[SCENE] Gumshoe and Edgeworth in: A Rainy Investigation
((You do know what happens if we don't find anything identifying the murderer, right, detective? :|))
((does it start with a P and end with a T...?))
((... if by that you mean "put gumshoe to work all night" then yes))
Gumshoe: *May 3, 2019, 4:30 AM--murders always seem to take place at the most ungodly of hours, and today is no exception. Gumshoe arrives at the scene of the crime about 15 minutes late, still groggy after having been passed out with his head on his desk when the call came in. He doesn't realize how heavy the rain is falling until he gets there, lightning clapping just above their heads. He approaches Edgeworth's dark silhouette from behind, wiping from his brow what could be rain or sweat for all he knows, with the back of his coat sleeve* I'm here, sir!
Edgeworth: *it's 4:30 AM, and a very disgruntled Edgeworth has been surveying the crime scene for a full fifteen minutes with nothing but a light overcoat to keep him from the rain. His hair has long been matted to his forehead, his cravat is a limply hanging soggy scarf. The crime scene, of course, just had to take place a block and a half from his condominium. He, of course, just had to have still been up reading matters in relation to a certain spikey haired lawyer's disbarral. And of course, once noticing the bright red and blue lights of the squad cars from his window, he just had to feel compelled to take a look at the scene himself*
Edgeworth: When he hears Gumshoe's incoming yell he turns 'round, several times more menacing than usual in this soaking wet weather* Detective. What kept you?
Gumshoe: S-sorry, Mr. Edgeworth! I fell asleep and I had this dream about Lunchland steaklunches and...! *swallows hard* You're looking a little wet, sir.
Edgeworth: *scowls* Much like your salary review next month. *wipes his forehead with a handkerchief--but the handkerchief, already wet, seems to only make it worse. In disgust, he tosses the square of cloth into a nearby trash can and turns to face the crime scene once more. Several feet away, in an alleyway at the side of a condominium, two men from forensics are laying down tape around a splayed out body* Tell me you brought the umbrella.
Gumshoe: *instinctively slumps at the mention of his salary, his expression as gloomy the weather*
Gumshoe: ....! *suddenly remembers that he's totally forgotten to bring one at the mention of it* Uh...I'll be right back, sir. Just sit tight right where you are. I think I have one in the car! *sprints off without waiting for a response, stepping in puddles that splash muddy rainwater all over his pants and the hem of his coat along the way*
Edgeworth: *as the rain continues pouring down on his head* Only you would forget to take out an umbrella in this weather.
Edgeworth: *instead of just waiting in place for the detective to return, Edgeworth walks over to the victim's body and occupies himself with studying the corpse for the next few minutes. Front and center on the man's chest is a gash at least eight inches long, a terrible bloody sight but probably not the fatal blow. Just below that wound, however, is another red gash, one taking up a smaller space but seeming to go far deeper into the body... likely piercing a vital organ or two. The body as a whole lies a large puddle of liquid, though in the poor lighting it's unclear whether it's merely water, or if it's actually watered down blood*
Gumshoe: *sloshes back a few minutes later with a big black, sturdy-looking umbrella in hand* Here we go! *without wasting another second, he opens it--the impact spraying the both of them with big drops of rainwater that had accumulated on its surface*
Gumshoe: Urk, sorry, sir. *he quickly holds it up to shelter the prosecutor from getting any more drenched. Fortunately, it's a wide umbrella that does its job perfectly and easily covers Edgeworth's head and broad shoulders beneath it*
Edgeworth: *sighs, attempting to wipe his face clean one last time before jabbing a finger at the taped off corpse* Here. He was found almost forty minutes ago, after a neighbour heard yells in the street. What do you make of it, detective?
Gumshoe: *looks at the murder victim for the very first time since he's arrived. With a completely straight face:* He looks kinda cold and wet, sir.
Edgeworth: ...Why detective, you've solved the case. Someone get the corpse a blanket and this man a raise. *rubs at his forehead with a hand, the hour and the weather clearly not helping his mood*
Gumshoe: *his shoulders droop, causing the umbrella to slightly shift as well, but he quickly whips it back into place* You're being sadistic aren't you, Mr. Edgeworth?
Edgeworth: *raises an eyebrow at Gumshoe's errant wording* ...Seeing as I'm out here in the rain at 4 AM with you, detective, it's clearly the opposite. *glares* At any rate. The witness who called in saw an unarmed man run off in that direction *jabs a finger back towards the street, towards the parked police cars* and a pair of officers are currently attempting to catch his trail. Without any luck, might I mention.
