World of Darkness World of Darkness: Attrition - A Small Problem [Complete]

[z-August Turner]

August paused outside the building, frowning at the exterior. It wasn't much to look at to be honest, and she began to wonder if Wally had been right about this detective. Still, she didn't have another name, and she'd come all the way over here. Sighing, she decided to give the detective a try, no matter how dubious the frontage appeared.

She pushed into the building, passing a cafe tucked into the first floor. A pause at a directory gave her the directions she needed, and August walked up the stairs, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair as she reached the top. She found the right door, paused to make sure she looked fabulous and then carefully knocked.

She really hoped that this Mr. Spade could help her. If not, she wasn't sure what she was going to do.

[Sam Spaid]

Sam peered up from the crossword puzzle at the door for no apparent reason a second before she heard the knock. Her frown of concentration became a frown of irritation. Weirdness was one thing but in the last few months the weirdness was getting altogether weirder. I did not know that there would be a knock before hand, I simply looked up to stretch my neck, she told herself as she closed the magazine and dumped it into the desk drawer and replaced it with a notebook and an issue of Modern Electronics. "The door's open," she called out as she stood to grab a fresh cup of coffee.

Samantha was dressed casually though still a step above how she dressed when working a case. Simple gray slacks and a light blue blouse helped to show the figure that she'd earned of late by copious jogging through the summer's heat. She wore some black and white Converse Chuck Taylor low tops, the one consolation toward comfort over appearance; heels only showed up when she needed to look her best. Sam's medium long hair was up in a neat ponytail which helped to take some of the years of motherhood from her face. She looked up from the coffee as the door opened and her first prospective client of the week walked in.

[z-August Turner]

The woman in the door was a few inches taller than her. Black hair with a slight wave fell past her shoulders as she peered into the room with eyes that seemed either blue or green, depending on the light. Her face was young and 'fresh' in appearance, but you could buy that in LA pretty easily, so that wasn't a good indication of her age. Her hesitation was a better hint to her youth, which Sam guessed was early-twenties. She was dressed a nice pale green shirt with a short gray skirt, showing lovely legs. Her gray heels were either new or not often used, as they weren't scuffed. Her makeup and accessories were tasteful and underdone, suggesting she knew how to dress herself or had been dressed by someone. There was a certain class to her clothing that implied she didn't stop at Kmart.

"Is... Are...?" The woman paused and looked at the single desk with no second office. "Hmm, are you Sam Spaid?"

[Sam Spaid]

"Yup, that's me. I," Sam paused and looked at the woman again. "You ... you were expecting a man weren't you?" Sam crossed one arm over her waist, the other brought the coffee cup to her mouth but she didn't drink. There was an awkward moment and then she said, "Yes, I am a PI. Yes, my name is Samantha Spaid, and no I didn't change it just for kicks. Now, if you'd like to sit down and tell me what you need perhaps we can do business. Would you care for some coffee?"

[z-August Turner]

"I was expecting a man," August admitted, her face turning red. "I'm sorry, my agent said Sam Spaid, and didn't add the 'antha' to that Sam." But she wasn't displeased by her detective being a woman - in some ways, this would make things much easier. Explaining her problem to a woman would be more comfortable, and make her feel less like a wimp.

"I'm August Turner," she said, moving to take a seat and shaking her head regarding the coffee. Her body language was tense as she sat down, her fingers tight around her purse. "I have a problem that the police can't help me with, but I was told that you're very good at finding things - and people, that others can't. Is this true? Do you have time for another case right now?"

[Sam Spaid]

Sam dropped a creamer into the coffee and watched the clouds begin to swirl about. She walked to the desk and sat down, crossing her legs as she looked at the woman across from her. For the briefest moment she saw the woman surrounded by a colored halo. Samantha blinked and rubbed at her eyes; the aura was gone but Sam knew, knew, that this woman was worried about something. Looking down at the clouds in her coffee Sam saw a figured in shadow, somebody who was following this woman, the image was there just for a moment, and then gone as the hot liquid continued to mix. I wish I was going crazy, it would certainly be easier.

She looked up and smiled at August, "Yes, I can certainly take on your case. Why don't you start at the beginning." She avoided the first question, it was one thing to have a reputation, but it was wholly another to have a reputation as being somehow gifted above and beyond one's peers. It doesn't take long for that kind of reputation to change into something entirely different. She took a plain legal pad of yellow paper and a mechanical pencil from the desk, "Try to give me as much as you can remember. Even small details can be important so take your time and try to remember everything."

