(D4) [ToA] Back at the scene of the crime

[Francis York Morgan]

At the sound of Emily's voice, York blinked and looked at her as if she and the Sheriff had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He maintained that expression as George took the heel from him and made some vague threats having to do with the competency of the Greenvale police department... Emily's face seemed to be reflecting his ire. They both seemed a little at odds with themselves today, if not each other, York reflected. Maybe it was the weather. Lack of serotonin tended to have that effect on untrained minds. His other thought was that Emily looked kind of cute with her face all red like that, but there were too many other things of the same color and less benevolent disposition occupying his attention for him to dwell on it long.

As George rambled on through another of his well-intentioned but probably half-baked theories, York's gaze rove upwards and came to rest at a point past Anna's tree and over Emily's shoulder. His eyes narrowed; then he drew out his gun one-handed and aimed it into the trees.

"George, Emily," he said, clicking the safety off. "This may look a bit strange, especially if it's not deer hunting season... Is it deer hunting season, by the way? Might be something to look forward to when we have some time off... Anyway, unless the deer in Greenvale have a habit of roosting, please don't ask any questions until I give the word. This will all become clear in a moment."

Concentrating for a second or two more, York fired. Almost simultaneously with the loud report of the gun, the rather large bird's nest at which he'd been aiming jumped abruptly into the air and sailed a few feet away into the bushes...

...where it landed with uncanny precision (and unexpectedly hard impact, for such a lightweight object) upon the blond head of the crime scene's hidden intruder.

[Clover]

When she heard the sound of the shot, she jumped in fright.The bush where she was hiden moved exceedingly.
Clover did not expect to hear a gunshot. But either to 'be attacked' by a nest of birds.

" AHHHH, JESUS CHRIST! '' cried Clover when the object fell on her head.

She got frightened again, and also quite hurt by the impact of the object.
Clover got up in a impulse, without thinking, that she was supposed to be hiding from the people she was observing.
Raised her hands to hes head. ''oww...'' and looked with rage at the object, lying on the floor next to her.
Damn nest, why it was so hard?

Suddenly realizing she was exposed, she limited to turning her head towards the tree of Anna. Awkward moment.

[Emily Wyatt]

A mortified Emily grabbed an evidence bag and placed the red heel inside. As she peered at it she tried to remember who was in charge of CSI. Was it Jerry? She would have to double check at the station but someone will need to warn him George may be on the war path if there wasn't a good reason for them missing this evidence!

"Yes it is deer hun-" Emily's answer to York's hunting query stopped mid sentence and her eyes widened and focused on the firearm the had pointed directly over her right shoulder.

She was going to ask York what the hell he was thinking when he fired. Emily quickly turned to see a birds nest sail off the tree directly behind her.

While her eyes followed the nest's descent into the brush Emily wondered what in the world York hoped to accomplish by shooting a bird's nest out of a tree. Show off his excellent marksmanship? She mentally rolled her eyes, this was hardly the time....

But when the nest landed she did not expect the greenery to suddenly shake nor shout about their lord and savior. With her nerves as shot as they were a startled Emily let out a small squeak of terror of her own and a accidentally stepped back right onto Agent York's foot.

She seemed unaware of her position as her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest. With wide eyes she watched as a young blonde emerged from the surrounding brush.

Who was that? Why was she here? Was she responsible for the state of the crime scene? All this questions whirled through her mind as she locked eyes with the woman ahead of her.

[George Woodman]

George looked at Morgan quizzically. "Yes, it is deer hunting season, but what has that got to do with..." he thought, but was interrupted by him whipping out his handgun. He stood surprised. What was he planning to do with it. He had his answer when he fired it off, sending a bird's nest flying.

George stared at Morgan incredulously. "You know, if you wanted that bird's nest so bad, you could have just asked for a leg up?" he sighed, rolling his eyes. He went over to where it had landed when he spotted a girl.

He looked over at her. He didn't recognize this person. Who was she? Either way, she didn't belong.

"Excuse me, miss, but this is a crime scene. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." he said to the girl.

He studied as much of her facial features as possible. "Hmm, very suspicious of you to be here. Quite an easy target for blame." he thought.

[Francis York Morgan]

"Wait, George," York said, holstering his gun. Then, to the girl: "Don't move just yet!"

He promptly walked over to the tiny intruder (limping slightly- Emily was a lot heavier than she looked) and scanned her blond head all around for a good ten seconds. Then he reached swiftly behind her ear and pulled out a dark, thumbnail-sized object as if performing a magic trick. He held it up in triumph.

"Bullseye! Zach, just where you said it would be! Will wonders never cease?" He turned it over in his hand. "...Yes, this basically confirms it. All we need now is for the police to narrow it down to a specific location for us."

Then, as if just noticing her, he glanced back down at the blond girl, whose hair was still covered in bits of twigs and other less relevant debris. He grinned and bent down slightly so he could see her face.

"Thank you, for helping us find this very important clue. However, the fact remains that you are trespassing on an equally important crime scene, and I'm guessing you're not here on a field trip, so..."

