Case Reference: GC–FIR–006
Incident: Death of Halver Istrin
Report Compiled by: Insp. Tomas Reed
Interrogating Officer: Inspector Roger Huckelbee
Status: Preliminary / Pre-Charge
Locations: Brass Crown Salon / Gearcross Watch Offices
Role: Commercial Systems Broker
Location: Brass Crown Salon – Private Smoking Area (Interview Room)
Huckelbee: State your name and role.
Vole: Darrin Vole. Broker. I place ideas where they can survive.
H: You argued with Halver Istrin.
V: Yes. Civilly.
H: About his patent.
V: About timing. Recognition invites attention.
H: You left the table afterward.
V: I did.
H: Where did you go?
V: I don’t recall.
H: You don’t recall twenty minutes.
V: Correct.
H: That window aligns with the murder.
V: That is unfortunate.
H: Were you intoxicated?
V: No.
H: Drugged?
V: No.
H: Injured?
V: No.
H: Then why can’t you remember?
V: Because memory is not a ledger.
H: Did you kill him?
V: No.
H: Where were you?
V: I was somewhere permitted.
(Subject calm, confident. Treats memory lapse as philosophical inconvenience rather than concern.)
Role: Social Broker
Location: Brass Crown Salon – Smoking Balcony
H: You were present that evening.
Ryn: I am present most evenings.
H: You saw Vole after the argument.
Ryn: I saw him before and after.
H: During the gap?
Ryn: The Salon does not measure moments that way.
H: Was he distressed?
Ryn: He was composed. As always.
H: Could he have left the building?
Ryn: He had no reason to. And reasons matter more than doors.
H: You’re vouching for him.
Ryn: I’m explaining how spaces like this work.
(Subject speaks as if clarifying etiquette, not evidence.)
Role: Sommelier
Location: Brass Crown Salon – Winery
H: You served Vole that night.
Arquen: Yes.
H: How much did he drink?
Arquen: Less than men who remember everything. More than men who forget nothing.
H: Did he leave the Salon?
Arquen: I did not see him leave.
H: Did you see him continuously?
Arquen: Continuity is not my responsibility.
H: You’re certain he wasn’t impaired?
Arquen: Certain enough to serve him again.
(Alibi supportive, but imprecise. Language aestheticizes uncertainty.)
Role: Private Minutes Clerk
Location: Off-site Office, Brass Crown Affiliation
H: You recorded attendance that evening.
Moor: Attendance, yes. Movement, no.
H: Was Vole listed as present throughout?
Moor: His name does not leave the page.
H: But people do.
Moor: Pages don’t.
H: That doesn’t answer the question.
Moor: It answers the only one that matters here.
(Subject calm, precise. Treats records as reality.)
Role: Head Chef
Location: Brass Crown Salon – Kitchen
H: Did Vole receive food during the window?
Lann: I sent courses.
H: Did he eat them?
Lann: Plates returned empty.
H: By whom?
Lann: Staff.
H: Which staff?
Lann: That level of specificity is unnecessary.
H: Was he at the table?
Lann: His place was.
(Strong alibi for presence, weak for person.)
Role: Salon Attendant (Temporary Contract)
Location: Gearcross Watch Offices
H: You were assigned to the northern corridor.
Torr: Yes.
H: Did you see Darrin Vole during the gap?
Torr: I think so.
H: Think?
Torr: I remember his coat.
H: On him?
Torr: On a man.
H: You’re not sure it was him.
Torr: Everyone dresses alike up there.
H: Did that man leave the building?
Torr: He stood by the doors. Didn’t go through.
H: For how long?
Torr: Long enough to wait. Not long enough to stay.
(Witness unsure, anxious. First testimony that places a “maybe Vole” near an exit.)
All principal witnesses agree on one point:
Darrin Vole did not meaningfully leave the Brass Crown.
None can account for his actions during the critical twenty-minute interval.
The alibi is socially airtight, procedurally intact, and temporally hollow.
The weakest testimony does not accuse.
It merely introduces movement without departure.