Meeting with the Reeve

[Fast Eddie]

He reads the report slowly, pausing a few times to digest some information or ponder its implications before continuing. Finally he comes to an end and sets the paperwork down.

"So we got a lot of little tidbits of information here and there that we know are all connected, but we can't really see how just yet."

He thinks for a second before launching into his questions.

"How much do we know 'bout his activities in Baltimore? How long was he in Baltimore? Have we traced him to his days before Johns Hopkins? Shouldn't be too hard to get ahold of a student application form or something. That would give us a likely hometown, home address from his teenage years. Has anyone tried crossing referencing alumni from that era and his class schedule? It's a long shot, but maybe someone local went to school with him and knows him."

"Anyone try circulating among the local homeless? If he's involved in charities for them, it's possible it's not purely for altruistic reasons. Some folks might have stories. Or heard things."

"My guess is Forten is his real name, since someone else is using it as well. This Michael Forten is possibly a relative or maybe he has his top pupils take his name, like some of us do. Though it also possible, I guess, he just took the name Forten on after he hooked up with this Michael guy because he liked the sound of it and needed a new ID."

"Looks like we have several locations worth monitoring. Antique shop, warehouse, the club, and the soup kitchen. I could help set up surveillance. Maybe even provide a tracker or two you can put on a car belonging to one of the key figures you've IDed. How closely packed are these locations? I might be able to tap into some other security cameras in the area if it's a small enough grid."

"I got a nasty idea for the girl in the apartment complex if this Baker fellow doesn't have any luck, but I don't wanna step on any toes."

[Helen Kingsley]

"Yup, fun stuff, except I never liked puzzles too much when there's stuff on the line."

She shrugs when it comes to Baltimore.

"Not that I know of, but then, several people who've worked on the investigation left in the midst of it. I planned on going to talk to the homeless people, but my partner for that ride jumped ship and other matters became more pressing, so it fell by the wayside for the time being. After all, we're on a clock, especially if those guys have started carting around Elysium and taking stuff from folks."

Helen ponders the question, and makes some notes: "We'll get back to that. How nasty are we talking ?"

[Fast Eddie]

"I've known plenty of folks who think the opposite. The higher the stakes, the sweeter the game. That sort of thing."

"If you still want to try slumming it among the homeless, I'm game to go along. Unless you think we've moved past that point."

"As for our friend, nothing too nasty. I was thinking of papering her neighborhood, especially her complex, with flyers with her face on it and bold letters saying something like 'Don't Let Your Children Around This Person'. The yada yada some details beneath, whatever narrative we think will work. Does a few things. First off, loosens up the tongues on all her neighbors. They will be happy to tell strangers what apartment number is home to the predator in their midst. And all sorts of other details. Secondly, it's going to throw her off. Put her under extra scrutiny, which she won't like given what she's involved in. Make her break her routine, maybe slip up."

[Helen Kingsley]

"Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the stakes, really. Homeless would be nice, but I'm kinda thinking we're on the clock too much for that. As the report remarks, they grabbed a guy off the street close to Elysium and took blood from him under threat of lighting him up if he resists. I don't really want that stuff to become more common, so we're going to put some pressure on the whole thing and see how the fuckers deal with it."

She frowns.

"Hrm. Dunno, the complex being what it is, I'm not too sure that'd go off without a hitch. And once those posters pop up, they know we'll be coming and csan simply lean back and wait for us. I'll earmark you for the next stage and notify you accordingly. However, if you want, I'll go back over the stuff I got from different people and you can run your computer magic on the guy himself and see what you can come up with. You're interested in that ?"

[Fast Eddie]

"If they are grabbing our people off the street, I think they might already be assuming we are on to them in some fashion. Sounds like they are either desperate or brazen, or both. But it's your call, just a little suggestion I had."

He nods at the last part and cracks his fingers dramatically. "More than interested."

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen points at the report in front of Eddie.

"Well, they took some blood from the last guy. They might be taking samples, but I suspect they're getting some juice for Lottie's fix now that Angela's out of the picture. They might also be purposefully escalating, but in that case, they'd have abducted or torched the guy. Either way, some people in that jig are getting either pretty ballsy or pretty desperate. Catching our attention that way, I mean." She nods. "Alright, I don't know how much time we've on the clock before things get worse, but knock yourself out with whats in the report. I'll go through my notes to see if there's anything I deemed too minuscule to mention in this or things I got in before this things was compiled. Sound good to you ?"

[Fast Eddie]

"That would be my guess too. Gotta keep the ghoul fed. If they don't, it will get bad for anyone around her real quick. But yeah, sounds good. I'll take a crack at researching into our pal here, and if you find any more details on him, pass them along. Never know what could be helpful."

[Helen Kingsley]

"Okay, let's see what you can come up with. Anytrhing else I you'd like to know ?"

[Fast Eddie]

"Nah," he says with a shake of the head. "I think I got it. Plus, I certainly took up plenty of your time already. I'm sure this won't be our only pow-wow. So, I guess I'll thank you for your time and say my goodbye. See ya, around." He gives her a wink before rising.

And then out the door and back into the night.