"I figured." He sighs, glancing briefly down to the stack of case files in his hand. "So I've got my assessment. Which charges are worth it, which ones aren't, what state the victims're in, what the perpetrators are like..."
And this is where he grows uneasy.
"I noticed the Flash apprehended a lot of them. But he didn't testify?" His law classes didn't prepare him for this. Most law classes were ill-equipped to deal with metas. "Is that because he - I'm assuming he's a he - doesn't have the authority to arrest them?"
"The Flash is complicated. In the beginning, we didn't have a lot of resources for dealing with metas because they were so completely new. The team that works with him at STAR Labs actually built the metahuman friendly facilities that we have at Iron Heights."
She closes the folder in front of her. "And to his credit, he mostly just holds them at the scene. The police actually make the arrests."
“Got it.” That makes sense, actually. Rather than acting without authority, he uses his powers to work alongside the CCPD. Note to future Tyler: see if Matt would be receptive to something similar in Mystic Falls, given how many vampires and witches are roaming around the Salvatore school.
With that doubt out of the way, Tyler gives his full, condensed assessment: a fourth of the charges aren’t worth pursuing. Nonprofits like LEAD (Law Enforcement Assistant Division) can assign the addicts case managers - and his inner social worker is probably shining, but he doesn’t think prison is built for these people. (He’s hoping Laurel agrees.)
As for more serious charges - like the meta with probability manipulation, and the technopath, and the other oddities he can’t ever remember hearing about before - he’s apt to take advice from the lead detective. Keep them in Iron Heights until the trial, dampen their powers through whatever means necessary during the sessions, and determine their charges through a fair trial.
“Even if I think they’re guilty,” he concludes, glancing down at a paper because he sure as hell hasn’t memorized this, “The jury ultimately decides that. But uh, yeah. That’s kind of my take on all these charges.”
Laurel listens quietly, weighing each assessment he gives, and yes, his social worker tendencies are showing, but Laurel started out as a bleeding heart herself. She knows all too well when jail isn't the right solution for someone, so she's definitely willing to go with option B. She just needs to get it approved.
"Give me the files for LEAD." She extends a hand out to him. "I'll have to run that recommendation by the DA - she'll have to approve them all." But she has a feeling that Cecile won't object too much, all things considered. "As for the metas, there's nothing wrong with thinking they're guilty - so long as you have the evidence to back it up."
Which when it comes to trying metas, can be more complicated than you think.
Thankfully, as far as evidence is concerned, metas operate in the open. Tyler doesn't doubt that he can uncover something to prove their guilt - if they're truly guilty. The truth finds its way sooner or later. For their sake, he just hopes it's sooner.
"Thanks," Tyler says, already pulling out a folder full of LEAD information and resources. He'd printed them out earlier, and sent the digital copies in their shared dropbox. Just in case either Laurel or the DA happened to prefer new-fashioned methods. "They've been around Central for a few months. If she wants to know more, the university's been working together with the police department."
In other words: his professors've been leading the fray. Tyler doesn't consider himself much of a leader, but as far as programs like these are concerned? He'll head up whatever teams are necessary to make it happen.
Laurel nods in agreement as she takes the paperwork again. "I'm sure Cecile will approve it, I just have to go through the motions and make sure it's approved on the proper channels."
She sets that stack to the side, before glancing back to him with a small smile. "But not bad. Your arguments were well thought out and solid."
“Really?” Tyler slouches a little, relaxing his stance more than he probably should. Ms. Lance had given him a solid compliment! On the first day!! If he weren’t convinced it would get him fired, he would’ve pumped his fist in the air then and there.
Instead, he settles for, “Thanks. Let me know what Cecile decides on.”
Professional. Polite. Except he turns towards the door and - ah. yep. He's pumping his fist in the air anyway.
Laurel laughs a bit as she watches him go, before heading back to work herself. It involves a long day of arguing and occasionally some phone slamming because she knows what's happening in this case, she just can't quite prove it. Barry even stops by later to try and offer what he does have as evidence but it's not enough and all Tyler sees as Barry exits her office is a lot of sympathetic faces and a hasty exit.
