The Investigation: Part Two

 

Witch's Cove Employee Parking.

Pocahontas: Oh, good, Joe.  You're here. 

Joe: I said noon.  Am I late? (notices Lynch) Why're the cops here?

Pocahontas: We found a body.  Halfway down the hill from The Overlook, towards the inlet.  I've been trying to call you, but I guess you were driving.

Lynch: I have statements from everyone who was here when the body was found?  

Pocahontas: Yes.  It was the four of us, waiting for Joe and Jessie.  We were going to start work on the revamp today. 

 

Lynch: I'll head back to the scene.  Hurry the crime scene units along. 

Joe: Do we know who it was?  Surely it's not another hit-and-run in that location?

Nakoma: We didn't get a good enough look. Too much brush around and we didn't get any closer than we had to.

Jessie:  I don't blame you.  (nods toward the dog) Who's this handsome fellow?

Nakoma: Butterscotch.  Finnick's grandpa got him for me.  

Joe: Well, Jessie, I guess you and me have time for that cup of coffee after all.  (looks around) Can I get anyone anything from Sunburst?  (No one wants anything. Joe and Jessie leave.)

Finnick: Who do you reckon it is?  The body?

Albus: No idea, but I hope it's not linked to Charlie Lake.  I'd hate to think we have a serial killer in Barbieville. Could be someone was sneaking into the park and fell badly. 

Finnick: Why would anyone want to sneak into a closed amusement park?  (suddenly distracted)  Holy crap!  This thing's blue tooth compatible?

Albus: It's a new Beetle.  Not one from my era. 

Pocahontas (to Butterscotch): My new car gets no love.  

Nakoma: I can't believe we're just sitting around playing with a dog.  There's a body in our park! 

Pocahontas: We're staying out of their way, which is all we can do at this point.  (laughs) We could speculate and scare ourselves silly.  Call all our friends and start a panic around town.  But no, I think we're doing exactly what we should. 

Nakoma: Still.  I wonder who it was. 

The Investigation: Part One

 

Bertie: In today's news, the quest continues in Barbieville to find the murderer of a local woman.  The remains of Charlie Lake were found near Shore Thing Cafe yesterday morning.  The family of the victim and police chief Rebecca Lynch held a press conference this morning.

Lynch: This appears to be an isolated incident and we do not have any strong suspects at this point.  We're still waiting for lab results from the autopsy, but it appears Ms Lake was struck by a large vehicle in a grassy area. (She waits while questions are shouted to her.)  I'm not going to give details of the investigation, in part because the victim's family is right behind me and most of them are children.  Suffice to say, we have no reason to believe it was an accident.

James: I'm James Potter. (gestures toward the family) My sons, stepdaughters, and current wife. (blinks back tears)  Charlie is... was my ex-wife.  She had recently returned to town after working out west.  We beg anyone who knows anything about what happened to contact the police.  If not for her sake, then for the sake of three boys who no longer have their mother. (Questions from the crowd) We're cooperating completely with the police.  Last time I saw Charlie, she was dropping off the boys after her weekend with them.  Everything was normal.  

*****

Doll County Nature Preserve

Lynch: You're a hard man to track down. 

Hagrid: Sorry about that.  I got a deer out here, hurt, and I'm trying to catch him so... (starts crying) Well, they done killed my wild animal doctor, so... 

Lynch: Did she have any enemies you know of? 

Hagrid: Only everyone in the area that ever mistreated an animal.  Charlie'd just as soon string them up by their... you know what? She did tell me she was getting close to finding who dumped the baby horses.  

Lynch: What about in her personal life?

Hagrid (shakes his head): Never talked about that. But I bet she did.  She could be mean, really mean. That's probably why her and James split up, ya know.  He's way better at understanding sometimes folks just don't know better.  I guess I'll have to get him to check this deer out once I catch it. 

Lynch: I'll let you get back to work, but come down to the station soon for a formal interview.  If I'm not there, one of my officers can handle it.  I have to get down to Shore Thing before their dinner rush, talk to the little girl. 

Hagrid: The little one? She seen something?

