The Deviant's Attempt to Escape + Aftermath

Everleason Police Department, 77 Everleason Mall South Way, 30th November, 10:00 AM.

Daniel was entering the building just as Damien was arriving at the reception area.

"Jennifer, what is the meaning of this?" Daniel asked in confusion, seeing Damien out of his office was not unusual, but in this case it was out of the ordinary as he was supposed to wait for Daniel to notify Jennifer of his arrival.

"An anonymous person said that you should meet Franklin, Kevin and August in front of the fountain at Yulendale after Caspin." Jennifer explained.

"I'm just as confused as you Dan." Damien announced. "Who could convince the three of them to be there for us to meet them."

"Call it a hunch, but this seems fishy." Jennifer added.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Daniel stated. "Come on Damien, let's get to the bottom of this." Daniel left the building and Damien followed behind.

Damien hoped into the driver's seat and Dan joined him. Damien drove off and they made their way southward toward the bus stop that Jennifer mentioned.

Swan statue garden, Yulendale after Caspin, Vegan Town, 10:20

Damien parked in the lot and they left the car and walked to the metal Swan shaped fountain. It spat water from its upturned beak and the water bathed four metal cygnets below. There was even a real swan and her five cygnets bathing in the fountain's waters.

To the east of the statue were the three people that Dan and Damien came to see.

Kevin was pacing impatiently, and August was shaking so nervously that you could believe that he was at the epicentre of his own personal earthquake. As for Franklin, he seemed strangely calm.

Daniel spotted a windowless white van in the distance parked near the intersection north-east of the bus stop. He was very wary of it, but he couldn't clearly see the license plate, but the colour of its border, although blurry, was a distinctive shade of dark blue and had black stripes at a 22° angle.

"Oh, good," Kevin stated. "What took you so long? Do you know how long we've been waiting?"

"I could be earning money as a waiter with a French accent right now." Franklin spoke confidently in his original voice. "But the police wanted me here, so here I will be."

"I don't know why, but something don't feel right." August stated nervously, his teeth clattering as he tried to control his nerves.

"Sorry about the wait." Dan stated. "I wasn't notified of this meeting until I got to the station."

"I don't know who called us here, but this is ridiculous." Kevin added.

"Wait, but we were called here." Damien stated.

"Raise your hands if you received a call from the anonymous meetup line." Daniel stated and all five of them raised their hands.

"So it appears that someone has been abusing the system and they wanted all five of us to be here at this time." Kevin noted.

"I bet it was the same guy that dispatched the mayor." Franklin noted.

"Yes, and it appears that they may be waiting for us." Daniel announced.

"W... w... what d...d...do y... you m...mean?" August asked, his nerves were slowly snowballing out of control.

"Don't look, but there's a dirty van on the east side of the Polaris Drive and Yulendale Rd intersection, it appears to be from Darkrun." Daniel announced.

Damien quickly glanced where Daniel stated the van was and he spotted it too. "I see it."

Suddenly the van hummed to life and began to move.

"Everyone remain calm, and duck." Daniel instructed and they all fell to the floor just as the van ran a red light and drove down the road and shot toward them, destroying the glass of the bus stands and adding holes to the metallic swan behind them. The swan and cygnets dashed in separate directions in fear.

Thankfully nobody waiting at the bus stop was injured by a bullet, some of them did get a few scratches from the glass.

Soon a member of FORMAL gathered the swan and her children up and led them away from the scene.

"Are you guys okay?" Damien inquired.

"Yeah, but what's the guineas world record for youngest person to have a heart attack? As I think I could have broken it when that happened." August relayed.

"Thankfully my car has five seats. I hope you guys don't mind." Daniel stated.

"What on Rhombodian are you talking about?" Kevin inquired. "You're not arresting us after that, are you?"

"Police Departments under the eye of FORMAL have calm rooms for when people experience things like what just occurred." Damien explained. "It'll help you get over what just happened."

The trio of panicked man stood and nodded. The five people headed to Daniel's car. As they did, ambulances, police vehicles and two Rhombodian Department of Transport vehicles arrived at the scene of the shooting.

"Damien, you drive." Daniel announced once they were seated and all the doors were closed, secure and locked. "I have to look up something."

