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Post by StantonBros on Jan 23, 2009 12:23:50 GMT -5
"How ironic" Paste said to himself as he watched the rest of the smoldering ashes and the partially burnt shell of a fish shop. Truth be told, the only real reason Paste cared was the fact that the shop in question had really good prices. That and tomorrow he needed enough fish to feed an army AKA Marlee.
"Was there anyone else inside at the time?" asked one of the fire crew.
"There was no one other than me at the time" the owner replied, a large man with a swirly black mustache.
"Well, there was one casualty, are you sure that there was no one with you at the time?"
"Absolutely not, just me myself and I."
Paste overheard the two and he was intrigued to say the least. It wasn't easy to hide in such a small shop not to mention the fact that the person couldn't get out in time. So either the fish monger is lying or there was something fishy going on (mind the pun).
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Post by rainylane67 on Jan 23, 2009 16:49:32 GMT -5
 If he still had a sense of smell, and if he still had a need to sleep, Liam might have been awoken the night before by the scent of ashes in the air. The little fish shop had been just down the street from his apartment complex. When he was alive he never liked walking past it. He didn't want a reminder that his fish-sticks once had eyes and today it had become a nuisance once more, for although his smell had gone his hearing hadn't. With all the commotion outside it was near impossible for him to concentrate on Crime and Punishment. Giving up he set down the book and went to the window. He needed to see how people were dressed today for the weather. After several passers by he decided that he needed a coat. How long has it been since I've been outside? he wondered. How many of my old friends think I'm still dead? Well, I am still dead, but legally alive. Speaking of legally...Liam spied the short, white-haired lawyer who had worked his case some time ago at the scene of the fire. He hesitated about whether or not to say "hello." |
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Post by StantonBros on Jan 26, 2009 10:19:48 GMT -5
Paste only watched as the classic yellow "Do Not Cross" tape was stretched around the building by the local police. Still, from what he could tell from the idle chatter between members of the police force it sounded like it was just an arson gone wrong, the arsonist being the victim.
Being the person he was, Paste had a hard time believing it, how an arsonist, not only started a fire from the INSIDE, but couldn't get out in time. He had to turn around and seclude his thoughts to think out the scenarios that could have lead to such situation at the end, including the fact that this whole thing might indeed be an accident.
Though looking up from his deep thinking though, Paste spotted a very pale individual in the dispersing crowd.
Cut, who was dormant in the back of Paste's head a few minuets before, couldn't help but comment about the man.
"Look Paste, dead man walking" Cut said to Paste mentally with a chuckle. Paste ignored his brother as he approached one of his former clients with a small professional smile.
"Well, long time no see," Paste said to Liam with a calm air, "how are you doing lately Mr... it was Liam right?" Paste had to admit, he might be able to remember plenty of small crime scene details, but names usually escaped him.
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Post by rainylane67 on Jan 27, 2009 2:41:04 GMT -5
Liam had to admit it was nice to know that at least his lawyer could remember who he was. He gave a half smile. It was more than he had given in a long time. "I'm doing as well as a person can in my position I suppose. Been catching up on a lot of reading." He motioned towards the taped off area. "So what's the situation here? Something interesting I hope. I don't like to leave my apartment for nothing." |
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Post by StantonBros on Jan 28, 2009 20:04:43 GMT -5
"Well, at first it doesn't look like it at first and it might be me being paranoid" Paste said with a little concern.
"When are you not paranoid?" Cut jested with an added mental snicker. Though Paste only ignored him and continued with his explanation.
"Basically, a burnt body was found inside the building and the fact that the fish monger thought he was alone at the time then it is easy to say that the arsonist is also the victim." Paste then concluded his explanation saying, "thought an arsonist being killed by his own fire sounds very suspicious to me."
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Post by rainylane67 on Jan 30, 2009 3:31:37 GMT -5
"Yes, suspicious indeed." The wheels inside Liam's head began to turn out different scenarios. "It's possible the fish monger could have known the arsonist. Maybe it was an act of revenge gone wrong? What if it had really been an accident. There could have been a fight and something got knocked over that started the fire. The victim was knocked out, the fish monger got to safety, and the place burned down. Maybe that body isn't fresh. Could have been killed before the fire and was in the process of being moved. Or maybe the arsonist was just very incompetent." Liam looked on at the crime scene and smiled slightly. "You know, I actually kinda miss this stuff. I was a pretty damn good PI before I got mixed up with werewolves and demons and whatnot. If it weren't for the danger, I think I'd pick it up again." He turned back to Paste. "You looking into this thing or just another curious bystander?" |
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Post by StantonBros on Jan 31, 2009 22:00:23 GMT -5
"For right now, I'm just a curious bystander" Paste said as he watched as several of the cops dispersed. "That is, until I find a way to get involved."
