IC - 16 - Day 3 - Simon and Jocelyn

[Mephistophilis]

'Thank you Officer Leigh, that's all I have for now.' says Bates, coldly. She draws a deep breath, her words are clipped but precise, 'Dr Eagleton, I'd like to remind you that what I am is an experienced police detective on a time critical child abduction case, you are a civilian consultant, your insights are appreciated and taken under advisement, but ultimately this is my investigation and my responsibility. I expect to see you both here as soon as possible.'

OOC,Heading over to the station?

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Yes. I'll drive.

[Mephistophilis]

Simon and Jocelyn get into her car and head over to the police station. The sun is already bright in the sky. Turning on the radio, the weather forecast predicts warm and sunny weather for the whole day. Feeling ever so slightly more optimistic they park outside the station and go inside.

In the incident room they find DS Bates standing at a computer with a uniformed officer. 'Here's the CCTV from the hotel' she says stiffly. The officer plays the video, it is time stamped the 11th March, 8.30pm. A pale Vauxhall Astra arrives in the car park and a woman, who looks very much like Lindsay Peale, leaves the car, and presumably Regina, to walk off screen. The officer cuts to footage from the car rental place labelled 9pm. They recognise Lindsay's appearance from the still images they saw on Friday. The interior CCTV shows a lot of faffing around until Lindsay leaves in a dark Ford Focus about 10pm. Cutting back to the hotel footage, the Focus arrives back shortly after and parks next to the Astra. Lindsay can be seen moving things between the cars. She then crouches down and seems to remove the number plates from the Focus and puts them in the boot. As she drives off a child can just about be seen in a booster seat in the back.

'So British Transport Police didn't find anything useful in the car but forensics will be on the scene soon. Obviously we've already got people scouring the CCTV and ANPR manually looking for a black Focus without number plates.'

[Silver Priest]

OOC:   Can Simon attempt a roll to observe Lindsay's behavior and determine based off that how erratic she seems and maybe give some clue as to her future behavior given her state?

[Mephistophilis]

Simon,Yeah, why, not, I think that's a hard Psychology or Psychoanalysis

[Silver Priest]

Psychology 37%,0

Simon studies the video, attempting to pick up on any quirks or tells of Lindsay's that might give him a clue; even if he can't figure out exactly where she's going, if he can determine if she's only prepared for a short trip as opposed to a long one, they can narrow their search field.

[Mr. Handy]

"It will help us track it down if it still doesn't have plates," says Jocelyn, "but there's the possibility that she added different plates later. I have an idea. We can use satellite footage to track where the Ford Focus went after it left Heathrow, follow it on the roads to its destination. MI5 should have access to it."

[Mephistophilis]

Simon,Studying the CCTV footage, looking at her movements and facial expressions, [b]Simon[/b] deduces that [b]Lindsay[/b] is very stressed and anxious, however, she is acting methodically which suggests that she is following some kind of prior plan. While he can't figure out how far she is intending to go there seem to be quite a lot of supplies, suggesting she is either intending to travel for some time or to hide somewhere for several days. Her haggard appearance suggests she might not be getting much sleep and the way she keeps glancing over her shoulder and startling is in keeping with significant paranoia, perhaps even more than would be expected from someone on the run from the police.

Jocelyn makes a call to the Data Analysis division of MI5, where she sent the scan of the Book of the Passover Angel yesterday. 'Sorry Officer Leigh, we don't have seamless satellite coverage of the UK, and we don't have the resolution to pick out a specific car unless we've got prior warning to focus one of our high res satellites. I can get you some satellite footage but without more information, like a destination and time, I can't commit intelligence resources to trawl through hours of footage on the off chance.'

'I do have some good news, well maybe not good news but we brute forced that substitution code you sent us using an OCR extraction from the rest of the book. I don't think we've got it quite right if you look at the text at the end it is nonsense, but this is the most convincing version we could get, basically from the Book of Jeremiah. I hope you know what it means.'

Message encoded in Book of Jeremiah using cipher from Book of the Passover Angel,[i]'Exodus says that there shall never be a cry again like that heard in Egypt when the firstborn perished, but in Kenya we know this to be untrue. When the stars are right and the walls between the worlds are thin, The Angel of the Passover shall come down from the Mountain of the Black Wind, and the firstborn of the faithless shall perish from the Earth. And so we pray: Ia! Narlato wagh'nagl iszkur boret'l! The Angel comes on the wind!'[/i]

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you, that may be helpful," says Jocelyn. "We'll take what we can get. Can we at least figure out which way the Focus went when it left Heathrow? We have a timestamp and location for that." She shares MI5's findings, showing the decrypted message to Simon in the hopes that he can make more sense of it, seeing it is similar to what he has been researching.

