Emma Henderson - Pattern Recognition

[farothel]

Emma finished up the email she was writing and after a quick bathroom break, she headed towards the reception. She was wondering what would happen now, and certainly when the people who's artefacts these were would find out. They wouldn't be able to tell her, at least not in public, but still it would mean more complications in a case that was already more than complicated enough.

[Anthr4xus]

At the front desk Emma saw a tall, heavy-set young man with thick black glasses and a dark beard and mustache. He was wrapped in a black leather coat and had a large backpack on his back. He was tapping at his phone as he stood there. The receptionist, a young woman named Elise, glanced up from her computer as Emma stepped out of the elevator and murmured something to the young man. He looked up from his phone with an odd half-smile and extended hand said, "Agent Hanson? Benjamin Hulett."

[farothel]

Emma Henderson, FBI agent

 

"Henderson," Emma said as she shook his hand and gave him a lookover with her second sight. It might actually be the real expert and not the phony version. She looked at Elise for his visitor badge. Nobody in the building was allowed without one, or an FBI badge of course.

 

OOC

 

 

[Anthr4xus]

"Oh, right, sorry," Benjamin mumbles. Under her second sight Benjamin shows an aura of calm nonchalance that is so smooth and unwavering that Emma would guess that his aura has to have been manipulated. Elise holds out a visitor badge towards the man and he takes it with a smile and slips it to the collar of his jacket. His smile turns to Emma and he says, "So, the artifacts, right?"

[farothel]

Emma Henderson, FBI agent

 

"Of course, please follow me," Emma said, taking him to a room where she had set-up the artifacts for his 'viewing'.

"Here they are," she said.

 

OOC

 

 

[Anthr4xus]

Emma noticed as they entered the room that Benjamin scanned the corners, and noted the obvious camera there. She knew there were two other cameras that were more carefully hidden in the room, and exactly where they were. She also knew that there was no mundane way to easily and non-suspiciously block all three. The cases were stacked on the far side of the table and a simple metal chair sat on either side of the table. The room was quite tight and most often used for interrogations and questionings.

Benjamin sat his backpack on the table and as he was pulling out tools and loupes with his head down Emma heard his voice softly next to her ear, "Can you do something with the cameras?"

[farothel]

Emma Henderson, FBI agent

 

Emma wasn't sure. While she had some magic, it wasn't (so far) directed at most technology. But there was something she might try. Calling upon the spirits of the bolts holding the cameras in place, she tried to have them loosen a bit so the cameras would point down instead of where they should be.

 

OOC*

using the gremlins spell from Tome of the Mysteries (p72) to have the bolts that hold the camera in place to loosen lightly so the cameras will droop down.

 

[Anthr4xus]

Emma moved to close the door, turning her back to the cameras as she flexed her will, calling out the minute metallic spirits and coaxing them to whirl and shift. When she turned around again, a glance confirmed that the two corner cameras were now dangling loosely from their mounts. She was fairly confident that the hidden camera was also similarly off-kilter.

For his part, Benjamin started opening boxes. The first item swapped was the replica iron helm that Emma had seen at the planning meeting the night before. Under her mage sight she recognized the aura around the real one, and noted that the replacement was as aura dead as the table and box itself. If whatever Kingdom Acquisitions rep looked at them knew what to look for and had the capability to do so it would be immediately obvious. This whole thing was relying on Kingdom Acquisitions not being able to prove the swap.

Benjamin swapped out the next item (the diamond arrow) and was moving on to the third when there was a sudden knock at the door. Benjamin jumped at the sound, nearly dropping steel knife he had just picked up from the box. Douglass stuck her head in the door, her eyes sweeping the room. She locked on Emma and said, "Well, the hammer just fell. We've got a signed order to hand over all of the items we've been holding from that van. Do any of them have some kind of connection to the museum case?"

