2020-03-28 - One Way to Avoid Arrest

The air is warming and Gray Harbor is becoming more pleasantly spring-like every day. Not that this helps in this part of town - the industrial district, such as it is, is filled with cracked pavement, rusted metal, and big, ugly warehouses. Gray Harbor doesn't have much of an industry, and what used to be a thriving logging town has decayed along with the close of the mills; many of these old warehouses are empty and abandoned. Which makes them a perfect hideout for people who tend to be up to no good: smugglers, gang members, drug dealers, and the like. A call came in over the radio about a reported disturbance down at one of the abandoned warehouses. The caller didn't leave much detail, including their own name or what KIND of disturbance, so patrol officers have been dispatched with a warning that it might be anything from a couple of idiot teenagers to a shootout. It's very helpful.

Alexander, of course, has a police radio - but that's actually not why he's here. He's been hired to figure out what a particular husband is hiding from a particular wife. She claims he's a vampire, feasting on the blood of young girls. After following him around for a couple of nights, Alexander has a somewhat different opinion on the man's nocturnal voyages. He's skulking in the twilight, for the sun has set only a half an hour before, keeping an eye on a particular warehouse. The very one, it happens, that Dispatch has directed Alisha to. Alexander is dressed in his usual hobo-like clothing: a bulky, oversized sweater in dark gray, dark jeans looking worn enough to fall off, and big, black, stompy workboots.

This area is certainly not Alisha's favorite part of town. Likely because people have tried to stab or shot at her here far more than she likes. Every place needs some law and order though. When dispatch sends her out to the location, she of course will go. Not in love with the lack of detail, but these things happen. No lights or sirens when she pulls up to the warehouse. Parking nearby she taking a drink of her coffee before setting it on the dashboard. Confirms her arrival with the dispatch officer and steps out of the patrol car. Flashlight in hand for when she has to go in, not yet turned on. Looking around the area and possibly spotting Alexander, depending on how much he is trying to keep hidden and/or a low profile.

Alexander is not trying to be conspicuous, but his attention is oriented towards the building, and not the quietly approaching car. As such, Alisha's able to see a dark shadow moving, creeping bit by bit towards the warehouse, but not immediately make out any details, including gender or (more importantly) whether the figure is armed.

The warehouse itself is quiet and dark. If not for the call to the cops, and now this intruder, one might think that this was just some bored idiot pranking the good officers of the GHPD.

Seeing a person shaped shadow moving towards the warehouse, she does switch on her flashlight. Pointing at the obscured figure and other hand lower near her gun. Just in case this person is the reason a call got sent in. "This is the cop police. Please step out where I can see you." identifying herself to Alexander. She starts to move in his direction keeping the beam focused.

Still alert for any other sounds or indications of what the disturbance might have been. It could still be a joke call in and she's about to harass a not quite so innocent man. It is better to be prepared though.

"The cop police?" Alexander pauses, his hands rising slowly to the height of his head, showing that they're empty. "Does that mean you're Internal Affairs, or are you just nervous?" He steps carefully into the path of her beam, although his gaze shifts back to the warehouse, then again to her. His eyes narrow. "I know you. Officer Williams, isn't it? Your father disappeared."

From the warehouse, there's an odd scraping sort of sound, a thud and a crack, although no cries of pain or anger. Still, he looks in that direction, and tenses.

Alisha winces did she say that? Damnit it's been a long day already. "Guess just nervous. Unknown situations put me on edge." seeing his empty hands taking her hand away from her gun. Fully into the light she does recognize him, and when he does her she just frowns. Not like she was forgotten the man "Fucking great. Alexander. Yeah it was my dad who disappeared." she says with more a touch of annoyance in her voice "Do I even want to know what you are doing?"

The sound does from inside does get her attention. Seems like from inside, but she points the light in the direction the sound comes from. "Guess it's my lucky night." she comments to herself.

Alexander smiles a little. "It's fine. I'm an asshole." There's a pause at her reaction, his lopsided smile growing wider for a moment. "Probably," he says, after a moment. "Think my current client's husband is a drug mule. Was going to track him and confirm an exchange before calling it in, but if you're already here--"

He bites off what he was going to say when there's that strange sound. His shoulders hunch. "Officer," he says, his voice stilled hushed, "Seeing how it's very possible there are narcotics involved, perhaps we should go see what's going on?" He starts to slowly lower his hands, so he can gesture at the building, although at least he's not rude enough to just turn his back on the cop with the gun and head in that direction.

