Thursday, April 2, 2015

Dog's Life: Got a scent I can't follow

Boring. If I had to pick a word to describe this March, it'd be boring. And that's not to say that I haven't made any progress. No, I've been working my ass off, to an extent. But the work itself is boring, no two ways about it.

Thanks to Vallus, I know the Doll Ralph and I are looking for is someone within Black Lake's mask-wearing police force. Gotta be one of 'em, or at least I hope, else I'm barking up the wrong tree. (Bad fucking joke, so sue me.) Let me tell you something: if you have never seen a cop wearing a mask like some fucking proxy, count yourself lucky. That shit is creepy as hell, and I spend a lot of time around proxies these days. Somehow it's more unsettling to see them wear a uniform.

So I've been following a bunch of these fuckers around, and trying to nail down their routines on and off the clock. That last part is difficult, since they're all wearing masks, and there's no telling who's who once they disappear into their station and reappear without the masks on. Fortunately I've got a pretty keen eye, and after a while, managed to pin down one of the guys by the way he walks. Not before I'd spent several fucking weeks staring out of my car window at the bastards in agonized boredom. But I pinned him, all the same.

Now, this particular guy I started tracking on a hunch. And apparently my intuition for this kind of shit is pretty good, because it turns out he's got an odd routine some days.

That hotel Vallus is staying at, the one Ralph and I had to duck out of when we first arrived in Black Lake? Yeah, this guy visits it at least three days a week, once before his shift, and once right after he's off. That right there is one helluva red flag. I don't see any other cops with a similar routine, visiting some place like that or even that hotel in particular.

This kind of suspicious behavior gets me wondering, so I leave off my stake-out of the rest of the force and track this guy a little while. Standard routine, by the looks of things, except for that one consistent deviation from the norm. Weird shit, y'know?

So I went to the hotel once ahead of when I knew he'd be there, and I hung around fiddling with my cell phone like I was waiting for someone. Eventually, my guy came in, and made a bee-line for a door marked 'employee's only'. He got in no problem, without so much as a flash of his badge or ID. I don't think I have to point out how fucking suspicious that is. I tried to follow him through the door, but the guy at the desk caught me almost immediately, like he'd been watching for that kind of thing. Doesn't make me feel terribly confident, but it is what it is. I played it off cool like a simple mistake, and the guy seemed like he bought it so I left.

And that's where I'm at now. That door is not budging for me, I'm pretty goddamn sure. I'm out of options, so, knowing what I know...

Vallus. You've got the in here. As a guest at that hotel, you have the best look at what's going on behind closed doors, and the most opportunities to figure out if this fucker is our guy. I know we ain't exactly friends, and I haven't done much to change that, but this is something slipping around right under both our noses. Any help you can lend is much appreciated. Since I know you read this fucking thing, I figured this was the best way to get in contact with ya. Just...comment or whatever letting me know you'll help out. If you don't want to, at least I'll know I'm on my own with this one.

So there it is. The whole of my adventure this past month, it would seem. Fucking Black Lake. There's something eerie about this place. Or something is off with me, maybe? I don't know. The TV stations from the Loop in Fracture's compound followed me here. Can't get a damn thing but fucked up horror shows on the scummy hotel TV. Oh well.

-Cerebrus

1 comment:

  1. I don't know what move access being a guest can get me on your mark when your wall seems to be an employee only section.... but I do hate the Mask Patrol more than I hate you two. If you want my help, I'm in. I'll call Ralph and tell him where you can go to meet me tonight.

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