Aria was satisfied with the response she got from Stephanie. Not only it confirmed her that she's working with professionals, but also made her aware of the fact that the police precinct is working as a good team. Stephanie's response was kind, and she spoke only positives. Even though Officer Wilson was not working on a case like this in the past, she didn't mention her lack of experience. That calmed Aria down and made her trust her teammates even more.
While they were walking towards the CCTV room, she got a response from Willow. Matthews was happy that the young girl was doing well and that she gathered important information. From the beginning, the FBI agent suspected that someone was working with the suspect, but now they knew it for sure. Sadly, nothing good starts in a gateway car. The victim could be now many miles away. Hopefully the witnesses saw some details about the vehicle, and they will be able to track it.
"This is Agent Mathews. Good job, Officer Wilson. Try to question more people and when you are done, go to CCTV room. It's best if we all look at the footage. Out" , she said, finishing the response.
Just when she wanted to put the radio back to its holder, Finan's voice broke the silence. He was also headed to the security room where they could see the camera recordings. As much as Aria didn't like Ryder, she knew that together they will be able to notice many more details. He was working in the field, so he will for sure notice different things than her.
"This is Agent Mathews. I am also headed to see the CCTV footage, I will wait for your arrival. Out." The messages on the radio sounded very official. As much as Aria was happy with this, because it meant that they all were focused on their jobs, she missed more casual communication. During her last case, the team grew together, and often they would speak to each other like friends. Of course, Mathews was not talkative as she is, but listening to people who trusted each other was giving her hope.
As she arrived to the room where the recordings were stored, she took out her notebook and went again over the collected evidence. She didn't want to play the footage before Finan was there. It would only create chaos, which she hated so much.
When the door open, she was surprised to see Officer Wilson there. Aria figured out that the girl probably didn't have anyone else to question and followed her advice on meeting in this place. Willow looked a little bit nervous, but Mathews was not surprised. The case wasn't easy, and they had this time pressure of a missing child on them.
"We will wait for Detective Ryder and then play the footage. I hope this will clarify some of the unknown we still have in the case", she said to her teammate. Aria remembered how it is to be new in the field and not knowing the exact procedure. Or worse, not being informed. That's why she wanted the other woman to be aware of what are they doing and why.
When Finan arrived, she greeted him with a nod and leaned on the wall, ready to see what the cameras captured.
During the viewing, she took few notes. For example, why was the backpack so important? If the man wanted to kidnap the little child, he didn't need her belongings. The suspect was fighting with the mother, but left as soon as another person appeared in the field of view. So was the backpack actually important?
Also, he didn't harm anyone else. The people, who didn't stop him from taking the little girl, were just scared. Why would he then return to the store? If he didn't want to hurt others, he could've just gone with the woman. Or maybe she told him something in the gateway car and that's why he had to go back? Aria was ready to discuss it with her team.
Aria rolls for Sanity
@Finan Ryder @Willow Wilson @Maggie
#2 Target Store
Upon entering the room where they'd be shown the CCTV footage, Finan noticed Matthews and Wilson already waiting. A scowl slowly overtook his features again even though he was pleased Matthews had waited for him before doing anything else. He was curious to know what Matthews had discovered from her examination of the body and the crime scene, and hoped she would share it upon his arrival. Reluctant as he was to work with anyone associated to the FBI, he was prepared to share all information he'd learned from the Balfours with his co-workers. It would be good to quickly touch base on which information the other had discovered before watching the CCTV footage.
To his disgruntled surprise, the footage was immediately played. He was about to open his mouth and object, when the footage captured his full attention and the curse words dried up in his throat. As he took a breath and let it go, Finan watched carefully as George entered the camera's view and violently took Regina from her mother. Exactly what Sara Balfour had described was playing out in front of them on the small screen. From her story, he knew that after the man had left the screen, he would return for the backpack. With a sharp inhale digital George walked back in and wrestled Sara for the backpack containing Regina's medicine.