[z-August Turner]

"Ok," August said, sitting back and crossing her legs. She thought for a moment and then said, "I think it started a couple of months after my movie premiered on SciFi channel. I started to get fan mail that was art of me from scenes in the movie. At first it was kind of flattering, but they became more sexual, almost pornographic. Then I got this."

She opened her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper. When Sam unfolded it, she found three stylized circle, each with a scene inside. They were all graphic and gory, and featured August in them. "The movie was a circus movie about a possessed lion," August said, her tone weary. "Those rings were part of the promotional graphics that SciFi used for the movie.

"I have been in contact with the police, and they did look into, but he hasn't done anything, and they don't have the time to really dig into this," August said. She swallowed and said, "But I think he's been in my condo. I can't prove it... but it feels like someone was in there while I was gone."

[Sam Spaid]

Sam nodded and scribbled some notes onto the paper, her hand moved quickly dropping simply block letters into place and keeping up remarkably well. "And when did you receive this?" she indicated the paper. "Is there anything more recent that you have gotten? Also, when was the last time that you felt your condo was broken into? As you are probably aware the evidence trail can go cold with age so I'll need to see the most recent evidence that you can provide."

[z-August Turner]

"Yesterday," August said, looking a little haunted. "I mean, he was in there yesterday. The drawing came two days ago by mail. I haven't gotten anything since, but when I got home yesterday, the place felt..." She paused and hunted for the right word. "It felt violated. I think that there were little things moved a bit, but nothing missing, that I found. Just some letters shuffled through, maybe a... a drawer left a little open." She looked uncomfortable as she added, "That kind of thing."

[Sam Spaid]

Samantha nodded as she made notes, occasionally looking up to offer and reassuring smile. While she'd never been under the same circumstances she could certainly empathize with this woman. "OK, I can certainly take a look. Here are my rates," she slid a blue business card across the desk, on the back were Sam's rates, listed in hourly, daily, and weekly figures plus expenses. The woman didn't come cheap and August wondered if the plainer white business cards sitting next to the blue ones had different rates as Sam's hand had hovered momentarily over the two stacks. "I'll need to see your apartment, today if possible, and then if you get the impression he's been there again I'll want to you call me immediately, the longer the scene sits the harder it is to pick up impressions ... I mean evidence."

[z-August Turner]

August stared at the figures, swallowed and sighed, just a little. Putting on a breezy smile, she said, "Alright, we can see my apartment right now, if that's so important."

She swallowed, her smile in place as she tried to figure out how to fit this new expense into her finances. She kept a close tab on which of her cards were maxed out, and she finally selected a Mastercard and extended it toward Sam. "Here's for the up front... um, retainer fee," she said, still holding onto that smile. All she needed was one role in a big movie, and she could pay down some debt. If it didn't happen soon, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. Of course, there was always work in LA for a pretty lady.

[Sam Spaid]

Sam looked at the credit card. She sighed and opened a drawer pulling out an ancient looking slide operation credit card machine and some yellowing carbon paper receipts. She ran the card through the machine with the total printed carefully in. After a few minutes she handed the card, the slip, and a pen to August, "Sign here."

[z-August Turner]

August complied, then took back her card and stood. They spent several minutes arranging details like addresses and travel times. When August left Spaid's office, she left her contact information, as well as directions to her condo.

She left first, so was waiting for Sam by the time she got there. August was still wearing her nice clothes, even inside her own place. But she'd taken her shoes off, her one concession to style. "Welcome," she said, letting the private investigator into her house. "Let me show you around."

It didn't take long. There was a small living space which was open to the kitchen area. The space looked like a layout from a magazine; there was no sense of August's personality here. It had been professionally designed in soft, inoffensive colors, and August had clearly made no changes.

The bathroom at least looked lived in, though it too was clearly heavily decorated. But personal items were situated around the room; a basket with makeup here, or a bundle of cleaning supplies gathered on the vanity.

The single bedroom hadn't been touched by a decorator and was just white. Here, August had taken less care with the details. She'd mixed and matched bright colors together into a riotous visual cacophony. The furniture was also older, some of it clearly well-used.

"I think he messed with my mail, here," August said, taking Sam over to the desk in the living room. Walking her into the bedroom, she pointed at an older, battered dresser. "And I think he went through these drawers."

[Sam Spaid]

Sam walked around the apartment getting a feel for the place, getting familiar with it. She inhaled deeply, the place's smell was bland, nobody cooked here, the strongest smells were that of the furniture and carpeting. She leafed through the mail for a moment. "May I use your bathroom?" August nodded and Sam smiled in thanks. She sat down on the toilet and closed her eyes, meditating on the apartment outside. She reached back through the mists of time an sifting through the psychic residue of this place. After a few moments the vision formed. Sam remained sitting in the bathroom, but in her mind, in the vision, she stood up and walked out into the living area.

