Checking Up on Castrated Corpses

Who: Jakob and Sam
Where: HQ then around town
When: Mid-morning/Afternoon

Sam looked down at the crime scene photos in the file open before. Victim #3. Jorge Morrison found in one of the parking lots near One More Round. Second one to have his balls hacked off. Out of all the bodies they had discovered so far, it was clear that there were at least three different killers taking out members of the Syndicate. Sam tapped her lower lip with her pen, writing down the names of those she questioned that were worth further questioning. The desk in front of her was empty. She hadn't seen Jakob yet that morning and if he didn't show up soon, his coffee that she brought him (with a small splash of pain killer for his arm, not that she would tell him that) would get cold. Cold like her nose. The damn heater at the station seemed not to be working as well and she twitched her nose, rubbing at it with the wool sleeve of her dark sweater.

He was a touch late, it was true. And Jakob was generally a very punctual man; only ever late if it fit his plans. This morning in particular had been the doctor's fault for taking so long telling him what he essentially knew. His arm was mending, the sling was off, but there were still limits on what he could do with it. Heavy lifting was out of the question, so was throwing a punch if he was the sort to do so, but his fine motor skills? They were fine indeed. He'd spent the drive from the hospital wiggling the fingers idly and shuffling his deck of cards around with playful twists, and had taken the time to stash his stolen prescription pad in the glove box before heading inside.

The station was buzzing with life, as always, but the prospects of his scheming had Jakob smiling at every officer and handcuffed perp he passed as he moved to the main floor and the sea of desks it contained. Even the chill couldn't bother him, nor the ache it drew from his game arm as Jakob moved for his desk, eyes fixed on Sam with a file laid out before her. "I was going to suggest we step out for a cup," he called with an infectious grin, "But you've found a way to keep me here for the moment." He moved for his chair, grabbing the coffee she'd brought and sipping it testingly. It was a touch cool, but nowhere near cold yet. "Evidence suggests I've kept you waiting, detective," he teased, sitting and gesturing his cup Sam's way, "All apologies. I was busy being liberated from the confines of my sling."

"So I see," Sam grinned. "And how does it feel to have more or less full use of your arm back?" She hated doctors so ergo, she hated hospitals and figured that now would be a good time to say: "Just so you know, if I get shot or stabbed or something, a tourniquet, a fifth of Jack, a sewing needle and preferably brightly colored thread will be just fine." She took Jakob's good mood to be caused by the fact that he was out of that sling and really, who wouldn't be happy to be out of an arm sling.

"Undeniably good," Jakob answered, smirking over the edge of his cup before taking a drink of coffee," And just so you know? I'd gladly provide those items, but I'll pass on sewing you up. I'm far less comfortable with living injuries than I am with a case subject. With my luck, you'd end up matching one of the amputees who dwell under the Sixth." He sat forward, reaching out to turn the file in front of Sam so he could see the crime scene photos, grimacing as he got a good look. "I'd also, for the record, take the sling back any day if my options were that or this. Wasn't there another mutilation that came down the wire last night matching this one?" he asked, sitting back and skimming the paperwork on his desk quickly.

"Three all together," Sam confirmed, pointing to the two closed folders at the side. "From what I can tell, we've got three killers or hitmen or... whatever we're gonna call them." She took a gulp of coffee and pushed the folder over to him so he could look at it better. While Sam had no problem asserting herself or showing how much she knew, when there were dead bodies around, she was doing to defer to the senior detective that could teach her a thing or two about this homicide business. IT wasn't like she'd been on the force for very long anyway. "Do you know anyone we should take a closer look at?"

Sliding the folder the rest of the way, Jakob's brow lined as he flipped from the photos to the crime scene report. "One More Round is unclaimed territory, the nearest thing to neutral ground since the incident at Babylon," he mused, "Couple that with the distasteful fact that I've tied castration to several gangland hits before, and we don't know much... we can rule out the Konovich clan directly, at least." He paused to look up at Sam, sip his coffee, and smirk thinly before he looked back to the file. "That is, given the fact that this... Morrison wasn't fed his missing bits."

