[OmegaScales]

*ALL NAMES AND LOCATIONS ARE A PRODUCT OF MY IMAGINATION. ANY RESEMBLANCE OR MENTION TO ANYONE IN REAL LIFE, LIVING OR DEAD, IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.*

“Well, what should I do? I have a month off, and I’m not allowed to investigate that discovery. I suppose I could take an actual vacation for once… if that’s possible.” Every vacation you, Leslie Young, have ever had, even as a child, had ended up as an investigation of some sort. From catching a kidnapper by letting them “kidnap” you to simply finding a rich family’s lost exotic pet, you never once had just been able to relax while on vacation. So you call up a friend to fly you down to the Caribbean on his private jet.

“Thanks for this Mike. I really need a vacation.”

“No problem. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, and it’s always nice to see you. However, trouble seems to follow you, if you know what I mean.”

“Ha, ha. I’m hoping to get ahead of it, at least for a little while. I haven’t been able to plan a vacation for over four years now. The closest to a vacation I’ve had since then is resting in my office.”

“Wow! You REALLY need this!” The two of you laugh until a loud ‘BANG!’ is heard and the jet starts a nosedive. Mike runs up to the cockpit and manages to get the pilots to pull it into a crash course with a nearby island’s mountain. Another loud 'BANG!' is heard. He and the pilots come into the back and grab parachutes. “The engines blew up!” he says. Mike tosses one to you, which you put on. When all of you are in the air, he motions to a village before pulling his cord. You pull your cord, but a sudden gust pushes you to the other side of the island. You hear a tearing sound, and notice you are falling faster. Part of the parachute falls on front of you, so you look up. A large bird has flown away with a large piece of the parachute in its talons. You look down and see a large tree below you. A few broken branches later, you come to a stop. You think you hear someone yelling, and you look down at the ground. A group of people are gathered around the tree, and a ladder lands on the tree next to your head. You pass out.

As you start to come to, you hear several hospital noises. You hear heels coming into your room, and suddenly see a very bright light. You tilt your head away and close your eyes. You manage to make out a few words of what the woman is saying. “You… a fall. Are… feeling better?” You blink few times and try to say something, but you can’t hear what you are saying. You hear her laugh, and notice her sit down on the other side of the room. After a few minutes, everything has cleared up. “Can you hear me now?” she says.

“Yeah. Where am I?”

“The island of Barrio del Sol. It’s a little island that gets sun all year round. The literal translation is-“

“‘Neighborhood of the sun’. It’s Spanish. I remember a gale blowing me away from my friend and the pilots. Which side of the island am I on?”

“Well there is only one hospital on this island. This is next to the west coast, the opposite side you came from. You only got bruised from the fall, so you are able to leave as soon as you feel better… Um…”

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s just… you’re a detective, right? That’s what your ID says.”

“Yes I am. I suppose you need to investigate something or something’s missing or whatever?”

“Heh heh… The island’s artifact has been stolen. Normally I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but the elder heard about you and asked me to talk to you about it. We know the culprit is someone on the island, and that there are several people who have reason to steal it. I don’t know the names of these people, but the elder will tell you if decide to help.”

“… Well what’s a vacation without investigating something, huh?” You chuckle to yourself.

After you discharge yourself from the hospital, Maria, the doctor you talked with, directs you to the elder’s house. Before you stands a wrinkled old man with a large colorful staff. “Detective, come in.” You follow him in, and take some tea when he offers you some. “This is an herbal tea that will help with the pain. I hope you are tough, as the ones who may have stolen the artifact are violent. I wish to test your mettle before you start, including your ability to gather information. So what knowledge do you require before heading out, hm?”

[Guest]

I feel better already.. what herbs does it contain anyways ?

Well, on a serious note , I am keen on getting some of the following information before I proceed:

1. What is this artifact and when was it stolen and from which place?

2. Who are the prime suspects and what could be there motive behind stealing?

3. And why do you say these suspects are violent? Do they have some history?

4. Did the thief leave any potential clues behind on the crime scene?

5. Can I get the whereabouts of the suspects , in case I need to speak to them. Or is any of the suspects missing.

[Guest]

Also ask about the artifact itself, like why it was so important.

