Flunking hell, Graham thinks, looking up from where he'd dropped to his belly when Rangin yelled. That was as close as I ever want to be to a bolt of lightning again... He turns and gives a thumb up in the direction of Rangin and Delaney before jumping up and waving the team forward.
Last edited by Elendil's Heir; 13 Nov 2014 at 07:48 PM. Reason: spelling fix
"I see," Kylah says slowly. "Then you must believe the murderer of Mr. Wilson is still entirely unknown to us? Since, due to--to multiple witnesses placing him at the nightclub at the time of Wilson's death, Hardin seems to be eliminated as the killer. Unless he has a twin, a clone, or some other extraordinarily unlikely double." She shakes her head apologetically. "I do not mean to press you, Mr. Hsu. It is just that I am only an Ensign and like you, such investigations are 'far above my pay grade.' I would sincerely value your opinion."
She exhales, trying to decide whether the dicey topic of Wilson's affair is worth a risk. Then again, there is little time to waste by being hesitant. She must know whether this man is aware of his wife's infidelity.
"There is an angle we have not explored much," she begins. "In looking at the motives for the crime, we have mostly paid attention to Mr. Wilson's business dealings--not surprisingly, since so much evidence pointed to the possibility that he was involved in some underhanded financial schemes. But from what little I have heard about murders, I know the vast majority are committed by someone close to the victim, and for reasons that are... personal.
"Which brings me to Mr. Wilson's private life," Kylah says. "Throughout the investigation, we have heard multiple rumors about Mr. Wilson having affairs with women during his time here, and there is also the physical evidence of recent sexual activity in his suite. And--" Now that she is finally broaching this topic, her throat seems as arid as the Southern Deserts on Elas. She wishes she could find something to drink--ideally, anything to take away her nerves. "And there are also two messages on his communicator from a woman... she did not leave a name, but their close relationship was clear."
When she continues, Kylah makes sure her tone is as neutral and free of insinuation as possible, measuring his emotions all the while. "As Chief of Security, with access to so many cameras and staff who patrol the grounds, you probably know more than you even wish to about the personal lives about the guests and workers. So I wonder... have you--have you any idea who might have been... intimate with him?"
Last edited by choie; 13 Nov 2014 at 02:13 PM.
Rangin nods back at Graham, glad to see that the bolt had struck somewhere nearby and not any of the crew. Rising to his feet and making sure the tricorder is is still monitoring, he starts to move forward again.
That's twice I've got Delaney to save lives, he thinks, I wonder what the hat trick will be.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Hsu takes a deep breath. "I was wondering when you'd ask me about that. Wilson... well, he liked women. Probably too much. It was no particular secret here. He had at least three affairs, maybe three flings would be more like it, that I'm aware of with guests, one of whom was here for several months. I'm sure there were others, maybe many others. None of them are here now, though. And in fairness, I never saw it affect his work."
Rangin sees that the modified tricorder seems to be working fine. The Yorktown search party rises from the ground, wet and now muddy, and moves forward, through the small grove of trees and out into the open. The rough-hewn buildings of the Sandoval Colony are dimly visible ahead through the darkness, perhaps three minutes' fast walk away. They are suddenly illuminated with a glare when lightning crashes over the horizon to your left.
Way too close for comfort thinks Rangin and he hopes the group can get to the colony sooner rather than later.
Looking through the rain, is there any sign of lights or activity in the colony buildings or is the area out front deserted.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Kylah has the sense that Hsu is more uncomfortable than he lets on, and that his mind is racing. It is difficult to tell how truthful he is being. Kylah finds that her own fatigue has markedly diminished her empathic sensitivity.
Rangin, peering through the gloom, sees no lights or activity among the buildings ahead. The search party is now entirely in the open.
Graham takes as good a look as he can at the area ahead, and, assuming nothing is obviously amiss, gestures to St. Croix and Gelil that the advance team should pick up the pace and head for the nearest building.
Rangin sits back on his haunches and waits with the other tricorder as the advance team head across the open area to the nearest building.
"Eyes peeled everyone," Rangin calls out to the remainder of the group although they should hardly need reminding given the situation.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
A dull headache is making a reappearance over Kylah's left eye. This happens often when she must concentrate harder to channel her empathic abilities, which tend to ebb along with her physical strength. It is not even remotely comparable to the agonizing pain from the stun field, and she does her best to ignore it.
Hsu's enhanced distress, as inchoate as it is given her weakened focus, is evidence that she has struck a chord somewhere. Kylah decides to take one last push. "That is highly informative, thank you. Although... he has either found a new partner or there is someone else about whom you do not know. The communicator messages referred to their having a--a--" Annoyingly, she finds herself stumbling in embarrassment when trying to come up with a word that is both accurate but not lurid. "--An encounter," she finishes at last, "as recently as four or five days ago. And the last message was sent the afternoon he died. So this unknown person is still here.
