(Note to da GM - this is kept on Sarah’s computer which, courtesy of the dept’s computer whiz, is fairly secure, and a hardcopy is kept in a safe deposit box in a small branch of BofA in the Sunset District, near Sarah’s home)

6/28/98

It’s happening again. If The Boss finds out, I’m on mental disability until god-knows-when. I don’t even know if Michael will take me seriously, now. Thank god neither of them know about that incident in Martinez last year...

The circumstances are not quite the same, but similar enough. This group calls themselves "Hunters Incorporated" and they seem to be posing as some kind of occult-ish vigilante group. Great, the Ghosbusters meet Murder Inc. But they couldn’t refrain from using the same terminology - "Prince, clan, court, werewolf" and even a name I’ve encountered briefly in some papers I probably shouldn’t have seen, "Vannever" - who I suspect is the one this group is trying to avoid going to war against.

Well and good, they claim peaceful intentions, they claim to be the good guys. Bullshit. Myself and Roger (oh, don’t ask) were held hostage until they insisted upon a so-called ‘full disclosure.’ Such actions - along with vigilantism and psychological manipulation such as that I observed within the group - are not actions of the ‘good guys’.

The fact that I could find no evidence of them tampering with me only convinces me further that the participants of this gang are partaking of their own wares and believing their own press.

I must admit, the visual evidence was compelling - but impossible.

Such mutations as what I saw last night are statistically unlikely, but possible. As is the association of a group of people who share common mutations (memo: look into possibility of a cluster similar to Love Canal in areas where these groups occur...that might be an aggravating factor).

If only I could have gotten a blood sample from one of them! The samples that James gave me exhibited similar photophobic characteristics (and the pus from a newly-dead caucasian male yielded a good DNA print) but neither sample was significant enough for rigorous testing.

Later.

I’ve written my reports. One to The Boss and one to Michael. I’m only writing for that bastard becuase I’m sure he’ll come after me if I don’t - no doubt he will ignore what I’ve given him. I hope he does...

6/29/98

Well, it seems that some of these people cannot wait to abuse the services that I have not offered to them. I merely promised to return next week to their meeting - and I’m sure that even if curiousity failed me, Michael would want me to attend - and not to speak of anyone of what I had seen.

Immediately, one Teresita Giovanni "Primogen of Clan Ventrue" has asked me about several murders currently under invesitgation in San Francisco. She wishes to know the precise cause of death in the various victims. It’ll be easy enough to obtain that information, but whether or not I’ll share it with her is another matter entirely. Why does she want to know? That is my question.

I suppose once again, this journal has become a kind of insurance policy. I shall keep an encoded copy here on my home machine and a floppy disk in my safe-deposit box at the bank. I only hope the encryption that Goose created for my computer is as unbreakable as he claims. (Details available to Gms).

So, as usual, I better list the names so far.

"Prince" Feld, leader of this group.

Black Wolf - native American flavored member.

A "Sheriff" Micah, but he claims to be a magii, rather than a vampire. I think he may be working with Feld to instil much of the hysteria and hallucination I’ve observed.

Spirit Interface - interesting alias - claims to be a lycanthrope and is supposedly a liason between the lycanthropic community and the vampires of "Hunters Inc."

Camilla. I don’t know what she does, but she doesn’t seem to have any immediate designs on my life. Strikes me as mildly sensible.

Vasha. Noisy and not terribly popular - but apparently second in command, so the others must respect her. (note dead as of 7/30/98)

Teresita Giovanni - The "Ventrue Primogen" - a person apparently in the upper ranks for this court.

Vannever - an individual in San Francisco who, I think, is leading this other group that HI does not want to fight with.

Jeremy. A lawyer in Concord. I must ask my legal contacts to look into his legitimacy. Unfortuately, he soon caught me out when I stretched the truth about my profession.

Ashley Wilson - an apparenly disconnected individual (drugged?) given to hallucination. Not a vampire. (later learned - a shapeshifter called ‘corax’ - she can turn into a raven, apparently)

And sundry others. I shall list their names as I learn them.