He glanced over at George's scowling face. Then he turned back and added, "...but, on second thought, we're pretty much done here anyway. I'm just going to take a closer look at those footprints over there, and then that's that. Feel free to stick around in the meantime; I'm sure the Sheriff wouldn't object to giving you a lift home on our way out. What's your name, anyway? You must have been very close friends with Anna, to come all the way out here."

[Clover]

Clover stared at George, with an indifferent expression, without knowing what to do. She had been caught red-handed.
After the Sheriff told her to leave the scene, her face turned red, from the shame of being discovered.
Someday she would do something good, without errors! She hoped...

The FBI man interrupted the Sheriff, saying something about not moving. And suddenly he began to observe her hair. Clover was upset, and wanted to flee away from there, it was all very uncomfortable.
''W-what ...''
What are you doing. She meant, but nothing else got out of the mouth, and she blushed even more.

Then the man picked up something from behind her ear. Clover looked confused.
I had something on my hair? Evidence? She thought.

She put her hand over her head and ruffled it annoyed.
Then shook her head curiously, trying to see what the man had in his hand. But she could not see anything, and the man just grinned.

Damn.What a weird guy. She got annoyed by not being able to have seen the object, she came to collect some information, and has gotten nothing, just a stupid grin from an FBI agent.

Clover started fiddling with her shirt sleeve, the FBI agent speaking made her nervous. And now he was asking her name.
Damn, he thinks I'm a suspect ...?

''ehh ...I'm Clover'' she looked at the ground and then kept talking. ''... and I was looking for squirrels.'' She pointed the dead squirrel that was a few inches away, and looked over at the FBI agent eyes, and Then at the Sheriff's and the woman's nervously, to see If they had any reaction.
She had to lie.

[Emily Wyatt]

Squirrels? The girl was looking for squirrels? Didn't she see the crime scene tape on her way in? The poor girl did look rather startled though...maybe she came the back way and didn't realize where she was?

"Hi Clover?" Emily stepped forward and joined York and George near the young lady. She gave her a small smile, placed a hand on Clover's shoulder and kindly said, "Yes unfortunately you're hunt for squirrels has brought you smack dab in the middle of a crime scene! Despite what Agent York says Greenvale Sheriff Department protocol asks that you to leave the immediate vicinity..." Emily paused and shot George a questioning glance. "That is unless the Sheriff Woodman here is okay with you being here until we finish up. Do you need a ride?"

[Francis York Morgan]

York ignored Emily's questions and handed her the chip without seeming to expect a response. Then, using a plastic evidence bag as a glove, he knelt down and scooped up the dead squirrel by the tail. It must have died just recently; it was still in good condition, no maggots or decaying flesh to speak of. He dangled it in front of Clover's eyes as if trying to hypnotize her with it- or himself, as he suddenly seemed a good deal more fascinated by the tiny brown corpse than anything else in the vicinity.

"Are you any good with riddles, Clover?" he asked, tilting his head, still looking at the squirrel instead of her. "Take a look at that chip I've just handed to Deputy Emily and tell me this: What's a building in Greenvale that isn't used very often... Probably contains a lot of metal or metal machinery... and is likely full of rust due to the amount of rainfall?"

His eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "Take your time; you seem like you know your way around the area. I'm sure Emily can give you a hint... In fact, I'll bet even our poor furry friend here knows the answer."

The squirrel swayed peacefully in a sudden, but not unpleasant, cool breeze that rustled the leaves above their heads.

[George Woodman]

George stoppeed. "What could Morgan possibly want with this girl?" he thought. The man seemed intent on what was in the bird's nest. He looked around a bit, and then pulled out a small object. George couldn't recognize it, but Morgan was holding it up like it was a gold medal in the Olympics. "This confirms what, exactly, Agent Morgan?" he asked. George sighed while waiting for an answer he probably wouldn't get. "Is it too much to ask for a straight answer from ANYBODY these days?" he thought, shaking his head.

The girl seemed nervous. She knew she had been caught. "So, do we have ourselves a murderer?" he wondered. Nothing proved conclusive in her words.

He did, learn, however, that the girl's name was Clover. However, he didn't exactly buy the squirrel story. "I'm afraid Emily's right, Clover. There are plenty of squirrels around this park. You'll need to leave the crime scene." he said to her, though apparently, Morgan wasn't done. "What are you up to this time?" he thought.

He posed a riddle, causing, George to first roll his eyes, and then grin in his mind. "So, you figured it out huh. Since I'm a good sport, I'll give you the location. It will be more fun this way..." he thought.

"If I may..." he started. "I believe the place that fits your description would be the abandoned lumbermill." he looked off to the side. "Once the epicenter of Greenvale's industry, now a relic of better days..." he mused.

[Clover]

Clover stared at the woman, while she was talking about the crime scene, but did not hear half of it. She got distracted by the woman's shinny badge, that was placed on her shirt. Besides all that blah blah was boring. She sighed of boredom that the talk caused her.
Then the Sheriff, told her to leave the crime scene too.

Clover was about to speak, when suddenly she noticed the agent getting closer to the squirrel. Her expression turned into confusion, as she was watching the man picking up the squirrel,and making it swing in front of her.

