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Paying a visit.
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| Exar_Ray | Date: Monday, 11 Feb 2013, 4:18 PM | Message # 1 |
 Major general
Group: Users
Messages: 353
Status: Offline
| The Khoonda Administration building was always busy with activity; just not the same caliber as Coruscant. There were all sorts of people rushing in and out of the building, people getting claims filed, filing complains, speaking highly of individuals. This was what gave Exar the satisfaction that his administration was doing the right thing. However, as he was about to sign out for lunch, a member of the militia would come into his office.
"Sir, this was given to us to give to you."
He took the package from the troop and opened it. Inside was a clipped article about the death of a man named Winston. Odd, this was the 5th death in the month. Skimming through the article, Exar was attempting to find some piece that would give him what he was looking for. Once his eyes met certain words, he looked up at the militiaman.
"Prep my speeder."
"Destination, sir?"
"Ms. Carmichael's..."
Sitting in the passenger side, Exar continued to read the article. Apparently the man was met with death in the form of a spear to the heart. However this didn't surprise Exar; the first man died with he was hit by a speeder truck, the second man when his droid was programmed to mutilate the man. The third man was found dead with his head in the toilet. The fourth man... a piano fell on him. Now this man. Nodding some, Exar leaned back in his chair and looked at the driver.
"Think it's coincidence?"
He shook his head.
"Not likely sir, we've been investigating all these deaths... no links... but there is obviously something we are missing..."
In agreement, Exar shook his head as they arrived at the Carmichael estate. As the speeder came to a stop, the Administrator would get out and with his cane, would make his way towards the front door. However, before doing anything... Exar looked around. Ensuring no pianos or death traps were set, he would knock.
"Ms. Carmichael... it's Administrator Ray."
Message edited by Exar_Ray - Monday, 11 Feb 2013, 4:18 PM |
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| MaryAnne_Carmichael | Date: Monday, 11 Feb 2013, 7:36 PM | Message # 2 |
 Private
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| The death of "Mr. Carmichael" had been somewhat exaggerated in the article written for the Dantooine Herald. A spear hadn't been Winston's untimely end, no, it was simply a picket fence post. Granted, the pickets were quite slender and elegant, so it could have been seen to be something of a weapon. But poor, unfortunate Winston had impaled himself while installing the fence for his dear, young bride, MaryAnne Carmichael. She was....devastated.
Upon hearing the knock at the door, MaryAnne sent her footman to answer, as she was spending the time mourning for sweet Webs....Warner....Winston! A widow again. She understood that it would start to look suspicious, but who could ever think that sweet Ms. MaryAnne could possibly kill someone?
"Show whoever it is into the parlor..." She drawled in a heavy, but sweet accent. In the parlor she sat, perched on a floral tufted sofa, laced into a voluminous black dress.
"Senator, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you by?" She dabbed at her eyes, right on que, as she waited for the Senators response.
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| Exar_Ray | Date: Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 2:15 PM | Message # 3 |
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Major general
Group: Users
Messages: 353
Status: Offline
| "Please Ms. Carmichael... Senator does not apply here. Exar will do."
He would shoot back. He looked at her as well as around the parlor when he was let in. Nodding some, he pulled out a data-pad with a list of the recently deceased men that were known to have been with MaryAnne. Briefly skimming through the list, Exar would lower the data-pad and then proceed to speak.
"Ma'am, normally I would leave these types of ordeals to the Militia, however with so many 'deaths' occuring... I must get to the bottom of this. Now understand there is nothing formal here... so you are free to exercise your rights to remove me from your home. However, I must insist that if there is any information... that you provide it, should you chose to do so."
Dantooine laws prohibited such actions. And in fine lines, Exar was borderline violating them himself with this action, however since he did advise MaryAnne that she was free to remove him as well as insisting that this was nothing formal... she could lie to his face, and it couldn't be used IF any official investigation came into play.
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| MaryAnne_Carmichael | Date: Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 4:54 PM | Message # 4 |
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Private
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| "You can call me MaryAnne, if you like then." She said casually as her gaze trailed to the datapad in hand. Certainly an important official such as Exar Ray wouldn't come all the way out there for something trivial. No, no, there it was. He was there about the untimely deaths of the previous Mr. Carmichael's.