[Mephistophilis]

It doesn't take long for Jocelyn's contact in MI5 to get back to her. Their analysis of the satellite imagery suggests Lindsay headed west on the M4 motorway. Passing this on to the traffic division they very quickly identify a black Focus with no visible numberplate on CCTV, driving westbound on the M4 at 10.30pm.

While Jocelyn talks to her contact, DS Bates receives a call. She gestures to Simon to come over and puts her phone on speaker. 'Got a witness sarge, says she saw a woman in a black Ford, stopped at the petrol station in Chievely Services 'bout 11.30 Thursday night. Said she was travelling with a young black child. Wondered if it was related to the Balfour case.'

[Mr. Handy]

"That sounds like a good lead," says Jocelyn, working out the directions and distances in her head. "If she knows which way the Ford went afterwards, that's another big clue. We can also check the petrol station's CCTV."

[Silver Priest]

Studying the tape intently, Simon eventually looks towards the others.

"Bearing in mind none of this is a precise science, Peale's behavior offers us some clues. she's highly stressed but doing an admirable job of keeping it under control; this suggests a woman who still has her head on her shoulders and an ability to plan things out. She also has a lot of supplies with her, so either she's planning a long trip or to hunkering down somewhere. And see that? She's extremely paranoid.Perhaps she's afraid of being noticed, but it seems like more than that to me." He looks contemplative.

As he reads the deciphered message, he grows highly disturbed. The phrase he had heard in his dream was staring back at him. But how? He was sure he hadn't heard it in reality ever. It made no sense. But there had to be a logical explanation. There had to be!

It was code. Part of the book. I must have subconsciously noticed it and my dream was trying to reveal it to me. Still no idea what it means, however.

The explanation gave him some small measure of comfort, and he forces thoughts away to focus on the rest of the message.

"Do you see?" He asks Bates, excitement near uncontrolled. "Terroristic threats. This is more than just religious crackpots. I don't yet know how they're able to do it, but Balfour and his friends in Kenya are up to something. And Lewiston and Pearle had to know it. This doesn't excuse their actions, but this is why we need to find Reginia and Lindsay, understand why she was taken. What did they hope to accomplish?" He takes a deep breath and forces himself to be calm.

At hearing of the witness, he nods. "Right, Jocelyn's correct, ask where the car went and to see the tapes." He begins to pace around,a bit agitated. They're getting close. To what he's not quite sure, but he can feel it.

[Mephistophilis]

Simon,The presence of the words from his dream encoded in a message unsettles [b]Simon[/b]'s rational mind, roll Sanity 0/1d3 loss

'Where's this witness now?' asks Bates. 'She's at the services, working an early shift.' 'Right, keep here there, I'm heading straight over.'

Bates looks at Simon and Jocelyn,
'Do you want to come? DI Malone is planning on a public appeal with the Balfours this afternoon, he's going to broadcast Lindsay Peale's identity and photo. This might be our last chance to talk to a witness uncontaminated by the press. It might also be out last lead before Lindsay knows for sure we're on to her.'

[Silver Priest]

San 67%,0 1 possible loss

"Of course." Simon nods. "Let's go." It's obvious he still feels disturbed by something.

[Mephistophilis]

Simon,That's a fumbled SAN roll so you lose max points which is 3

It's subtle, but Simon's eyelid is twitching uncontrollably. He rubs it vigorously, hoping no-one else notices.

[Silver Priest]

"I'd like a coffee before we go, though." He offers, by way of explanation.

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, I'd like to come too," says Jocelyn. She doesn't envy DI Malone his task. She knows he'll face questions about DC Sapru's removal.

[Mephistophilis]

'I'm heading off in a few minutes, do you want to come in my car or meet me there?' asks Bates.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'll drive in my car," says Jocelyn. "Simon, want to ride with me? You can bring the coffee with you on the road. Just be careful not to spill it on the upholstery."

[Silver Priest]

"Right," Simon says, slightly distracted. "Sounds good."