It stood out to him that George seemed to give up relatively easy on retrieving the backpack. If he had indeed been aware of Regina's condition, he'd have known that if they were going to successfully kidnap and quite possibly ransom the girl, they'd need the medicine to keep her alive. Perhaps George and his associates(s?) didn't think it was worth the struggle to retrieve the backpack with the amount of resistance he was getting, and would be hoping to buy the medicine in less than legal ways. He quickly wrote down on his phone to ensure a tab would be kept on any sales regarding Regina's medicine going on, both legally and illegally.
Finan couldn't help but wonder what the purpose was of George going back and causing chaos with no clear purpose. Why would the man not just leave with the kidnapped child? Finan struggled to put his finger on what would be the motivation. George didn't harm anyone upon his return, except for himself, only ensuring more people ran out of the building to safety. When he'd then shot himself, he'd basically guaranteed no one else would get hurt. Very curious...
Once the video stopped playing, they sat in stunned silence for a second at the scene that had just played out in front of them. Finan quickly made sure Wilson was doing alright and then looked at Matthews, preparing to discuss what he'd found out from the Balfours. He knew that his knowledge regarding the content of the backpack was crucial to share for her understanding of what had happened.
Finan rolls for Sanity
@Aria Matthews @Willow Wilson @Maggie
To his disgruntled surprise, the footage was immediately played. He was about to open his mouth and object, when the footage captured his full attention and the curse words dried up in his throat. As he took a breath and let it go, Finan watched carefully as George entered the camera's view and violently took Regina from her mother. Exactly what Sara Balfour had described was playing out in front of them on the small screen. From her story, he knew that after the man had left the screen, he would return for the backpack. With a sharp inhale digital George walked back in and wrestled Sara for the backpack containing Regina's medicine.
It stood out to him that George seemed to give up relatively easy on retrieving the backpack. If he had indeed been aware of Regina's condition, he'd have known that if they were going to successfully kidnap and quite possibly ransom the girl, they'd need the medicine to keep her alive. Perhaps George and his associates(s?) didn't think it was worth the struggle to retrieve the backpack with the amount of resistance he was getting, and would be hoping to buy the medicine in less than legal ways. He quickly wrote down on his phone to ensure a tab would be kept on any sales regarding Regina's medicine going on, both legally and illegally.
Finan couldn't help but wonder what the purpose was of George going back and causing chaos with no clear purpose. Why would the man not just leave with the kidnapped child? Finan struggled to put his finger on what would be the motivation. George didn't harm anyone upon his return, except for himself, only ensuring more people ran out of the building to safety. When he'd then shot himself, he'd basically guaranteed no one else would get hurt. Very curious...
Once the video stopped playing, they sat in stunned silence for a second at the scene that had just played out in front of them. Finan quickly made sure Wilson was doing alright and then looked at Matthews, preparing to discuss what he'd found out from the Balfours. He knew that his knowledge regarding the content of the backpack was crucial to share for her understanding of what had happened.
Finan rolls for Sanity
@Aria Matthews @Willow Wilson @Maggie
Willow was bummed that the twins were the only witnesses that stuck around and said anything. On the other hand, there were likely a couple of people who were in shock and went back to safety as soon as possible. She sighed and looked at the officer “Right then, nothing we can do about that, unfortunately. Here is my card in case any more show up in the coming hours/days. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if they do. And thank you kindly for all the help officer!”
After walking towards the CCTV room, she saw that she was the only one present. Having nothing to do but wait she grabbed her case file to update the forms with the evidence that she gathered and started ordering her notes again. Having difficulty with doing nothing it’s better to check everything and make it orderly. After a tiny bit, the others joined, and Wilson had trouble with not updating the others about what she found out. She replied to Matthews “Okay, sounds like a plan!” she appreciated how well the others were communicating with her. Usually in a team she as the newcomer didn’t get much information, she just got told what to do and nothing more. With them, she did really feel part of the team instead of just a helper.
