Night of the Garrote (IC)

[Thevshi]

Ducking down out of sight, Coiled Lightning opens the dufflebag and takes a look inside.  Jane had at least been partially correct about what might be inside the time capsule, as he could see what looked like some records for 30's jazz bands, and what looked like some film reels.  There were a few other assorted memorabilia from the 1930s, but what stood out the most was a long, hooded black cloak.

 

Down below, the large thug ran over to the van, jumping inside after the others.  One of the thugs slammed the door shoot, and the van peeled off down the street, turning to the south and speeding away from the scene. 

 

The two police officers lowed their firearms, each taking a deep breath before one called in backup while the other began handcuffing the two masked men that had been knocked unconscious. 

[ca_lazerdwarf]

Charlie smiled, "Well what do you know. The Garrote did leave his cloak here after all." He carefully pulled the cloak from the bag to look it over. "I wonder if there's anything on it that could identify him. DNA samples, maybe. The police can do wonders with those on TV." He looked for any tags or stains or anything that might be clues about its origins, but ultimately had to admit that he wasn't a forensics specialist and probably wouldn't know it if it was there.

"Hope someone can find something, though", he said getting back to his feet. "Make this beating worthwhile." Picking up the cloak and the bag, Charlie stepped over the side of the building and used his whip to rappel down the side.

He held up the cloak and the bag and looked for the reporter. "Looks like this is what the crooks were after," he said with a broad smile on his face. "Surely a clue for the old Garrote case."

Edited September 23, 2014 by ca_lazerdwarf

[Thevshi]

Looking over the cloak, Charlie did not see any identifying tags, although there appeared to be some sort of stain on part of the cloak.

Scott Lewis was not hard to find, the reporter had not moved from where he had been hiding until the van had disappeared from view and it was clear that the fight was over. The police officer had started checking on their unconscious companions, and the sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance.

Lewis' face lit up as he saw the cloak, rushing over toward Coiled Lightning. "So the eyewitness was right, the Garrote did stop by here that night!" He exclaimed as he reached up to take the cloak in his hands looking at it intensely.

"Hey, don't touch that!" Shouted one of the police officers, who stood up and moved over toward the pair. "Look, we really appreciate your help against those guys, but handling that could contaminate the evidence more than it might already have been" He added, indicating the cloak.

[ca_lazerdwarf]

Somewhat sheepishly, Coiled Lightning put the cloak back in the bag and handed it over to the police. "I'm sorry, my enthusiasm got the better of me, really wanted to know what those guys were so interested in. You're right, leave it to the boys in the lab to study. Might want to keep some extra security on the lab until they do."

 

Turning back to Mr. Lewis, "I'm sure we'll find out more about the cloak and any connection to the Garrote in due time, the FCPD do good work. I'm glad I was here to help them out and stop the criminals from making off with this evidence."

[Thevshi]

Lewis seemed hesitant to give up the cloak for a moment, then he reluctantly released it as Coiled Lightning placed it back in the bag and handed it back to the police officer. The officer gave the hero a nod and a small smile. "That's alright, I can understand after that fight. You took some pretty hard hits there but kept on going. What do you call yourself?"

At this point, a trio of squad cars had pulled up along Allen, their sirens wailing briefly before being shut off, although the flashing lights were still going. An ambulance came pulling up just behind the squad cars, the paramedics exiting quickly as the newly arrived police officers split up, some moving over to help secure the scene at the site of the fight, while others moved out to help keep away a crowd that was starting to grow now that the fight was over.

[ca_lazerdwarf]

Charlie smiled at the police officer, and turned his whip up to maximum power as he gave it a few cracks. "You can call me 'Coiled Lightning', my whip is at your service, and all of Freedom City if it needs me."

 

After another whip crack, he started rubbing his shoulder. "Well, maybe I got hit a bit harder than I thought," he said quietly. "And I probably wouldn't still be standing if I didn't have you guys' help. Those criminals were tougher than I expected. Can I get your names so Mr. Lewis here can write about the brave members of the FCPD as well?"