Lynch: No.  Mei didn't let her, but she was there when the initial 911 call was made. 

****

Shore Thing Cafe, back corner

Mei: Cho, we'll need you to handle things.  Since Fei is a child, she needs a parent with her while she talks to the police.  Your father is in the kitchen.  If anyone wants to see the manager, you'll have to translate for him. 

Cho: Got it.  I'll bring y'all drinks.  Coffee, chief? 

Lynch: Yes, please. 

Mei: I'll just sit quietly unless I'm needed. 

Lynch: Thank you.  (to Fei) I'm recording this on my laptop camera, but pretend it's not there.  Just talk to me, okay? 

Fei: Okay.  I know Mommy gave you the security tape, but there's no sound, so I guess you need to know what we said.  (Thinks for a moment.) I was wrapping silverware and the man busted in yelling about somebody's dead out there. He needed a phone to call 911, so I offered him mine.  He got mad and said he has a cell phone but he needs a land line. Called me a stupid little... umm... girl dog? Except he said the bad word. 

Lynch: He swore at you?

Fei: Yeah, but I ignored it and got him the land line. He called 911 and I ran in the back to get Mommy. She made me stay in the kitchen with Daddy and the cooks after that. 

Lynch: What did the man act like? 

Fei: He was pretty freaked out.  Scared, I think.  Not really mad even though he cussed at me.  He's usually very nice.  He eats here a lot.  He don't like that one lady who works at Sunburst.  (Mei clears her throat.) I'm sorry, that's gossip. We don't gossip. 

Lynch: He didn't say anything else?

Fei (shakes her head no):  Where it happened, we walk right through there to go home.  I run home now because I'm afraid the bad man will get me. We all do. 

Lynch: It is scary.  (Looks at Mei, who nods.) We think he was just after her, so you're probably safe to walk home as usual.  Now I need to talk with your Mom. 

Fei: I'll tell Mommy if I think of anything , and she will call you, okay?

Creatable World Review

WARNING NUDE DOLLS

FLEE FOR THE HILLS

Thanks to eBay, I finally got one of the Creatable World dolls.  There is a lot of controversy over these dolls, mainly because people misunderstand Mattel's intent.  (I do have a more in-depth discussion of this on my other blog, Adventures In Freeloading.) They are devoid of what social scientists call gender coding. Most dolls are sexless because giving dolls genitals is frowned upon, but these are also devoid of things like make-up and secondary sex characteristics (breasts, body hair).  

Here we see CW with Stacie and Kevin. Stacie is pre-puberty and Kevin is either after or during, depending on who you ask. CW works well in the 1:6 scale universe as a child approaching puberty.  My plan is to make any CW dolls that move to Barbieville be boys, since boy children are hard to find.  Anakin has no feet and is badly discolored by age, so I'm eyeing a CW recast for that role.  

The big selling point to me, though, is the articulation.  CW not only has working knees and elbows, but wrists and ankles.  Y'all know how I am about knees and elbows. Stacie and Kevin have the standard five points (neck, shoulders, hips) and Stacie has click knees. The feet were showing when I took this photo, I swear! If I somehow end up with body donors (aka doubles), Stacie will gain some height and Kevin regress developmentally.

Kevin: Wait. What?!

The CW dolls come with a wardrobe (size depends on what kit you buy). Many of the items are unisex, but some are gender coded. Here Stacie models black shorts under what some people have called a dress. Those side slits go awfully high for a child's dress!  CW dolls have a larger head and feet, so the hat is big on her. The shoes fell right back off. 

Some of the clothes will fit dolls as big as a classic Barbie. It just depends on the body mold and the fashion's design.

CW dolls come with a long hair wig. It pops on over the rooted hair. Most reviewers haven't cared for the wigs because the wig cap is visible.  I didn't even take mine out of the baggie the seller shipped it in.  (This doll is gently used.  In fact, it looks to me like they bought the big kit and only kept certain clothing items.)

Nice denims. The pockets and cuffs on the jeans are real.

I'm so happy I got the shark shirt! (One of the others comes with a monkey shirt.) The black shirt and shorts are what the doll is wearing in the box. The tote bag is functional. You saw Stacie in the long shirt. The skirt in front center looks like coral. 

