private Enigma's Mysteries (Private w/Illiad Easle)

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@Dreadmare

Hard would scan though the public records, not finding too much of interest, until... "Hmm, not too much interesting in the public records, there's the obituary of the dead worker here... hmm, it looks like the owner at the time of the death is still alive, maybe he knows something? It looks like he sold the place not too long after."

He would turn the tablet over to Enigma, "That name ring any bells?" (Referring to the name of the owner)

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma would look at the public records Hard had brought up and referred to the records she had gotten herself and nodded "Jasper Silvertongue, yep that's the name of the original owner of the arcade" she would say, bringing up the profile she had made up of him "Mm, yes he is still alive, and is in a retirement home" she would say, looking up at him "Think we ought to pay him a visit then?" she would ask "He's got no record of Alzheimer's or Dementia, so he can't forgot loss of memory etc"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@Dreadmare

Hard would nod, "He seems as good a source of information as anyone, which reminds me." He switched tabs over to the Manehatten police site. "Trace got back to me with the police reports, I thought his name was familiar and sure enough he is listed as having reported the death..." Hard would pause, "Strange, no investigation was done by the police, despite the indication of foul play."

Hard would look over at Enigma, "While it's not uncommon to keep the police away to maintain business, that may not have been his only reason. We should probably go see him as soon as we can, before we go looking around the arcade lest he hear of it first."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma would nod "You think there's been a cover up?" she would ask, knowing full well that in those times, it was commonly known that there was corruption within the ranks of the police "I mean it is possible" she'd then nod "And you're right, we ought to see the owner, who knows, it may not even be him that got the cover up"

Edited December 19, 2019 by Dreadmare

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@Dreadmare

(Sorry for the delay, had a bunch of finals then family visits.)

Hard would ponder it for a moment, "It's possible, but the question is motive. It doesn't look like Jasper had any reason to kill the guard, but there could very well be someone else involved, someone with motive and clout enough to keep the police out of it. Either way, Jasper would know, or could at least give us clues as to who might know."

He would stand and stretch, "No sense in putting it off, lets get over there and see if he's up for visitors."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle (It's all good)

She would nod "Perhaps even Jasper was put out of business by the same person who wanted it all hid" she would say as they drove to the old age home, "This could end up being bigger than just a haunting. Do you have any contacts we can fall on if it is?"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@Dreadmare

Hard would nod, "If this ends up being less of a haunting and more of a murder I know plenty of ponies that would be interested, most especially the police detective who's account I'm using to browse all these police records. It would definitely be a good return for him if I helped him catch a murderer on such a cold case."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

She nods "Indeed, and if it turns to have been a murder and later a cover-up for some reason, then we can hand it over to those you know and just..forget about it" she would say, somewhat secretly hoping that would be the case "how-ever, if it is also a haunting, we will have to work alongside those you know"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon (Seriously you change your name a lot)

Hard would nod as he finished gathering his stuff, "Sounds about right. Though to be perfectly honest I'd be disappointing if it ended up being so simple as a cover up. It'd be pretty open and shut given how determined the guards are to crack cold cases nowadays." He'd start to make his way towards the door, "Let's get going shall we?"

(Go ahead and describe where we're going.)

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma would nod "It's never that easy" she would say as they approached the door and she opened it for him before walking in after him. "Alright, so I called ahead and he is expecting us" she would mention to him, as a nurse at the facility would come out and lead them to the room where the original owner of the arcade was waiting for them.

Carter, the owner, sat there with his hands on his lap "I was wondering when this would finally be investigated" he would say in a tired tone, "Please sit down you two, there's a lot of information for you to process."

Enigma would nod and sit down, waiting for her partner to sit down and for them to be told what was going on.

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon

Hard was instantly suspicious of the stallion, he was too open, too willing. While the idle thought that maybe some sort of guilt had caught up to him in his old age, and fear of Tartarus compelled him to confess, Hard highly doubted that that was the case.

As such Hard did not approach to take a seat, taking a leaning position near the door instead, "I suspect so, but if it's all the same to you I'll stand, 'been sitting to much lately. So, you know why we're here, want to explain why you didn't get this investigated earlier?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma was also suspicious of the stallion, how did he even know exactly what they were there for, and why was he so open. She would glance to Hard before looking back to the stallion, allowing him to answer their questions.

The stallion sighs "I can sense both of your apprehension about me, and believe me, I understand it" he would say, and then nodded "I had tried, multiple times, but the police at the time were..not only rather biased, but I suspect paid off by someone to not investigate, that and the fact they never seemed to take me seriously enough to investigate"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon

Hard maintained his intense stare, "Truly? An influential stallion such as yourself, unable to convince the guard to investigate? I'd have thought you'd have the guard wrapped around your hoof. But if what you say is true, that another paid them not to investigate, either someone more powerful had something against the stallion, or against you."

