2-5 “Leads”

My vision comes back, I'm back in my own head. That pain still lingers a little. We should let everyone in the watch feel that, they won't complain about the gorgets being uncomfortable ever again.

I get up and look down at Inspector Freeman. He is sitting as if in deep concentration, he's still holding that notebook and his gloved hand is drawing on the page with his pen incredibly swiftly. He is just finishing a sketch of the fellow being talked to in the bar. When it's done, the page flips and he begins drawing another face, one I didn't notice as I was memorizing the streets and shops being visited.

I turn to Kristoph to ask, “Why did I get out earlier than he did?”

“Time still passes while you are having the vision, though you experience much more quickly than you would reality. You probably speed up the process further. Inspector Freeman there has done this before, he takes it slow and uses that magical glove to let him sketch things without seeing the page. I'm guessing the glove is mentally controlled, he can't move his body of his own will during the trance normally, but perhaps the glove's enchantment doesn't share that detachment.”

Suddenly Freeman's face expresses deep pain, his drawing slows down. It looks like he's trying to sketch the killer in those fading moments. He only has a vague outline when he comes to.

“Damn it! If the victim could have held out a little longer, I might have had the bastard! Denwatch, you remember his path?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good,” He begins copying his sketches with remarkable speed. Then he calls the rest of the men back in to the mortuary, “I want you to look for these people in that area with me. Ask if anyone saw the victim or anyone following him around. If you find any of the people that I sketched, direct them to me for questioning. I'm going to spend my time looking for them directly and questioning people at the tavern, so if you find any of them send them there to meet me. We also need to identify him and find out if he has any local family to notify.”

He hands us the copied sketches, several people drawn with meticulous detail. Standard procedure; groups of two or more, fan out, question the nearby residents, regroup at the guard house when finished. I'm still paired with Ken. The inspector takes one of the men brought to carry the coffin. Two of the remaining three are chosen to help, the last is sent back to his guard post on standby.

Following his path I manage to learn from a stall owner the man's name, Victor Sagefield, and that he had acted as an intermediary for merchants and caravans. I make note to ask around at nearby trader's guilds to find more information about him, he might have been a member and been killed by a rival or competing guild. Other than that, the search is frustratingly useless. The last place I decide to go is the tavern. I'm not officially an investigator, but I might very well know how to get more information out of the owners and regulars than Freeman would. They can be... quirky...