Autopsies

<> Demiurge says "Sooooo. What does Phineas the Great want to do?"

<> Phineas says "Let's do Ardon first."

It is possible to find a place to park near the Marine Memorial. It is now late afternoon, shading towards evening. The crowds are thinner.

Phineas opens the trunk of his car, and gets out the duffel bag (containing the arm). He strides towards the memorial.

He attracts no particular attention, being just one more man here, albeit with a large bag slung over his shoulder. Ardon is findable, and he is currently talking with an enthusiastic-looking young man.

Ardon turns aside, on spying Phineas, and raises an eyebrow.

Phineas crooks one finger with a smirk on his face, summoning Ardon over.

Ardon wanders across, looking curious.

<> Demiurge rolls the d666 and gets 5 3 CHECK: 6.

Ardon murmurs, when close enough, "For sorting out the whole of DC, that was fast."

Phineas smirks at Ardon, "You won't believe what I found. Tell me if you think it was weird if I found a coupla kids playing with this in the street." He opens the duffel, holding it so only the Seneschal can see into it.

Ardon peers in. His expression darkens to a frown.

Ardon mutters, "What _is_ the world coming to."

Phineas shrugs, "You don't want my answer on that. So, you have any idea what that brand on the upper part is?"

<> Demiurge rolls the d666 and gets 6 6 CHECK: 4.

Ardon shakes his head. "No idea whatever."

Ardon considers. "Have you had anyone examine it forensically yet?"

Phineas shakes his head, "I don't know anyone who would, without raising a bit of a .. stir."

Ardon considers. "Lightning probably could."

Phineas nods, "I know one of those. Alright. Time to head that direction. By the way. Which is more likely to have had a frozen, severed arm in a van: A beauty salon or a restaraunt? I'm leaning towards the restaraunt." He smirks a little.

Ardon chuckles. "I've never trusted hairdressers. Never since a Balseraph of Kronos' nearly got me while I was sitting down for a trim."

Phineas blinks, "That gives a whole new meaning to 'take a little off the top'. Sheesh."

Ardon grins.

Ardon says, "Those scissors are vicious things in the right hands."

Phineas nods, "Anything is vicious in the right hands .. or wrong hands as the case may be." He zips up the duffel, "I should get going, before this thing starts to smell. I'll keep in touch."

Ardon nods. "Good luck tracing it."

Phineas sighs, "Nothing is ever easy, is it? I almost considered going to Maui."

Ardon blinks, then shakes his head. "Not genuinely."

Phineas waves to Ardon, "Anything you want from Sistene's?"

Ardon shakes his head. "No, but thank you for the offer."

Phineas walks back to his car, putting the duffel in the back seat so he doesn't have to deal with the trunk. He idly looks in the glovebox, to see if the gun Ardon gave him a week ago is still there.

The gun is still sitting there.

Phineas closes the glovebox and considers getting a holster at some point .. just not now. Carrying that around would be more trouble than it is worth. Instead, he just drives to Sistine's.

It is now early evening, and Sistine's is bustling with the dinner rush.

Phineas carries the duffel in and looks around for Sephar.

In the kitchen, the mouse is perceptible - perhaps because it is reading the newspaper, which someone has helpfully spread out on the table.

Sephar sits on the newspaper, reading and nibbling a dried crust of cheese...

It might be noted that there are articles on the explosion at John Hopkins, and at some sort of murder - a Satanic Rite? - at the Freer Gallery, with a corpse being found dumped in a sarcophagus.

Phineas waves to Marath on his way by and heads into the kitchen, "Hello mouse. I have something for you." He puts the duffel on the counter with a thud and puts out his hand for Sephar to crawl into.

Sephar scampers into Phineas' hand.

Marath nods to Phineas, in a friendly way, but is busy with something involving white of egg.

Sephar peers curiously.

Phineas puts Sephar on his shoulder and goes to an unused counter, then opens the duffel, showing Sephar what is inside, "I figured you knew people who could do forensics on this for me."

Sephar squeaks just a bit on seeing what's in the duffel.

Phineas says "I found a coupla kids playing with it in the street outside of my apartment. Seems that two vans collided, and this came out of one of them. I'm going to check out the two places the van comes from, but if you could check out this .. and tell me what you find out, I'd appreciate it. Especially the brand."