That went away soon enough as the video started playing and all her attention went towards the tape. It was horrible to see the poor woman fighting so hard for her child to only lose the fight and lose her. She wondered what the deal was with the backpack, why would the abductor go back and get it only to give up and leave it. The fact that he went out did mean that’s the moment he handed Sara off to his accomplice. Did they come in different cars? because he didn’t go back to the getaway car with the woman to get the gun. Does that mean one of the cars here is from him? The gunshot was horrible, she flinched made a tiny sound and looked away. Never had she seen this outside of bad movies and she couldn’t get the image out of her head. “oh that’s absolutely horrid” she said with her face in her hands.
Willow rolls for sanity
@Finan Ryder @Aria Matthews @Maggie
After walking towards the CCTV room, she saw that she was the only one present. Having nothing to do but wait she grabbed her case file to update the forms with the evidence that she gathered and started ordering her notes again. Having difficulty with doing nothing it’s better to check everything and make it orderly. After a tiny bit, the others joined, and Wilson had trouble with not updating the others about what she found out. She replied to Matthews “Okay, sounds like a plan!” she appreciated how well the others were communicating with her. Usually in a team she as the newcomer didn’t get much information, she just got told what to do and nothing more. With them, she did really feel part of the team instead of just a helper.
That went away soon enough as the video started playing and all her attention went towards the tape. It was horrible to see the poor woman fighting so hard for her child to only lose the fight and lose her. She wondered what the deal was with the backpack, why would the abductor go back and get it only to give up and leave it. The fact that he went out did mean that’s the moment he handed Sara off to his accomplice. Did they come in different cars? because he didn’t go back to the getaway car with the woman to get the gun. Does that mean one of the cars here is from him? The gunshot was horrible, she flinched made a tiny sound and looked away. Never had she seen this outside of bad movies and she couldn’t get the image out of her head. “oh that’s absolutely horrid” she said with her face in her hands.
Willow rolls for sanity
@Finan Ryder @Aria Matthews @Maggie
Willow has passed sanity check
Finan did not pass Sanity check — You lose 1 sanity point
Aria did not pass Sanity check — You lose 1 sanity point
When the video finished, the store manager looked at them. He was not as terrified as some of them were; perhaps he had seen the video before and knew what was going to unfold on the screen. Yet, he did look quite concerned—he wanted this whole case to be over soon and for them to find this poor girl. The occurrence of this situation in his store was just a mere accident, yet, he did feel quite strange that it happened here. As if it was his fault, in a way. His security in the store was not the best, but now it was too late to think about what could've been done better.
The manager seemed to be keen on leaving this room, if there were no more questions for him. He wanted to give the investigators some privacy to discuss the next steps.
@Aria Matthews @Finan Ryder @Willow Wilson
I suggest keeping the next responses brief to discuss the situation
Finan did not pass Sanity check — You lose 1 sanity point
Aria did not pass Sanity check — You lose 1 sanity point
When the video finished, the store manager looked at them. He was not as terrified as some of them were; perhaps he had seen the video before and knew what was going to unfold on the screen. Yet, he did look quite concerned—he wanted this whole case to be over soon and for them to find this poor girl. The occurrence of this situation in his store was just a mere accident, yet, he did feel quite strange that it happened here. As if it was his fault, in a way. His security in the store was not the best, but now it was too late to think about what could've been done better.
“ Unfortunately, we do not have any recordings from the outside of the store. This video was already passed over to your department, so this could be added to the... case files. Outside of that, please let me know if I could do anything else for you?”
@Aria Matthews @Finan Ryder @Willow Wilson
I suggest keeping the next responses brief to discuss the situation
The video was horrible. Aria was sad that she couldn't just close her eyes and forget about what she just saw. If people, who were supposed to protect others, were doing things like that... How civilians were supposed to trust them?
"Had the victim or the suspect come to the store in the past few days? Maybe you remember seeing them?", asked Aria. She wanted to know if maybe they had to look even more into the past.
When her question was answered and the manager left the room, she was ready to exchange information with the rest of the team. There was no time for waiting until all of them returned to the police station.
"I would say, we share what we found here and now. We don't have time to properly move all the evidence to the station, for now every second counts", she started the talk with Finan and Willow.
"I mostly focused on the suspect. From what I could check for now, he had no signs of being under the influence of any drugs", Aria read from her notes. She didn't want to miss any detail. "Everything on him looked as if he was completely fine. No signs of abuse, no signs of substances."
