The Incident (Vol. 3)

BRONZE AUTHORIZATION

- SEARCH ORDER-

and TRANSCRIPTS

Investigator [REDACTED] has proposed a Search Order for CIVILIAN identification ‘Witness’, a suspect for the recent incident at THOMSON’S PARK. It is to be carried out by Chief Search Officer (Chief SO) [REDACTED]. The entire ORDER OF THE BRONZE will be on standby to assist if the subject is found by 24:37 on Thursday, December 13th. If not, the Search Order is to be de-licenced, and the case will be dropped. The LEGAL SECURITY COUNCIL has authorized this proposal, with the condition that Officer [REDACTED] and Investigator [REDACTED] must be present, and LDO [REDACTED] must not be present due to a lack of complete trust in their involvement in the Questioning Room Three incident.

________________

LSC Chair Holder

Time: 5:30

Location: [REDACTED], Westville

Document Type: TRANSCRIPT

Chief SO [REDACTED]: What makes you so sure that this is the right place?

Investigator [REDACTED]: Nothing, Chief. I picked this spot to meet because of its neutrality.

Officer [REDACTED]: Do you even know where the witness resides?

Investigator: Of course. She had to be brought in for questioning somehow.

Chief: Why didn’t we just go straight there? I am aware of the danger, but we are armed professionals. The witness is just a madwoman with a knife.

Investigator: Dagger. [Pauses] And for all we know, they’ve had training. She is clearly very careful. I had my assistant pull up their file this morning, and the only information on it is where she lives.

Chief: Well, careful or not, her anonymity has come to its end. Let's go in, folks.

[Static and a click]

[Different transcript, this one from a personal voice recorder.]

NOTE from File Curator: I apologize for the following file. I couldn’t erase it from the record.

[BEEP]

LDO: It is 5:45 on Tuesday, December 11th. [Takes a deep breath] Let me begin by dictating... [Stops] by saying that speaking in this way is hard for me. But this is of high importance. I have been left behind due to a “lack of complete trust” in my motivations. By the time anyone is hearing or reading this, I’m most likely going to be… in hiding. I have enemies who would love me out of the picture, and I would prefer to extend—I mean, live a little longer. [Nervous laugh] [A thud in the distance] That’s them. Before I go, I need to say this: I know who the killer is. I’ve known since before the Blue investigation. I’m doing my best to negate their impact, but who would believe me?

[Loud thud, very close]

LDO [Whispered]: The killer is—[BANG]

Unknown: Ah, ah, ah. Nice try, my dear LDO.

[THUD]

[CLICK]

[END TRANSCRIPT]

[BEEP]

[Loud knocking]

Chief: We know you’re in there! Open up!

Investigator: Try the door.

[Sound of door opening]

Officer: [Pause] It’s unlocked? That’s…

Investigator: Worrying.

Chief: Quite.

Officer: Nothing for it. We have to enter. [Beat]

Investigator: Well?Officer: What?Investigator: You said we had to go in, then just stood there.

Officer: Sorry. Got distracted.

Chief: With what? The architecture?

Officer: Precisely. How’d you know?

Investigator: Come on, y’all. You’re just stalling. [Sound of Investigator walking up the stairs and into the house, the Chief SO following after a second.]

Officer: Why do I feel like this is a trap? [Second of silence, then they walk up the steps as well.]

[Different transcript, unidentifiable source.]

Unknown: Phase One completed with a small hiccup, but complete nevertheless. Phase Two underway, although it was almost ruined… but now it is moving along exactly as I planned it. They have all the information, all the clues needed to find and arrest me… but it’s arranged in a way that ensures they likely never will.

[CLICK]

Officer: The quiet in here reminds me of QR3. Far quieter than it should be.

Chief: What do you think, Miss [REDACTED]?

Investigator: This house has clearly not been disturbed in over four days. In fact… This explains the door. When we removed the witness from their house for questioning, we didn’t lock it when we left, as our priorities were her… restraint. The witness hasn’t been here since then.

Chief: Clever. She knew we’d look here.

Officer: Restraint? Investigator, what are you not saying?

Investigator: Let’s just say “just a madwoman” is not the right description, Officer.

Chief: [Sighs] At least they’re smart enough to be afraid of us.Officer: Or-

Investigator: What?

Officer: Nevermind.

Chief: Spit it out, what is it?

Officer: I was—I was thinking maybe she’s planning to ambush us, but there are three of us and one of her, so that makes zero logical sense.

Investigator: I’ll write up the report, but you know the Legal Security Council is going to ask where we’re looking next.

Officer: Where are we looking next?Chief: That’s a great question.

[A couple beats of silence]

Investigator: Let’s head back to HQ to debrief and figure out our next move.

Officer: [Relieved] Sounds like a plan.

[CLICK]

Unknown: The LDO tried to help me—once. But regret it they did. And then they tried to ruin me. Ha! I’m no amateur. And this time, they will truly rue it all.

[CLICK]

Investigator: —lost your mind!

Officer: I have not. It’s a perfectly reasonable suspicion.

Investigator: And if I told Chief?Officer: If you tell him, I’ll—

[Car door opens, sound of someone getting in, door closes with a bang.]

[The click of a seat belt] 

Chief: Why are you two so tense?

Investigator: We were discussing possible secondary suspects. The conversation led nowhere.

Officer: Yep. [Clears throat] Nowhere whatsoever. 

Investigator: [Sighs] Just drive, Officer [REDACTED]. Just drive.

[CLICK]

[BEEP]

Civilian: What is this? A sound recorder? There are a lot of files on it.

Unknown: That there is mine.

Civilian: You look like the kind of person who has a million of these lyin’ around. Surely you can spare one.

Unknown: I don’t think so. Don’t make me take that from you.

Civilian: I’d like to see you try.

Unknown: You would? [Delightedly] Oh, how lovely!

[BANG] 

Civilian: Where… where are you taking me?

Unknown: Somewhere you won’t have time to forget.

[CLICK]