Play@YSDC

1am Sunday 14th March 2010, Church of the Passover Angel

Over five hours since Regina Balfour was rescued.



Once DI Malone returns with the warrant it is a short drive from the station to the church on Desborough Avenue, only a few minutes walk from the Balfours' house.

The street is largely deserted, it isn't quite an industrial area but certainly looks more like a commercial district than residential. The church itself is on a concrete plot with wire fencing to the sides, but the front open to the street. It is a pretty unassuming structure, squat, single storey, large windows with a prominent cross displayed outside. Behind it, just visible, there seems to be some kind of warehouse or similar metal prefab structure beyond a raiseable barrier to what looks like a carpark.

Arriving outside in several police vehicles, lights flashing, the three AFOs, Wisniewski, Babcock, and Grey all take out their MP5s and adopt positions covering the entrance to the building. DI Malone hasn't accompanied them, he's left Kris in charge and sent an additional uniformed officer to drive the police car and assist with the search.

DI Malone has briefed Kris that the Balfours are currently at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford demanding to see their daughter.

"That metal structure must be the shelter," says Jocelyn, pointing it out to the others. "Shall we check it out first?"

"The house is more likely to have a computer, perhaps the Balfours used them to correspond with the rest of their church, which is my main interest. But I'll go along with whatever the group decides. Just be careful; these people are fanatics and I don't doubt they may have some sort of booby traps set up. Most importantly,we may wish for some sort of gas masks to prevent a repeat of the hotel." He's still not sure what attacked him in the hotel, but he knows it was connected to Balfour. His current hypothesis was some sort of drug induced hallucination. Lindsay had reacted badly and blown her own head off in the stress. It explained why there was no corpse of an attacker afterwards.

”The shelter’s where they planned to hold out so we’ll check that first. Let’s go take a closer look,” replied Kris. Looking around carefully, he made his way over to the door of the structure to check it out.

At the mention of gas masks Ollie looks back nervously at Kris, 'Uh, we didn't bring any of those, do you think we need them?'

As Kris makes his way past the church he takes that as his answer and reluctantly follows, his weapon raised and sweeping back and forth across the dark car park.

-----

The shelter is more like a small warehouse or lockup. It has a large roller door, which is locked. And a smaller side door, also locked.

There are tiny symbols scratched into the metal around the door frame. Shining a torch on them they seem to have been brushed with something brown or dark red, maybe blood. Kris and Jocelyn will recognise them from the hotel. Simon can roll Occult to try and figure out what they are

40% 1d100

Looking around at Olly, Kris said, ”Did you bring the ‘key’? We might need some help to get in here.”

Pausing, he flashed his torch on the door frame again, then knelt down for a closer look. ”What’s this?” he said to Jocelyn and Simon, pointing to the etched symbols. ”The Passover?”

"If you see any monsters or angels you are likely to be hallucinating and under the effect of a drug," Simon tells Ollie. "Just remain focused and avoid hysterics and you will be fine."

1d100

OOC:   I presume with Kris pointing it out Simon can see the symbols regardless?

Leaning in, he attempts to discern what the symbols could mean.

1d100

"I see them," says Jocelyn. "They look like the ones we saw at the hotel. It does seem like it's copying what the Israelites did in Egypt before the Passover. The doorway's edges are painted in blood, like the blood of the lambs they sacrificed, to let the angel of death know to pass over and not take the firstborn. The lamb had to be without blemish, and it was selected four days before it was needed. Looks like they're slightly ahead of schedule."

Spot Hidden roll (60% skill) outside the shelter:
d%

As Kris points out the symbols they can all see them. They do indeed resemble those on the door of the hotel room. Only this time they run in an uninterrupted line around the whole doorframe.

The symbols closely resemble some Elizabethan era magical wards that Simon has seen in the past, protective charms. Mystical mumbo jumbo.

”Safe to proceed, do you think?” asked Kris, looking at Jocelyn and Simon.

"We'll check for traps first, but otherwise I think so," says Jocelyn. "Balfour thinks it'll be safer in there than anywhere else in the world."

"These symbols look like some old magical wards from the Elizabethan Era. Balfour likely believes they'll protect against the end of the world or some such." He shakes his head. "Our good reverend is a strange contrast-- a fundamentalist yet believes in magic and the occult enough to have studied it extensively. He'd have been killed for being a devil worshiper in less enlightened times."

"He might be one without knowing it," says Jocelyn. "What he believes is the Passover Angel could be the devil in disguise, like I said."

