Day Eight: Further Investigation

The Hutt walked slowly north on Orion Rd. towards Reed St., past Pontoon Inc. towards Naysayer Publishing to the left and Trillium Machinery to his right. (Check the map in the links section if you want to visualize it) He was by himself, wandering Paradise City, learning everything he could. This was what The Hutt had begun doing with his days. He had the capacity to be very lazy, but in this game he wanted to be the best, and to be the best he needed to know this city and its corporations better than anybody. It was not difficult to see the Cops most days, because they patrolled in pairs all day long, and sometimes they even brought out the Police Car just in case. Mostly however, these Cops watched the smaller shops and banks, which were the most logical to rob.

This was not the first time The Hutt had walked in the north-west quadrant of Paradise City, and he was formulating a plan. Pontoon, Naysayer and Trillium employed more than a hundred “extras” between the three of them, and there was actually a fair bit of traffic on the sidewalks entering and exiting these buildings, and this point in the day. (The afternoon) Just as with every company, these large buildings contained goods which could be stolen. Just because they didn’t contain much cash didn’t mean the objects did not have monetary value. Any object could be stolen by the Robbers, and if it is held until the end of thirty days, the Robbers gain its monetary value. Entering Naysayer Publishing, The Hutt began talking with the receptionist trying to charm information out of her.

The following is the account of Lieutenant Mike Wilson on Day Eight

The big news in the Police Station was the security video from Flower Convenience, and all the information that could be drawn from it. Every Cop had watched this video, some more than once to make sure that if they saw any of these men on the streets, they could recognize them and arrest them. Deputy Chief Heidman had even shown the two Robbers they had arrested the video. “The Swagger” and “The Drama Queen” would not divulge information about these guys, even though Heidman was being pretty forceful. Lt. Wilson observed from his desk as Dep. Chief Heidman took The Drama Queen aside to talk with her out of the earshot of The Swagger.

Lt. Wilson moved closer to the conversation and listened in to what Heidman was telling “The Drama Queen.” Heidman was asking whether “The Drama Queen” would divulge vital information about her team in exchange for her freedom. Apparently, Dep. Chief Heidman had already asked “The Swagger” and he had refused. “The Drama Queen” appeared to be thinking about it very hard, but eventually she nodded. Lt. Wilson, fearing Heidman would use this information for his own needs, walked over and pulled Heidman aside. Wilson told him that this is something he should discuss with the entire team before going ahead with. If the Cops forfeit their prison they forfeit the $75,000 they had gained upon her arrest. Heidman thought that was an appropriate sacrifice if the information led to the arrest of more Robbers. Wilson was not so sure, so they locked “The Drama Queen” back in her cell, and went over to Chief Pitman’s desk to talk it over.

Given leadership at the outset of the game, Chief Pitman decided that he would be the one to question “The Drama Queen” and he would decide if her information would warrant her release. So Chief Pitman took “The Drama Queen” to the far corner of the Police Station to begin to question her about the hideout, possible heists and other things important to the Cops’ investigations. Lt. Wilson was once again relegated to patrol, this time with Officer Edwards. So Lt. Wilson and Officer Edwards left the station and began to walk towards to south-west quadrant.

On their way through the intersection of King and Pewter, Lt. Wilson decided to stop by Barbulli Shoes. This store had been robbed the same day that Flower Convenience had been held up and that shop-keeper had been killed. Because of the murder, Flower Convenience was getting more attention than Barbulli from the Cops, but Wilson decided that some valuable information could be gained from Barbulli as well. So the two uniformed officers entered the store, which was staffed at this point by two women, one older and one younger as well as three female customers. After waiting for one pair of shoes to be rung through, Lt. Wilson asked the employees if either of them were working four days ago, the day of the robbery.

It turned out that some Cops had come to question them, but because of their lack of a surveillance camera, the Cops asked a couple of questions and then left. All that was taken was $2,000 and a pair of shoes. Officer Edwards asked if these women could if they could identify the Robbers that did this. They gave some brief descriptions: a tall and big man, a thin guy with glasses and a tall, medium-sized guy with a reddish beard. Those three performed the hold-up, but there were also some customers. They chose one, and held her hostage pointing the gun at her, they were given what money they had, and they also took a pair of shoes. (They wouldn’t have fit any of the men) Believing they had as much information as they could get, Lt. Wilson and Officer Edwards left the store and continued to the south-west.