Hard flipped open his notepad, "Can you tell us anything about the stallion who died? Any idea why someone would want him dead?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

The stallion looked at him "Listen, I tried, but corruption runs deep" he would say to them "That, and...I received plenty of death threats. I had to stop trying to get it investigated or risk having a hit put out on me" He would say "as for what I might know, I have a feeling that the one  that killed my employee, may have been involved in organised crime. I did a little digging on my own" he'd move to a trunk next to his bed and opens it, bringing out a couple of folders "This is all I have"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon

Hard maintained his skeptical look, but moved to accept the folders that the stallion presented. If this were a trap, Hard was confident in his ability to take down the unicorn. If it wasn't, then they potentially had better access to whatever information the unicorn had gathered.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

There was no trap, this time, as the folders contained the stallion's musings about everything and what evidence he could find. He'd sigh "I'm sorry but I may need to ask you to leave now, if you are seen hanging around too long, those who wish whatever is being covered up a secret, may get suspicious" he would say, "and this elderly stallion needs his medicine and rest"

Enigma nods, not wishing to stay much longer anyway, she'd look to Hard Line "shall we return to our hotel then?"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon

Hard nodded as he closed up the folders, "We won't keep you then, but we'll be taking these." He motioned to the folders, "It doesn't seem like they're of much use to you here anyway."

Hard would stow the folders away in his coat, then hold the door open for Enigma to walk out first, following behind her.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

As they exit the nursing home, Enigma sighs in relief "I don't mean to be rude, but thank the goddess we are out of there" she would say "I know you could sense it too, all that tension, and that stallion..he gave up the information all too easily" she'd say, making sure to look around them and then checks her person for anything that could be a bug. "Check yourself too, and I know it'll be a pain, but we will need to check the car and our hotel room as well"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon

Hard would smirk, "Believe me, I'd notice if they put a bug on me, especially a magic one. Hence why I stood by the wall." He pulled out the folders, "These on the other hoof, no doubt magically traced. We can't take these back to the motel, we'll need to go somewhere public, photograph them, then destroy them."

He put them back in his coat, "If there's worry of being followed... we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves. If the place is bugged we just don't say anything to tip them off. Let them think they've got an ear on us." 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma would simply nod, showing she understood. She then lead him back to the car "Well we could always go to the library" she would say "good place to do research" which not only was a legitimate suggestion but code for "The library is a public place, no one would suspect us for looking in folders there"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon

Hard would nod, turning his path to cross the street. "You bring the car, It's not far and I could use the exercise." So that Enigma could see he looked both ways before crossing the street. At least it looked like he was doing that, but from where Enigma was standing he didn't look at the road, but at the buildings, conveying the message: "If we take different routes, they'd have to follow us both, individually."

On foot Hard would be able to take a more direct path, one not easily follow-able by car, and given his knowledge of the inner workings of the city he could evade areal and most ground surveillance, or at the very least discover whether he was being followed before he got to the library. He wouldn't try to shake a tail, just discover if he were being followed, but otherwise go straight to the library.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma would nod, making her way towards the van, checking it for anything like bugs or explosives before getting and driving off towards the library. Making sure to check every now and then to see if she was being followed. She didn't see any conspicuous cars or ponies following her, however, she did feel on edge and a little uneasy, so she kept her speed up, but also keeping to the speed limit.

In no time at all, she would arrive at the library, park in the back and make her way in. She'd keep her eyes open for any strange ponies while making her way to a empty desk, setting down and waiting for Hard Line.

Edited February 27, 2020 by AzureMoon

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon

Hard wouldn't be far behind Enigma in arriving at the library, and wouldn't take long to find her at the desk. "I wasn't followed as far as I can tell, but I can't rule out that we're not being watched. Try not to draw attention to yourself."

He made a sort of hand signal to a passing librarian who left their cart of books next to the desk the two of them were sat at before continuing on. The books didn't seem to be specific to any particular genre or topic, nor did they seem particularly relevant to the situation.

Hard pulled out one of the folders and grabbed a book off the cart. He would take a picture of each page after reading it, then place the page in the book he had grabbed and return it to the cart, repeating the process with each of the pages in the folder the unicorn had given them.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Enigma nodded "Same" is all she says "I was still uneasy and on edge all the way here" she'd say as she got a couple of folder to look through. After a couple of minutes, she'd look to Hard "Something just..doesn't sit well with me at all about all of this" she'd say in a hushed tone "Why would the police cover up a murder like this?" she'd sigh, closing one of the folders, having followed what Hard was doing.

After a bit, she finishes her set of folders and leans back "It just...doesn't feel right"

[Illiad Easle 3,132]

@AzureMoon

Once Hard finished his set he made another hand signal and another librarian took the cart away, beginning immediately to place the books back in their places on the shelves. "Now, if anyone wants to know what we know, they'll need both of us, or to search the whole library for the pages."

"I don't think the police would cover it willingly, that is to say, without some sort of motive. So they were either bribed into it, meaning some rich individual is responsible, or bullied, meaning the criminal underworld here has some formidable strength to them. In either case we'll need to be careful."

He'd scan his view across the library to see if anyone were watching them too much, "I think we should check out the arcade, see what exactly it is they don't want us to see."