[Thevshi]

The officers provided their names, which Lewis took down to use in an story on the incident, along with Coiled Lightning's name.  Everything at the scene seemed to be under control now, the downed police officers apparently not suffering any serious injuries as paramedics helped them up and to ambulances.  The two masked men that had been subdued were checked over as well, and then placed in the back of one of the squad cars that had arrived after the incident.

 

The two officers that had been in the fight, now in possession of the dufflebag with the capsule's contents were preparing to leave for the station when they looked over toward Coiled Lightning.  "Did you want to come down to the station to help see this stuff there?  You can give your statement there as well."

[ca_lazerdwarf]

He struggled at the question. Of course he wanted to come down to the station to give his statement. He needed some way to stay in contact and find out how he could get more information about the cloak, but how long could Charlie go missing before he seemed suspicious.

 

"I'm afraid I have important things to take care of that can't wait any longer," he says, "What station are you going to? I'll stop by later to leave a statement."

 

With his follow-up plans in hand, Charlie snagged a traffic light and flung himself off to soar among the buildings, before quietly returning a few moments later to grab his street clothes, change and go looking for Jane.

 

"I saw this woman knocked down by the crowd and went to help her... Must have been hit in the head by someone's knee... Got turned around... Saw that guy in blue swinging his whip..." He practiced cover stories under his breath as he hurried back toward the car.

[Thevshi]

The police seemed a bit reluctant to just let Coiled Lightning leave without giving his statement first, but apparently were accustomed to having to deal with metahumans that did not always follow standard procedures. So after confirming the officers were out of the Midtown precinct, Coiled Lighting was off onto the rooftops, moving a few blocks away before he would head back down to the street level in is normal clothes to find June.

Now that adrenaline was starting to fade, Charlie could feel really feel the hits he had taken during the fight, along with a since of weariness similar to when he had gone on forced marches while in the military.

Just as he was back down on the sidewalk, starting to think up what his story would be, his phone buzzed almost angrily, the call ID confirming what he already guessed. It was Jane calling…

[ca_lazerdwarf]

With a deep breath, Charlie picked up his phone and answered, "Hi, honey. Did you make it out of the crowd safely? You'll never guess what happened to me." He carefully laid out his cover story about helping a fallen woman and getting half trampled in the process.

 

"And then, when I was able to pick myself up and figure out what was going on, one of those heroes swung in with an amazing electric whip. I have to admit I was just so fascinated seeing it so up close and personal, it totally slipped my mind to call and let you know I was ok. You see stories about this sort of thing all the time in this city, I've never been that close before. This guy, Coiled Lightning, I think he said his name was, just wouldn't stop even getting pummelled by this bruiser three times his size. I can't believe I didn't think to take pictures..."

 

Charlie knew he was in trouble for not calling her earlier, but he hoped he could play it all off as just his fanboy side coming out. "I know you're not a big fan of supers, but did you see any of it? It was amazing."

[Thevshi]

Charlie heard a relieved sigh over the phone before Jane replied.  "I made it back to the car and have been waiting for you getting worried sick!"  She began.  "I am just glad your alright and did not get caught up in that mess."

 

As Charlie went on about seeing "one of those heroes" arrive, there was silence on the other end, and Charlie could imagine the frown that was likely on Jane's face.  "Figures, one of those costumed glory hounds shows up to interfere with the police handling things.  How much property damage resulted from that interference?"  She then stated, the irritation that was typical when she discussed the topic of costumed heroes present in her voice.

 

She then paused and let out another sigh, calming herself.  "I don't really want to get into this right now.  Are you still far from the car?"

[ca_lazerdwarf]

"I didn't see him break anything," Charlie offered in the hero's defense, but decided to drop the subject. "I think I see the car right up there. Talk to you in a second." He hung up and tried to jog as fast as he could, but soon felt pain from his recent beating and exertions coming on. He returned to a brisk walk to continue the walk to the car.

 

He got back to the car and gave Jane a hug. "I think maybe we should just grab some fast food and call it a night, I want to catch the news and see what they say about this whole thing."

 

Back at home, Charlie maked sure to record the night's news broadcasts while he did some searching online for news on himself, as well as anything he can find about villain with the gun, and the big thug. He also checked the various News outlets to see who Scott Lewis worked for.

[Thevshi]

Jane returned Charlie's hug when he reached the car, giving a nod in agreement when he suggested picking up some fast food and heading home.