Simon rolls his eyes. "Yes, or it could be an alien. Or a genie, or I don't know, a stress induced hallucination caused by the chemicals we already know Balfour has access to. I know which explanation I favour."

OOC:   The thing about Simon is he's kind of a dick.

Still looking a bit twitchy, Ollie brings up the red 'Enforcer' battering ram. 'You don't think it's trapped do you?'

You can roll a hard Spot Hidden to look for traps but there's not much to be seen this side of a metal door. Should've brought your 10' pole! Which door do you want Ollie to have at?

If there are any traps, Jocelyn is sure to find them.

Spot Hidden roll (60 / 2 = 30% skill) looking for traps:
d%

Jocelyn can't find anything suspicious on the doors beyond the strange symbols.

Ollie hefts the big red key, 'Side door?'

Kris nodded and stepped back so Olly could get to work.

Simon motions for him to get to work.

Unlike when they have seen it used previously, the Enforcer takes some time to open the door to the warehouse. The door is dented and twisted until PC Grey eventually shears the bolt and it swings open.

Inside it is much as would be expected from the exterior. A bare metal structure with a concrete floor, maybe 1,000 square feet. In the centre of the room are three camping beds with sleeping bags and pillows and a couple of small suitcases. There are several large 20L plastic water jars, a two ring gas hob with propane cannister, and a significant amount of prepackaged food. Along with this there are electric torches, foil space blankets, a fire extinguisher, and a big red first aid kit. There is also quite an impressive radio setup. In one corner is what looks like a chemical toilet. Unsurprisingly there are a couple of copies of The Book of the Passover Angel and a Bible.

What is odd is the lack of any source of heating and the food is probably only enough for a week or so.

”Only three beds?” said Kris as he surveyed the room. “Do you think was just for Reverend Balfour and his family?”

"That makes sense," says Jocelyn. "He must think the end of the world won't take very long. Let's see what's in the suitcases, and let's see if specific passages have been marked or highlighted in the books."

"Odd," Simon says. "We know Balfour's a true believer in all this. so it's surprising there's no room here for the rest of his flock. Perhaps you're correct Jocelyn and they have their own shelters. Then in a week or so they expect they'll see each other in a newly earthen paradise."

Kris picked up one of the suitcases and set it down on one of the camp beds. He pushed the catches open and lifted the lid to see what was inside.

Kris opens the larger suitcase. Inside there is a mixture of well ironed mens white shirts, neatly folded suits, long demure women's dresses, and underwear. The only unusual thing is what looks like a long shift made out of a rough material, like sackcloth.

There are no passages marked when Jocelyn thumbs through the Bible but it does have a ribbon in Exodus 11-12. The copy of The Book of the Passover Angel is not marked and seems unused.

Kris lifted the shift from the suitcase and shook it open.

"Looks like we'll have to search the church next," says Jocelyn.

Simon nods.

The shift is made of a hessian material, roughly stitched into a long dress that would probably fit an adult. Kris opens the smaller suitcase and finds some children's clothes inside, along with a smaller shift made from the same rough material but more neatly stitched and cut and sized for a small child.

"Well, the sackcloth is appropriate Biblical," says Jocelyn. "I suppose they've got some ashes somewhere to go with it."

Is there just one adult-sized sackcloth, or two?

Kris turned the sackcloth inside out, looking to see if there was a maker’s mark or anything else that struck him as odd about it.

Kris places the two shifts side by side. The larger one is more roughly cut and the stitching is not exactly bad but at least seems rushed. There is no label or other mark to indicate who made it or why. The smaller one is less shapeless and seems to have been skillfully cut and is stitched very neatly. It has no identifying features either.

Yep, just the one adult sized dress

"They don't have one for Regina," notes Jocelyn. "No sign of a 'magic knife?'"

"Regina's seems better constructed." Simon notes. "Perhaps the knife is in the house somewhere."

”Perhaps,” said Kris, looking around thoughtfully. ”Do you think this is a sacrificial robe? One for Regina to wear and one for her father? Nothing for Mrs Balfour to wear…”

He rolled up the smaller robe and tucked it under his arm. ”Just in case they can’t go ahead without it,” he said. “Let’s check out the church, but stay alert - that’s where they filmed that video!”

Making their way out of the lockup they circle round the church and approach the front door. There are no lights on and no signs of life in the building. Kris gently tries the handle, it is locked.

Jocelyn inspects the door closely to make sure there are no traps.

