(Golden Bough) Police Presence Noted

[DrDog]

Detective O'Connel parks his car on the opposite side of the street to the crime scene, before getting out and walking over, a light jacketto ward off the evening chill, and the steady stream of rain tonight. He doesn't bother with a hat, but instead a small black umbrella keeps the rain off of him. He is wearing a white shirt and clipped black tie.

Ahh, the vandalism case. I had wondered.

Joe contemplates the craggy exterior to the abandoned building. It would be an excellent hangout for criminal gangs or drunk teenagers. Police records show it has't been occupied since the 90s, but Joe knows exactly how useful those police records are. His own mental records don't include this place, which means it wasn't a hotspot for local murders.

Joe noted the addition of "Fug" on the left handed side of the door. Obviously the place was now considered a safe bolt hole for someone. He checks his gun, and his badge, before letting the coat's sides cover them again. Even if he was off the clock, he never really left work. Not anymore.

He checks his watch one more time. Right address, 5 minutes early. A cold, long neglected part of him stirs, the hunt for justice, the desire to see the guilty punished, and the tease of finding some actual truth is...invigorating.

[West]

This is a closed plot! Please do not enter unless tagged

[Josephine Sterling]

"Would you be O'Connell?" Josephine asked, striding up to the man, heels clicking on the pavement. As was her habit, she came dressed in black, the shade which most excellently accentuated the paleness of her flesh. The bag in her hand swung slightly along with her stride, creaking in her leather gloved grip. It was not a heavy package, but it did carry several important tools, the most prominent of them being pen and paper, though there was also a phone and her lock picks. Not that she was expecting to use them in front of this man, but likely he would leave before she or Galilei would, and she was of the mind to have, regardless of need.

Attire

[Thomas Galilei]

Thomas listens to the rhythm of the rain, pattering on the plastic of his black umbrella.

He mutters a moving prayer: God please help me help my stupid self. A priest knows better than anyone else that he's worthless without God; his degree would hardly help him get a job at Kinkos, let alone work a crime scene. Perhaps he could Dominate a fingerprint, or translate the graffiti into Latin?

A puddle splashes beneath his dress shoe.

It's just like taking confession from the clues, he tells himself . . . except the penance would be his if he failed the Prince.

She's there, ahead of him, early too, and talking to a man who must be O'Connell.

Thomas had worn a pink tie--friendly. The only other time he'd seen Josephine, he'd been dressed as mud and roots. It had seemed like a good idea an hour before, but, in the current context, feels a bit out of place given the drab and dreary rain, Josephine's monochrome . . .

Pink Tie

Maybe she would play nice? Maybe too, the crime would solve itself?

[DrDog]

"I would." Joe's reply is flat, as he looks at the woman, the rain pattering against his umbrella. He assess her, her pallor, her lack of concern for the rain, and her black coloring. Alltogether it presents a fairly simple picture, the rich socialite who is enjoying coming out in the rain. "Who might you be?" His eyes glance over to Thomas as he approaches, looking him up and down, assessing his threat. Pink tie, business suit, dress shoes with a bit of mud on them. Another rich socialite, no experience or care about what the rain will do. Joe turns to face him, "Good evening." He says politely, his left hand holding up the umbrella.

[Thomas Galilei]

"Good evening." Thomas dons a practiced smile, sees the man's left hand is full, and so offers him his right. "I'm guessing 'Detective' by the way you noticed the mud on my shoes--nothing a little polish won't fix--and 'O'Connell' by the good Irish bone structure; I'm a Mick myself: Thomas Galilei, pleased to meet you." His stage fright disappears as soon as the performance is on; the handshakes and smiles are of a role he's well accustomed to.

"Ms. Sterling." He inclines his head. "Great to see you again. I apologize in advance for the tie--my eye's for character not fashion, a quality which earns me more business propositions than dinner dates. Lovely night, no?" He winks, before looking up at the rain. God had come with him--it's plain to see by the melting of his self-doubts. He offers his thanks in the form of a satisfied smile: things would go well if he could manage to stay out of God's way . . . and Josephine's.

