2019-11-20 - Graveyard Scouting

Always raining lately it seems, and with all of the recent violences it seems that he's never short of digging work. A collapsible pavilion is erected above the work site, and heavy tarping around to try and keep the ground stable. Thew is about halfway through his first, digging by hand because this one would require moving CAT over other graves, and it seems Thew Moore is a man who, unlike some other caretakers in the past, he has no mind to disturb those plots.
So there he is, three feet down, with his jacket off, looking feverish and coughing from time to time while wearing a kerchief over his face, that is only lifted if he needs to spit.

Esme navigated to the graveyard easily enough, fielding another phone call from her mother to reassure her that she (her mother) would be fine and that Esme would be late getting home likely so not to worry about leaving dinner out or anything. She pulled into a parking space, grabbing her wool coat as she got out and slipping it on. Walking over to Yule when he was out of his own car, "One of these days I'm gonna remember to keep an umbrella in the car." Looking around, but letting him lead the way to Thewlis.

Wherever Yule parked, it wasn't immediately next to the spot Thewlis was at, and somewhere along the way? He met up with the detective. "He stopped by the other day for cookies," He's explaining with a faint smile, a touch of approval for the caretakers taste in freshly baked goods. "This is probably a long shot, yeah? But figured it can't hurt." He's at comfort here in the graveyard, hands tucked in his coat, "Remember coming here in high school? Always the place people would dare you to go and hang out at for the night."

His left hand lifts, giving a wave towards the man as they approach, "Hey. Thewlis, good to see you again. Have a few minutes to spare for us?"

Head on a swivel, Thew knew there were people here before they were really in view - car sounds, chatter. Once spotted he was out of the grave with the shovel resting blade down and his hands on the top of the haft - keeping the tool between himself and the others.
"What? Me... I. Uhm... Could questions, yes. I mean" shoulders hunching and head lowering some, voice muffled by the kerchief somewhat, "I mean... Could. Yes I. Questions. Answer questions." he twitches, one of those full body ones where a person seems to shrink a moment as they convulse. "I... how can. Help?"

"Can't ever turn down cookies." Esme agreed "Oh yeah. especially around Halloween time. Shit got scary now and then." Esme laughed. Though, at an older teenager it wasn't as bad. Normally just a place to hang out, drink a little, and then challenge the younger kids who were trying to 'hang and be cool'. Esme definitely enjoyed that far too much. She pushed a hand through her hair, looking down at the hole Thewlis was digging, and then up to the man himself. Vaguely recognizing him from her younger years. "Hello there." She gave him a wave and offered a smile.

"I'm Detective Wilkinson, Esme." She offers. "You've lived in Gray Harbor a long time right? We were wondering if you knew anything a series of killings that happened around 15, 16 years ago? It was related to organ harvesting. But...we thought you might remember the bodies of the victims? If you buried them here, if anything was strange about them that you can recall? Her light smile remains, a touch of curiosity lingering though.

"Yeah?" Comes that Yule-ish lead in to his quip, that faint, coy smile that curls to the corner of his mouth. "I always kinda liked it." So says the medical examiner who hangs out with the dead people all the time. "And this, Detective Wilkinson, is Thewlis. Good guy." As if to help with that lead in, Yule gives him a bit of a broader smile, charming and sincere. "You and Lyric get everything taken care of she wanted to do? It was a great offer you made to her." But then he quiest, letting Esme ask her questions, cause detectives have to detect, right?! Right! "I just remembered the care you took in knowing the people here. Thought you might remember something about them, even though it's been so long ago."

"Wa-wuh-whuu-was... juhst... highschool. Graduating. I. Graduated when... Happened. Didn't, whu-whuu." Thewlis sighs, pressing his forehead to the shovel handle a moment, eyes closed and breathing. "Only here... six. Here years. I've. Six." twitching as if he'd been slapped upside the head.
Frowning, the caretaker looks around himself as if trying to find invaders, looking to Esme and then Yule but only for a blink before he's looking around himself again. Pulling his jacket on and grabbing an umbrella before he jerks his head, a couple times - some of those potentially more flinching
"Thu-thu-thi-hii..." he sets to coughing, arm over his face despite the kerchief. "Way... over. Plots from... they can. Over here. Found." and he sets off, trying not to scurry away from people.

