Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

RECORDING BEGINS: 911 Call from 333 Park Crest Wy NE
8:48AM

OPERATOR:
911, what is your emergency?

DANIEL RICCIARDO:
Oh my god! Oh my god! There’s a fucking dead body on my fucking porch!

OPERATOR:
I’m sorry?

DANIEL RICCIARDO:
There’s a fucking dead body on my porch! Oh god! Oh god! Is that—Oscar? Oscar!

OPERATOR:
Sir, I need you to calm down, what is your—

DANIEL RICCIARDO:
Calm down? Calm down? You need to get someone down here ASAP!

OPERATOR:
Sir, I am going to send help right away, what is your location?

DANIEL RICCIARDO:
Fucking—333 Park Crest Way Northeast! Past the old Webber farm! Oh god, Webber—

OPERATOR:
Sir I’m sending help right now, I need you to remain calm, what is your name?

DANIEL RICCIARDO:
Fuck—sorry, sorry, Daniel, my name is Daniel.

OPERATOR:
Ok, Daniel, is there anyone with you at the moment?

DANIEL RICCIARDO:
Yes! Uh—No actually, it’s just, it’s just me.

OPERATOR:
Alright Daniel, I need you to take a breath and go inside for me. Can you do that?

DANIEL RICCIARDO:
Ok, ok, I can do that. I can hear sirens, is that them?

OPERATOR:
Yes, police and medical are about 2 minutes away, are you sitting down now?

DANIEL RICCIARDO:
Fucking—yes, sorry, they’re here now, I can see them pulling up—

RECORDING ENDS.
9:08AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECORDING BEGINS:
2:43PM
SUBJECT: Daniel Ricciardo
DATE: 09/14/24
LOCATION: Lockfoot County Police Department, Interview Room 2A
CONDUCTED BY: Detective Charles Leclerc and Detective George Russell

DET. LECLERC:
 We are here on the 14th of September, with Mr. Daniel Ricciardo, following the events of the morning of the 12th of December. This is Det. Leclerc and Det. Russell with Lockfoot County Police. Mr. Ricciardo, are you aware that everything you say will be recorded?

DANIEL:
Uh, yes! Yes I am aware.

DET. LECLERC:
Great. Let’s begin with the morning you found the body of Mr. Piastri, what time did you wake up?

DANIEL:
 Well I got up around seven to make my coffee and start getting ready for the day. Work starts at ten, so I wanted to have a slow morning. After I had got dressed and made my second cup of coffee, I went out to the porch, and that’s—well, y’know.

DET. RUSSELL
So you woke up around seven, and didn’t go out to your porch until around eight-forty. Is that correct?

DANIEL:
Was it really that long? Usually I drink my coffee out on the porch right away, but I guess—never mind, it’s not that important. Yes that’s correct.

DET. RUSSELL
The nine-one-one call came in at eight-forty-eight, did you call immediately after seeing the body, or did you try to help? Maybe identify the body first?

DANIEL:
No sir, I’ve seen way too many horror movies, I saw the blood and immediately called.

DET. LECLERC:
Describe the scene, you mentioned the blood, but how was he positioned? What did the yard look like?

DANIEL:
Well, he—he was on the side steps that lead to the backyard. There was a lot of blood on the stairs, a lot of blood. I swear I would’ve gone to help, but, sir, if you had seen that much blood, you’d know there was nothing you could do. Fuck, it was bad.

DET. LECLERC
You’d be surprised how much a person can lose without dying, Mr. Ricciardo. But focus, what did the yard look like?

DANIEL:
Uhh, well it looked in bad shape, to be honest. The storm last night really did a number on it I guess. Now I’m no expert, but I like to keep my lawn looking somewhat nice, and the grass looked all torn up and muddy. Bob—my flamingo statue, was knocked over as well, and that thing is solid. So the wind must have been real bad last night.

DET. RUSSELL:
Right. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary about the yard or the porch itself? Anything that couldn’t be explained away by the storm?

DANIEL:
Well, I’m not really sure, I guess. Bob being knocked over is strange, maybe? He’s never been knocked over by wind before.

DET. RUSSELL:
Let’s talk about the night before then. What were you doing, and did you hear or see anything out of the ordinary?

DANIEL:
No. No, I don’t think so. I mean, I came home around nine, cleaned up a bit. Then around ten I had a couple of glasses of wine and fell asleep. The storm was loud, but my house is pretty well soundproofed so I didn’t hear a thing after I fell asleep. Except around two in the morning, I heard some people shouting outside.

DET. LECLERC:
Shouting?

DANIEL:
Well, yeah. But it wasn’t angry shouting. It sounded like a couple of kids having a good night to be honest. I didn’t read much into it because I was—distracted—by other things.

DET. LECLERC:
 You didn’t look out the window for these kids at all? Nothing to confirm?

DANIEL:
No not really, I walked to the door briefly around two-thirtyish, but by that time they were already down the street.

DET. RUSSELL:
Mr. Ricciardo, can you think of any reason anyone might want Oscar Piastri dead? From what we could tell he was a good kid. Got good grades, kept to himself. Why would someone want to kill such a promising young man?

DANIEL:
Look mate, I don’t know. Oscar always seemed like kind of an oddball to me. I’ve shared my property line with his parents for years now, and to be honest, all of them are kind of off-putting. I know he was friends with Logan, one of the kids who lives across the street. But other than that he didn’t really have friends, or enemies that I know of.

DET. LECLERC:
Thank you Mr. Ricciardo. That concludes our interview for now. Before we go do you have any questions or concerns?

DANIEL:
Just, what’s going to happen to my house? I haven’t been able to go home since the incident.

DET. LECLERC:
It will be considered a crime scene for the time being, but we’ll do our best to make sure it is returned to you in the best condition. Anything else?

DANIEL:
No, thank you.

DET. LECLERC:
That concludes our interview for today. Please let us know if you remember any more information about the night of September eleventh or the following morning of September twelfth. Thank you for your time Mr. Ricciardo.

RECORDING ENDS.

NOTES:
DR seems to be telling the truth here, though, notably, he tripped over his words several times, and some of his movements throughout the house seem to be inconsistent. Possible someone else was in the house, despite DR claims that he was alone. Will review further.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECORDING BEGINS:
4:00PM
SUBJECT: Mark Webber
DATE: 09/14/24
LOCATION: Lockfoot County Police Department, Interview Room 2B
CONDUCTED BY: Detective Charles Leclerc and Detective George Russell

DET. LECLERC:
It is the 14th of September, and we are here with Mr. Mark Webber, father of the victim, following the events of the morning of the 12th of December. This is Det. Leclerc and Det. Russell with Lockfoot County Police. Mr. Webber, are you aware that everything you say will be recorded?

MARK:
Hm. Yes.

DET. LECLERC:
Mr. Webber, we understand that you are grieving at this time, but we’d appreciate any and all information that you can give. Did Oscar have any enemies, anyone that might want to do him harm?

MARK:
No. Oscar is—was always a bright boy. Sure he didn’t have a lot of friends, but who would? In this godforsaken town?

