The sealed service entrance jolts open against the officers’ restraint. A lean adult man in a rain-dark hooded coat stands beyond it, narrow lock tools exposed across one gloved palm; a pale scar cuts his left cheek.
Silas Crowe
Do not damage that lock. It must be examined before anyone handles the door again.
Detective Shaw steps between the man and the passage, one hand raised. Behind him, the officers hold the preserved threshold while Kyoko remains beside the evidence table and the sealed briefcase.
Adrian Shaw
Silas Crowe, surrender the tools and step away from the entrance.
Silas Crowe
Those tools are not the threat. The lock contains the only proof of how the removed container traveled through this mansion. Damage it, and you lose the route.
Shaw does not reach for the tools. His gaze moves from Crowe’s open palm to the fresh brass marks already documented in Kyoko’s notebook, while rain beads on the sealed door.
Adrian Shaw
You will explain your presence after the evidence is secured. Put the tools on the floor, slowly.
“He’s the suspect I’m after”
SUCCESS (Superb Deduction, rolled +1)
Kyoko
Silas Crowe is the suspect I have been tracking. The camera places him inside, and his tools match the brass marks at this entrance.
Kyoko indicates the documented marks, the copied footage, and the lock tools without stepping into the preserved passage. The evidence forms one continuous route from Crowe to the hidden container.
Adrian Shaw
Your identification is supported by the record. Crowe is now the primary suspect, and his tools will be secured without altering the lock.
Shaw nods to the officers. They maintain the preserved threshold while one officer brings an evidence bag, keeping Crowe’s open hand and the tools in view.
Silas Crowe
Primary suspect is not the same as the person who opened the case. Examine the mechanism, and you will see who forced the route.
The officer seals the tools separately. Shaw keeps his attention on Crowe, while Kyoko’s conclusion enters the official record beside the footage, the brass traces, and the missing container.
“We have more than enough evidence to detain him. Remove your hood.”
SUCCESS (Good Interrogation, rolled +0)
Kyoko
We have more than enough evidence to detain you. Remove your hood, Silas Crowe.
Crowe studies Kyoko for a measured second, then lowers his tools onto the floor. He pulls back the rain-dark hood, exposing a narrow, weathered face and the pale scar across his left cheek.
Silas Crowe
There. You wanted my face recorded. Now record that I surrendered without touching the evidence.
The officers secure Crowe’s wrists and preserve the tools separately. His uncovered face matches the figure in the camera footage, removing the last practical ambiguity in the identification.
Adrian Shaw
You got the compliance, Kyoko, but you spent your leverage. From this point, I conduct the questioning and you observe.
Shaw places himself beside Crowe, making the arrangement public to the officers and the suspect alike. Kyoko retains access to the evidence, but not control of the interview.
Silas Crowe
Then listen carefully, detective. The person who removed the case knew this house better than I did.
“Yes sir.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +2)
Kyoko
Yes, sir.
Kyoko steps back beside the evidence table and fixes her attention on Shaw and Crowe. Her notebook stays open, ready to record each answer without interrupting.
Adrian Shaw
Start with the route, Crowe. Explain how the case was removed from the dining room and who knew enough to assist you.
Silas Crowe
I used the service passage alone. The person who knew the house arranged the timing, but never touched the case in my presence.
Shaw records the answer while watching Crowe’s restrained hands. Kyoko notes the careful distinction: knowledge of the house, coordination of timing, and no claimed witness to the removal.
Adrian Shaw
You are saying an accomplice directed you without appearing in the passage. Give me the name, or explain why you are protecting it.
Kyoko remains silent and fully attentive as Crowe considers the question. Shaw’s interview now has a precise point of pressure, and every pause enters her reconstruction.