Soon enough, they were at the very south-west corner of the city, and they realized that the boarded up buildings down here seemed very intriguing. They had maps, and they had known the buildings were here, but Lt. Wilson knew he had never given them much thought. Choosing the one furthest west, Wilson and Edwards began trying to pry the boards loose. Once the board was pulled off, they both climbed in the window and looked around at the room. It appeared to be an empty room with cement walls and a bare cement floor. They pulled out their flashlights and began to search the walls and the floor. While Officer Edwards was scanning the walls with his hands, Lt. Wilson found what appeared to be a latch on the floor. With all his might he pulled on the latch, and a door opened up in the floor.

Warily, he pointed his flashlight in the hole and found stairs leading down into the darkness.

The Hutt slowly walked down the stairs into the Robbers' basement hideout. A majority of the Robber team was there, doing various things. They looked up at him, and The Hutt told them that he had a plan for a heist. Excitement filled his face as he told them this plan would make them rich, and that he already had everything sorted out. Everybody listened intently, and when he was finished they asked him when they were to carry out this plan. Calmly, The Hutt told them this heist had to take place tomorrow.

Thus ends Day Eight. I have some information for you:

Someone is definitely going to die in Cops and Robbers on Day Nine.

I want to know who each of you think it is going to be.

Mike

Day Seven: Revealing the Mystery

Frantically writing down descriptions of the people in the basement, Silas Pedro Esq. knew he had to get out of there soon. He soon realized that he didn’t know which house this was, so he would have to go around front and figure out the number of the house, and apparently the houses on either side of it as well. It did appear that these three houses must have connecting basements. Slowly, he stood up, careful to avoid the light coming out the window, and moved along the side of the house towards the front.

The Legend stood up from the table in the hideout of 52, 53, 54 Logger Court where the rest of his team was discussing where to hit next. He needed some air. Walking up the stairs and onto the main floor of the house the voices from the basement faded and walked to the front door and stepped outside. Having a long history of mischief, The Legend was used to being quiet when he moved outside at night, and this night was no different. Silently he sat down on a wicker chair on the stone porch and observed the small amount of people on the sidewalks. In the distance, he could see what appeared to be two Police Officers walking west, away from the house. He wondered whether or not his house was suspicious and if the Cops would ever be able to find a difference. He remembered being told that the Cops had some higher power to consult when wanting to search any house or building. They must have a certain degree of evidence to obtain a search warrant before searching a house, and The Legend was sure they would have nothing at this point in the game.

Suddenly, The Legend heard what could be some crinkling leaves at the side of the house. He didn’t move much, but lowered himself from the chair, to achieve both a better vantage point, and more cover from the eyes of this intruder. The figure came around the corner slowly, ducking and looking in every direction. The Legend was practically laying down on the stone floor, but he had a clear view of this fellow’s face. He had dark skin, and long dreadlocked hair. The Legend wished he had his team’s gun, because this man was clearly a Cop or a Private Instigator, and he couldn’t let him get any more information about their hideout. Abruptly The Legend stood up and ran at the man. With surprising speed and quick feet, the man took off down the street and pulled away from The Legend.

The following is the account of The Verdict on Day Seven

Listening intently to the plans of The Architect and The Menace, The Verdict sat quietly in his chair. It was becoming apparent that The Architect was their leader, at least in planning, and no one was ready to stand up and challenge his ideas. The main reason he was not giving his ideas in this discussion was to read his team, and to make up his mind who to tell about his discovery. The Architect, The Muscle, The Hutt, The Chump and The Stylist were really close, whereas The Wit and The Cold Killer seemed to be sitting and quietly listening like himself. The Menace was a connecting factor between the two sides, but he was getting closer and closer with The Architect and The Muscle.

All of a sudden The Legend came running down the stairs, he interrupted The Architect and told them about the man he had seen sneaking around their hideout. He informed them about the new problem they had: At an early point in the game, someone from another team had found their hideout. The Muscle wanted the team to go out and find this guy, hunt him down and eliminate him from the game. The Cold Killer said they should stay inside for the time being. It was dark outside and anyone could be waiting outside to arrest them. If this was a Cop, they could all be arrested. The Chump suggested that if the cops were coming for them, they would have to get out of the hideout, because right now they were sitting ducks. An agreement was quickly made that they would all leave the hideout for a couple hours, leaving in pairs and splitting up so as not to draw attention. This would also give them a chance to check out some more places to rob.