She started to follow the squirrel with her eyes, after a few seconds she started to get nervous, and anxious to have the squirrel in her possession.
Even a little pissed off about the FBI agent behavior.
She wanted to grab the dead fur ball so badly.
Ughh.

Clover was about to lose her patience,at that instant the man started speaking again, this time about... riddles. She made another half confused face,and listened to what he had to say.
A building that isn't used very often,huh?

She meditated for a few seconds, actually Clover was bad with riddles. And even If she was right,she would hate to reply in case she was wrong.She felt really stupid about it.

The girl blushed up and looked down, at the Sheriff's boots.
''Uh... '' But before she could say anything, the other man replyed. She glanced up at him.

[Francis York Morgan]

York stopped swinging the squirrel and looked vaguely disappointed.

"George, you're no fun," he sighed, "but it looks like you've won yourself the prize."

He held the corpse out to the Sheriff, then upon a second's reflection seemed to think better of it. He handed Clover the squirrel and another evidence bag to put it in, then stood gazing at the girl with a thoughtful expression.

"Clover... Instead of us taking you home... How would you like to come with us? There will be a few restrictions on your mobility, of course. It is a murder site after all, and some things aren't meant for innocent eyes such as yours. On the other hand, I'll bet someone your age has seen far worse on TV and in video games... Yes, I think that would work out nicely. What do you say?"

<They're not going to like this.>

"Who, the police? It's not about what they like and dislike, Zach, it's about what's good for the investigation. And I have a gut feeling that this girl will come in handy..."

[Emily Wyatt]

Emily stared at the metal chip York thrusted at her. Was that what he was shooting at? How did York know it was in that bird's nest? Is he some sort of superhero with a clue finding senses?

We have ourselves a regular Spider-Man here...

Emily then began to sing the 60's Spider-Man theme song in her head but replaced "Spider-Man" with "FBI Man." She was amused until York completely ignored protocol and invited a civilian to a possible crime scene.

Hands on hips she stepped in between York and George in hopes that it would prevent the former trom throttling the Agent. In a no nonsense tone she said, "EXCUSE ME AGENT YORK! I don't know how things work within the FBI but the Greenvale Sheriff Department does not bring civilians on field trips to a possible crime scene!"

In a low whisper she added, "What are you thinking. What possible reason do you need Clover there?!" She blew out an annoyed sigh and muttered under her breath, "...and to think I sat through a George tirade yesterday and defended your methods...this is just absurd!"

[Clover]

Clover held the squirrel in the bag happily. There, finally the squirrel in her hands, she smiled a little. She wasn't felling nervous anymore,in fact she got very excited about what the FBI agent said.

''Really? Can I?'' Replyed to the man with a wide smile,kind of surprised. She did not think that they would actually let her go there with them.

But then the woman had to interfere in the idea. Clover felt a bit disappointed about what the woman said.Probably she wouldn't go anywhere now.
She looked down to the little dead squirrel.
It was too good to be true huh. She said, to the fur ball, in her mind.

[George Woodman]

George didn't care that Morgan was disappointed, though he was pleased that he wasn't able to go on another tangent. "Just remember who is really in charge here, Morgan..." he thought.

The girl seemed to be excited by the dead squirrel. George couldn't quite understand why. It seemed that more and more strange people were showing up these days. "Sometimes, I feel like the only sane person left in this town..." he thought.

However, what Morgan proposed next was just crossing the line. Bringing a civilian who could only just get in the way on an investigation? Especially after he just told her to leave the crime scene.

"Agent Morgan, you better have a good reason for allowing a civilian to wander around a crime scene. I don't care if you are in charge of this investigation, this is completely against protocol and I'm not going to allow it." he said. He was glad to see that Emily was also in agreement with him. So she finally learned this guy was a certified nutjob. Took her long enough.

[Francis York Morgan]

"Don't look so sad, Clover! You should always keep your hopes up until you are 100% sure things won't go your way," York said firmly, noticing Clover's crestfallen expression. "You never know when something might come along at the last minute to turn things around. That goes for your furry little friend, too. Even death isn't a good example of that 100% certainty principle... Some mad scientist might come along to resurrect it in the form of a mutant, like in Island of Dr. Moreau. Now that would be something!"

So saying, York turned now to the police, who- as Zach had warned- did not look too happy about this.

"But you see, George, Emily," he said, as if talking to an unreasonable child. "Clover isn't merely a civilian. She's an important part of the investigation. Most of the time, profiling requires one to simply make do with the tools at hand, but occasionally fate throws a wrench in the system... And a wrench is a tool that can be used, just like any other. In that sense, her coming along with us is completely within the boundaries of protocol, and since this investigation is currently in my hands... Well."

He shrugged. "You don't have to like it, but I do insist that she accompany us... To a point. Deputy Emily can watch her, to make sure she doesn't interfere with the proceedings. And Clover will promise not to tell anyone about this. Right, Clover?"

Here he gave the girl a meaningful look. It was still slightly unclear, even to him, what use she could be in the events to follow... But he was used to this sort of free-form method of investigating. For when it came to the RSPs, nothing could be considered mere coincidence.