(Not Flash hasty, but hasty enough.)
Laurel looks over and shakes her head before turning to go back into her office. "It's late. Go home, Tyler."
Had Tyler been a little younger, and a little less hot-headed, he might've heeded her advice.
"Maybe in a little bit," he says, already gripping his backpack a little tighter. "Is everything okay? Things sounded kind of... tense."
Or maybe that was his preternatural hearing at work, already deciphering that Laurel couldn't connect the evidence to the case at hand. If it was a meta, he or she had covered their tracks well. Who better than an actual werewolf to sniff 'em down?
She takes a deep breath before nodding and making his way over to his desk. "Sometimes I delude myself into thinking Central City is above the corruptions and abuses of the law that I used to see back in Star City, but then a case like this one comes along and I know what's happening. I just can't prove it."
Which was always the frustrating thing about Star City too. She never had enough evidence to really drive the point home.
"Ah." Worst part is, Tyler's had experience on the opposite end. He's spent far too much time hiding or erasing evidence - and he'd wager someone similar had gone to the effort in Central. "I'm going to take a wild guess based on -" and he pauses. "Based on how thin the walls are, but we're talking about a murder, right?"
Wild guess, he says, as if he hadn't overheard the mysterious circumstances, let alone the supposed missing murder weapon. Tyler's got a feeling that either the weapon is hidden in plain sight; the weapon was purposefully burned or dismantled elsewhere; or it's some tricky third option he can't uncover.
Either way, he's gonna need a few more details before he can confirm what he conveniently overheard.
Laurel nods, before she gives a small sigh. "On the less affluent side of Central City, there's this guy who's basically operating as a slum lord. And they're a bit of a sore spot for me because I used to deal with them all the time back in Star City. But I had one of his employees who was ready to come forward with actual evidence that I could take to court and get this guy out, but ... he went missing and then they found his body a few days later."
One of her hands curls into a fist as she rests it against his desk. "I know this guy is responsible, I just can't prove it."
He would've suggested the obvious: what did the crime scene look like? What was the state of the guy's body? What did the CSI think the murder weapon was?
Except he thinks she's tried all that and then some. So he taps his fingers against his desk for a couple of seconds.
“Sorry, uh – I thought a fresh set of eyes could help.”
"No, it's fine." She moves and takes the seat next to his desk, because clearly she's going to be staying here a while. "The murder weapon. The body was dumped, so we don't actually know what killed him beyond a few pieces of particulate evidence. Bigger than a bullet but not slim and sleek like a knife."
"So the crime scene wasn't also where the murder happened." He's stating the obvious, but also he's trying to get a grasp on what they've uncovered. A body dumped, presumably in a river or some unsuspecting location. No murder weapon. Also, possibly no witnesses.
Laurel hesitates for a moment, because it's late, and she probably should be sending this intern home, but this case is important to her. She takes a deep breath, before nodding and getting to her feet.
"Sure. It's over at the crime lab though, so we'd have to head over there."
“Thanks.” He means it too as he follows suit, grabbing his things to go. Tyler knows he'll be late – and that's gonna be a problem for future Tyler. “Just lead the way.”
Leading is more likely. After a quick stop in her office to grab her coat she'll lead the way out of the DA's office and ... right down the stairs and across the street to the police station. They were actually smart in building things in Central City - they wanted to keep everything close and compact.
After that it's up some more stairs to knock on Barry's door. "Knock knock."
Barry glances up at them and grins. "Hey, Laurel."
"Hey, Barry." She pauses and jerks a thumb over her shoulder. "This is my new intern, Tyler Lockwood."
"Hey, Barry." Tyler gives him a polite wave. The guy doesn't look that much older than Tyler (if any). Must be a pretty smart guy to be a CSI already. "I'm here to look at the evidence regarding case KL-9."
He hopes he got that abbreviation right, anyway, and he glances over to Laurel for guidance. Just in case he didn't.