[OmegaScales]

“Thank you for the tea. It is delicious, sir. What is this artifact, exactly? And where did you lose it?”

“You are most welcome, young lady. The artifact is a staff. Mine is based upon it, as the true staff is very old and weak. It is made of several precious metals including gold, silver, platinum, and rhodium. It is colorful, like my own, because of its metals and its age. It is also missing a part on the top, like part of a circle, or a sideways arch. The staff is symmetrical, except for that one part. It also has a large crystal at the top about the size of your fist. It is not diamond, just a regular crystal.” He gets up and starts looking around. “I have a picture of it somewhere around here, which I’ll show you once I find it. It is used once a year in our ‘ritual’. We really only continue the ritual for tourism. The staff is very valuable, but we keep- or rather kept- it at the center of the island, unguarded. You may think that unwise, but there are several wild animals around that part that are very hostile. For some reason, they leave me be, as well as any accompanying me. Well, it looks like I lost the picture. I’m sure you can manage without it.”[The real reason you don’t get the picture is that I’m terrible with Paint ]

“So who are the suspects, and what are the motives? Also, why do you say they are violent?”

“My grandson is one of them. Jorge Lopez, the big businessman of this island. He is severely in debt, and would kill, steal, et cetera to keep his job. And I do not mean figuratively. He’s turned out the opposite of how he was raised. The second is Emanuel Rodríguez, a professional fighter. He likes money and fighting. His nickname is ‘Manny el Mano’. A third is the local self-proclaimed ‘excavator’ who collects anything he thinks or knows is valuable. He claims to dig it all up, but I lost one of my older plates two or so years ago, and he started parading around trying to sell it. He found out my staff is more than just decoration. If he doesn’t learn his lesson soon, he may end up stealing from a very wealthy man coming here soon who will not go easy on him. His name is Roberto Montoya. He really isn’t that dangerous, but you shouldn’t provoke him. Fourth is Nina Núñez, who is in 8th grade. She hates the ritual, the staff, me, and basically everything on this island. She would do almost anything to get off this island, but her parents won’t let her. Her parents think it’s just a phase, but if you ask me, they drove her to her current state. And fifth is her father, Leonardo, the head of one of the gangs.” You look at him quizzically. “Yes, there are gangs here. He is the head of the Lions, ‘Los Leones.’ He is the only gang head that would permit someone to try to take the staff, though he is the only one who would. Everyone else on the island, excluding these five, would not dare touch it.”

“Is there anything the culprit left behind? Or anything else out of the ordinary?”

“No. The only thing that was found was a missing staff. I will take you to the site if you wish to take a closer look, though.”

“Thank you. So where do each of the suspects live?”

“I have a map around here somewhere. If we can find it, I’ll mark the locations down.” After a minute of searching, you find the map. “Excellent.” He marks down the locations of interest. “So, here you are.” [This is the best map I can do. It’s much better than my failed attempt at the staff.]Barrio del Sol.bmp

[Guest]

Look in those 5 places

[Guest]

[OmegaScales]

@sd3000 Where to first?

“Have you taken anyone out to see the staff lately?”

“No. I go check on it every Saturday, and no one else can get past without getting attacked by the animals.”

“No one is missing or hurt, right?”

“No one is missing, and no one has injuries that could be made by one of these animals.”

“I’m just wondering something, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings or anything… So… How old are you?”[Just felt like adding to the story. It isn’t important to the case.]

He laughs heartily before answering. “I don’t mind at all. I’m proud to say that I shall be 101 years old in few weeks.”

“Wow! Everyone I know who has made it to 100 is either in a nursing home or has Alzheimer’s Syndrome. How do you stay so healthy?”

