[center][color=darkorchid][h2]Alison Fintan[/h2][/color][/center]

Jotaro's idea that Alison and Sakura, so the Stand referred to its owner as, would cooperate with a formal police investigation was a bit far-stretched for Alison. Of course she'd help putting this serial killer into the dirt, but there was no way she'd participate in anything beyond that. She had a criminal record in this city, not to mention no shortage of potential "old friends" with a vendetta that would be just tickled to see her back in town. But it appeared that this Stand, Gold Experience it would call itself, wasn't bluffing at all about how reliable of a lead it could create. Hell it may have been understating just how useful this ability was. [color=darkorchid]"Perhaps we won't need my resources,"[/color] Alison finally spoke up again, after politely letting Gold Experience finish explaining its power and its plan. The open explanation of the power was also a display of trust from Sakura, despite the fact she probably left out some details. Her Stand was perhaps the most understood Stand of the trio at the moment, but for Sakura it was a necessity in order to track down the killer.

But as Jotaro took the snake and Gold Experience disappeared it occurred to Alison that an important conversation needed to happen. While following behind Jotaro, still invisible to any potential passerby, Alison spoke to him in a whisper just loud enough that only he would hear it. [color=darkorchid]"I'm sure that you have entertained this idea I'm about to share, but you need to know this regardless,"[/color] she began to explain over his shoulder. [color=darkorchid]"When serial killers as prolific as the Cobbler get away with their crimes for so long you must consider that they not only have assistance, but that they may have assistance in the police force itself."[/color]

[color=darkorchid]"The odds that our killer has been working alone border on zero percent. Before we even consider whether or not Gold Experience will lead us to him or not we must consider that we aren't going to find [i]just[/i] him. We have hints as to the killer's capabilities but his allies are total wild cards. Who they are, what they can do, how many there are. Even if we assume that all three of us are honest and not secretly allied with the killer we might still find ourselves walking into a carefully placed trap. This man isn't going to be sleeping on the couch with National Geographic on the TV, he's gonna have a contingency in place and we are going to walk into it one way or another."[/color]

Alison paused now, wondering if Gold Experience could hear her through the snake telepathically. It didn't say that it could, but also didn't say that it couldn't. It'd be more convenient if it could though, otherwise Alison will need to have this conversation a second time at the earliest convenience. By this point the duo had made their way through the police building and out onto the street. There were no immediately obvious hints as to where, or who, Sakura was among the many civilians within line-of-sight, but Alison knew she was there nonetheless. [color=darkorchid]"I'm assuming if it was possible for your Stand to divine more information about the killer and his allies you'd have done it by now,"[/color] she continued. [color=darkorchid]"Unless you already have and were holding out on us earlier? I suppose we'll find out soon enough."[/color] The invisible Alison reached out and pressed something invisible into the back of the collar of Jotaro's jacket, making sure to make it so that he would feel she did something. [color=darkorchid]"In the meantime I've placed a tag on you. We're likely to separate in the near future and this will allow me to find you should something go astray. I could've placed it on you without you knowing, but I'm telling you so that you have an emergency option. If you break the invisible device, by accident in a fight or on purpose, it'll let me know that you're in trouble and I can come to your last known position to help."[/color]

Following the direction the snake pointed didn't seem like it was going to be fairly quick. It was like following a compass to an unknown destination an unknown distance away, on foot. This was certainly better than just about anything else other than having a GPS with the killer's location already pinned, but it still remained not ideal. [color=darkorchid]"Anyways, back to what I was saying earlier: we also don't know for sure that the killer or his allies are unaware of us. If he indeed has allies in the police force then it is likely that the killer is at least aware of your existence, possibly of your abilities too. Sakura will surely be following us but she may not be the only one. After a while I'm going to split up from you and hang back, so that we stand a better chance of catching any clever spies tailing you. Anything you feel I should know before I start watching your back?"[/color]