Click to reveal..

(22:26:40) (Samantha): Postcognition (Wits+Occult) 7 dice -1 for events within the past week

(22:26:46) ChatBot: (Samantha) rolls 6d10 and gets 9,8,9,6,8,2.

4 sux - Sam can ask 4 questions of the scene

Willpower 5/6

[z-August Turner]

The man was standing there, pushing the door shut behind him. August wasn't in the room anymore. The stranger wore a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts with flip flops. He sauntered into the room, putting something into his pocket. His hair was sun-blond, and he was of medium build, more fat than muscle, but not really fat.

He eased into the room and idly pawed through her mail, putting it back in place when he was done. Humming a little, he walked into the kitchen and peered into the fridge. Straightening his gloves, he paused a moment, then headed into the bathroom. Sam watched him lift the lids on various creams and chemicals, smelling each. Finally, he moved to the bedroom, opening drawers, touching various clothing before finally selecting something sleek and satiny and pocketing it.

Straightening, he moved around some more, touching and feeling things, before taking his leave out the door.

[Sam Spaid]

Sam walked out into the main room, the vision halted as she approached the man and studied his features. Her memory was good enough that if she made a point of it she could remember this guy well enough to get a decent police artist to sketch him. He had something in his hand. She approached and watched as he slipped the object into his pocket, it was a key. "Well, that makes things a little more complicated," Sam muttered.

[Sam Spaid]

The guy wore gloves. He was handling everything in reach but there was no evidence that Sam could bring to the cops. In her mind she cursed CSI and all those crime shows, they mad police work, and even PI work, more difficult by reminding the barely competent criminals that gloves were a good thing. Sam followed him through the rest of the vision, as he went into the bathroom, and then into the bedroom where he stole a pair of underwear. He lingered a bit longer and was gone.

The vision faded and Sam stood up, flushed the toilette and washed her hands. The guy she had seen was not some clod, he was savvy enough to have gotten a key somehow, and knew enough to wear gloves. She suddenly felt very bad for this woman. This guy was the type who would not likely slip up until he went too far and August ended up dead.

Exiting the bathroom Sam made another cursory pass of the apartment before studying the door and lock intently. "It doesn't look like he forced the door or picked the lock. I think he might have had a key, or he was a real pro. Have you ever given anybody a spare key?"

[z-August Turner]

"An ex of mine, but I got that one back," August said, after a moment of dismay. "Um... my aunt, my agent. Beyond that, no one."

She tried to keep a brave face up, but she was more scared than before. "Wally - that's my agent - he'd have no reason to cause me harm, or to make it possible for someone to do so. If I don't make money, he doesn't. He has other clients, but not so many he can lose one who's working regularly. And Aunt Molly - she's like a mother to me. It'd have to be stolen from them, not come from them."

She shivered and crossed her arms. "I'll get a locksmith out today."

[Sam Spaid]

Sam nodded, "I don't think you need me to tell you that that is a good idea. What about the building super? Or a maid service or such? Are you certain that no other people have keys? Can you contact your aunt and your agent to make sure that they still have theirs?" She looked around at the apartment, "Are you missing anything? You might want to double check everything." This isn't going to be at all easy. Some days it doesn't pay to work.

[z-August Turner]

"No, this is a condo, not an apartment," August said, rubbing her forehead with a trembling hand. "I can't afford a maid, never have. I'll talk to Aunt Molly and Wally."

At Sam's last suggestion, she went back through her things, digging through her possessions, but again, she missed the underwear. It was frustrating for Sam, but August had a lot of undergarments. She really didn't seem to realize it was gone.

[Sam Spaid]

"OK. I'll have to do some basic surveillance, shadow you during a normal day, watch your condo while you are out. That kind of thing. Maybe I can get eyes on the guy doing this." Sam planned instead to visit the police station and borrow one of their sketch artists for an hour.

[z-August Turner]

"Alright," August said. "Whatever you need to do, or need me to do, just let me know," she added. "I want to figure this out, obviously." She paused, took a deep breath and asked, "Sam, how dangerous is he? Should I stay somewhere else?"

[Sam Spaid]

"I've no way of knowing how dangerous he is. Do what you feel you must, but if he is clever enough to have gotten a key staying elsewhere may not deter him for long. I don't want to scare you but you should know these things. Better to know and be prepared than caught off guard right?"