DET. LECLERC:
How do you mean?

MARK:
Oh please. Half the town are rich assholes, and the other half work for them. Oscar was different. Always has been different. No body really understood him, except for Logan of course. Have you interviewed him yet? If anyone knows what happened to Oscar it would be him.

DET. RUSSELL:
They were close?

MARK:
Close? Yeah you could say that. I damn near caught them going at it that night. The night Oscar—well.

DET. RUSSEL:
Logan was with Oscar that night?

MARK:
Yeah. They were out in the shed, probably to get away from Britney—uh, Nico, Logan’s dad. Prissy bitch in my opinion. I let Oscar fix up the shed how he wanted, considering all the projects he liked working on. Figured he should have his own space and stop cluttering up my garage. I caught them around three-ish in the morning. Got the fuck out of there after that. A father doesn’t need to see those types of things. At around three-thirty, Oscar came back to the house and told me Logan went home. Then he went back to the shed to clean up I guess. That’s the last I—hm. That’s the last I saw him.

DET. LECLERC:
Would you like some water sir?

MARK:
Uh. Yes. Please.

*There is rustling as Det. Leclerc gets up to leave the room*

DET. RUSSELL:
So Oscar came in around three-thirty and said that Logan had went home. Do you have any reason to believe otherwise?

MARK:
No. Logan isn’t exactly the social type. Real shy. I figured since he was embarrassed, he’d want to go home pretty quick. Logan and Oscar are best friends, well, more than that I guess, so I know the kid fairly well. He’s always in and out of the house, yaknow?

*The door squeaks open as Det. Leclerc returns. There is a pause as Mark drinks*

MARK:
Anyway. If something happened to Oscar, it happened after Logan left. So if you’re planning on catching his killer any time soon, you’d better sit down with Logan. I’m done with this shit. I have a funeral to plan.

DET. LECLERC:
Uh, yes sir. Thank you for coming in today, we’ll contact you for more information soon. Do you have any questions or concerns at this time?

MARK:
Yes. Fucking find my son’s killer.

DET. RUSSELL:
Right.

RECORDING ENDS.

NOTES:
We need to speak with Logan, presumably Logan Rosberg-Hamilton, DR’s neighbor. MW was standoffish, but we have no reason to believe anything he said today wasn’t truthful. The timeline so far seems to point to Oscar being murdered between 3:30 and 9:00AM—will confirm when forensics gets back to us. MW also seems to have a problem with Nico Rosberg. Will have to look more into that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECORDING BEGINS:
12:43PM
SUBJECT: Logan Rosberg-Hamilton
DATE: 09/15/24
LOCATION: Lockfoot County Police Department, Interview Room 1A
CONDUCTED BY: Detective Charles Leclerc and Detective George Russell

DET. RUSSELL:
 Logan, before we start, I want to reiterate that you are not in trouble. As a witness in this case, your information of that night's events will be invaluable.

LOGAN:
Ok.

DET. RUSSELL:
Alright. This is Det. Leclerc and Det. Russell, here with Logan Rosberg-Hamilton, and his father, Nico Rosberg. Logan, Mr. Rosberg, are you both aware that everything you say will be recorded?

LOGAN:
Yes, sir.

NICO:
Yes, yes, can we get on with it? I have a meeting at two that I simply can’t miss.

DET. RUSSELL:
We’ll do our best Mr. Rosberg. Now, Logan, how did Wednesday night start for you?

LOGAN:
Uh, well, Dad was in Chicago on business, so it was a quiet night. We had dinner around six, Max, Papa, and me. It was already getting kind of windy by that point, and usually Max goes over to Lando’s or something to play video games, but he decided to stay home. We all went our separate ways after that.

DET. LECLERC:
And where was that?

LOGAN:
I went up to my room, to read and stuff. I like reading when its storming, it’s peaceful. I think Papa went down to the den to do his namaste stuff.

NICO:
Yoga.

LOGAN:
Right, and Max was in his room blasting music. I fell asleep at one point, I woke up to the front door slamming. I figured it was Max leaving for the night. He does that a lot.

DET. LECLERC:
Do you know what time that was?

LOGAN:
Um, I think around ten.

NICO:
Yes. It was ten. He ruined my meditation.

DET. RUSSELL:
I’m sorry to hear that Mr. Rosberg. Logan, what happened after that?

LOGAN:
Nothing.

DET. RUSSELL:
Logan. We have confirmation from Mark Webber that you saw Oscar at some point that night.

LOGAN:
Well—

NICO:
What?! Logan, I told you, you’re not to hang around that boy anymore! He’s a bad influence on you.

LOGAN:
Well it’s not like he can have any influence on me anymore, Papa.

DET. LECLERC:
Ahem. Perhaps it would be more prudent for us to discuss this with Logan alone, Mr. Rosberg.

NICO:
I beg your pardon? My son is a minor! He cannot speak to you alone!

DET. LECLERC:
With all due respect sir, we are trying to solve a murder. And Logan turns 18 in a few months. Sometimes, teenagers are more willing to share things with us that they wouldn’t want shared with their parents.

NICO:
Well, I don’t care! I won’t have him speak with you alone!

DET. RUSSELL:
Mr. Rosberg, your other son Max is in the waiting room isn’t he? Would you be amenable to him coming in instead?

NICO:
Hmph. I suppose. Logan, baby? Is that ok?

LOGAN:
Yeah, Papa, it’s ok.

NICO:
Fine.

*There is a harsh squeak of a chair being pushed back aggressively. The door swings open as Nico leaves. There is silence for a few moments, then the door swings back open.

DET. RUSSELL:
Max, welcome in. Are you aware that everything you say will be—

MAX:
Yeah, yeah Russell, I understand of course. Let’s get this over with. Logan, Papa is practically crying in the lobby.

LOGAN:
He’s not is he?

MAX:
Not yet.

DET. RUSSELL:
Ahem. Now, Logan. Let’s continue, Max left at ten, and you were still in your room at this point?

LOGAN:
Yeah, I really was trying to go back to sleep! But the storm was really loud, and I get anxious, so I started texting Oscar.

MAX:
Piastri? Really? That freak?

LOGAN:
He’s not a freak! Well, he wasn’t.

DET. LECLERC:
Max, let’s try to stay on track.

MAX:
I could get you back on track Charles.

LOGAN:
Max! Stop trying to flirt with the officers!

DET. RUSSELL:
Right. Logan. Let’s continue. You were were texting Oscar?

LOGAN:
Um, yeah. His dad was getting on his back about grades and stuff, so he wanted to come over.

DET. LECLERC:
And did you let him?

LOGAN:
Well, I had to ask at least one of my dads first, the cameras would have caught him coming in and I would’ve been in deep shit. So I texted Dad—er—Lewis, because he’s always more likely to say yes. Especially when he’s away.

DET. LECLERC:
And your father said yes?

LOGAN:
Well, not exactly. He said to ask Papa, and I lied and said that Papa had already said yes.

MAX:
*Low whistle* Damn, Loges, I didn’t think you had the guts.

