Genie in a Bottle

by **Detective Stone** November 16th 2017, 10:23 pm

On the Road

Reaching into the back seat, Ron grabbed his tablet and logged into the police network. He pulled up the employee listing for CSI, scrolling through the list until he found her. "Hmm... here you are. Genie. Like the bottle. Viscotti, eh? Is that Italian?" He tapped the name, opening a menu, and logged her in as a 'ride-along.' It was just another bit of bookkeeping and red-tape that the modern age insisted upon.

WIth that accomplished, he tossed the tablet into the back seat again and got them on the road.

"So, here's the situation with the previous murder back at the house there. A Doctor and board member at a local research hospital was killed yesterday evening, some time close to midnight. The cause of death appears to be cardiac arrest and bloodloss, most likely connected. The clincher is, the heart was removed. Like, cut right out of the man. However, there's no current wound anywhere on his body that would allow that to be possible. The guy had some scarring from previous wounds, but they'd had at least six weeks of healing. Nothing is fresh. No wound for the removal of the heart. No wound for the loss of blood. And here's clincher number two: The guy's clothes had cuts that matched the scars."

"So, we've got a missing heart, old wounds, new clothing, cuts on the clothing that match the old wounds, blood everywhere, and no way for any of it to fit together or make any kind of sense. You can see why I had to pick up the case. It's no ordinary homicide. Oh, and I thought the victim might be a meta, but no dice. He's as human as Adam. So... well, if this next murder scene is connected, maybe it will make more sense. It had better, if we're to have any hope of solving it."

He nodded to the car radio, "Feel free to put on any music you like, if you like music. We should be there in about ten minutes."

by **Jeannie Rose** November 16th 2017, 11:31 pm

is what Italian? huh, that totally sounds like some kinda voodoo stuff taking hearts. maybe it was some kinda magic they used to get his heart.

huh, that is funny how his clothes match his old wounds any idea how he got them. might be some ritual thing for the heart snatch magic. still, his new clothes matching it maybe it's a clue to who or why he was murdered like they wanted us to see the wounds. so they cut the clothes to show it, yay I like music

she turns on loud rock music

by **Detective Stone** November 17th 2017, 6:58 pm

On the Road

Ronald wanted to laugh at her suggestions, but the truth was that they had mirrored some of his own ludicrous thoughts. "Yeah, I have to admit, it does seem ritualistic. I don't know what ritual, but these kinds of bizarre results require some kind of bizarre process driven by a bizarre motivation."

When things got weird, a religious ritual was as good an excuse as any.

He was going to revisit the Italian question, but then she tuned into a rock station on the radio and blasted it, eliminating the chance for any followups.

Second Crime Scene

Soon enough, they arrived at the second crime scene, and minutes later they were being briefed by the officer on the scene.

"The victim is Doctor Ingrid Bregham, she works at the University Research Hospital in town." Officer Malone was reading from his notes as he spoke. Ronald glanced to Genie as the research hospital was mentioned. It was a definite pattern.

"Neighbors reported screams and sounds of violence. By the time I arrived on the scene, the door was ajar, the victim was dead, and blood was everywhere. No obvious signs of wounds on the body... at least not recent ones. There are scars showing some kind of past injuries. It's... it's weird, Detective. I'm glad to be handing this off. It's giving me the heebie jeebies."

Ronald nodded, "Yeah... you're not the only one."

Stepping closer to the body, Ronald visually surveyed the naked body of the Doctor. She was in her mid-fifties, but was still in good shape. Her body had the same sorts of scars he'd seen with the previous victim, and her bloody clothes had been carefully folded and placed beside her. He'd bet real money that the clothes were slashed. He'd even double down and guess that she was missing an organ, too. Probably her heart. Officer Malone was right. This was weird.

Crime Scene techs were on the scene. As per usual, they were too busy to spare him much attention. They were busily photographing everything, and taking samples from everywhere. He'd get the full report and autopsy details tomorrow. In the mean time, it was best to let them get on with their business undisturbed.

"Well, I guess once I get the data tomorrow, I'll be picking up this case as well. It's pretty obvious that it's linked to the previous murder. Which means we have a serial killer on our hands. If the press catches wind of this, they'll have a field day."

He turned to look at Genie, "So, do you need to scrape up evidence with these guys, or are you done for the day? I'm not sure how responsibilities are divided up in the CSI department. Do you report to Chris?" Ron didn't see his friend here today, so he supposed it was his day off. For a long time, Chris had been the only one at the department who had known the secret of Ron's metahuman status.

