(Played on 27th August 2023)

Tremen's log

Crime Scene Tape and a camera

Something we did in the background of our crime scene investiagation

Team Members: Spooky Witch (tech), Tharbinsan (medtech), Wakiya Kiku (Sniper/Paranoid), Ricky (Lawman), Tremen (Lawman)

As our investigations continued I was distracted by a faint buzzing sound comming from next to where I was standing - this turned out to be a burnt out listening bug planted between the (very) large screen TV and the light bar above it. The bug had burned out before we arrived in the apartment and had probably burnt out shortly after it had been placed.

Closer examination of the body by both Spooky and Ricky showed (after some initial contamination of the scene by Ricky) that the body had been shot from some range, most likely from about the bathroom door. Ricky also confirmed that the body was that of Hayato Kita. Kita was employed by Sato Imports, a import/export business dealing in alcoholic drinks1. Kita was wearing ordinary street clothes with no sign of any robbery (other than that of his brain) as his rings and other items were still present.

Current theory is that the Victim let the perpetrator into the apartment who then shot Kita as he returned to the lounge. The perpetrator then removed Kita's brain without finesse and left.

Tharbinson reported that in addition to the cash2 and cards, there was a little black book of contacts and dates. While almost all the dates are in the past there is an entry for tomorrow: Maria, 12:30 tomorrow, Shinchuko station, pink carnation

Spooky examined the brain case found earlier by Wakiya in the bedroom3. This was battery powered whose battery was capable of running the brain case for seven days (and had about four days of juice remaining). She reports that this brain case was made in america (as opposed to the cybertech of the victim which was manufactured in Japan).

Examining the lobby CCTV and the apartment building's records shows that Kita had lived there for about six years. He returned to the apartment at around noon and was murdered at about 1pm. Her returned wearing a business suit. Close exmination of the CCTV showed that the front door closed a fraction of a second later that it does normally after an inhabitant of an apartment on the fourth floor returned from getting some supplies from the local store4. With the help of Wakiya cameras watching the street were identified and their footage checked - these do not show anybody unexpected arriving (and in particular then disappearing behind any form of stealth technology). This suggests that the individual who presumably entered the apartment block was both stealthed and competant.

After some discussion a through search of the apartment for more survelliance devices leads to a well hidden and still operating bug. Spooky tracks the signal it is sending to the Jonanjima Port District which, as it happens, Sato Imports has a building. She believes her tracking was not detected.

Tremen's current theory5

Hayato Kita was involved in Sato Imports illicit business but had betrayed Sato Import (either by defecting to another gang or selling some of the illicit goods on the side). He had betrayed Sato Imports because he was being blackmailed by someone relatively imcompetant who got their blackmail from the first, now burnt out, bug. However Sato Imports are much more competant and had placed the second functional bug, possibly when they recruited Kita, They discovered Kita's betrayal and took him out in a way that demostrated to others working for Sato Imports that you don't betray them. They took the brain to find Kita's other contacts. However by making a noisy demonstration they did not leave themselves enough time for a search of the apartment.

Items taken by us from the crime scene

A set of investigative tools on a workbench

Getting ready to investigate our finds back at the lab

  • Fake ids
  • Money found at the scene
  • Bugs (both the broken one and the second one6
  • Brain case found in the bedroom
  • Black Book found in the bathroom
  • Blood samples
  • Brain Dances
  • Copy of the lobby security footage
  • The body
  • Photographs of the apartment

Follow up actions

  • Meet and/or follow and/or surveil Maria at the train station
  • Keep ear to the ground/street for any rumours swirling about Kita and/or Sato Imports

Footnotes

  1. after bypassing some additional security on the departmental files, rumoured to be dealing with adultertated drinks laced with narcotics amongst other things - however, even with a raid on their premises, there's no solid evidence of this. ↩
  2. Which are currency notes in general circulation ↩
  3. i.e., not on the body, which had its own brain case from which Kita's brain had been ripped ↩
  4. This individual was interviewed later and didn't report anything unusual. ↩
  5. Note: there are holes in this theory, just like any other theory, but it's the best theory I have at the moment ↩
  6. Disabled by Section 9's security as we return. ↩