The bug in Dr. Lori's vent¶
The bug in Dr. Lori's vent is a small radio transmitter and microphone that the Biz planted in the psychiatrist's office, which rolled into a vent on a mixed roll and later picked up Lori's heated phone call.
| Type | Item (surveillance device) |
| Aliases | the bug; listening device |
| Holder | The Biz (owner) |
| Status | Retrieved by the Biz in Radford Horror 04 |
| First appearance | Radford Horror 02 |
Description¶
The bug is a plain radio transmitter with a microphone. The Biz meant to stick it under a chair in Dr. Lori's office, in a nondescript brownstone near the middle of Radford (Radford Horror 02). It is not expensive, but as Andre pointed out in Radford Horror 03, replacing one would mean going back to "a real city" (Radford Horror 03).
Properties¶
Because the bug ended up in a corner vent rather than under the desk, the audio was poor and words were hard to make out (Radford Horror 02). The Biz listened from a car outside (Radford Horror 03).
History¶
Planting¶
During the team's visit to Dr. Lawrence Lori, the Biz tried to plant the bug under his chair. Huell helped by sneezing (a Help Out roll of 12 on Cool), and the Biz rolled a 9 on Act Under Pressure, counting his bonus for concealing evidence of a crime. A mixed success gave Andre a worse outcome: the bug failed to stick and rolled into a small vent in the corner (Radford Horror 02).
The heated call¶
In Radford Horror 03 the Biz listened in (Investigate a Mystery, 10). He caught only snippets of one side of a heated phone call, including "You don't know" and "I swear to God." After a handset slam, pacing and a metallic click, Lori hurried out to his car. The team followed him to a meeting at the Augustine barn (Radford Horror 03).
Failed retrieval¶
The rest of the team returned to the clinic to get the bug back. Huell inspected the window (Sharp, 6): only a crowbar would open it without damage. He faked a lost jacket, and the receptionist walked him to the office and watched him. The bug was visibly down in the vent. Huell's pretext of asking what kind of window it was, because he was thinking of replacing his own, rolled a 5 on Manipulate Someone. The receptionist stepped between him and the window, ushered him out and locked the door. The team dropped the break-in and discussed getting a warrant (Radford Horror 03).
Retrieval¶
At night in Radford Horror 04, the Biz broke in himself, wedging one of Kurt's stilts into the window to force it, and took the top off the furnace vent to retrieve the bug. He then photographed the office's files, which became Dr. Lori's patient files (Radford Horror 04).