I got reviews from Fenrir of the Shadows and AccessBlade. After leaving everyone with a semi-cliffhanger last time, the action will really get rolling this time. The team is now assembled in the mall, where Lloyd will lead the communications efforts to contact Death Angel in person. What do you think will happen in the encounter? Read on and find out!
Namco owns Tales of Symphonia. AccessBlade owns Cameryn Lachance. Fenrir of the Shadows owns Azul Kharlan. No Pain No Gain (formerly known as Legend of Zelda 4 Life) owns Oni Sheikah. I own Cabalina Ashton and Robert Ross.
"SIU Communications Team to Captain Noishe," a male voice called to the former Protozoan over the radio, "Our van is now parked at the designated area and we're ready. We have both the communications station and the IP tracker online, so we're awaiting your orders."
"This is Noishe. I read you loud and clear," the police captain responded, speaking into the microphone attached to his collar. Noishe was on a second floor balcony overlooking the main lobby of the mall, where he could see shoppers young and old traversing the area. His eyes scanned the floor below and saw a spiky-haired teen seated at a bench, his head facing the entrance. "Lloyd is in place already. How about everyone else?" he asked.
One by one, each member checked in with Noishe. Gil was on the other side of the round second floor balcony, overlooking the interior of the mall's first floor. "I got Lloyd all set up," he informed the team, "He'll keep an eye on what's happening in the chat room, and we'll keep an eye on the surroundings. Once we're ready, I'll have Lloyd contact Death Angel."
"Roger that," Noishe responded. Following the staff sergeant's answer, each member of their unit, as well as the reinforcements from SIU, called off their locations. From what Noishe and Gil gathered, Presea was at the escalators, Cabalina was at the food court directly up the aisle from the lobby, Azul was between two clothing stores, and Oni was behind a table with staff advertising computer technologies. "We also have three different public computer stations at this mall, each with internet access," Noishe pointed out, "Are the SIU colleagues there?"
When the response was affirmative, Noishe instantly contacted the SIU van. "All our colleagues are here, so we're all set," he stated, "How are things going outside? Do you have access to the chat room now? How about the IP addresses in the mall?"
"Everything is set, Captain," the computer expert replied, "Jade really got the system running well. I can get into this chat room and monitor the IP addresses coming from each post. If you want to bait the hook and see if Death Angel will bite, now is your chance."
Noishe nodded to Gil, who relayed the message to his son. As both captain and sergeant looked on, the spiky-haired teen below entered the message in the chat room, reading out every word he typed. "Death Angel, I am now at the mall. Where are you?" Lloyd spoke into his mike.
Gil, Noishe, and the other officers all watched intently from their locations. According to the tape from the martial arts dojo, Death Angel might be a man with red hair, stood about six feet, and of moderate built. Everyone had their eyes peeled for anyone with that description on a computer, laptop, PDA, or Blackberry. For a few tense moments, hearts raced and eyes darted left and right, the sounds of the mall nothing but slurs as officers surveyed the scene.
"Wait, I got something back," Lloyd's voice blared through the earpieces, "It's Death Angel, and he said he's already here." The teen felt his heart skip a beat, goose bumps shooting up and down his body and perspiration nearly soaked through his fingerless gloves. Taking deep breaths, Lloyd tensed his forearm muscles to prevent his hands from shaking as he typed into the chat room once more. "Death Angel, where in the mall are you right now?"
Amidst Lloyd's typing, Oni announced an observation. "There's a redhead, probably in his mid-twenties or so, just walking past me with a PDA. He should be heading towards one of the computer stations. Can the SIU member in charge at the closest station follow up?" he asked.
The SIU member requested confirmation from Noishe, as it meant stepping away from the station. "Alright, but make sure you don't leave for long. You never know if someone will go on the computer at that area while you're gone," Noishe ordered the officer.
On Gil's laptop, Lloyd waited for an intense few minutes before getting another response from Death Angel. "He said he got a drink earlier, and now he's finding a place to sit," he reported, "He didn't say what drink he got, so it could be anything." Biting his lower lip, Lloyd tried to pry some more information out of his counterpart. "Death Angel, I heard there are a few good coffee shops in the mall. Which one did you buy your drink from?" Lloyd typed.
"Good one, Lloyd. This should allow us to at least narrow the number of people on our target list," Gil complimented his son, all the while scanning his area once more, "Can anyone see any redheads holding a drink near their area?"
Before anyone could answer, the SIU officer who left his station interrupted. "The one I chased was a red herring. He was only checking the movie listings," he reported, "Besides, he wasn't holding a drink, so it probably doesn't fit our new description."
Noishe nodded. "So let's narrow our search a bit more then. We're looking for a red-haired male, standing about six feet, accessing the internet while holding a drink," he explained the new description, "SIU Communications, how is everything going in the van?"
"Wait, hold on," the SIU member on the IP Tracker chimed in, "I think there is a new input from the chat room." All officers inside the mall froze for a few harrowing seconds. "It's someone going by Pirate King. Did Lloyd invite this user as well?"
"No, I didn't," Lloyd replied from the lobby, "But this individual is a Death Angel fan, so I won't be surprised if they want to get into the conversation." Turning back to the laptop, Lloyd felt his stomach sank as the inevitable happened. "Pirate King said, 'Twin Swordsman, are you looking for Death Angel as well?' They're contacting me right now." Gritting his teeth, the teen knew if this interruption went on too far, it might jeopardize their whole operation. "Dad, what should I do here? Do we want to keep Pirate King around? Do we want to address them?"