CORAL! Sorry, I was possessed by Rick Grimes for a second there. 

Anyway, I'm very happy with Creatable World. The doll is well articulated. The clothes and accessories are well made. I found a pair of aviator glasses while typing this. I suspect they belong in this review, but I could be wrong. I'm not the tidiest, ya know.

Getting Answers

 Barbieville Police Station

Lynch: You found the body, ran into Shore Thing, and had them call 911. I need a little bit more than that to go on.  Why were you there? What did you see specifically? 

Hank: That's all you're getting until my man from Witness Protection shows up. 

Lynch: Hank, you stumbled upon a crime scene. Giving me a statement about that is not going to have any impact on your status with the feds. You don't need to bother them with this. 

Hank: I don't care if I'm bothering them. (Stands up) Unless you call them in, or arrest me, I'm going back to my office.  I'm a busy man, Chief Lynch. 

Lynch: Fine, I'll call them. We'll make an appointment to get your statement.

Hank completely misses her sarcasm and leaves. Lynch goes back to her paperwork, what little she has at this point, and is startled by the abrupt appearance of Midge Sherwood, county coroner.

Midge: I've brought over copies of all my documents. The autopsy supports the obvious cause of death, unless something really weird shows up in the lab report. 

Lynch: Is it casual day at the morgue? 

Midge (laughs): No, I shower there and put on my civvies before heading home. 

Lynch: Not a bad idea. Sometimes I feel like I never take this uniform off. 

Midge: We might have a problem with Mr. Higgins. He tried to stop the CSI team from taking photos. 

Lynch: You have no idea. I'll handle him. How's Kamala settling in? 

Midge: She hasn't left my house. But it's not like I've had time to show her around town. 

*****

Windu Acres

Tanner: More dogs? 

Mace: I wondered when you were going to ask about that.  They came with the horse, and I know a few people who might adopt them.  Your girlfriend for one. She was disappointed when your folks decided to keep Cujo and Yeti.

Tanner: Yeah, but then Santa brought Anakin a cat. 

Mace: I know some other people, too.  Nakoma just gets first dibs. 

Tanner: I bet Four and Tris will take one, now that they're in their own place. She really misses her parents' dogs. 

 

Mace: Now you're thinking. (changes the subject) We buy the young rejects and breed them. There's less money in it, short term, but that's how we get the strong work horses Windu Acres is famous for.  People will reject a foal for all kinds of reasons.  

Tanner: Yeah, this one's got socks on the left legs but not on the right legs.  Big deal.

Mace: Don't be a snob. Some jobs require a certain look for the horse.  (Mace eyes Tanner for a moment.) You know, I'm really glad you decided to work with me. I retired because neither of Rosie's girls cared to follow in my footsteps.  Then y'all came along, and those foals turned up in the Nature Preserve, and I figured someone up there was telling me something.

Tanner: Did they ever catch the jerk who dumped those three? (Mace shakes his head.) Hagrid needs more trail cams. 

*****

WDOL studios

William: Good Afternoon, ladies. Is there a problem? 

Bertie: Yes. A major one. Have you seen the garbage they expect us to say on the air?

William: I can't say I have.  I trust my people to do their jobs largely unsupervised.

Becky: Good journalism should not be biased, Mr. Darling. I learned that on the high school newspaper.

Bertie: One of the reasons I took the pay cut to take this job was so I didn't have to cater to partisan interests. You promised our coverage would be balanced. 

William: Ladies, you are my anchors. You're the boss down there. 

Becky: So you've got our back when we tell them off? 

William (chuckles): Yes, Miss Weasley, I've got your back. 

Lunch at Sunburst

 Note: COVID masks in Barbieville are invisible to readers. Charlotte's children live on the Facebook Page "Our Toy Story", album "Nearly Famous".

Batgirl: It's nice to have some time away from the kids.  I love them, but... 

Joe: I'm glad to be away from your sister. The kids we signed on for! 

Batgirl: I was including her as one of the kids. I really don't understand how she can be so immature. 

Joe: Takes after your folks? 