Spot Hidden roll (60% skill) examining the door:
d%

As Kris waited for Jocelyn to finish examining the door, he looked about warily. He thought he saw something at the edge of his vision but it wasn’t there when he turned for a clearer look. He was beginning to wish he’d bought Lindsay’s shotgun with him…

Much like the warehouse it is difficult to see anything through the thick wooden door on the front of the church but as far as Jocelyn can see there's nothing untoward. The darkness does feel oppressive. For some reason the streetlights aren't working near the church and it is only lit by the flashing lights of the police cars. It's hard to know if there's something moving in the shadows or whether it is just the effect of the alternating and overlapping lights.

There's still no sign of anyone within the church itself, at least, any flickering of illumination or movement is probably due to the blue emergency lights.

"I feel like there's something out there in the darkness, watching us," says Jocelyn, "but the door looks safe to open."

Kris looked at the door. “I don’t particularly want to have break this door,” he said. “Shall we have a look for a side entrance?”

"Be on the lookout for a mat or potted plant, something of that sort," Simon advises. "Most people keep a spare key in easily reachable places."

Kris had heard of that approach for houses, but less so for public buildings like a church. Nevertheless, he did as Simon suggested, looking around the front door for anywhere a key may have been hidden.

Spot hidden (40%) 1d100

Jocelyn expands her search to check for a hidden key.

There is no evidence of a hidden key but Kris is able to locate a small side-door opening onto the rear carpark. It is a wooden frame with thick frosted glass panels. Kris looks closely at the panels and notices that one of them seems to fit very loosely so he attempts to slide it from the frame with a view to reaching inside and unlocking the door from the inside.

Slowly he edges the glass panel sideways and manages to grip the edge and pull it...as he does so part of the wood cracks and splinters, he loses his grip on the glass and it twists and slips through the hole to smash onto the ground in thousands of pieces that scatter across the floor inside the church. He pauses for a second, was that someone moving inside the church? But after the loud crash of the glass the night remains silent.

That was a fumbled Spot Hidden so something bad had to happen!

”Shit!” Kris swore, annoyed with himself.

He looked around and beckoned Olly Grey forward. “I thought I saw someone in there,” he said. “I can’t be sure but stick by me as I try to open the door and go inside.”

Having given Olly his orders, Kris reached in through the broken window to try to locate a key in the other side of the lock.

There's no key in the door when Kris reaches his hand through.

\

"If anyone's inside," says Jocelyn, "we've already lost the advantage of surprise, so that leaves us speed. Let's break it in." She glances at Olly.

Simon subtly takes a step back, just in case someone was inside and armed.

”Over to you, Olly,” said Kris. He stepped back to give him room to work, waving forward one of the other AFO’s to provide tactical support if required.

Ollie makes short work of the door and it swings inside. The other two AFOs enter the doorway, feet crunching on the thousands of glass fragments. 'Room clear,' says PC Babcock as he and Wisniewski advance further into the building flicking the lights on as they go.

Stepping in through the shattered door Kris and Jocelyn find themselves in a small office-like room. There are a number of religious books in a bookshelf, a desk with some kind of large handwritten ledger beside a copy of the Bible and The Book of the Passover Angel, and a black gown hangs on the back of the door which leads into the main body of the church.

Following the AFOs into the hall they find it to be a very sparsely furnished room with rows of pews on either side of the central aisle, enough to seat maybe fifty people. At one end is the main entrance door with a couple of bathrooms off to the side. At the other end is a slightly raised area with a lectern and behind that an altar. On the wall hangs a plain wooden cross.

It takes a few moments for Kris and Jocelyn to place why they suddenly feel so uncomfortable, it is because they recognise that the interior of the church, particularly the raised dais, as where the footage on the DVDs was filmed.

The ledger catches Simon's eye, and he heads over to it to inspect it further.

"Good idea," says Jocelyn. "Always follow the money." She checks the desk drawers.

Kris walked carefully in the direction of the dais, circling around to see if there was anything of note, but taking making sure he didn’t set foot on the dais itself.

Can I try a spot hidden (40%)? 1d100

Edit: Probably not going to find much with that…

The ledger seems to be Balfour's sermons, the usual fire and brimstone stuff. The last few entries talk about being prepared for Tuesday when The Passover Angel is prophesised to come. There's mention of anointing the doors with lamb's blood, the need for a great sacrifice, and being prepared for the scorn and hostility of the unbelievers.

The drawers don't contain much except hymnals, pens, and other ephemera.