Gil closed his eyes and racked his brain. If Lloyd refused to address Pirate King, then it would only make the conversation more suspicious. "Try to find out Pirate King's intentions first," he suggested, "We'll see if we can neutralize them by spinning the topic." Right now, things were going from bad to worse, and they still hadn't located Death Angel yet.
But before Lloyd could type another word, Death Angel responded. "I drink coffee all the time during work, so I try something different in my spare time. Try a fruit smoothie, it's good for you." Upon reading that, Lloyd's head shot up like his spine had been yanked by an invisible force. "Guys, Death Angel is drinking a smoothie! Look for anyone drinking a smoothie!"
Presea's voice cut into the conversation. "We got a redhead coming down the escalator right now. He has a cup in his left hand and a PDA in his right," she announced. The Ozette native squinted at the young man leaving the escalator, craning her head to observe the screen in his hand. "He's looking at a food website, I think. Speaking of which, Cabalina is at the food court. Can she see anyone with a smoothie while accessing the internet?"
"I'm on it," the brunette replied through the radio, "There aren't too many redheads in my area, although I haven't done a thorough search yet. What about the SIU people? Are there smoothie drinkers at the public computer stations?" she asked.
"Hold up, here's Pirate King again," Lloyd called, squinting his eyes as he nervously scanned the lines written by the new user, "Pirate King is asking if Death Angel received an email they sent over the private message system on my website. Do we want to check that?"
"We'll do it later," Noishe's instant answer shot through the airwaves, "Their current conversation with each other gives us a chance to scour the area. All team members should look around your areas for any male redheads going online while drinking a smoothie. Anyone who does not fit all elements of that description, you can disregard. As for the SIU van outside, you guys keep an eye on the IP addresses of Death Angel's posts. Make sure they are still from the mall's IP address. No matter what happens, we cannot let Death Angel leave this mall!"
Lloyd bit his lower lip again, his hands rubbing his face anxiously. On his screen, Death Angel excused himself for a moment, stating he was checking the email Pirate King wrote. It was really awkward how Pirate King just chimed in whenever they saw fit. It wouldn't put it past Lloyd that if those two ever met each other in real life, they might become accomplices to the crimes. "Anything so far?" he asked the officers, his own eyes darting around the foyer area.
Unfortunately, the officers were too busy checking their areas to give Lloyd a reply, which further grated on Lloyd's nerves. He scanned the lines of the conversation once more, reading the words written by him, Death Angel, and subsequently Pirate King. Before he could get to the final line, Death Angel suddenly responded back to Pirate King. "That email you sent is garbage! I can't worry about a two-year-old event in Luin. If that group is dumb enough to sail in that terrible weather, then I say their boat deserves to sink!" Lloyd read aloud, "Dad, I think Death Angel and Pirate King might be getting into a flaming war here. What do we do?"
Lloyd could hear Gil wince over his earpiece. It was evident that Gil was having enough trouble coordinating the search efforts while receiving reports from each individual. "I've got to stop this nonsense before Death Angel gets mad and leaves," Lloyd murmured. Rubbing his chin a few times, Lloyd typed into the chat room, "No need to get hostile. I don't know what ship sailed at Luin during what weather, but I'm sure those sailors didn't deserve to die."
Within seconds, Death Angel responded to Lloyd. "Sailing out of Luin harbour during a storm warning, that's something I'll never do. I may have blond hair, but I'm not dumb." Lloyd's eyes grew to the size of plates as his heart skipped another beat. "Dad, Death Angel might not be a redhead. Instead, he might have blond hair. Repeat, Death Angel has blond hair!"
Immediately, Gil relayed the message to the team. While Lloyd could not hear the exact details of the new instructions, he could tell the officers were scrambling right now. Lloyd lifted his head to do some observing as well, scanning the lobby for any male with blond hair, using an electronic device, while drinking a smoothie. Just then, one man seated on a bench about ten metres away caught his eye. He had blond hair and wore a denim coat in an unzipped fashion, showing a dark Loni-Kyle shirt underneath. He had a black laptop computer on his legs and an orange smoothie sitting on the bench next to his right hand. "Dad, there's a figure to my eleven o'clock position who seems to fit the description. I think this might be Death Angel," Lloyd described on his mike, "Can you send a few officers this way?"
Gil relayed the new information to the team, prompting Lloyd to make the final move. "Death Angel, I am seated on a bench at the lobby. Are you nearby? If so, why don't we show ourselves to each other?" Sending the message, Lloyd could only wait nervously and look on.
After an intense few seconds of watching the man peck away on the keyboard, Lloyd got a reply back. Upon reading the message, Lloyd's blood flushed out of his face. "I have an urgent appointment, so I can't stay for long. Maybe we can meet next time?" Lloyd gripped the mike on his collar and exclaimed, "Death Angel is leaving. I'm watching that guy right now, and he's starting to pack his laptop. I'm pretty sure our target is the one at the lobby!"
As Lloyd slowly shut down his laptop, he could see Presea and Azul approaching from the interior of the mall. The one he guessed was Death Angel barely got three steps off the bench when the two officers confronted him, flipping out their badges and demanding cooperation. Then, before Lloyd or the officers could react, Death Angel pushed past the two. The suspect sprinted for the interior of the mall, leaving Presea and Azul in his wake. "Guys, he's getting away!" Lloyd exclaimed into the mike, "He's heading deeper into the mall! We have to move!"