For now, she wanted to state the most obvious. They will later talk about the crime scene.
@Willow Wilson @Finan Ryder
"Had the victim or the suspect come to the store in the past few days? Maybe you remember seeing them?", asked Aria. She wanted to know if maybe they had to look even more into the past.
When her question was answered and the manager left the room, she was ready to exchange information with the rest of the team. There was no time for waiting until all of them returned to the police station.
"I would say, we share what we found here and now. We don't have time to properly move all the evidence to the station, for now every second counts", she started the talk with Finan and Willow.
"I mostly focused on the suspect. From what I could check for now, he had no signs of being under the influence of any drugs", Aria read from her notes. She didn't want to miss any detail. "Everything on him looked as if he was completely fine. No signs of abuse, no signs of substances."
For now, she wanted to state the most obvious. They will later talk about the crime scene.
@Willow Wilson @Finan Ryder
Recomposing herself Willow looked around to the others, they all looked shocked and maybe a bit nauseated. After a deep breath, she replied to Matthews “Okay to start with what I found out. Some witnesses saw the getaway driver and the car she drove. A woman came into the car park dragging Regina with her into a grey Ford Taurus: Caucasian woman, brown hair, end-twenties.”
Going through her notes to not miss anything she continued. “I have a theory. The abductor goes away and then comes back with the gun, right? So, he must have gotten that somewhere, but the witnesses didn’t see him. Which could indicate that he didn’t have the gun in the woman’s car. Did he have his own car and is that still here somewhere?” “Further on I think we should update the APB from the girl to also include the getaway car. I can’t radio the officers in charge of that, but you could” she said looking at Finnan. “Oh, I’m sorry that sounded so bossy” she added immediately after. “If you think it’s necessary, could you kindly?”
Willow checks everything and is satisfied with the information she gave. She then gets an empty page and pen to note down everything Matthews has said and what Finnan will say. Maybe she can already set up some sort of timeline with the information from the others. Making a beginning at least is never a bad idea.
@Finan Ryder @Aria Matthews
Going through her notes to not miss anything she continued. “I have a theory. The abductor goes away and then comes back with the gun, right? So, he must have gotten that somewhere, but the witnesses didn’t see him. Which could indicate that he didn’t have the gun in the woman’s car. Did he have his own car and is that still here somewhere?” “Further on I think we should update the APB from the girl to also include the getaway car. I can’t radio the officers in charge of that, but you could” she said looking at Finnan. “Oh, I’m sorry that sounded so bossy” she added immediately after. “If you think it’s necessary, could you kindly?”
Willow checks everything and is satisfied with the information she gave. She then gets an empty page and pen to note down everything Matthews has said and what Finnan will say. Maybe she can already set up some sort of timeline with the information from the others. Making a beginning at least is never a bad idea.
@Finan Ryder @Aria Matthews
“I... Don't know. That would require us to check the extensive recording history, not even knowing what exactly to look for. The abductor also was wearing some sort of disguise now. I haven't seen his pictures of how he looks regularly. If you provide those, I might ask staff. Otherwise, I'd recommend speaking with Balfours about their whereabouts for past days.”
As the investigators delved into their theories, a few ideas may have crossed their minds. Contacting the police department for additional information was one option. George had an address that could be investigated, and he also had family in town, particularly his daughter, Nicole, who might eventually need to collect his body from the police morgue.
@Aria Matthews @Willow Wilson @Finan Ryder
Aria listened to everything that her team had to say. Looking at Finan, she knew that she was not the only one, who got shocked by the video. The detective was really quiet and didn't really look at them. Matthews decided to give him some space to process it. Despite the years spent on the job, even the biggest professionals could get overwhelmed after seeing such a horrific thing happening.
"Officer Wilson, good job with finding out the car details. We have to contact the police about the car as fast as possible, as it might be crucial to catch the kidnapper." Aria looked at Detective Ryder, hoping that he was already taking out his radio to call the other officers. She could do it as well, but she preferred him to do it first. After all, he was a coworker of those people. "We will send someone from the precinct here to check all the recordings", she looked at the store owner. "The technicians will know how to take care of it".
