DiscoDude: ---BEGIN SESSION---
DiscoDude: Session logging commenced
GM: When last we left off, the two of you were each about to hear a different Amoccelli's side to Yakopi's "final night" at the estate.
GM: While Harry is upstairs and in the process of questioning Dario, the uncle, Norwick is out on the north patio as Alto, the nephew and CEO, begins to regale his tale about how he spent what he didn't realize would be his last evening with the komachik local he admired the most.
GM: "Where to begin..." He stares longingly out at the workers in the vineyard. "Well. The evening started with one of those boring conferences my uncle insists on having me attend. I don't even think my Yakopi was there in the annex that time - he usually has much to say when he does! Honestly, I wanted it to end so we can all go to the party already."
GM: Harry, up in the south-facing sunroom overlooking the shooting terrace, Dario has Cesare pour you a glass of water as he ponders how to begin his own story.
GM: "It began with a pre-mixer meeting to discuss the more numerical minutia," he says finally. "This was out in the annex building we use for exactly that purpose. I remember Yakopi being there, but he didn't say much. He had grown awfully quiet in the week leading up to his disappearance, and he had been avoiding Alto."
GM: (Any reactions/leading questions?)
Norwick: Norwick listens intently to Alto's story. Mostly disregarding the fluff that he's put forth so far as to not weigh down any important juicy bits. He does keep in mind that Yakopi was not in the conference room with Alto, since he did convey that they usually are and has much to talk about.
GM: "Anyway, the boring executive people talked about this and that, but soon they were done, so I went to my window... which is in my room, yes. I went to my room!" Alto seems to catch himself on something he said, but resumes. "I went there to watch the not-executive guests arriving. We were having a business mixer between a lot of different companies, you see."
GM: (Any reaction on your side, Harry?)
Harry: "Some bad blood developed between the two of them, you think?"
Harry: (i don't remember if Dario mentioned to Harry if Alto and Yakopi were a thing)
GM: "I can't claim to know the details on... whatever their relationship was. I know that my idiot nephew has done a bit of casual flirting, but I think it had gone over that bird's head. I have no reason to assume it went further than that, nor what caused this recent gap between them.
"Anyway, the meeting adjorned, we all went together back to the main building. I believe the other guests were arriving out front by that point."
Norwick: Norwick nodded and continued listening, although, now grabbing his phone he begins to text Harry, "Getting a confession of some kind from Alto. The night of our man's disappearance. He seems fidgety about certain things in his story. Want me to relay some of what he's saying back to you?"
Harry: Harry surreptitiously texts back: "Do that, and also ask him if he noticed any change in Yakopi's behavior in the week leading up to his disappearance."
Norwick: Norwick texts back with a simple, "'Kay, I'll ask him first before relying some stuff." He puts down the phone and looks at Alto, "Sorry to interrupt your lil recounting of what happened, but did you notice anything weird about Yakopi's behavior a week prior to this?"
GM: "I'm sorry, is there something more pressing for you at the moment?" Dario raises an eyebrow.
Harry: Harry ignores the question. "Can you account for Alto's movements prior to that? Was he doing anything or going anyplace unusual, say, right before Yakopi's change in attitude?"
GM: "Er... Yes, actually." Alto sighs. "I don't know. He was just, more... distante. Maybe that is why I was so desparate when I finally met him at the party."
GM: Dario scoffs.
"I wouldn't know. I was at the meeting, like Yakopi, our vice-president Yugo-410, and all the other executives. Except my nephew, of course; he insists on phoning in from his room whenever I make him attend a meeting. It's better than nothing, of course, but... honestly."
Harry: Harry smirks a little. "I get the impression your nephew is something of an idiot."
GM: "Well, I do wonder what gave you that impression." He gives you an "are you serious" look. "In all honesty though, he has more savvy than he lets on; he's just... averse to exerting himself too much. And often lets his emotions rule his reason."
Norwick: Norwick nods as he texts Harry, "He said he didn't know if Yakopi was in the conference room with him, since he's apparently very talkative when he's in there. He also was quick to correct something about a window being his, and explained it was his bedroom window. And apparently Yakopi was more distant, and was desperate to see him at the party." He looks at Alto and makes a rolling hand gesture for him to continue the story.
