Police Quest Omnipedia
Register
Advertisement
Laurawatts

Laura Watts was a detective in the Lytton Police Department's Narcotics Division. She played an important role in the events leading up to the arrest of Jessie Bains, including both running the Jason Taselli investigation and assisting in the drug deal bust during which she and Sonny Bonds arrested Victor Simms and Donald Colby.

Watts is described as taking a no-nonsense approach. However, it was later revealed that Watts was in fact the anonymous "Gremlin" who played multiple vicious pranks on Patrol Sergeant John Dooley. She was forced to apologize for her actions, and retired from the LPD shortly afterwards.

Career[]

PQ1EGA Character LauraWatts Desk

By the time of the Lonny West murder, Laura Watts had already been considered a "veteran" Narcotics detective, suggesting that she's been with the Lytton Police Department for at least a few years prior. Her personal file, as seen in the LPD's computer records during the time of Jessie Bains' escape from Lytton City Jail, indicates that she had joined the force in 1969. The same file also indicates that she served as a patrol officer for at least her first 3 years on the force, and helped avert a disaster in 1972 when she successfully diverted traffic away from a severe mudslide.

Watts had an office in the Narcotics Division, adjacent to the office of Division head Lt. James Morgan. Due to staff shortages, Watts was working alone at the time of the Lonny West murder.

Watts arrived at Lytton City Jail to meet Sonny Bonds while he was booking drunk driver Art Serabian. Watts told Bonds of a position that had opened in the Narcotics Division, which Lt. Morgan wanted filled by a veteran street cop. Watts encouraged Bonds to submit an application for the role.

After the arrest of Jason Taselli, Laura Watts was assigned to the case. She attended his arraignment on the morning of Sonny Bonds' temporary promotion to the Narcotics Division, where she saw Judge Kim Palmer set Taselli's bail at $500,000. Lt. Morgan partnered Sonny with Watts later that day. Fearing that Taselli would skip town, Watts' first instruction to Bonds was to gather evidence to secure a no-bail warrant against Taselli.

PQ1EGA Character LauraWatts ColbyArrest

After Bonds secured and served the warrant at Lytton City Jail and returned to the Lytton Police Station, Watts jumped into his unmarked car and announced that one of her sources had tipped her off about a drug deal that was about to occur in Lytton City Park. Watts and Bonds set up a stakeout the park, where Bonds observed Victor Simms and Donald Colby trafficking in cocaine. Bonds interrupted the deal, arresting Simms, while Watts intercepted and arrested Colby as he attempted to flee the scene. Following the arrest, it was Watts who suggested that Sonny Bonds should pay a visit to Jack Cobb at The Blue Room, to let him know that his daughter's drug pusher has been arrested.

Continuing the Taselli investigation, Laura Watts spoke with Chicago Police Department detective John Taber. Taber revealed that Taselli was connected to Jessie Bains, a known high-stakes gambler and drug dealer, who had disappeared from Chicago some time earlier. Taber sent Watts a fax containing Bains' mug-shot, which she then left in Sonny's in-box at the office.

Finally, it was Laura Watts who created and designed Sonny Bonds' undercover persona for the Hotel Delphoria operation, "Jimmy Lee Banksten". She determined that Sonny should bleach his hair blonde, wear a dapper white suit and hat, and carry a cane which would conceal a .22 Derringer firearm. Watts did not participate in the operation itself.

Laura Watts continued serving in the LPD for a short while afterwards. Once her role as the Department's "Gremlin" was discovered, she was reprimanded and forced to issue an apology. She retired from the force shortly afterwards, before the events of Jessie Bains' escape from the Lytton City Jail.

The Gremlin[]

PQ1EGA Character JohnDooley Chicken

During Laura Watts' service at the department, Patrol Sergeant John Dooley was repeatedly harassed by an anonymous colleague whom Dooley and others referred to simply as the "Gremlin". This harassment included multiple vicious pranks, including stuffing his pigeonhole with panties filled with cotton balls, tying a live chicken to his office desk, and spraying mace all over a memo was going to read.

The Gremlin's true identity remained unknown for some time, with Dooley suspecting Sonny Bonds of having perpetrated the pranks. Dooley threatened to notify Internal Affairs to start an investigation, saying "When I find out who the little weasel is, you'd better believe that he or she will be walking a footbeat from the river all the way to Joe's Junkyard".

During the manhunt for Jessie Bains after his escape from Lytton City Jail, Watts' personnel file in the Lytton Police Department's computer database revealed that she had in fact been the infamous Gremlin all along. According to her file, she was eventually caught red-handed making chicken tracks across the top of Dooley's desk with a rubber stamp. Watts was suspended, given a reprimand, and forced to write an apology. She eventually retired from the force.

Attitude Towards Bonds[]

Despite being described as "all-business" by Sonny Bonds, Laura Watts flirted with Sonny several times during their time working together in the Narcotics Division. However at the time, Bonds was in the very early stages of his relationship with "Sweet Cheeks" Marie. There is no indication that Watts and Bonds ever had a relationship together.

Computer file[]

Name Watts, Laura
Badge 5557344
D.O.B 4/10/48
Department Narcotics
Position Detective
Appointed 6/15/69
Status Retired
Departmental actions
Commendable citations 3/1/72 City of Lytton experienced unusually heavy rain , resulting in mud slides and road closures. While working Traffic Division, Officer Watts moved into an area where commuter traffic had come to a stop. Officer Watts' professional and independent action was successful in diverting traffic to an alternate route, which cleared a potentially explosive situation.
Censurable Reports 1/4/84 Being caught red handed making chicken tracks across the top of Sgt Dooley' desk with a rubber stamp. This brought to light the true identity of the infamous "gremlin", who went about antagonizing Sgt Dooley.
Findings: Sustained
Actions: Written apology. Written reprimand.

Behind the scenes[]

The "Gremlin" pranks are seen in the original version of Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel, which according to the game's chronology occurs in 1987; however, according to her file in Police Quest II: The Vengeance, the "Gremlin" was exposed in 1984.

Watts' file in Police Quest II also claims that she had retired from the LPD; however the Police Quest Casebook states that Watts had been transferred to the Burglary Division. In this novel, she assists Sonny Bonds in looking up information on a stolen shotgun, and discovers Donald Colby's new residence in Steelton.

Watts also appears in the novelization of Police Quest III: The Kindred as one of the detectives searching the location of Marie's stabbing.

Advertisement