Chapter 2.7 - The Plot Thickens

“I still think that the dragon tattoo is significant.”

“Maybe it is, but until we know more about the group, we can’t determine anything based on just the tattoo. There are hundreds of groups that mark themselves with dragon tattoos. We need to figure out why they came here before we can find out who they are.”

“I don’t know. There was something so familiar about that tattoo…”

“Have you seen it before? Because if you have, it could give us a clue about where they come from and why they’re here.”

“I think I have, I just can’t quite remember where.”

“It’s a shame we couldn’t get more out of anyone we caught. If we could get our hands on that Avery guy they all mentioned…”

“Well, if we could get our hands on Avery, we could probably get our hands on his boss. It’s very likely that they’re holed up at the same place.”

“If only we knew when the next crime would be.”

“Well, if onlies aren’t going to get us anywhere.” Officer Keaton spoke for the first time. “Doe, what solid information do we have? Let’s lay that out and take it from there.”

Dylan took a deep breath. “Well, we know that the rate of violent crime in Sunset Valley increased rapidly about five years ago, and it hasn’t come down since. We connected that crime rate with a new crime boss in town. We know that the second-in-command of the group is a man named Avery, who’s big, older, has long hair, and whose nose has been broken at least once. Most of the minor players in the group are from out of town, and they all have dragon tattoos. Most of the crimes that we’ve linked to the group have been theft and arson, with a couple of kidnappings and one murder thrown in.”

Officer Keaton frowned. “That’s not much. What can we solidly hypothesize?”

“Well, Bridgeport, Starlight Shores, and Roaring Heights all have gangs that mark themselves with dragon tattoos. None of these groups have been especially active in the last few years, and the behavior we’ve seen doesn’t really match any of them. What I would conjecture is that someone who used to be affiliated with one of these gangs split off and came here. What I can’t tell you is why here, as opposed to somewhere else.”

“That’s a possibility. I’ll get in contact with the local police in all of those places, see what they can tell us. In the meantime, we need to figure out what their next target will be. Doe, start analyzing the previous crimes and find out what they have in common. Wainwright and Alvi, bring in everyone we know is affiliated with the group and wring every last drop of information out of them. Goddard and I will go down to the warehouse and see what they know. Everyone else, get out into town and find out what regular citizens know about the crime. We attack this from every possible angle until we get answers.”

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It had been a long and frustrating day. No matter how hard Dylan tried, he couldn’t find a common thread between the cases. He knew that there had to be one, but he couldn’t figure it out no matter how he looked at them. It was like trying to read in a language you weren’t quite fluent in while hanging upside down. You could see the letters, you could almost make sense of them, but in the end all you got out of it was a headache.

So after all that work for nothing, he was thrilled when Ayla texted him to say she had information about Tara. She wanted to talk to him in person, but not at his house. So he called to let the babysitter know she would have to stay a little longer, but he would pay her extra for it. Then he went to meet Ayla at her place.

They stood in her living room as he waited for her to say something. Eventually, he felt the need to prompt her. “So… what did you find?”

“How are the kids?”

“They’re doing great. What did you find?”

“Have you been to see Sam lately? Aren’t his kids cute?”

“They’re adorable. Ayla, please, what did you find?”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“Anything is better than this.”

“I’m not sure about that.”

“Look, I’m an adult. I think I can decide whether or not I want to hear this.”

“Ok. If you really insist.”

After a long pause, Dylan spoke. “Well?”

“Tara Rose doesn’t exist.”

Author's Note: I may or may not have planned this entire plotline around this cliffhanger. Sorry for my brief absence. Unfortunately, real life sometimes intrudes into my simming time. Also, I got City Living for Sims 4 and I wanted to play around with that a little. I have the next two chapters written out already, and I should be able to finish shooting them tomorrow. The next chapter is almost done, so it'll definitely be out tomorrow. The one after that might not be out until Saturday, but it shouldn't be any later than that. I've played all the way up to the triplets' child birthday, but I still have a few pictures to take that don't involve them. I really want to get this plotline wrapped up so I can focus more on the kids. Next time, the cliffhanger is resolved, and other things happen!