perpetual anticipation is good for the soul but it's bad for the heart

[maxxx]

Comments

[slavophile]

Martha Delacourt.

( Easy enough to find. )

[positiveinfluence]

Does it say how she died? Natural causes or murder?

[Sometimes things happen in haunted houses. If they can rule out murder then there has to be another reason why she's sticking around and why she's targeting these names.]

[slavophile]

Wait, you mean the first first death. Not the first -- ( He's catching up. ) Martha's was the first after-death, AH - After Haunting, the first death, the original, was Raymond Berry. And, he shot himself.

( He squints. )

It says he shot himself anyway. I'm guessing there's a possibility he did not shoot himself.

[positiveinfluence]

Suicides don't usually leave ghosts behind.

[They don't usually have unfinished business. So yeah, Coop's opinion is that someone probably faked it to get away with murder.]

Getting away with murder on the other hand? That leaves a ghost almost every time.

[slavophile]

But, none of the victims were shot. At least, not in the ME or the autopsy reports.

( Is there a reason the MO would differ? )

[positiveinfluence]

Ah - method of death does not always equal their own method of killing. It generally depends on the type of spirit. While some will inflict how they died onto their victims, some are constrained by the type of the spirit they become.

[A beat.]

Take ghost ships for example. Always trigger a bunch of dry-land drownings. But I've heard of spirts that were actually killed on the water, but by other means than a ship going down and still becoming a ghost ship and drowning their victims. I think what will give us more clues as to what's going down is trying to figure out the motive, which I think will tie back to our repeating last names.

[slavophile]

Okay, so, in this case, this spirit is scaring people to death.

( Not shooting them. )

People who have recurring last names in the same order.

[positiveinfluence]

Willing to bet that someones with those last names were involved in his not-death. And they were probably involved in the man's life, so if we can talk to the right people, maybe we'll find some answers.

[Fingers crossed.]

[slavophile]

People who are still around five years later. Probably probable.

( And if not, they have phones, right? )

[positiveinfluence]

[More or less.]

So let's make a list, and I'll see if I can get into the haunted house to see if there's any other evidence we can find.

[slavophile]

( He's sure they'll find answers, the sins of the father, etc. But at least they have a plan.

For William's part, he does some online legwork, can he match the last names of the victims to last names involved with the original victim. His natural (1) taps his desktop tower's power accidentally and his computer shuts off before he's able to do anything.

Whoops. After a fifteen minute reboot, he tries again: (21) to find any good information. )

[positiveinfluence]

[It doesn't take much to find those names in adjacent to his victim. It's unclear if they're business partners or simply friends, but men with the three last names in rotation were seen with the victim prior to his death.

And it's possible that they were there the night of his death, though it's hard to tell.]

[slavophile]

( And do they have relatives that are still alive and in the area? )

[positiveinfluence]

[They do in fact. Some of them children are still in town, or other extended family.]

[slavophile]

I have addresses. Every family has ties to the community and still should be around. Do you want to start with Fairfax, Hallahan, Wright or... Murphy?

( All seem like leads so they must be leads. )

[positiveinfluence]

Do you want to divide and conquer or take it on together?

[He's good either way, so long as they get some answers.]

[slavophile]

Right, we didn't establish -- the recognizability of it all. Let's try one together. I'd love to see you in your natural habitat.

( And maybe they won't recognize William, or be too distracted by him. That will probably determine if they conquer separately next. )

[positiveinfluence]

Alright. The lets start with the next of kin for the latest victim.

[The fresh body is usually the best place to start.]

I'll drive.

[He needs all his fake FBI stuff.]

[slavophile]

( He gathers his bag and any previously discussed essentials, including his FBI best (less flashy then his society suits and less sleek than his corporate).

After changing, driving, and parking, he gives his boyfriend a clear direction, because he still has his training wheels on. )

You run point.

[positiveinfluence]

[Cooper nods, before making his way up to the front door and knocking lightly. There's a small silence while they wait, and eventually the door opens.]

Vanessa Berry?

["Yes?"

He nods and lifts a quick flash of his fake badge.]

Agent Sullivan. My partner and I were wondering if you had some time to talk about your father, Raymond Berry?

[Her eyes dart to William (18), and she tries to deflect from the question, not wanting to address that. "Aren't you ...?"]

[slavophile]

( He tries to lay on the charm that comes from being a Queen, but he doesn't come off as humble in the least (8). He at least tries to stick to facts. )

He means partner. It's unconventional, but, TV's not far off when it comes to civilians consulting on cases. I work nationally and internationally in tandem with law enforcement when cases involve - my expertise. It will only take a few minutes.

[positiveinfluence]

[Apparently this woman is on her game (19), because she sees right through William's clobbered together story, but given who William's father is she still jumps to the ... exactly wrong conclusion:

"Are you here on Green Arrow business? Is this a Green Arrow thing?"]

Yes.

[Coop flashes her a smile as he leans closer, conspiratorially (20 vs. 1).]

Naturally you understand why we don't want to talk about this on the street.

["Oh, yeah. Come in, come in."]

[slavophile]

( Invoking his father's -- yeah, alright, if it gets them inside. There's a silent look between them as he politely thanks her for her cooperation and steps inside her home. )

We have reason to believe foul play may have been involved in your father's death.

( He tries to take the lead. )

Obviously, my taking up my father's legacy isn't common knowledge, so we appreciate any and all discretion. You understand.

[positiveinfluence]

["Oh, of course." And she does the whole miming a lock and key over her lips. "They won't hear it from me. What do you need to know about my dad?"]

Was he having any trouble with anyone around when he died? Trouble at work or at home?

["Oh, man, that was a long time ago. I don't think so. I mean, he did seem a little stressed, but in his line of work that was pretty normal."]

[slavophile]

What was his line of work, if I may ask?

( He's still catching up to being polite and getting information. )