Vestigial Memories, Session 6: LAPD Mainframe II

Scene setup

Mainframe Search (Tech Check):
[D6 + D10 with Advantage because done locally]: [2 + 3 + 6] => 1 Success.

Clue Rolls
Meaning:
[D8]: [5] => Connects to a new location
Evidence descriptor:
[D6 + D10]: [3 + 7 ] => Familiar - It shares characteristics with another piece of evidence
Evidence type:
[D6 + D12]: [5 + 12] —> Weapon

I ignore the fatigue gnawing at my brain and focus on the screen. The data on Mei Lin Zhao is sparse, the profile of a woman who has spent sixty-six years blending into the background of Animoid Row. But then, I find the crack in the facade.

The Smoking Gun

Her criminal record is nearly spotless, save for a single entry: December 2010. A self-defense shooting against a street robber. She was cleared, but it’s the hardware that catches my eye.
The Weapon: A Needle .22. Ultra-compact, low recoil, easily suppressed. The same weapon used by Kasper at the Snake Pit.

Q: Is there a way to connect the two weapons?
Question Check Roll:
[D10]: [8] => yes

I cross-reference the ballistics with the Snake Pit cold case. The serial numbers are identical. It is the exact same gun Kasper used to kill Rhea Lang only months later. How did the LAPD miss this thirty years ago? Or worse—who buried it?

The Gaff Connection

I dig deeper into the "Vestige" rumors Holden mentioned.

Q: Is there anything in Zhao file connecting her to vestige?
Question Check Roll:
[D10]: [6] => yes

Mei Lin wasn't just a bystander; she was one of the suspects Gaff personally interrogated during the original 2011 investigation. He couldn't make anything stick, but her name was on his shortlist.

The Runciter Link

Q: Is there anything in her file connecting Zhao to Runciter?
Question Check Roll:
[D10]: [6] => yes

Her shop, "The Fish Ladies," has an extensive history of commercial dealings with Runciter Zoological. In a city where everyone is selling something fake, she and Runciter have been trading "stock" for decades. Could mean something. Or not.

The Turning Point

I have her now. I have a direct ballistic link between her and a Replicant murderer, a history with a legendary Blade Runner, and a business connection to the last place our suspect was seen.

I’m exhausted—my vision is blurring at the edges and my hands are shaking from the stress—but the leverage is too good to ignore. I could go home, grab a few hours of sleep, and risk her cooling off... or I could go down to that interrogation room right now and break her while the lights are still burning her eyes.

I choose to let her simmer some more.