[Asa]

A wide, dark sedan pulls up. Its got the sleek imposition and squat stance that screams German design, despite it's lack of badging.

There's a pause, and the rear door opens. An umbrella blossoms outward into the night, and then Asa exits the car under it -- last to arrive, but not late. He's dressed far more casually than the last time his cousins saw him. Jeans and waterproof hiking boots are paired with an oxford and casual blazer.

His Beast comes alive suddenly aware of the other two Kindred. Once was hardly enough, and it was almost as if the thing could sense they were no longer in Elysia. He could always use the detective to top off after...

A genuine smile greeted all three.

He quite enjoyed his family, most of the time. A few steps close the distance, and he held his umbrella out to Josephine.

"Joe, it's good to see you. Thank you for agreeing to meet and speak freely with us."

[Josephine Sterling]

"I would be Josephine," the Lady replied to the Detective, her black eyes fixed with a certain amount of displeasure on Thomas. "Your judgement of fashion, nor of character is my concern at present. Merely your memory. However, it is pleasant to see you as well, Thomas." she added, her expression softening by several degrees.

She lapsed into silence as the dark sedan pulled up and the Lord of Sacramento stepped into the night. A small smile formed on her black, rain wetted lips. Similarly black eyes watched the Prince as he approached them, and with a gracious nod she stepped closer to him and accepted the umbrella in her leather grip, holding it so that it offered them both shelter from the sky's tears.

"It is a lovely evening. Reminds me of home," she muttered, looking back to the Priest, then the Detective.

[Thomas Galilei]

Thomas' smile waivers as his Beast is torn between twin impulses: to cower and skitter off before the scholar, and to run screaming from The Prince. Neither course would be the best start for the case. And somewhere beneath its fear, the Beast knows its best chance at survival is to make itself useful. But the knowledge changes nothing: he suffers through the chills and tingles, the wracks of terror, and his itching feet. When that eternity passes, a few seconds after, he corrects his smile. Nice car.

He supposes The Prince favors her more, having known her longer. Or, perhaps it's just manners, addressing the lady first. Or maybe it's that Thomas' had brought his own umbrella. So he wears his smile, waiting to be addressed before addressing The Prince. That's all it takes--getting one thing right at a time. He really wishes he'd worn a different tie.

[DrDog]

"Thank you, sir." Joe's response is very gracious to his informant, and benefactor. "Mr. Galilei, Ms. Sterling, Sir, thank you for joining in this investigation. We are a little delayed in timing, but I'm hopeful you will be able to find something. This way please." Joe first takes a good look around, making sure there are no watchers or other folk listening in, though the rain will help protect them.
Joe leads the group around the side of the bulding, a flashlight flicking on as he illuminates the path through the alley. "We initally received the call from an anonymous source, most likely a drug dealer finding something wrong with his backup stash. I've examined the call log myself, and it sounded very similar to a Mr. Thomas Winslow, who i've had dealings with in the past. He's a terrible coward, but he provides good tips. When the blues got there, we found enough dried blood for a few horses, but no body, and one line in the report about ashes. So I brought homicide in to take a look." Joe explains, stepping around several uniditifiable pieces of garbage, and a few decaying animals, their original species lost without further investigation. "I had suspected someone was hungry based on the animals, so they were moved out here to occlude things further, though I didn't investigate at the time, there was a bought cop who was watching me very closely that day. He works for the vietnamese mob though, so its shouldn't bother you." They come around the backside, in a back alley.

A man sized hole has been cut through. Across it are several lines of police tape. "Officer Petrovic found this while the rest of the men were hunting for authorization to bust the door down. He noticed quite a bit of blood, which made probable cause solve the problems for us. Any questions so far before we go inside?"