Conversation · Perception

The lieutenant should clearly be here for this. You're lost.

The lieutenant rubs his side for warmth. "It'll come to you sooner or later. At least he's safe here until then."

You really ought to wait until the cadaver is refrigerated. Digging around in this mess now is proving hopelessly difficult.

You run your hands over the victim's cold body: his limbs, his torso with its swollen organs... maybe you should be more thorough?

Look in his pants again.

You pull down his breeches. Marbling is present around the crotch. The penis has shrunk, crawling half way back inside him. There is nothing mysterious or noteworthy here.

Don't touch it again.

"Fucking pig's probably thinking about touching it again..."

"There is no need. We have been thorough with the genitals..." The lieutenant looks worried.

"Do you think we missed something?"

"We still haven't found the bullet."

"And, if we are to believe Hardie boys, it's somewhere in there..."

"But where?"

"Klaasje told us the bullet hit him in the mouth -- try putting your hand there..."

He frowns, thinking. "Try putting your hand in his mouth and probing for the bullet in his head."

You can't shake the feeling that there are more secrets concealed in the flesh before you.

"I've got a gut feeling that there's more to this corpse."

"Okay, well... We're in livor mortis here. He's disintegrating. We need to refrigerate the body, if we want to conduct another examination -- and we need to do it fast."

"Can't he just... hang out here for a while longer?"

"If you want for this task to slowly become impossible, then yes. Otherwise -- no. He's been hanging out far too long already. We need to ice him."

Not to mention the damage that would be dealt to the force's reputation by the corpse just rotting here like this...

"Okay -- where do we find a fridge for the body?"

"Hey..." A wide smile appears on his face. "Wasn't there a giant ice bear sarcophagus below that building?" He points toward the commercial area.

Why yes there was. It was massive. Red eyes glowing in the dark.

"An absolutely colossal fridge -- still plugged in -- literally in the shape of an ice bear!"

"Yes -- now. I've rarely been disappointed by the size of a giant ice bear fridge, but I think we should still take a look at it first. Make sure it's big enough before we carry him over."

He closes his notebook and cracks his neck. "Let's move. With every hour, whatever we're looking for in the deceased will become harder to find."

"So that's what the ice bear shaped refrigerator is for!"

"Now that's an overstatement. It's not actually for storing cadavers, or at least I hope so. I think we should take a look at it first. Make sure it's big enough before we carry him over."

"Why... yes there was."

"Now, detective... I've rarely been disappointed by the size of a giant ice bear fridge, but I think we should still take a look at it first. Make sure it's big enough before we carry him over."

"It would have to be industrial in size. Let's start by asking the proprietor of the Whirling-in-Rags, then the Frittte store down at the gates. And if neither has one..." His voice trails off -- and his gaze settles on Cuno.

"Fuck are you looking at bino-man? You wanna piece of the Cuno? Wanna get fucked?"

"Only if all else fails," he stresses.

Hmm... Cuno looks like he gets around. Knows Martinaise. And its fridges too probably...

Or -- remember the buttons on that intercom over there, on the side of the building next to the Whirling? One was for "Revachol Ice City"? Perhaps it's a... clue?

"I need to take another look at the body first."

"Hurry. This is one task we cannot sideline. With every hour, whatever we're looking for will become harder to find."

Soon you'll be looking for clues in a pile of sludge and bones.

"Let's hurry then." [Leave.]

"Mhm." He gets up. "This is one task we cannot sideline. With every hour, whatever we're looking for will become harder to find."

"No, let's just leave it to the Processing guys."

He shakes his head. "I worked as one of these Processing guys for a year. They are butchers and clowns. I once saw twenty CODs go misidentified in one week. Chances are slim to none that they'll find anything useful in processing."

"In short, you and I are the last line of detection. If you're not sure we got everything, we need to look again. And for that -- we need to refrigerate the corpse."

"Yes. There's something we're not seeing."

Maybe if I touch it again...

"I can't believe the pig is stroking him again..."

"F****ts can't get enough of that dick..."

Give up.

The corpse seems to yawn contentedly, as though its glad you've run out of steam.

Look under his fingernails, like Kim already did.

His fingernails have turned dark. They're chipped and quite long. There is dirt under them. That's all.

You can almost see the body decomposing before your very eyes. You should drop everything else and look for a way to preserve it so you can conduct your examination better.

What about that giant ice bear fridge in the Doomed Commercial Area?

The corpse looks enormous with its bloated belly. Was the ice bear fridge really that giant? You should go and measure it, just to be sure.

You can almost see the body decomposing before your very eyes. You should drop everything else and look for a way to preserve it so you can conduct your examination better.

Meanwhile, the lieutenant is sitting behind his desk, hunched over a stack of paperwork. His help would be invaluable right now.

"All right." He takes out a shiny black body bag and starts pulling the plastic over the dead man's face.

There go those beautiful enamel boots. You will never own the full set now. May they rest in Processing...

Oh well -- in another lifetime.