7/12/98

Curiouser and curiouser. Perhaps both Roger (Vann, long story) are both going insane, but I find it hard to believe. Of course, the other possible course is ever harder to accept.

I have convinced The Boss to allow me to assist the SF Coroner’s office with their overload. Fortunately, Joe is content with his own theories for explaining the presence of multiple blood types in one corpse.

More names:

Jared - a ‘ghoul’ - and proponent of same. Apparently a retainer/servant to Feld.

Riley. Somewhat reticent, recently beleagured courtier. Information digger, apparently. Very deformed, but this has been accepted as normal within court - providing he stays out of the way. He has stated that he can get in and out of San Francisco (via "walking the bay" - across the bridge, one assumes) so what does the court need me for?

Aaron - ‘Seneschal’ - second in command to Feld, who runs things in his absence. Must be considered culpable for any illegal actions. Considers me his ‘ace in the hole’ regarding San Francisco.

Spirit Interface - a lycanthrope who, despite his species supposed abhorrence for vampires, works with this ‘court’. Right....

Like any subculture, criminal or legitimate, these people have their own priorities and politics, but I have never encountered one that is so well developed. However, I’m not surprised by this - I’m not a field agent. I should probably try to do some research on this matter - criminal cultures - and see if I can find any reports on other chapters or gangs of this apparent movement. But they have shown some intelligence and discretion, so it may be difficult.

I really don’t want to become a part of this group - especially if it means accepting their beliefs and perceptions - but I still believe that they are dangerous (vigilantes at best) and must be watched, if only to protect unknowing outsiders.

I don’t have any friends in ‘court’ (I cannot count Roger as the gonad-driven little moron has developed a crush on Ashley) and that worries me as I don’t believe their assurance that my person is inviolate within their walls. Certainly, one of their own courtiers, Riley, was able to demand redress after an assault by another, Spirit Interface (and the lack of legal training or rhetorical ability amongst that association was made painfully clear during that little incident), but I don’t believe the same courtesies would be extended to me.

7/11/98

Perhaps Roger’s gonads aren’t entirely useless. He has been passing along all kinds of interesting information from Ashley - (shapeshifters, a bit more about vampire clans and politics and a tiny (very inaccurate) bit about mages. Johanna is too lazy to rewrite it) It’s getting progressively harder to shrug this off as an elaborate human lifestyle...especially after that thing I saw - the supposed lycanthrope.

Cyrotech, mustn’t forget to follow them up.

7/15/98

Oh, this has been such an edifying period for me...

Damn it, I don’t want to participate in grand theft, but if I don’t, I’m sure people will die. Roger and I have decided to blow the whistle on this operation, but I’m wondering if we’re assuming too much when we assume that Spirit Interface and that lot have the sense to bug out when it’s needful. I’m still not sure that Spirit won’t go ahead with *his* plan, anyway, the arrogant fool. Whatever, I have to go.

7/17/98

I’m so glad murder is against my nature...otherwise I’d have somebody’s blood on my hands right now - in addition to four lives. I would take great pleasure in fingering several of those blasted pieces of walking carrion - and their shapeshifter allies, too, but the real world has intervened. Good thing too, as my temper is frayed enough, without having to endure their ‘court’ this week.

Roger and I are trying to cover up what we can - that gunshot wound of his being the most important - fortunately, that won’t be too tough....and now I have samples from Jared, the one the court didn’t want me to examine too closely...

7/22/98

Found another kid up a chimney in Hunter’s Point - same as the last one, green marbles in the mouth and it’s looking like the same cause of death - haven’t done the full PM yet. I really hope that it’s just coincidence. Oh, who am I kidding? Damn, a serial killer of children is the last thing this city needs.

Not a thing to improve my mood.

****************************************************************************************

7/23/98

Definitely the same killer. For a person who beat another to death, he didn’t leave very much in the way of trace evidence, damn it. Waiting for the chromatograph returns on some short fibers and a hair. The profilers are giving us the usual font of bloody wisdom...I shouldn’t blame them, they don’t have much to go on. I hope they won’t get more.