He reached for another file sitting on his own desk, one of the earlier reports that had come in at the head of the gangland purges, flipping it open thoughtfully. "The other two, compare their times of death and locations with this one, perhaps we can get some idea of where our emasculator was heading after work." A neighborhood could tell them plenty, after all, and Jakob wanted to confirm his gut. This wasn't the O'Malleys, and if it was mafia? It wasn't the DiGiovanni directly, but maybe one of their lesser houses.

Sam gnawed on her lower lip, looking down at the photos. "The O'Malley's aren't stupid though," she pointed out and dug under a couple of files for a large, folded piece of paper that she spread awkwardly over her desk, carefully moving coffee into safe locations. It was a crudely drawn map of a small section of downtown -- Sam hadn't had time to mock up a full map yet -- with different colored x's. There were three red, one blue, and one green so far. "The red ones are the castrations," she told him. "The coroner timed the bodies within a roughly three hour TOD of each other and with what the headlines were reading that day?" Sam shook her head. "This is all related. If I was taking out grunts on a scale like this? I'd throw the trail off wherever I could and if that meant putting bodies near unlikely territory? Well, you do what you can, right?"

Not all the bodies that were being discovered yesterday (not to mention a couple fished out of the river that morning) were on there. Sam hadn't had time to go through all of them yet. The only reason she had more blue so far was, well, because having some guy get his nuts cut off was easier to connect than a more inconspicuous calling card.

Jakob slipped from his chair, tucking his files under an arm and rounding their shared desks to view the map from Sam's perspective. "The green, the immolation a few blocks up from the Kitten Club?" he asked, thinking he recognized the marker on the map, "That one will stay a mystery until the coroner gets a match on dental records, if we have any. But these three..." He frowned in thought, tapping the one that matched their newest file, then stepping back to flip the folder open again. "M.E. said there was a lack of blood pooling, that would suggest the body was moved post-mortem. And the O'Malleys are one of the biggest employers of unaffiliated enforcers in town. After yesterday's news article? I'm thinking perhaps they're trying to flush out their snitch, and send a message to the rest of the muscle. Still... something here doesn't sit right." He snapped his folder shut again, reaching over Sam to drop it back on his desk. "Let's take a look at the scene."

"Does this mean we'll be having to take some form of stylish transportation?" she asked with a grin, carefully folding the map back up and grabbing her notebook, the one with the notes on the castrations. The day automatically improved every time she got to drive her car. And she felt... well she felt a bit proud that she may have brought in information in a way that led her partner to look at her suspicion that these were all connected to O'Malley in one way or another. However she would say nothing while surrounded by her colleagues. Did this mean she might trust Jakob sooner than she should? No. Jakob was her partner and more experienced than her. And they were going to be partners for at least the immediate future. So yes, she trusted him. And hopefully he trusted her as well.

"So long as I don't have to cite you for speeding, yes," Jakob joked dryly, taking a moment to make sure his badge was clipped in place, then moving to retrieve his coat. "I don't know that the actual scene will provide us much insight, but I'm eager to see the surrounding area for myself." There was a connection here; Sam had seen it, and Jakob knew she was right. But was it the O'Malleys? He would trust his partner's hunch until there was proof staring at him that said otherwise. Call it pride, but Jakob felt that her very assignment to work with him spoke to Sam's detective work. "I'll put out word with an informant or two as well, perhaps we'll get something that corroborates your theory," he said, wincing just a touch as he stretched his arms out to slip on his coat.

"Did you get some pain medication at all?" she asked gently, noting his wince. Sam said nothing of her contacts. While she may not know everything her family did, she knew well enough that if the O'Malleys were taking out their own, something was going down, and nothing happening on "her" side did she want information to. She tried to be a good cop, after all. Moira O'Malley's death on the other hand... the two of them weren't handling that investigation. Not yet, any way.

