Log:Rookie Tagalong

The Lady in White 2020/05/19 Night Marshal|Carpenter 6

CBPD Precinct - 5:48PM

Just as Carpenter was getting close to the end of his shift, the sergeant stops by his desk. "Hey Jack, Captain wants to see you in her office."

Carpenter raises a brow and he nods, "Okay. Thanks." He then heads back to the Captain's office, not wanting to keep her waiting.

Captain Landry is looking over something on her screen as Jack walks in. "Carpenter. I'm assigning you to a murder investigation that seems to be more up your alley. A body was just discovered in the vic's apartment in Little Italy. CSI's on their way." She doesn't even look up at him as she types in something.

Carpenter nods. "Alright. Anything else I should know? Since it's 'up my alley'? I'm guessing that there's something special going on."

"Yeah, you could say that. There's something off about it from the description from officers on the scene. Suicides don't often stab themselves 13 times in a locked apartment," the Captain says.

Carpenter nods again slowly. "Yeah, that's true. Alright, thanks. On my way." He then heads out. Sure, it was close to the end of his shift, but he was going to go ahead with his 'other job' in short order anyway. So...what's a little more time?

"Oh, and Jack?" Captain Landry raises her voice as he gets past the door.

Carpenter stops, "Yeah?" He pokes hie head back in.

The Captain looks up. "Take Harris with you. The rookie needs some experience and this may be tame compared to your usual cases." Celia Harris, the new detective in the department, is out in the bullpen at her desk filling out paperwork.

Carpenter looks over at Harris and then back to the Captain. "Sounds good. It'll be nice to have a little backup." He smiles and then heads over to where Celia is seated. "Celia, the Captain asked me to bring you along on a case. Have the time?"

Celia looks up from her paperwork. She has dark brown hair straight hair, tied back in a tight mid-ponytail, and is dressed professionally for the job. Gray pants suit, jacket, and a white blouse. Her badge is clipped to her waistband. He can see the shoulder holster beneath her jacket. "Sure. Detective...Carpenter, right?" she asks. She puts her files in her drawer and locks up. She gets up and straightens the fit of her jacket over her shoulder holster. "What sort of case is this? I've handled robbery so far, but you have a reputation for different types of cases."

Carpenter nods, and offers his hand to shake, "That's right. Jack Carpenter. Nice to meet you again." He shrugs, "Murder case, probably. Flagged originally as a suicide, but stabbed thirteen times. In a locked apartment. So...not likely suicide."

Celia shakes his hand. "Celia Harris. I'm guessing the Captain already told you, though." She listens to the brief details Carpenter has. "Okay, interesting. Let's go take a look," she says, looking like her mind is already at work on the case.

Carpenter smiles. "I'm afraid that's all I know so far. Everything else will be on site." He leads the way out, and then they drive to the location in question.

Lombardi Street - 6:13PM

Celia is mostly quiet on the drive. She knows him by reputation alone, and what the other people in the Department say about him. Once they pull up to the location, she steps out of the car and looks up at the building. "So how is it you get put on all these weird cases?" There's already patrol units and a CSI van parked outside, with an officer waiting by the door for them.

Carpenter shrugs and smiles, "I'm good at them? And I don't complain about it, unlike some of the others would. The Captain gets a lot of pushback from some of the other detectives about weird cases." He pauses and then adds, "Though the fact that the Captain is my former partner might also play a role in that. Hard to say for sure." He shows his bade to the officer as they're let inside.

"Really? I didn't know that. She must trust you to get the job done," Celia says, not realizing the history between the two. Or maybe she's just flattering Carpenter to get on his good side.

The officer nods. "Fourth floor, Detectives," he points them to the stairs. It's an older building with no elevator.

"And here I was worried I wouldn't get my steps in for the day," Harris comments lightly as they head up. Another officer is positioned outside of an apartment with the door open.

Carpenter chuckles. "Hey, it could be worse. It's only the fourth floor." They make their way up to the apartment in question.

"I'm just glad the vic doesn't live on the top floor," Harris quips. The officer at the door notes the badges and gives them a nod.

Inside, the apartment looks dirty and a bit dingy. The once cream carpet has gone yellowish with a few stains. The tile in the kitchen is dated, as are the old appliances in it. The victim's body is in the kitchen, laying face up with a steak knife in his chest. The CSI technician Nailia Massri is examining the body as another person photographs the scene and the evidence.

Carpenter steps in carefully, and says to Nailia, "Hey there. So, what do we have today? Other than the obvious?"

Massri is gloved up and points to the multiple wounds on the chest. The body's feet is closest to the detectives with how he's laid out. "I count thirty stab wounds on the chest." She points back up towards the dead end of the small U-shaped kitchen. "Blood spray pattern on the counter, walls, and cupboards suggest he was facing that way when he was stabbed, and the blood spatter on his arm and hand suggest it was self inflicted. From here," she tries to retrace the victim's movement, "He then turned around and walked this way before collapsing. Though he should've fallen forward, our body fell backward." She stands up and looks towards an evidence marker on the counter with a bloody hand print on it. "The victim braced himself here, and more spatter marks suggest he was still stabbing himself as he turned and started walking."