Harry: "And you'd say you're the opposite on that last front?" Harry says, with an eyebrow raised.
GM: "I don't really want to comment on whether this counts as complimenting myself, but; yes."
GM: "So... yes, I end up finding him at the party downstairs. I thought I glimpsed him coming in from out front, so maybe he had skipped the meeting... When he actually engaged me in conversation when I found him, I was..." Alto seems to be holding back tears. "I could not help myself! I took him by the hand and led him to a room we weren't using and... oh, buon Dio, this is embarrassing..."
Harry: "So about the meeting. It didn't happen to concern a certain contract, did it? One between the Amoccellis and the komachi tribe?"
GM: (Did you ever bring up the contract with Dario before?)
GM: (... No, I suppose you didn't. I would have had him react earlier if you did."
Harry: (oh shoot, hang on, lemme edit my line)
GM: "... No. What would you know of it, detective?" Dario suddenly seems much more guarded.
Norwick: Norwick continued his hand rolling motion, "Go on..." He said, keeping his phone at the ready to text Harry about anything new that may come up.
GM: "I... confessed my feelings for him." Alto shoots a wide-eyed look of horror at you, Norwick. "That's right! I had feelings for him! I have feelings for all of them, really, but I feel like I had a chance with my Yakopi in particular..." Tears are flowing down his face now.
Harry: "I know it's come up in our investigation. It ensures an amicable arrangement between you and the komachi, doesn't it? We have reason to believe it may have provided motive for Yakopi's death somehow." He crosses his arms. "If it puts your mind at ease, I haven't heard anything yet that would indicate you or your nephew as a suspect. However, given the circumstances, it's likely the killing happened on your property. Cooperating in this matter would help eliminate any remaining suspicion towards the Amoccellis."
Norwick: Norwick got up and hovered over him, placing a hand on his shoulder and patting it. "It's fine, everything is fine. How did he...uh...respond to that? Unrequited, I take it?" He says, pocketing his phone to give his sympathies. "Also uh, inter-species relationships aren't too strange too me. Although I don't know about your culture and it's stigmas. So I'm not really judging you here on that."
GM: "... I suppose I'll let the issue of how you knew the details of a certain sensitive legal document slide. For now." Dario doesn't seem amused, to say the least. "In the meantime, your word is hardly comforting in regards to Yakopi's death being on our property. Are you suggesting someone from his tribe killed him? Only Yakopi and Sanko, the workers' representative, were allowed inside the main house that evening." A thought occurs to him. "Come to think of it, shortly before dinner, I had to stop a spat between her and Cesare."
Harry: "Tell me more about Sanko."
GM: "Species was... ah, not the issue. Rather, he... sniff... he rejected me because of my gender. I... I suppose I was forgetting how much of a taboo it can be for l-less advanced people, but... even if I should have seen it coming, it was no less destroying!" Alto is weeping openly now. "H-he left me alone in that room, and, and... I only come out when the dinner bell rings..."
Norwick: "Ah, that's...rough." Norwick pats his shoulder again, "I wouldn't know about gender problems. So I'm sorry to hear that's what the problem was. Did...Anything else happen that night? Anything at all?" Norwick says, still hovering over him to make sure he's completely fine.
GM: "She's a bit curt, but a lot less nosy than the diplomat, that's for sure. Sanko Tobi, I believe her full name was. She's diligent, at least. I don't know what her opinion of Yakopi was, but Cesare never liked either of them. He was yelling at her during the party about how she wasn't allowed in, until I gave him a reminder that I explicitly said she was one of the two that were."
Harry: "One of the the two what?"
GM: "Komachi. The ones well-behaved and fluent enough to directly attend the party. Yakopi was the other."
GM: It takes a moment for Alto to calm down.
"I see him a few seats down at the dinner table, but he seemed to act like that moment we just had never happened! Back to being distant! I... I was a fool; I wanted to plead my case to him a second time, to ask him to reconsider - 'if you reject so much else of your people's ways, why not this,' and all that. So I went looking for him again after dessert..." Alto is burying his head in his hands.