Edgeworth: *waves a hand towards the rest of the area* On this front, we've found no fingerprints, no trace of the murderer to date--and no sign of a murder weapon.
Gumshoe: *sighs* Sounds like another all-nighter. *blinks some rain out of his eye* This rain doesn't seem to be letting up either. You think the rainwater's washed away the evidence?
Edgeworth: Trace evidence, perhaps. The murder weapon, no. *paces along the borders of the cordoned off crime scene, expecting, of course, for his umbrella cover to follow him perfectly* If we simply had a lead...
Gumshoe: *follows diligently. If there's one thing Gumshoe can pride himself as, it's as an expert umbrella holder. He mirrors the prosecutor's words with wriggling eyebrows and rainwater dripping off the tip of his nose* If we only had a lead...
Forensics: *takes that very moment to announce aloud:* Sir, we found something, sir! *runs up to Edgeworth and Gumshoe, presenting... a rather flimsy single-person umbrella, opened* It's still got the victim's fingerprints on it!
Edgeworth: ...The victim's fingerprints. *bluntly* So it was his umbrella and he dropped it when he was killed, the wind carting it off some distance-hence the delay in its discovery. *stares stonily at the Forensics guy* And what, pray tell, does this do for us?
Forensics: Well, uh... ........... *offers the umbrella forward to the two men again* ... It's still a perfectly usable umbrella?
Gumshoe: *though the brim of the umbrella he's holding for Edgeworth is wide, it's not quite enough to fit the both of them. Gumshoe shakes off a chill as the rain pounds down on them harder than ever. He frowns* That doesn't help us much does it, Mr. Edgeworth?
Edgeworth: Indeed. *gestures at Gumshoe, turning somewhat to glance at the shaggy man* As you can see, the good detective already brought an umbrella--
Edgeworth: ..........
Edgeworth: ..........
Edgeworth: *his eyes narrow*
Gumshoe: *blinks* S-something on my face, sir?
Edgeworth: *jabs a finger, pointing... not at the detective, but at the umbrella he's holding* Gumshoe. My umbrella has a straight mahogany handle. This one's is a J-shape in light brown.
Gumshoe: *his eyebrows dance briefly in thought before he states plainly* That's 'cus this isn't your umbrella, sir.
Edgeworth: *repeating* It isn't mine... *almost contemplatively, as he taps his index finger against his temple* ...and when you opened it, there was already a heavy amount of rainwater collected on its surface...
Edgeworth: You... you found it here at the scene of the crime, didn't you?
Gumshoe: *looks at him blankly* Well not here here, sir. * points to an open dumpster a few feet away * I found it over there.
Edgeworth: ................
Edgeworth: Examine that umbrella at once! And you-- *to the other Forensics man in the background* check out that dumpster!
Forensics: *the man who'd been standing there all along huffs a protest* H-hey...! How's that umbrella any different from the one I'm offering?
Gumshoe: *possessively pulls the umbrella in closer so the forensics guy can't whisk it away* It's a lot more expensive looking, that's for sure!
Edgeworth: *crossing his arms, glaring impatiently* Detective. Quit chattering on trivialities and examine that umbrella!
Gumshoe: *salutes with his free hand* Yessir! *lowers the umbrella, letting the rain pour down on them relentlessly* It looks like a regular old umbrella to me, sir... *as he fumbles around with it in his wet hands, there's a soft click and a smooth sliding sound. For a moment the umbrella appears to be broken into two*
Gumshoe: *his eyes bulge in horror* I think I broke it, sir!
Edgeworth: *shakes his head condescendingly* Quite the opposite. I believe you've just... unsheathed it. *and indeed, the handle and pole have separated from the wrapped up canopy and faux blunt tip of the umbrella, the full length of the revealed metal blade seeming painfully sharp-edged even in the dull light. Nearly the entire length of the weapon is coated in a thick dark red substance, to boot*
Gumshoe: *vigorously scratches at the back of his soaked head, splattering everyone in close proximity with water from his hair* Looks like we found the murder weapon, sir! *his wide grin is interrupted when his body jerks back as he feels a strong sneeze coming on* Aaaachoo!
Edgeworth: *to the forensics man, who's still kicking his feet beside them* Bag it quick, before the rain washes away anything vital.
Forensics: *jumps to do so, reluctantly setting down the first umbrella in exchange for the weapon, and scuttling off*
Edgeworth: * turns to Gumshoe and taps a finger impatiently against his arm* I sincerely hope for your sake that you did not destroy any fingerprints with your foolhardy behaviour.