Presea and Azul regained their bearings and sprinted after the suspect. Lloyd took a glance around, watching officers in their original positions shuffling off. Even Noishe and Gil, who were leaning on the upstairs balcony earlier, now disappeared from view. Taking a deep breath, Lloyd shoved the laptop into the bag and slung it over his shoulder. He followed the officers into the mall, taking long strides as he tried to catch up. The spiky-haired teen did not expect to have to run after Death Angel, but right now the chase was on!
"Police, freeze!" Gil's unit and SIU members shouted at the suspect known as Death Angel. The blond man hustled through the mall, heading down the aisle and speeding past the shops. It was an unexpected turn of events with the suspect barrelling past before an arrest could be made. With him no longer online, it meant the SIU communications team could no longer monitor Death Angel, making it more difficult to keep Death Angel within the mall.
Death Angel charged through the mall, waving his laptop bag to clear the aisle. Shoppers and mall staff alike were being shoved aside as police officers tailed him. In the midst of all this, a spiky-haired teen that also had a laptop bag strapped diagonally across his torso joined the fray. "This is just ridiculous," Lloyd muttered to himself, trying to follow the screams of the shoppers, "Has mall security even been called to help yet?"
A familiar voice called to the teen now turning into another aisle. "Lloyd, wait up!" Gil shouted, ambling up to his son while keeping an eye on the officers, "At this rate it'll just be a wild goose chase. We have to corner him somewhere before we can make the capture."
Before Lloyd could even respond, a loud clang from the next aisle caught his attention. Both father and son hustled over to see Death Angel crashing into a garbage can located right next to the condiments station at the food court. It gave officers just enough time to charge in for the kill. "You're under arrest!" an SIU officer exclaimed, grabbing the suspect.
Yet Death Angel was not about to leave quietly. Swinging his laptop bag once more, Death Angel clocked the officer across the face, making him temporarily lose grip. It gave Death Angel just enough time to get back on his feet, trying to make another dash at it. With the condiment station right next to him, there was only one way for Death Angel to run.
Before Gil and Lloyd or any of their teammates could get close, another SIU officer leaped through the air, lunging at Death Angel like a bear pouncing on its prey. He clung onto the suspect, one hand on the jacket while the other tugged at the laptop bag strap. Frightened customers dodged out of the way, some of them shielding their children. The SIU officer attempted to throw down Death Angel like a wrestler, resulting in a strange struggle between them. "Guys, I can use some help here!" the officer yelled, staring back at his colleagues.
But Death Angel had something else up his sleeve, as he grabbed the closest object and hurled it at the officer. Unfortunately, it was a bowl of soup noodle, which ended up scalding the officer's hands and forearms. With the SIU member howling in pain, Death Angel pushed off the officer and headed for the adjacent aisle. "You guys keep chasing. I'll look after the SIU officer for now," Gil ordered his team, "If you have a chance, set up a manual roadblock."
Presea, Cabalina, Azul, and Oni rushed through, leaving Gil and Lloyd to attend to the injured officer with his two SIU colleagues. "Are you alright?" Gil asked, trying to lift the officer back up. Even without a thorough inspection, he could see redness developing on the officer's hands and forearms, his skin hot to the touch, almost like grabbing an iron. "You two take him to the bathroom and get him cooled down. Call the paramedics if he can't continue on. I'll have to coordinate the rest of the chase with Captain Noishe," he instructed the two remaining SIU men.
The SIU officers took their injured colleague in the direction of the bathroom, hoping to at least minimize the burns by dumping cold water on him. With only Lloyd left to his side, Gil's brain went into overdrive. "Captain Noishe, can you hear me?" Gil spoke into his mike, "We have an SIU member down right now, and only our team is on the chase. Where are you?"
"We're close to the lobby right now," Noishe responded amid static and more screams from panicked customers, "If Death Angel gets through that front door, we're in for it. I called the SIU van already, and they said they'll come over to at least cut him off. What's your plan?"
Gil cursed under his breath. If Death Angel reached the exit, the operation would most likely be over. Scanning the food court, his eyes paused at a large sign advertising the special of the week. Tilting back at the condiments station once more, an idea rumbled through his mind like a freight train. "If you can, I want the team to send Death Angel back to the food court," he suggested, "I have a way to stop Death Angel once and for all."
Noishe sounded hesitant over the radio, but he nonetheless barked out orders to his team. Turning to the teen beside him, Gil asked Lloyd to stand at a position between the two aisles and prepared to intercept Death Angel. "All you have to do is get him to come towards me," he explained, "Once he gets close to me, he's up for the taking."
Lloyd cocked an eyebrow, not even getting a chance to ask for further clarification. Gil then disappeared into the crowd lining up at each vendor. Despite the scare from earlier, Lloyd could see there were still many mall patrons willing to drop by for a bite to eat. But why on earth would Gil think it was a good idea for him to mingle with them, especially with a suspect on the loose? Didn't Gil tell Lloyd not to think about food on this mission, even if Lloyd's stomach rumbled like an earthquake? What was Gil trying to pull?
While Lloyd confusedly got into position, standing at a candy store that was conveniently located right between the two aisles and overseeing the whole food court, Gil was at the vendor he observed earlier. The special today was a deluxe chili dog with all the fixings, a treat bound to make anyone's mouth water. Even when the sizzle and smell from the grill penetrated through Gil's ears and nostrils, the former mole only had one thing in mind. "If you excuse me, folks," he stated to the people waiting in line, showing his badge flamboyantly to everyone, "I'm on police business and I would like to cut in line for just a few seconds."
