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JSR early morning at home: Rook checks her voicemails, her regular mail box, etc to see if she's heard back from Anders. If he hasn't called her, or even if he has (depending on his message) she will call him. If she's heard from anyone else, it will of course depend on the message. She returns calls on her landline, since it's more secure.
Echo - early in morning of first night of investigation: Rook calls Echo. If she answers she says the following / or if she doesn't Rook will leave a message: "Echo I need you to tell Boone to cooperate with the investigation. I am very tired of old men who think they know what's best impeding my progress."
JSR:
Rook listens and notes down about San Jose.
Rook does not return his smile, since he's now impeding the investiation.
"Stunning." She is still mad at Boone so does decidedly not get wrapped up in the beauty of it, even if she wants to. "Letting me see her up close does not, however, get you back in my good graces." She tells him. When did you and he take her out, last?" She asks, fully intending to take a look inside the vehicle, in case there's a clue left behind.
"Do you recall any recent purchases that are out of the ordinary, or that strike you as unusual in any way?" she asks, since he has insight into normal transactions.
Rook will spend time during the week to study the records, and she will contact the bookeeper to see if any of the cards are being used currently, and if the bookeeper (insert fancy name Boone used) is still sending money anywhere, or if there were large transactions recently and if so - where and when they took place, etc... She will of course also speak with the herd, and get someone more social involved in that. And she will also complain to Echo about Boone not wanting to give her information since she's apparently too young to be trustworthy.
JSR:
"Josephine? Tell me about her."
If she narrowed her eyes any further they would be shut. "Sir, I am a Hound of this court, and formerly of San Fransisco."
She follows him, looking around for anything interesting as they walk towards (presumably) the garage.
"So he does have access to either a credit or debit card. I will need those records to see what he's accessing." She states.
"What is his or her contact information?"
"Well, I will be checking in on them before I leave for the day."
JSR:
Rook says, "It's much to early in this investigation to rule anything out. I'm not saying that he is, but it's certainly a line of inquiry. Are there any records that might shed light onto the former ghoul's disposition?"
"Noted. I will speak to Echo. Do you have any contact information for the others you described?" Rook asks.
She thinks a moment, then asks, "What car does he favor? I'd like to see his vehicles as well."
"Shocked, perhaps. But lets not rule it out just yet. Does the Don leave his deeds or other documents in his safe?
She presses her lips together at his use of an unfamiliar word. "What and who is an argentarii?"
"Have you looked in on the Prince's herd?" She asks.
JSR: No. The Don has not left his domain, to my knowledge, since I entered his employ." "How long has that been?" She asks. "Did you have a predecessor and if so, what happened to that person?" "We've only the single Primogen, and I am afraid I am not as familiar with her affairs as those of the Don. To my knowledge, she has not left the city within my time here." "What about any other elders?" "I know of no secondary havens." "Does the Don drive, or how does he get around normally?" "I am not certain how to answer this question to your satisfaction. The Don indulges in many business relations. He is, in a real sense, the city itself. The ruling class of this place follow his directives, whether he states them or not. In essence, all in his fief are followers, whether they know it or not." "Is there a record of his contact information for any of these people besides what's in the appointment book you showed us earlier?" "Are there any appointments that would normally be scheduled, where someone might miss him. Monthly meetings for example."
JSR: Questions Rook asks Boone. "Has the Don left without notice any time in the past that you're aware of?"
"Have the Primogen gone away at the same time in the past?" "Does the Don have other havens in the city, or elsewhere?" And if so, "Where are they? Do you, or does anyone else have access?" "Does the Don have any other associates or even followers?" She will investigate for as much time as she can before the night ends and she needs to depart. Rook will also, of course, want to talk to the Don's dining companions, as time allows. And if her questions lead to more questions, she will continue to ask.
Rook nods at Echo, and when Echo steps away from the car, she will drive over to the Prince's haven and get started.
Rook tells Echo, "Our counterparts in the city say everything is fine over there. I did not, of course, tell them what's going on with our situation. So I cannot be certain the same thing is not happening there, and like us, they are keeping it quiet."
JSR:
"I believe you." She says. "Enter traditional awkward but heartfelt salutation of leaving here." She adds with a smile adible in her voice, and then hangs up.
Rook's car pulls out of it's space, probably no more than two (or so) minutes after she got into it. She drives over to where Echo and the others are, and rolls down her window to speak to Echo briefly.
JSR: "And handgranades." She adds.