Charlotte: There you are! Why aren't you answering your phone? 

Batgirl (annoyed): I'm trying to enjoy a quiet lunch with my husband. Free of drama. 

Charlotte: They've brought Chris in on the case! First Uncle Grizzly Adams and now Chris! 

Batgirl: What did your lawyer say?

Charlotte: Same thing as always. Let the boys have my kids, just lock up the money. But I won't do it! They are mine and belong with me! Would you let your children go live with Joe's people?

Joe (jumps to his feet): There is no Joe's People.  My people became hers, and - God help me - hers became mine. That's what marriage is! And yes, if it was best for the kid, we'd let them live with relatives who loved them.

Batgirl: Joe...

Joe:  No, sweetheart, this needs to be said. (to Charlotte) If they've hated you from the start, it's your own fault. Billy considered Chris his son from the moment he married you, he even adopted the boy, and you never gave them a reason to like you.  Why would you? They didn't have the bankbook!

Charlotte stares at Joe for a moment, stunned, and looks at Batgirl. Batgirl has her face buried in her hands, either crying or laughing. Charlotte storms out.

Finnick: Oh, it's just Gabriella's aunt. Should have known. 

Tanner: Come on, man, I'm trying to talk to you about something important. 

Frodo: As if he could hear you. 

Tanner: Well, she's gone now. Can we get back to this?

Finnick: You're way off base. I'm not planning my future around "a girl". She just happens to love Witch's Cove as much as I do, and we'll have that in common even if we do break up. 

Tanner: So you're with the girl for the place? That's even more messed up. (laughs) Okay, then, good for you. Seriously. But I'm not happy with the plan. I think I'm gonna work with Grandpa Mace. He's got those three colts and talking about coming out of retirement.

Finnick: That's cool, man. I know we've done everything together, but we're grown men now. 

Frodo: Twins doing everything together crosses into the creepy zone once you hit puberty, anyway. (to Whitney as she walks up) How's that army of new cooks that replaced me doing?

Whitney: The Rhees replaced Pern and Tris, too. They're servers now.  You just abandoned us. 

Mariko: They're fine. And I do mean fine. 

Frodo: Girl, you are jail bait.  

Whitney: I've got your usual orders in already.  Should I go back and cancel Nakoma's? 

Finnick: No, we'll take it to go.  She talked Pocahontas into replacing that Jeep. And getting a car of her own. She's so tired of sharing the park's golf cart with Albus, and now that she's working and going to college... 

Tanner: Not to mention they've added four members to the family. Five if you count Pern. 

Whitney heads back to get their drinks.

Sulu: Can I get a refill? Little Miss has a bottomless stomach.

Lynch: As if. Diana would explode if she drank all that. 

Whitney: Diana? You did decide to change her name? 

Sulu: Sort of. We're calling her by her middle name. 

Lynch: Couldn't bring myself to take away the honorific to my grandmother. At least this way, my daughter won't be branded a racist the second she introduces herself.  

Lynch gets a call on her radio. 

Lynch: Go ahead, dispatch.  (listens) Possible homicide? I'm on the way! 

What's Barbieville Been Up To?

 Since I'm back in the ranks of laptop owners, I can catch y'all up on our shenanigans. 

I finally worked up the nerve to tattoo Django. He's a tattoo artist and it seemed silly for him to have no ink. After quizzing a few of my fellow Barbie people about how they did it... here we go! This was the second chest tattoo.  First one was an epic fail!

Big ole tiger face on his back. Anyone who wants to look close enough at Django's tats to see my mistakes can kiss his plastic butt. And my not-plastic butt, for that matter.

Susan B. Anthony will be, in keeping with the historical figure, a civil rights lawyer. 

Severus Snape, high school chemistry teacher. (AKA potions) I thought about making him a pharmacist but teaching means more interactions with other dolls.

Midge Sherwood already lived in Barbieville, but she has a little sister now. Meet Kamala!

I recast Rallee's daughter (and Gwen's niece) with Luna. I even changed her name, because said daughter has yet to appear in any stories. 

More changes will be shared in the course of the stories I'm cooking up. Gonna be fun!