"I did," Jakob confirmed, easing his coat on with a frown, "I can't say they're doing much yet, but the doctor also told me to keep the strain on my arm minimal. He should have stressed just how minimal." Managing a faint smirk, he turned to reclaim his coffee, taking it and the case files with before moving from the station house. "Still, I can't complain, I suppose," he mused, "Three days in a sling from a minor injury is far luckier than some people. Mr. Morrison should be so fortunate, hm?" He held up the file as he smirked with a dark humor flashing in his eyes, the sort of thing that a homicide cop needed to deal with this sort of work.

Sam rolled her eyes and jangled her keys. "Alright, Dick Tracy. Let's get going." While Sam didn't need her notebook or any file, Jakob didn't know that and Sam wasn't entirely sure she wanted to show off all her tricks at once. The two of them headed out to the small parking lot behind the station. A few officers that they passed sent congratulations to Jakob on getting his sling off. "After checking out the scene again, we should probably get a better map," she suggested when they finally got in the car. "Because as amazing as my artistic skills are, we can do better." Pity because the map in her brain was damn good.

Jakob laughed dryly, rounding Sam's car for the passenger's side and resting his good arm across the roof. "And of course, your skills are quite good. Obviously you only pursued the badge because the city's galleries are crowded, no?" he joked, forcing himself to close his injured hand on the door's latch and easing it open. It definitely hurt, coursing up his arm in muted waves, but he was determined to get himself back up to speed quickly. His plans? Well, they weren't workable with him in a diminished capacity. "But yes, I'm sure the rest of Homicide would also appreciate a better map," he agreed before leaning down into the car.

Sam pulled out into traffic, taking a sip of her coffee. "So what are you hoping to find, anyway?" While the connection was obvious to her, Jakob needed more. But getting an idea besides an engraved plaque saying "THIS MURDER IS CONNECTED WITH THE OTHERS!" would be helpful.

"Several things," Jakob said, leaning back and precariously balancing his coffee as the car moved forward. "I'd like to step into the flow of the alleyways, first of all. You can glean quite a bit from mob-related crimes if you can establish a route of movement for the perpetrator. Also, as I'm sure the officers cordoning the scene off failed to realize, our local transients tend to flee from lights and sirens." He smirked in Sam's direction, tipping his cup back for a swallow as he watched traffic flow on either side of them. "One of them very well could have seen something, and I'd wager that they're returned to their dwellings by now. So we bring coffee, some pocket change, and we see what they have to say."

"And here I am in the mood to rough some people up," she laughed. But such is humanity. Money always talks. "I should have some bills in the glove compartment, come to think of it." Mostly pocket change. While some people would think that carrying around a bunch of singles was questionable, Sam was used to smaller denominations from tips at Nighthawk's. Easier too handle. Easier to trick when you had a big wad of cash that made people think you had a lot more than you really did.

"I've got a bit handy as well," he agreed, looking out his window as the car swung a curb and pointed them within a block of their goal, "Hopefully it'll be a good investment." As much as he'd balked at the idea of a partner? This wasn't so bad. Sam was sharp, she was receptive to his input as a senior detective, and she didn't have the presumptive arrogance that Jakob felt only he was entitled to. It just might work. "I never asked before," Jakob mused, nodding out of his window towards an open patch of curb where they could park, "What prompted you to transfer to homicide?"