Harry: "I take it this prohibition would not extend to your non-Komachi employees?"
GM: "Partly, but only among the wait-staff for the party itself. Any house-worker not directly contributing to that would also be put on standby. Management and relations staff - Yakopi and Sanko included - were allowed to attend as guests, meanwhile. Did you wish to imply something?"
Norwick: Norwick pats him again, "Traditions are one thing, sexual preference is a completely different story, Alto. But, sorry, this isn't about that. This is about trying to bring justice to who killed Yakopi...Did you manage to find him after dessert? Or is that where this ends?" He says, still trying to give a shoulder to cry on to earn his trust.
GM: "I... I end up finding Cesare, our head of estate staff. I figured he would know where he went. But he said nothing useful before... I hear a shot, and then more. 'That has to be him,' I think. 'Aside from myself and uncle, only Yakopi actually uses the shooting range,' I think! I... I thought maybe he was blowing off steam after I must have infuriated him so..."
Harry: "Mostly I'm curious about the practical end of the agreement. The Amoccellis get to do as they wish with the komachi's land, and the komachi themselves are given special treatment - their village gets left alone, they get jobs, they get recompense, and they get the Amoccellis' support. Seems like a good deal on paper. I'm curious, though, if there was any kind of personal friction at play."
Harry: "Put another way: was this infraction between Cesare and Sanko the only example of such an attitude on his part, or would you call it a pattern?"
Norwick: Norwick raises an eyebrow, "Well, I think that might be where he died, Alto..." He takes his phone out and texts Harry, "So, Alto being a suspect is out of the question. Although, he did see somebody named Cesare, before hearing gunshots. Yakopi was missing this entire time." He then looks at Alto, "Was Cesare still within sight when you heard the gunshots?"
Harry: Harry texts back: "Cesare seems to have a thing against komachi. Looking further into it right now."
GM: "... I don't doubt that there was a pattern, but not on the systemic scale you think; Cesare always gets defensive whenever we have new blood, to be fair, but I suppose Yakopi's encroachments had him particularly anxious. Especially considering Yakopi was allowed to eat at the executive's table with us and Cesare isn't. He presumes too much about his own job position, I think."
Harry: "Do tell me more about Cesare. I get the impression he's more than just a manservant?"
GM: "Y-yes, I might be thinking that now, too... I went out to the range, and no-one is there. I... I don't think so, anyway. The sun had set completely by then, and not all the lighting was on outside."
Norwick: "Is there camera by the shooting range? Or perhaps cameras near gun lockers? We might be able to find the person that killed them if we have that footage and use that for our alibi against them." He asks, tapping his chin. "...Are the gun lockers filmed, by chance?"
GM: "But of course; he's the head of the estate. He manages all the day-to-day delegations between us and our house-staff. He... doesn't actually hold a position within the company, yet I get the feeling he finds his own duties more important than even that of our vice-president. Lord knows it took forever for that geckoan to warm up to her."
Harry: "So he's personal staff, not corporate. I see. Is there anywhere he might have been able to go that, say, the employees wouldn't have been allowed? Not without raising notice, at least?"
GM: "N-no, but the guns themselves are tethered to the pull stations, and keep digital round records - smart-guns, you know? Nobody's actually used the range since that night, come to think of it."
Norwick: Norwick looks at him with a blank stare, "...You should really get a camera system on the range and lockers. That doesn't sound...secure." He then taps his chin once more, "Do you have access to these records? This might be the golden ticket to catching the perp, especially if it registers who used it on that night. Also, did any cameras pick up the gun shots? That could also narrow it down to how much was used."
GM: "Well, he generally doesn't leave the main house, except when he goes to bed in his annex cabin. Obviously, our personal offices and meeting rooms are off-limits to normal staff usually. Why do you ask? Is there a place in particular you think might be of interest? You mentioned Yakopi dying on our property, but you've failed to inform me of any of the specifics."
GM: "We do have access, actually! We, ah... don't have biometrics on the guns. They're just locked unless they're pointed out at sea and a round of ducks have been pulled. One would think that should be safety enough..."