"Let's just take a look at the back of the shop and see if we can find something interesting." Paste said as he quickly slid underneath the yellow tape and headed towards the back of the building. "Get over here, and act professional."
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Post by rainylane67 on Feb 1, 2009 2:08:14 GMT -5
Liam watched wide-eyed as Paste crossed the police line. For being a lawyer this man has no respect for our system of justice!"What are you doing?" Liam asked in a hushed voice. "This isn't CSI! Neither of us have any right to investigate this right now." Liam stood there nervously for a moment, saw that Paste was already over the line, and quickly crossed himself. Okay, Liam, play it cool. You know most of these guys here. Maybe they don't know that you're not in the business anymore. He took a deep breath, kept his head low, stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat, and tried to look like he belonged on the scene. |
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Post by StantonBros on Feb 1, 2009 20:45:03 GMT -5
Even though the act of disobeying the law in this way seemed very uncharacteristic of Paste, it was something that he was forced to learn early on in his career. He learned that the police and the detectives they hire, although advertised as trained professionals with hearts of gold, are sometimes careless amateurs who will usually contaminate a crime scene, or even worse payed off by the criminal to hide evidence or plant fake evidence. Paste couldn't help but remember a case where a man killed a police officer because he was being blackmailed with hidden evidence by said officer.
Another reason for Paste's haste is because some of the most critical pieces evidence are those that are really close to there expiration date, as in they could be easily washed off, worn off, or naturally decay away.
Walking around the building, Paste immediately took notice to the pungent smell of raw rotten fish, which almost instantly brought up a mental image of Cut's very close friend Marlee. Though looking back at Liam, Paste couldn't help but wonder how Liam could handle such a smell without even cringing.
"Liam, can you smell that?" Paste asked. "You know, that raw rotten fish smell?"
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Post by rainylane67 on Feb 2, 2009 16:23:54 GMT -5
Liam saw Paste's reaction to the smell and for once counted himself lucky. "Can't smell a thing, thank God. I guess there's finally a perk to this whole being undead thing." He followed the lawyer towards the back of the building. Liam didn't have too much experience investigating fires. He cursed himself for not having picked up the NFPA 921: Guide for Fire and Explosions Investigations when he could have. What he did know was that these types of investigations had to be very systematic. Nothing could be overlooked as fire tends to destroy evidence. "Is the smell important? This was a fish shop after all." |
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Post by StantonBros on Feb 3, 2009 16:25:37 GMT -5
"No, it's just distracting" Paste said as they reached the back of the store, the rotten smell becoming ever stronger. The rotten fish smell started bothering Paste even more, not because of it's horrific pungent odor, but because it was raising a red flag in Paste's mind. Something wasn't right about it, but what?
Liam's previous comment mysteriously repeated in Paste's head.
"This was a fish shop after all."
"This was a fish shop"
"was a fish shop"
"was"
"WAS"
He got it.
It "WAS" a fish shop, but now it's burnt.
"Liam, pretty much everything in the fish shop is burnt to a crisp, right?" Paste asked the former detective. "Then why is the smell of RAW fish still here? Any fish, including the carcasses that were thrown away should be cooked well done?"
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Post by rainylane67 on Feb 3, 2009 17:13:33 GMT -5
"Yes, that is peculiar... Think he's got a secret stash hidden under the floor boards or something?" As he cracked a joke, Liam prepared himself for the rest of the damage on the inside. Perhaps it wasn't just fish, but there was certainly something there that was hidden and he was going to discover what. |
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Post by StantonBros on Feb 5, 2009 18:17:07 GMT -5
"That wouldn't be very sanitary, not like you'd care in your condition" Paste joked. "Though truthfully, if it 'was' under the floorboards the fish would have been cooked by the radiant heat."
"Sir, what are you doing?" asked an approaching Police Officer. "Get back behind the line."