Gumshoe: *sniffs and wipes his nose with the sleeve of his jacket* I hope so too, sir. *grabs the cheap umbrella off the ground* Hey, this'll do!
Gumshoe: *holds it up over Edgworth's drenched head with a chuckle* It's a lot smaller but better than nothin' right?
Edgeworth: ............. *raises an eyebrow, seeming to note--for the first time--how entirely Gumshoe is exposed to the rain* Let's head back to the cars. We can stay there until they give us a response on the matter of the fingerprints.
Gumshoe: Yes, sir! *follows loyally behind, careful to keep the other man sheltered, like a trained (wet) dog*
Edgeworth: *waits in one of the squad cars with Gumshoe... most likely because there is no way on earth he would soil his own waiting vehicle's leather interiors with the condition the both of them are in. After a few minutes one of the forensics men run over, tapping urgently on the window*
Forensics: A report, sir! There were fingerprints obtained from the weapon... ...And not just the detective's!
Forensics: I've sent it to the precinct, and apparently we've got them on record. They're moving to the suspect's listed address right now!
Edgeworth: Very good. *rolls the window back up* Well. That's the extent I'm involving myself in this matter.
Gumshoe: *turns to the prosecutor, still dripping but at least a little warmer now* That's great news! *chuckles* Glad I'm not a suspect this time...considering how my prints are all over the murder weapon and all.
Edgeworth: ........Fortunately, yes. It's also fortunate identifiable prints were found on the weapon... or else I'd have sent you to every store in the city that sells such novelty items. Before the sun rose. *opens the car door, pausing a moment after he does so-and hesitating*
Edgeworth: ...You did well today, detective. ...At least, concerning everything aside from your handling of the murder weapon. *and this roundabout message delivered, he shuts the door and steps out, over to his car. He doesn't waste any time driving off, down the two blocks to his building*
Gumshoe: *stares blankly at the wet spot where the prosecutor had been sitting just seconds before. It finally dawns on him that Mr. Edgeworth has just praised him and that brings a huge grin to his face. He chuckles jollily and heads out towards his own beatup car. The sun's already starting to come up and the rain has started to halt. He stretches his body out with a happy sigh. It's turned out to be quite a rewarding day, er, night for this satisfied detective*
((does it start with a P and end with a T...?))
((... if by that you mean "put gumshoe to work all night" then yes))
Gumshoe: *May 3, 2019, 4:30 AM--murders always seem to take place at the most ungodly of hours, and today is no exception. Gumshoe arrives at the scene of the crime about 15 minutes late, still groggy after having been passed out with his head on his desk when the call came in. He doesn't realize how heavy the rain is falling until he gets there, lightning clapping just above their heads. He approaches Edgeworth's dark silhouette from behind, wiping from his brow what could be rain or sweat for all he knows, with the back of his coat sleeve* I'm here, sir!
Edgeworth: *it's 4:30 AM, and a very disgruntled Edgeworth has been surveying the crime scene for a full fifteen minutes with nothing but a light overcoat to keep him from the rain. His hair has long been matted to his forehead, his cravat is a limply hanging soggy scarf. The crime scene, of course, just had to take place a block and a half from his condominium. He, of course, just had to have still been up reading matters in relation to a certain spikey haired lawyer's disbarral. And of course, once noticing the bright red and blue lights of the squad cars from his window, he just had to feel compelled to take a look at the scene himself*
Edgeworth: When he hears Gumshoe's incoming yell he turns 'round, several times more menacing than usual in this soaking wet weather* Detective. What kept you?
Gumshoe: S-sorry, Mr. Edgeworth! I fell asleep and I had this dream about Lunchland steaklunches and...! *swallows hard* You're looking a little wet, sir.
Edgeworth: *scowls* Much like your salary review next month. *wipes his forehead with a handkerchief--but the handkerchief, already wet, seems to only make it worse. In disgust, he tosses the square of cloth into a nearby trash can and turns to face the crime scene once more. Several feet away, in an alleyway at the side of a condominium, two men from forensics are laying down tape around a splayed out body* Tell me you brought the umbrella.
Gumshoe: *instinctively slumps at the mention of his salary, his expression as gloomy the weather*
Gumshoe: ....! *suddenly remembers that he's totally forgotten to bring one at the mention of it* Uh...I'll be right back, sir. Just sit tight right where you are. I think I have one in the car! *sprints off without waiting for a response, stepping in puddles that splash muddy rainwater all over his pants and the hem of his coat along the way*
Edgeworth: *as the rain continues pouring down on his head* Only you would forget to take out an umbrella in this weather.