By the time they got back home, Charlie was feeling a bit better, the hits he had taken during his fight with the costumed villain and the large thug had faded, but he still felt tired from pushing himself during the fight. The local stations all had coverage of the event in their new broadcasts, though none had had anyone there to capture anything on film, relying on interviews with witnesses and a few cellphone captures of the fight to provide visuals for the story. All the stations reported that the criminals appeared to have been after the contents of the time capsule, which had been taken to the Midtown precinct to be examined to see if there was anything linked to the eighty-one year old Garrote murders.

Taking to the internet, Charlie was able to get a few reports about the villain with the energy pistol, who apparently went by the name Slice. There was not a lot on him, but from what Charlie could find, it appeared he operated as muscle for hire. There was nothing Charlie could find about the big thug that had accompanied the costumed villain. He was also able to confirm that Scott Lewis wrote for the Daily Hearld.

[ca_lazerdwarf]

After night fell, and Jane had gone to sleep, Charlie slipped out of bed and back in to his costume. Still had to make his promised statement at the precinct, hopefully someone on night shift would be willing to take it.

 

Swinging his way up among the buildings, high above the mostly empty streets, Charlie headed across town. In only took a few minutes to reach midtown, and then a few more getting his bearings and finding the right street for the precinct. The city blocks looked different from above and it was difficult to see the street signs but soon he found the right building.

 

He took a few moments to scan around the neighborhood for any sign of activity. He hoped no one had made another attempt to steal the evidence. Swinging back down to the ground, he deactivated the whip and hung it securely from his belt. "Ok, don't look threatening," he thought to himself walking across the street to the police office in the middle of the night.

[Thevshi]

By the time Charlie was able to get back out as Coiled Lightning, he was no longer feeling any of the fatigue that had set in during his fight with Slice and his henchmen.  At this time of night, the normal bustle of Midtown had died down considerably, but it was still far from deserted.

 

The sidewalks outside the Midtown precinct were empty however when Coiled Lightning swung his way down to street level.  Making his way inside, the hero found a large entryway with several benches along the walls on either side, currently empty.  Several closed doors were along the side walls, and a single door was on the far wall, off to the right of a window behind which a uniformed police officer sat.  He was already regarding the door as Coiled Lightning made his way inside. 

 

"Your that costumed crimefighter that showed up at the Mayfair Building earlier this evening aren't you?"

[ca_lazerdwarf]

Charlie strolls up to the counter with a big smile, and tips his hat. "Yes, Officer, that was me. I'm Coiled Lightning. I really appreciate you guy's understanding that I couldn't come down here right away, but I wanted to give my statement. First time, I've done this really." He smiles.

 

"I'm afraid I don't think I saw much that's useful. Didn't recognize any of those guys, and nothing they said hinted who they were looking for."

 

Charlie struggles to remember anything particular in their dialog, but finally shrugs. "Anything found in the time capsule that can be made public yet?"

[Thevshi]

The officer gave a small nod when Charlie began talking about giving his statement.  When he asked about the contents of the time capsule, the officer seemed to start slightly.  "Well, you are going to need to talk to the detective in charge of the case.  Just wait a moment and I'll call him down."

 

Charlie was left to wait in the small reception area, while the sergeant picked up a phone and told whomever was on the other end that Coiled Lightning had come in to give his statement.  Charlie only had to wait a couple of minutes before a plain clothed officer came out single door beside the front desk.  The man was in his mid-thirties, lean build with light brown hair.

 

"You have to be Coiled Lightning."  He said with a small nod.  "I'm Detective Erickson.  Thank you for coming down."  The detective extended his right hand to the costumed hero.

[ca_lazerdwarf]

"Of course, I'll wait for the detective, thanks." Charlie nods and takes a seat to wait. He wondered about the officer's reaction. Was something wrong? Or was he just surprised that I was prying in to the case.

 

He didn't have long to wait and stew though, and quickly got up to shake Detective Erickson's hand. "Yes, nice to meet you, Detective. I just left my statement at the desk, and I mentioned that I was curious about what came out of the time capsule. I know there's probably not much new that's ready for public release, but the media was making a big deal about the whole Garrote connection. Given what happened, I can't help but think they were right."