LOGAN:
It wasn’t like we were gonna do anything bad! We were just hanging out!

DET. RUSSELL:
What time was this?

LOGAN:
Well, Dad didn’t get back to me till one, and Oscar had some stuff to do, so by the time he got to ours it was like two. We tried to be quiet, but the wind was so crazy that it slammed the door. Papa heard it, but he thought it was Max coming back. He yelled at “Max” to keep it down.

DET. LECLERC:
And what did you two do after this?

LOGAN:
We hung out in my room for a bit, we were playing Monopoly, but the wind was so loud, and we heard some shouting from the street, so Oscar wanted to go somewhere quieter. He has this shed, that his dad helped him fix up. He likes to do a lot of projects there. But it’s protected from the wind by their house, and it’s got soundproofing so it’s a pretty nice set up. We snuck out the window so my Papa wouldn’t see us on the cameras, but the tree was really slippery because of the rain, and I fell. That’s how I hurt my wrist.

DET. RUSSELL:
I’m assuming that’s where the bruises came from as well?

LOGAN:
Oh! Yeah, it was a rough fall. We got to his place at like two-forty. I think that was his plan all along. He—um, he had set up the table in the middle with snacks and drinks and stuff. It was really cute. People—people always thought he was a freak and stuff. But he was always really sweet to me. We’d been friends since elementary school, and we were planning to go to college together! He wanted to be a surgeon, and I was looking at becoming an engineer, like Max.

DET. RUSSELL:
Not anymore?

LOGAN:
 I don’t know. After everything that happened. I can’t imagine leaving next year.

DET. LECLERC:
So he set up this nice spread for you. Was it a date?

LOGAN:
Uh. It was—, it was a hangout! Nothing crazy!

MAX:
Cut the shit Logan, it was obviously a date. You don’t have to hide it from me, my “virgin ears” can handle it.

LOGAN:
Yeah it was a date.

DET. LECLERC:
Mr. Webber said he found you two around three. Things moved quickly did they?

LOGAN:
I-uh, I guess. Mr. Webber kind of, well we were making out, and Mr. Webber walked in. It was really embarrassing. I went home immediately after that.

DET. RUSSELL:
Interesting. Let’s go back to earlier that night. Mr. Ricciardo said that he heard some kids out on the street around two. Was this the same shouting that you heard?

LOGAN:
Oh yeah! Probably. I think it might have been Ollie and his friends. He’d texted me earlier about a party, but I’m not really into that sort of thing. He lives about four houses down from us.

DET. LECLERC:
Oliver Bearman?

LOGAN:
Yeah, you know him?

DET. LECLERC:
I’m familiar with the family. Did you hear them at all on your way home that night?

LOGAN:
No, no, they had already gone by then. I think.

*There is sharp rapping at the door. Det. Leclerc stands to answer it.*

OFFICER GASLY:
Sorry Charles, but there’s a very irate Mr. Rosberg in the lobby, complaining about being late for a meeting. Anyway you could wrap this up?

DET. LECLERC:
Yeah mate, let him know it’ll only be about five minutes.

*The door closes*

DET. LECLERC:
Well I’m sorry to end this interview, but thank you for coming in today Logan. Any questions or concerns in the meantime?

LOGAN:
No, sir. I hope I helped.

DET. LECLERC:
Your information is invaluable to us. Have a good day Logan. Max.

MAX:
Call me, Leclerc. I’d love to sit down and…discuss…the case with you.

LOGAN:
Oh my god! Max!

DET. RUSSELL:
Right, goodbye everyone, have a great day!

MAX:
No need to be a prude Russell. You can come too.

RECORDING ENDS.

NOTES:
LRH story matches up with MW. One thing that stood out was that LRH said he left immediately after MW caught LRH and OP. But MW claims that OP didn’t come back to tell him LRH had left until 30mins later. Also, need to speak with Oliver Bearman, and whomever he was with that night, they could’ve seen something that LRH or MW missed. Note, LRH claims MV left around 10:00PM, but we have no confirmation of MV ever coming back to the house. Will review further.

Chapter Text

RECORDING BEGINS:
1:00PM
SUBJECT: Max Verstappen
DATE: 09/16/24
LOCATION: Lockfoot County Police Department, Interview Room 1A
CONDUCTED BY: Detective Charles Leclerc and Detective George Russell

MAX:
Damn, Charles, I didn’t think you’d invite me back so early. Eager are we?

DET. LECLERC:
Ha. Ha. Today we are here with Max Verstappen for his version of the events of September eleventh. This is Detective Charles Leclerc and Detective George Russell. Max, are you aware that everything you say is being recorded?

MAX:
Sure thing beautiful.

DET. RUSSELL:
Ahem. Mr. Verstappen, where were you the night of the murder?

MAX:
Getting right into it Georgie? Not gonna ask me how my day was first?

DET. RUSSELL:
I’d rather not waste my breath, now, please stay focused.

MAX:
Hm, fine. I had dinner with the family and then I left around ten.

DET. RUSSELL:
We know that Max; where did you go?

MAX:
I don’t kiss and tell Georgie. You should know that.

DET. LECLERC:
So you were with someone?

MAX:
Jealous?

DET. LECLERC:
Interested to see if you actually have an alibi.

MAX:
I went to Lando’s to play video games. We hung out for a few hours, then I went home.

DET. RUSSELL:
What time?

MAX:
I don’t know, two maybe? It was storming so I booked it home.

DET. RUSSELL:
Do you have anyone to confirm this?

MAX:
Jesus, Georgie, you interviewing or interrogating me?

DET. LECLERC:
Interviewing. Excuse my colleague, we are just trying to get an accurate timeline of the events that occurred that night.

DET. RUSSELL:
Did you hear any shouting that night?

MAX:
No. Other than the storm, it was quiet.

DET. RUSSELL:
Interesting. Mr. Verstappen, were you aware that your brother had snuck out?

MAX:
No, Logan’s usually too anxious to leave the house at night. I only found out about it yesterday when you interviewed him. Of course it’d be Piastri to lure him out though.

DET. LECLERC:
How do you mean?

MAX:
Piastri’s a freak. But Logan’s always had a soft spot for him. Even after all that stuff that went down their junior year.

DET. LECLERC:
What happened in junior year?

MAX:
I don’t know the exact details, Logan just came home crying one day. He said that Oscar almost killed a kid, one of those rich fuckers from the Upper Westside.

DET. RUSSELL:
Do you know the kid’s name?

MAX:
Kevin, or Kristoff maybe? I didn’t get the details. Logan was pretty shaken up about it though.

DET. RUSSELL:
Is there any chance the kid could want revenge? Or his parents maybe?

MAX:
Maybe, but all that shit went down last year, why only act now?

DET. LECLERC:
What was the fight about?

MAX:
I wouldn’t call it a fight. Poor kid never stood a chance. Logan said that he was just joking around, and Oscar got overly upset about it or something.

DET. RUSSELL:
Did he get upset like this often?

