IC - 28 - The Big Smoke - Simon and Jocelyn

[Mephistophilis]

'Uh, yeah, not really...' mutters Chandice. She's looking pretty uncomfortable now and keeps looking past Jocelyn to the other woman. Whatever is going on Chandice's manner has changed and she seems, maybe not frightened but certainly intimidated by her. 'I think we're closing up now...uh...uh, anything else you need before you go?' she asks.

From the reception desk the other woman starts talking. Broad London accent. 'Nah, don't worry Chandice, we've got a bit of time. So why don't you tell us where you're from missus. CID? Vice? You ain't fooling nobody prancing round here in yer Scotland Yard get-up. So spit it out, what d'you want 'ere?'

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, you did a good job," says Jocelyn, paying Chandice for the manicure and giving her a generous tip. She rises and heads for the door. "I'm not with the police," she says to Louise, "and I got what I wanted. All I want now is to leave."

[Mephistophilis]

Chandice grabs the money and backs away towards the far side of the nail bar, putting a table between her and Jocelyn. She mumbles something like thank you.

Louise opens her eyes wide at Jocelyn's reply. She opens her mouth to say something further then closes it again. She watches Jocelyn stride out of the salon, following her with her gaze but not saying anything further or making any move towards her.

As Jocelyn opens the front door and the little bell tinkles, she lets it swing closed behind her and she hears something shouted from inside, something like 'And stay out!'

[Mr. Handy]

Jocelyn returns to the car and gets behind the wheel, where she fills Simon in on what happened in the salon. "I tried to make an excuse to get out of there right away since they were about to close," she says, "once I confirmed Louise was there, but they insisted, and to leave then would have aroused suspicion. Louise was suspicious of me anyway, but she thinks I'm just a copper. At least I got a nice manicure out of it."

[Silver Priest]

"Rather a suboptimal series of events," Simon remarks. "Still, did you get the impression she was a fanatic in your brief time with her? At least I'm doubtful she can do all that much; she knew Johnny, and if she's not involved with the church she has no reason to tell Balfour anything. Shall we go and investigate the homes of Isobel Quinn or Jordan Hays?"

"Oh, and Kris texted. He and Bates are following Balfour's wife; she seems to be heading into London. I wish they had left someone to monitor Balfour himself, but we don't have the numbers to keep track of everyone. I told them of our plans here."

[Mr. Handy]

"She seems fanatical to me," says Jocelyn. "Her coworker looked terrified of her. Maybe Sarah is coming here to see Louise. Of course, there's also Steve Brown. He lives in London. Maybe she's coming to get him to do something criminal for her and her husband. I think we should head to his home. We could also drive back and cover Balfour's place, but I think we should stick around the London area until we know what Sarah's doing. We can keep in touch with the others by mobile. If Sarah gets near one of the addresses on her list, we can move to get there first."

[Silver Priest]

"If the coworker seemed intimidated by her, do you suppose there's any point in trying to isolate her and get something from her? You're a law enforcement officer. If you imply she's involved in some shifty matters perhaps we could get information to take her down. Though I suppose that depends on your rapport with her as well.Your nails do look quite nice." He allows.

"But I honestly do not believe Brown's involved further in this.Or Louise, for that matter. Balfour could never have predicted we'd gain access to his church membership or his daughter's kidnapping, so it stands to reason that the true believers would have no reason to hide their affiliation with him. No, I believe rather firmly that whomever is a conspirator in this will be on that list, especially with Zero behind bars.

"I still think that Quinn and Hays are the most likely potential sacrifices for Balfour,. But they're both in Wycombe-- about an hour away*. If you really wish to check out Brown we can, but if I'm honest I don't believe that will be at all fruitful. I would suggest heading back to watch Balfour, but if he's recruited someone to sacrifice their child tomorrow, chances are he's already spoken to them. That's the kind of thing you'd like to give a bit of a heads up for, I imagine. Kris seemed fairly confident they could keep watch on Sarah, and he promised to text us if he learned anything. I am interested in where she's going. She expects the world to end tomorrow, so doubtful she's running to the store for a bit of milk. But hopefully they can handle that.

"So if I had to vote, I'd suggest checking out the two families and seeing if either of them seem particularity nervous for tomorrow."