"What is it?" Damien inquired.

"Someone is trying to lead us astray, and I believe it is Franklin." Daniel stated.

"Thankfully this window," Damien knocked on the partition between the front two seats and the rear three seats. "Is soundproof."

"Anyway, I'm just checking with the Golden Chariot's cameras and records to see where each employee was at the time, if Franklin is smart as I believe him to be, then he's probably going to try and rope someone else in, and it seems that the person he decided on was the head chef of that venue." Daniel explained.

"But, he was shot at too." Damien added.

"Exactly, and now you believe him to be innocent, right?"

Damien's jaw dropped. "You're right. Why wouldn't I believe his innocence after what just happened?"

"He clearly hired someone. I got a better look at the vehicle as it drove by, and there is no doubt in my mind, that vehicle came from Darkrun." Daniel announced.

"The city run by a criminal, for criminals, that makes sense." Damien added and then he began driving away. Daniel continued his in-depth research on the way.

77 Everleason Mall South Way, 10:42 AM

Daniel and Damien led Kevin, August, and Franklin through the entrance of the police station.

"Wow," Jennifer stated whimsically, "mighty big haul you have there." She chuckled.

"Jennifer, not now." Dan stated calmly.

Jennifer stopped laughing. "What happened?" She inquired in a more serious and concerned tone.

"We just got shot at by some maniac in a windowless van." Damien explained.

"Oh my, well if there is anything I could get for any of you, just ask and I'll get it, blankets?" Jennifer asked in a friendly motherly tone.

"Just take these three to the happy room and tell David I would like to speak with him." Daniel stated.

"But of course. Katelyn, would you mind taking those three civilians to the happy room please?" Jennifer stated out of the left side (from her perspective) of the booth.

A female officer of 171cm tall and long blonde hair and a magnificent figure came out from the hallway to the right of (from Daniel's perspective) the booth. She led Franklin, August and Kevin down the hall and they soon left Dan and Damien's vision.

"Will you be okay, Damien?" Jennifer inquired.

"I'll be fine, I just need to take a nap in my office, hold any calls for me." Damien relayed.

"Okay, good. How about you Daniel." Jennifer inquired.

"If death was the goal then someone would be dead. I'm sure that it was nothing more than a warning, a harmless prank done by some sick bustard. Sorry for the rude language." Daniel replied.

"Oh, that's understandable, you have the right to be mad, you could have gotten hurt. I'm surprised that the MRPD didn't relay any of this to me." Jennifer added.

"Well, perhaps they didn't know of our involvement. I'll be in my office, make sure David Lancer meets me there."

"Yes Dr Smith."

Daniel headed into his office and brewed himself a cup of Earl Grey tea, halfway through the process David knocked on and then opened the door.

"Hey," he said calmly. "I heard about what happened."

"I'll be fine David, please have a seat." Daniel stated.

"Man, you're stronger than I am, the first time I got sent to the happy room I was in there for three hours." David added and sat down.

"Listen, I need you to question August Bully for me, can you do that?" Daniel asked as he stirred his cup.

"What? But wasn't he involved in that shooting?" David asked.

Dan sat down. "Yes, I got him to duck just before the shooter shot at us, and as Damien drove us here, I was looking into the company the van most likely came from, and they confirmed that a van of theirs was rented out today and that it was somewhere near the shooting when it occurred."

"If they kept FORMAL's technology, they would have had more accurate information, so the general area of where the shooting happened is the best we could hope for." David added and took out one of his strawberry-flavoured magical cigarettes and lit it. "Did you get anything on the driver?"

"The person who hired out that van was a man by the name of Rodger Rounds." Daniel stated.

"The Gunner?" David Lancer stated with some shock on his face.

"Tell me more."

"Rodger Rounds is 27 and will be turning 28 tomorrow. He is one of the best guns for hire on the whole planet. There is one person who stands a chance of even tying with him and that is the Karen killer, Alan Beck of universe #47."

"Karen?"

"He's a time traveller and apparently in the future the term Karen will be popularised for people who think that the world should bend to their wills like their gods, in other words, the entitled people."