MAX:
Pft. No. Couldn’t get a word out of him most of the time. When we were kids, Logan and Oscar were maybe seven or eight, Nico ran over Oscar’s pet rat when they were playing with it in the front yard. Oscar shed one tear. One. He’d had the rat for like two years.

DET. LECLERC:
So what joke could that kid have possibly made to set Oscar off like that?

MAX:
I dunno. You’d have to ask Logan, or Nico. He had to pull out his old connections from law school to get Oscar out of that.

DET. LECLERC:
Alright, lets move on. You said you ran home at around two that morning, did you hear anything on your way?

MAX:
Nothing above the rain, beautiful. And the wind. Fuck that wind was strong.

DET. RUSSELL:
Why do you call him Nico?

MAX:
What?

DET. RUSSELL:
Why do you call him Nico? He’s your dad isn’t he?

DET. LECLERC:
Ahem. All of this is off record by the way, you don’t have to answer that.

MAX:
Hm… Nico and Lewis adopted me when I was seven. They’d already adopted Logan by that point, and I never saw a need to call him dad. Satisfied, Detective Russell?

DET. RUSSELL:
Fine, lets continue.

MAX:
Actually, I think I’m done, lets wrap this up.

DET. LECLERC:
Max—-

MAX:
Relax Charles, I’m headed out. You and Captain Invasive can interrogate me later.

RECORDING ENDS.

NOTES:
Whomever this “Kevin” is, we need to talk to him. Something went down in Oscar and Logan’s junior year, and it could be the motive for this murder. Max also said he returned home around two, but didn’t hear the shouting from the kids on the street or Oscar come in. Its possible that he came in later than he thought, but he was in the interview with Logan when he said that Oscar had come over. Will have to look further. Also need to interview.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

INCIDENT REPORT:
DATE: 03/12/23
SCHOOL: Silverstone High School
INCIDENT: Fight; possible bullying
RESPONDING STAFF MEMBER: Jenson Button; Athletic Director
STUDENT(s) INVOLVED: Piastri, Oscar / Antonelli, Kimi
INCIDENT REPORT:

I (Jenson Button) was alerted to a fight when I heard yelling in the cafeteria during lunchtime. I was in the concourse, and when I entered the cafeteria I saw a large gathering of students surrounding Oscar (Piastri) and Kimi (Antonelli). I thought it was your classic high school fight, but when I got closer it appeared that Kimi was not fighting back.

I pulled Oscar off of Kimi, but there was a lot of shouting and I didn’t catch what Oscar yelled at him. I took Oscar to my office, after instructing Logan (Hamilton-Rosberg) to get Kimi to the nurse. An ambulance was called for Kimi, and I kept Oscar in my office until police and parents arrived. During this time, Oscar did not speak.

ACTIONS TAKEN:
Separation of the students
First aid given to injured student
Ambulance called for injured student
Parents called
Police called at Kimi Antonelli’s parents request

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Immediate expulsion of Oscar Piastri
Investigation into cause of fight
In school suspension for Kimi Antonelli

——————————————————————————————————————————-

POLICE REPORT:
DATE: 03/12/23
STATION: Lockfoot County Police Department
INCIDENT TYPE: Physical Altercation
SUSPECT: Piastri, Oscar (MINOR)
PARENT/GUARDIAN: Webber, Mark
RESPONDING OFFICER: Sgt. Pierre Gasly

INCIDENT REPORT: REDACTED

CASE STATUS: Charges were retracted; CLOSED

——————————————————————————————————————————-

RECORDING: PHONE CALL
FROM NUMBER: +1 (169) 165-1655
TO NUMBER: +1 (102) 633-1022

PIERRE:
Hello?

CHARLES:
Pierre, were you the officer that responded to that huge fight last year?

PIERRE:
Uh, Charles?

CHARLES:
Yes, obviously, were you the officer that responded to that fight?

PIERRE:
The one at the school?

CHARLES:
Yes, Pierre keep up!

PIERRE:
Oh, yeah, why?

CHARLES:
Piastri was involved in that Pierre!

PIERRE:
You mean that kid who got murdered?

CHARLES:
Jesus Christ Pierre, what the hell?

PIERRE:
What?

CHARLES:
This is only the biggest case of my career, when I solve this, I can finally get out of this town!

PIERRE:
Awful confident, there Charles.

CHARLES:
Well, whatever, what ended up happening with that case?

PIERRE:
The murder case?

CHARLES:
No the fight! I’m going to kill you Pierre!

PIERRE:
Oh yeah, uhh, I think it got thrown out. One of Hamilton’s big-wig lawyers from New York came down to defend Piastri. The kid’s parents, uhh, fucking, what was their names? Some kinda animal…

CHARLES:
Wolf? Was it Toto Wolff?

PIERRE:
Yeah! They had to drop the charges when it was looking like Hamilton was going to win the case by out-paying them.

CHARLES:
But why was Hamilton even involved? Logan and Oscar were friends sure, but why would Hamilton spend all that money on Oscar?

PIERRE:
My best guess? Webber. Hamilton and Webber hate each other. Hamilton probably wanted something to hold over Webber’s head.

CHARLES:
Why do they hate each other?

PIERRE:
I don’t know man, you should probably ask your Pops, they grew up together didn’t they?

CHARLES:
Yeah, I guess. I’ll talk to you later, mate.

PIERRE:
Sure.

PHONE CALL ENDS.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

RECORDING: PHONE CALL
FROM NUMBER: +1 (169) 165-1655
TO NUMBER: +1 (152) 507-0516

CHARLES:
Hello? Papa?

SEBASTIAN:
Charlie! I was waiting for you to call! Hold on your father is just out back, I’ll go grab him.

CHARLES:
No—Pa, it’s ok I just needed—

SEBASTIAN:
KIMI! CHARLES IS CALLING! One second, love—-KIMI!

CHARLES:
Pa, really, I just need to ask—

SEBASTIAN:
Here he is! Charles say hi to your father!

CHARLES:
Hey dad.

KIMI:
Charles.

SEBASTIAN:
Charles, when are you coming home for family brunch? Ollie has been doing real well in school and we wanted to celebrate. How’s Friday work for you?

CHARLES:
Uh…

SEBASTIAN:
Anyway, I was over at the school the other day because Ollie won an award for track, and they needed my signature for something. I can’t even remember for what! But anyway, I ran into Fernando! You remember Fernando don’t you? Apparently his kid Lance, you remember Lance? You used to be friends in middle school. Anyway, Lance is starting his first year as a teacher! And get this? He’s going to be teaching geography! Ollie loves geography!

CHARLES:
Dad?! Stop him please!

KIMI:
Seb, love, our son has something to ask us.

SEBASTIAN:
Oh yeah? What is it honey?

CHARLES:
Pa, do you remember Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber?

SEBASTIAN:
Lewis! Of course I remember Lewis, we go way back!

CHARLES:
And Mark Webber?

SEBASTIAN:
We go way back.

CHARLES:
Ahem. Right. Pierre said they hate each other now, can you think of any reason why?

SEBASTIAN:
Oh sure, it’s because of Nico.

CHARLES:
Hold on, let me get a pen. Nico Rosberg?