Harry: "There's a spot on your property which overlooks the river gorge where the body was found. It would have been the perfect place to dispose of it - if, again, the river happened to flow out to sea. And if it wasn't for dumb luck, the body might never have been found anyway." He glances out the window. "You said 'generally.' Are there any special circumstances he regularly leaves the main house?"
Norwick: "You'd be surprised...And, this sounds like somebody working within your housing killed him. If they knew all that. Mind if we look over those records, then? Maybe we can find the gun and dust for fingerprints...If nobody else used that gun in particular after all that time, of course." He gets up and starts texting Harry. "Was Yakopi shot? Because it sounds like we might have our smoking gun...literally. And by the sounds of the safety, using a gun would require extensive knowledge for it to actually fire and not lock up. Alto and I might be going to see the records, no biometrics though. Maybe fingerprints. Oh and the gun can only fire when pointed outwards towards the sea, and when the dummy ducks have been launched."
GM: "You mean the vineyards? That's the closest piece of developed property I can think of in regards to the gorge itself, and the fence ends close to a kilometre before the precipice. I do see Cesare head out to address the fieldworkers at times, but not the night of Yakopi's disapearance. But then, I suppose I wasn't present on the ground floor the whole night."
Harry: "So - and this is just a hypothetical - if Cesare killed Yakopi that night, and dumped the body, it's entirely possible he'd have had the opportunity to do so without you or anyone being suspicious of his absence?"
Harry: (i'm gonna wait for a response, and then ask him regarding the stuff Nor just texted me)
GM: "Oh, um... Yes, if it would lead to you figuring out who did this..."
(Allow me a moment to focus more on finishing Harry's side of the scene now.)
Norwick: (( gotcha ))
GM: "Possibly. Again, you're using rather vague terms. During much of the after-party, I was actually having a meeting up here in this very room with Yugo-410, the Amoccelli Group's vice president... Tell me, was Yakopi shot?"
Harry: (...oh my god. i'm picturing a murder method that is screaming Danganronpa.)
Harry: Harry takes a deep breath. "In all honesty, the body's condition suggests he suffered a traumatic, fatal fall. Or was beaten to death by someone with the approximate strength and mass of a bulldozer. However. My partner reports your nephew did hear gunshots the night of the disappearance." He puts his hands in his pockets. "Where exactly is your shooting range?"
GM: "As I told you before, right out there." Dario gestures out the windowed walls to the terrace below; and beyond that, the sea. "In fact, the reason I asked is because I also heard shots ringing out from there. 410 and I even saw the gun flashing when we turned to look, but it was too far and too dark besides for me to make out who it was."
Harry: Harry frowns internally. The arc of gravity's rainbow, as one of his favorite movie detectives once put it, is pulling him inexorably towards a conclusion he can hardly put to words, as outlandish as it is. And yet - he stares out at the shooting range, and tries to judge where exactly that precise arc might deposit a body launched like a dummy duck.
GM: (Is that your last line for the scene? XD)
Harry: (if the response to my line of thought is "the victim could have been launched, shot in midair, and then landed in the gorge," then yes)
GM: (Er, the house is about half a kilometre along the cliff-top from the gorge's mouth.)
Harry: (ahhhhhh damn)
Harry: (well, still. it could have at least caused the injuries)
Harry: (or rather)
Harry: (is it plausible that the victim's state was the result of him having been launched like a dummy duck? and shot in midair, for good measure?)
Harry: (like, whether he landed in the gorge doesn't matter at this point; i'm just curious, given "the guns are only unlocked when the ducks are launched")
Harry: (it's stupid but it's the scenario that came together in my head XD)
Harry: (again if it doesn't work, let me know)
GM: (He certainly could have been shot in midair! I'd say whether he was "launched" this way is unknown, however. You might have to examine the mechanism yourself.)
Harry: "I think I'm going to have to take you up on that invitation to visit the shooting range," Harry says.
Harry: (and now I'm good XD)
GM: (Ah, cool! Norwick, same?)
Norwick: ( yup! )
GM: (Then let us...)
GM: !end