Gil pivoted himself up to the next available cashier, leaving customers young and old to gape in shock. To the cashier, Gil made his request while grinning like a maniac. "I'm Sergeant Gil Irving of the Iselia Police Department," he stated, his trademark grin stretching across his face, "I want your ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise for the next five minutes or so. Once I'm done, I'll return it so you can continue to make those delicious chili dogs for these customers."
The cashier gaped at him with his jaw near his shoes, mimicking all the customers nearby who heard Gil's remark. What was the police staff sergeant trying to accomplish with these? "I would appreciate it if you make it quick, because my target is about to show up," Gil hissed, all the while keeping his grin intact, "You don't want to be remembered as the hot dog vendor who let a serial killer run amok all because he didn't hand over his condiments, do you?"
The cashier hesitantly handed the three squeeze bottles over, looking at Gil as if the staff sergeant had an extra set of limbs. Gil placed the mayonnaise into the right pocket of his leather jacket while gripping the ketchup and mustard in either hand. Slipping his hands inside his jacket, he nodded with a smile and slowly marched off, ignoring everyone who stared at him like a circus act. Gil marched to the far side of the food court, away from the hot dog vendor and leaned his back against the wall. Looking as relaxed as possible, he signalled to Lloyd with his head. He tilted his head to the right, telling his son to push Death Angel in that direction.
Lloyd barely got time to react as Noishe's voice echoed from down the aisle. Lloyd trotted over to the hallway just in time to see Death Angel barrelling towards him, with Noishe and the rest of Gil's unit in hot pursuit. Taking a deep breath, the brunette sprang into action. He lunged hard at Death Angel, hoping to block the escaping suspect's path.
Luckily for Lloyd, that was just the distraction required to push Death Angel away from the main food court. Death Angel made a quick leap to the left to avoid the diving teen, making him unable to make the sharp turn back towards the mall entrance. Lloyd stayed on the side to avoid the stampeding officers, knowing it was all up to Gil to stop this menace. Lloyd hesitantly craned his head up, spotting Gil stepping out in slow motion. Death Angel showed no signs of slowing, and Derris Kharlan was about to hit the planet once more.
Surprisingly, there was no collision. In fact, everybody, including even the mall patrons, froze in place. Armed with a bottle of ketchup in his right hand and a bottle of mustard in his left, Gil squeezed as hard as possible, sending the gooey liquids straight into Death Angel's face. The blond-haired man could only howl in shock, the sticky paste spraying into his eyes, nose, and lips. There would be no stopping Gil's twin fountains of red and yellow, the staff sergeant's left and right hands squeezing and relaxing in an alternating fashion. With seconds, Death Angel's face was decorated with the condiments.
Then, as if to rub salt on the wound, Gil placed down the ketchup and mustard and whipped out the mayonnaise from his jacket pocket. Amidst the laughter and gasps from Lloyd, the officers, and even the injured SIU member who just exited the bathroom, Gil aimed the white sauce at the chest of Death Angel. With pinpoint precision, he managed to spray a perfect "Z" on the black Loni-Kyle shirt. Lifting the bottle to his head, at the same level as his temple, he posed dramatically before declaring, "Adios, amigos!"
The crowd was stunned, not knowing how to react. "Well, that's one suspect that we'll be bringing back," Noishe stated, clapping enthusiastically. He grabbed Death Angel and pulling him to his unit. Cabalina placed some handcuffs on the messy suspect while Oni did the pat-down under Azul's watch. "Beaten by condiments, who would have thought of that?"
"And that's how we met Chocolat," Colette concluded. She and Cameryn sat on the benches lining the sidewalk, heeding the recommendation to stay a distance away from the mall for safety concerns. While they waited for everyone to come out, the two went into some discussion about their history, especially regarding the plainclothes unit's first case.
"I have to say that it's strange how our paths crossed during that first case," Cameryn commented, clasping her hands on her lap as she looked at the blonde on her right, "While you guys were trying to help Chocolat, who was lured into the cult via drugs, I was trying to help my neighbour Kate, who wanted out of the cult due to her association with the leader, which was her father. It didn't make me feel very good that every interaction I had with Kate might lead me to being accused of misleading my team, but in the end I had to do what I felt was right."
Colette nodded, adjusting the sleeves on her light blue hoodie. There was no wind on this spring morning, but there was an unusual briskness in the air. Colette somehow felt the chill deep within her body, which unnerved the blonde a bit. Even though being around Cameryn made her feel a bit more secure, she could not get the nagging feeling of something bad happening out of her mind. "You think they're okay in there?" Colette asked, her tone barely above a whisper. She tilted her head shakily in the direction of the mall, where the action was taking place.
Cameryn nervously glanced over as well. Like Colette, she had a similar feeling. It was almost reminiscent of when she first found out Kate was the daughter of the cult's leader. She recalled that it was right after when she brought Kate to buy some investments to save up for her college situation. They were at the bank when Kate accidentally dropped a piece of identification belonging to her father, and Cameryn picked it up for her. The fact that her father was the very man Cameryn's unit had been after shocked the strawberry blonde to no end. She was restless, had no appetite, and grew increasingly insecure after knowing the secret. Even though she tried to make things right, her efforts fell short. Kate ended up turning on Cameryn when the police arrived at her door. Now, Kate was charged with manslaughter. With her trial wrapping up really soon, Cameryn could only hope that the sentence would be reduced.