The woman cleared her throat briefly, turning her gaze to the window and she stared at for several moments. "Have you ever worked on a plantation, Exar?" She drawled as she finally turned her now misty gaze back to the man. "A plantation is, by any other name, just a farm. And accidents happen on farms, do they not? It seems this plantation is cursed. I may have to move." She cooed. "It's so beautiful though, and the land is so good. We have the best peaches in the province."
MaryAnne pulled herself to her feet, smoothing the skirts of her hooped dress briefly before she plucked one of the fruits from a bowl on a nearby table. "Care to try one, Exar? They're quite....heavenly." She said as she offered him the fruit.
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| Exar_Ray | Date: Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 6:22 PM | Message # 5 |
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Major general
Group: Users
Messages: 353
Status: Offline
| "I'll ask you not to insult my intelligence... Ms. Carmichael."
Exar knew full well what a plantation was, because he worked on one as a boy and continues to do so to this day. If there was anything that pushed the old man's button, was being treated as if he were from another planet. However when she offered the fruit, the Administrator was very quick to refuse it.
"You will have to forgive me as I do not believe in curses, MaryAnne. I know that farms can have accidents... if there are no proper safety regulations; which by Dantooine law is required for each and every operational plantation that operates any type of farm equipment that is designated to cause harm."
Yes, even as the Administrator... Exar had to follow the exact same law. Being both Administrator and Senator did not exclude him from the laws; rather... it gave him a full belly every night.
"I'm going to read from my list, and if you can, provide me a detailed account of what happened."
He brought up his data-pad and read the first name.
"Charles Carmichael... was apparently hit by a rogue speeder truck as it arrived on your plantation."
Message edited by Exar_Ray - Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 6:23 PM |
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| MaryAnne_Carmichael | Date: Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 6:35 PM | Message # 6 |
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Private
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| MaryAnne sat back down on the edge of the couch and smoothed her dress. She took a bite out of the peach, which he was no doubt wary about for obvious reasons. A moment later she laid the peach on the small plate that sat next to her teacup. So he was planning on questioning her on each one of them? Interesting.
"Did you not read the report, Exar? The driver of that truck was drunk off of some local bath tub moonshine." MaryAnne replied. There was an explanation for each of them, each of which were in the official reports. But if he wanted to play and ask questions, she could certainly indulge the distinguished gentleman.
"How about some tea? Would you at least sit and join me? Maybe you could make this seem like less of an interrogation."
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| Exar_Ray | Date: Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 6:43 PM | Message # 7 |
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Major general
Group: Users
Messages: 353
Status: Offline
| Taking a seat, the same data-pad contained the official report of each death yet Exar was not satisfied with them. There was something fishy about each death and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. When she mentioned interrogation, he smiled.
"I can have a room waiting for you. We're experimenting with this new move called waterboarding. It's actually quite exciting!"
He laughed a little.
I have the reports right here. However... I am not trusting of them to a degree."
He'd skim through the report.
"Says here that the truck was registered to you... more specifically... there was a barrel loaded with moonshine in your basement during initial investigation, but because driver's body suffered heavy burning after it exploded... no samples could be recovered."
Coughing some, he'd bring up the next incident.
"Bubba Carmichael... a real 'charming' man it says. Care to explain why his droid was programmed to rip apart the man limb from limb?"
Message edited by Exar_Ray - Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 6:48 PM |
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| MaryAnne_Carmichael | Date: Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 6:54 PM | Message # 8 |
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| "Yes well, Charles liked the drink a bit too much." She let out a sigh and leaned forward to pour the administrator a cup of tea, followed by a cup for herself. "And why wouldn't the truck be registered in my name, Exar? It is my plantation after all. Every vehicle here is registered under my name. Aren't yours?" She asked, offering sugar and cream for the tea.
MaryAnne cleared her throat. "Bubba was just what they called him around here, you know. Robert was quite charming. His passing was unfortunate and my heart was so heavy when he passed. I was told that the droid malfunctioned. I don't know anything about them really. You won't see any around the house for a reason...new fangled contraptions."
"I suppose you will be asking about Erich next?"
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| Exar_Ray | Date: Wednesday, 13 Feb 2013, 2:17 PM | Message # 9 |
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Major general
Group: Users
Messages: 353
Status: Offline
| "Malfunctioned?"
His question hung in the air a bit as he re-read the report that was on the data-pad.