Alisha nods to his explanation of why he is present. He is PI after all so it makes sense, maybe not the cases she could have heard about him taking. The noise does have more of her attention "It seems like a good idea. Not that I could stop you and check it out at the same time. I do assume you know to stay behind me?" she really doesn't think he does. And even if she told him to stay put she figures he wouldn't. Her eyes going to where he gestures. "Well come on. If we're in luck we can catch them in the act."

After the exchange she does begin to head towards the warehouse and inside, cautiously. Not about to rush into a drug exchange or with GH possibly something worse. Looking back from time to time to see if Alexander is following her.

Alexander brightens visibly when she doesn't tell him to stay behind, answering with a curt bob of his head, and a murmured, "I do prefer to stay on the side of the gun that doesn't shoot." He falls in behind her, skulking along several steps behind as quietly as he can. "Why are you even here?" he asks, hushed. "There wasn't any disturbance that I could hear."

The approach to the warehouse is quiet; the gravel underfoot has been packed down by decades of heavy trucks passing over it, and it barely shifts beneath their weight. There's a door on the side of the building, just around the corner, and as Alisha rounds the corner, she can see that it's actually open, although the warehouse is dark inside. There's a smell in the air, sharp and coppery, although faint at this distance. It's blood, and from the way Alexander's eyes widen, he's smelled and identified it, too.

"A good policy to have in general. Keeps you from accidentally getting more holes in your body." she says quietly. She is doing her best to keep her footsteps quiet as well. Just could be somewhat negated by the light that is allowing them to see. "Someone called a some sort of disturbance. Only the address and nothing else." answered in low voice "Nothing you heard huh? I was beginning to think maybe you called it in." now considering who did make the call. Aside from him she hasn't seen anyone in the area.

At the all too familiar scent she doesn't freeze or even pause. In a smooth motion she draws her firearm. Open door and blood? Nothing good is about to happen. "Deal went bad maybe?" she suggests in the same quiet voice. She still advances towards the door light ready to illuminate what is happening, at least from the side of the door once they reach it.

Alexander shakes his head to the idea of him calling it in. When she draws the gun, he steps back and to the side, careful to stay well out of the weapon's potential firing window. They reach the door, and Alisha's light shines into the dark, nearly empty warehouse, angled first towards the floor. From the doorway, she can see what appears to be seven irregularly shaped lumps on the concrete floors, surrounded by dark pools. Maybe it could be discarded piles of supplies by hobos, and leaking oil from old trucks.

But it's not. The tang in her nostrils tells her the truth: those are bodies lying in pools of blood. Maybe one, or more of them, might still be alive, but none of them are moving. And there's still an odd creaking sort of sound.

Alisha nods slightly to the shake of the head. Another mystery, but it could have just been a passerby. There is a heavy sigh from her when the beam reveals some of the story. The heavy scent a dead give away. Hardening herself to the terrible scene that is going to be coming up. She is making no move to report it just yet. She needs to know what she is dealing with first. A simple gesture of her head in the direction of into the warehouse is given to Alexander.

Then she steps inside using the beam to perhaps spot who or what did this. Trying to track down the source of the odd creak. With possible echoes in the warehouse it could be hard. Then again their entrance may draw out the intruder. Until she figures out the cause she can't do much for potential survivors.

The two move into the warehouse. There's not the layer of dust you'd expect from a place that's been abandoned for at least ten years; instead, it looks as if it was cleaned and swept regularly. The walls are rusted and corroded - bits of moonlight fall through holes in the metal ceiling, causing shadows and strange shapes to take place in the corners of the warehouse. As they get closer to the bodies, the smell gets stronger, the sharpness of blood undercut with darker odors of death. Alisha notices that there are six bodies, arranged in a rough circle on the ground, and it's clear that each one has had their throats cut. On first look, the victims are older, and look as if they've had rough living of late. Their clothing is old, their skin is weathered, and a couple have the look of junkies who can't afford anything better than meth or kroc.

Alexander makes a sound. "Officer," he says, and points up. Up, to the center of the 'ring' the bodies form. Up to where, dangling in the center of the circle, swaying side from side (and creaking with every sway) is another body. This one is hanging from his neck, his eyes wide and sightless, staring into the darkness. A black cord leads somewhere up into the darkness of the roof, and his hands and body are stained with blood. Alexander frowns. "Guess my client's husband wasn't a drug mule, after all," he mutters.