"I didn't, actually," Sam answered easily. She slowed down to a crawl as some street kids ran across the street. "I was a grunt for the past year or so after getting out of the academy." She threw him a wry sort of grin. "Went through three partners." The first one, Joey, was a really nice guy. He'd grown up with a bunch of sisters and treated her fairly. The other two however... "So I decided after getting into... a minor altercation with my last one I should take the detective test. Got my grandfather's blessing on it and the next thing I knew they assigned me to you." She shrugged. She'd gotten the call the day they caught that killer. It had been short and to the point. Congratulations, Sam, you passed. Now you're working with Hollis. "I figured it's because you're on the mend," she told him, referring to Jakob's injury. Sam didn't want to voice her suspicions that her father or grandfather had gotten her assigned to Jacob. If Jacob hadn't read her file, then he wouldn't know of her family ties and she wasn't very sure how he'd react. Sure, she'd seen him from time to time at the casino, but she didn't know him all that well still. While Sam was not at all opposed to pulling out graduating in the top five of her academy class or that she'd aced her DE with flying colors, working with a partner was different.

When they finally rolled to a stop, Jakob lingered in his seat and grinned sideways at Sam, nodding over her words. He hadn't read her file before, but the mention of issues with her past partners guaranteed that he would be doing so soon enough. "You're likely right about my injuries prompting things," he mused, finally unbuckling and hopping from the vehicle, "I haven't had a partner in quite some time, most often I'm brought in to advise on a case or help establish a pattern. Obviously while I mend, the department brass want to save me the inconvenience of seeking people out." And thusfar, he didn't mind the decision either. He'd had no reason to use more illicit means in his investigations yet, so there was little to dance around with Sam at the moment. Really, he was being the model detective so far, someone she could learn the finer points from.

"I believe my solitary status was because I'm what others call 'cold'," Jakob observed as he shut her car door, "Even if you work in this department for some time, the city offers sights that will shock you. But I have no time to be shocked." And as rare as it was, Jakob was being honest there.

Sam locked up behind them and waited for traffic to slow a bit before heading across the street to the back alley crime scene. There were some officers around already, combing the Rock Bottom for any hint of who hacked up Moira O'Malley. "Cold?" she asked lightly. "I've heard 'arrogant sonuvabitch' a few times regarding EC's finest detective. Maybe they thought you needed a handler." She winked at him to show she was joking, but then, a part of her had wondered why else she'd be paired with Jakob, a newbie like herself. While she could certainly see Jakob being able to be this 'cold' person that he mentioned, he could also be fairly easy going and friendly. "By the way, don't be surprised if I have to ask you to come to dinner one night. My mother," she explained. "But she's a good cook if you like Italian."

"In our fair city, not liking Italian dishes eliminates about half of one's dining options," Jakob replied, moving across the street in tow with Sam. "And I've been told of my arrogance as well, I believe it is overstated," he went on with a smirk, ducking under a loop of police tape that still cordoned off the alley where their victim was found, "I simply know the extent of my ability, and I refuse to doubt it. Some would call that confidence, no?" That confidence was definitely on display as Jakob moved down the alley a few steps, circling around the breadth of the alley. His eyes narrowed as he looked back down the alley to the wall that cut it off and the fence that rose up another ten feet beyond it. "This is our most direct connection to the parking lot where the deceased was found," he mused, "It should be just beyond the fence there. Given what we assume is the time of death, it'd be an ideal exit to use on foot..."

"There was some torn clothing found about eight feet up the fence," Sam told him. "It didn't come from the victim so we would assume it's our guy but with all these kids around, we can't know for sure." The scrap of plaid cloth was currently in an evidence bag back at the station. The only way they could match it with the killer is if they found the damn guy. "Closer to the... left -- our left," she offered, not wanting to say exactly where. It was in the notes.

Simply nodding at the information, Jakob walked closer to the fence, eying the side that the cloth scrap had apparently come from. "So, assuming this is correct, our delivery man drops the body here, scales the fence, and heads east..." he mused thoughtfully, "Given the estimates on the others, this would have been our last spot, yes? So east could be Chinatown, east could be the waterfront if there was a southernly bend, east could actually be any part of the city if this man had the wits to double back." Of course he hadn't expected them to crack the case just by coming here, so there was no disappointment in Jakob. "Given that your O'Malley theory holds more water than any other connections between our three discoveries, we'll pursue it until evidence disproves it or prompts another avenue of investigation."

