IC - 28 - The Big Smoke - Simon and Jocelyn

[Philulhu]

Kris dialled down the volume and let the call go to his answerphone. Probably better to judge Malone’s mood before calling back…

Once the call ended, he quickly texted Jocelyn & Simon. ’L in her shop. H heading home. U move up and cover L. I’ll watch H.’

[Mr. Handy]

"On our way," Jocelyn texts back. "Which one has the backpack?" Then she pulls out and drives to the block with the nail salon, filling in Simon on the way.

[Silver Priest]

"They're acting too casual," Simon asserts. "And I'm not entirely certain why. Louise won't want to miss the service. How long do we have until it starts? It will be hard for her to kidnap a child if she has to wade through a police escort on her way to the church."

[Mr. Handy]

"I think it doesn't start until evening," says Jocelyn. "Whether they're going to take Louise's daughter or some other child, they can do it after work."

[Philulhu]

Is Henry carrying the backpack? Shouldn’t be hard to spot if he is, tbh.

[Mephistophilis]

Louise has the backpack, and Simon and Jocelyn watch from the car as she arrives at Get Nailed!, opening the place up and turning on the lights. No one else seems to be there and she hasn't lifted the blinds on the door so it doesn't seem to be open yet.

-----

Kris watches outside Henry Samuel's flat. Once he's gone inside there's no further sign of him although a number of other people leave the apartment block, including a familiar looking black man in his mid-fifties dressed in blue overalls and carrying a tool bag. He gives Kris a nervous look as he walks over to a white van emblazoned with A1 Plumbing and Heating.

OOC:   FYI the service is scheduled to take place at 6pm tonight

[Philulhu]

Kris texted Jocelyn & Simon. ’H back @ his flat. What next?’

He yawned and looked at his watch, trying to work out how long it was to the service.

[Silver Priest]

"Can't you shut her down for obscenity?" Simon asks Jocelyn, pointing at the saloon's name. "Or at least egregious punnery."

When Kris message comes in he offers his thought to his stakeout partner. "Right now, I'd say its most important we keep eyes on Louise and her daughter. We mat want Kris to direct his attention there-- though a single man may attract more attention hanging around outside a school than you would.

"If you wanted to risk it we could try and double team Louise and get something from her. Come out and directly accuse her of planning to offer her child up to Balfour, and bluff that the police know about it and are prepared to stop it, and she'll get her child taken away by us forever unless she cooperates. Could unsettle her enough to put a chink in her armor and get a confession. High risk though, so it may be better to simply keep eyes on her and see what she does."

[Mr. Handy]

"You're right, it's too risky," says Jocelyn. "We'll just have to keep watching her. Kris needs to keep watch on Samuels, and we don't have Lucy any more. If you wanted, you could watch the school, but if Louise goes somewhere else, I'd have to tail her with no time to give you a lift." She texts Kris back: "L at work, nobody else there yet."

[Philulhu]

’U think anything going 2 happen b4 tonight?’ Kris texted back.

He looked around. Was there anywhere he get a couple of tea while he kept an eye on Henry’s flat.

[Silver Priest]

Simon thinks for a moment. "Better to just stay here, I suppose."

[Mephistophilis]

Kingsley Green gets into his plumbing van and drives off, very slowly.

Kris looks at his watch, it's about 8.30 in the morning, approaching ten hours until the service in Wycombe. His phone is buzzing in his pocket, taking a quick glance it's Malone again.

OOC:   Kris can roll Luck to see if there's somewhere to get a cup of tea and still see the flat.

-----

Jocelyn and Simon sit in the big Range Rover watching the nail bar. The lights are on and Louise has opened all the blinds except the one covering the door. After another twenty minutes they see a young woman walking down the street towards the nail bar, Jocelyn recognises her as Chandice who did her nails yesterday.

[Philulhu]

Did Malone leave a message earlier that Kris could have listened to?

Luck (43) 1d100

[Mr. Handy]

"Cant say for sure," Jocelyn texts back. "L will pick up girl from school at some point. Maybe early. Her coworker arrived." She fills in Simon as well.

[Mephistophilis]

There's nowhere in sight for Kris to get a tea, so he leans against a wall as nonchalantly as he can. Taking out his phone he picks up the message from Malone.

'Where the hell are you Sapru?' Ring me back now or don't bother coming in tomorrow!'

[Philulhu]

Kris gritted his teeth. Malone didn’t sound best pleased…

He pressed the button to return the call, gazing down the street while he waited for DI Malone to pick up the call.

[Mephistophilis]

The call is answered within 1 ring.

'Finally! Where are you Sapru?' the Detective Inspector barks down the phone. 'We have to plan how to manage some kind of end-of-the-world doomsday cult and my investigating officer hasn't even bloody turned up to work!.'

The DI keeps shouting, preventing Kris from getting a word in. 'I know Grey and Adebayo didn't find anything incriminating, and don't even get me started on what happened to Sarah Balfour! She's out of hospital at least but she described a police officer who sounded an awful lot like DS Bates. I need you back here to answer a number of questions for me, but most importantly because I need my least incompetent detective to come and plan how we manage this high profile, and I'm told now nationally televised apocalyptic church service! I went out on a limb for you, I hope I'm not going to have to regret it.'

[Philulhu]

Sorry for the delay!

Kris tried to speak a couple of times but Malone just spoke over him. Resisting the urge just to end the call, he finally said, ”Sir, if I might speak, I’ve been on a stakeout overnight which is why I haven’t been in touch. We’ve identified two of Balfour’s right-hand men, and they have a child, who we think they are planning to sacrifice as part of their ritual.”

”I’ve got eyes on one of the suspects and Ms. Leigh and Dr. Eagleton are watching the other.”

[Mephistophilis]

'Oh...' Malone is silent for a moment, evidently he hadn't been expecting to hear that. 'You've got evidence they're planning on sacrificing this child?' he asks. 'Enough to pick her up into protective custody?'

-----

The receptionist Jocelyn saw yesterday arrives at the nail bar. All the blinds are up and the lights are on. It looks open for business.

[Philulhu]

Kris thought hard for a moment. ”Sir, in the absence of Regina Balfour, they’re going to need a sacrifice for their end-of-the-world ceremony tonight. The couple we staked out - Henry Samuals and Louise Hayman - are both linked to Reverend Balfour’s church. They’re both deeply involved and Hayman has a nine year old daughter, Chantelle. We think she’s next in line with Regina out of the picture.”

“Now, if you want me to tell you that I’ve got cast iron evidence it’s her, I can’t give you that. But her mother and Samuals are behaving very suspiciously. Call it a hunch based on years of experience, but they’re up to something. We need to get the child away from them, otherwise who knows what might happen tonight.”