[RdMarquis]

>>>>>[I'm sorry to change the subject so abruptly, but a dead woman just left me a riddle someone really doesn't want solved. Does the following mean anything to you guys (and why is it so important that I have to be killed for knowing about it)? The first line on the card she was carrying says "one (space) one thousand". The second line says "ten (space) fifteen hundred". Both are in Japanese characters.]<<<<<
     -- LeFay (01:30:24/03-23-73)

[Teknodragon]

>>>>>[Not sure. Though, 'one one thousand' said aloud counts off a second... in English, that is. Hard to say what it is given a complete lack of context.]<<<<<
  --TekDrake(7:20:00/3-23-73)

[DWC]

>>>>>[Weird.  First thing that comes to mind for me is binary.  Wonder if there's a third part of the sequence someplace that says 'eleven space two thousand'.]<<<<<
     -- Vice (10:15:22/03-23-73)

[RdMarquis]

>>>>>[It seems I've made a mistake. The correct reading of the card should be "Minus one thousand" and "Plus fifteen hundred". On a related note, I have gotten my hands on a replica of the murder weapon. Or rather, I will once I've completely dug it out of my shoulder. Depending on your point of view, it's either a sharpened steel comb, or a dagger you can style your hair with.]<<<<<
     -- LeFay (14:02:51/03-23-73)

[DWC]

>>>>>[Drug dealer's manifest, noting that the woman went from a surplus of 1000 of something to being short 1500, suggesting that she was skimming?  Was it her writing?

And some people do style their hair with a sharp edge.]<<<<<
     -- Vice (18:30:21/03-23-73)

[wraith]

>>>>>[That's an old one, LeFay.  Is it the one that looks kind of like an oversized hairpin?  Had a pretty little thing throw one of those at me down in San Fran a while back.  Pity, I thought we had a good thing going.]<<<<<
   -- Murphy (23:01:15/03-27-73)

[RdMarquis]

>>>>>[I should be so lucky. My would be assassin could have been an extra from a horror movie. She was wearing a mask designed to resemble a hag and appeared out of thin air, like a ghost. Do you know a dagger made to look like a comb means, then? Because I'm sitting on plenty of questions but very few answers.

I'm relatively sure I can rule out drug dealers, though. The little apartment owned by the first victim could have belonged to my grandmother. There were stuffed animals and crayon drawings everywhere. Ms. Hayashi was an elementary teacher who helped out the local Shinto priest from time to time. If she was dealing drugs, she hid it very well.]<<<<<
     -- LeFay (01:37:44/03-28-73)

[DWC]

>>>>>[Picture's worth a thousand words.  Never been a big fan of signatures, or sending messages, but that is what this sounds like.

As for why she was targeted, might have something to do with where the school is, but whatever she's doing with the priest is probably a safer bet.  Nothing gets people in trouble faster than benevolence.  Sad state of the world.]<<<<<
     -- Vice (18:46:21/03-28-73)

[RdMarquis]

>>>>>[He's right. On more than one count. I had a talk with that priest.]<<<<<
     -- Mordred (20:46:49/03-29-73)

>>>>>[You did what? After yesterday, you should be in bed.]<<<<<
     -- LeFay (21:01:41/03-29-73)

>>>>>[I am in bed.]<<<<<
     -- Mordred (21:03:42/03-29-73)

>>>>>[I meant that you need your rest. Are you just trying to annoy me?]<<<<<
     -- LeFay (21:05:09/03-29-73)

>>>>>[This from the person who swiped my tools the other day to break into an apartment? Look, I promise I'll grab a nap if you'll let me tell you what I found out.]<<<<<
     -- Mordred (21:08:20/03-29-73)

>>>>>[In my defense, I never used them. Ms. Hayashi had a maglock, and I can bypass those without tools. Ok, now spill.]<<<<<
     -- LeFay (21:11:26/03-29-73)

>>>>>[They were keeping a powerful magical focus safe. The head of a spear, to be specific. Your hag with a comb and her friends went after Ms. Hayashi looking for it. It appears that they fatally wounded her while trying to capture her. The spear head was being kept at the shrine, but it's being moved soon. I believe if we follow the, er, Macguffin, we will find out who these people are.]<<<<<
     -- Mordred (21:15:27/03-29-73)

[Wolfboy]

>>>>[Oh fsk, that spear head wouldn't happen to be about a quarter of a meter long and about seven to eight centimeters wide at the base would it?]
--Wolfgar (21:20:10/ 03-29-73)

[Bull]

>>>>>[Things are heating up in downtown Seattle, looks like.  Some mafia thugs, likely from the Finnegan Family, firebombed the Blue Lotus, a Yakuza brothel on the corner of 29th and Dowd Ave last night.  DocWagon has been pulling bodies out of the place all morning.  This is bad.  The Yaks will not take this lightly.  I think I'm locking my doors and staying in tonight.]<<<<<
     -- SPD (12:45:15/03-30-73)

>>>>>[I suspect we're about *this* close to open warfare between the Yaks and the Mob.  Both have been recruiting gangs to act as additional muscle over the last week or two.  And rumor has it the Downtown mob has a new Lieutenant running the district to replace Mickey "Fingers" McElroy after he got geeked by KE over the winter.]<<<<<
     -- Mac (13:10:43/03-30-73)

>>>>>[Any idea who it is?]<<<<<
     -- MacCallister (14:10:20/03-30-73)

>>>>>[That's the odd part.  No one seems to know much about the guy.  They call him Junior, and most reports agree he's an ork.  Beyond that, every sighting of the guy is different.  Black, White, Hispanic..  1.8 meters tall, 2.4 meters tall...  Got a guy who swears that Junior's female.  Whoever it is, they're keeping their identity under wraps right now.]<<<<<
     -- SPD (14:37:20/03-30-73)

[RdMarquis]

>>>>>[This is going to sound quite hypocritical of me, but try and stay safe. On another note, I didn't a chance to measure the spear, Wolfgar. Why do you ask?]<<<<<
     -- LeFay (23:37:20/03-30-73)

[Chrona]

>>>>[Oh fsk, that spear head wouldn't happen to be about a quarter of a meter long and about seven to eight centimeters wide at the base would it?]
--Wolfgar (21:20:10/ 03-29-73)

>>>>[You better not be suggesting what I fragging hope you arn't suggesting Wolfgar.]
--Chona (14:07:19/ 03-31-73)

[Devil]

>>>>>[Soundz as though Junior, if there is a Junior, is using frontmen for all of his or her bizness? Smart. A crime syndicate ran remotely by completely anonymous person? Maybe they dont go that far, but I fer sure would.]<<<<<
     -- Joker (8:51:43/03-31-73)

[Wolfboy]

>>>[Chrona, I hope its not either, but you know how paranoia runs in our types, not to mention how my luck runs. The thing is, I happen to have majored in History and an ancient spear head focus that matches those measurements could be any number of things, but the likelyhood that its THAT spear is highly likely.

LeFay, I don't have time to find a link right now, but you might want to look up any information you can find on something called "The Spear of Longinius". What I gave were the standard rough measurements of a Roman spear from about the middle of their empires time period.

SPD, sounds like i should be glad i only have the Triads and the Mafia to deal with down here in the Gulf Coast Metroplex. Thankfully i have a good deal going with them.]<<<

--Wolfgar (17:02:30/3-31-73)