Barry pauses for a moment, before raising his eyebrows at Laurel, with his "be careful" expression, and Laurel nods that she understood. Over zealous ADAs were something she fought against in Star City all the time - she isn't looking to become one here.
"It's just a fresh set of eyes. I know we still don't have much."
Barry glances back to Tyler before nodding again. "I'll go get the file."
As he watches Barry leave, Tyler can't help letting out a low whistle. It's not like he didn't expect resistance - but also, he can't help giving Laurel an apologetic, almost sheepish, "Maybe I should've told him it was my idea."
"Oh, no, it's not you at all." She waves her hand a bit as she turns to face him more, trying to be more reassuring than anything else. "Barry is worried about me more than you. I have been known to take things with cases a little ... too far, and pushing the line a bit."
"Ah." Tyler may not know Laurel well enough to know what lines she's toed, let alone what cases she's spent too much time on, but he can sense the passion in her work. In that one instant, his expression softens.
"We'll just have to show him that you're taking things as they're meant to, this time.'
Laurel nods in agreement as Barry returns with the evidence in hand, placing them out in front of him in their sealed evidence bags. "To be honest, I feel like there's enough that matches with MO and the way the body was dumped to indicate that this was a hit. The only problem is, we don't have enough evidence to indicate a - who did the deed and b - who hired them, beyond Laurel's gut." He pauses for a moment. "Not to say she doesn't have a good gut, because she's usually right, it's just that ... the evidence isn't stacking up."
"And while I also appreciate my gut, my gut isn't necessarily going to hold up in a court of law." Laurel gives a small shrug. "But we work with what we've got."
Barry and Laurel were right: there wasn't enough to connect a murder to the scene of the crime, let alone what could've murdered the guy. With those seals in place, Tyler can't take a whiff of what else might be on them. (A blessing and a curse. Probably.)
How would someone back home have murdered their witnesses and former employees? The Salvatore brothers would've drained their victims of blood. The Sirens would've also probably ditched their victims in a river, and well - werewolves were bloodier and more obvious.
The wounds from the photographs weren't vampire or werewolf bites. But those guys would've killed in the safety of their home. Somewhere where they could purposefully erase all evidence and feign ignorance.
Which gives him an idea, based on how the body had been unceremoniously dumped -
"We don't know where it really happened, right?" Tyler presses his lips together. "Were there any keys or - " He reaches for an envelope, presumably with their victim's wallet inside, "Or a key card? Anything to indicate where he might've last been?"
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sheridan2017-10-14 10:59 pm
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And this is where he grows uneasy.
"I noticed the Flash apprehended a lot of them. But he didn't testify?" His law classes didn't prepare him for this. Most law classes were ill-equipped to deal with metas. "Is that because he - I'm assuming he's a he - doesn't have the authority to arrest them?"
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She closes the folder in front of her. "And to his credit, he mostly just holds them at the scene. The police actually make the arrests."
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With that doubt out of the way, Tyler gives his full, condensed assessment: a fourth of the charges aren’t worth pursuing. Nonprofits like LEAD (Law Enforcement Assistant Division) can assign the addicts case managers - and his inner social worker is probably shining, but he doesn’t think prison is built for these people. (He’s hoping Laurel agrees.)
As for more serious charges - like the meta with probability manipulation, and the technopath, and the other oddities he can’t ever remember hearing about before - he’s apt to take advice from the lead detective. Keep them in Iron Heights until the trial, dampen their powers through whatever means necessary during the sessions, and determine their charges through a fair trial.
“Even if I think they’re guilty,” he concludes, glancing down at a paper because he sure as hell hasn’t memorized this, “The jury ultimately decides that. But uh, yeah. That’s kind of my take on all these charges.”
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"Give me the files for LEAD." She extends a hand out to him. "I'll have to run that recommendation by the DA - she'll have to approve them all." But she has a feeling that Cecile won't object too much, all things considered. "As for the metas, there's nothing wrong with thinking they're guilty - so long as you have the evidence to back it up."
