I hate when this happens....

[ebony14]

I've written myself into a deadend. I've got the main characters, investigating a heinous crime, interviewing a fixer who provided the criminal with resources. The criminal is smart; he paid cash, gave his name as "Smith," and is only remarkable in that he's an Asian in London. I can't think of what to give the protagonists that will send them off to the next location. I could extend the timetable of the story, giving them additional criminal acts from which to gather evidence, but I think that might slow things down. I could make the criminal less smart, but I want him to be a shadowy figure that only raises more questions than he answers, and therefore he must be smart and cautious.

I could have an affiliated law enforcement character find information on another line of inquiry, because he's looking into a character that the criminal is using as a weapon (manipulating him into doing his dirty work). The problem is that that character isn't on hand to actually talk to anyone, and the manipulation consisted of commiserating with the "weapon" and then manipulating him into doing the task. There isn't a lot of ways that there could be evidence pointing at the criminal, especially since throwing in a sighting of the weapon with someone of Asian ethnicity seems a bit forced at this moment.

Anyone have any general ideas?

Comments

[bittercupojoe.livejournal.com]

Is this for a story or an RPG?

[ebony14.livejournal.com]

Story.

[mothoc.livejournal.com]

Suddenly, a shot rang out....

[ebony14.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Dashell Hammett Approach. Whenever the action gets slow, have somebody kick in the door....

A possibility. The protagonists are interrogating a guy on the street right now....

Hmmms

[endiron.livejournal.com]

I would suggest you bring in a subplot through a secondary source, like the weapon that was used is in some way fairly unique. Thus he could track down the few smiths in town whom were able to make the necessary ammo for example. Since I don't have any time period in which this event is occurring its difficult to place scenarios. Are we talking gas light or cyberpunk here dude?

Bane

Re: Hmmms

[ebony14.livejournal.com]

Pulp, actually. And the "weapon" is actually a person, manipulated into performing the crime for the actual antagonist. There's no ammo or manufacturer involved, not that could be tracked. I can have the secondary source identify him, but as I said, there's not currently any evidence that leads back to the antagonist. But I might be able to do something in that direction, to bring the action back around.

Re: Hmmms

[endiron.livejournal.com]

So not an answer to you but a thought you might consider.

Intelligence also tends to be beget arrogance, especially in the criminal mind. At some level this guy is covering his tracks, but in doing so is he creating new ones? What about his behavior is sufficiently beyond the norm to create some consternation in others? If he created a person and turned them into a weapon that means the weapon knew them at some level and was open to manipulation by them. That means they either feared them or idolized them. Either way its something they might have been inclined to talk about or potentially emulate. If the "weapons" style of clothes suddenly changed or perhaps their normal patterns were altered. "Mahoney quit going to the bar with us, said the smoke at Alestaer's was getting to his sinuses."

I don't know enough about how the weapon was made and what leverage was used, but generally a manipulator has to have leverage of some sort. Every lever ever used needs a fulcrum and that leaves a mark.

Bane

[inkblot14.livejournal.com]

You mention he's an Asian in London...is that to mean a visitor? Or simply of Asian descent? If he's a visitor, his presence will cause ripples no matter what he does. Either he'll seek out elements of his own culture, so let's pretend he's Yakuza so he might either be in touch with local Yakuza or he might just be spotted around Japanese restaurants or other businesses.

If he's clever and mysterious, he'll still be the cause of discussion amongst the local criminal society, who often don't like outsiders encroaching into their territory. So even if your fixer doesn't have leads, perhaps he's been contact by others looking into this mysterious criminal...others who aren't law abiding.

If he's local himself, similar rules apply. Either local elements know of him, so maybe the fixer knows a guy who knows a guy. Or he's local, but new in the business, so others will be curous. Or he's local, independant, and something of a legend.

So, think of who else might be interested in 1)the criminal, 2) the target, 3) the resources he used, or 4) the fixer dealing with him. You may have to introduce new characters, possibly even a new sub-plot. Worked well for Jim Butcher's novels, look at Marcionne (unless you've not read his stuff, then shame on you).

bink

[ulitave.livejournal.com]

do nothing. Write the rest as if you'd already figured out the perfect solution. Read over it later - you'll find something that links the parts.

Yeah

[endiron.livejournal.com]

Now I know why so many people speak so highly of you. This is an excellent suggestion and just the kind of lateral thinking move that I don't intuitively jump to.

Bravo sir.

Bane

Ideas

[starbolt13.livejournal.com]

Okay given what you've said and a bit of passing familiarity with where this is from.

Could you possibly get your investigators to lay hands on some of the cash the guy used? If so then run it through as many gadgets as you think the investigators may have access to. With the tech base available it shouldn't be that hard to gene-type the bio debris on the bills.

Now given you said this guy was smart, I doubt he's done anything like the clean room procedures that would be needed to insure a totally trace free passage through his possession. A basic gene typing and a comparative time analysis on decay rates might lead to a useful way to crack it. Heck given some of the gadgets your guys might have it'd be possible to read aura traces but that's a bit more data than you indicate you want out right now.

[autodidacticphd.livejournal.com]

kill off your main character and totally shift the story to follow a mino walk on as if you planned to do so the whole time...

hey, it worked for melville