Alisha gives a little shake of her head the bodies, that seem to put there on purpose. Worse that they were probably just chance victims, people who wouldn't be missed. Her eyes scan over the slit throats. And maybe for a moment a very sad look on her face. It is gone in instant. She's seen worse, but this is still pretty bad.

When Alexanders speaks up and points, her gaze and the flashlight follow up to the dangling figure. Just hanging and the little sway of the body. "Probably not. What was he doing here I wonder, Have you been following him for long? Did he come here before?" still keeping her voice down as she asks, her steely mask back on. Before kneeling down by the bodies trying to get a better look to see if the ones on the ground have been there long enough for the blood to dry. As well to check if the murder weapon was left behind. It probably wouldn't be, that would be way too easy for her.

"I've been following him just for a day or so - it seemed simple enough. He was meeting people at the boardwalk, or rather, under the boardwalk," Alexander makes the distinction because much of the town's homeless population congregates beneath the boardwalk for a safe place to stay. Safeish. "And spoke to a couple of people I know are occasional drug dealers. When I saw he was planning to make his way out here, I figured he must be a delivery boy."

As he talks, he's pulling out his cell phone. Not to take pictures, at least not yet, but to activate the flashlight app so that he can take a closer look at the bodies on the ground. As he does, Alisha can see several things: That none of these people have any bindings or defensive wounds, that they're all wearing the same necklace - a simple pewter chain with a cheap-looking amulet dangling from it that has the shape of a triangle with a star cut out of it, and that their faces are still and peaceful in death, rather than terrified or resisting. The blood is still tacky and wet - this must have happened an hour or less ago.

Alexander prowls carefully around the perimeter of the bodies, careful not to contaminate the scene, shining light on various bits. "No weapon that I can see." He frowns, and then turns his flashlight back up to the dangling body. "Look." He points. There's something sticking out of the hanging victim's back pocket. "That's a knife handle," Alexander says, with the tone of a man who likes knives a little too much. "Looks...custom made. See the wood and the curve of the handle? You don't buy that at Wal-Mart." He takes a few steps back and then moves away, tracking something into the darkness. "Officer. Here."

He illuminates a part of the dark warehouse. Someone went through a great deal of trouble to set up a sort of Rube Goldberg suicide machine - heavy cinder blocks supported by a series of ropes barely thick enough to do the task, with candles placed beneath them. "At some point in the last...probably ten or so minutes, the candles ate through enough of the ropes that the cinder supports snapped, dropping the blocks onto those mattresses beneath, see? No sound to draw attention. That would have snapped the cord tight and yanked Mr. Dawes off of his feet and into the air. Likely snapping his neck in the process." He frowns. "Clever, but a little dramatic."

"Yeah, but things are rarely simple in our hometown are they?" Alisha comments. She nods and knows the area. Having long ago made it a part of her regular patrol route for under the boardwalk. Trying to keep the far less fortunate a touch safer. Not that she is under any delusion there isn't shadier things that happen there. "Reasonable assumption. Who knows why we was really there." a answer that will be clearer.

She doesn't touch anything here. Just observing as things start to paint a picture in her mind. All of the initial evidence pointing that they were willing victims or very drugged out of their mind. The amulet curious and it was all recent. Making no move to stop Alexander from taking his look around the scene. "Me either." she replies to not finding a weapon. She raises up and again looks where he is pointing. She isn't much of knife fanatic herself. She can however recognize quality. "Likely pricey as well." she says having gotten a look at it the weapon "You happen to know if your client had a lot of money?" Not further sound or even hints of others here she puts her handgun back in her holster.

She follows him as she tracks and lights up the device. Giving a low whistle at it. Now that pointed out she guessed some of what he says. Looking towards the mattresses with the blocks on them for a second. "Yeah no sound at all. It is clever. So one, he was probably looking under the boardwalk for victims. Two, he found some and my guess is he drugged them up really good. So they wouldn't fight back or even make noise. Three, I think the amulets around there necks probably part of some ritual. If it was just for him or something else I don't know yet. Four it was probably Mr Dawes who called this in. He wanted it to be found. Five, he just offs himself. Again a part a ritual. I wouldn't be surprised if was wearing a amulet as well. Maybe it fell off."

She raises her hand ready to call the scene in. She pauses "You want more time to look around? As soon as I call this in you know the detective in charge is going to kick your ass off the crime scene. You have earned a better look if you want. Your actually pretty good at this." she admits begrudgingly.