"I wonder," she murmurs, frowning as if deep in thought. "You mention only guests, but could this person not be a staff member? What is the corporate policy on such relationships? Perhaps he was trying to end things, especially considering the scrutiny that was being placed on him, and his partner did not take kindly to the rejection. Or there may have been a third party... an ex-boyfriend. There are a myriad of possibilities, I fear."
Kylah shrugs, still trying to keep her attitude as casual as possible. But there is no realistic way to pretend that this is not important information. She has a spark of inspiration and stands up, gesturing to the door. "Well, I should not detain you, and I am very grateful for your time, Mr. Hsu. I suppose I will have to do more research--discreet, of course, but such an intimate connection really must be identified, do you not agree?"
Last edited by choie; 14 Nov 2014 at 04:07 PM.
Hsu shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah, sure, well, thanks for coming by. We'll keep an eye out to make sure Hardin doesn't try to sneak back into the resort. All the exterior doors remain locked, and my people will make sure they stay that way."
The search party crosses open ground and draws nearer to the buildings. The rain is falling a little harder now. Graham can see that the closest is a farmhouse, perhaps big enough for a family of four or five. A barn is just behind it and to the right, from his perspective. St. Croix and he are already within phaser range.
Nodding--and acting as if she has not noticed that Hsu has answered none of her questions--Kylah starts to leave, then hesitates. "The exterior doors are locked... Will my crewmates--or I, for that matter--be able to get back inside using our thumbprints? I would not want them stranded out there, if someone should need to return for any reason. Does this not also bar all of the guests staying in the house residences from entering?"
Last edited by choie; 15 Nov 2014 at 03:00 AM.
Hsu says, "Your original party members still have their thumbprints in the database; they can get back in, or call here to be let in. The guest houses are all within the resort perimeter and guests living there can come and go, remaining on the premises, as they wish."
Graham gestures toward the farm house. He now has the tricorder in one hand and his phaser in the other. Graham is momentarily bemused by the thought of Rangin's reaction if the team would have had the firepower to lay down a field of true suppressing fire: ideally phaser rifles, but phaser II's at minimum. Horror that they were damaging historical artifacts, he assumes--of course, WR&R and some people in Starfleet might also feel the same way, he notes.
As it stands the phased I's have too little power and punch for that sort f thing. He hopes Hardin doesn't have anything better.
The search party approaches the farmhouse and Graham silently directs its disposition with hand gestures. St. Croix is now by the door, phaser in hand, ready to open it - or kick it in. The storm seems to be interfering with tricorder scans but, as far as Graham can tell, the house is unoccupied. He and Rangin pick up no life form readings nearby other than the Yorktown personnel.
The wind blows much harder in gusts several times, and the rain begins falling hard again.
With a brief grateful look--at least Hsu answered one question to her satisfaction--Kylah leaves his office, rests a hand on Gaines's shoulder with a murmured "thank you," and heads off into the corridors once more.
When alone, she pauses and pulls out her communicator. She sends a text-only message to Garcia letting him know about the video data that has been sent to the CP. Many suspects are in view. I have noted their activities but if you can look through the recording and add your fresh vision to it, that would be most helpful. Thank you. -- KYLAH
Next she considers her next move. I must confirm the autopsy findings, she decides. She hopes that the storm is not causing any problems in communication as well as transporting. In an effort to improve reception, she walks up to whatever window is nearest. The rain has turned the outdoors into a landscape of melting trees and outbuildings.
And out there, somewhere, are her colleagues.
Unconsciously Kylah presses a hand against the glass, feeling the coolness and wishing her weak telepathic abilities--so rarely seen and almost never at any great distance--could impart some warmth to the team she has abandoned. Her eyes glaze over like the rain-soaked glass. Velir, are you all right?
With a swallow she clears her throat and lifts her communicator again to speak in a firm voice. "Ensign Kylah to Dr. Villa."
Graham slings his tricorder and gestures for St. Croix to follow him while Gelil hangs back. Once Gelil is in position Graham signals a three count and on three will turn the handle and attempt to open the door, phase in the other hand. His expectation is that the door will open but if it does not he is ready to step back and kick it open immediately on finding any resistance.
Rangin watches the three in the advance party head across to the first building and prep themselves by a doorway.
He can't help but be concerned that he cannot find any life form traces in the area. He wonders just how bad the mixture of radiation and electricity must be for the tricorders to not even be able to do a simple heat scan of the area.