"I did too. When I was older." Esme responded on the topic of the graveyard nights. "You were long gone by then though."

You had to be patient in this line of work, for various reasons. That patience came in handy now, listening to Thewlis stutter and stumble through. Maybe a vague light of a deeper recognition as she listened to him, but then it faded. After all, there weren't many people she had encountered who spoke like this. But she also wasn't going to go dredging up old high school memories right now anyway. Not the time or place. "Well, do you remember anything the former caretaker might've talked about?" She asked, looking towards where he motioned. "Can you show us? If I can get some names at least it could help us out."

"You sound almost sad that I left, detective." A touch of playfulness in that voice, but his brown eyes remind on Thewlis, patience a virtue Yule has as he lets him work through it. "Yeah. Figured it was before your time," But on they go, the man not missing a beat when Thewlis begins to take them off, and it's Esme's sharp insight of a question that has him expanding on it. "Don't suppose he kept any records? Odd observations or the like? Notes you might have found?" Anything, really. "You also said," It's a beat of a pause here, the first deliberate hesitation he offers when he looks towards Esme, as if judging how she's going to react to the question.

And then Yule's phone vibrates, and a few seconds of Juicy by Doja cat can be heard. His face? Remains completely straight, as if this is just a totally normal thing, and doesn't even bother to fish it out. "that something strange had happened in the graveyard? Thought I heard you mention it when we talked over cookies."

"Follow. Logs... In logs. Will check... Know mo-hu-hunths?" Thewlis asks over his shoulder, head down - at the mention of talk over cookies, Thew shakes his head.
"N-n-no. Street. That wss. Elm. I and. Visited with. Lyric came. We came to the grave. Set up. We set. Flowers." hustling towards the caretaker's office. "Check the logs, have logs of. Burials. Plots. Plots for burials. Taxes."
And once inside the furtively organized office, he is digging in a file cabinet for the year in question, pulling out for months... he remembers, but he asked to be polite.

Esme's gaze cut briefly to Yule and that ridiculous ringtone. Judging. So much judging in those dark eyes - but she doesn't comment on it. Yet. He's totally getting a lecture on musical taste later though. Instead, she shifts gears when he finishes asking about something strange happening in the graveyard. Yes. Esme looks interested to hear more about that.

Her brow furrowed a touch and then she shook it off. "Hm..." A brief glance around the office. "I'm honestly not sure." She admits. "Try around the summer/fall months?" Trying to think in her mental file if she knows anything more specific

"Good," Yule says with all sincerity to Thewlis, giving the caretaker a look that is one of respect and approval. "Was nice of you. Hope it helps her." A soft 'ahh' comes from him when the man explains it hadn't been in the cemetery, but elsewhere. And then? That tone goes off again. Just a few seconds, before it falls blissfully, fully quiet for some time. "You butt dialing me? Or have you already set up automated texts with cat pictures." As if somehow, she has a hand in all of this, but the glint in those brown eyes speak of mischief.

"This might take a while," He murmurs, looking over the files that Thewlis pulls out, and the lack of months. "Haven't had any problem with people coming out and digging things up, have you? Stealing organs?" Surely not, they'd have heard about it right? But one never knows in this place.

"Not that... caretaker. While I've. Not." Thewlis twitches and hunches, flipping through the year in question. Bringing up the months of the murders, pausing, and then moving a little further. "Here... Murders... bodies would. Storage. Evi-evi-dee-hehh..." he sighs and bites his lip, looking at Esme, "Standard h-ohl... t..." he twitches, eyes closing and jerking several times. "Hold. Standard time. Bodies in... Cases. Murder?"

"If it goes off again, I'm going to change your notification tone to something that's actually." Esme muses, only partially joking. "And I'm definitely making sure my ringtone thing on your phone is going to be not that." She watches for a moment, nodding in agreement. It might. She watches Thewlis looking, considering his question.

"Usually after the autopsies are done the bodies get released for the family to pick up or for burial if no one claims them." Esme explained. "So the cemetery likely would have had them in the same month or the following month - depending." Of course, there was nothing usual about the dead body Yule was currently working with. "But maybe look a month out after that too...just in case any bodies had to be held after too."