"I have a feeling I know who paid the Gunner to do that ambush, and now that I know how deadly he is, that means that he meant to miss." Daniel quickly deduced.

"Well deduced, friend." David stated. "So, you think it's August."

Daniel shook his head. "Have you heard how fidgety that guy is. If you tested his vibrations on a seismograph, it would register at least a 5 on the Richter scale. No, but I do believe he has a deep involvement in this, he might have an inkling as to the identity of the man who hired Mr Rounds, if not knowing outright who it is."

"You wish for me to get the information out of him?" David asked.

"I don't want to ask Bill, he's too intense, and Edwin may be too busy to help. You're my best option as well, that's why you were my first choice." Daniel stated. "If anybody could pull off my request, it's you."

"Clearly you have heard what they have been saying. 'David Lancer can stare a lance right through your soul.'" David stated.

"I haven't just heard it, remember back in March when you gave my brother Ben that stare? I saw what it did to him, and you've used that stare on me too, and it did give me a bit of a jump." Daniel added.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." David added and laughed. He headed out of the office and went to collect August from the happy room and took him down to interrogation room B, Daniel passed him as he separated from Dan to get to the happy room.

Daniel entered the room beyond the two-way mirror in interrogation room B and sat and waited.

Interrogation Room B's Examining room, 11:25 AM

David had gone through a whole conversation with August. Daniel referenced the name to the list from the restaurant. As he suspected, the name he announced as the person responsible for taking the cameras and changing them out for the food for the restaurant was indeed Arthur Jargon. August left the room after he revealed the name. Daniel checked where Arthur was, and he noted that on the day of the murder the head chef had a watertight alibi.

David Lancer entered the examination room. "Well?"

"Where did August go?" Daniel inquired.

"Huh?" David stated and looked into the room. "That slinky son of a bitch, he must have snuck past me."

Daniel called Jennifer.

"Hello?" Jennifer inquired. "What is the matter?"

"Did you see August?"

"Yes, I just saw him sneaking out." Jennifer replied.

"What!" Daniel exclaimed. "We're not with him, get an APB on him now!"

"Right away doctor." Jennifer announced.

Daniel hung up his call on his watch.

"Well," David interjected. "Other than when August escaping, what do you have to say?"

"He said that the person who took the cameras and sent them back and replaced them with the food from the Golden Chariot was the head chef Arthur Jargon."

"So?"

"He was at a wedding from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM, he never left the venue, so how could he have swapped the camera that was to be delivered at 7:00AM the day of the crime, if he was stuck at a wedding, so it must have been someone else. Also, you weren't there when we discussed it, but Damien and I spoke to Franklin, and he's been doing morning shifts since a week ago. Well, he disappeared at 6:55, when August collected the food from the restaurant to deliver it to the town hall. He did not return until 7:45 AM. We also found a cufflink at the town hall under the meter box, and guess who's uniform had a cufflink when the cameras saw him clock in and wasn't there when we spoke with him."

"Franklin?"

"That's right. Now, go get him, and make sure he doesn't leave, I'm going to go find August." Daniel announced and left. David followed behind him.

As he was about to exit the door, Jennifer shouted Daniel's name.

"Is there a problem Jennifer?" Daniel asked turning on the spot.

"The guy you called an APB out on went into Darkrun." She relayed.

Daniel sighed. "I'll go get him, he can't hide there forever."

"Be careful Dan." David stated. "After my visit to that place as a police officer my car stunk of rotting food for two weeks."

"I don't care about being careful, I have had enough of these games. It's time to put an end to this." Daniel stated and rushed to his car. He turned on the sirens and headed southwards toward Darkrun.

Bully Farm, 199 Hillaverse Dr, Darkrun, Cascoss, 12:02 PM

Daniel walked into the barn, a stick snapped under his foot.

"What are you doing here?" August asked atop one of the beers supporting the barn's structure, a sheep on the ground near Daniel bleated at him. "How did you know I would be here?"

"I've done my research. I need you to come with me." Dan stated.

"Why?" August asked.

"I know you have been conspiring with Franklin to kill the mayor of Vegan Town. If you don't come down and submit to being arrested, then I can guarantee that the district attorney won't be making any deals and you will be given a shared sentence with Franklin. Now is that something you want? Do you want to be branded a murderer and a radical extremist? You won't be able to deliver for that company any more." Daniel explained.