"Anyway, if you're not sticking around, I can give you a ride to the station."

by **Jeannie Rose** November 17th 2017, 9:51 pm

jeannie listened to detective stone and the other cop talks why wondering about looking at what the CSI people were doing. oh hey i got a idea! I think the blood gets sucked out the wounds somehow, or something like that.

there were this one x men comic where the one guy had some power he'd bo something with peoples blood to hurt them, but he had to cut them first for it to work, or something haven't read it in awhile. she looks around at the blood huh but the blood all over the place.

if it is a ritual they usually make doodles with it. huh, maybe it's some abstract cult. or a side effect of how the murder does is just messy.

report? huh does she, Jeannie apparently is a CSI person? huh, you'd think she'd remember that. she probably should she guess but what if it's another Jeannie. she could see the other body then to check. but if she's not the Jeannie they want she could get in trouble. huh, she guesses it's her the detective guy said she was on the list.

she most have joined CSI and forgot. huh maybe we could take pictures to see if the scars match on both bodies cause two people having the exact same scars seems really weird and unlikely. Hey wasn't the first victim a doctor too, think it's a mummy's curse? huh, I'm hungry lunch break! can we stop to eat on the way back?

by **Detective Stone** November 20th 2017, 9:11 am

Crime Scene #2

This Genie talked a mile-a-minute, but not everything she said was comical fluff. There were some good ideas mixed in, and Ronald began to see why she had been hired on. Hell, you had to be a little strange to work with dead bodies and crime scenes all day. One had to make allowances for odd personalities in this line of work.

"Well, I won't laugh at you for referencing comic books. It's as good a source of ideas as any in Special Investigations..." He trailed off. HOME. He was HOME now. "That is, the HOME office. In a world where metahumans and superscience is opening up all kinds of nonsense, it makes sense to consider all kinds of stuff that used to be nonsense."

She mentioned doodles, and she was right. Cults often engaged in complex symbology that tied in with their religion or beliefs. And checking the bodies to see if the scars were identical was a good idea. This noob had a knack, for sure.

She made a joke about a mummy's curse, and he cracked a smile. This one was a firecracker, that's for sure.

"All right, I'm going to check with Chris tomorrow and see if I can't get you detached to this case until it's over. You're a bright spark, even if you flicker. Let's get that bite. We can compare corpses on the slab at the M.E.'s tomorrow. Maybe the Examiner will have some other clues to reveal once he's opened her up to look inside."

Turning to regard Officer Malone, he said, "Thanks for the brief, officer. Go ahead and send all of your notes and interview transcripts to my desk in the morning. I'll be picking up this case."

With that, he moved to depart, pausing briefly to ask Genie, "You like wings? I know a good wing joint that's still open."

by **Jeannie Rose** November 20th 2017, 8:36 pm

yup there the best for learning about odd stuff.mm yeah, wings are yummy Jeannie jumps around excited. eww good thing we got the examiner guy to too that part huh? ok wing time! spark huh like a fairy? sparkly fairy dust!

by **Detective Stone** November 24th 2017, 9:50 am

A short time later, at Willy's Wing Stop...

Ron looked up as the waitress brought them two big baskets of boneless buffalo wings. "Thanks, ma'am," he acknowledged, before turning his attention to the repast and his booth-mate.

"I stumbled across this joint one night when a fellow officer got into a dustup with her wife's lover over by the bar." He indicated the nearby bar counter with its many stools, vinyl seats cracked and a few with foam stuffing threatening to leak out. A few patrons were sitting on the stools there, some looking sad, others lonely, and a pair were negotiating a tryst. Just like most bars, really.

"Once things got settled, I decided to sit down and have a meal. Let me tell you, the place may look like trash, but it serves the best wings in the city. The bone-in are even better than the boneless, though I usually go boneless because the sauce can stain your hands a bit."

He stabbed one of the boneless wings with his fork, "They make their own buffalo sauce from scratch. A bit more savory than most. You can really taste the layers of flavor."

He took a bite, clearly relishing in the meal before swallowing and nodding to her, "So, tell me about yourself, Genie. How'd you get interested in forensics and crime scene investigation? A bit grim for most girls, I'd think."

by **Jeannie Rose** November 25th 2017, 12:08 am

yay lucks yummy Jeannie smiles and eats some of the wings. yup this places food yummy can't judge a book by it's cover works with food places too.

huh, books answer your next question cause I really like Sherlock Holmes and wanted to solve mysteries like him, and Batman batmans is more fun though cause his a superhero.

by **Detective Stone** November 27th 2017, 6:19 pm

Willy's Wing Stop

Ron nodded, "Yeah, I liked Batman, too. And Sherlock Holmes, but I never really read the books. Saw a bunch of BBC re-runs when I was a kid. Deerstalker cap and pipe and all. I forget the name of the actor. I think they were pretty old, even back when I saw them. Still good, though."

He took a long swig of his beer.

"The private eyes really have the best detective stories, I think. Police detectives never get to look very cool. The closest they came was that CSI guy with the shades. You know, the one who either puts them on or takes them off whenever he says a cheesy line at the start or end of an episode?"

Finishing off a few more wings, he continued, "I guess Columbo was cool. In the most uncool way possible. I mean, his whole schtick was being uncool, but he always ended up outsmarting everyone."

Ronald did his best mimickry of Peter Falk, " 'Uh, just one more question...' That was always the big question that unraveled everything, always delivered when the bad guys were frustrated or were convinced he was an idiot. They quickly learned better. I think in real life, word would have spread fast about Columbo. 'Don't underestimate that guy. He's solved fifty murder cases. He likes to play dumb, but he's a genius.'"