At least the light is gloomy given the time of day and darkness is not set to fall for many hours yet.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Dr. Villa comes on after a few seconds. Her voice is clear. "Villa here. What can I do for you, Mr. Kylah?"
The door to the farmhouse opens easily; Graham and then St. Croix charge through. They are now standing in an open common room, similar to the one Graham saw during his earlier tour of the colony. The room is dark but for the narrow beams of light coming from the business end of his and St. Croix's phaser-1s. An old wooden table with four chairs is to the left, and a bench with homespun cushions. To the right is a kitchen with wooden cabinetry and a deep sink. Two doors, both closed, are beyond that to the right. There is a long roll of thunder outside.
Rangin switches from a lifeform scan to a heat scan. He picks up nothing other than the members of the Yorktown search party gathered nearby. Readings beyond ten meters or so are severely degraded. He gives a shiver as a thin, cold rivulet of water runs down his back.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Villa," Kylah says, relieved to hear a somewhat familiar voice again. "I need to ask you about Mr. Wilson's autopsy findings. I am checking on alibis down here and it is vital to know the window of opportunity needed to commit the crime. If I remember correctly, Dr. T'Var told us that the time of death was approximately from 0000 to 0030. I understand that it is impossible to be exact in such things, but I was wondering if there is any leeway in those times--could it have been earlier or later? Or does that half-hour interval already take the uncertainty into account?"
She takes a deep breath. "Further, I am trying to determine the difference between the time of death and the time of his attack. According to Dr. T'Var's report, Mr. Wilson died of exsanguination, which as I understand is not necessarily an instant death. Thus, that might narrow the window further--it pushes the relevant time period earlier.
"I know we might be talking only a matter of few minutes from when the knife entered Mr. Wilson's body until his life functions ceased. But from what I have judged of the various suspects' movements, our known timeline must be as precise as possible. Some people would have been available to commit an attack at, say, 0050, but not 0025."
Kylah's hand tightens slightly around the communicator. "So, given the nature of his injury, can you tell roughly how long would it have taken him to die--and thus, what are the earliest or latest times that the actual attack could have taken place?"
Last edited by choie; 16 Nov 2014 at 03:38 PM.
Dr. Villa checks her records and says, "The autopsy indicated Wilson's time of death was between 2330 and 0030. It could've been 15 minutes or so to either side of that, I suppose. Stabbing like this usually results in death within five minutes or so."
Kylah nods, slowly letting her hand drop from the window glass. "I see. Yes, of course, I remember now about the autopsy findings. I was mixing that up with what we know about Mr. Wilson's activities. He was seen alive a bit later than 2330, so..." She does not bother to continue. For a fleeting moment she has the impulse to ask why the autopsy record would not simply take those extra fifteen minutes--no, the extra half hour, really--into account, and thus estimate Mr. Wilson's death as occurring between 2315 and 0045. But she is neither a doctor nor a bureaucrat, and cannot understand their strange ways. "At any rate, this is extremely helpful. Thank you, sir. Kylah out."
As she closes the communicator, she feels a curious swell of emotion that she cannot quite identify. It is not triumph, it is not fear. It is some unnerving combination of the two.
Kylah stands very still at the enormity of the confirmation she has just received. Even assuming the very latest possible time given for Wilson's death--12:45am--this means the murderer attacked him at 12:40.
Hardin did not do it. Not by himself.
She stares out at the window. The Vice Admiral has an accomplice. Possibly--maybe probably--more than one. Then she nearly laughs, although it is not joy but near-hysteria that nearly propelled the laughter from her: the truth is, whatever Hardin did, it could all be a horrible coincidence. He might not be involved in the murder at all.
Looking down at the communicator, she wishes it were safe contact the others outside. But she has no idea where they are, if they have all silenced their communicators, if they have even turned them off altogether. If she sends even a text, and the notification somehow alerts Hardin or another unknown enemy, she would never forgive herself. She would be as foolhardy as Delaney had been--worse, because she has personal experience of what they are up against.
Kylah forces herself to start moving again, heading back to the elevator to the administrative offices. As she walks, she takes some comfort in the fact that Booker Graham will not assume Hardin is alone. If anything, the man is probably preparing (if not outright hoping) for an entire platoon of cloaked Romulans out there. She certainly trusts Velir to have considered the possibility. If they are very fortunate, perhaps she is right and Hardin really isn't to blame for the murder, in which case his stunning of Kylah and Graham might be as violent as he is likely to get. So Velir, Graham and the rest might not be deadly peril after all.
The thought cheers her somewhat. At least, until the elevator door closes and she realizes that this would mean that the killer--whether or not Hardin's accomplice--is probably still on the grounds of the resort.