"I can see your logic, but I am still concerned. So, you keep an eye out on your end, and watch your back. I would be very cross if you or the team were downsized." "I have to go run some errands, and as you know, driving while holding a cell phone is illegal in California... Don't be a stranger." She says. She doesn't hang up or anything yet though, waiting for a response first.
JSR: "I'm an academic, not candy." She sniffs.
Then more seriously, " I don't know if this is a power play by some of the Vice Presidents. But the Barista and his beau... their heirs, ...the Smith and the Tech..., rolled into town tonight claiming they're here to start a new life away from mommy and daddy, and there's this work thing going on that I'm not at liberty to discuss, and it just seemed like too many coincidences. And it seemed like they were here with their parent's blessing. And also, my new supervisor called them by names that weren't their names... Abott and... Costello? I don't know if that's corporate lingo for anything. But... I am very uncomfortable and have a bad feeling. Now if they're really here to start fresh away from their folks, that's a good thing, right. But if they're here to stir things up.... I just don't play company politics well, and I don't know the players like you do. So I was hoping for some insight I guess. And to let you know in case a heads up was important for your department. In case they're planning something against you guys." She says.
JSR: "Let me rephrase. Could the Vice Presidents that don't like the Head of Security be trying to take over surrounding areas to get more leverage or something? You know I'm pants at office politics."
JSR: "Is the San Fran branch of our company expanding? She asks.
JSR: She laughs. "I have way more action than I know what to with right now." She pauses, hesitant, but then asks again, "Can you tell me if you and the team are safe? And also, are you somewhere we can talk?"
JSR: "You know I do." She says, relief in her voice probably audible over the phone. "Are you alright? Is anything ... weird going on?"
"I could mix a perfume for you. You can spray it near you phone when you use it." She says. ... Rook does not look back, so probably does not notice being watched.
JSR: Rook leaves a message: "Hello beloved. I need to hear your voice, the non recorded version. Please dial my mobile number." She hangs up, and then tries the person she thinks is most likely to pick up his cell phone while the Judgement of Solomon are out and about - Anthony Knight.
JSR: Once Rook is in her car, she turns it on (and the AC) and then calls Anders. Waiting to see if he picks up before she drives off.
"I will call you... no I will call Alex, if there are problems." She takes Echo's keys out of her pocket, handing them back to Echo, and walks towards the small 2 seater Buick Reatta parked in view of the entrance of the museum.
"I treat modern cell phones like a complicated 4 dimensional card catalog, and then they make sense." Rook chimes in.
"Are you related to Primogen Piper?" Rook looks at Elliot Gray. "It is." She says softly.
"Are you related to Primogen Piper? Rook looks at Elliot Gray.
"He's a Toreador. Primogen Severin's issue." Rook supplies.
Rook looks thoughful for a moment, then says, "Are Abbott and Costello their middle names?"
Rook holds up four fingers, to indicate to Alex that the Accounting is, in fact, the fourth tradition.
JSR: Has Rook heard of, or met, either of these guys, if one is from San Fran?
At The Don's Place: "I don't know which vessel he selected. All of them are in the larder." Rook's small mouth gets perceptively smaller as she presses her lips together. "We will speak with them after we handle the newcomers." She says after a long pause. "Well, Alex or Reg... Echo will."
"Did it not seem odd to you that he did not have any appointments going forward?" Rook goes through the pages to see if the appointments resume in the future. "And these amounts of monetary withdrawal are unusual. Does he use any sort of traceable currency? Credit cards or checks, for example? Or only cash?"
at the Don's haven: 1) "Everyone's an expert." She responds to Boones' statement on where the evidence would be. 2)
3) She makes no comment as to the secret drawers, but after checking the ledger and appointment book, "How far ahead does the Don normally shedule things? It's like he was planning to leave." She shows the ledger with the large withdrawal to Echo.
Rook gets out of the driver’s side of the old Land Rover, and goes around the front, to stand next to Alex. Like Alex, she’s pale and beautiful, but her pitch black hair is done up in a messy bun, with a Mountblanc fountain pen stuck through it. She wears what might be considered librarian chic, if she wasn’t also packing a matched set of pistols under her fitted charcoal blazer, that flash out at Abott and Costello as she puts her hands in her pockets in an exaggeratedly casual fashion. Of note is a little rose pin through a button hole. Her expression, at best, can be described as pinched; she has twenty other things to do that are more important, but now she’s stuck here, instead.