Edgeworth: *instead of just waiting in place for the detective to return, Edgeworth walks over to the victim's body and occupies himself with studying the corpse for the next few minutes. Front and center on the man's chest is a gash at least eight inches long, a terrible bloody sight but probably not the fatal blow. Just below that wound, however, is another red gash, one taking up a smaller space but seeming to go far deeper into the body... likely piercing a vital organ or two. The body as a whole lies a large puddle of liquid, though in the poor lighting it's unclear whether it's merely water, or if it's actually watered down blood*
Gumshoe: *sloshes back a few minutes later with a big black, sturdy-looking umbrella in hand* Here we go! *without wasting another second, he opens it--the impact spraying the both of them with big drops of rainwater that had accumulated on its surface*
Gumshoe: Urk, sorry, sir. *he quickly holds it up to shelter the prosecutor from getting any more drenched. Fortunately, it's a wide umbrella that does its job perfectly and easily covers Edgeworth's head and broad shoulders beneath it*
Edgeworth: *sighs, attempting to wipe his face clean one last time before jabbing a finger at the taped off corpse* Here. He was found almost forty minutes ago, after a neighbour heard yells in the street. What do you make of it, detective?
Gumshoe: *looks at the murder victim for the very first time since he's arrived. With a completely straight face:* He looks kinda cold and wet, sir.
Edgeworth: ...Why detective, you've solved the case. Someone get the corpse a blanket and this man a raise. *rubs at his forehead with a hand, the hour and the weather clearly not helping his mood*
Gumshoe: *his shoulders droop, causing the umbrella to slightly shift as well, but he quickly whips it back into place* You're being sadistic aren't you, Mr. Edgeworth?
Edgeworth: *raises an eyebrow at Gumshoe's errant wording* ...Seeing as I'm out here in the rain at 4 AM with you, detective, it's clearly the opposite. *glares* At any rate. The witness who called in saw an unarmed man run off in that direction *jabs a finger back towards the street, towards the parked police cars* and a pair of officers are currently attempting to catch his trail. Without any luck, might I mention.
Edgeworth: *waves a hand towards the rest of the area* On this front, we've found no fingerprints, no trace of the murderer to date--and no sign of a murder weapon.
Gumshoe: *sighs* Sounds like another all-nighter. *blinks some rain out of his eye* This rain doesn't seem to be letting up either. You think the rainwater's washed away the evidence?
Edgeworth: Trace evidence, perhaps. The murder weapon, no. *paces along the borders of the cordoned off crime scene, expecting, of course, for his umbrella cover to follow him perfectly* If we simply had a lead...
Gumshoe: *follows diligently. If there's one thing Gumshoe can pride himself as, it's as an expert umbrella holder. He mirrors the prosecutor's words with wriggling eyebrows and rainwater dripping off the tip of his nose* If we only had a lead...
Forensics: *takes that very moment to announce aloud:* Sir, we found something, sir! *runs up to Edgeworth and Gumshoe, presenting... a rather flimsy single-person umbrella, opened* It's still got the victim's fingerprints on it!
Edgeworth: ...The victim's fingerprints. *bluntly* So it was his umbrella and he dropped it when he was killed, the wind carting it off some distance-hence the delay in its discovery. *stares stonily at the Forensics guy* And what, pray tell, does this do for us?
Forensics: Well, uh... ........... *offers the umbrella forward to the two men again* ... It's still a perfectly usable umbrella?
Gumshoe: *though the brim of the umbrella he's holding for Edgeworth is wide, it's not quite enough to fit the both of them. Gumshoe shakes off a chill as the rain pounds down on them harder than ever. He frowns* That doesn't help us much does it, Mr. Edgeworth?
Edgeworth: Indeed. *gestures at Gumshoe, turning somewhat to glance at the shaggy man* As you can see, the good detective already brought an umbrella--
Edgeworth: ..........
Edgeworth: ..........
Edgeworth: *his eyes narrow*
Gumshoe: *blinks* S-something on my face, sir?
Edgeworth: *jabs a finger, pointing... not at the detective, but at the umbrella he's holding* Gumshoe. My umbrella has a straight mahogany handle. This one's is a J-shape in light brown.
Gumshoe: *his eyebrows dance briefly in thought before he states plainly* That's 'cus this isn't your umbrella, sir.