When Willow was done, Aria decided to go next with her observations. Knowing that Ryder talked with the parents, he might have information to connect everything that they found.
"I focused on the body of the suspect. He wasn't showing any specific signs of being under the influence of the illegal substances. He also didn't smell like alcohol, so we can already suspect that he did all of this while being completely sober", she said, looking at her notes. "I've already taken all the samples, and they should be on their way to the lab, so we will have to wait until we can say for sure if there was anything medically suspicious."
To her surprise, Willow was handling things very well. She looked focused on a job and didn't seem to be terrified. Aria was happy that the young officer was still doing her best. She really appreciated it.
"From my observations, I found out that the suspect didn't want to hurt anyone else rather than himself, when he was committing suicide", she continued. "He was an experienced user of a gun and his movement clearly stated that he was shooting in a direction that, even if the bullet missed, would affect only him. It is a weird behaviour for someone who just wants to end his life. Usually people at this point don't really care about their surroundings"
She stated her observations and looked around the room. The others were listening to her and probably started thinking about the suspect's behaviour as well.
When they were all done, they had to divide more tasks between them.
"I think we should focus now on the suspect. The police are informed now about all the evidence we found, so they will know who to look for. We can either go to the suspect's house together or split into two and also contact with his daughter and the police. She will have to go check his body in the morgue, so we can do both of those things at once. What do you think?"
@Willow Wilson @Maggie @Finan Ryder
"Officer Wilson, good job with finding out the car details. We have to contact the police about the car as fast as possible, as it might be crucial to catch the kidnapper." Aria looked at Detective Ryder, hoping that he was already taking out his radio to call the other officers. She could do it as well, but she preferred him to do it first. After all, he was a coworker of those people. "We will send someone from the precinct here to check all the recordings", she looked at the store owner. "The technicians will know how to take care of it".
When Willow was done, Aria decided to go next with her observations. Knowing that Ryder talked with the parents, he might have information to connect everything that they found.
"I focused on the body of the suspect. He wasn't showing any specific signs of being under the influence of the illegal substances. He also didn't smell like alcohol, so we can already suspect that he did all of this while being completely sober", she said, looking at her notes. "I've already taken all the samples, and they should be on their way to the lab, so we will have to wait until we can say for sure if there was anything medically suspicious."
To her surprise, Willow was handling things very well. She looked focused on a job and didn't seem to be terrified. Aria was happy that the young officer was still doing her best. She really appreciated it.
"From my observations, I found out that the suspect didn't want to hurt anyone else rather than himself, when he was committing suicide", she continued. "He was an experienced user of a gun and his movement clearly stated that he was shooting in a direction that, even if the bullet missed, would affect only him. It is a weird behaviour for someone who just wants to end his life. Usually people at this point don't really care about their surroundings"
She stated her observations and looked around the room. The others were listening to her and probably started thinking about the suspect's behaviour as well.
When they were all done, they had to divide more tasks between them.
"I think we should focus now on the suspect. The police are informed now about all the evidence we found, so they will know who to look for. We can either go to the suspect's house together or split into two and also contact with his daughter and the police. She will have to go check his body in the morgue, so we can do both of those things at once. What do you think?"
@Willow Wilson @Maggie @Finan Ryder
Finan knew he'd liked Wilson for a reason. The young girl was determined to do right and correctly recognized he would be able to contact the correct people. He scoffed slightly when she apologized.
"Nah, it's alright kid. Gotta have some balls from time to time, especially if you're correct. It's good information. I'll contact them as soon as possible."
He'd taken some quick notes while both had spoken and would transfer this information to the necessary people at the first chance. Which would be after he'd shared what he'd discovered from the Balfours. While he reluctantly had to admit Matthews was good at what she did, he gave her a sharp glare when stating the next part.