The Verdict pulled The Wit over to him, and they were the first two to leave the hideout. Slowly opening and exiting the side door of 53 Logger Court, The Verdict made sure to watch all dark corners to make sure no one was watching he and The Wit. The Legend had told them that the man had run away far and fast, so The Verdict was not worried that the same man was there. Besides, there were some apparent “extras” walking down the sidewalks to their various destinations so he and The Wit should be able to blend in easily. Deciding this was a good time to divulge his information, The Verdict began to tell The Wit that he had found something very interesting, and did not want to tell anyone else about it. Soon they were crossing King Street, and walking south-west towards the dark Mystery Buildings. They reached the boarded up windows, and The Verdict pulled one aside to show The Wit all the guns and various other instruments lining the walls of the room. He had not even tried to look in the other buildings yet, but it did not appear that anyone else had tried searching the four buildings at this point in the game.

The Wit could not believe what he was seeing, and looked to The Verdict for some answer to what he was planning on doing with these guns. There were a few options: 1. Tell the team, and with a gun each, they could take any store, and become very successful. 2. Not tell anyone, and use these guns as leverage, whether in conversational argument or physical. 3. Tell some members of the Robbers who they can trust, and use the guns if there is a problem within the team. They were discussing these options when someone came up behind them. Turning quickly to see who was there, they saw The Architect walk up to them. The Verdict greeted him, trying to hide that they had found anything of interest. The Architect was not to be fooled though, as he demanded to know what was behind the board that was pulled aside. The Wit looked at The Verdict and lowered his eyes, not wanting to be the one who made the decision.

Neither of them trusted The Architect, but it was early in the game and they didn’t want any sort of confrontation within their team, which had to last for thirty days. The Verdict told The Architect that they had found a lot of guns and some other gadgets that would be useful for heists. The Verdict also told The Architect that they didn’t want to let the whole team know at this point because they didn’t trust everyone yet. The Architect had an eerie smile on his face as he told them that he would not tell anyone about this. He mentioned that they would have to get together soon to discuss how to deal with these weapons, and incorporate them with their next heist.

Sitting at his desk in the Police Station, Chief Kyle Pitman placed the security video from Flower Convenience in the VCR in front of him. This was not the first time he had watched the video, but he wanted to make sure he knew each Robber’s face, as well as any leadership trends he could decipher. Again, Chief Pitman watched the Robbers leave, but one stay behind and shoot the shop-keeper. This meant that the Robbers had some loose cannons, and that meant they could be defeated. Pitman passed on the video to Lieutenant Wilson. He wanted to make sure every Cop knew this video and could pick each of these Robbers out of a crowd. They were on their way in this game.

Day Six: Arrests and Patrols

The Muscle entered the Robber hideout to find the majority of his team hunched over, out of breathe. They were all very excited though because their hold-ups had seemingly gone successfully. At Barbulli Shoes, The Stylist had played a hostage to the Robbers, and forced the staff to give them any money they had, as well as a couple pairs of shoes for The Stylist.

Just then, The Verdict came down the stairs and the guys from the Flower Convenience heist looked eagerly at him. He told them that he buried the bags behind some buildings in the south-west quadrant, and that he would take them to the bags at a later time. The Cold Killer asked if anyone had followed The Verdict, but he assured them that no one followed him, and that everything went smoothly. He decided not to tell them at this point about the guns in the Mystery Buildings, and that he would choose his time wisely… and more importantly, who to tell.

Peering out the window of Flower convenience, Chief Pitman could see some members of his team chasing some other figures further off. He wanted to run out the door and help, but he knew what he was looking for. Sure enough, in one of the corners there was a security camera, and connected to this camera there had to be a tape.