Sephar sits back, shivering just a bit, then squeaks, "Uhm... Eduardo's police folks might know what to do with it... though if you want just angelic folks looking at it, then my Tether could handle it."

Sephar says "Kids?"

Sephar says "Wow..."

The arm is a right arm, neatly amputated at the shoulder, hairless - depilated? - and probably female, with an octagonal brand on the forearm.

Sephar peers at the musculature a bit and at the brand.

Phineas says "I'd rather not let the police in on this, just yet."

The arm is also slowly defrosting. The arm is not particularly well-muscled. The brand is the only visible discoloration on the flesh.

Phineas says "It was mostly frozen before, but that was about two hours ago. We should get it someplace before it starts .. making a mess."

Sephar says "Sure. If you drive, I can take you to the Lightning Tether and we can have a look at it in the Lab."

<> Demiurge says "I note that I do _not_ advocate asking Marath if you can stick it in the freezer. :)"

<> Sephar says "Do I know someone who has forensics as a speciality at the Lab? Probably, if I've been helping out Eduardo and Pat with some things..."

Phineas nods, "I can drive. By the way, you haven't seen anything odd lately, have you?" He zips up the duffel and heads out of the kitchen, then stops, saying to Marath, "Marath, darling, I'd love you til the end of time if you could make me up a batch of your chocolate chip cookies, for when I return."

Marath turns, and blinks at Phineas.

Marath says, "Shameless flatterer, I don't do chocolate chip cookies. I can do biscotti, though."

Phineas winks at Marath, "You don't do chocolate chip cookies? A shame. I promised them to a sergeant downtown. Ah well, he'll just have to deal with your delightful biscotti then."

<> Demiurge says "I think you do, Sephar. Venedari, aka Venezuela, Mercurian of Jean, not always at the Tether but there quite often."

Sephar watches the interchange with mild bemusement.

<> Sephar says "Coolness."

Marath frowns. "Contrary to what you may have been told, Phineas, flattery doesn't always work. Now get out of here. I'll make you some biscotti."

Phineas grins at Marath and bustles out of the kitchen, placing Sepharmouse in his coat pocket so he doesn't disturb the customers. He then gets into his car and heads to the Lightning Tether.

Sephar tells Phineas it's at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum and does the squeaking to tell him which door and such, but hops onto the security pad itself...

Phineas carries the arm in the plain blue duffel, noting it is making a bit of a water-condensation puddle on the bottom, "This is starting to get gross."

The keypad beeps appropriately, and the door slides open onto the nice, clean, hygienic corridor leading down to the laboratory and Ithuriel's office.

Sephar says "Hyup. We'd best get it inside, soon."

Phineas puts the Mouse on his shoulder and heads into the corridor and follows Sephar's directions.

Sephar tells Phineas to stop by Ithuriel's office, and on getting in the doorway squeaks, "Is Venezuela in?"

Ithuriel looks up from his computer screen. He blinks, refocusing.

<> Demiurge rolls the d666 and gets 1 6 CHECK: 6.

Ithuriel says, "That is an accurate presumption. Why do you require her services?"

Phineas holds up the duffelbag, "We come bearing gifts."

Sephar says "Forensics on a dismembered arm with an odd brand on it."

Sephar chuckles, "This is Phineas, Mercurian of War."

Ithuriel says, "That is not an accurate definition of a gift, to my mind." He is an elderly-looking man, balding, in a black turtle-neck and trousers. "Greetings, Phineas, Vassal of War."

Phineas bows his head to Ithuriel, "And to you, Ithuriel. Well, it was a bit of a jest, but somehow I think Venezuela will enjoy the work. It is her purpose after all, isn't it?"

Sephar blinks up at Phineas.

Ithuriel says, "It is not only her purpose, it is her avocation. I wish you good fortune with her."

Sephar grins, "We might need it..."

<> Demiurge says "Sephar might remember that Venezuela, while good at her job, is a teeny little bit ... over-enthusiastic about forensics?"

Phineas bows his head, "Thank you." He says to Sephar, "Shall we?"

<> Sephar says "Yes. Imagined so. Probably why Sephar didn't fall over in a dead faint from seeing just the arm."

<> Phineas says "Weak-kneed Sephar .. heh."

Ithuriel says, "Second door through the lab," and looks back at his computer screen, beginning to type again.

Sephar says "Yes." and gives Phineas the instructions on how to get to her office, "Should be right here."