"So far for these particular ones, yeah. I'd rule out Chinatown though." Sam slowly walked over to Jakob, scanning the immediate area for anything that could've been missed. The sky was threatening rain any minute. "I checked some files out earlier. No deaths matching this guy's MO have been found in that area. I doubt he ran there for cover. I'd place my bets on a double-back. If he's moving bodies without being caught, he's gotta know his way around. Not only that, but compared to some of the other corpses, this took care. No gunshot wounds on these three victims." Sam ran her hand through her hair and tugged her coat on a little tighter. "This was special stuff." Sam looked off to a few uniforms at the mouth of the alley. "And I'd be willing to bet that it could even be the same guy that took out Moira O'Malley. Hack jobs? Even I know that it's not that common." She shivered a little at the idea. "This is freaky shit, Jakob." It was incredibly obvious by this point that Sam could probably write a dissertation on her theory and was, in fact, quite proud of herself. But it wasn't like she had much to do besides stare at dead bodies and try piece them together, so to speak.

"Uncommon, yes. Connected? Maybe. But not to Moira O'Malley," Jakob stated matter-of-factly, turning back from the fence and drawing his coat closed against the chill. "I've seen the files for when other principle players are dealt with, neither side likes to leave much room for chance when they bring in a hitter. But you've got the right of it, there's a message here. If I had to guess at it?" He smirked thinly in Sam's direction before speaking. " 'Find your balls, or we'll make sure you lose them.' And if it's any comfort, detective, I know it can be a bit offputting to deal with these scenes. I find it helps to remember that the root of all of them is mankind. Yes, we are a depraved and shocking species, but if you remember that we are all finite? We are all foolish? You'll find some small comfort in knowing that the perpetrator will either make a mistake, or die of their own accord some day." Which was a bleak outlook, but hey, this was Homicide.

"Mmmm. Then do you feel that man is inherently evil or that man is inherently good? We may all be foolish." Lord knew she'd done some stupid things lately. "But how many of us actually do things like this?" The castrations, the slaughter, the torture.

Jakob chuckled at the question, he'd certainly been asked it before. "Man is neither good or evil, Sam. We are what we choose to be, no matter what a church or politician may say. We believe, and we choose one end of the spectrum because of our beliefs." He started back out of the alley, the minor curiosity sated now that he'd seen the place himself. "Our mystery perp, for instance. Perhaps he believes that money makes his actions worthwhile, or fear and respect for those he takes orders from. Perhaps he simply feels that our rules of society do not apply to him. Yes, I find his acts monstrous, but they are only 'good' or 'evil' when viewed through individual perspective. Some people have asked why I bother if I feel this way," he said, moving to Sam's side with a curious grin in place, "And I tell them that good and evil are not my job. The law is. It has been violated here, so we do what we must."

"Oh, Jakob, you make my heart go all aflutter when you talk about the law like that," she drawled, nudging his arm with hers. "So, Hammer of Justice, did you want to take a look at any other crime scenes or can we go start questioning people so we can get out of this wind?" His perspective was interesting. It was logical and made sense. Calculating enough though that it unnerved her a little bit. God, it would be just her luck if he snapped and went on a rampage in the name of the law or something. Or maybe that would be the tall guy from Vice that people occasionally seemed to grumble about.

Even if Sam hadn't said so before, that calculating side was what earned Jakob the reputation of being cold. Work was work, the facts were the facts. "We can definitely begin questioning people," he agreed easily, "This chill is wreaking havoc on my shoulder. Would you mind taking the lead on that?" Other cops disliked dealing with Jakob, so normal citizens? Found him outright creepy. Besides which, he figured that Sam would relish the bits of authority and the chance to be the lead.

Sam grinned. "Not at all." However she wasn't all that sure how seriously she'd be taken. When she'd done some questioning the other day, she had more than a couple doors slammed in her face.And so the two of them headed out of the alley and across the street and out of the wind.