marengo ♔ but you gave away the things you loved & one of them was me

[starfucker]

♬ you're so vain - carly simon ft. mick jagger

WHO || Des, Finnick, Myri, Karen Taylor, Laura Jones.
WHAT || The Knights travel to the hometown of the Becksworth Brothers, to try to learn more about Chad and what may have happened to him.
WHERE || Marengo, IL
WHEN || July 16th, backdated
HOW || Actionspam

[ The mystery surrounding cult leader Chad Becksworth has only deepened with the discovery of a lockbox in his office containing surveillance of his own life along with a detailed history. While the Knights theorize about whether this means he's been replaced by the villain's resident doppelganger, or something else entirely, Burt makes good on his word to contact his first wife, Laura Jones, to find out whether Chad's ex-wife still lives in their small town of Marengo, Illinois.

He calls Finnick a few days after the lockbox is discovered to say that, yes, Karen's still living there, and that Laura's told them they can come to Marengo and swing by her place so she can direct them where to go. The possibility of gaining some insight into the background of the Becksworths is too good to pass up, so Myri, Finnick, and Des drove out there to the small-town America midwestern city, where they now coast down the tiny Main Street, a few blocks from Laura's home. It's about as far a cry from the big city ostentatious lifestyle Burt leads now as one can imagine. ]

Comments

[witchwoman]

[Myri's torn between wondering if she should bother with her fangirl persona or simply stay quiet for now. She settles on quiet, moving to the couch and sitting on one far side of it. Des and Finnick are much better at gathering information, after all.]

[behindcloseddoors]

I was just sick when I heard. I remembered her. Or, who she was, I mean. We never met but... Burt sent me her tape, years ago.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des's will save of 19 means he has become a BOSS at hiding his emotions. He clears his throat.]

She was great, yeah. And we hope to make sure the wrong person doesn't go to jail for her death. We think Chad might have sabotaged the concert to prevent the Starships tour from being competition.

[(Bluff 31) To be fair, it's at least part of the way true.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ she pales slightly, sliding into a chair herself ] You're talking about more than just sabotage.

Murder.

You think Chad sent someone to murder that girl to get an edge over Burt in the company?

[nothingsodivine]

I don't know that I assume anything. Maybe he planned it from the start or maybe something went too far. That's why we're here- to get a bead on Chad.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ her lips purse together and she nods absently ]

He said you wanted to talk to Karen. She lives on the other side of town, I can tell you right where. The two of us never really had anything to talk about after--

After the divorces. I didn't even know she'd moved back here until a few months after she did.

[witchwoman]

[Myri tilts her head slightly, watching the woman carefully, wondering if there's more she's not saying (sense motive 17).]

Did you know Chad well? Were he and Burt close... before?

[behindcloseddoors]

[ myri would actually get a very honest vibe from the woman, although there's a definite note of suppressed sadness under her words, rather than any hint of bitterness. ]

We all grew up here, so I knew of Chad, even before Burt and I started dating. Everyone here knows everyone.

Things between them were very different before they moved to Chicago. He was best man at our wedding, you know. Chad.

[65]

It's sad to think of how drastically different things between them have come, in that case.

[behindcloseddoors]

The entire family lost something they could never replace when Celia died. The boys kept looking to fill it with all the wrong things. I don't think they ever realized that they didn't have to fill it up. That people can have those holes and it can be... well, good for them's not the right way to put it...

[nothingsodivine]

Make them stronger? [Des kneads his fingers into his forehead.] So they just filled it up with glitz and glamour and buried the pain. Burt became Burt and Chad.... [He waves a hand.]

[witchwoman]

Is that what started the rift between them?

[65]

I believe so. Burt said as much to me, at some point or another. Celia was what kept them together, so without her ...