Turning back to Colette, Cameryn reached across and grabbed Colette's hand. "Just like how you wished the best for Chocolat, I could only wish the best for Kate," she responded, "I think, with both our experiences, we found out some things are out of our control. Other than showing emotional support, there's not much we can do." Cameryn turned to Colette and stared into her clear blue eyes, the irises slightly glistening and wavering in the light. "The fact that you're here supporting your boyfriend goes to show how much you care about him, and I know Lloyd feels the same way about you. After all, he is Sergeant Irving's son, so I'm sure he'll have what it takes to get the job done, the same way his father got the job done while still undercover. So don't worry too much about it, okay?" Cameryn suggested.
Colette bit her lower lip, her eyes tilting back at the mall entrance in worry. While it was true that her family, Lloyd, and the Sages had their fair share of adventures with police, this one felt extra unusual to her. Given that Lloyd had contacts with Death Angel over his website, that meant they might have been speaking to a serial killer all along. Who knew how many more of the website's users were criminals like those? "What's the description on the suspect again?" Colette asked, "Death Angel is supposed to be a tall man with red hair, correct?"
Cameryn nodded. Ever since she saw the security video of the hooded man in the mixed martial arts dojo, she had this nagging feeling that she might have seen this person before. Had it not been for the darkness, she might have no problems in identifying this person. But planning for this operation, plus preparing a date for Frank Warner to come in with evidence supporting his claims, really put a dent in the secretary's plans. Right now, studying the security tape became a lower priority for Cameryn. The bespectacled secretary swore that if she had a chance, she would review the tape herself, just to see if she could pick up any leads for her team.
Cameryn turned back to the mall entrance, just in time to witness a strange sight. The SIU van screeched to a halt outside the main entrance, its members scrambling out with firearms drawn. The strawberry blonde tapped Colette on the shoulder, signalling her to turn as well. Even though there was no communication from inside the mall, this could not be a good sign. "Is the suspect trying to escape?" Colette asked, craning her neck to see past the police van.
Several customers hurried out of the entrance, most likely due to the commotion inside. Colette and Cameryn glanced quickly through the crowd, but one figure stood out among them. He had shoulder-length red hair and wore a purple fleece vest over a light-coloured T-shirt. "That guy seems to fit the description," Colette pointed out, tugging on Cameryn's sleeve, "Can that be the suspect? Why are the officers letting him get away like that?"
Cameryn shook her head in frustration, her eyes tailing the strange man as he headed off to the far side of the parking lot. "If he gets to his car, we may never catch him," Cameryn hissed while wringing her hands, "Where are Captain Noishe and Sergeant Irving?"
Before the two ladies could take an extra step, the plainclothes unit stepped out of the mall. They had a suspect in handcuffs, triumphantly handing him over to the SIU van. Much to the surprise of Colette and Cameryn, the suspect had blond hair. What was going on here? "That guy does not look anything like the suspect in the video," Cameryn muttered, "Is the redhead we saw from the dojo the real killer, or is he just an accomplice?"
Cameryn couldn't even ask Colette for her opinion. The blonde charged off from the bench, happy to see the face of a spiky-haired teenager stepping out unharmed. Colette jumped into Lloyd's arms, holding him in a tight embrace. Amidst the two teens showering each other in kisses, Cameryn slowly approached the team. "Sergeant Irving," she called to the goateed man in the middle of the formation, "What exactly happened in there?"
Gil turned to the secretary with a wide grin. "We got him," he stated, proudly pumping his fist, "We thought he would be a redhead, but then Lloyd spotted a comment on the chat room that indicated he had blond hair. We did a search around and found him sitting right across from Lloyd the entire time. That crazy guy sure put on a chase, and he pretty much harassed any mall patrons along the way. But thanks to some hot dog condiments, we put him under control."
Cameryn cocked her eyebrow. What did Gil mean by condiments? Shaking her head once more, she pressed her point further. "The guy we saw in the video had red hair, and actually went into the dojo," she insisted, gently scratching her head, "Surely this cannot be the right guy?"
Gil shrugged. "Right now, we have who we believe is Death Angel," he replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "We can only investigate from here. Maybe the redhead in the video is an acquaintance of this guy, but we can only know via a thorough interrogation. That's why we have to get back to the station ASAP, so we can get the testimonies done."
Before Cameryn could inquire more, Noishe arrived and pulled Gil aside. He reminded the staff sergeant to get Lloyd's testimony on the events as well. "Don't worry about it, Colette," Cameryn could hear Lloyd inform his girlfriend soothingly, "I'll just give a quick testimony, and that's it. I'll be back in an hour or two, and we'll hang out somewhere tonight."
"But what about the red-haired guy that Cameryn and I saw exit the mall just before you came out?" Colette asked, holding Lloyd's hands tightly while staring intently into his chocolate eyes, "He fits the description in the video, so shouldn't the team look into that?"
Lloyd alternated his eyes between Colette and the plainclothes team. "I think Dad will have to figure that out," Lloyd responded, "Still, not too many people can catch a fleeing man with three squeeze bottles of sauces. Thanks to mustard and mayonnaise, we got a murderer."
"Officers, you've got the wrong guy. I didn't kill all those people!" the one known as Death Angel pleaded. With only a few sets of lights on, and subject to a Cabalina stare-down, it was like a spotlight was cast above the blond man.
Yet for someone who allegedly killed three people using ruthless but cunning methods, Death Angel was surely not as boastful as he claimed to be on the website. Instead of puffing out his chest and spewing all sorts of hateful rhetoric, the blond-haired man was slouched over with watery eyes and spoke in a wavering tone. Why was there such a huge change in attitude?
