. I'm admittedly better at buying burgers and donuts than flowers. But damn, Pangborn deserves some.

I'll pick the flowers, you get me a double bacon BBQ burger with cheese. Step on it!

Ian Aloser · Sun 19/07/2020 14:23:46

Someone should immediately interrogate Flannagan about
the film project and whether the place were the explosion occurred
was the place where the film team stayed and where the film was
to be made as well as its theme
EDIT: In case no information is gained neither from a visit in Alphabet City nor
from Mr. Flanagan, I suggest we send the remaining crew to POTENTIAL SOLUTION:
Silver Creek

Cassiebsg · Sun 19/07/2020 16:49:46

Also, ask Mr.Flanagan and the film crew, about the scout that is missing, what's his name? where is he from? how was he hired? Where (what area) was he scouting around? What exactly was he looking for?

Depending on the answers he could be a potential victim that is still missing, or the perp. himself.

OT: Oh, and I found it very fitting that the last line I could read on my browser was "Taking a deep breath and spending a moment to think of his wife and kids, Pangborn jumped.".... and then I needed to scroll down.

Perfect addition to the suspense!

Ian Aloser · Sun 19/07/2020 19:12:57

Cassiebsg, the missing scout was mentioned in Chapter 6:

Quote
"The victim is Daniel Wiseman, the guy from California whose blood we found on the shredded material. Single guy, no kids. From what we've been able to gather in the short time since we found his remains, he worked as some kind of freelance location scout for various Hollywood productions. He was staying at an AirBNB not far from the graveyard where his body was found. We searched his room and found some documentation linking him to what appears to be the same production as the other victims, but unfortunately the place was in a ransacked state when we arrived so the... ugh... killer probably made off with a lot of the important stuff to cover their tracks

Cassiebsg · Sun 19/07/2020 19:18:00

Ah. Forgot about that.

In that case, my questions go about the production crew. Are they missing someone? Did they use extern/local/fan help?
For one thing we all agree, the perp. knows a lot about the "secret" movie and production. So how did he gain this info? Just killing the scout and getting all documents he add might explain for a lot, but not for everything. Because he had to know who the scout was and what he was doing in town.

heltenjon · Sun 19/07/2020 20:49:22

We got this location from the numbers in the last message. My guess is we now need to find the final location from the words.

JackPutter · Sun 19/07/2020 22:00:19

I'm going to be busy with work for the next day or two so I probably won't get a chance to post any long/detailed updates. I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up and also thank you all very much for your kind words about my writing! I'm very glad you enjoy the little passages I've been adding.