He shrugs. "In any case, I have given my feedback. Whatever plan or hunch you have, I will support it."

OOC:   * If google is correct.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you. Maybe we should wait here a little longer for them to close up," says Jocelyn. "When they go their separate ways, that'll give me the opportunity to talk to Chandice without Louise around."

[Silver Priest]

Simon nods. He strongly thinks this is a waste of time, but Jocelyn has some experience so if she has a hunch, perhaps he should trust it. If nothing else, perhaps Kris would discover something and give them something to go on.

[Mr. Handy]

"Or we could follow Louise," says Jocelyn, "as long as she doesn't spot us. Chances are we can learn more by seeing where she goes and what she does after our encounter, plus she's likely up to no good. Sarah may be on her way to meet her."

[Silver Priest]

"Of our options I think that one is slightly more likely to bare fruit. Perhaps I should drive; she's likely to be on the look out for you."

[Mr. Handy]

"If I'm in the shotgun seat, she can see me all the same," says Jocelyn, "and I promised I'd look after the car. I'm better suited to tail someone, and I'm less likely to crash. I'll stay in the driver's seat, but I'll slide down so I can't be seen. You're in the passenger seat, so you're just waiting for someone to come back. Less suspicious that the car is waiting there. Alert me when she comes outside." She ducks down so that she cannot be seen through the window.

[Silver Priest]

Simon nods, and goes back to playing Candy Crush. He figures it's a good cover if he's doing something rather than just seeming idle.

[Mephistophilis]

It only takes a few minutes for Simon to see two women coming out the shop together. They aren't really talking, like they've had an argument. The black woman in her twenties walks towards the main high street, shaking her head and muttering to herself, while the forty-something white woman heads down a side street. Walking purposefully.

[Mr. Handy]

"Right, that white woman is Louise," says Jocelyn, "and we definitely need to follow her. We can't follow her in the car while she's on foot, or she'll notice us for sure, as we'll be moving too slowly. She's seen me, but not you, so here's what we'll do: you'll take the lead in following her, keeping her in sight but trying not to let her notice you. I'll follow you and keep you in sight while staying out of her line of sight. The important thing is not to lose her. She's on her way to do something."

[Silver Priest]

"Interesting that they look to be arguing," Simon points out, suddenly feeling intrigued. Perhaps Jocelyn had been on to something after all. (At this, a sense of bitterness fills him, but professional that he is he represses it.) "Perhaps one of us should follow the coworker after all? I'd say you're more likely to get something from her than myself.I can always text you Louise's location if she stops anywhere. Your call," he says.

Regardless of her answer, he opens the car door and prepares to follow Louise.

[Mr. Handy]

"Louise could be dangerous," says Jocelyn. "I think we both need to follow her. I can't follow her by myself, as she's made me, and I wouldn't want you to follow her alone. Whatever Chandice knows about her is unlikely to be incriminating, and if it is, she probably doesn't want to involve the authorities. But if you think you can follow Louise without losing her and without her noticing you, I'll go over Chandice and talk to her, and we can keep in touch on our mobiles."

[Silver Priest]

Simon briefly thinks, then shakes his head. "No, you're right, I doubt she'd be willing to talk if she hadn't already. Let's both go after Louise. "

[Mephistophilis]

Louise is striding down the street at quite a pace. She's not looking behind or otherwise behaving as if she thinks she's being followed. Simon tries to keep a suitable distance, keeping her in view without drawing attention to himself. It's harder than it first appears because he needs to walk quickly to keep up with her and as she turns a sharp right at the end of the road he fears he's lost her and quickens his pace. She's crossed to the other side of the road and he drops back a bit behind a line of cars. The road is pretty long and he has good visibility. A street sign reads Blessington Road. For a second his attention is distracted by a plaque attached to a low wall.



When he looks up, Louise has got further away from him and turned right into a side road past some freestanding garages, between low apartment blocks.

Okay, so Simon needs to pass a Stealth roll (with a bonus die since she's not really looking out for him). Jocelyn can also roll Stealth with a bonus die, she won't lose sight of Simon but she might, conceivably, get seen. She's further away but also more familiar to Louise so I think just on bonus die).

[Silver Priest]

Simon speeds up, trying to keep sight of his quarry while also seeming uninterested in her.

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