"Why don't you cut the crap?" Cabalina snapped, slamming her pen down on her notebook, "You think we don't know what you're doing? We have all the posts you made on Lloyd's website right here. You want us to read the content back to you? Start explaining yourself, and tell us what connection you have with these deaths!"
"What deaths? What are you talking about?" Death Angel wailed, waving his arms around in frustration, "I never killed anyone, so why did you arrest me? Seriously, tell me why you guys went after me!" Death Angel ploughed one hand through his blond hair in anxiety while the dim lighting sadistically weakened his mind and resolve.
Just then, a pink-haired officer slipped into the interrogation room. She opened a folder in front of Cabalina and pointed out several areas of interest. This was accompanied by a sudden chill in the room, making Death Angel feel like a specimen being observed under a microscope. Within seconds, Cabalina had a smirk on her face. "So, your name is Peter Cook, is it not?" she asked tauntingly, "Why don't you start by telling us how you came across Lloyd's website?"
"Well, you know, there was this mystery book written by Sergeant Irving, and being a mystery fan, I bought a copy to check it out," Death Angel, now known as Peter Cook, described with a stutter, "I even have a copy with me, so if you want to see it, I'll show it to you."
Cabalina and Presea watched Cook pull out a copy of Gil's book from his bag, flipping through a few pages and pointed out the progress he made through it. But surprising to both women, Gil's signature was nowhere to be found. "You never attended the book signing event?" Presea asked, cocking her eyebrow.
"No, I was busy that day. In fact, my work forced me to be away from that area the whole time!" Cook wailed, putting his novel away before reaching for a notebook similar to the one used by Cabalina. A couple glances through the rapidly flipping pages and the two officers could recognize at once that it was a day planner, detailing specific details on each day's schedule.
However, Presea was persistent, not willing to let even one inconsistency confound them. From her standing position behind the seated Cabalina, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I'm a fan of the novel too, and I got Gil's signature on my copy. But even with that in mind, I don't go onto his son's website to actively promote vigilantism or proclaim someone deserves to die," the Ozette native pointed out, "Assuming you're a big enough fan of the novel to seek a Gil Irving fan club, such as the one Lloyd created, what inspired you to take such extreme measures as to deciding who lives and who dies?"
"Look, I only joined the website after doing some searching on the net. I figured that if no fan of Gil Irving created a website yet, I might as well do it. After I found this current one, I signed up using the name Death Angel, and that was it," Cook stated, his shaking hands now leaving the notebook and covering the lower half of his face, "All I know is that the one known as Twin Swordsman is the main administrator, but I didn't know he's Gil Irving's son. I never wanted to harm him, let alone kill him. You've got to believe me, please!"
"We'll believe you when the evidence tells us to, not when you tell us to!" Cabalina retorted, glaring at the suspect. Cook literally shrank into the chair, shivers blasting up his spine. "So what else happened? You feel it's awesome to brag about killing so-and-so with such-and-such a method? It's kind of convenient that you have access to all these deaths so quickly, and can justify the methods being used as well. Do you plan on using the forum as your own soap box?" Cabalina demanded, continuing her scribbling in her notebook.
"Officer, I was just spewing nonsense. Like I said, I didn't know the sergeant's son is the site administrator, so how am I supposed to know how to act?" Cook responded, his volume increasing once more, "Everyone on the net is anonymous anyway, so I can spew as much stuff as I want and not get in trouble with it. You can't be arresting me for that, right?"
"Actually, we can," Presea chimed in, keeping her arms crossed and chilling the already dim and cool room, "There is a crime known as uttering death threats, and the charge only involves having the accused knowingly conveying a threat to kill or harm another person. As every case you mentioned involves a dead person, I say that fits the bill quite well, no?"
"I only got note of those deaths via the news. I had nothing to do with them!" Cook yelled out, throwing up his hands in exasperation, "I was nowhere near those places when the deaths occurred, and I only used them to beef up my own profile. I never killed anybody!"
Cabalina stopped scrawling on her notebook and turned to the folder Presea handed her earlier. Flipping a couple of pages nonchalantly, she purposely slowed down her actions, just to let the ventilation fan's humming noise do a number on Cook first. Finally staring up with a set of piercing eyes, the pony-tailed officer pointed to a highlighted date in the file. "Nine days ago, which was a Friday night, our first death occurred at a campsite. Where were you when that happened, and were you active on the website at all?" Cabalina demanded.
"Nine days ago, nine days ago…" Cook sputtered uncontrollably, his shaking hands grabbing his planner once more, "I was doing an evening shift that week, so I'm sure I was at locations around town. I was nowhere near the campsite, and that's the honest truth." After a few more flips, Cook turned the notebook around and showed the findings to Cabalina. "These are some of the locations I was at that night," he stated, his finger shakily pointing at the lines.
Cabalina took a gander at them before scribbling them down. Even though she couldn't recognize the addresses off the top of her head, she could tell a few were quite close to the airport. She made a mental note to cross-reference that with Gil when Jade handed in his report. If Jade did check the IP addresses for each post Cook wrote on Lloyd's website, then it could at least confirm or deny the suspect's claim that he was there that time. "What about last Monday night or last Tuesday morning?" Cabalina added, "Where were you then?"