SEBASTIAN:
Yeah, Nico! Nico and Lewis started dating in high school, they were on and off for years. Anyway, Mark got mixed up with Nico while they were on a break one time, nothing serious obviously, but Lewis never really forgave him for it.

KIMI:
Hm.

CHARLES:
Dad?

SEBASTIAN:
Oh don’t listen to him, love, he’s just mad because I had some fun with Lewis on one of their breaks too.

CHARLES:
I, I did not need to know that.

SEBASTIAN:
Well, its not as if I’m some celibate church girl! I had some fun back in my day!

KIMI:
Hm.

SEBASTIAN:
I even dated Mark, way back when. It ended badly.

CHARLES:
Right… Why did Lewis let Oscar hang out with Logan if he hates Mark so much?

SEBASTIAN:
Honey, as much as I love Lewis—

KIMI:
Hm.

SEBASTIAN:
As a friend! He’s not exactly the most present father. He’s always jetting off on his philanthropy and business trips. He loves his kids to death! But Oscar doesn’t share a last name with Mark, so most likely, he didn’t even know Oscar was Mark’s boy.

CHARLES:
But they were friends for years!

SEBASTIAN:
You’d be amazed how little rich people know about their kids lives.

KIMI:
Rosberg knew all about Oscar though. I’d be surprised if he didn’t run at least twenty background checks on the kid.

SEBASTIAN:
Oh yeah! Nico knew all about Oscar! But you think he told Lewis? No! They’ve been on and off since high school! And the last time they were “on” was when they adopted Logan.

CHARLES:
It’s an unhappy marriage?

SEBASTIAN:
Unhappy? That’s one way of putting it, the only reason they’re still together is because of Logan and Max. How is Max by the way? I heard he’s dating that older guy… Danny was it?

CHARLES:
Ugh. Papa, I don’t want to talk about Max right now. Do you think Lewis hated Mark enough to try and hurt him, or his family?

SEBASTIAN:
From what I can tell, no. Lewis is a very peaceful soul. He likes to hold favors over people, but he would never hurt someone. Much less his son’s best friend.

CHARLES:
Ok Pa, I get it. I’m going to head out now, we’ve got another interview in thirty minutes.

SEBASTIAN:
Ok baby! I love you! And don’t forget brunch on Friday! Ollie has a free period before lunch, so the whole family will be there!

CHARLES:
Love you too, Pa, Love you Dad.

KIMI:
Hm.

PHONE CALL ENDS.
——————————————————————————————————————————-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECORDING BEGINS:
4:00PM
SUBJECT: Oliver Bearman
DATE: 09/16/24
LOCATION: Lockfoot County Police Department, Interview Room 1A
CONDUCTED BY: Detective Charles Leclerc

CHARLES:
Alright, Ollie, officially this interview is off the books, because you’re my brother and technically there is a conflict of interest. I am just recording so that we have a record to keep track of things, understood?

OLLIE:
Sure, Charlie! This is really cool!

CHARLES:
Considering Oscar Piastri is dead, Ollie, this is not very cool.

OLLIE:
Right. Not cool. Not cool at all.

CHARLES:
Ok, Ollie, were you out with your friends last week? The night that Oscar died?

OLLIE:
Don’t tell Pa?

CHARLES:
No I won’t tell Pa unless you are in immediate danger to yourself or others.

OLLIE:
Thank’s Charlie! Uh, yeah that was Wednesday right? I went to a small gathering. Just the track people!

CHARLES:
Was there alcohol involved?

OLLIE:
No! No! Definitely not! But… there was weed.

CHARLES:
Ollie, really?

OLLIE:
And alcohol. But it wasn’t bad I swear! I’m pretty sure Jack was sober the whole time!

CHARLES:
Okay, Ollie, who else were you with?

OLLIE:
Uhh, Isack, Gabi, Jack, Liam, and Franco. Oh! And Kimi came later!

CHARLES:
Kimi Antonelli?

OLLIE:
Yeah! Don’t tell Papa or Dad, but I have a huge crush on him! And I mean gargantuan really! It’s a wonder he hasn’t figured it out yet.

CHARLES:
Right. Ollie, was Kimi also drinking and smoking?

OLLIE:
Oh we weren’t smoking! Isack made those little pot brownies. But yeah, he was.

CHARLES:
Where did you go after the party?

OLLIE:
Small hangout.

CHARLES:
Where did you go after the small hangout?

OLLIE:
We walked back home! Dad and Pa were already asleep I think, we went to the pool house to play games.

CHARLES:
What time was this?

OLLIE:
I don’t remember! I was stoned out of my mind. On the walk back we lost Kimi for a second though, somewhere around Danny Ric’s house. And we heard a pretty loud bang. Kimi came back a bit later mumbling about something, I couldn’t hear him over the storm though. The wind was super loud that night remember?

CHARLES:
Yes, Ollie, I remember. Was it a sharp bang? Or could it have been thunder?

OLLIE:
Oh it was pretty sharp! Sounded like metal or something, we ran home pretty fast after that.

CHARLES:
Alright Ollie, that’s all I needed. Let your friends know they might get a phone call from me or Detective Russell about an interview.

OLLIE:
Okay Charlie! I hope you catch the bad guys!

CHARLES:
Thanks Ollie, now get home before Papa starts wondering where you are.

RECORDING ENDS.

NOTES:
——————————————————————————————————————————-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Text

RECORDING BEGINS:
9:02AM
SUBJECT: Kimi Antonelli
DATE: 09/17/24
LOCATION: Lockfoot County Police Department, Interview Room 2B
CONDUCTED BY: Detective Charles Leclerc and Detective George Russell

DET. RUSSELL:
Thank you for coming in, gentlemen. Do you know the reason we called you in today Kimi?

KIMI:
Is it about Piastri’s murder?

DET. RUSSELL:
Yes, actually. But before we begin, are both of you aware that you are being recorded?

KIMI:
Yes, sir.

TOTO:
Yes.

DET. LECLERC:
Great, lets begin with your thoughts on Oscar Piastri. You knew him in school didn’t you?

KIMI:
I didn’t like him. But then, not many people did. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, he was a dick.

DET. RUSSELL:
Was he?

KIMI:
Yeah, and I barely even knew him until last year.

DET. LECLERC:
We heard there was a fight?

TOTO:
“A fight” is a kind way to put it. Piastri beat my boy bloody.

DET. RUSSELL:
I understand your frustration, Mr. Wolff, but I’d like to hear Kimi’s answer.

KIMI:
Yes, there was a fight. I had to go to the hospital. Had twenty stitches put in.

DET. RUSSELL:
So it was bad then?

TOTO:
*Scoffs*

KIMI:
It was pretty bad yeah.

DET. LECLERC:
We heard that Oscar wasn’t usually the type to blow up at things. That he was fairly calm in the face of problems. What happened?

KIMI:
I dunno! I was just hanging around the lunchroom with my friends. Logan and Oscar sat at the table next to us. They were always kind of standoffish, I guess. Like, they had their perfect bubble, and outsiders were not welcome.