“Exercise, eat right, and live life with little or no regrets. The only thing I regret is outliving my wife. She died in an accident one score ago.” You hear him mutter a phrase in Spanish, Dios bendiga su corazón, cuerpo y alma. “But that’s life. In the end, we all return to the planet. There is no changing it, only delaying it.”

[Guest]

Is that elder's staff also made of precious metals

the criminal can be Roberto because Jorge don't need to steal as he can have the one of his grandfather . Monny is a professional so he don't need to steal nunez can't have so much of guts to enter that forest and since Leonardo is gang leader he don't need to steal that on his own so the one left ie. Robertto and also he's the nearest one to leonardo and possibly he can also be a gang member

Edited February 20, 2011 by Shivam

[OmegaScales]

The elder's staff is wooden with some common precious metals on it, such as aluminum, and colored with inks. It is mostly for decoration and to show he is the elder.

Manny could still have stolen it, since he does love money, and that staff is extremely valuable. And with Leo, just to make this clear, he is the only one in his entire gang that would even participate in stealing the staff.

"Do you really think Nina could steal it?"

"She is actually a little genius. Her IQ is over 200! She could very well have come up with some plan. She is staying in the same grade as others her age because her parents want her to try to make friends, but that isn't working out well. And, before you ask about the others, yes I think they could have. They are suspects because they could have somehow gotten the staff without injuries. If they were not capable, I would not have told you of them."

[And as a precaution:] "You said it is used in a ritual, right? Can you tell me about it?"

“Ah, yes. The ritual was handed down by inscriptions within the ruins. It states that should the ritual not be performed once a year, ‘the mountain of fiery rocks shall spew forth the watery flames of death.’ It started when there was only one volcano, and still continues. The people believe in the prophecy still, actually, except for these suspects. The reason they believe in it is because every year recorded that the ritual was not held, there have been eruptions. Every scientist that has inspected them has said that both are long dormant, and will remain that way, though the people still believe the ritual over the scientists. The ritual itself is performed by the eldest resident of the island, which would currently be me. The ritual is to be held in two weeks’ time, in which I hope you can retrieve the staff. You are welcome to stay and watch, should this be the case.”

[Guest]

ask the elder to take us to the site of the staff. we can ask more questions when we get there.

[OmegaScales]

“Could you bring me to the ruins?”

“Certainly.”

After half an hour, you reach the ruins of what appears to be a Mayan or Aztec temple, though you may be mistaken. Overlooking weather and time erosion, it is remarkably preserved. There is a large area in front of the entrance that seems to have been restored somewhat, and has an indentation in the very center where the staff had been stood. You take a look around, and see only signs that animals had been there. Some of these signs are large horn marks on nearby trees, large tracks of the feline persuasion, and some large feathers, all of which seem larger than normal.

“Have you found anything detective?”

“Just these rather large animal markings...”

What now?

[Guest]

who has come up here with you. previously you said that the animals don't attack you or anyone you are with. have you ever seen the animals? what are they? why do you suppose they don't attack you and why do you suppose they will attack anyone but you or the people you have in your party?

[OmegaScales]

“You said the animals don’t attack you, but have you actually seen these animals? And what are they anyways? These markings are larger than normal: maybe 1.5 to 2 times bigger.”

“Yes, I usually see some on the way here. There are jungle cats, boars, snakes, birds, and more. And they are larger than normal.”

“Why don’t they attack when you are around?”

“That’s a mystery that can’t be solved.”[i’m just having it like that for convenience.]

“Hmmm… who was the last person you took here and when?”

“Let’s see… I think it was three months ago, I brought an archeologist here. We passed some jungle cats on the way here, and on the way back. The next day, he was in the hospital because he tried to steal the staff, but he had been attacked by jungle cats on the way out. I put the staff back, and he was flown to a city hospital the day after. The doctors here are better at emergency calls than long term treatment, and for good reason. There have been many people who tried to take the staff. Oh! I just remembered this one time, a tourist tried to take it after the ritual, he somehow managed to hide it until I left them at the village near my home, where jungle cats attacked only him. I must admit, there is something mystical about it, or these animals wouldn’t protect it.” He pauses then laughs heartily for a moment. “I just can’t stop talking. Every time someone visits me, I believe I do perhaps ninety percent of the talking, maybe more.”