Edgeworth: *repeating* It isn't mine... *almost contemplatively, as he taps his index finger against his temple* ...and when you opened it, there was already a heavy amount of rainwater collected on its surface...
Edgeworth: You... you found it here at the scene of the crime, didn't you?
Gumshoe: *looks at him blankly* Well not here here, sir. * points to an open dumpster a few feet away * I found it over there.
Edgeworth: ................
Edgeworth: Examine that umbrella at once! And you-- *to the other Forensics man in the background* check out that dumpster!
Forensics: *the man who'd been standing there all along huffs a protest* H-hey...! How's that umbrella any different from the one I'm offering?
Gumshoe: *possessively pulls the umbrella in closer so the forensics guy can't whisk it away* It's a lot more expensive looking, that's for sure!
Edgeworth: *crossing his arms, glaring impatiently* Detective. Quit chattering on trivialities and examine that umbrella!
Gumshoe: *salutes with his free hand* Yessir! *lowers the umbrella, letting the rain pour down on them relentlessly* It looks like a regular old umbrella to me, sir... *as he fumbles around with it in his wet hands, there's a soft click and a smooth sliding sound. For a moment the umbrella appears to be broken into two*
Gumshoe: *his eyes bulge in horror* I think I broke it, sir!
Edgeworth: *shakes his head condescendingly* Quite the opposite. I believe you've just... unsheathed it. *and indeed, the handle and pole have separated from the wrapped up canopy and faux blunt tip of the umbrella, the full length of the revealed metal blade seeming painfully sharp-edged even in the dull light. Nearly the entire length of the weapon is coated in a thick dark red substance, to boot*
Gumshoe: *vigorously scratches at the back of his soaked head, splattering everyone in close proximity with water from his hair* Looks like we found the murder weapon, sir! *his wide grin is interrupted when his body jerks back as he feels a strong sneeze coming on* Aaaachoo!
Edgeworth: *to the forensics man, who's still kicking his feet beside them* Bag it quick, before the rain washes away anything vital.
Forensics: *jumps to do so, reluctantly setting down the first umbrella in exchange for the weapon, and scuttling off*
Edgeworth: * turns to Gumshoe and taps a finger impatiently against his arm* I sincerely hope for your sake that you did not destroy any fingerprints with your foolhardy behaviour.
Gumshoe: *sniffs and wipes his nose with the sleeve of his jacket* I hope so too, sir. *grabs the cheap umbrella off the ground* Hey, this'll do!
Gumshoe: *holds it up over Edgworth's drenched head with a chuckle* It's a lot smaller but better than nothin' right?
Edgeworth: ............. *raises an eyebrow, seeming to note--for the first time--how entirely Gumshoe is exposed to the rain* Let's head back to the cars. We can stay there until they give us a response on the matter of the fingerprints.
Gumshoe: Yes, sir! *follows loyally behind, careful to keep the other man sheltered, like a trained (wet) dog*
Edgeworth: *waits in one of the squad cars with Gumshoe... most likely because there is no way on earth he would soil his own waiting vehicle's leather interiors with the condition the both of them are in. After a few minutes one of the forensics men run over, tapping urgently on the window*
Forensics: A report, sir! There were fingerprints obtained from the weapon... ...And not just the detective's!
Forensics: I've sent it to the precinct, and apparently we've got them on record. They're moving to the suspect's listed address right now!
Edgeworth: Very good. *rolls the window back up* Well. That's the extent I'm involving myself in this matter.
Gumshoe: *turns to the prosecutor, still dripping but at least a little warmer now* That's great news! *chuckles* Glad I'm not a suspect this time...considering how my prints are all over the murder weapon and all.
Edgeworth: ........Fortunately, yes. It's also fortunate identifiable prints were found on the weapon... or else I'd have sent you to every store in the city that sells such novelty items. Before the sun rose. *opens the car door, pausing a moment after he does so-and hesitating*
Edgeworth: ...You did well today, detective. ...At least, concerning everything aside from your handling of the murder weapon. *and this roundabout message delivered, he shuts the door and steps out, over to his car. He doesn't waste any time driving off, down the two blocks to his building*
Gumshoe: *stares blankly at the wet spot where the prosecutor had been sitting just seconds before. It finally dawns on him that Mr. Edgeworth has just praised him and that brings a huge grin to his face. He chuckles jollily and heads out towards his own beatup car. The sun's already starting to come up and the rain has started to halt. He stretches his body out with a happy sigh. It's turned out to be quite a rewarding day, er, night for this satisfied detective*