7/28/98

I haven’t heard from Roger lately... I suppose he’s off rubbing noses with Ashley or that piece of candyfloss from accounting. I’ll drop him a line when I have the time. The SF ME is severly shorthanded...

7/31/98

Bloody vampires. They reamed Roger’s memory. Fortunately, Ashley helped him regain most of it. Unsubtle fools, they took out his memory of his mentor - like he wouldn’t notice that gaping hole!

Of course, they had their reasons. Apparently Roger got a hold of some of the mortal remains of a vampire who had been Destroyed and sent them through the US Mail to his mentor. While it worries me deeply that a vampire in Contra Costa has some influence over the USPS in SF, I’m not surprised at their being angry over his actions...I can’t decide who is the worst fool....

8/7/98

It’s late. Just got home. Bit drunk. Tried to get some quality time with Jared, with erratic results.

Am I the only one who gives a damn about their own laws? Why do I? I certainly don’t respect *them*. And this masquerade is the only part of them that makes sense.

Must research police records for ‘Sabbat’ - maybe written off as a gang - in Colma.

Vampires, Mages, Werewolves/shapeshifters. Ghouls, acolytes, kinfolk. Awakened vs. Sleepers. Masquerade, Veil, ???. Sabbat, Wyrm, Technocracy (subsect Progenitors). They’re trying to forge a non-aggression pact. Even Erin thinks it won’t last as long as it takes the ink to dry. Erin has sense, even if he doesn’t like me. Poor man, I think I worry him. I worry all of them.

8/8/98

Drinking with a ghoul. That was bright...

Sometimes luck can be on the right side. We just got a call from a Dr. Geoff Schultz in Sacramento. He’s a retired surgeon who practiced in Sacto his entire career. It seems he remembers a case from twenty years back of a kid who had a belly full of glass marbles. The SFPD is so damn glad for the break that they’re not asking too many questions about who leaked. Of course, Schultz is a suspect until we can get his alibi corroborated, but, damn, I think we might have something here... the guys have to go to Sacramento and go through a lot of old records, but they might be able to get a name on this kid...

Hell, I hope this is a break.

8/11/98

We’ve got a name. Edward Malherbe and it’s looking warmer. Schultz’s alibi has been checked out - so far, so good. When Edward was 12, his homeroom teacher brought him to the ER after he collapsed at school. X-Rays and surgery proved he had a bellyfull of green marbles. The docs noticed signs of abuse, but Edward wouldn’t admit it - said he swallowed the marbles on a bet - over a pound of them- and he was bruised from roughhousing. Poor kid. But the docs couldn’t do anything - just as hamstrung then as they are now.

A thin lead, but the profiler says to go after it.Ed’s the right age, and close to the right area, if nothing else. Now we’ve got to find him. Seems that he’s been a transient most of his life, but we’re tracking from both sides - Sacramento and San Francisco. We’ll find him, after all, we’re the FBI. :)

8/12/98

The SFPD have an address. Malherbe lives in Hunters’ Point. And they have a warrant. Let’s see what happens...

I can’t believe this. Another body has been called in - this one’s in Point Richmond - while the cops were at Malherbe’s. Looks the same - another preadolescent boy, beaten, stuffed up a chimney flue and with marbles in the mouth. And Malherbe’s apartment was unoccupied when the cops visited. More after I’ve done the PM.

The bureau is now thoroughly entrenched in this - and it’s cross jurisdictional. It’s foing to be a bear if it ever gets to court.

8/13/98 - very early AM

Same killer alright. I can’t describe how angry I am right now. If only we’d gotten that name sooner! Malherbe seems to have fled - he hasn’t returned to his apartment yet, and it’s been over 24 hours. But we may have a usable partial on the latest victim’s cornea, although I’m hoping that by the time we get a match, we’ll have him in jail already. Damn it all!

8/14/98

It’s out to the press. The panic’s on. I’d hate to be the DA right now...

Malherbe’s skipped out on SF for sure. He hasn’t picked up his welfare check for the week. How did he find out? I really hope the vampires have nothing to do with this one.