DET. LECLERC:
Oh?

KIMI:
Well, that’s not entirely true. Logan was usually pretty nice. I used to like him, before, well. Before the “fight”.

DET. LECLERC:
Did you speak with him often?

KIMI:
Oh yeah, a lot! He was tutoring me in chemistry, since I was failing. Oscar was always his shadow, hardly left him alone most of the time. I was jealous of him for awhile.

DET. RUSSELL:
Is that what started the fight?

KIMI:
Probably. I asked Logan if I could study at his place that night. My friends were goading me on, I think. I made a stupid joke, I don’t even remember what it was… Next thing I know I’m on the ground, and then I’m waking up in the hospital.

DET. LECLERC:
But you didn’t press charges?

TOTO:
We tried. But Lewis asked me not to. It’s much better to be owed a favor by Lewis Hamilton than the immediate satisfaction Piastri behind bars would have given me. We thought that at the very least Piastri would be expelled, but Nico brought in some of his old lawyer friends from back in the day. The school didn’t even try to fight it.

DET. RUSSELL:
Huh. And how did that make you feel Kimi?

KIMI:
What are you asking?

DET. RUSSELL:
I’m asking if you had any… lingering anger over the situation. Did you try to ask Logan out again?

KIMI:
Fuck no. I just stayed away from Piastri. I didn’t want to get mixed up with their shit again.

DET. LECLERC:
And where were you the night Oscar was murdered?

TOTO:
I’m sorry, are you trying to insinuate—-

DET. LECLERC:
I’m not insinuating anything, Mr. Wolff, I’m just curious to see what Kimi’s alibi was for that night?

KIMI:
I- I don’t know, I was hanging around with some friends.

DET. LECLERC:
One of these friends of yours claim they lost sight of you around Daniel Ricciardo’s place that night. That they heard a loud bang, and then you came stumbling back.

KIMI:
Well, that was—that was that stupid flamingo!

DET. RUSSELL:
A flamingo made a bang that loud?

KIMI:
Yes! The thing is made of steel or something, I went over to Danny Ric’s because I thought I heard voices. I thought someone was robbing him or something. That’s when I ran into the flamingo. I dunno, it was rainy and loud, and the wind was wild. The voices stopped after I hit the thing.

DET. LECLERC:
So you knocked over the flamingo, the voices stopped, and then you returned to your friends. What did the voices sound like?

TOTO:
Is my son in trouble or something?

DET. LECLERC:
Mr. Wolff, we have reason to believe your son was at the scene of the crime the night the murder took place. With all due respect, we need to get a full picture, so that we can rule him out as a suspect.

TOTO:
Are you kidding me? I was told this was a simple interview about Piastri’s character?!

DET. RUSSELL:
Mr. Wolff, resisting now will only make Kimi look more guilty in the eyes of a jury. Now, what did the voices sound like Kimi?

KIMI:
Well, it was two male voices. I think one was Danny Ric, but I couldn’t really tell. It was definitely Australian though.

DET. LECLERC:
Very well. After you returned to your friends, where did you go?

KIMI:
We went to Ollie’s pool house. His parents weren’t home, I think. I’m not too sure.

DET. LECLERC:
What time was this?

KIMI:
Two-thirty maybe? When we actually got there.

DET. RUSSELL:
And how long did you stay?

KIMI:
I think five in the morning. I didn’t really check, I was tired.

DET. LECLERC:
You pass by Webber farm on your way home, right? Did you see anything unusual?

KIMI:
Um, not really. The door to the shed was open, but I figured it was the wind that did that. Oh and the flamingo in Danny Ric’s yard was fallen over again, but that also was probably the wind.

DET. RUSSELL:
You stood the flamingo back up before you left.

KIMI:
Yeah! I tried at least, I thought I stuck it in there pretty good, but the ground was muddy, so I don’t know how good a job I actually did.

DET. RUSSELL:
Can you think of anything else that night that was strange, or caught your eye? Anything?

KIMI:
No, not really. But I swear, my friends saw me just before I left for those like two seconds! And they saw me after! If I had murdered someone, don’t you think they would’ve noticed?

DET. LECLERC:
I’ll admit Kimi, your case isn’t looking great in this situation. I believe what you’re telling me is the truth. But we have to make sure we cover all our bases. Thank you for coming in today. Is there any questions or concerns before we end our interview today?

TOTO:
You’ll be hearing from my lawyers. Kimi, lets go.

RECORDING ENDS.

NOTES:
Antonelli seems to be truthful. Note “a favor from Lewis”

——————————————————————————————————————————-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECORDING: PHONE CALL
FROM NUMBER: +1 (169)165-1655
TO NUMBER: +1 (203) 333-0304

DANIEL:
Hello?

DET. LECLERC:
Hello, is this Daniel Ricciardo?

DANIEL:
Yep! What can I do for you?

DET. LECLERC:
This is Det. Leclerc, and Det. Russell, with Lockfoot County PD. Do you have a moment to talk?

DANIEL:
Sure thing!

DET. LECLERC:
Great, I understand that last we spoke, you were fairly shaken up, so I can forgive any inaccuracies in your story, but we’re going to ask you a couple of questions if that’s alright?

DANIEL:
Uhh, that’s fine I guess. Inaccuracies?

DET. RUSSELL:
What time did you get home that night?

DANIEL:
That was the twelfth right? I think I got home around nine.

DET. RUSSELL:
Great. And what time did you hear the voices?

DANIEL:
What voices?

DET. LECLERC:
The shouting from the kids.

DANIEL:
Shouting from the kids…Oh right! That was around two.

DET. LECLERC:
And you said you were inside the house at this point right?

DANIEL:
Yes, sir. I was just about ready to fall asleep at that time.

DET. LECLERC:
So you heard shouting from kids on a street, several yards from your house, but you didn’t hear a murder take place on your front step?

DANIEL:
Well, I—, no, no, that’s not fair!

DET. RUSSELL:
What’s not fair Daniel? From where we’re sitting, you should have been able to hear Oscar’s murder loud and clear. He was literally found on your steps. Unless of course, you weren’t cozied up in bed as you claim to have been?

DANIEL:
No! I mean yes, I was!

DET. LECLERC:
Mr. Ricciardo, I suggest you think about your next words very carefully. Because if you were not in bed, then you were directly lying to officers of the law. And if you were, in fact, in bed as you claim, then you should have been able to hear the murder happening, which of course, makes you a coward for not going to help, or an accomplice to murder. That’s not a very good look, Daniel.

DANIEL:
Ugh! Fine, I’m not an accomplice to murder! I swear! I wasn’t in bed. I went to go let in a friend.

DET. RUSSELL:
A friend? At two in the morning, on a stormy night, with no car?

DANIEL:
Ok fine! More than a friend! We spent the night together.

DET. LECLERC:
And who was this “more than a friend” Daniel?

DANIEL:
I don’t know if I should say.

DET. LECLERC:
You absolutely should say. You could get in a lot of trouble if you don’t tell us. Hindering an investigation is a serious crime.