Finishing off his beer, he continued, "It was pretty slick, the way they wrote that show. The beginning of each episode showed you who did it and how they did it. It's the opposite of almost every other crime show. And it's unlike the Sherlock Holmes shows or movies, where sometimes they don't really reveal the clues, or you have no way of understanding their significance. Sherlock Holmes often makes me feel like he solves things out of nowhere."

"But in Columbo, the mystery isn't Who Done It, but rather, How Will He Figure It Out? All the clues he found and the connections he made always seemed plausible. You never felt like he was cheating. Or at least, I never did."

Ron's eyes drifted to Genie. Her bright eyes. The countours of her face. She was a pretty girl. And though her sense of humor was odd, he found it somewhat endearing. It was as though she'd never lost the vitality of her youth, the way most adults did.

"You know, I never thought about how you got to that first crime scene. Did you take a car? When I gave you a ride, did we leave your car behind?" He regarded her, trying to gauge her mood. "I could take you back to it after dinner. Or, if you prefer, we could have dessert at my place first."

by **Jeannie Rose** November 27th 2017, 8:58 pm

jeannie liked listening to his stories about tv showshuh yeah those sound neat, I think my daddy might have liked the Columbo guy. I saw some of the Sherlock Holmes and the sunglasses guy though.

huh ow yeah I did, gee hope I don't get a parking ticket, was there one of them meter things, can't remember. she wonders about it then gets excited when he mentions one of her favorite things sweets. dessert !!!!!!!!! yay, Jeannie loves sweets lets do that!

by **Detective Stone** November 29th 2017, 10:18 am

Willy's Wing Stop...

"Well, if you get a ticket, I think I can get you out of it," he said with a wink. He wouldn't even need to abuse authority for that one, since she was on the scene as part of an official investigation.

When she enthusiastically accepted dessert, he smiled. Though a part of his brain asked, She does realize that's a metaphor, right? To which another part of his brain answered, Of course she does, you dolt.

He held up a hand for the waitress. It was time to get his bill.

A Short time later, at Detective Stone's Apartment...

Ron found a space not far from his apartment complex, feeding a handful of quarters into the meter. He had a small amount of trepidation about bringing her to his place, given the sort of neighborhood he lived in. It was the part of town you didn't visit if you could help it. Crime was high. Poverty was high. Desperation was high. That guy in the gutter, over there? He was high, too.

Some people might consider it dangerous to live here, but 'danger' was a thing that he hadn't had to worry about since his transformation into a metahuman. And he kept the apartment locked up tight enough that burglary wasn't a major concern.

When he got to the apartment, he found that they had to take the stairs because the elevator was broken. Again. He hoped the climb to the third floor wouldn't sap her enthusiasm for 'dessert.' He kept glancing back at her to be sure she still seemed interested. Genie was a bit younger than his usual frollick, but she had a sharp wit and a never-care attitude, with a quirky humor that intrigued him.

Reaching his apartment, he unlocked the three deadbolts on his steel security door, and opened it to let her in. The interior decorations didn't match the exterior. It was a well-appointed- if cramped- apartment space. Leather furniture, a small but sturdy dining table. The kitchen countertops were a fairly good quality of faux granite. It was as though one jumped from abject poverty to middle-class living just by stepping through the threshold... and that was pretty much the truth of it.

"Can I get you a drink," he asked, "I mostly drink beer, but I keep ice-wine for guests." It was the closest thing to an actual dessert in his apartment, and pretty much the only thing in his fridge besides the beer.

by **Jeannie Rose** November 29th 2017, 8:46 pm

jeannie looked around the home it was pretty nice huh okay well I'm a guest so guess I'll have the for guest, so whats for dessert?

by **Detective Stone** November 29th 2017, 10:11 pm

Detective Stone's Apartment...

Returning to Genie with a freshly poured glass of Inniskillin Riesling Ice Wine, Ronald looked her in the eyes.

"Well," he said, "I'm on the menu if you are."

Hopefully, he hadn't misjudged her interest...

by **Jeannie Rose** November 30th 2017, 1:37 am

she takes the drink
that's yummy, huh I'm not a zombie, Jeannie no eat pepole Jeannie was confused

by **Detective Stone** November 30th 2017, 12:18 pm

Detective Stone's Apartment...

Ron considered Genie for a moment. Could he have misunderstood? Gotten the signals wrong? If so, what did that mean? Was her remarkable sense of humor less a sense of humor and more a series of bizarre comments and behaviors?

No... nobody that crazy could possibly end up working for CSI. She was quirky, not crazy.

But just in case...

"I... uh... you know, I invited you here hoping that we might get romantic. 'Dessert' was a euphemism. But if that's not what you want, it's okay. I can get you back to your car. No harm, no foul. We can pick things up at the M.E.'s office tomorrow."

by **Jeannie Rose** November 30th 2017, 9:36 pm

romantic? huh no that won't work your a guy and Jeannie likes girls Jeannie was disappointed there was no real Dessert

yeah guess that'll work, I'll get some doughnuts after you drop me off then

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