The concealed passage ends at a rain-dark rear exit. Fresh mud crosses the threshold, leading outward into the wet grounds, while the dining room and the body in the trunk’s body remain behind.
A narrow maintenance box is fixed beside the door. Inside, a compact camera points directly toward the service entrance, its lens dark but recently wiped.
Beside the box lies a specialized lock tool, its fine teeth marked with brass traces and a partial fingerprint preserved along the grip.
Marcellus Trent
That camera was never part of my security system. It was hidden here without my permission.
The Bankrupted Businessman
Then Silas Crowe did not merely keep duplicate keys. He monitored the route and recorded whoever used it.
Vane remains beside Kyoko at the exit, while Trent stands just behind them, staring at the camera. Rain has softened the outer tracks, but the mud crossing the threshold is fresh.
Marcellus Trent
If that device captured tonight’s entry, it may show who carried Vale through my house. Take it before the rain reaches the wiring.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the hidden camera
“*uses a usb to save the footage*”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +1)
Marcellus Trent
I have a spare drive in the office. It is unused. Take it, and preserve whatever that camera recorded.
Trent retrieves a small USB drive from a locked desk drawer and places it in Kyoko’s gloved hand. Elias watches the exchange without speaking.
Kyoko connects the drive to the hidden camera’s port, checks the device recognition, and opens the recording directory. The footage is present and readable.
She copies the complete file to the USB, then verifies its size and playback against the camera’s original. The transfer finishes without corruption.
The Bankrupted Businessman
Keep the original untouched. If Crowe expected this camera to be found, the copy may matter less than what he removed.
Kyoko safely ejects the drive and seals it in her evidence pouch. The hidden camera remains connected, its original footage preserved for examination.
Marcellus Trent
Then you have the record. Whatever it shows, it can no longer vanish with the rain.
+ New Item Acquired
USB drive
“I have done all I can *gathers belongings* if you think I may have missed something *hands her head detectives number* I am only in training he should be more helpful if I have missteped* do you wish for me to remove the hidden camera before I go or do you want to handle that?”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
Kyoko gathers her notebook, flashlight, gloves, and sealed evidence pouch. She removes the USB drive from the camera and keeps it secured with the copied footage.
She writes the head detective’s number on a clean card and hands it to Marcellus Trent, who accepts it with a guarded glance toward the bankrupted businessman.
Kyoko
I am only in training. If I have made a misstep, he should be more helpful. Do you want me to remove the hidden camera before I go, or will you handle it?
Marcellus Trent
I will contact him directly. Leave the camera in place and take the copy with you. Its position may tell us what Crowe intended to monitor.
Trent folds the card into his inner pocket. He leaves the hidden device connected and untouched, while rain taps against the rear exit and the fresh mud begins to lose its edges.
The Bankrupted Businessman
Then preserve the camera as well as the recording. If Crowe returns for either, we will know the evidence mattered.
“*secures the camera in place without tampering with it*”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +2)
Kyoko folds a clean sheet from her notebook around the camera’s bracket, keeping her skin off the housing and lens. She checks the cable and port without disturbing either.
The mounting screws remain tight, the cable hangs naturally, and the wiped lens stays untouched. Kyoko adds a narrow strip of paper as a visible tamper seal across the bracket.
Marcellus Trent
You secured it without opening the casing. Good. If Crowe returns, even a small break in that seal will matter.
The Bankrupted Businessman
And the lens still faces the service entrance. Whoever approaches will have to reveal whether they know it is there.
Kyoko photographs the camera, its seal, the cable path, and the surrounding wall before stepping back. The device remains in place, recording position and condition preserved.
Rain blurs the last outward tracks beyond the threshold, but not the fresh mud crossing beneath the camera’s view. The evidence is secured without tampering.