S01E02 Into the Dog

''A dog is missing. A friend is tripping. The clock is ticking.''

Wolf the Dog reports on Keith's lack of gifts for Chief Maggie and the odd present she received, as well as Julia Maxwell's death, and the "THIS IS A FOOL" body at the junkyard.

Joe recaps Clark's look. Clark dreams of noir detectives.

Proceed to Clark's visit of Councilwoman Carrie Pages in the Old Neighborhood. Bejeweling is discussed, and Tyler the dog's disappearance is given a high priority. The good councilwoman suspects homeless people ate her dog. Clark does some policework, and acquires four framed pictures of Tyler the dog. Clark makes posters begrudgingly.

Thomas goes over John Lee Pettimore IV's look and overall stuufff. Younger wild years discussed, and sprint cars commented on.

JLPIV investigates the oil spill. Drew confirms a 4AM call from Jimmy, Ray is nowhere to be found in the CPD office. JPPIV likes #5's at Subtropolis. The Pettimore clan is close to the soil here in Contention. Like their father before. Jimmy spills the beans on his shroom-time. The location of the "oil spill" is unremarkable. John lays some real on Jimmy in re drunk driving. JLPIV does some policework. #5 has a chip layer. No other data thus far forthcoming. Ray is called.

Luke describes Keith Vigna. His large pants lead to a belt/suspender tragedy and "tousled" is the word you're looking for.

Keith investigates an abandoned house and the caller, Mildred Mitchell. An open door and piled mail raises suspicions. A white-haired, snuggy-wearing, be-earringed stoner answers the door, and enters our hearts. She has little information about the neighbor with the abandoned mail. She greens out regularly mid-conversation. Mildred reports a very bright flash of light from the house.

Keith discovers the house apparently belongs to John Peters. He enters to examine the open doorway, finding the doorknob smashed into the drywall and things strewn about, including a large broken-into chest. Crit success on a search leads Keith to a keychain with a key fob for a rewards program at Dirty Dog Grooming in the City and several sequentially-labelled keys. G10, G11, G12.

On the night table of the bedroom Vigna finds betting stubs for something number oriented. Burned into the top of the trunk are the words "DO NOT OPEN IF YOU WANT TO LIVE". Crit successes reveal much. Four indentations, one large, two medium, one small are apparent in the padding at the bottom of the chest. Keith calls it in. Drew finds scant info on John Peters, a long hospital visit a few years ago, little else. Keith does not know how to take fingerprints. This may be the last time Keith doesn't have something horrible happen when he's investigating things.

Back at Mildred's we're charmed by her dulcet tones once more.

Keith heads out and meets up with Clark and JLP for lunch. Things are learned about lunch habits. Pizza is settled on. Clark recaps his dogventure and dies a little inside (which is an improvement for a Delta Green game where you generally die inside AND outside). Info is dumped. I love closed games. Keith holds up the shining trophy of his investigative powers (basically "Then why did I have the bowl, Bart?"). John imputes beastiality. Keith guesses that John Peters is the missing councilwoman's dog. The shine is, as they say, off the dog. Clark Bishop fucking blows the doors off policework. Keith implicates himself. Also he didn't close the god damned door of the house. The bois head out to John Peters' house.

Upon arrival the car gone and the door is closed. Thomas makes a very, very bad pun and should be whipped with a knotted salted rope. The "DO NOT OPEN IF YOU WANT TO LIVE" trunk is gone. Keith has a moment of existential dread. Carpet brings Bishop back around to Vigna's side. Zach reminds Luke of something he really should have remembered but it gets a solid laugh. The betting stubs are big losses on huge longshots. Our real hero Mildred stops in to see what in tarnation is going on. She drops some knowledge of "men" dropping by. Only one had a suit, but both had big jackets. Dog-eating pops up again as a measure of the human condition, Clark falls back a little in the policework derby. The trunk left with these two fellows, apparently, in their white Toyota. Keith retakes the tail end of the policework derby with authority. Take that, Clark. Mildred ensorcels describing a maroon car.

Keith forgets that it's unseasonably warm to finish on...well, let's call it a brown note.

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Prev - S01E01 Blunt Force Trauma Next - S01E03 Old Turkey Neck

"Perhaps he's a good-looking eating dog." Councilwoman Carrie Pages

"Doc! I still have a tail!" Thomas