Part 81: Blackwell Epiphany - Update 11 (Part 1)

Update 11

Police Station



So we're working with the police now, apparently. Not what I was expecting when Rosa was placed in a holding cell a couple of hours earlier.

Rosa quickly thinks on her feet about what she needs to help her solve the case.

Access to Lia's case files.
Can't do it. Those are being boxed up and archived. Anything else?

Oh. That's a disappointing result first up. Rosa tries again.

Everything you know about George Ostin.
Palmer can get you that. Speak to him tomorrow. Anything else?
Access to George Ostin's apartment.
I'll take care of it. Anything else?

That's a bit better.



...

Rosa tries pushing her luck...

I'll have Palmer get you one on the way out. Anything else?

...and gets away with it!

Nothing that I can think of.
All right. From now on, you talk to Palmer. He'll be at the front desk tomorrow.

Cory? That'll be kind of awkward, but okay. Still, this whole arrangement seems very sudden and very strange. Rosa asks about it.

Detective Durkin? Sam? Why are you doing this? Why me?



Durkin opens up a bit with Rosa.

There was this little girl living with her aunt. The aunt went nuts. Smashing thing. Screaming. Total looney.

Hold on. This is sounding very familiar.

The little girl was hiding in a closet. Couldn't have been more than five? Scared out of her mind. I've had a soft spot for kids ever since.
...I see.

Wow. So he was the cop on the scene after Lauren's mental breakdown.

Go home, Blackwell. Get some sleep. You look like you spent the night in jail.

Rosa's Theme



The next evening, unlike with George, Rosa finds stories about Lia's death all over the Internet.

Lots of theories but nothing approaching the truth.
You expect anything different? Just be glad your name didn't get leaked. That's the last thing we need.
No trace of the Grace Group either.
Then we'd best get out there and do what we do.

Now that we're working for the cops, we should hopefully be able to investigate a little bit deeper than we did yesterday.



Joey's in a hurry to get moving, but Rosa is busy thinking about what she should do.

I wonder if Durkin gave me access to George Ostin's apartment, like he promised.
Have you tried going over there?
Not yet.
Well then. After you.

Then Joey gets to thinking.



They are set up for people who are sad and desperate. They make easy targets.
... Huh. I guess we've been around the block too many times to believe anything else.
I know that there are a lot of self-help groups in New York, but I've never heard of any that could do... that.
Whoever they are, we'll get to the bottom of it. I promise you that.

Let's go out there and see if we can learn anything in George's apartment, then!



Before anything else, however, Rosa decides to check in with the Grace Church.

Grace Church



Yes. And would you please keep your voice down?
Sorry.

Haha, Rosa barges in with her outside voice before remembering she is supposed to whisper in here.

I'm looking for information on the Grace Group.
Grace Group?
They used to meet here, in the basement. Some kind of self-help group?
There are hundreds of so-called "Grace groups." And they all have meetings in the basement. You will have to be a bit more specific than that.

Oh yeah, I forgot, this guy is terminally unhelpful. Never mind.

Well. Thanks. I'll be going.
Stay safe.



Rosa also heads to the police department to check in with Cory.

Does it matter? They already got a file on you.
Great.
Have I already said that I don't like working with the police?
Not in the last ten minutes.
Well. I don't like working with the police.

Too bad, Joey, we're doing it. Rosa heads in.

Police Station



Cory seems to have calmed down a bit since last night, at least.

Hi. Cory, was it?
No. It's Officer Palmer.

However, it's abundantly clear that he still doesn't trust Rosa.

So Durkin told me to speak to you...?
Yes. I heard. Congratulations, I guess. I don't know why you're so special, but orders are orders. You need any information from us, I'll see about getting it to you. But you talk to me and only me. Understand?
Perfectly.



Rosa starts by trying to mend the issues between them.