Carpenter frowns. "Self-inflicted? I guess that explains why the original idea of suicide." He shakes his head, "My guess would be a mental complusion, though. Someone wanted him to suffer."

"Mental compulsion?" Det. Harris asks as she slips on her latex gloves.

Carpenter pulls on some gloves, "Yeah. Some metahumans have mental powers. They can...make you see things. Or do things. Or just blast your brain. I've run into a couple like that over the years."

Harris nods slowly as she takes that in. "Nasty way to go. You have to piss off some very special people to earn that."

Carpenter nods. "I...wish that was the case. It could just be that the perp is...cruel." He looks for any sign of forced entry into the place.

No forced entry on the door, the windows are closed and latched. There's a small pile of unopened mail on a small table along with car keys. There's a lazy boy chair that's partially upright, stationed in front of an holovid TV. This place looks like a bachelor pad. There's some takeout chinese boxes on a mismatched sidetable by the lazyboy.

Partially obscured by the mail is a wallet. Carpenter also notices some dark rectangular object beneath the lazyboy's footrest. The footrest is two inches from being properly locked in place.

Carpenter starts with the wallet, seeing if the name matches the mail...and the victim.

The name and the mail matches, and the picture matches the vic's. Except the driver's license makes him look much more intimidating than the wide-eyed look on the body now. The victim's name is Marco Amato. Age 38, male, caucasian.

Carpenter taps the wallet. "I think he did piss off the wrong vigilante. Our victim's name looks to be Marco Amato. Released recently due to a witness balking on the stand." He bags the wallet, and then goes to check the small dark object under the footrest.

Harris frowns at that. "Are there any right vigilantes?" she quips. She looks back at the vic. "So our vic walked, and a vigilante decided they'd serve as judge, jury, and executioner. And made sure he suffered." She frowns and thinks. "This MO fit any vigilantes you know?"

Carpenter shakes his head, "No. Most of the ones I'm familiar with are likely to leave criminals alive and then let the system do its work. I don't know any that would kill, let alone this viciously."

Harris nods. "So we're looking for a vigilante willing to cross the line, with the power to mentally compel their victim." She looks to Carpenter. "What're the chances this isn't their first victim and CBPD just didn't catch on?"

Carpenter nods, "It's possible. But with this level of cruelty, I'd have been surprised if it got missed."

Checking under the footrest, Carpenter finds the remote control to the TV.

Det. Harris nods. "So a new vigilante player is what you're thinking?"

Carpenter points out the remote. "I think he was surprised while he was watching television. Or he sat up quickly for some recon, at least.

Carpenter nods. "It's possible that it's someone new, yeah."

Celia thinks on that and walks over to take a look. "With the no forced entry, it does give us another detail on the vigilante killer. They can bypass doors and windows somehow." Celia checks around a bit more, examining the room, but doesn't notice any other helpful details.

On a lark, Jack turns the television on, checking what channel was on."

Sport channel. There's a boxing match currently on. It's a DVR with a few recordings still saved. Browsing through, there's a variety of sports on it. Mostly betting sports. Horse races, MMA fights, Boxing. A few drama shows involving crimes. The Godfather. Some mature rated adult content.

Carpenter turns it back off. "What if...the meta got in via the television? Or the phone? I know it's a long shot. But with metas, we need to think outside the norm."

Carpenter looks for a phone, to see where it is, and then makes a note to pull phone records for the victim.

The phone has been bagged up as property that was on the victim. Massri calls Carpenter over. "Detectives, I found something." She's lifted the left hand of the victim and is plucking something with her tweezers and examining it. "White fiber under the vic's nail."

Carpenter sighs. "There IS an assassin that's been seen in town working for the mobs. Ghost Dog. He can walk through walls...but he wouldn't be able to get this victim to stab himself like this. He'd do the stabbing. And Domina...could do the mental force. But...couldn't get in here without help."

Detective Harris thinks for a moment. "Is there a possibility they were working together?"

Carpenter shakes his head, "Ghost Dog can't take other people with him through walls, as far as I know. So...not something that simple."

Carpenter snaps his fingers and starts to look around for any kind of internal cameras. "Sleaze bags like this like to film their own places. For...well, reasons."

"Ugh," Harris comments as she gets her own ideas of those reasons.

Carpenter nods as he looks. "That's the correct reaction to that. Especially if the camera is hidden."

Searching the apartment, Carpenter does find one hidden camera. In the bedroom on a bookshelf opposite the bed. It has a micro SD card in it and is currently not recording. No luck in the living room area.

Carpenter sighs. The camera's card is likely evidence too. Anyone on it is a potential culprit. He goes ahead and bags and card. "Well, likely didn't get the killing. But we'll have video to look at anyway to identify people."