"It says here there was slicing equipment discovered, yet it was damaged far beyond repair and we weren't able to connect anything."
When she mentioned Erich next, he grinned a little bit. The third unfortunate sucker to fall victim to this 'haunted' plantation of Ms. Carmichael.
"As a matter of fact, yes. Erich is indeed next. Found dead with his head in the toilet... this one I find a little interesting."
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| MaryAnne_Carmichael | Date: Wednesday, 13 Feb 2013, 5:30 PM | Message # 10 |
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| MaryAnne dabbed at her eyes with a lace trimmed handkerchief briefly. Considering the circumstances, she was very pulled together. But then again, MaryAnne Carmichael always was, despite the goings on around her.
"Poor Erich had a couple of medical conditions, you see. If you read there, it should tell you. The coroner told me he had too much of his medication in his stomach. The only thing I can think was that he was trying to throw up, blacked out, and drowned himself. So tragic, isn't it?" She asked, dabbing at her eyes again.
The story was very plausible, and she maintained her innocence through the entire thing.
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| Exar_Ray | Date: Wednesday, 13 Feb 2013, 5:36 PM | Message # 11 |
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Major general
Group: Users
Messages: 353
Status: Offline
| "That is true, according to this report. However... it also states that there was signs of forced movement; particularly around the neck area. But because his head was exposed to the water inside the toilet... we couldn't collect any prints."
Coming up on the next man, Exar almost chuckled a bit reading his death. However years of living as well as years in office trained the man to hold back any true emotions when it came to events such as these. And while laughing (almost) gave bad karma, it was just too strange for a piano to simply come crashing down on the man.
"Oliver Carmichael... a piano... crashing down on him?" He questioned.
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| MaryAnne_Carmichael | Date: Wednesday, 13 Feb 2013, 5:41 PM | Message # 12 |
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| "He loved to play piano, Ollie did. But he decided that the piano in the parlor was not suitable to his tastes. He wanted it in the sitting room on the second floor. So he hired movers...incompetent ones at that." She let out a soft sigh and looked to the window. "The piano wasn't secured, apparently, and fell before they could get it into the second floor balcony. Tragic."
Her gaze finally went back to Exar Ray. "You have barely touched your tea...."
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| Exar_Ray | Date: Thursday, 14 Feb 2013, 2:59 PM | Message # 13 |
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Major general
Group: Users
Messages: 353
Status: Offline
| He grinned a little bit, looking at the tea.
"Thank you, however... I had lunch prior to arriving."
Regardless, he was still a little paranoid around Ms. Carmichael... even if she did have reasonable excuses for all the deaths of her husbands.
"But... one of the movers was a relative of yours. But, because he committed suicide before anything could be done, we couldn't establish a link"
Now finally, the last man, Winston. The man that was stabbed.
"Your latest casualty... Winston. Stabbed directly in his heart."
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| MaryAnne_Carmichael | Date: Friday, 15 Feb 2013, 5:27 PM | Message # 14 |
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Private
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Messages: 18
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| "Isn't everyone a relative of everyone here, Mr. Ray? Our family trees are more like wreaths." She said before shaking her head slightly. "Distantly, if nothing else." MaryAnne took a sip of her tea and relaxed some against the back of the sofa.
"My dear, sweet Winston." The wound still appeared to be fresh, and MaryAnne teared up and dabbed at her eyes lightly with the linen handkerchief she still held. "It was entirely my fault." She said woefully, and at first it sounded like an admission of some guilt. "I had so wanted a picket fence in the yard and sweet Winston started building it for me. I should have never asked for such a silly thing." She sniffled and blinked back tears. "And one of the servants said that he just fell...right on the post. I was in town at the time, but...."
"But they told me that he fell."
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| Exar_Ray | Date: Thursday, 28 Feb 2013, 3:26 PM | Message # 15 |
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Major general
Group: Users
Messages: 353
Status: Offline
| "Told you he fell?"
Exar highly doubted this, and while again this was no formal investigation, he couldn't help but having to make sure that her story was credible before he went about on his daily routine.
"Is there anyone in the town that can vouch for you, Ms. Carmichael? Because as it turns out, you're in a very strange spot really, and while I believe in innocents before proven guilty, sadly your stories match up with the reports too much to just have it be sheer coincidence."
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