“I like listening to your stories. I’m sure others do, too, or they would interrupt you. By the way, do you know what kind of bird this feather is from?” You hold up the long feather you’ve been playing with.

“I believe that is from a falcon. That particular one would be about 3 times its normal size, if I’m not mistaken.”

What next?

[Guest]

what flies the patients to the city hospital and who is the pilot? (do falcons like shiny things?)

[OmegaScales]

Like most hospitals, a helicopter recieves and delivers patients. The pilot is a regular island resident (the copter is owned by the island). To the best of my knowledge, falcons do not care for shiny objects.

[Guest]

we need to go and visit nina and her father. my guess right now (because i have no other train of thought yet) is that nina trained a falcon to fly her home from the site. she's the smallest and is a genius so could easily train a falcon to carry her and since it is 3x bigger, not 1/5 to 2x bigger like the rest of the animals it may be protecting her as well. see if there are any signs of animals at nina's and her father's house.

[Guest]

sorry i meant .5 not 1/5

[Guest]

grrr... i mean 1.5, not 1/5

[OmegaScales]

I understood what you meant with the first one, but I was on my way to college at the time. BTW, you can edit your post as many times as necessary until ten minutes after the original post time. Anyways:

“Thank you for the information, sir. I think I’ll start off with the Núñez’s.”

“Alright then, and if Nina asks if you want to play a game, just say no. There have been plenty of tourists she’s conned out of money.”

You reach the house and are about to knock when a bullet speeds by your ear and lodges in the door. A gruff voice tells you not to move, “or the next one goes through your head.” You stay completely still, and then you hear another gunshot and feel something cool spray on you. A friendlier voice from above you tells you to come in quickly. You open the door and get inside right before a wave of bullets come at you, one of which hits your right forearm, but the adrenaline drowns out the immediate pain. The door closes with a bang, and the majority of bullets hit steel plating. You lock the door’s ten locks, and the man you heard comes down. “Are you alright? Oh s***.” You finally feel the bullet wound in your arm. He grabs a first aid kit from the closet and opens it. It does not look like a regular first aid kit, with a gun, extra-long tweezers, and Kevlar-covered bandages, along with customized regular first aid equipment. He takes the tweezers and removes the bullet from your arm, then treats the wound. “That was close. I take it you are the detective the island is talking about. I’m Leonardo, one of your suspects.”

“You say that like it’s a good thing. Ah!” You gasp as he pulls a cord tight around your arm.

“You don’t seem that scared, being shot at and all.”

“I’ve been through worse. Death would have been preferable to it, but then the criminal would still be at large.”

“Gang member?”

“No. I actually have a friend who is the Don of the mafia in Case Mega Sol, New Jersey.” [Try to figure out how I came up with that for her town name.]

“So you don’t have a problem with gangs then.”

“I do if they interfere with my work. Or if they are suspects.”

“…I get it. I didn’t steal the staff, but I wish I had. Are you happy I admit that?”

“That’s not really what I want to hear. I would actually like to hear ‘I did it. Take me away.’ I would be happy if I managed to actually get some vacation time before I need to head home.”

Another voice chimes in, this time from a young girl coming down the stairs. ”I take it you still want to question both of us. You can get my father to tell the truth by threatening to cut off his-“

“NINA ESTRELLA MARÍA NÚÑEZ!!!” he screams. “Grrr…“ He starts growling at her, but then turns to you, smiling. “Why don’t you tell the good detective the truth? If you don’t, I will tell your mother that you have been playing with her-“

This time Nina screams. “NO!!! I will tell the complete truth, but only if you do, too. Deal?”

“…Deal.”

WIT

What do you ask and to who? The order of your questions matters here. In other words, if you ask a certain question, an event will take place that prevents you from gathering any other information from them.