Edited March 8 by Anthr4xus (see edit history)

[farothel]

Emma Henderson, FBI agent

 

"Can you stall them for one hour or so," Emma said, "we're doing a last test here and if negative, they can come and collect them."

When Douglass had gone, she turned to Benjamin.

"You heard the boss, we have to hurry. That trick with the cameras will also work for only so much."

 

OOC*

 

 

[Anthr4xus]

Douglass said she might be able to buy you another 10-15 minutes, but she wasn't going to let the office get sued for withhold something that doesn't seem related to a case, regardless of your intuition about it, but then left you and Benjamin to do your thing.

Benjamin quickly swapped out the remaining few items before Douglass returned, just under 10 minutes later with a thick stack of papers in hand and three old white men in suits, obviously lawyers, right behind her. Again she knocked once and then immediately opened the door. This time Benjamin was seated at the table, the golden circlet in his hand and a jeweler's loupe set at his eye.

Before Emma had a chance to say anything Douglass said, "These fine gentlemen are here to reclaim their client's property, which is to be released immediately."

Benjamin looked up, one eye oddly magnified through the loupe and said, "Well, I'm fairly certain that none of these artifacts have any relation to the Matinecock indigenous people, so I don't..."

He was cut off by one of the men in suits stepping forward and plucking the circlet from his hands, setting back into it's open box and saying, "This is what I've been trying to tell this office," he spared Emma a momentary glance, "since the accident. It is a shame that a simple traffic accident wound up costing one of our employees his life. Hopefully, we can put this behind us." The other two men began gathering up the other cases. Douglass stood to one side of the door, her eyes on Emma waiting to see if she reacted badly to this sudden seizure.

[farothel]

Emma Henderson, FBI agent

 

"Sorry for thinking that it was," Emma said, "if you're the victim of a hit and run attempt just after starting a case about cultural artifacts and the van that hits the lead agent on said case is filled with artifacts that look a lot like those in the museum. And your employee shot at the officers arriving on scene, so it's hardly surprising they defended themselves."

She gave the men in suits a smile

"But it's sorted out now, so goodbye and thank you for your patience."

 

OOC*

 

 

[Anthr4xus]

"Yes, well, we shall see. Thank you for finally releasing our clients items." the lawyer said as he followed his two companions out of the room past Douglass. Emma didn't notice but he had left his business card on the table when they were picking up the boxes. Apparently he was the self-same Troy Blankenship that had contacted her the other day.

Douglass looked at the two of you and said, "Well, Mr. Hulett, I hope you were able to get through everything."

Benjamin nodded as he was gathering up his bag. "Yes. Fascinating artifacts to look at, but pretty clearly not really connected to Native Americans or anything."

[farothel]

Emma Henderson, FBI agent

 

"Too bad," Emma said, "but it is what it is. Let me escort you back out, sir."

She would bring him back to the lobby, where she knew that while there were cameras, there was too much sound to actually record a conversation.

"And, success," she asked Benjamin, just to confirm that it all worked out.

 

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[Anthr4xus]

Benjamin held out a hand to shake as he said, "Well, I hope so, Agent Henderson. It's a rare chance to get a look at the kinds of pieces that are in obviously very exclusive private collections. Sorry that it does nothing for your case. If there is anything else the indigenous peoples study program can do for you or the FBI, please reach out again." He seemed relaxed in his stance, the magical backpack hanging casually on his shoulder. There were several other people in the lobby, and through the front doors, Emma and Benjamin could see the trio of lawyers getting into the car, the boxes presumably secured in the trunk.

 

[farothel]

Emma Henderson, FBI agent

 

"Of course," Emma said, "and should you come across any of the artifacts on the list that were missing from the museum, please do inform us. We have send the list to all organisations working with indigenous artifacts around the state and the neighbouring states."

She could keep up the charade as well. She would wait until the lawyers had packed everything up and then she would say goodbye to the expert and head back upstairs to the paperwork and the case.

 

OOC*