[GW2] Case Files: Gladys Tucker

Case Files: Gladys Tucker

Case Number: 02313204
Filing Date: 31 Phoenix, 1332
Services Requested: Surveillance, Theft Investigation

Client Name: Gladys Tucker
Age: 83
Race: Human
Heritage: Krytan
House: N/A
Title: N/A

Notes:

Had a lady come by the office on Thursday. Older, much moreso than my usual clientelle. Seemed surprisingly independent for her age though, didn’t need a cane or any kind of handler to help her get around. She was polite enough, but at the same time, it was clear she was a woman on a mission. It also became apparent that she was a product of an age where you don’t make small talk with the people you’re paying for services, and you don’t filter your words either.

In she walks through the door, moving with only a slight limp and a hunch to her posture. It’s a good thing I don’t have any other clients in the room at the time, because she heralds her arrival by loudly announcing that she needs to speak to a detective -immediately.-

We sit her down, Lilah fixes her some tea, and we get into the knitty gritty of things right away. She tells us that the Seraph wouldn’t help her, something she’s clearly still pretty steamed about. I do what I can to weather her frustrations, but it’s clear that the whole solution has got her wound up something fierce.

Her big emergency is that she believes someone has been stealing from her larder. Cheese, salted meats, eggs, according to her account it’s all been disappearing just as soon as it’s replaced. She launches into a lengthy tirade about how she much she loves artisanal dolyak jerky, how baking it was a hobby she shared with her late husband for decades. It’s very important to her, and a significant source of distress to imagine that someone would try and steal it from her.

Then she tells me who she suspects the perpetrator might be, and the reason why the Seraph won’t lift a finger to help becomes clear. She thinks it’s probably the ‘sand people,’ but also adds that it could just as easily be some of the ‘tree people’ as well. She’s quick to tell me that she doesn’t trust any of them, and theorizes that the perceived elonian thieves were “probably using those wretched insects of theirs to do their dirty work.” It’s clear she’s not a fan of some of her new neighbors that have immigrated from Elona in the past year.

So I take down all the information she can offer. I try to steer the questions away from all the rampant, unapologetic xenophobia to get some actual productive facts. She’s lived in her Queensdale cottage for over forty years. The perceived thieving started two weeks ago. She doesn’t have any roommates or living relatives. Keeps to herself a lot, doesn’t have many good friends because “all the good ones already left her.” She seems unfazed by my pricing estimates, stating that the expenses won’t be an issue.

Based on the information provided, my best guess is that the real culprit might just be some rats or a stray cat that’s managing to sneak in. Either that or there isn’t even any actual thieving going on at all, the old battleaxe could just be too dimented to realize that she’s been eating the food herself and forgetting about it.

I agree to help her. Offensive opinions aside, she’s still an old lady in very real distress with apparently no one else to turn to. I’d also be lying if I said that accepting simple or ridiculous cases like these isn’t the way we keep the lights on. She’s still a paying customer, and even if I don’t end up finding anything conclusive, perhaps my involvement can still provide her with some peace of mind.

We fill out all the necessary forms and I’m scheduled to go visit her cottage this afternoon. I don’t expect to find evidence of the kind of intruders she suspects, but I’ll still bring along the surveillance gear just in the off chance that I’m wrong.