Phineas goes to the offered door and knocks, because that's the polite thing to do.

As they stand outside Venezuela's door, the faint *rrasp rrasp* of a bone saw drifts through. It pauses. A sweet soprano calls, "Yes?"

Phineas opens the door, then lets Sephar talk.

Sephar says "We need some help, Venezuela, with an arm."

Venezuela is a pretty-looking thing, blonde hair back in a high ponytail, a frilly pink dress under her white lab coat, latex gloves smeared to the elbow with body fluids. A part-autopsied body lies on the lab table in front of her, skull in pieces.

Phineas holds up the duffelbag and points to it with his other hand.

Venezuela says, "Splendid! Do introduce your friend, by the way."

Sepharrat in the Lab starts searching various databases for graphic representations that resemble the symbol on the arm.

Phineas introduces himself, "Phineas. Mercurian of War."

Phineas says "I'd shake your hand, but .. well .. you get the idea."

Venezuela points to the other autopsy table in her laboratory, which is currently unoccupied. "Excellent. And I see Sephar's already introduced me." She pauses. "Oh, yes, very good of you! We can't afford getting evidence contaminated."

Sephar says "Uhm. Yes."

Phineas puts the bag on a counter and opens it up. "All yours."

Venezuela discards her current latex gloves, and starts snapping on a new pair.

Sephar coughs a bit on seeing what's on the table, but focusses on the bag.

Sephar says "Tell her the context of how you found it, Phineas?"

Phineas says "Some children were playing with it, outside of my apartment. Seems it fell out of a van that collided with another van."

Venezuela carefully places the arm on the table, and starts prodding at it, going "hm" at intervals. She pauses. "Did they realise it was a *real* arm?"

Phineas shrugs, "Children have a certain innocence about them."

<> Demiurge says "Either that, or they're brats who think, "Cool! A severed arm!""

<> Phineas says "Heh."

Venezuela nods, and gets a camera out. She starts snapping various views of the arm.

Sephar says "Any concepts on how it came off?"

Venezuela says, "Did you take its temperature when you found it?"

Phineas leans against a wall, just trying to stay out of the way, "Um, no. It was frozen .. or mostly so."

Sephar says "Hard?"

Phineas says "Not that hard. It had probably been thawing as the children played with it."

Venezuela takes several shots of the shoulder end. "Mm. Looks like a sharp blade, multiple strokes, heavy weight. I suspect this was removed after death, by the exsanguination."

Phineas says "Exsanguination .. lack of blood?"

Venezuela says, "We'll be running a check of the fingerprints against the police files, of course." She pauses. "Yup. You know, it drains out or down when the person dies."

Venezuela seems, in fact, enthusiastic to go on about the subject.

Phineas changes the topic a little, "How long do you think your investigation will take?"

Venezuela considers. "Give me four or five hours, and I can be fairly certain there's nothing else to find."

Phineas nods, "Sephar, you going to stay here?"

Sephar says "I am here."

Sephar laughs quietly.

Phineas says "No no, I mean if I leave, do you want to stay?"

Venezuela laughs, too, a pretty tinkling sound. "Kyriotates."

Sephar says "I have a rat that stays at the Lab, so this mouse may go with you."

<> Demiurge says "Sephar, try a computer use roll, then an Int roll."

<> Demiurge says "Both may be penalised."

Sephar flips ears at Venezuela.

Phineas ah, "Alright. I plan on checking out a certain restaraunt."

<> Sephar rolls the d666 and gets 4 4 CHECK: 1.

<> Sephar rolls the d666 and gets 5 2 CHECK: 2.

On the computer, nothing presents itself to Sephar as clearly linked to the octagon brand.

Venezuela begins to get out plastic bags, labels, and scalpels.

Venezuela says, "I can see if there's any foreign material trapped under the fingernails."

Sephar hmmms softly, "I can't seem to find anything on the brand, yet, Phineas, I might ask a few other folks to look."

Sephar nods at Venezuela.

Phineas nods to Venzuela as well. He pulls out a plain white and black business card and leaves it on the table near the arm,

Phineas says "Call me if you find anything, ok?"

Sephar hops back into Phineas' pocket.

Venezuela nods. "Will do. Walk in wisdom."

Sephar waves its tail at Venezuela, "Have fun."

Phineas heads back to his car and prepares to visit Amirstan's restaraunt.

---

Fiat Justitia