Cook flipped through his planner again, frantically searching the pages. "Monday night I was making deliveries to these places," Cook stuttered, his left hand lifting to scratch his head, "I was mainly in this area, which has a furniture store, before going over here…" He pointed to another series of places and times, all of which Cabalina jotted down. "The deliveries went late Monday night, so I stayed home Tuesday morning. I don't think I woke up until close to noon!"
Cabalina then inquired about the day of the third death, demanding Cook to give her his locations for the entire day. "We arrested the third deceased on Wednesday morning, and he was found burned to death on Wednesday night," she described, tapping her pen in frustration, "Since the only place he was at in between those times was the hospital, that means you or the killer must have been nearby. Tell me where you were throughout the whole day."
Cook frantically shot through his whole notebook, pointing out to various places all across town. Cabalina's head was spinning as she penned them in her notebook while trying to form a map of Iselia in her mind. If Cook was telling the truth, then it was possible that he was all over town that day. The killer must have had at least known that Ruffin was hospitalized, and had enough time to observe the hospital building to know when Ruffin escaped. Even so, the killer must have followed Ruffin to the martial arts dojo, saw the gas lamp being taken out, and knew how that lamp worked in order to rig it. If Cook was all over town for the entire time, as his address book indicated, then how likely was it that he was the killer?
Presea managed to beat Cabalina to that point, casting a set of emotionless eyes at the man. "You were all over town when these things occurred, so I assume you were in different places when the posts were made," she analyzed, "May I ask why this is the case? Perhaps you think by logging onto Lloyd's website from different IP addresses, it's harder for us to track?"
"No, that's not the case at all!" Cook replied, shaking his head and waving his hands nervously, "I work for a small logistics company, and I make deliveries to places all across town. I did the evening shift the days of the first two cases you mentioned, and I did an all-day shift on Wednesday because the guy who usually does day shift took the day off. I have my laptop with me to track my orders, but I get onto the internet to read the news or log onto the website whenever I reach a place with internet access. If you don't believe me, then call my clients!"
"The police will investigate accordingly, so we don't need any bluffers like you telling us what to do!" Cabalina snapped again, glaring at Cook menacingly. Putting her notebook away, she leaned back on her chair and stared him down once more. "Even though you claim to have evidence clearing you, we still have many inconsistencies with your story. That's why we will keep you here for forty-eight hours just to help our investigation. We will confiscate your notes and your laptop, and will return them to you once we clear you. Presea, if you please?"
The pink-haired officer nodded, escorting Cook out of the interrogation room. Cabalina grabbed all the evidence Cook left behind, making sure everything was complete before heading back to her unit. As Presea and the suspect disappeared from view, the brunette had a sudden sinking feeling in her gut. Much as she, and probably everyone else in the unit, would hate to admit it, but it truly felt like they might not have the actual killer. If the one called Death Angel was not the one to commit all the murders, then who did?
"Thanks for doing the transcription for me, Jade," Gil stated appreciatively to the SIU technology and IP expert seated across from Gil's desk. Monday morning brought a whole new set of headaches for Gil, as the ethics commissioner found out about yesterday's shenanigans at the mall. The watchdog was far from impressed by their actions, and threatened Noishe with a report to the police chief. Claiming their technique provided excessive distress to the public, the ethics commissioner was adamant that the DA couldn't lay any charges on Peter Cook without the accused retaliating. Moreover, he claimed Gil's method to stop the suspect by spraying hot dog condiments on him amounted to public humiliation, and threatened to place sanctions on the unit if the charges were not dropped.
"The political situation isn't making things easy right now," Gil added, grabbing his own documents to complement Jade's. Despite being in the safety of his own office, Gil felt anything but comfortable, almost like the walls were caving in on him. "Noishe is forced to attend the ethics commissioner's press conference to explain yesterday's mission." With Cook getting his walking papers soon, the only thing Gil could do was to go over the IP addresses on that day and the ones Jade provided from the searches he did on past posts. If there was something indicating suspicious activity, then maybe they still had a chance.
"So starting with last weekend, the suspect claimed he was at the airport?" Jade asked, scanning through his IP address map. On the day of the first death, Cook made several posts to the website. Jade located them on his map and highlighted each point in red. "A couple of posts were made from an IP address near the airport, but also along these locations." Jade pointed them out to Gil, who jotted them down on his notes. While the team still hadn't interviewed all of his clients, Gil was certain that Cook was telling the truth. According to Cook's testimony, he was near the airport, most likely making deliveries to the hotels nearby. That meant he would not have enough time to make it to the campsite, let alone observing the sign and cutting the chains.
"And on the day of the second death, the one at the university, I highlighted those IP addresses in green," Jade continued, pointing to various addresses. Gil glanced at Cook's planner and saw an address to the same mall they were at yesterday. From Cook's list on that day, indeed there was a furniture store in that mall, meaning he was likely telling the truth as well. "He didn't make any posts until Tuesday afternoon, also from the same mall," Jade added, pointing to the green dots at his map, "This includes the first comment on the campsite death."
"And he also made a few comments using IP addresses near the industrial areas, right?" Gil asked, flipping to the next page. Apparently, Cook made various posts after the comment on the first death, and Gil was intent on seeing them all. "Lloyd made a rebuttal to him the next evening, but I don't think he responded until the next day. What IP address did he use then?"
"Wednesday's IP addresses are highlighted in blue," Jade replied, showing the map on posts made on the day of the third death, "This one has the most variety, coming from all over the city." There were IP addresses from the university, commercial buildings downtown, and industrial sites. Gil paid particular attention to the one with the time coinciding with the post made in rebuttal to Lloyd's. That was when the third death was reported on the website, thanks to a post from another user named Pirate King. Was there a hint hiding within this huge mess?
