| Details for Witness Down |
| Summary: | The reason for Carter's precipitous departure from the Natrix intrudes on Aldercy's night at the Dance Hall as well. |
| Date: | 13 June, 1938 |
| Location: | — |
| Related: | Dinner and Pleasantries |
| Characters |
    |
The the fun thing about informants was when they end up dead and floating in the Thames. Carter had took enough time to changes clothes probably through a transformation spell from his tuxedo into something a bit more appropriate. He was was even wearing a Fedora. He got a tooth pick in his mouth. The spot being so public, he's got an ink pen and a note pad as he takes notes of the scene. Hopefully the oblits would be getting here soon to erase Muggle and muggle law enforcement memories.
Aldercy had ultimately decided to sit at the table and schmooze, but, probably in Carter's opinion, luckily for his friends, a messenger from Wizengamot Services showed up and asked to speak to her personally. So, it was home to change into muggle clothes, which at least flatter her figure, since muggle women's suits nip in at the waist so neatly. "First Worthless, now this. This night is just going from bad to worse," she mutters just before apparating to that halfblood Auror's place and walking to the canal. "You again," she greets Carter resignedly when she sees him. "Why am I here?"
Carter looks at Aldercy and goes to say something and from his expression it dies in his throat. He coughs, "If you would Barrister Preves, please follow me. I regret to inform you, the case you've been working on with Ms. Thissel is without it's primary witness." He says as he makes his way further into the scene, "As you know, please don't touch anything as it can contaminate the scene."
Aldercy's impassive expression flickers at the mention of the witness. "Dandylion?" she asks, although it's less a question and more of a statement. "What happened to his protective detail?" She strides forward in Carter's wake and gives a snort. "As if I'd want to." Her hands are clasped firmly on the handle of the soft briefcase she brought with her.
Carter frowns as he makes his way to a sheet covered lump that's the size and shape of a small man. He lifts the sheet so Aldercy can see it was indeed Dandylion. The middle age man had drowned and skin was blue. He frowns, "The protection detail, they're at the safe house stiff as a board. Looks like they got hit with The Imperious." He reports to Aldercy. "Oh and just procedure, don't need a Barrister picking my case apart."
Arriving only moments later on the scene is a man in a very nice muggle suit, wearing a red-banded bowler. His face has seen the front page of the Daily Prophet for the entirety of Wizarding Britain to know his name. The auror office has sent one of their best when they've sent Bannon Bates. He steps into the vicinity of others before he replies, "An Imperius is a stretch, but it's a possibility I'll be looking into. For all the obvious reasons, we shall hope it isn't." He tucks his walking stick beneath his left arm as he reaches up with his right hand to tip his hat, "Bannon Benjamin Bryson Bates, of the Auror office, at your service."
"Why don't they ever pick on someone their own size?" Aldercy asks, grumpy that her case is now nearly scuttled. She looks up as Bannon approaches, and inclines her head in his direction. "Barrister Preves. The deceased was my witness." Now that she's made the identification, she turns her back on the body, either dismissing it or not wishing to see it anymore.
Carter is still stooped down holding up the sheet before he lets it drop. He looks up to Bannon then rises to his full height he tips his Fedora, black with a red ban. Then he extends his hand, "Constable Carter Worthington. The deceased was my informant on a case, I had worked and the Barrister Preves was trying." He shoots Aldercy a questioning look about her statement but doesn't say a word.
Chance got the call in the office to head out Hoxton to investigate a situation. He's still the new guy around the office, but that's not to say that he isn't experienced in his field. Blending in well with the rest of the muggles, he has on a simple grey suit with a matching fedora that seems to mostly be there to hide a mess of blonde hair. Slipping up next to the group he nods his head in form of a greeting. "Did someone call for an Obliviator?" He asks to those who are gathered.
As Chance approaches, Aldercy nods to the few muggle police who have gathered around. "We are going to need to take the body with us, and would prefer these gentlemen don't argue or remember. The man is a wizard and was a witness for a case." Carter's look is ignored, and she simply waits for the men milling about to do their job.