Don't even go there. I don't care what you saw, or what the evidence says. Lia wouldn't kill herself. And if she DID... then she wasn't Lia anymore.
You seem to be taking Lia's death rather personally.
The chief would agree with you. That's why I'm shackled behind this desk, instead of out there doing something.

Rosa then asks after Durkin. He wasn't outside smoking, today.

Is Detective Durkin around?
I haven't seen him since yesterday. I'm sure he's wandering around somewhere.



Rosa keeps trying to extend that olive branch.

"Good"?
You don't still think I killed anyone, do you?
I don't know what to believe. But Durkin vouches for you. And now he owes me a favour. A big one. So I guess I come out ahead.

Sounds like he's "good" enough, anyway. Rosa tries asking what he knew about Lia.

So what's the story with you and Lia? I get the impression you knew her pretty well.
Yeah, I guess you could say that. I partnered with her, back when I first joined the force. She taught me a lot. Everything, really. I owe her.

Talking about Lia again gets Cory a bit worked up.



I'm working on it, Cory. I really am.
That's Officer Palmer. And I'm not holding my breath.

I love how Rosa keeps calling him Cory and he keeps angrily correcting her

Is there anything else you can tell me about Lia?
Officer Pierro was juggling a demanding job, a growing daughter, and a deadbeat ex-husband. There was immense pressure on her, but I still don't buy that she would do... what she did.

Very interesting to hear Cory's side of the story, calling Emil a "deadbeat" and all, after hearing Emil talk about Lia being the mediocre partner during in yesterday's investigation.



Next up, Rosa asks about George.

He was killed with a 22 caliber bullet. That's all we know so far. We're still talking to Lia's ex-husband, but he's got a pretty solid alibi.
Did you know Emil Haskins at all?
I don't know much. Just what Lia used to tell me. I got the impression he was a deadbeat. Always out of a job. Always late with child-support payments. Things like that.

Cory pauses for a moment to reflect bitterly.

...Guess he doesn't have to worry about that stuff anymore.

Poor Emil. It's got to be terrible enough being in his situation without the cops coming in with a prior bias against you Rosa then asks about little Kendra.

How did Kendra die? Was that ever established?
I read the autopsy report. It was definitely a bullet wound. It went right through her shoulder. Clean hole all the way through. The coroner said that she bled to death, but could have survived if she was brought to a hospital right away.



That's really tragic So she could have survived if Lia hadn't been in such fear for her and Kendra's souls.

Moving on, Rosa asks about the Grace Group.

George and Lia both were members of a self-help group. They called it the Grace Group.
Oh yeah. Lia told me about that place.
She did?
Yeah. She didn't go into detail, but I know it meant a lot to her. She used to tell me that nobody could ever fall so far that they couldn't still reach for a helping hand. I'm not sure what that meant, but she used to say it all the time.

I guess it makes sense she would have mentioned it, considering it's where she got the idea to become a police officer in the first place.

You don't think it's relevant that both Lia and George went to this same self-help group?
That group met over twenty years ago. But even still, the two of them were a couple. They did lots of things together. Went to the same restaurants. Went to the same shows. Slept in the same bed. So they went to the same church. It means nothing.

They weren't a couple when they met there, though. It was the link that brought them together to begin with, and now they're both dead. Still, I guess without having spoken to Lia about it, the police have no reason to assume the church is suspicious.



Sure.

Nothing too useful there. I guess it's time to check out George's apartment. Hopefully we'll find something worthwhile there!

George's Lobby (Alternative)



Rosa speaks with the doorman.

Is this about George?
That's right.
I still can't believe it. But here's the key. Twelfth floor. Penthouse A.
Thanks.

Rosa then figures the doorman might be a little more open with her now that he knows we're working with the police.

Did George ever mention the Grace Group?
Grace Group? Does it have to do with Grace Church?
It might.
Hm. I know he often went to Grace Church services, but he never mentioned any Grace Group. Sorry.

Sounds like he was less open about it than Lia was.



Rosa and Joey walk over to the elevator, hit the button for the 12th floor, and they're on their way!