Conversation · Trash Container

"Officer..." the lieutenant says. "Now that you have your ledger back, it would not hurt to start taking notes on the case. Officially."

Now that your ledger is back in your possession, it feels like you should do something... important.

I'm not going to do anything.

Oh, yes you are. It's fundamental to proper police procedure to start keeping notes on the case at hand. Open your official investigation.

What am I supposed to do?

You have to start taking proper notes on the case. Open your official investigation.

I should... start taking proper notes on the case?

Exactly. Open your official investigation.

Force time -- jam the tool under the lid and pull!

You stick the prybar into the fissure beneath the lid and push down. It doesn't take much force -- with a satisfying crack, the metal gives way. You can open the lid now.

Don't! Maybe you shouldn't...

'Maybe you shouldn't...' Of course you should! This is your time to shine, Hobocop! Dive into that dumpster for extra content!

Open the lid.

The smell of rotten food rises to greet you. You see soggy cartons, dirty rags, and organic waste.

Pick at the rags.

Not much to see here anymore. Just a burnt apron and some kitchen towels.

And... what's this?

You pick out a broken mug, with an oddly racist depiction of the yellow man frolicking in saffron.

An antique?

Only in its social sensibility.

(Take the mug.)

"Interesting." The lieutenant looks at the mug. "Reminds me of the mug collection we saw in our weasel's apartment. Maybe he or she has been dumping their garbage here?"

An interesting little clue. Let's see where this goes. Clues have a way of magically connecting to other clues -- down the road...

"Or it may just be a coincidence. Either way, something to keep in mind. What else do you see?"

You've acquired an interactable item. Investigate this item further by going to the INTERACT tab in your INVENTORY.

You betcha. You know -- this awfully colonial mug reminds you of another one, doesn't it? Anyway...

Yes! The one in the apartment you broke into. Interesting little clue. Surely this will yield something -- down the road...

"Mhm..." The lieutenant briefly glances at the mug, then returns his sight to the trash.

You've acquired an interactable item. Investigate this item further by going to the INTERACT tab in your INVENTORY.

You betcha.

Among the threadbare kitchen towels, something catches your eye -- a pair of denim trousers?

Grab them.

As the legs of the slime-covered jeans begin to unspool from the garbage, a rank corpse smell fills the air.

Are these the victim's clothes? The smell is not nearly as bad as the cadaver. These clothes could not have been in contact with the deceased for more than two days after his death.

"Cadaverine odour is faint." The lieutenant smells them. "If these belonged to the deceased, they were removed when he was still in the early stages of decay."

"Drop them in here, officer." The lieutenant produces a black plastic bag marked evidence from his pocket.

"By early stages you mean these were taken from him no more than two days after his death?"

"Yes." He nods. "...if we're still assuming the clothes were taken off to get to the armour. They must have stripped him of it fast, the scavengers. In a matter of days."

Bag the trousers.

"Guitar mark blue jeans. Pockets empty." The lieutenant quickly searches the jeans. "Or emptied? He wore them with a belt, too, a wide belt -- the loops appear stretched, but..." He looks into the container.

"The belt is missing. That's it. Do you see anything else in there? I have another bag here..."

Something slimy catches your eye...

Reach for it.

A drab long-sleeved shirt, olive-coloured, appears from the food waste, dripping with pus.

Bag the shirt.

"This is a military type over-garment. No label or serial number -- this is the kind of rib-knit shirt that's worn over light armour to conceal it in an urban scenario..." He nods to himself. "Anything more?"

The rest of the rags are just kitchen-variety waste. Just garbage.

"A thrown out towel, a mug. That's all."

"Alright. We should go to Garte again and ask if he knows who put the clothes in the trash. It could be as simple as someone from the hostel cleaning the yard, or that one..." He nods toward the red-haired boy behind him. "I'd advise against confronting that force."

"The kid said he didn't know anything about the clothes."

"The fuck's he on about -- kid?!" the one behind the fence yells. "You hear that, Cuno? He thinks you're an infant or some shit."

"Did he? I must have drifted away... somewhere between the copious mentions of pigs and homo-sexuality."

"Fuck yourself, binoclard!"

"No, Cuno, it's just bino!"

"Damn, this reminds me: I got side- tracked asking Cuno about the rags... The damned FALN pants got in the way. We should ask again, Kim."

"Cuno can hear you, cop -- and Cuno don't know shit about the rags, okay? You don't have to come asking about them again like some bitch."

"Information from that source has truly been invaluable to the investigation. I cannot wait to hear more."

"You think someone from the Whirling might have been... involved maybe?"

"Not really. All we know is -- the victim's clothes are in the trash, the lid was locked, and this establishment had the key. It's just a small loose thread."

"Yeah, we need to ask the kids who put them here."