Day 1, 0900 (about) > "When is the funeral?" SA Gorky asked. > > "The body was released to the family yesterday. The funeral will be this > afternoon. "
> "The time and place? I would like to attend it if possible. There are alot > of things one can find just by attending a funeral. It would be a starting > point for us too. " Gorky stated.
> "Will we be able to obtain a copy of the autopsy?" Vanessa asked.
> "That should not be a problem. The police are generally quite cooperated > with the FBI."
"I've got the phone number of the detective on the case for the Santa Fe police. He should be able to get us any information we need," Jordan said, "I think attending the funeral might be helpful."
"We'll also need to see the crime scene," Jim pointed out.
"That can also be arranged. First we need to get there."
> "Jenny had tickets for us, leaving 12 o'clock sharp. Accomodations and > transport had all been arranged. "
> The group silently marvelled at Jenny's efficiency.
> They made arrangements to meet at 11.10am at the airport, and then parted, > with Stern taking the report.
Jordan got off the elevator on the 11th floor and quick-timed his way to their office. Jenny was setting up a loptop computer on her desk as he walked in.
"Jenny, could you make copies of this for the members of the team?"
"Sure. I'm also going to download any relavant files that I can find into the laptop," she said taking the folder from him.
"Thanks Jenny. What would we do without you?"
"Flounder, I suppose," she said walking toward the copier and opening the folder.
Jordan laughed and walked into his office. Quickly he gathered the things he thought he'd need, like his notebook and two spare clips for the P-225.
"Agent Stern," Jenny called.
"Yes," he replied walking from the office and putting the items in the laptop bag.
"Do you want me to try to copy the pictures? Usually they don't come out very clear."
Jordan looked at the top photo on the stack, "Yeah, a bad copy is better than no copy."
"Ok, you'll be back here in what, about an hour?" Jenny asked.
"About that, I just need to get some clothes from home," Jordan replied leaving the office.
Jenny skimmed through the case file as she copied it. In about half an hour she had a neat stack of copies of the entire file in individual envelopes. She found several files related to the case and downloaded them into the laptop. Then she packed the computer and the files neatly into the laptop bag.
About an hour and fifteen minutes after leaving, Jordan Stern dashed into the office.
"You're running late," she teased him.
"I know," he replied.
"Everything is in the bag. Have a good flight," she said handing him the computer bag.
"Thanks, Jenny. We'll see you in a couple of days."
She waved to him as he left the office and headed for the elevators. Jenny sat down at her desk and looked busy for a few minutes. Then she picked up the phone and dialed.
When the phone was answered, a voice on the othr end said, "Red Fin Cafe."
"Zulu just left for Santa Fe. It's a homicide. There is no need for concern," Jenny said.
"I understand," the voice replied, and then the phone was hung up.
***
Day 1, 1400
> "And what about the hearts?"
> Leo glanced down at the reports he was reading, then back at Jim. > "When you said ripped out, you weren�t too far off the mark. According to > the reports from Denver, the removal of the hearts was done with no > particular skill and apparently without surgical instruments."
"The coroner in Denver states that the knife used had a serrated edge, about 6 inches long," Jordan read. "That would be about the size of a steak knife."
"And the knife was never recovered," Zenya added.
"The heart was a very powerful symbol in ancient cultures," Vanessa said, "and the heart was often offered as sacrifice to the gods."
"The Aztecs used to remove the hearts from their sacrificial victims," Jim pointed out.
"And the heart was important to the ancient Egyptians," Jordan said, "They would remove all the internal organs from the dead except the heart."
***
They made their way through Albuquerque airport. Compared to the airport they left the facility was quite small. When they arrived at their departure gate, Zenya looked out the window, "You mean we have to fly on that?"
Jordan looked at his ticket, "Nope, that's a 40 passenger Dash-8."
"Oh, good," Zenya sighed.
"We have to fly on that," Jordan said pointing, "a 19 passenger Beachcraft 1900."
Zenya's eyes took on a look of panic.
"Don't worry," Jordan reassured her, "I've never been on one that's crashed."
"Great," Zenya replied following him to check in.
NRPG:
As I said before, great posts! I stopped here to allow more conversation on the plane if you want. If you'd prefer, you can get the team to Santa Fe. There will be a police detective there that will aid the team any way he can. Feel free to make up a name.
I think that going to the funeral is a good idea and I intend to introduce a potentially useful NPC there (please leave me an opening).
Note on timeline: The first murder was 4 weeks ago. The funeral is on MD 1. (Perhaps the body was held for an autopsy and other stuff before being released to the family.) The next murder could happen within a few days.
Sydnie: I hope Zenya enjoys the flight!
Respectfully submitted, Alton Reich SA-4 Jordan Stern, Team Leader ZULU -- Alton & Elizabeth Reich [email protected] "Ani l'dodi, v'dodi li - I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" --The Song of Songs