This grim possibility is still floating around her mind when she arrives at the administrative area and, once again, asks to seek Mrs. Hsu.
Last edited by choie; 17 Nov 2014 at 01:26 AM.
Mrs. Hsu is still at her desk. Her mouth sets in a hard line when Kylah is shown in. "Yes?" she asks curtly.
Kylah remains standing and keeps her right hand down at her side. She sincerely doubts Mrs. Hsu is dangerous, but she will not be attacked twice in a day; in this position she has access to both her knife or her phaser, in the unlikely event either are necessary.
"I would say I am sorry to bother you, Mrs. Hsu. But that would be a lie," she says calmly. "Although at least that would make us nearly even. Though not quite. You have told me two lies, at least. Your husband appears to be lying as well, but I am not sure if he is doing so knowingly, or merely out of husbandly concern."
Looking over Mrs. Hsu's desk and her demeanor, Kylah tries to determine what the other woman has been working on since she left. "I have some sympathy for your predicament. Perhaps having lied to your spouse for so long, you believe you can get away with doing the same to me, and with as little consequence. But you cannot. I neither care about nor judge you for your extramarital activities. So unless they are somehow related to Mr. Wilson's death, there is no purpose in your evading the truth."
Kylah steps closer and lowers her voice. "So. I want you to tell me the facts about your last conversation with Mr. Wilson, as well as your activities the night of his murder."
Last edited by choie; 17 Nov 2014 at 03:58 PM.
Graham gestures for Saint Croix to cover the closed doors and wait, then waves Gelil in to take a position in the doorway to the farmhouse. He points Saint Croix to the left of the closed door on the left, while he takes a position to the right of the closed door on the right. He checks his tricorder again for a closer reading of what might be behind the doors.
If he finds nothing alarming, he will indicate that Saint Croix should wait while he opens his door.
(If he finds the space behind his door obviously clear--such as a small empty closet--he will visually look it over and then move to cover Saint Croix opening hers, on his signal. However if it is not obviously clear--for example, a room with another door leading from it--he'll pause to re-group the team).
Last edited by general_urko; 17 Nov 2014 at 05:35 PM.
Mrs. Hsu seems a little flustered, but crosses her arms and leans back in her chair. "And why should I do that, if you're convinced I've already lied?"
Graham's tricorder shows no lifesigns, but various wooden, metal and ceramic objects. St. Croix and Geilil take up their positions, and the alien nods to Graham. He opens the doors to reveal a bathroom and a small bedroom, respectively.
"I will tell you why," Kylah says, remaining perfectly still although her heart is pounding. "It is because, despite your having been deceitful, I would very much like to be convinced that it was nothing more than a last flailing vestige of your guilty conscience at having conducted an affair."
She softens her tone a fraction. "But you and I know there are far worse things than infidelity, Mrs. Hsu. If your lies had nothing to do with the murder, then please, give me the explanation. I need to know whether I am wasting time on you. There are other suspects and I would like to eliminate as many distractions as possible. Lord Fastolfe was our first distraction. Now there is Hardin."
After a hesitation during which she calculates her next move, Kylah plunges forward. "His corruption and violent behavior made his guilt of Mr. Wilson's murder seem like a natural conclusion. At least, it did before I personally uncovered proof, barely twenty minutes ago, that Hardin did not wield that knife.
"That does not mean he was not involved at all," she adds more slowly. "He may have conspired with, or even threatened, someone else--perhaps more than one--who performed the actual deed. But Vice Admiral Hardin did not, could not, have been in that conference room when Mr. Wilson was attacked."
Kylah takes a deep breath. "Someone else was there. Someone whom Wilson met, obviously on purpose, given his attempt to be clandestine. Was it you? Or did you just ask him to go there, luring him to a third person's knife?" Her gaze pierces the other woman's eyes. "That is why I need to know your activities, Mrs. Hsu. Because if you do not tell me otherwise, I will be working off the theory that you led Mr. Wilson to his death--by your own hand, or possibly even your husband's. And that means a search warrant at the very least, an arrest as a material witness at the worst."
Last edited by choie; 17 Nov 2014 at 11:46 PM.
Rangin continues waiting outside with the rest of the group keeping his eyes peeled across the colony buildings waiting to see if anything moves.
He calms his nerves by telling himself that Graham will at least be thorough in searching the first building before they can all move in and begin the house to house search, though he does wonder if Hardin is still here at all. Why run towards the Colony buildings, what could possibly be here for him?
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Mrs. Hsu snaps, "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't kill Tony; I loved him. Now, I've told you all I know. I've answered all of your questions. I'm not going to repeat myself and give you the chance to twist or misinterpret again what I say. Please leave, Ensign."