The following is the account of Sergeant Tyler Wells on Day Six

Running as fast as he could, Sgt. Wells bolted north around a corner between Paradise City Jewelers and Pontoon Inc. Behind him (and catching up) was Captain Dirks, and behind him Officer Edwards and Officer Eby. Up ahead, Wells could still see the two figures running up ahead. He didn’t know exactly why he began to run after these men, but they were hanging around the crime-scene and he merely wanted to ask them some questions. However this plan was not to be as the two men suddenly decided to run away. Up ahead, the two figures split up, one turning east, and the other continuing north. Sgt. Wells ran faster north to catch the one running north, while looking behind, pointing for Captain Dirks to follow the other man.

Slowly and surely, Sgt. Wells caught up to the man, grabbed his shirt and pulled him to a stop. Right away, the man turned and said he was not a robber, but a Private Investigator. He said his name was Pat Sutherland, and that he only ran because he had information that he didn’t want to fall into anyone else’s hands. Despite the fact that he believed Mr. Sutherland’s story, Sgt. Wells decided to bring him into the station for further questioning just in case. He radioed for Captain Dirks, to let him know what was going down, and Dirks let Wells know that he was bringing someone named Micah George into the station as well.

Outside the station, Silas Pedro Esq. watched and took notes of who was entering the station, and more importantly who wasn’t coming back out. A man and a woman had been seemingly arrested a couple days ago, and just today two more men were brought in. He knew that the cops had a strong team, but he didn’t know that they would be so effective so early.

Back in the station, Sgt. Wells had placed the “Private Investigators” in separate cells and Dep. Chief Heidman was taking turns questioning them. They seemed to be sticking with their stories and soon it was apparent that they were indeed telling the truth. Dep. Chief Heidman was having one problem though. This Pat Sutherland had information that he was not sharing willfully, and it seemed the Wells that he really wanted it. As per the rules, if Pat and Micah were PIs, then they really didn’t have to give any of their information to the Cops. Soon enough, Pat and Micah were released and Sgt. Wells could see the two actual Robbers they had caught were speaking to each other through the bars. Wells realized now that these robbers now know two Private Investigators, and if they were ever able to get information out to their team, these two PIs were probably as good as dead.

Soon it was time for Sgt. Wells to patrol again. The sun was going down and Sgt. Wells left the station with Off. Tyla Leonard for the south-east residential quadrant. Crossing the street they saw a figure with dark skin and long dread-locked hair move behind the department store on the south side of Pewter St. This was right in front of the Police Station, so there wasn’t really any danger, so Wells and Tyla continued, without running, towards where the man went. They split up, because they didn’t want to make a scene as there were pedestrians walking down the sidewalks. If there were gunfire and a pedestrian was accidentally killed, the Police Officer that committed that murder would be automatically eliminated from the game. There were many rules like this that forced the Cops to be careful with their guns, so Wells and Leonard kept their guns clipped on their belts.

Wells didn’t think that it would be possible to find three suspicious characters today, but surely this one had to be a Robber. When Sgt. Wells came around the corner of Lawson’s Department Store there was no one to be scene. Perhaps the man had run as soon as he was out of sight, but it would be Wells’ mission tonight to find this man. Off. Leonard came around the corner, and they discussed how best to patrol this area, seeing as it was mostly houses. All the Cops lived in these houses, and as far as he knew so did the Robbers and the Private Investigators. Wells knew searching this quadrant thoroughly could really lead to success for his team.

He took out his notepad, and told Tyla to do the same as they walked past all the houses and took some notes on which ones looked overly busy. He thought the Robbers must have some sort of hideout rather than individual houses, so he kept his eyes open for increased activity in and out of the houses. While on Logger court, walking east towards the court part, Wells saw a man open a door, take one look out directly at him, and then he closed the door and apparently retreated inside. Without making a big deal of it, Wells made a mental note of the house number (54 Logger Ct.) and continued on to write that address and the description of the man down as he walked down the sidewalk. Sgt. Wells thought he may have something here.

Hiding in a backyard, Silas Pedro Esq. hugged a brick wall and watched the male Police Officer walk past the house. Silas was not sure exactly what house he was leaning against, or even what street he was on seeing as he had been hopping fences instead of leading the Cop to his own house. He was about to leave when he decided to peer into the basement window of the house. There were about six men and one woman seated around a table with papers out, having an intense discussion. To Silas, there was no mistaking who these people were. He had found the Robbers' hideout.