[Thevshi]

"That's great."  Detective Erickson replied as he picked up the written statement the desk sergeant had taken.  "You mind coming back with me so I can take a look over this and possibly ask a few follow up questions based on things that have been coming up in our investigation thus far?  We can also talk about the contents of the time capsule and maybe I can answer any other questions you might have."  He asked, leading the costumed hero through the door he had just come through and back into administrative space of the station. 

[ca_lazerdwarf]

Charlie nodded "Sure, whatever I can do to help. It's why I came down here." he said with a smile. "I already said everything I can remember, though. It all happened pretty fast."

 

He followed quickly behind the Detective to the back of the station, looking around the office as they went, smiling broadly for anyone else they passed. He was ready to ask more questions, but sensed Erickson wanted to read the statement first so he held his questions for the end.

[Thevshi]

Given the later hour, the station was a lot less busy that it was during the day, but there were still a number of officers there filling out reports and other paperwork.  Most looked up as Erickson led Coiled Lightning back to his desk, but then turned back to their paperwork.

 

The detective quickly scanned Charlie's statement, asking a few clarifying questions, before he sat it down and focused fully on Charlie.  "So, about the contents of the time capsule....I am rather embarrassed to admit this, but we have a problem.  After the officers brought the contents back to the station following the incident at the demolition site, they placed the contents of the time capsule in a locked conference room until the lab techs come could take possession and go over them."

 

"But about an hour after those contents were put in the conference room, someone managed to get into the room through a fourth story window and temporarily block the door with a file cabinet and then steal the bag containing the contents."  The detective reached up with one hand and rubbed his temples a moment before he continued.  "So I was hoping there might be something else you could remember about the incident that could give us a led on this." 

[ca_lazerdwarf]

Charlie groaned slightly and shook his head. His ribs ached again just at the thought of what he went through to recover that bag in the first place.

 

"How did they even know what room it was in?" was the first thought out of his mouth, betraying a bit more annoyance than he intended. He composed himself and added, "I don't know what else I can tell you, I'm afraid. I didn't get a good view of the van, I was trying to take cover from flying time capsules. I don't suppose the people you captured told you anything useful, did they? Are they still around to question?"

[Thevshi]

"We are not exactly sure how they knew what room the contents had been placed in."  Detective Erickson replied.  "One of the things we are trying to figure out.  As for the two perps that you helped capture, they are still down in holding cells, but are currently keeping their mouths shut.  Both have prior records, but they are pretty small time.  In all likelihood they were just hired muscle and know very little about what is going on or who even hired them."

 

"We've been gathering as much video and photographs of the incident as we can.  If you had a bit of time, I could show you some of it if you think it might help in remembering anything."

[ca_lazerdwarf]

Charlie nodded with a sigh "Didn't think we'd get much from them. That guy with the energy pistol, Slice, looked like just a hired gun, too. I guess whoever's behind this is smart enough than to let any of his hirelings know much about him. Especially in a town like this."

 

He brightened at the mention of videos and photos "I'll have a look at the videos, sure. We need to find some lead to track these guys down. Something written on the van maybe, or even a license plate." He leaned forward to see what Erickson had to show him.

[Thevshi]

"There is no shortage of hired muscle that tend to only know a small part of the big picture in this town." Detective Erickson stated in agreement. He then took Coiled Lightning into a small conference room off to one side where there was a TV monitor and a DVD player. Turning them on, he began to run through various footage of the scene at the Mayfair building for the costumed hero.

For what Charlie could see, it seemed like they police had footage from a number of security cameras that were located in the area. As he watched the scene before the attack began, he was able to pick himself and Jane out of the crowd. Luckily none of the cameras had an angle on the alleyway he had gone into the get up to a rooftop to change.

As he watched the fight breakout and the crowd scatter, Charlie saw Scott Lewis take cover behind a car, although he stuck his head up to watch the scene unfold. Charlie also noticed the guy he had scene in the crowd before the criminals had shown up, the one with the stained white collared shirt and thick round glasses. The man had moved away from the fight when it started, but had not gone far, instead stopping in a doorway to a nearby building from which he had watched the fight.