"I have yet to go through the stuff in the chat room, but I recall you saying you want to look into someone in particular?" Jade asked, replacing his IP address map with a new set of documents, "You said someone interrupted the chat between Death Angel and your son?"
Gil nodded. "This Pirate King character came into the chat room right in the middle of their talk. They supposedly sent an email to Death Angel and asked him to read it while Lloyd was still talking to him," Gil pointed out, highlighting Pirate King's limited lines on the chat room transcript, "Maybe Pirate King has a hint that may lead us closer to finding out what Cook is all about, assuming my team can call up all his clients first." With Noishe being hounded by the ethics commissioner, Gil was in charge of the unit. The first thing he did was split up the clients by day, asking each officer to grab one set and called them all.
"I'll look into this Pirate King character," Jade decided, packing up his notes into a folder, "I'll also look into the emails to see what Cook and Pirate King discussed privately. By the way, is Presea here today?" he asked, getting out of his seat.
"She's working today, but she's just not at the station. I sent Presea to the University of Iselia's Department of History and Archaeology to pick up the visitor's log, just to check up on another person who may be a suspect," Gil explained, organizing his papers into a neat pile, "I also asked her to go back to the mall we were in yesterday. We're hoping mall security is willing to give us a copy of their tapes recording yesterday's chase. I think watching that may be useful."
Without further ado, Jade stepped out of Gil's office, heading back to his unit. Gil stayed put for another few seconds, shuffling his notes around once more before heading out. Cameryn told him that she wanted a date in which Frank Warner could bring in his evidence, and Gil still had not gotten back to her on that yet. Secretly, the former undercover police officer could only hope his unit secretary would not blow another fuse chastising him for leaving things that late.
After setting the notes on the IP addresses aside, Gil stepped out of his office to arrange a time with Cameryn. However, he barely got two steps into the main office when he heard the secretary's voice echo off the walls. "I'm sorry, but the sergeant's office is off limits. I can't let you in unless you have authorization from him or Captain Noishe," Cameryn insisted.
"Come on, don't you know I'm friends with the sergeant?" a flirtatious male voice replied, "Or are you demanding that I stay here because you're too infatuated with my good looks? Come on, you don't have to be shy. You know you got a crush on me!"
Gil could only roll his eyes, instantly recognizing that distinctive tone and womanizing language. Shaking his head, he stepped into the main office just in time to see a tall, red-haired man posing dramatically before the strawberry blond secretary. All the officers in the unit could only look on in irritation as Cameryn tried her hardest not to punch the visitor. Marching up and standing nonchalantly beside Cameryn's desk, he confronted the man. "How can I help you?"
The redhead glanced up in time to see Gil's smirking face. "Zelos Wilder, how are you, my friend?" Gil greeted, extending his hand to another former mole. Zelos was a man who had been undercover for the Tethe'alla military, working in Cruxis during Gil's later years in the extremist organization. While a case of mistaken identity caused them to shoot each other, they finally realized each other's true roles, and even worked together to bring down Cruxis. They hadn't seen each other since last summer in Altamira, but it was a surprise reunion indeed.
"Hey Gil, how are you doing?" Zelos responded, shaking Gil's hand firmly. Today, Zelos had on a fuchsia vest over a beige T-shirt, white denim jeans, and dark fingerless gloves. Had it not been his attempt to seduce Cameryn, Gil might have mistaken him for what he thought Death Angel originally looked like. "I was just telling your lovely lady here not to be afraid of a pretty face like me. She was determined not to let me in!" Zelos exclaimed in fake-shock.
Cameryn scowled, shooting Zelos a dark look. "He's a tall stranger with shoulder-length red hair, which matches the description we used to have for Death Angel yesterday. I can't just let someone like that into the office. What will happen if he really is the suspect?" she spat, "Besides, I saw someone like that leave the mall yesterday, right before you guys came out!"
Before Gil could respond, Zelos grinned and posed once more. "I was at a downtown mall yesterday, and I saw police officers running back and forth. I got out of there just before things got out of hand, so you must have seen me walk out," he described, bearing a toothy grin, "I told you so, didn't I? You find me so mesmerizing that you can't get me out of your mind!"
Sensing Cameryn was about to commit murder on Zelos right here in the unit, Gil sought to break up the scene before things got worse. "Why don't we discuss that in my office? Besides, if you were at the mall yesterday, then I may have some questions for you. Shall we go?" the goateed man suggested, leading the winking and snap-pointing Zelos away from Cameryn.
The strawberry blond secretary could only hiss in exasperation as the red-haired visitor was escorted away. Before her, the officers were now back in the cubicles, having gotten over that unwanted distraction. Even so, she made sure to get her point across to Gil. "We still have Mr. Warner to deal with," she called, "Do you have a time ready for him to come in?"
"I'll deal with that once I'm done with Zelos. Thanks for reminding me!" Gil responded before slamming his door shut. The unpleasant experience was still fresh in her mind, and it was only made more disagreeable with her staff sergeant delaying once more. Cameryn could do nothing more than let out a frustrated cry, echoing through the unit and even to the halls outside.
So there you go, another unusual sequence in the story. How about Gil taking down a suspect using ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise? The one known as Death Angel may not be the killer, so who do you think the culprit is now? And to be more inclusive of TOS canon characters, Zelos now makes his debut in this chapter. What trouble will everyone's favourite flirt get into now? Drop by next time to find out!