Bannon glances towards Aldercy for a moment, then nods his head, "Indeed." He then looks back towards Carter, nodding his head, "Well, this isn't good, is it?" He then takes his walking stick back in hand, gesturing towards the body, "May I examine the body of the deceased?" He crouches near the head of the victim, using the walking stick to lift the sheet even as he draws the wand from the tip. He takes a look around and then spots chance, "Oh, an Obliviator. Very good." He then turns his attention back to the body, manipulating the position of the body by precision wandwork so as not to contaminate the scene. As he does, he talks, "There are no ligature marks across the axis of the neck, nor bruising consistent with a direct attempt at strangulation. No other obvious causes of death." With the tip of his wand, he opens the victim's mouth and points towards it, "Accio water!" It takes a moment, but a thin stream of fluid begins issuing from the victim's mouth. He sets his wand down at his knee, reaching into his coat pocket and withdrawing a vial. With the vial, he collects the fluid and offers it to Carter, "Constable, will you please place this in your evidence bag? The medical professionals at Saint Mungo's will find this fluid consistent with the fluid found in the lungs of a drowned victim." He then looks around, "Have you examined the wand?"
Carter nods to Chance, "What the Barrister said." Though before he can exchange farther pleasantries with Chance, Bannon has went to work. He takes the container and places it in the evidence bag. "Determining if he was still alive before he went for a swim, handy." He reaches up with his pen and used it to push Mr. Dandylion's jacket open and in a inside pocket was his wand, "We were waiting for the Oblit to arrive first and taking down the general notes. Didn't want to wake the MAC up for a whole bunch of excuses for some muggle law enforcment."
"Chance Morgan." He says, introducing himself quickly as they examine the body. "I am sure there is something I can do about that, go ahead and do what you need to do." He takes a few steps backwards toward the muggle law enforcement. Chance puts on his best smile and waves to them. "Gentleman! I am sorry you were brought out all this way, for just a poor drunken man and passed out man." He says bringing out his wand and slowly starting to do his work. "Honestly this must happen here all of the time." He says in a calm and soothing voice. "You should probably head back to your station and inform them that this was all a false alarm." The hand full of Cops seem to be entranced with what Chance is saying and one or two of them actually repeats the words that he says.
At first Aldercy watches as Bannon examines the body. Then, as he draws the water from him, she pulls her shoulders together, then up and turns away with a very correct, overly correct, posture. She decides, instead, to watch the efficiency with which Chance takes care of the muggle representatives. She gives a nod of approval, only half listening to the conversation between Carter and the Auror.
Bannon nods to Carter, "Indeed. Saint Mungo's will confirm it, but as the victim—" He glances towards Aldercy for a moment and then continues quieter, "As the victim drowns, it is the natural inclination to attempt to breath. As water is aspirated into the lungs, it is natural to attempt to expel it via a cough, which in turn triggers a reflex action to breath in. It's a vicious cycle. They are sure to find more in the lungs, and also in the tissue of the windpipe, as well as the blood." He glances towards Chance for a moment, narrowing his eyes as he hardens his mind in case the Obliviator intends to miscast. He looks back towards Carter, his voice hollow, "Constable, examine the victim's hands." With a wave of the wand, Dandelion's hand turns over, then bends back slightly, but it seems to be exposed enough for Bannon's illustrations. He pries at the finger with the tip of his wand, "Very little decomposition. Only token traces of swelling. I would say our victim hasn't been dead for more than 48 hours." He lets the hand settle back down, then stands up, covering the body once more with a quick swipe of his wand. He takes a long look around, his icy blue eyes examining the scene, "He ended up in the water. How? He was fully dressed. I doubt he had gone for a swim. Do you have any ideas, Constable?"