Rangin and the others remain in the rain, phasers and tricorders in hand, their attention directed outward as Graham, St. Croix and Geilil search the farmhouse.
"I have not twisted nor misinterpreted a thing. And you have answered my question with lies," Kylah snaps right back. "I know you did not spend all evening in your room, Mrs. Hsu. I know you where you went, and what you did, less than an hour before Mr. Wilson was killed. And it was not sleeping in bed with your husband."
She leans forward. "Please do not talk to me of love, as if it is a shield against hatred. One turns easily into the other when betrayed. Besides, even love can be superseded by ambition--or fear. If someone created either of those emotions within you, who knows what you might have done?"
"Now, I will leave, as you asked me to. But first I am giving you one last chance to explain yourself, because there are all sorts of reasons for your behavior that have nothing to do with Mr. Wilson's murder. Your refusal to so much as utter a single one is giving me no choice but to assume the worst. One more time: What did you say to Mr. Wilson that night?"
Last edited by choie; 18 Nov 2014 at 12:15 PM.
"Building clear," Graham says to his two companions. He adds a nod. "Good work, people. Now let's get everybody's asses out of the rain..."
Graham steps outside and assesses the surroundings, then positions himself, St. Croix and Gelil at the doorway and corners of the building to cover the angle of approach from any threat from inside the Sandoval colony areas as best they can. "All right folks, building is clear, proceed to our location at good speed, two groups ten yards apart." He keeps his communicator in one hand and phaser in the other.
As the call comes across from Graham,. Rangin breathes a small sigh of relief.
Arranging for Dr T'Var and Lt Delaney to be in the first group, Rangin calls out, "Ok, you heard him, front group move across."
After they have started and been given enough space, Rangin will move across with the second group to the relative safety and welcoming dryness of the Sandoval Colony building.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Hsu rises to her feet, reddening, and snaps, "I have nothing more to say to you. Get out. Just get out!"
The search party takes shelter from the rain on the porch and inside the farmhouse. Everyone is dripping wet. There is a crash of lightning near the horizon to the west, and then a long roll of thunder.
Kylah is surprised that Mrs. Hsu cannot hear her pounding heart. This is not a role she is used to; normally she would have backed out by now. At this point, two days into this hellish mission, Kylah has grown so angry, tired, scared, sickened, and fed up with everyone on OC3 that her misery seems to have given birth to some new, fierce side she did not know she possessed.
She has not said the magic word, Kylah thinks viciously. Fastolfe was smart enough to say it. She is not.
A sudden thought makes her smile, catlike, "If you are so desperate for me to leave, you really ought to call Security. Here, let me." Without bothering to ask permission, she presses a button on the comm panel on Mrs. Hsu's desk. "Kylah to Mr. Hsu," she says sharply. "You are needed up here in your wife's office. Please meet us here at your earliest convenience."
She releases the button, disconnecting the call before Hsu can respond. Raising an eyebrow at Mrs. Hsu, Kylah waits a second before murmuring: "Now we will properly compare your stories, and see how well they match with what multiple eyewitnesses have to say."
And because she is not completely reckless, Kylah lifts her communicator. "Kylah to Ensign Russell. Assuming all is quiet where you are, could you please leave your current post--making sure Ensign Barbour remains in place--and join me in Mrs. Hsu's office, in the administrative area? There is no immediate threat. But I would like a Starfleet Security presence."
Rangin sweeps a hand back across his head and flicks off the water, keeping it out of his eyes and looks round at the rest of the team all sodden and not happy. Well, at least they know how I felt a half hour ago.
"Well what do you know, we made it across without being struck by lightning." he comments trying to lighten the mood but it doesn't really appear to work.
Here in the relative dry, he starts to think about what the next steps are, rechecking the tricorder for heat signatures and life forms in the area, hopefully not as affected by the storm inside the building as outside. Looking at the readings, he realises he is missing one person there and his minds drifts back to wondering how Kylah is doing back in the resort. She probably wouldn't appreciate being soaked like everyone else there, but she would probably want to know they at least made it across without being hit.
He opens his communicator and thumbs a quick message to her knowing that Graham is going to want to start sooner rather than later: Arrived intact, starting next phase. Stay safe, Velir.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Mr. Hsu does not respond. Ens. Russell says, "Acknowledged. On my way."
Mrs. Hsu appears very taken aback. Then she frowns, turns off her computer and says coldly, "If you won't leave, I will." She heads for the door.
Rangin sees no change in his readings. Being inside the farmhouse does not appear to improve tricorder functions as the storm continues outside.
