[hr][hr][h1][b][i][color=910A1C][center]Ivanna (Brendan)[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h1] [img]https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th/id/OIP.O77Oc6dRw8IVEt2AVI9Y8wHaHX?r=0&rs=1&pid=ImgDetMain&o=7&rm=3[/img] Location: Château de La Lune: Skills: N/A [hr] [hr] Brendan typed in the code staring at the screen, anxious both about what would happen if it went through and if it didn't. The screen unlocked. Opening to the home screen of the phone. The background changed, this time instead of a meadow, it was a selfie of Renee with a man about her age. They were smiling. Millicent eyed the screen for a moment, her eyes resting on the man with Renee. It was clear the two were close. A boyfriend? Fiance? Husband? Brother? Either way, it was a person whose life was going to be altered by what happened here. [color=63142b] "Nice work. I suggest checking texts first. See if she was talking to someone about coming here. Perhaps we’ll recognize a name.”[/color] Brendan stared at the screen in shock for a moment, amazed it had worked. They looked up at Millicent and nodded. They opened her texts, hit with a slight wave of anxiety. Not that Renee would have anything all that bad, right? There were several chat logs, many labeled with names or relationships. The most recent text log was just a number. It started with a +33. Millicent scanned the names, but the first one was the most recent. [color=63142b] "Check the most recent. It stands to reason she spoke to them either before she got here or when she was on her way, possibly even when she was here if she got any signal.”[/color] Brendan nodded. Above all they were glad they weren't alone right now, looking through the phone felt wrong, but they had to know. They clicked on the unnamed text thread, also checking when the texts were sent. The most recent text was sent mere hours ago. It was sent to Renee, a single word. Richard. There were a couple of older texts in the chat. Dating back prior to arriving on the island. The first text was from the unknown number. “I know what you’re looking for.” Renee had responded, “What?” Then there was nothing until that last text in the early hours of the morning. Millicent read it and read it again. Richard. [color=63142b] "Could be Renee looking for her father. We know her father is here and that could be why she came here, or at least one of the reasons. And the name Richard. Perhaps Richard is her father? Or someone who knows who it is.”[/color] [color=910A1C]“Then that would mean Richard is here? Is anyone named Richard? Or, like, Richie or Rick or Dick or whatevers short for that? I don't think I met anyone named that…unless he's using a fake name? But would someone do that? Just use a fake name and go to an island?” [/color] Brendan looked back at the texts. [color=910A1C] “It's just those three from this person…if Richard is her dad, though…then either two separate people were trying to get in Renee's head about her dad, or… we have the blackmailers cellphone number?” [/color] Brendan had no idea which was more likely. Who else would Richard be though? Was there anyone else Renee would have been looking for? Millicent thought back. Was there a Richard here? No one she had talked to was a Richard or anything close. It could be someone was hiding their name, but that seemed tedious at best. She closed her eyes and ran through the previous evening. Conversations during dinner and drinks. Did anyone mention someone who was not present? She recalled who she spoke to, who she was near, whenever there was a chance to hear a conversation. And then she remembered. It was a brief conversation, one that she paid little mind to in the moment, but now she was able to piece it together. George, during drinks, mentioned a Richard who was interested in selling the vineyard and moving to the UK. Richard. Richard La Lune. She gripped Brenden’s arm as she remembered. [color=63142b]”There is a Richard here. We haven’t spoken to him, but he’s here. He’s the patriarch. Holy shit. If we are right, Richard might be Renee’s father! And that gives motive to her murder to anyone in the La Lune family. Think of the scandal! An illegitimate child to a prominent figure. Not only that, but what about wills? Who gets the money, who gets the vineyard? And does Richard know? Christ, if this does turn into something, we just found a secret worth killing for.”[/color] [color=910A1C]“Renee was related to the La Lunes??” [/color] Said Brendan, [color=910A1C] “Shit, do you really think they'd invite her here to kill her? But then what's with all the blackmail, why are other people getting notes? And why'd they invite so many other people to the island when they did it?” [/color] Brendan thought for a second. [color=910A1C] “Unless they didn't know until they got blackmailed too, and that's why they killed her…if even the La Lunes are being blackmailed…is Felix being blackmailed? And the other workers? We have to find out who's number this is…it must be someone still here, right? No one left except that one guy…” [/color] Millicent thought a moment. [color=63142b]”It could very well be that who Renee’s father is in connection to the La Lune family and who is blackmailing the rest of us are two separate events. Perhaps one of the La Lune family members found out and invited her and invited the rest of us to cover up their intent to harm her. Or Renee was invited by someone who wanted this information out and that’s who she was talking to. Or it could be one of the other guests here who figured it out. Perhaps Renee confronted someone and that’s how she wound up dead. Either way, you are right. Figuring out who has that number should be the next thing. We should also let Sam and Ralph know about this too. But regardless, I think we uncovered a major clue.”[/color] Brendan nodded. They hoped they could trust Sam and Ralph. [color=910A1C] “Yeah. Maybe one of them found something too. I wonder how we find out who has that number, without like, calling it from a dead lady's phone.” [/color] Said Brendan. [color=63142b]”Well, maybe someone good with technology can reverse engineer it somehow. Otherwise, yeah I don’t know what other option we have.”[/color] Satisfied with what they had for now, she stood up. [color=63142b]”Maybe we should keep the phone somewhere safe so we don’t have it with us. It would look bad it we were caught with it.”[/color] Brendan nodded.[color=910A1C] “I am good at hiding phones, but I have been less successful at finding them later. Where's somewhere no one will look? We won't lose it if we both know where it is, right?” [/color] [color=63142b]”I’d suggest one of our rooms, but somewhere less obvious. After all, someone got in to leave us those messages. And somewhere the staff won’t think to check or somewhere they will use. The maids clean everything, after all.”[/color] “Where don't maids and snoopers look? We at least have experience with the latter…Where didn't we look in Renee's room? Do you have any magician-y secret compartments you brought?” Said Brendan [color=63142b]”No, I didn’t come here expecting to have to perform. But in my experience, the most obvious place is often the one that gets overlooked. If Sam is on board, perhaps we can hide it in our shared bathroom. Either way, perhaps we hold on to it for now.”[/color] Brendan nodded, [color=910A1C] “We’ll find somewhere. No one who sees it is gonna know it’s her phone anyway. Should we go find Ralph and Sam?” [/color] Millicent nodded. Those two were the only ones she trusted fully so far outside of Brendan. Miguel was still missing. Was he connected to this? Millicent was certain the La Lune family, including staff, was somewhat responsible. Either they got them here with the intention of spilling their secrets or Renee got in the way and had to be taken out. Brendan walked out into the foyer, waiting for Millicent to follow, so they could look for Sam and Ralph, hoping they could trust them.