Sic Transit Wirefly

April 2 - Shadowrim

Major Siamendes,

Even at my clearance, the records that I have access to do not have any file photos of Project Aurotharius personnel. There are other records, sealed by either Command or Parliament. You would need a few stars or a government minister with need to know.

Due to other reasons which I am not at liberty to discuss, I cannot assist you further in this matter.

You are going to have to find other means to acquire the images.

Colonel Aodhfionn MacMoragh, Special Projects

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The patio at the Shadowrim spaceport was quite pleasant. Sheltered by walls yet open to the clear, blue sky. Ornamental brick. A cute little iron worked table with matching chairs.

It was an ideal place to sit, relax and think about murder.

I poured myself another cup of coffee and sprinkled some spice on the top. Picking up my red felt marker, I took up my notebook and crossed out a name.

Doctor Wirefly.

The internal report read "... killed March 18 between 19:44 and 19:55 on Gateway Station by person or persons unknown."

As first investigator on the scene, SIU Londinium had kept me on the case despite an open investigation into the man's activities.

What did we actually know about the victim? As it turned out, not a whole lot. The only record we had of the man was his involvement in the recruitment and organization of the posse that arrested Sentry Swashbuckler and Mikie Rhiadra prior to their trial.

How did a man with no past be put into a position to organize such an activity? The whole thing screamed 'agent', not that one was likely to be able to prove it. Clearly someone out there knows who he really was.

And the arrest itself, while successful in apprehending the two suspects, involved distributing blank ammunition to the members of the posse. Why did they do that exactly?

After the raid, Doctor Wirefly disappeared from view until we found his body on Gateway.

So, in terms of the murder, what can we deduce?

We can rule out robbery.

Wirefly still had his pocketwatch. The surrounding stores were untouched.

We can rule out a random shooting.

The airlock time stamp indicated a total of eleven minutes between the time the shooter entered the station and left again. Wirefly himself was in an office two closed doors from the main mall.

The shooter knew where to find him. Wirefly was the intended target.

I sipped my coffee. Turning to a fresh page in my notebook, I drew a new diagram. Two overlapping circles.

That left two possibilities and three broad scenarios.

It was either personal or professional.

Personal meaning someone had a grievance. The shooter was correcting a real or imagined injustice.

Professional meaning it was business or politics. The shooter was doing a job. For example, clearing up the loose ends from the Abderdeen Incident and subsequent bombardment of Shadow.

Or, the space in between, it was a professional hit for personal reasons. The gun-for-hire scenario.

I put down my markers and looked at the diagram. Letting the wheels turn.

What stood out about this murder scene?

It would have to be the presence of the 9 mm bullet.

Wirefly was killed by three shots from a 45.

A spent 9 mm bullet, with traces of dried blood, was left at the scene. Regardless as to whether or not the shooter showed the bullet to Wirefly first or simply placed it after the murder, he or she left the bullet at the scene of the crime.

The shooter left it so others would see.

"See what I did? I have restored the balance."

It was a message. Poetry.

A used bullet. Belonging to another shooting. That made it personal.

I sipped my coffee a bit disappointed. So much for someone behind the scenes disposing of members of the conspiracy.

And then suddenly, I realized that this was not about bullets after all. It was about blanks.

I had my first suspect.

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[OOC - follow Pepper's reasoning. Read the following posts:]

http://siamendes.blogspot.com/2010/04/strange-case-of-doctor-wirefly.html

http://siamendes.blogspot.com/2009/12/debriefing.html

http://siamendes.blogspot.com/2009/12/paquin.html