At a loss for a second, Kylah thinks: She must not leave! Better for her to remain in one place where Russell can watch her. She steps nimbly in front of the door and holds up a hand. "No, Mrs. Hsu. I will not chase you out of your own office. You may stay here, and I will go. I would have preferred to show the footage from the Starfire club to the both of you, but your husband will suffice. Considering that he is covering for you, I suspect he will not be terribly surprised by what he sees--except perhaps by the fact that you were so foolish as to rendezvous in such a public place."
Kylah walks out of the door. She waits to see if Mrs. Hsu will let it close behind her, or if she will follow.
Once outside, she lifts her communicator to find a message from Velir wating for her. Her heart gives a frantic flop when she hurries to see what he has written. Then she exhales in relief. He is safe, at least for now. She hopes this means it is all right to contact him, at least by text.
Her fingers work in a blur and it is a wonder her message is coherent: Thrilled to hear from you, I have been worried and desperate to pass on vital news. I have uncovered proof Hardin was in Starfire at time of murder. If he is guilty he did not work alone. Please be careful, he may have accomplices with him!
Sending it off, Kylah remains near the office in case Mrs. Hsu comes to her senses or either Mr. Hsu or Ensign Russell shows up.
Last edited by choie; 19 Nov 2014 at 03:59 PM.
While checking the tricorder and shaking his head Rangin gets the response from Kylah and his jaw drops for a moment before he recovers himself. He quickly responds with Thanks. Will let all know.
He heads quickly across to Graham to let him know what Kylah has uncovered and hoping he is not quite as much in the zone as before or at least receptive to what Rangin has to say. Maybe after detailing the path across, Graham might actually listen. Twice in one day would be a record.
"Mr Graham, I've just received an update from Ens. Kylah. Looks like Hardin has an alibi for the time of Mr Wilson's murder. If he was involved, he's likely to have accomplices."
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Mrs. Hsu nods stiffly, and the door whispers shut behind Kylah. The Communications officer waits near the office. After a few minutes, a passing WR&R clerk sees her there and says, "May I help you, ma'am? This area is off-limits to guests, I'm afraid, unless you're accompanied by a staffer."
Rangin looks out and sees that the sky seems to be brightening in the distance, and the clouds are not as thick or dark there. It appears the storm may be passing sooner than predicted.
Kylah's patience is on a knife's edge. The gnarled tangle of her nerves over the past few days seems to have condensed into a tight knot over her left eye, and the stranger's words only seem to make it throb harder.
She turns slowly to scowl at the staffer in disbelief. "I beg your pardon? Are you aware that there is a murder investigation going on? An investigation conducted by Starfleet, which owns the rights to the very land beneath this resort and has ultimate governance over it?"
With military sharpness, she whips her pointing finger at the insignia over her chest. "I am not wearing this uniform to attend some masquerade party for your spoiled, dilettante guests. I am Ensign Kylah, temporarily in charge of the resort end of this operation. And I am here because I am waiting for one of our Security officers, who will take this position for me when I choose--and I do mean choose--to leave."
Her hand moves from her chest to her temple, massaging it for a few seconds before she continues. "I know you are just doing your job," she mutters. "I am sorry to have snapped at you, but there is at least one dangerous person, almost certainly two, in the vicinity. There are lives at stake here, not just the guests but staffers like you, and my own crewmates. To be frank, we have gotten precious little assistance from WR&R staff considering both your jobs and your very lives are on the line as long as this murderer is loose. Right now, I just need to think."
She leans against the wall and tries to count to ten, but only makes it to five before she turns to the staffer again. "If you would help me despite my probably having caused your resentment, you would go far in being of service to this investigation. I very much need to speak with your Chief of Security. I tried to contact him before but I am not certain he heard me. Will you please get in touch and tell him that Ensign Kylah needs to see him up here, as soon as possible?"
The staffer, with a fixed smile, goes to a nearby wall comm unit and calls Mr. Hsu, who responds that he is en route.
Ens. Russell arrives. "What's up?" he asks.
Once the group is inside Graham smiles and points with a thumb over his shoulder "Bathroom is on the right if anyone needs it."
He gestures to St. Croix. "Rotate one Security officer with eyes out the door and tircorder on maximum scan. I want to keep the light level in here low, but see if we can use the old trick of warming something up with a phaser on low power--cast iron pot, hearthstone, whatever--so folks can dry out a bit."
"Lt. Delaney--I'd appreciate your recommendation on what kind of range and reliability we can get out of our tricorders in terms of covering these buildings...for example, could two teams create an overlapping field of coverage across multiple buildings, or are we going to be limited to just trying to get a peek behind each building's door."
