Conversation · The Hanged Man
Speakers · 28
The Hanged Man
Kim Kitsuragi
You
Cuno
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Perception (Sight)- Horrific Necktie
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- Day 2 · Search the body one more time, thoroughly.
- 22:00 · 23:00 · 00:00 · 01:00 · 02:00 · 03:00 · 04:00 · 05:00 · 06:00 Continue Continue
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"So -- the scalp bleeds from a postmortem head injury. A stone. The injury does not have the rim of an early inflammatory response. A perpetrator on the scene has confessed to causing it postmortem..."
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The lieutenant's admission has caused great gratitude in Cuno. He is silent with it.
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Coagulated blood sticks to his scalp and chest -- where the countless stones have hit the dead man. Beneath the description of injury, two boxes:
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"A dark red abraded ligature mark encircling the neck, with a gap on the nape measuring... let's say seven centimetres. The hyoid bone is fractured, the cervical column intact."
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"I see haemorrhaging on the skin above and below the ligature mark. Depth of the mark -- one centimetre. No signs of clawing on the neck."
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Below the note, two boxes wait to be ticked. The dead man's head jerks to the side -- awaiting your judgement. The ring around his neck is visible.
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Below the note, two customary boxes wait to be ticked. The man's head jerks to the side -- awaiting your judgement. The ring around his neck is visible.
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"...is what it would look like, but we know better. We know the ligature mark is a treatment." He awaits your call.
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"That's right. No clawing marks on the neck, no signs of struggle on the crime scene. And a witness statement from the perpetrators all confirm: wound is post-mortem. Treatment."
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"That's right. No clawing marks on the neck, no signs of struggle on the wrists. A witness statement from the perpetrators confirms: wound is post-mortem. Treatment."
"That's right. No clawing marks on the neck, no signs of struggle on the crime scene, faint lividity. A witness statement from the perpetrators confirms: wound is post-mortem. Treatment."
"That's right. No clawing marks on the neck, no signs of struggle on the wrists, faint lividity. A witness statement from the perpetrators confirms: wound is post-mortem. Treatment."
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"That's it. Field autopsy done, detective. All that remains is to see if the alleged cause of death -- the bullet -- is truly lodged in his brain. I'll leave that to you, colleague. Or to Processing -- I won't force you in there..."
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"Seriously -- I can just bag him and drive him to the morgue any time you tell me to. No need for heroics -- unless you want to..."
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He is deep in thought, eyes fixed on the bright red ring around the dead man's neck.
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A column of cold air encircles you, rising slowly upward in the shape of a courtyard; bordered by cracked plaster, windows, seagulls perched on air conditioning units.
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A small green enclosure in the middle of a corral of tenements: Capeside Apartments, Whirling-in-Rags and the fortress wall of Terminal B. Above it -- a thin blanket of coastal stratus clouds.
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Higher yet, Coalition airships guard over the twenty one cordons of the Zone of Control. The air is criss-crossed with radio transmissions, the hair on your neck rises...
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"Why do you say that?" He tilts his head. "Is it the seagull-murder again, or are you serious?"
"Why do you say that?" He tilts his head. "Is it like that fatal stone injury, or are you serious?"
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"Did you?" His eyes narrow. "I'm not so sure. I thought we could establish the cause of death here, officer. Now I think we should leave it empty."
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"No-no officer, I'm afraid I disagree now. We should leave the question open -- at least for the time being. If necessary, I can always amend this later. In my paperwork."
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- "No-no officer, I'm afraid I disagree now. We should leave the question open -- at least for the time being. If necessary, I can always amend this later. In my paperwork."
- "At least for the time being." He nods. "If we don't like it, I can always amend this later. In my paperwork."
- "Most everything else on the victim says otherwise..." He pauses. "But I agree. I was ready to establish a cause of death here, officer, but now I think we should leave it empty. At least for the time being."
- "Still... there may be truth to this one. I was ready to call a probable cause of death here -- but now I think we should leave it empty. At least for the time being."
- "Honestly, I'm not sure there weren't marks on his wrists. That part got blurry for me. The stench..." He covers his mouth. "But you're right. There should be signs of struggle. Let's leave the cause of death empty for the time being."
- "Everything that's physically on the victim says otherwise -- but I agree. I was ready to establish a cause of death, officer -- now I think we should leave it empty. At least for the time being."
- "Honestly, I'm not sure there weren't marks on his wrists. That part got blurry for me. The stench..." He covers his mouth. "But you're right. I was ready to call this -- now I think we should leave it empty. At least for the time being."
- "Now you're just undermining yourself for the sake of it. What's strange is -- I agree. I was sure we had our cause of death here, and now I think we should leave it empty. At least for the time being..."
- "I'm not usually one to go for these... hunches. But I think I agree. I thought we had our cause of death here, officer..." He shakes his head. "Now I think we should leave it empty. At least for the time being."
He produces a small black plastic roll from his jacket -- a body bag. "Let's wrap this up. I pronounce this field autopsy over."
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"Now, you see -- that worries me." He wipes his forehead. "You will die if you drink -- you know that, don't you? You're proving a useful detective, the organization would miss you."
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"...for processing." He looks at the dead man one more time, then at the slip of red paper in his hand, then at the corpse again.
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Hmm hmm hmm... I'm sure we didn't get everything. There's always something...
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"Well. We established probable cause of death -- some would say that's the goal of an autopsy."
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- "Well. We established probable cause of death -- some would say that's the goal of an autopsy."
- "It was a..." He looks for the right words. "An irregular field autopsy. We did not establish cause of death, which is supposed to be the goal of an autopsy. But... personally, I do not see this as a parameter for success."
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"We requested a test to be run on the genitals -- that was de règle. The results should arrive in a couple of weeks, if we're lucky. I would not hold my breath..."
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- "We also requested a toxicological screening -- that was thorough. The results should arrive in a couple of weeks. If we're lucky. I would not hold my breath..."
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- "We requested a test to be run on the genitals -- that was de règle. The results should arrive in a couple of weeks, if we're lucky. I would not hold my breath..."
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"Then -- given the state of decay here, I consider establishing the victim's ethnicity a minor success."
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"We were thorough with the list of injuries too -- we described them all in detail. What is there to say? Given the circumstances, it was a professional field autopsy."