Which when it comes to trying metas, can be more complicated than you think.
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"Thanks," Tyler says, already pulling out a folder full of LEAD information and resources. He'd printed them out earlier, and sent the digital copies in their shared dropbox. Just in case either Laurel or the DA happened to prefer new-fashioned methods. "They've been around Central for a few months. If she wants to know more, the university's been working together with the police department."
In other words: his professors've been leading the fray. Tyler doesn't consider himself much of a leader, but as far as programs like these are concerned? He'll head up whatever teams are necessary to make it happen.
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She sets that stack to the side, before glancing back to him with a small smile. "But not bad. Your arguments were well thought out and solid."
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Instead, he settles for, “Thanks. Let me know what Cecile decides on.”
Professional. Polite. Except he turns towards the door and - ah. yep. He's pumping his fist in the air anyway.
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(Not Flash hasty, but hasty enough.)
Laurel looks over and shakes her head before turning to go back into her office. "It's late. Go home, Tyler."
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"Maybe in a little bit," he says, already gripping his backpack a little tighter. "Is everything okay? Things sounded kind of... tense."
Or maybe that was his preternatural hearing at work, already deciphering that Laurel couldn't connect the evidence to the case at hand. If it was a meta, he or she had covered their tracks well. Who better than an actual werewolf to sniff 'em down?
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Which was always the frustrating thing about Star City too. She never had enough evidence to really drive the point home.
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Wild guess, he says, as if he hadn't overheard the mysterious circumstances, let alone the supposed missing murder weapon. Tyler's got a feeling that either the weapon is hidden in plain sight; the weapon was purposefully burned or dismantled elsewhere; or it's some tricky third option he can't uncover.
Either way, he's gonna need a few more details before he can confirm what he conveniently overheard.
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One of her hands curls into a fist as she rests it against his desk. "I know this guy is responsible, I just can't prove it."
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He would've suggested the obvious: what did the crime scene look like? What was the state of the guy's body? What did the CSI think the murder weapon was?
Except he thinks she's tried all that and then some. So he taps his fingers against his desk for a couple of seconds.
“Sorry, uh – I thought a fresh set of eyes could help.”
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(How... pragmatic.)
"Can I look at the evidence?"
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"Sure. It's over at the crime lab though, so we'd have to head over there."
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Or give him the GPS coordinates, as it may be.
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After that it's up some more stairs to knock on Barry's door. "Knock knock."
Barry glances up at them and grins. "Hey, Laurel."
"Hey, Barry." She pauses and jerks a thumb over her shoulder. "This is my new intern, Tyler Lockwood."
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He hopes he got that abbreviation right, anyway, and he glances over to Laurel for guidance. Just in case he didn't.
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"It's just a fresh set of eyes. I know we still don't have much."
Barry glances back to Tyler before nodding again. "I'll go get the file."
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As he watches Barry leave, Tyler can't help letting out a low whistle. It's not like he didn't expect resistance - but also, he can't help giving Laurel an apologetic, almost sheepish, "Maybe I should've told him it was my idea."
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"We'll just have to show him that you're taking things as they're meant to, this time.'
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"And while I also appreciate my gut, my gut isn't necessarily going to hold up in a court of law." Laurel gives a small shrug. "But we work with what we've got."
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How would someone back home have murdered their witnesses and former employees? The Salvatore brothers would've drained their victims of blood. The Sirens would've also probably ditched their victims in a river, and well - werewolves were bloodier and more obvious.
The wounds from the photographs weren't vampire or werewolf bites. But those guys would've killed in the safety of their home. Somewhere where they could purposefully erase all evidence and feign ignorance.
Which gives him an idea, based on how the body had been unceremoniously dumped -
"We don't know where it really happened, right?" Tyler presses his lips together. "Were there any keys or - " He reaches for an envelope, presumably with their victim's wallet inside, "Or a key card? Anything to indicate where he might've last been?"
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/and scene?