"Busted", Cut chimed in the back of Paste's head.
"Shut it" Paste mentally told him before straitening out his jacket.
"What are you talking about?" Paste said in a solid tone as he quickly observed the officer. The Officer in question only looked a little younger than Paste, he was more likely very new on the job.
"Civilians are not allowed behind the yellow tape", replied the boy in blue as he unconsciously rested his hand on the baton in its holder.
"I know that", Paste asserted, his mind going through the routine that has been tested over the many times he has been through a situation like this. "What I'm asking is why your asking us to get behind the tape?"
The officer was looking a little testy saying, "look, if you don't get behind the tape I will use force."
"I'm sorry, you must be new", Paste said as he took a step back raising both of his arms in the air to show he wasn't holding anything.
"Yah, so?" the Officer asked.
Paste puffed out his chest and pointed at Liam saying, "well, if you've been on any previous arson case then you would have known Detective Liam here."
The Officer looked at Liam and said "well detective, let's see some certification."
"You did bring a card right" Paste asked looking at Liam, quietly adding "don't worry if it expired".
"What was that last part?" the Officer asked looking at Paste suspiciously.
"Don't worry if it has hair" Paste lied as he turned the Officer around. "You see, he's kind of weird, you know, a germophobe" Paste quietly told the officer. "Yesterday there was another person's hair in his wallet and he freaked out. Though that's how some Detectives are."
"You mean like on that show Monk?" the Officer asked.
"Yes, like on Monk" Paste sighed.
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Post by rainylane67 on Feb 5, 2009 23:18:26 GMT -5
Outwardly, Liam appeared casual. However on the inside there ran a repeated chorus of, "Crap crap crap crap crap." Fortunately, Paste didn't blink and began smooth talking the young officer. Liam also thanked his lucky stars that it was a newbie. They'd be able to lie their way out of this, at least until a more senior policeman came around. "Credentials?" Liam tried a disarming smile. "Of course I have credentials." He began flipping through different cards in his wallet with some difficulty. Without a sensation of touch, handling small thin objects becomes something of a task. "You got it or what?" Asked the officer. "Give me a second," Liam replied. "My fingers are just a little numb." Boy is that the understatement of the year. Liam managed to find an old business card. "It seems as though I only have this on me right now. I had to disinfect my other wallet, you know, because of the hair, and must have forgotten to put my license into this one. I hope you're not going to hold it against me for having an officially diagnosed psychological disorder. You can take it up with my psychologist or one of your higher ups if you have any problems with it. But I should let you know that I happen to be a very well-respected detective around these parts." "It says here," said the officer, "that you're a private detective who specializes in catching cheating spouses and homicide." "And arson!" Liam quickly added. "There was only so much room on the card. I thought that was enough to show my versatility." |
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Post by StantonBros on Feb 11, 2009 10:36:08 GMT -5
"I know your trying to do your job Officer and I must admit your doing a good job" Paste said patting the policeman's shoulder, "but we too are trying to do our job."
Paste then turned away for a second before turning back and adding, "I really don't like playing this card, but we actually have more authority over a person of your age and rank. So if it comes down to it, you might have a really bad day when you get back to the office."
"Don't worry sir, I will be out in front so that I can stay out of your way" the young boy in blue replied, standing back.
"Actually, I would suggest you stay back here, just in case we need help" Paste said. "You know, this place is badly damaged and if something were to happen, we might need some help."
"Yes sir" the Officer said with enthusiasm along with a little salute.
Quickly, Paste grabbed Liam and hustled him into the back entrance of the building, that was thankfully still standing. With a handkerchief that Paste kept in his pocket (who carries around handkerchiefs anymore?) he opened up the door and immediately took pictures with the camera on his cell phone.
The back room of the fish shop was, what Paste could suspect, the room that the owner would gut and clean the fish. It was hard to tell though as the metal tables that lined the charred walls along with the piping that went to the sinks were warped and partially melted. Paste also spied a large metal door that was more likely a walk in freezer at the corner of the room.
There were already little plastic signs with numbers scattered around the area along with plastic tape that surrounded the area where the body was found right in the middle of the floor.
"Looks like an accident to me" Paste commented as he took a few more pictures before stepping into the room. "Though there is still a big red flag waving in the back of my mind. What do you think?"
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