Play@YSDC

”She might be,” replied Kris, “But I shouldn’t imagine Balfour will want to.”

"True," says Jocelyn, "but the decision isn't his. It's ours."

"Though you can bet Julie Thomas and others in the media will be putting a lot of pressure on the police to get results," Simon points out. "I'm not sure we can drag this standoff out for three more days either." He frowns. "On the other hand, Balfour has acted violently to all three of us; that may not be enough to keep him away from Reginia indefinitely but might permit some delay."

"I think this goes better for us if we can convince Lindsay to surrender peacefully and tell us whatever evidence she has of his ill intent, no matter how outlandish it seems."

”I don’t think she’s going to give up,” said Kris. ”As far as Lindsay’s concerned, this is the only way to keep Regina out of her father’s hands and to prevent the end of the world. She won’t give her up without a fight!”

"A fight's the last thing we want," says Jocelyn. "We don't have evidence to prove Lindsay's accusations against Balfour, but we do have him on assault. If we really need to sideline him, we can use that as leverage. Hopefully we won't actually need to arrest him, but the mere fact that we have that capability may stop him from interfering."

'First thing's first, let's talk to her' says DS Bates. She holds up a heavy duty radio handset, probably an encrypted radio, 'PC Grey, give her the radio.'

The AFO covering the hotel room door nods back towards Bates, he steps forward, knocks on the door and then backs away down the corridor.

On the floor by the door they can see what could be a matching radio handset. The door opens a tiny crack and then wider, something shiny pokes out the door, the barrel of a shotgun. The radio disappears inside the room and the door slams shut.

'Okay, what do we say?'

"We start by introducing ourselves to her," says Jocelyn. "We also use her name when we speak to her, let her know we know who she is. We should use first names for ourselves and for her after the introduction, try to establish a personal rapport. We start by asking her what she wants. Once we know that, then we can begin to negotiate."

”Do you want me to go first?” asked Kris. “I’ve already spoken to her so it may break the ice.”

Kris was hoping that he’d get back in Lucy’s good books again by being of use to the investigation.

Bates looks to Jocelyn, 'Happy for Kris to introduce us if you think that's a good idea?' She pauses for a moment and gives a thin smile, 'Although he did manage to get shot at, so maybe the rapport isn't perfect.'

'After introductions my priority is confirmation Regina is safe. Once I get that we have some time to play with.'

”I don’t think it was personal,” said Kris sourly. “It’s not like I’d met her before!’

Taking the radio, he pressed the button to speak. ”Lindsay? This is Kris, the policeman who was at your door a few moments ago. I’ve got a couple of colleagues here who would like to speak to you if they can. Their names are Lucy and Jocelyn. OK?” He released the button and waited for an answer.

"Don't forget Simon," says Jocelyn.

Simon looks a bit affronted, but Jocelyn's mention of him quickly mollifies him. He's ready to get to work. At least, he feels ready; his mental state may still seem a bit questionable.

Kris keyed the radio button again. “And Simon,” he said. “I’d forgotten to mention him.” He smiled apologetically at the psychologist.

The radio whines and then hisses into life, 'Hugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble, and Grubb' cackles Lindsay.

Kris handed the radio to Jocelyn. ”Over to you, ‘Hugh’,” he said dryly.

"At least I'm not Barney McGrew," says Jocelyn, taking the radio. She presses the button to talk. "Miss Peale? May I call you Lindsay? My name is Jocelyn Leigh. Can you please have Regina speak? I'd like to make sure she's all right."

'Why? Why should I put her on for you?' asks Lindsay.

With the radio silent, Bates whispers to the others, 'Because if you don't we'll smash the door down and shoot you.'

"To prove that she's alive and well," says Jocelyn. "You've fired a shotgun at the police. The only thing stopping them from storming the place is that they're concerned for her safety. If you don't allow Regina to speak to us so that we know she's all right, they're going to conclude that she isn't. I don't want that, and I don't think you do either."

There is a long silence. 'I've given her something to settle her down. She's pretty sedated.'

'Regina, Regina, say hello to the police lady...'

There is a prolonged pause.

'Uh, hello? I miss my mummy and daddy...'

'...there, she's alive.'

Kris was simultaneously relieved that Regina was alive as well as pleased that any forced entry would be off the agenda for now, hopefully thwarting whatever Balfour had in mind.