"More of a Sir-Mix-A-Lot woman? Good to know, Wilkinson." There is a brief, momentary burst of laughter he just can't hold in, but that's where Yule let's the thought of ringtones fade off, given that it doesn't go off any further. A hand lifts, raking through his hair to pull locks back. "Yeah. Unless there wasn't family. Probably not the case, but if they were homeless? Might be interesting to see how their plot was paid for, if it was."

"Yeah." Is all that Yule murmurs about the fact they are cases, letting the detective field that one fully. Thewlis gets a soft smile, "Thanks for pulling all this out for us. Afraid I have a couple more coming your way. Hopefully we," Yeah. Cause this is now totally one of those cop shows where the charming person who shouldn't be along for the ride is totally on board. Congrats, Esme! "can stop any more from happening."

Thewlis flat out jerks and twists at the laughter, arms up, eyes wide, breathing hard. "I! Oh. I. Uhm." he hunches, twitches, and hangs his head before he turns around. "I... homeless. If they. Homeless, were they... Easier to. Them. Find them. City buries... no name... John. Named John... Doe." shuddering a little to himself as he gets his bearings, looking over his shoulder at the pair repeatedly until he has the ledger opened and with rough site markers.

Esme behaves and doesn't comment on the Sir Mix-A-Lot quip. "I think the city pays for it. Or something like that." On the comment of homeless and unclaimed bodies. " Nodding a bit towards Thewlis's words. "I hope they're not John or Jane Doe's. Makes it difficult to do any searching in the databases and stuff but, we'll see!"

"Yes, thank you for helping us out. Any little bit contributes." She looked over to Yule with a brief quirking of her brow. Not that she could complain about it, Esme definitely brought this upon herself. Besides. Extra help was, well, helpful. "I hope we can prevent it. Too many people dying in this damn city."

"Unless someone with a guilty concious turns up to take on the debt." Up one shoulder lifts in a faint shrug, and then he looks to Thewlis. "You mind if we come back to look through them as we narrow things down?" His head dips towards Esme at her thoughts, though his eyes flicker up and to the side. "How up to speed is Gray Harbor on the whole, digitizing the past? Sixteen years ago, yeah? Those records put in the database."

A low 'hmm' comes from him, before his head just shakes a bit. "Anyway. Thanks. Swing by the trailer sometime, yeah? We will share a drink." And then it's ome more glance to the detective, seeing if there is anything else she wants to check on.

"Can. Yes. Just let... I can. Keep books. Out. Investigations." Thewlis nods and frowns apologetically as he stumbles all over himself. He flinches and ducks his head again, eyes closing a moment before goes into a coughing fit, arm up over his kerchief again. "I don't... No time. Need. Digital... No budget." he frowns a little more. "Drink. I. Sure. It can. At. Sure." bobbing his head a few more times before flinching and looking around the room. "Should. Can bring. You. To graves. When. If."

"The PD? I dunno honestly. This is the first time having to potentially dig up the past. Think they're working on it though....and if they ain't - fuck that I'll hire someone out of my own pocket to do it." Esme shook her head. "Are you feeling okay Thewlis? You look like you should be resting." There's a fleeting flicker of concern for the other man as Esme watches him. "If you know where they are, I'd love to take a look. So I can take pictures of names and such. But otherwise, I think you've helped quite a bit already." Esme smiled to him and then looked over to Yule. "Lemme see your phone real quick." Holding her hand out expectantly. If he was going to play partner - well, there were consequences to doing so!

"Thanks, Thewlis." Yule lifts a hand, seeking to gently clasp the other man's upper arm in a light but friendly gesture. "And yeah? If you don't, I'm going to bring the scotch to you." He promises, a faint smile gracing his lips as he takes a step back. It's Esme's words that has him flashing her a reassuring smile to her. "I bet Nat still has some soup. If you'd like some, Thewlis, I'll drop it by later, yeah?" But then there is that demand of his phone, one dark brow arching upwards. Still, he reaches into his pants to fish it out, flicking a quick couple of things before a new, fresh contact is present and accounted for. Including a quick link to, yes, set the ringtone that goes off with it. "Picture too." Comes his own demand, that smile sharpening momentarily.