"If he had money, he wasn't sharing much of it with Mrs. Dawes," Alexander says, with the slightest hint of humor. His expression is weary, despite that, and as she lays out the speculation, he gives a nod of his head. "Right now, I don't see anything to contradict that. The toxicology report will probably confirm it. And the detectives can check his body, make sure the knife matches the wounds, and see if maybe he's got another of those amulets down his shirt or something."

He makes a low sound of disgust. "What sort of ritual, I wonder. He didn't expect to survive it, that much is clear. Maybe some Heaven's Gate bullshit, leaving the tyranny of mortal flesh to ascend to a higher plane, or something. I'll ask Mrs. Dawes if he had any cult literature in the house." He looks up at her last words, and he smiles, just a little. "The stuff I'd want to look at would tamper with the crime scene, and I didn't bring gloves. Thanks for the offer, though, Officer. You're not too shabby yourself."

"Huh, figures. Spouses seem to always keep some money hidden. A good reason not to get married." Alisha says, possibly joking back. Tough to tell with her even tone. "I would imagine it will confirm. Could be wrong. If only I could get my hands on that knife I could tell for sure. Ah well can't do all the detectives work for them. I'd be willing to bet he does or when we find his vehicle there will be more."

Alisha just shrugs "No clue. One that required him to sacrifice himself. Maybe he started hanging around new people and got roped into something. Maybe it came to him in a dream. That sort of crap happens from time to time. Good thought about asking the wife. Likely we'll be questioning her as well." she may not exactly like him, but he knows his stuff. "I do have spare gloves. Might be a size or two small for your hands though. You can try if you want." the last comment, well her expression doesn't change much save her gaze is a little friendly towards Alexander "Thanks. I just do my best." if he further declines her offer, she will call in the multiple homicides and suicide.

Alexander flashes a grin. "I'd think there are better reasons than your prospective spouse maybe hiding some cash under his mattress. Like," he waves at the dead bodies, meaningfully. "I'll look into that symbol. If i see anything on it, I'll feed it back to you. Because you've been kind enough to let me poke around," he adds, even as he dismisses the offer of the gloves with the shake of his head. "I don't want to make the job harder on the detectives. They're challenged enough as it is, most of them."

There's a reason he's not all that popular with the detectives. More than one. He studies her for a long moment; his stare is assessing, flat, and somewhat reptillian in the darkness. "Thanks, Officer. For not shooing me away. I don't like that my job ended like this, but...it's an interesting crime scene." He rattles off a phone number. "If I can be of help, let me know? I respond to texts."

Alisha shrugs again "Plenty of reasons. But yeah having married a murderer isn't going to sit well with wife." Glancing back over to him "Maybe it doesn't really mean anything except in his head. But thanks for keeping me in the loop. And likewise I'll pass along what we find out too. Another head on this wouldn't be awful." which is as close as she's going to come to saying she'd like his help on this. A nod giving to the rejection of her offer. She does give a small laugh at the state of the detectives "Some of them aren't. And those ones are actually good, at times." even in the awfulness of the crime scene a little humor doesn't hurt. It can even be helpful,

She has her own issues with a few of the detectives. Not seeming to much care about the stare. "Sure. You would have come in anyway and you proved helpful. Which given how we first met I wasn't so sure of." interesting isn't the word she'd use to describe it. Still she'll take the number and offer up her own. "I will. Who doesn't response to texts? Some of what needs to be said probably shouldn't leave a trail though. But right though we can keep each other posted. So you should head out while I secure the scene." she says before she updates the department. Unit will surely be here soon and she wants to give him enough time to not be there, and having a run-in aforementioned detectives.

"Things that are only in your head can still mean an awful lot," Alexander mutters, and runs a hand through his already disheveled hair. There's the quick flash of a smile towards her. "Sure. I have a head. It can sometimes be useful." Just a shrug given to the mention of the detectives at first, but after a long moment he concedes, "Some of them aren't that bad." He shoves his hands back into his pockets, taking on a slouched, almost cringing pose, even as he says, "Some people don't. Respond to texts. But I do. Anyway, Officer - nice meeting you under better circumstances than the last time." Does he apologize for asking a lot of asshole-y questions? No, he doesn't.

But he does give her a nod, and a muttered, "Don't die," before taking another look over the crime scene and then slouching out, careful to use the same entrance they came in on, to keep contamination to the smallest possible amount.