He's taking a deep breath and thinking about a search pattern when he gets Rangin's update.
His smile disappears, but he nods as he rubs his chin. "That's a prudent assumption anyway...of course the question is, does that mean the accomplice is here--or back at the main compound?"
He hails Kylah. "Mr. Kylah, what have you and Garcia dug up?'
Rangin has a horrible thought as he stands by Graham waiting for Kylah to answer. One of his worst fears had already come true, one of the top people in the Federation had been shown to be corrupt, but if he wasn't the killer, then maybe his accomplice was from Starfleet as well. It would make sense, anyone else on the planet other than the staff would be co-incidence.
But who?
The Research station was accounted for, at least Rangin thought they had been, but that only left Ebling...and the six of them?
Surely Not? Kylah had been in no condition and besides she was sharing with T'Var and she would have noticed if T'Var had left. Graham? Well, Rangin didn't remember him returning, but although he was a killer everything else would have been beyond him. Frankly, the same went for Collins, who had been about as capable as a wet paper bag at the start of the mission, even though she had started to grow into the role.
But that just left Lt Delaney. He had had a room to himself, no-one had seen him again until the morning, he had the technical capability to carry out the hacking attempts and cover up records, he been delaying the team just getting here. Hell, they only had his words as to when the body was moved. What if he had lied and the body had been shifted earlier or later?
A shiver made its way down Rangin's spine as he began to wonder if they were carrying the accomplice with them. He resolved to double check all Delaney's work to be sure as well as checking for any outgoing unexpected comms in the area. Better safe than sorry.
After all, who would suspect loveable, affable, quiet, stick-to-the-background Lt Jim Delaney? He would be the perfect accomplice.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Kylah thanks the staffer despite the cold smile--she probably deserves it--and greets Russell effusively. It flashes through her mind how lucky she is that the WR&R employee is here, because she is so relieved to see a fellow officer that Kylah almost wants to embrace him, near-stranger or not. Indeed, if it were Velir, the staffer's presence would not matter at all.
After greeting Russell, she draws him further aside and speaks quietly. "When I contacted you I was not certain Mr. Hsu would be arriving, and I thought I would have to leave here. Since she is now a suspect--to me, anyway--I would like her under surveillance. However, things are slightly different now. Mr. Hsu is on his way, and I will interview the two of them together. Considering the... personal nature of the topic, I think privacy will be warranted... but once I am through, I would like you to remain out here, perhaps unobtrusively, and to keep one or both of them in sight should they leave. I hope that--"
Her communicator interrupts her. She begs Russell's pardon and responds to Graham. "I am glad to hear from you, sir. I did not dare contact you while you were in the field. I just told Velir that I--" Her words cut off for a second when she realizes he asked about Garcia as well. Of course, he would not expect her to have been alone for so much of the time. And he likely thinks me incapable of discovering such evidence on my own! Kylah continues more carefully. "I wanted to confirm the witness statements that mentioned seeing Mrs. Hsu speaking with Wilson that night. As you know, she insists she never saw him after the spore introduction. I thought video footage of the nightclub would clear up this debate, and when we reviewed it, her story was proven false, as I suspected."
Kylah does not elaborate that the 'we' who reviewed it was her and the WR&R security guard. She hurries on: "But what is most important--I found that the camera footage did not end at midnight after all!" She quickly explains how it was saved thanks to having been installed separately. "...And it was quite clear that Hardin did not leave the club until 12:42. I made extra certain that the time had not been altered--I used your own visit to the nightclub to judge whether the footage timestamps were accurate.
"I then contacted Dr. Villa, and she confirmed that according to the autopsy results, the very latest Wilson could have been attacked was 12:40--even allowing for an extra fifteen minutes after the estimated time of death." She suddenly has to smile despite the seriousness of the situation. The truth is, she is proud of the work she did to back up her theory.
"Meanwhile, Hardin could not have reached the conference room any earlier than, say, 12:47. So while he could have performed the subsequent activity with the transporter, and he may have ordered the murder in the first place... there is no physical way he committed the attack. If his corrupt partnership with Wilson is behind this crime, Hardin would have needed an accomplice to stab Wilson. I think it quite likely that this person is with him now--there might even be more than one. I wanted to warn you so you know this is a possibility."
Kylah pauses and glances at the office door. "I am now outside Mrs. Hsu's office. Ensign Russell is now with me instead of Lt. Garcia." That should satisfy Graham. "Mrs. Hsu has refused to explain why she lied about seeing Wilson at the nightclub, though I have not shown her the footage that disproves it yet. Mr. Hsu backs up Mrs. Hsu's story at least as far as her having been in her suite the whole evening.