”Abbot and Costello? Where are they from?” She asks as she’s working. But at Echo’s next words, she ducks out from whatever she’s working on, apparently she has Opinions. ”Regent Echo, it would be best if I stayed and kept investigating, since trails are much harder to pick up as time passes. And if you absolutely must have me along, it would be second best if Mr. Boone did not touch or disturb anything, until we came back to look ourselves.”
JSR w dice rolls:
"I do not mean to sound indelicate, but if you want us to find the Prince, then I am going to need to see everything, and you will have to trust my discretion as a professional." Her lips flatten into a thin line as she presses them together.
Charisma 1
Boone gives it some thought. "Well, to answer the first, the Don in practice can go where he likes in his estate. He is not unknown to visit my office, but it is a rarity. I provide for him that which he needs with alacrity. My ultimate purpose is to provide before request. His favorite...he enjoys the conservatory, and he has a place by the rocks where he will take the air...he is often in the larder...as for the last time we were within one another's presence? Last night, perhaps, early upon his rising. He went to feed, and I busied myself about my tasks."
“You said he went to the larder – was there anyone with him?”
"Besides the Prince, neither the Sheriff nor Keeper answered when Echo and Alex called. They can confirm if there was anyone else they reached out to, as I was driving and did not listen to their calls." Rook responds. He considers the rest. "The Don keeps no appointment book beyond the diary upon which I stake my reputation. That is found in my office. His private words...I balk at the idea of violating the Don's privacy thus. Business matters, yes, those I think can be shared without offending his or my sensibilities. The current books are there," he nods to a space behind the desk. "The notations are his, but the predominant hand is mine. I coordinate between foundation, trust, argentarius, and so forth." "I do not mean to sound indelicate, but if you want us to find the Prince, then I am going to need to see everything, and you will have to trust my discretion as a professional." Her lips flatten into a thin line as she presses them together.
Rook starts looking, first at the books, just in case there's something very obvious - an envelope sticking out, a note, a torn page, etc., and then at the desk, first the surface, looking at his writing utensils, how things are set up, what is on the desk, and then examining the thickness of the desk, in relation to the drawers, legs, and desk top, in case there's a false drawer or some other compartment - something quite common in vintage furniture. Of course she checks the regular drawers too, and their contents. "Does he go to your office for the appointment book, or do you bring it to him when he asks for it? Where does he spend the most time? Which room is his favorite?" She pauses, then asks. "When and where is the last time you saw or spoke to him?" Of course when the phone rings, she will wait for him to finish that conversation while she searches the desk and then the rest of the office. She even checks the chair, and of course any vents, and behind paintings for a safe or some other cubby hole. Creaking wooden floorboard? Something rolled under the desk or stuffed under a cushion, etc.
" May I look around?" She asks both Boone and Echo.
Rook thinks a moment, then says, "Mr Boone. We will need any information on the Don's recent whereabouts. An appointment book, calendar, if he kept one - a journal or even ledger could reveal relevant infirmation. Is there anything missing from the Don's safe? Did he pack a bag? Take personal items or identification? Has he been getting any phone calls or letter correspondence? Aquired any new items or books? And... Do you have information on the location of the havens of the other missing kindred?"
Rook locks the truck manually after everyone exits, and then pockets the keys until she's no longer the designated driver. She follows the group, taking up the rear, in case their newest member balks at entering the dark mansion.
Rook looks in the rearview mirror a brief moment, eyes focusing on Echo behind her, and then back to the road as she continues to drive.
"In case it's relevant... who is Syd and where is she now?"
Rook sighs. "Why would you willingly chat with someone from Underhill? That was rhetorical." "How did she speak to you, and what exactly did she say? And what did you say? Turn of phrase matters."
"To clarify, the Goddess Cliodna - not the banshee Cliodna?"
"She who?" Rook asks.
"Perhaps you two can stop discussing your favorite flavor of ice cream long enough for Echo to explain what's going on." Rook interjects as she drives, her eyes never leaving the road.
"Only if you can shoot." That said, Rook doesn't stop him from going to whichever passenger seat he wants to sit in.
Rook takes the keys, waits pointedly for Sam to get in the truck, and once everyone is in, will drive safely and following all the laws, to where she met the Prince.
"Ah. Yes. I know how to get there." Rook says.
Rook will drive everyone, if someone tells her where to go.
"Your truck will fit everyone. Mine's a two seater." She says to Echo. Then, as Echo grabs her phone, she adds, "Keys?" "Where is over there?" Rook asks Alex.
"Lead the way." Rook says, ready to go.
Rook looks at Echo silently, while she is apparently laughing on the ground. "Why are you calling Mr. Boone instead of the Sherriff?" she asks.
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