[Guest]

eros lubricant or multiple-currency software for private and offshore banks?

ask nina what she does in her time...im sure school is extremely boring for her since she's a genius. ask them both what they can tell us about the other suspects and why we should believe it's not them.

[OmegaScales]

eros lubricant or multiple-currency software for private and offshore banks?

For the town name question, right? If so, wrong for both. And if someone does get it, which I'm sure someone will, I'll give a hint. Not a very good one, but still considered a hint.

“Okay… There was a seven day window for it to be stolen, and I’m assuming you have no alibis at certain points, so why don’t you tell me those times.”

Nina answers first. “Well it’s spring break for me, and I haven’t left the house once. You can check the security cameras Leonardo installed.”

“Please, Nina, stop calling me that. I’m your padre, but you always call me by name. Why won’t you call me father, dad, padre, or something along those lines at least once?”

You interrupt before Nina can respond. “Eh-hem. Could you tell me what I want to know please? You can talk to each other later.”

“Oh, sorry. I was in and out all week. I was never out more than fifteen minutes, and my bodyguards were always with me. They would tell you if I even thought about trying to steal it, and I mean it. It’s like they have ESP or something. And they are only bodyguards, not part of my gang, so they would tell you if you asked them.” “So I’ll watch the videos and talk to these bodyguards. Can you tell me more about the other suspects then?”[Obtained copies of the videos and names of bodyguards. I'll get to them after you leave.]

“Well, which one?” Leo asks.

WIT(cont.)

Edited February 23, 2011 by OmegaScales

[Guest]

Ask about the fighter

in italian it means big homes only.

Case backwards is esac which is employer service assurance corporation

the age of mesac? amateur radio something something emergency broadcasts

something huge sun?

there's a large solar panel farm in New Jersey

I'm sorry but could you explain what "WIT" means?

Edited February 23, 2011 by mirandarball

[OmegaScales]

You're overthinking about the town. Look closer at the name.

WIT is basically a point where you have to be careful. If you do or say something wrong (in this case, not ask a certain question), you could die or miss out on important information.

“What do you know about Manny?”

Leo starts off. “Mostly what the elder knows. I find it amazing how fast he gets his information. I’d like to know how- sorry. One thing I know that the elder doesn’t is that he is seeing Dr. Maria. I also heard a rumor that the WWA asked him to participate.”

Nina, who has been listening quietly, chimes in at this point. “It’s actually true, but it’s the WWE, not WWA. He came by yesterday to talk with Leonar- I mean, my father.” He smiles upon hearing this. “I overheard him talking to himself. He does that often, actually, which sometimes causes trouble.”

Leo keeps smiling while explaining that Manny came over to talk about “a job opportunity” somewhere else. He needed to find a way to get off the island and to the interview.

WIT(cont.)

[Guest]

who is dr. maria? leslie loves pets right? ask nina if she has any pets. and why is nina being so nice to her father all of a sudden? i thought she hated everything and everyone on the island.

[OmegaScales]

Dr. Maria is the doctor Leslie talked with when she woke up in the hospital. Nina hates ALMOST everything on the island, and it's not that she hates her father, just that they haven't really bonded. And I don't remember if I said if Leslie loves animals or not, so I'll say it now. Leslie loves animals: Birds, cats, dogs, lizards, snakes, even dangerous ones.

"Do you like animals, Nina?"

"Not particularly. I find some animals interesting, especially the ones on this island. I want to study them to find out what makes them larger than elsewhere. Especially that one falcon that is just over three times bigger than normal, and acts superior because of that fact. I already have a hypothesis about the enlarged animals, but I doubt it is important to your investigation. I suppose you are going to suggest I trained one or more of them to steal the staff for me, but there is a problem with that theory. None of the animals will approach me without attacking. Check my medical records if you don't believe me." You start to feel a little lightheaded, possibly from losing so much blood.

WIT(cont.)

[Guest]

I am interested in her theory. check the medical records. ask for OJ so that can bring blood sugar up and stop lightheaded.