Carter nods and goes to examine the hand as instructed by Bannon, "Well that confirms everything that we would know, Auror Bates. Mr.Dandylion was last seen alive by myself and my partner…" He gestures with his pen across the way to a blonde woman in muggle clothing examining the scene. "Approximately." He stops and opens his pocket watch, "Twelve hours ago at the safe house. He was discovered about three hours ago by local law enforcement." He gestures to the men that are getting flashy thinged by Chance. "Once the detail did not check in with the MLE headquarters and the report of the body came in. We started putting pieces together. Mr. Dandylion allegedly witnessed a Thomas Chimney selling magical artifacts to muggles to aid in commission of theft. His testimony was pretty damning."
Chance is careful with his work, take his time to get rid of those unnecessary memories about finding a body in the water, and replacing them with the little story that he has spun. "Very good, I am so glad that you are more than happy to release our poor drunken friend to us." He says brightly to the men, letting his wand slip back into his pocket. "Now if you'll excuse me gentleman, I believe we need to get this poor man home and into bed." He'll take several steps back now that his work is completed. "You should be good to move him, so long as no one else shows up." He says to the group.
Aldercy bites her lip as she listens to the chain of events being listed out by Carter. Her gaze strays to his partner. "Still doesn't explain how he ended up in the river. How did they get him out of the safe house and into the water? Why didn't they weight him down so that he sank?" She loosens one hand from the handle of her briefcase, and bends it around he waist, tucking it under her opposite elbow. She gives Chance a nod of acknowledgement, but her brows are furrowed in concentration.
Bannon looks towards Chance, "Well done." He looks towards Aldercy and shakes his head, "No, it certainly doesn't. If I may suggest a course of action, we should reconvene at the safe house and examine the detail there to see if there are any clues to be found. Then we trace Mister Dandylion's whereabouts from there to this lake. I expect that, in between, lies the answer to so many of those questions." He then looks towards Chance, "I imagine it is possible that some witnessed Mister Dandylion's voyage from there to here. Will you be available to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to accompany us on witness interviews?"
Carter whistles, "A fine plan, but wait a minute. This might be of some interest. " He says as he pulls out a red pawn from a Wizard Chess set from the hand Bannon asked him to examine.. He holds up the piece for Bannon. "A calling card or was Dandylion trying to tell us something?" He shrugs, "Barrister, it could be a number of things. The killer could have wished to dispose of the body, then got scared before weighing down. They could have weighed it down improperly and here it is. They could have also left it as a message. Which is possible if the chess peice is a calling card. I'm sure Auror Bates could expand on my humble theories."
"Perhaps, I am fine with helping out so long as my superiors are alright with it. I am at their mercy after all." Chance says peering over the dead body and making a slight face. He doesn't typically deal with the dead, so he'll just keep a safe distance. "Didn't you say he had to be alive for him to have water in his lungs?"
As Carter holds up the chess piece, Aldercy's eyes round, then return to their normal, narrowed, displeased countenance. She shifts and takes a hold of her briefcase in both hands again. "I'm sure you gentlemen don't need me tagging along to the safe house. I was really only called here to witness the body, correct? Then, my services have been rendered, and you will not miss my presence," she speaks rather hastily. "Good night, gentleman. I'm sure I can count on Worthington to bring anything that I need to know to my attention." Glancing around, she turns and heads swiftly back towards the house and the apparation point that she used to arrive.
Bannon glances towards Carter, tilting his head to view the pawn. As Aldercy makes to leave, Bannon turns and reaches up to tilt his hat, "Good day, madam. Very sorry about your witness." He looks back towards Carter, "Indeed. It seems to be a red pawn of a generally pedestrian nature. There is likely thousands of them in Wizarding homes across Great Brittain. Still, a pawn is a piece that is sacrificed by design. Perhaps the message lies therein. If it is indeed a message at all." He looks towards Chance, the hint of a smile forming at the corner of his mouth, "Indeed. That question is perfectly valid for beginning an investigation here, but I'm afraid we're at the end of the road. To walk in this man's shoes, we must start at the beginning." He pauses for a moment, "Mister…" He peers towards Chance, "I missed your name. Please come with me to the safe house. Constable Worthington will secure transport for the body to Saint Mungo's and join us a short time later, I'm sure."