[behindcloseddoors]

It was the root of all of it, yes. [ her gaze travels almost unconsciously to a picture sitting on the mantle. it's a newlywed laura and burt, his arm slung around her with casual joy, and something on his face that none of them have ever seen him display since they've met him: real, genuine happiness in his cheeky grin, as laura presses a kiss to his cheek. ] They thought that success was doing her memory service, and so they became ruthless in the pursuit of it. When they realized that they could be just as much of a commodity as their clients were - as big of celebrities in and of themselves, well, they started playing up the divide that was already growing between them. Doing wild things to each other to get into the papers, turning what could have been a salvageable relationship into a sideshow.

[witchwoman]

They did it... for money? For fame? [Having no family to speak of, Myri cannot imagine throwing aside someone simply to get more attention. But that's more of what she expects from Burt. Every move with him seems to serve the purpose of drawing a crowd. Still, it makes her stomach turn to think about it.

But she follows where Laura's gaze has drifted and notices the picture (spot 17). Myri tries to remind herself that both brothers might have been different before. Something had changed them, and this was the start of it, it seemed.]

Was there anything that made it... [She searches for the right words.] less of a game?

[behindcloseddoors]

When Marianne died - the woman Burt married after me - I think he blamed Chad somehow, even if it wasn't directly his fault. She was a victim of the lifestyle they led, and Burt managed to convince himself many times that Chad had started his life down that path, talked him into it. Things escalated from there, drove towards a breaking point. Karen left Chad, after... after what Burt did. With Sarah. [ she flashes them a brief embarrassed glance, as if to see if they'd heard the story. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des scratches the back of his neck, getting what she means. (knowledge 18)]

So if someone were to have started whispering in his ear about breaking up the partnership and turning against Burt completely, he'd probably be all for it, right? That wouldn't be weird or out-of-character at all.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ laura's expression darkens, clearly uncomfortable with the implications ] By completely, you mean... trying to push him out of the company, or...

[nothingsodivine]

Breaking up the partnership. Going solo. Maybe even stooping to sabotage. There's a lot of pieces missing here. If it seems even a little out of place for Chad to get ambitious enough to fall in with the kind of people who wanna cause more than just a few tabloid splashes, then we need to know.

[He plants his hands on his knees, looking ready to up and leave.] But that's probably a question for Karen.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ she nods, moving towards the door ] Right. You're... you're right. I just... [ she takes a deep breath, looking down and nervously picking at her nails ] I'm worried about what all this could lead to. I don't want to see anything happen to --

[witchwoman]

[Myri stands and moves with them. As Laura drifts off, she reaches out and lays a hand softly on the woman's shoulder.]

That's why we're here. We think maybe it's gone too far between them. We don't want to see anyone else hurt. [Her gaze shifts to Des and Finnick, knowing that they want to move on to talk to Karen.]

Is there anything else we should know? Anything you can remember that might help us understand what's happened between the two of them?

[behindcloseddoors]

[ she hesitates a bit, then nods jerkily ] Burt... he thinks Chad's snapped. Like really gone off the deep end. He's acting like his brother's... dead, and no matter what I say to him, he doesn't seem to want to accept that he's still the same person.

But no matter what they've been through? Burt knows him better than anyone. If he really thinks something is... off, then he's not wrong. Something's changed Chad, and it has to be have been since I saw him last. When I knew him, he would have never been the type of man to take it this far.

[65]

Something's definitely changed about Chad, from all that we've heard and observed. [CHANGED SO MUCH HE MIGHT NOT EVEN BE CHAD ANYMORE????? no it's probably better not to drop that deet.] That's why we were hoping to talk to Karen — she might be the only one besides Burt who could be able to offer insight.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des nods at Laura.] We'll keep you posted.

[behindcloseddoors]

Wait! [ laura quickly crosses the room to a cabinet with a stereo and flips open the top, hurridedly looking through for something. ] Before you go... [ she seizes upon whatever she was looking for with grim triumph, and then glances over her shoulder almost apologetically ] Since she knew her, I mean... [ she turns around, clutching a jewel case in hand and looking between them ] I don't know that I could bear to listen to it again anyway. You should have it. [ and she thrusts out jade's demo cd to no one in particular ]