DANIEL:
Ughhh. I was with Max, ok? I let him in around two in the morning, and then we spent the rest of the night together. He left that morning, out the back, right before I made the nine-one-one call. Happy?

DET. RUSSELL:
Thank you, Daniel. That’s all we needed from you today. Any questions or concerns?

DANIEL:
Uh, yeah! What the fuck!? Aren’t you guys supposed to read my rights or something?

DET. RUSSELL:
Given that we were not making an arrest, and just asking simple questions, that you willingly answered? No. No we did not need to read you your rights. Have a good day Mr. Ricciardo.

PHONE CALL ENDS.

——————————————————————————————————————————-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECORDING BEGINS:
11:38AM
SUBJECT: Logan Sergeant
DATE: 09/17/24
LOCATION: Lockfoot County Police Department, Interview Room 3B
CONDUCTED BY: Detective Charles Leclerc and Detective George Russell

DET. RUSSELL:
Thank you for coming back Logan. How are you holding up?

LOGAN:
Uh. Fine, I guess. Not fine. Not fine really.

NICO:
Oh, baby, we should push up that appointment with your therapist, hold on let me call.

DET. LECLERC:
Mr. Rosberg, if you don’t mind, we are going to begin now. Now, are the both of you aware that we are recording?

NICO:
Yes, yes.

LOGAN:
Uh huh.

DET. LECLERC:
Great. Now, Logan, we heard about a fight between Oscar and Kimi Antonelli last year. Can you give us any more information on that?

LOGAN:
Uh, gosh, yeah. It was pretty bad. Oscar got really mad, because Kimi made a joke. I guess he liked me or something. But it made Oscar mad, because he was really protective of me. Of our friendship.

DET. RUSSELL:
But you guys turned out to be more than friends.

LOGAN:
Yeah, yeah we did. I didn’t see the signs back then though. I’m known to be pretty oblivious about things like that.

DET. LECLERC:
So the fight. What was the joke Kimi made?

LOGAN:
It was really dumb. He said, he wanted to study at my place that night, because I was tutoring him. And I agreed, because I thought it was completely harmless. Then he said he’d really like to study my, uh, my ass.

DET. LECLERC:
And that made you uncomfortable?

LOGAN:
Oh yeah definitely. Oscar took it real personal though, Kimi had to go to the hospital.

DET. RUSSELL:
We know that charges weren’t pressed, but is there any reason Kimi could have wanted revenge?

LOGAN:
Maybe? I know my dad pulled a lot of favors to get Oscar out of trouble.

NICO:
Please! Your father hardly knew about the incident. I was the one who got Oscar off scott free!

DET. RUSSELL:
What do you mean?

NICO:
Lewis barely even knows Oscar. I think they met once at one of Logan’s birthday parties. But Lewis would never have helped him out of any trouble. He hated Oscar’s father, Mark. I mean really loathed him. If he knew anything about Oscar, or Logan hanging out with Oscar, he would have popped his lid!

LOGAN:
Papa!

NICO:
It’s true! Well, if I’m remembering correctly, I think Lewis only found out who Oscar really was about a month ago.

LOGAN:
What? But he didn’t say anything!

NICO:
Only because I talked him out of it! You know how your father gets. Always so single-minded, I knew you kids were just having fun. So I told Lewis we’d just ask you to stop hanging around Oscar. I thought you’d listen to me. And now look at where we are.

LOGAN:
This is really not a good time to say “I told you so” Papa.

NICO:
Tsk. And yet, I’m still right.

DET. RUSSELL:
You said that Lewis found out about Oscar a month ago?

NICO:
Yes. And only because we accidentally ran into Mark at parent-teacher conferences.

DET. LECLERC:
Toto Wolff said that Lewis owed him a favor for not pressing charges against Oscar. How would he have only found out about Oscar’s family a month ago? If I was going to give away a big favor like that, I’d at least want to know who exactly it was for.

NICO:
Maybe. But Lewis likes to deal with things swiftly and cleanly. He wouldn’t bother looking into Oscar because—-Logan baby cover your ears—-He doesn’t care that much. And Toto probably wasn’t ever going to cash the favor anyway. He likes to hold things over people’s heads—I sit with his wife during brunch club, so I know these things.

DET. RUSSELL:
Do you have any reason to believe that Lewis still owes this favor to Mr. Wolff?

NICO:
How should I know? I was just in charge of making sure that school wouldn’t expel Oscar. I knew my baby needed his best friend. Logan doesn’t have any others.

LOGAN:
Papa! I have friends!

NICO:
Max doesn’t count, honey.

LOGAN:
I know that! I have—, well, I had, um.

NICO:
It’s okay darling, don’t strain yourself.

DET. LECLERC:
Lets get back on track, Logan, lets talk about the days leading up. Did anything unusual happen?

LOGAN:
No, no, not that I can remember. Max wasn’t around as much, that was new, I guess. Oh, and Oscar said he had a new project he was working on.

DET. RUSSELL:
What kind of project?

LOGAN:
I don’t know. He was going to show me that night, but…The time got away from us I guess.

DET. RUSSELL:
Did Oscar ever mention feeling off? Perhaps that someone was following him, or something like that?

LOGAN:
No, not that I remember. We were together most of the time. The only time we weren’t was when he was with his dad, or picking up stuff for his projects.

DET. LECLERC:
You keep saying projects. Was Oscar a wood-worker or something?

LOGAN:
I don’t think so. We were going to go to school together, and he wanted to be a surgeon. So he’d practice, y’know?

DET. LECLERC:
Practice how?

LOGAN:
You dissected a frog in biology class freshman year didn’t you? Well, he would do that, but on like, bigger animals and stuff.

DET. LECLERC:
And where’d he get these animals?

LOGAN:
I don’t know specifically, but I think he went to the pet store a couple of times. He’d call them cadavers, but the store would sometimes “donate” the animals that would pass away.

NICO:
That’s horrible! How could you support that Logan?!

LOGAN:
They were gone anyway, Papa! Oscar would just, give them a new purpose in death.

DET. RUSSELL:
Did Oscar ever mention any names? Who would give him these animals?

LOGAN:
No, no, definitely not.

DET. RUSSELL:
Let’s go back to the day of the murder then. How did that day go?

LOGAN:
Well, it was pretty normal. I had class in the morning, but I’m a senior so I got to go home early. Oscar told me he wanted to show me his new project after he finished his classes, but his dad ended up needing him for something. I was at home until we left to go to the shed that night.

DET. LECLERC:
Did Oscar mention seeing or speaking to anyone else during the time you were apart?

LOGAN:
No, not really.

DET. LECLERC:
Alright Logan, that’s all we have for today. Do you have any questions or concerns before you go?

LOGAN:
No.

DET. RUSSELL:
Mr. Rosberg?

NICO:
No. Just, do you have any suspects yet? This murder investigation is really taking a toll on my baby’s mental health.

DET. LECLERC:
We don’t have any concrete suspects yet, Mr. Rosberg. And even if we did, you know I wouldn’t be able to share them with you.

NICO:
Oh, please. I used to be a lawyer, we can keep it off record if you want?