August sighed. "Fine, but I have the right to remain silent, don't I?" He stated and climbed back down. They returned to Daniel's vehicle, and he drove back to the station.

Interrogation room C, Everleason Police Department, 1:00 PM

Daniel and Damien were standing tall over the desk that separated them from August and Franklin. As for Kevin? He was given the right to leave and return home, his punishment for disturbing the scene and destroying FORMAL property will have to wait.

Daniel slammed his hands lightly on the desk. "Alright, Franklin, fun time is over. It's time for you to stop playing this game as you have already lost."

"What ever do you mean?" Franklin inquired, he was quite stunned to see Daniel like this.

"You know what I mean. I'm certain that you are not only involved in the mayor's death, but you are the one who killed him." Daniel stated.

"What proof do you have?" Franklin inquired.

"Firstly, the letter to Katrina was written by you, to lure her there so you can pin the blame on her. She told us that she saw the killer and a friend or two in the shadows after the light at the end of the hall was shut off, and they came from the archive room. We found a cufflink from a Golden Chariot uniform under the meter box. You had all cufflinks accounted for when you clocked in yesterday, the day of the crime, but when you returned from your mysterious disappearance and when we saw you, that link was missing. Shall I continue?"

Franklin frowned and took off his fancy bow tie and threw it on the table. "No, there's no need."

66 Yulendale Rd, 29th November, 7:20 AM

Franklin and August watched and waited as Katrina entered the building. They then made their way to the door outside the archive room. Franklin opened the meter box and shut off power to the light at the end of the hallway. They quickly made their way into the mayor's office. When John saw them he was overjoyed, he didn't even notice that the light at the end of the hall had gone out. August told him a tall to distract the mayor as Franklin picked up the stapler and with one quick swing, killed Mr Hugeman.

August was shocked, he didn't see that coming and rushed off through the emergency exit. Franklin was on his own, but that didn't matter, he had planned for this. He opened the camera up and put the delay on for 4 minutes. He then waited for Katrina to come.

At 7:30, just as he had planned it, Katrina entered and instantly fainted. Franklin picked her up with strained effort and got her into the seat just before the camera took the photo. He hid in the corner out of the lenses reach as he heard the camera click.

Franklin picked up Katrina's unconscious hand and was about to turn the stapler around to make the fingerprints make sense when the intercom buzzed. He dropped Katrina's hand on the stapler, creating the strange prints that the two detectives would find later. He took Katrina's hand off the stapler and put it to her side and then escaped.

Franklin rushed to the meter box and turned the light back on, but he did it so fast that he accidentally lost a cufflink. He rushed off toward the bus stop to get back to the restaurant before he could realise that it had fallen off.

Interrogation Room C, Everleason Police Department, November 30th 1:04 PM

"I hate to admit it, but I was a radical. I have had enough of that stupid law being reintroduced to our town that was supposed to be pure. But of course the mayors that reinvoked that rule had to put the happiness of the many over the happiness of the few. Stupid communists. Vegan Town is for vegans and vegans alone. It was time to send a message, even if it meant sacrificing a few soldiers to make it clear." Franklin admitted.

"You have been a very bad person." Daniel added.

"Do you think monsters like me give a damn?" Franklin retorted.

Aftermath

Kevin's punishment for his admission to disturbing the scene and destroying government property was a fine of $250,000 in Rhombodian currency and given 3 months of community service beginning on December 3rd.

August was docked pay for not knowing that Franklin was the one removing his packages, August was also charged with assisting in the murder, but the jury for his case found him not guilt after hearing g from the true culprit that he had run off instead of staying to help, proving that August never intended to help pull off a homicide. August was able to return to work and gained trust back and was able to resume work at the wage he had prior to the mayor being murder five weeks after Daniel exposed the killer.

Franklin was charged with murder and got a life sentence in Everleason prison, with no chance of parole.

A new mayor had to be voted in, but the Private Quarter's Rights bill remained in place. No longer did protesters roam in front of the town hall, they were afraid to approach it after hearing what Franklin did in the name of their cause.

The End!