"Buh... buh... beast..." Thewlis begins making notes on a grid-paper map of the cemetery. "Boys. Should. Beastie... Sab." the map is suddenly crumpled following a spasm that sends his arm jerking, another from a pad pulled - marks being made quickly, in silence until he's just making dots in red. "Boys... Sabotage... Beastie." looking back to the two and then down at the floor, brow knitting. "Have... I. Friend. Soup. She brings. Been. I appreciate... Offer, the. The offer. Fine for... Drink."

Esme gives Yule a quick look as Thewlis goes on about some kind of sabotage? She quickly inputs her info, sets the ringtone and not so discreetly snaps a selfie while Thewlis is making his new map and sets that up too. So professional.

Then the phone gets handed back to Yule. The whole process only takes less than a minute. She looks down at the dots that Thewlis is making. "What's this about beasts?" Sounding curious and seeing what he is marking.

Yule only keeps an eye on Esme out of his periphery, for his own focus is on Thewlis with that. "They done damage to something?" He follows up on the detectives inquiry, and there is the slightest of frowns that creep in on that expression, a hardless that goes above and beyond even his normal sharpness. Up his hand comes, fingers curling about his phone. The briefest of glances, a look cast her way. Judging. But judging with approval before he tucks it away. "You file a report?" He asks of the caretaker.

"Ringtone... Sabo-sah-haa-bo..." Thewlis frowns savagely. "Buheastie... Boys." he closes his eyes as he stares at the floor, head jerking as if yelling. His face is a mask, actual rage and sorrow melding as he shifts, kicking his own foot. "Ring. Beastie... Boys. Sabotage." taking a deep breath which turns into another coughing fit.

"OH!" Esme's eyes widen as Thewlis clarifies. She also maybe looks a little bit sheepish. "That's a good one. I did Welcome to the Jungle. Both of these though are better than whatever that other stuff was." She nods matter-of-factly, slipping her hands into the pockets. "You really should get some rest. Or like. A throat lozenge." She started digging in her pockets as if she might have one. She doesn't. Never prepared. "Tell me Duchannes. Is that song you have now because you lost a terrible bet?"

It's a rare and broad smile that comes from Yule when Thewlis makes clear his thoughts, pleased with his choice. "Yeah? Far as 90s music goes, it's pretty good. Tend more towards the 80s, or blues, depending on my mood." Despite what that particular ring tone is that the pair had to horrifyingly listen to. "Bet? No. I don't loose, Wilkinson. That? Is a song that is perfect for a friend, and is a rather convuluted story. But an amazing one. Just like," Up his phone is lifted, giving a waggle to show off the #NYC contact on display. "This one is." Pleased. Ever so pleased with those choices the detective has made, even as he puts away that device back into his pocket. "You'll just have to convince me to let you get a taste of my preferences in music."

Deep in Thewlis's pocket his phone sits, music stored for later, so many mashups... so much Bee Gees... So much blue grass and blue grass covers. Like a little gemstone of bizarre music wrapped around too many mashups. So many. The horror.
"Got to... make. The dig. The graves. Have. To. Dig. Graves." he bites out, fighting his own stutter now. "Th-then... rest." snuffling beneath the kerchief.

"I suppose I can let that reason stand." Esme relented when he spoke about the song being perfect for someone he knew. She flashed a grin. "Glad you approve Duchannes." Esme's own musical tastes were also a mix. Always a toss up. Her playlists could go from some sweet home alabama country to Eminem with a press of the 'next' button. "It'll come in time, I assure you." She looked to Thewlis again. "You're a hard worker. But it won't do you any good if you work yourself to death. That's all." She pushed a hand through her hair again. "Anyhow. I don't want to hold you up from digging. I can find the graves myself if you just have them marked on the paper."

"All right. We won't keep you. Thanks, Thewlis. And that drink, yeah?" Yule reminds, even as he turns to head back out, walking with Esme back before they have to split to go to their respective cars. "Hey, next time detective? Let's talk about the rules around when you'll give me your spare piece to shoot bad guys with." And with that horrifying, and not serious at all thought, he splits off, the examiner heading back to take care of his own work.