DET. LECLERC:
Have a good day Mr. Rosberg. Good bye.

RECORDING ENDS.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Text

RECORDING: PHONE CALL
FROM NUMBER: +1 (152) 507-0516
TO NUMBER: +1 (169)165-1655

CHARLES:
Papa? What’s up?

SEBASTIAN:
Charlie! How are you, sweetheart? You never call me anymore!”

CHARLES:
Papa, I’ve been busy with work, and I just saw you just a few days ago.

SEBASTIAN:
Exactly! That’s ages. Anyway, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.

CHARLES:
Brunch?

SEBASTIAN:
No, no, no. Work! How’s the case coming?

CHARLES:
Uh, not great, Papa. We’ve got a couple of suspects, but nothing concrete. I can’t really say too much, y’know.

SEBASTIAN:
Charlie, you know your father used to be the best private investigator in the county, right? He’s been keeping up with the case, too!

CHARLES:
Seriously? He does know he’s been retired for eleven years, right?

SEBASTIAN:
Hush. Anyway, he’s been keeping me updated on what’s been going on, and I started thinking back to high school.

CHARLES:
Papa, I love that for you, but I really need to focus--

SEBASTIAN:
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc.

CHARLES:
—-Sorry, Pa. Please continue.

SEBASTIAN:
As I was saying! This whole case has reminded me of a time back in high school, when I was still dating Mark, what with the sedatives in that syringe found at the crime scene and all--

CHARLES:
Woah woah. Slow down. What syringe?

SEBASTIAN:
The one they picked up at the crime scene! Gosh, Kimi told me about that earlier this week. Have you not gotten the report yet?

CHARLES:
No? George was supposed to be handling that. He said we’d get it back in a few days.

SEBASTIAN:
Oh! Well, I guess I’ll just tell you about it now, then. Forensics found a bloody syringe hidden behind one of the shelves in Mark’s boy’s shed. They tested the blood; it was Oscar’s, but there was no trace of fingerprints besides Oscar’s on the syringe.

CHARLES:
What? That’s essential to the case; we should have gotten that back by now!

SEBASTIAN:
I’m sure they’re just busy over at the crime lab, honey.

CHARLES:
In Lockfoot County? This is the biggest case to happen in years!

SEBASTIAN:
Charles, love, can I finish my story now?

CHARLES:
Yes, sorry, Papa.

SEBASTIAN:
Right, well, like I said, back when I was dating Mark, there was a pretty big case similar to this one. A couple of my friends got roped up in it, too. I’m surprised there hasn’t been a story on the news yet. But I guess if the evidence hasn’t even been released to you yet…

CHARLES:
What was the case?

SEBASTIAN:
Well, there was a series of murders in the next county over, Hacksaw County. The poor victims were all sedated and then bludgeoned to death.

CHARLES:
Do you know who was involved?

SEBASTIAN:
Yes! Well, like I said, a few of my friends got wrapped up in it. The murderer turned out to be Valtteri Bottas, one of Toto Wolff’s boys. Lewis was pretty close with him for a while, but Nico was insanely jealous the whole time they were friends. Anyway, the only reason he got caught was because Nico found one of the syringes in his backpack. Lucky, too, because Lewis was going to hang out with him in the park that night, where it was later found that Valtteri would lure his victims before he got them with the syringe.

CHARLES:
Was Bottas Toto Wolff’s son?

SEBASTIAN:
Nephew, I think. But he lived with them for a while.

CHARLES:
What was the motive for the murders? Do you remember?
SEBASTIAN:
No, but I do remember that all of them looked a lot like Lewis. Serial killers have a type, I guess.

CHARLES:
Right. I gotta go, Papa, George is just getting back from lunch.

SEBASTIAN:
Ok, honey! I hope that helps! Call me more!

CHARLES:
Sure thing, Papa, thank you.

PHONE CALL ENDS.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

RECORDING BEGINS:
4:00 PM
SUBJECT: N/A
DATE: 09/17/24
LOCATION: Lockfoot County Police Department, Interview Room 1A
CONDUCTED BY: Detective Charles Leclerc and Detective George Russell

DET. RUSSELL:
All right, let's get this meeting started. I still don’t understand why the higher-ups are making us record every meeting we have about this case, but--

DET. LECLERC:
George. When are the evidence reports supposed to get in?

DET. RUSSELL:
Uh…The ones for Ricciardo’s porch are already in. Coroner says the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the back of the skull.

DET. LECLERC:
And for the shed?

DET. RUSSELL:
We get those tomorrow, if everything stays on schedule.

DET. LECLERC:
Did the coroner say anything about drugs in his system? Sedatives?
DET. RUSSELL:
Not that I know of. His system was clean. Why? You think someone could have drugged him?

DET. LECLERC:
Maybe? I dunno, I think my papa was just getting to me.

DET. RUSSELL:
Mr. Sebastian? Why?

DET. LECLERC:
You remember that my dad used to be a private investigator, right? Well, apparently, he went and snooped with the lab techs before they even combed through all the evidence.

DET. RUSSELL:
Damn. Mr. Kimi is hardcore.

DET. LECLERC:
Tell me about it. Anyway, he told my papa that they found a syringe with Piastri’s blood on it. No other traces of fingerprints, though.

DET. RUSSELL:
You think he stabbed himself?

DET. LECLERC:
No. Maybe? I don’t know. Papa said they found trace amounts of sedatives in the syringe, but if the evidence report didn’t mention anything…

DET. RUSSELL:
That doesn’t make sense. Piastri wouldn’t have had time to have stabbed himself with a sedative, stumble over to Ricciardo’s, and then get bludgeoned to death.

DET. LECLERC:
Did they find the murder weapon?

DET. RUSSELL:
Yeah. That stupid flamingo. Heavy enough to leave him bloody and put a dent in the back of his skull.

DET. LECLERC:
Have you heard of Valtteri Bottas?

DET. RUSSELL:
No.

DET. LECLERC:
Right. Well, I want to talk to him.
DET. RUSSELL:
Why?

DET. LECLERC:
There was a case years ago in which he was convicted. The MO was suspiciously close to Piastri’s case.

DET. RUSSELL:
He’s in a special ward in the prison. For insane people. You really think he’s gonna have information?

DET. LECLERC:
You said you didn’t know him.

DET. RUSSELL:
Ugh. Fine. He used to be a family friend, before all that shit went down.

DET. LECLERC:
Hm. Well, I still want to talk to him. You can come if you want.

DET. RUSSELL:
Are you kidding me? We have two major suspects, and you want to go chasing after a guy who murdered a few people years ago? We are so close to closing this case, Charles!

DET. LECLERC:
First of all. Both Kimi and Logan have valid alibis directly before and after the crime. The time window either of them would have had to lure a full-grown man across a park to Ricciardo’s house, subdue, and bludgeon him to death would have been incredibly small and unlikely. I think we need to start exploring other options.

DET. RUSSELL:
Fine. We’ll talk to Bottas. But I still think this is foolish. Especially with the higher-ups breathing down our necks.