That sounds incredibly unpleasant and I'm looking forward to hearing all about it.

[ chilly DPD reception is par the course even before they landed themselves a prototype robot detective; cases are always piling up and now that everyone has to also deal with android rights (often said with air quotes and eye rolls,) everyone is in a sour mood and looks like they'd rather be anywhere else. and there's the usual number of individuals who sneer at him or purposefully bump his shoulder as they pass, but Connor makes no mention of it and doesn't outwardly appear to be bothered as he leaves his desk to meet Phoenix up front, this time wearing a slightly more official DPD jacket without as much CyberLife branding. ]

Mr. Wright, thank you for agreeing to meet me. [ some habits are still hard to break, so his demeanor is still more along the lines of I am a preprogrammed assistant here to assist you and only assist you, hands behind his back as he nods towards the back of the office. ] If you'll accompany me to the evidence room, I can brief you on the case before we leave for the charity's office.

[ unsurprisingly, Connor's scans of Phoenix to confirm his identity pick up all these minor changes in physiology - dilated pupils, slightly elevated heart rate, confirmation of actually being happy to see him that might not just be a pleasant act for politeness sake - all things filed away for a later reference should the conversation steer in that direction. since deviancy, Connor's at least learned to be less intrusive with his personal questions. ]

There's a continuous rise in android-related criminal activity as a result of the recent protests and legislation, on top of everything else that usually goes wrong in Detroit, and nobody is taking the new rules and regulations very well. [ Connor leads Phoenix towards the evidence room, using an access key and login information that's definitely not his own, and pointedly ignoring the "watch it, plastic," comments along the way. at least the evidence room is more private, and Connor's skin retracts around his hand to access the main terminal and bring up the Angelwood case evidence - recordings (both video and transcript form) of the confession, weapons found, DNA evidence, etc. everything Phoenix needs to get up to speed. ]

I've made some timestamps on the confession video to indicate particularly suspicious moments in Ms. Angelwood's body language and disposition. [ the video appears on the tablet Connor retrieves from the evidence pile, offering it to Phoenix to browse at his discretion. ] She starts to avoid eye contact and stumble over her words around the midway point, and I've noticed her tone becomes more aggressive as the interview progresses. Near the end after she refuses to answer any more questions, her heart rate elevates significantly and she begins scratching at the back of her hand, indicating a possible nervous tic under pressure. I think it's pretty clear to say, both Lieutenant Anderson's and your suspicions are likely correct.

[ it's an offer Connor's not entirely certain how to respond to. it's true that there's been a significant push for that bill to pass, certainly he supports it himself, as it will be one hurdle crossed that will further progress their cause and guarantee androids some measurement of rights. and the offer is very well-meaning, of course. but ... ]

... thank you for your concern, Mr. Wright. [ outright rejecting the suggestion would be impolite. but Connor's also not sure if it's worth causing a legal fuss. making harrassment claims, especially in police workforces, have historically not gone well. why risk the only real chance at a career he has, one that he's not even fully sure if he actually wants, just because he's called names and occasionally shoved around? it's not like he feels pain or anything. ]

It's certainly enough to warrant further investigation. The last thing we want is the wrong person behind bars, especially when sick children are involved. [ it's easier to talk about the case and not his own problems at work ] I don't have a warrant for Ms. Angelwood's cell phone or her computer to access any digital communications she may have had with the charity runners, but there must be some sort of documentation involved for them to be able to threaten her this way. It's likely that she was misled into signing something that kept vital information in fine print, since a verbal contract would hold no weight in something as serious as falsifying a murder confession.

[ it's still a nice gesture, Phoenix definitely doesn't have to go out of his way to recommend friends and their services, but it is a point in the man's favour for at least offering. the humans who are sympathetic and considerate to androids are few and far between, and Connor will be saving the suggestion in his database to mull about at another point in time, when there isn't a case taking priority. ]

It's possible. [ yellow LED go brrr ] With multiple officers and the defense attorney backing up the very likely possibility that the confession obtained was not truthful, it wouldn't be an unreasonable request to present to a judge for a warrant to obtain any and all communications between the charity and Ms. Angelwood. We should at least aim to get email exchanges and any signed physical documents, and at least with an official warrant, they wouldn't be able to refuse it. [ even if it's an android serving it, but he doesn't say that part out loud. ]

The only problem is the time it takes to obtain said warrant. Unless you have any contacts who could speed up the process, it could take several days yet with all the new legislation being put into practice, and we can't take the chance that the potential deceivers may use that time to start covering their tracks.

[ the LED is a whole other conversation - Connor has his reasons, but they aren't reasons he's fully certain of, just like most things in his life post deviancy and revolution. he's asked other androids their opinions, and it's all over the place, which usually just means do whatever you want to do with it, and that's a question he never seems to have an answer to.

also /judgy eyebrow raise/ you talk way too calmly about being tased, bro ] Here's hoping that won't be necessary.

Her residence has already been thoroughly searched upon arrest, Ms. Angelwood doesn't appear to have any safes or locked security boxes in her apartment. There's a possibility of a copy of any contracts in her files somewhere, if we perform another search with the new information we have, but I'd rather speak to the source first. We don't want to give them any opportunity to destroy evidence and cover their tracks, if they start to suspect they may be caught. A copy of a contract in your client's possession could be excused as a forgery if the charity denies having made it in the first place.

[ fingers crossed Connor doesn't decide to deep dive into Phoenix's medical records and tell him all about all the things he shouldn't be doing.

now that he's back to speaking with a normal, not-gross person, Connor can go back to acting more like himself - he's still figuring that out, it's a long and ongoing process, but there's no need to put on an act in order to get information from a creep. he does sell it well (another perk of being a highly sophisticated robot prototype with criminal databases and preconstruction software is spending as much time as he wants preconstructing all the different ways he could murder the man for saying those things to him,) but it's important to keep a straight face about it and appear unaffected. can't be showing any type of weakness in the workplace. ]

It's part of my social relations programming. [ Connor briefly glances over his shoulder once the inevitable obscenities are aimed his way when the culprit's dragged off to a holding cell, but other than that, his attention is on Phoenix. always has time for me, hm? ] After careful analysis of the situation and the other party's behaviour and mannerisms, I determine the most direct approach that will result in a positive outcome. Your information from earlier proved to be very helpful, since I didn't have to spend any more time in there with him than was necessary. [ and ugh, going into the interrogation without knowing how the suspect saw him? significantly less likely chance of getting a confession, at the very least. ]

I won't say that it's something I particularly enjoy. [ he takes the time to fix his tie back up again, and put his jacket back on - something about putting more layers, like it's putting an extra barrier between him and prying eyes, but that uncomfortable feeling goes away the more he speaks to someone who's never made him feel like an Eden Club model. ] But other methods weren't getting us anywhere. And it's hardly as though I'm unused to such comments.

Anyway, [ because let's change the subject pls ] shall we continue our investigation into Ms. Angelwood and the charity scam?