"I am aware this might have nothing to do with the murder. It is quite possible, even probable, that the lie is simply yet another attempt to deny her adultery, and nothing more. But at this point I am unwilling to give her the benefit of the doubt, and I am frankly tired of their stubbornness. So... so I thought I would show them the footage together, giving them no time to coordinate their stories. Ensign Russell will of course be nearby."
Kylah takes a deep breath. "And that, sir, is what I have come up with."
Last edited by choie; 20 Nov 2014 at 05:23 PM.
St. Croix nods and gives orders for the rotation of the search party. She heats the cast-iron stove with her phaser, set on low, and those who can crowd around it to warm themselves.
Delaney rubs his chin and says, "Let me see what I can do with the tricorders."
Ens. Josiah Russell says, "OK, whatever you need." Kylah is impressed by his air of calm and willing helpfulness, so unlike her recent experiences with Mrs. Hsu. Five minutes pass, then ten, and Mr. Hsu still has not arrived.
Rangin adjust his tricorder to see if there are any signals are leaving the area and then goes across to Lt Delaney, ostensibly to see if he needs a hand, but in reality to check on what he is doing.
In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.
Rangin sees no lifesigns or heat sources leaving the area - in fact, he sees none of either, other than those now in the farmhouse.
Delaney has the back off his own tricorder, a diomagnetic probe in hand from his hip toolkit, and is tinkering with the tricorder's innards. It is again beyond the scope of Rangin's own technical expertise. The young engineer notices Rangin's attention, smiles wearily and says, "Still a lot of atmospheric interference, but it seems to be dropping off, fortunately...."
Graham listens carefully to Ens. Kylah's report.
He can hardly believe his ears and his eyes: the team made it in good order to the Sandoval building's, Rangin is being helpful without complaint, and Kylah's delivering a crisp report on real progress.
"Taking credit" is the last thing on his mind; instead he tries to piece together how things might continue to turn around: In hindsight, Collins was obviously unwell, he thinks. And I had my head up my ass...maybe we're on an even keel now...
"That's good work, Ensign," Graham says after she finished. "Excellent work." He lowers his voice and moves a little away from the others. Given Kylah's ups and downs on the mission, he adds quietly, "You should, ah--I hope you feel proud of it."
He frowns and adds after a pause. "It may not only be the case that Hardin has an accomplice, it may be that Wilson tangled with the wrong people trying to get out from under or take out Hardin, and the Admiral's solely on the lam because we found out he was dirty. So one or more bad guys may be at the main compound."
He exhales deeply. "We'll get back there was soon as we take Hardin into custody--continue exercising caution, as you've been doing."
Exhaling silently, Kylah realizes she has been holding her breath while Graham responded. Her cheeks feel warm at his unexpected and, from the sound of it, genuine praise. She pays close attention to the possibility he has raised.
"Yes, Mr. Graham. I hope I can get Mrs. Hsu to open up to me--she knew Wilson best, she is second-in-command here... Most of all, as I said to her, she is a distraction. The affair is probably unrelated and if she would just tell me the truth, likely we would at least no longer need to focus any energy on her. Oh--I should mention Mr. Palver--he was also at the nightclub and spoke to Mr. Wilson, which is inconsistent with what he told us. He may be worth a visit after I am done with the Hsus." Probably ruining their marriage in the bargain.
She hesitates and says: "And thank you very much, sir. I... I appreciate the encouragement. It means a great deal to me." Looking down at the floor, she adds softly, "If I may say something, Mr. Graham? The rest of the crew... people like Dr. T'Var and Velir... I know them well, and have seen them in combat. They are brave but careful, as they should be. But what I sense from you is that you may risk yourself to complete a job. I am sorry to be so forward, it is just that I just want you to... to take care of yourself, along with the rest of the crew. Whatever our difficulties may have been, I do hope you come back safe and unharmed."
A glance at her chronometer makes her frown, and she clears her throat when she continues. "I should not keep you. I am still expecting Mr. Hsu..." Why is the man taking so long, is he walking backwards? "I will not contact you myself so as not to risk exposing your position, so I would be grateful if you would keep me informed, when you have a chance."
Mr. Hsu then arrives, a little out of breath. "Sorry. We had an alarm on one of the exterior doors, which are all locked. False alarm - but we had to check it. We confirmed from vid footage that no one went in or out."
Kylah turns to Hsu, her own interior alarm bell going off. "Are you certain, Mr. Hsu? Such footage has been faked before." She suddenly recalls the adjustment Velir performed on her tricorder--which, as she recalls, scans automatically to indicate Hardin's presence and should warn her without her needing to check. Even so, she pulls out the device to ensure that it is still working.
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