Crestwood Investigation

Chapter 18: Some Debt

The following night descended upon the town as Joshua and Michael concluded another day of patrolling the streets, as they wrapped up their duties and clocked out at the station, anticipation buzzed in the air for their evening plans once again.

Meeting up with Emma at agreed on spot the trio settled in to discuss their strategy for approaching Ogre, gathered around a table in a quiet corner of local diner they exchanged ideas and considerations

"I think we should go in as civilians" Emma suggested, "It worked well with the last guy, and it might help us establish a rapport with Ogre without raising any red flags."

Joshua and Michael nodded in agreement seeing the point in Emma's approach
"Yeah going in without flashing our badges might make him more willing to talk in case he's like the last guy." Joshua reasoned tapping his fingers on the table thoughtfully.

Michael added
"Plus if he sees us as regular civilians he might not be as guarded in his responses, we might get more real information that way."

After much deliberation they reached a consensus to approach Ogre discreetly and engage him in conversation as civilians keeping Joshua and Michael capacities as police officers under wraps with their plan in place they left the Diner with determination to find the truth.

As they approached Ogre's Crestwood college dorm, they spotted his number, as they stood standing before his slightly ajar door they exchanged fleeting glances in surprise silently deliberating their next move, before they could reach a decision it seems somebody already made one.

Michael decided to be the one who made the decision, he opted to pivot their strategy on the fly, with a determined look on his face he pushed open the door and flashed his badge his voice resonating with authority and demand
"Crestwood police I have a few questions" he announced surprising everyone inside with his sudden appearance including Emma and Joshua who stood behind him.

To their astonishment Ogre sat reclined on the couch engaged in laugh filled conversation with Lindsey, and also there was Hannah who turned around abruptly with a piece of chicken in her mouth looking like a deer in headlights, all their expressions caught between surprise and confusion.

The scene transitioned seamlessly as they settled onto the couch all together the air thick with curiosity, Hannah eager to explain their unexpected presence offered insights into their shared pursuit of truth

"Lindsey and I have been conducting our own investigation into the recent string of murders it hit close to home for me too and I knew Joshua and Michael were also investigating on their own." she revealed "Our own inquiries led us to Ogre and we talked to him for a bit and it turns out he's a former patient of Lindsey's."

Emma seized upon the opportunity to delve deeper into Ogre's relationship with Ashley, her gaze probing and insistent
"Can you elaborate on how you came to know Ashley and the nature of the debt she owed you?" she inquired her tone measured yet resolute.

Ogre taking the opportunity to shed light on his connection to Ashley leaned forward his expression tinged with somber reflection
"Ashley and I crossed paths on occasion for some business deals you could say, she owed me like fifty dollars still for some green she had purchased but her accident rendered the debt no longer relevant in my eyes, our interactions were brief and transactional though." he explained.

Amidst the flow of conversation a moment of reflection settled upon Michael feeling a tinge of remorse for his brusque entrance, clearing his throat he addressed Ogre
"Hey uh, I just want to apologize for barging in like that and flashing my badge, we didn't plan for it to go that way and it wasn't our intention to catch you off guard or cause any undue alarm I can assure you."

Ogre regarded Michael with a nod of understanding his expression reflecting a sense of acceptance for the unexpected interruption "No harm done Officer" he replied his voice calm and composed. "I understand you're just doing your job and have orders to check my house probably."

Joshua giving an awkward glance to Michael over the last comment.

Michael extended his gratitude to Ogre for his patience and cooperation.
"Well thanks for being so forthcoming with us, and just so you know we're not here to bust you for any dealings with pot or anything like that, we're solely focused on getting to the bottom of this case."

Ogre let out a sigh, a sense of relief washing over him.
"I appreciate that I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a bit worried, but i've got nothing to hide and I'm more than willing to help you guys out however I can if you need dates Ashley was buying off me or anything I have a book for it."

Joshua interjected his tone laced with curiosity
"If it's alright with you Ogre maybe we could take a look at that book right now actually?"

Ogre hesitated for a moment surprised by the suddenness "Sure thing" he conceded rising from his seat and retrieving the worn leather-bound book from a nearby trunk, then the whole group Joshua, Michael, Emma, Hannah and Lindsey gathered around as Ogre flipped through the pages scanning the entries for mentions of Ashley's name.

As they combed through the records a realization slowly dawned upon them. "Wait a minute" Joshua exclaimed "There's no record of Ashley purchasing anything here for the past month, that's an unusual debt length."

Emma chimed in
"Yeah, was this not the first time she owed you money or something?"

Lindsey's gaze flickered between the group her mind racing with possibilities
"So if Ashley hadn't bought anything from Ogre in over a month then why did she owe him money?" she pondered aloud.

Ogre spoke and replied "look, sometimes I let her get away with debt longer than I would with others I didn't like hassling her over it because we had a good business relationship and I knew she would pay next time she needed to buy."

The group exchanged glances, the weight of this new information hanging heavy in the air, with more questions than answers.

As all 5 of them decided to part Ogre's place farewell, a sense of urgency swept over them, the mystery surrounding the new murders on Crestwood deepened and the need for answers became more pressing than ever before, with no clue on if ogre may have killed over some small debt, the group assumed it unlikely.