"Alright, I'm tired so please pay attention. I had a nice chat with the Balfours, lovely people, no cult going on there, nope, and I found out some interesting things. Sara Balfour was with Regina when she was taken as we could see on the footage. You see George come back after a while. According to Mrs Balfour, he returned to retrieve Regina's backpack. Regina suffers from chronic pulmonary obstruction, meaning she needs constant access to her meds. This means two to three things. First, the timer is even shorter than we thought. If Regina suffers from any medical emergencies related to her illness while taken, her kidnapper or kidnappers might not be able to give her the care she needs in time. Leading into fun fact two, somehow either the people who took Regina knew she was suffering from this illness and knew the necessary medicine to keep her alive was in the backpack, or they made a lucky guess and decided to take the backpack for whatever it is worth."
Finan carefully explained what he'd discovered, telling the necessary information but trying to formulate it in such a way the others in the team could form their own ideas and concerns about the situation. If there was anything he hadn't considered yet, he hoped they would pick up on it. Pausing briefly to make sure both were still paying attention to him, he glanced briefly at the notes he'd written on his phone.
"Ah yes, so I've radioed all active squats to be prepared for her condition and that Regina will most likely need urgent medical care. Other than that the Balfours have most likely taken up on my offer to put a squad with them. Mostly to keep them safe and help if they are contacted by whoever has Regina, but also to keep a little bit of an eye on them. The Balfours seem genuinely concerned for their daughter but well... I can't shake the feeling something is off about them, especially John. I will discuss this later with the Captain as well, but just be aware of anything that stands out to you regarding the Balfours during the investigation, alright?"
He considered the information Matthews had given. Finan had always had a quiet fascination for what people in her position did and prided himself in being able to understand most of what they did.
"I'd contact the necessary people and the captain and then go to the victim's house. I don't mind going alone if Matthew wants to go with Wilson? Either way is fine, as long as I can a coffee at some point."
@Maggie @Aria Matthews @Willow Wilson
"Nah, it's alright kid. Gotta have some balls from time to time, especially if you're correct. It's good information. I'll contact them as soon as possible."
He'd taken some quick notes while both had spoken and would transfer this information to the necessary people at the first chance. Which would be after he'd shared what he'd discovered from the Balfours. While he reluctantly had to admit Matthews was good at what she did, he gave her a sharp glare when stating the next part.
"Alright, I'm tired so please pay attention. I had a nice chat with the Balfours, lovely people, no cult going on there, nope, and I found out some interesting things. Sara Balfour was with Regina when she was taken as we could see on the footage. You see George come back after a while. According to Mrs Balfour, he returned to retrieve Regina's backpack. Regina suffers from chronic pulmonary obstruction, meaning she needs constant access to her meds. This means two to three things. First, the timer is even shorter than we thought. If Regina suffers from any medical emergencies related to her illness while taken, her kidnapper or kidnappers might not be able to give her the care she needs in time. Leading into fun fact two, somehow either the people who took Regina knew she was suffering from this illness and knew the necessary medicine to keep her alive was in the backpack, or they made a lucky guess and decided to take the backpack for whatever it is worth."
Finan carefully explained what he'd discovered, telling the necessary information but trying to formulate it in such a way the others in the team could form their own ideas and concerns about the situation. If there was anything he hadn't considered yet, he hoped they would pick up on it. Pausing briefly to make sure both were still paying attention to him, he glanced briefly at the notes he'd written on his phone.
"Ah yes, so I've radioed all active squats to be prepared for her condition and that Regina will most likely need urgent medical care. Other than that the Balfours have most likely taken up on my offer to put a squad with them. Mostly to keep them safe and help if they are contacted by whoever has Regina, but also to keep a little bit of an eye on them. The Balfours seem genuinely concerned for their daughter but well... I can't shake the feeling something is off about them, especially John. I will discuss this later with the Captain as well, but just be aware of anything that stands out to you regarding the Balfours during the investigation, alright?"
He considered the information Matthews had given. Finan had always had a quiet fascination for what people in her position did and prided himself in being able to understand most of what they did.
"I'd contact the necessary people and the captain and then go to the victim's house. I don't mind going alone if Matthew wants to go with Wilson? Either way is fine, as long as I can a coffee at some point."
@Maggie @Aria Matthews @Willow Wilson