Surveillance

BooFest 2012

Excerpt from the surveillance notebook of PI Fred Paulsen, an unusual man with a taste for a romanticized approach to his job, a peculiarity he picked up from his love for writing. It often helped him find useful information; not this time.

Beginning of surveillance: Aug 1

Subject: Mary White

Age: ca. 38

Sex: Female

Physical characteristics: average height, light complexion, slim, long well groomed black hair with an orange streak, usually worn in an up-do, feline eyes, dark makeup (Goth?)

Clothes: Black - pants, never skirts

Content of purse: A semi-automatic 9mm Walther P99, no ID, a key to a P.O. box nr 1214, black lipstick (checked when purse surprisingly left unattended for a few minutes as subject went to get more ammo)

Origin: Somewhere in Europe (will add more when accent ID’ed)

Address: 55 Willow Rd

Skills: Shooting – expert (ex-military?)

Flaws: Too confident, picky, obsessive!

Activities: Shooting - daily practice at Joe’s Training Center – 37 North Crest Av, listening to live readings – all over town

Dislikes: Stains, changed whole outfit after coffee spilled on pants at Café Blue – 6 Roman Rd

Best friend: Tommy, high school friend – 43 Willow Rd

Enemy: Unknown

Aim: Execute contract to ice a boss (who?!)

Secrets: Has a kid (?), visits female child who looks like her at her best friend’s house

Daily routine: Leaves home before lunch to Firing Range, has lunch at Café Blue, back home till midnight, goes out to Club Monet till 3am, back home round 3.3am – scouting (?)

Favorite place: Unknown

Favorite food: Pancakes (?) – always has pancakes with coffee at Café Blue

Other info: Ongoing surveillance - for ca. 3 months, apparently no time constraints for subject, odd… I checked P.O. box 1x/week – empty

November 1 – subject missing, searches ongoing

November 2 -  subject found dead – North bound pathway by the White Fountain in the picnic  area, found by joggers around 6.45am, body was displayed - arms crossed on chest, legs straight, clothes appeared not to have been removed, coat pocket on right side empty and pulled out; black laced scarf covering victim’s face, no visible blood, bruises around neck and temporal areas, unidentified yellow powder around victim’s mouth with distinct ocher odor, next to victim two branches displayed to form a cross, purse and contents missing.

PI Paulsen went missing on November 8. His notebook was found a week later at the same location, a cross made of two wooden sticks on top of it. His body was never recovered.

GWN Crime Fiction Workshop
Character Development (early stages)