"He's sounding more and more like a charmer," Harris comments. "I'd be happy to leave the honors of reviewing the footage to you."

Carpenter chuckles. "I thought you might. It was my idea. I'll have to do the penance." He shakes his head and keeps looking around for other clues.

Harris breathes a sigh of relief. "I was expecting you to make me because I'm the rook," she says as she dodges a bullet. Harris is new to homicide, and being a detective. She isn't able to pick up on anything. But she is paying attention to Carpenter's observations. Though it seems clues to the crime have all been found. There's still the bagged phone and the fiber that needs to go to the lab.

Carpenter smiles. "Some of the other officers would have made you do that legwork. I'm kinder than that."

"I can do the legwork with the phone. Fair trade?" Harris smiles back.

Carpenter nods. "Sounds like a reasonable trade to me."

Harris smiles, then looks over to the officer at the door. "Who discovered the vic?"

"The neighbor called in hearing screams. Nothing intelligible, though," the officer answers.

Carpenter nods. "No shouting before hand? A loud television?"

"Hmm...yeah, he said the television was a bit loud," the Officer thinks on it.

Carpenter nods. "What time was he killed? And was the television off when the authorities showed up?"

"The call came in around 4:30?" the Officer tries to recall.

Massri nods. "I'd estimate time of death to be relatively recent. That'd be within the time frame."

Carpenter nods to himself and pulls the gloves off. "Hmm."

"We done here?" Harris asks as Carpenter degloves.

Carpenter nods. "I think so."

Celia takes off her gloves and takes a deep breath, looking at the scene one last time.

The officer adds, "When we got here, the TV was off."

Carpenter pulls another glove back on and bags the remote as well. "The killer might have turned it off. We'll have to check it for prints."

Carpenter shrugs, "It's also possible it turned off on its own. So...perhaps nothing there. But worth checking."

Harris nods. "Or they turned it off when they noticed something amiss?

Carpenter nods. "Maybe. We should talk to the neighbor. If the order was...television...then off...then screaming...well, there you go. He likely shut it off.

Carpenter says, "If it was concurrent, then turned off...then the killer likely did it."

Carpenter waves Harris over, "Let's go have a conversation with the neighbor."

Harris nods. "Sounds worth asking." She walks over to Carpenter. The officer points out to which neighbor.

Carpenter nods to the officer, "Thanks." He then heads over with Harris to the neighbor's door and knocks.

It's a little while and some slow shuffling before an elderly man opens the door. Short, stooped, with a cane. His hair is pure white and thinning, combed over. "Yes?" he asks in a quiet voice.

Carpenter shows his badge, "Sorry to bother you sir. Detectives CArpenter and Harris, CBPD. We just wanted to ask you about what you heard this afternoon."

"I already talked to you people," the old man says grumpily. "I already told you. I heard yelling and screaming next door, so I called 9-1-1."

Carpenter nods and smiles. "And we appreciate that. You mentioned the television was also loud. Do you remember the exact order of things? Were you hearing screaming over the television? Or did the TV turn off, and then you heard screaming?"

The older man's wrinkled brow wrinkles further. "Hmmm. There was a lot of shouting and cheering. Then he finally turned down the TV so I couldn't hear it no more. Then there was screaming bloody murder for a while. That's when I called, but it went quiet after."

Carpenter nods. "Thank you, sir. If you should remember anything else, please...give us a call." He gives the man his business card.

The elderly man takes the card squints at it through his thick glasses. "I'll do that."

Carpenter nods. "Thank you, sir."

The neighbor shuffles back and closes the door. Harris looks to Carpenter.

Carpenter sighs. "So, probably just the victims' prints on the remote. Maybe the CSI folks will pull another print from the room if we're lucky."

"You think we'll be lucky?" Harris asks. "This had to be pre-meditated. Most vigilantes are smart enough to wear gloves."

Carpenter shakes his head, "If the person is a pro...not a chance. But if they're just...angry, and this is a first time, we might get lucky."

"Thirteen times sounds pretty angry to me," Celia comments.

Carpenter nods. "Thirty. But yeah. There's a personal grudge. But that doesn't mean the person wasn't a pro. They might have been."

Celia doublechecks her notes. "No...Thirteen," she replies, thinking Jack is testing her.

Carpenter shakes his head, "Thirty. Based on what the CSI folks said."

Celia frowns and writes something in her notes. "Thirty," she shakes her head. "Nice round number. Wonder if it's significant."

Carpenter rubs his chin, "Maybe. But I think it's indicative of extreme anger, too. They over did it. Heck...thirteen would have been overdoing it. Thirty is complete overkill."

Harris nods. "What can you tell me of the vigilante types in the city? Any of them have a particular righteous fury theme to them?"

Harris says, "Or...maybe it's a meta criminal rather than a vigilante."

Carpenter nods. "Could be either."

Log:A Case Hanging by a Thread