Pacing around the dais Kris doesn't see anything of note, just the wooden lectern which seems to have an open Bible sitting on it. The wooden altar has an altar cloth but nothing else on it.

Jocelyn checks the open Bible to see to where it's open, though she expects it's to the same passage in Exodus. "I don't see a holographic projector anywhere," she says.

"There's talk here of a need for a' great sacrifice' on Tuesday." Simon reports. "No doubt Regina, though hopefully we can convince others of that." He glares at Jocelyn. "Yes, well, I'm sure we'll find something of the sort around here. Failing that some sort of hallucinogenic drugs; they're common in many cults as a way of accessing the divine."

As predicted the Bible on the lectern is open to Exodus 11.

There are no projectors, no audiovisual equipment of any kind actually. The hall is incredibly sparsely furnished without even any flowers or other decorations. There is nothing on the walls except for the cross.

I think I've probably let Simon's madness run too long. So let's say he is now able to entertain supernatural explanations if the evidence demands it - I expect he'll still be pretty resistant to it unless the evidence is overwhelming. I think his residual insanity is an extreme aversion to religion and religious paraphernalia. He's still vulnerable to becoming insane again if he sees anything disturbing

Simon casts a leery look at the cross. It left him feeling uncomfortable, likely due to knowing that behind all the faith were Balfour's disturbing intentions to kill thousands of people. "We should keep searching." He tells Jocelyn, wanting to get away from the cross-- though he doubts there were many places within this place without any.

That's fair. I think Simon is still skeptical, though evidence is piling up and if he doesn't go insane I think he might start taking this seriously if he sees something else like he did at the hotel.

Jocelyn nods. "Let's check under the altar cloth," she says. "Could be a secret compartment or something."

At one time, Kris would have made a flippant comment about Scooby Doo and finding secret passages in the unlikeliest of places, but now he wasn’t so self-assured.

He moved forward to help Jocelyn, but made sure Ollie Gray was close at hand too, just in case…

Jocelyn and Kris slide off the altar cloth. There is no secret compartment underneath, just a wooden altar that looks like a narrow but chunky wooden table. On the surface of the altar is a symbol, it's been drawn in a red pigment, maybe blood.

Give me a Cthulhu Mythos and/or Occult roll to try and identify it

Jocelyn has seen something like this before.

Occult roll (20% skill) about the symbol:
d%

Simon goes over to check the alter for himself.

1d100

Jocelyn and Simon both recognise the symbol. They saw it when they visited Oxford and Prof Brock, it was in the book Africa's Dark Sects. Neither can recall exactly the context or what it represents.

Ah, what a pity Jocelyn doesn't have any Cthulhu Mythos!

Gui looked from the alter to his colleagues. ”You’ve seen this before, I take it?” he said. “What is it?”

"We saw it on our trip to Oxford to see Professor Brock," says Jocelyn. "It was in a book he showed us, Africa's Dark Sects. That's S-E-C-T-S. It's not what it sounds like. Well, actually it kind of is. Maybe we should go talk to him tomorrow and get some context on the symbol."

"She, but correct." Simon notes, amused. "Perhaps I could text her if I can recall her number."

Simon was said to know her quite well. Can I roll to see if he'd have her number handy?

”So does that tell us anything we don’t already know?” asked Kris. “Or just confirm that the sect are involved.”

"It's evidence," says Jocelyn, taking a picture of the altar with the symbol. "There's a big difference between knowing something and being able to prove it. This could be a conclusive link between Balfour and Red Trumpet, if Professor Brock can verify its origins."

”That’s good,” replied Kris, “But I’d like hard evidence of Balfour’s plans to keep him locked up.”

Are there any other rooms we haven’t searched?

Simon checks his phone, he still has Annabelle Brock's mobile phone number, but he does note it is about 2am.

Room wise you've done the lot except the bathrooms and a storeroom/closet

Kris heads over the store cupboard to check it out, being sure to check it for any unusual signs before he opens it.

(40%) 1d100

A courteous individual would have noticed the time. Simon is not one.

He snaps a pic of the symbol and shoots Brock a text.

I seem to recall this symbol in that book you showed us, Africa's Dark Sects. Can you verify it's meaning?

Then he rings Brock's phone, hoping to wake her. This was important,and they needed her expertise now.

"I'll check the loo," says Jocelyn, inspecting the bathrooms.

The phone rings a few times but eventually it is answered, a deep, almost manly voice that Simon knows as Annabelle Brock, Professor of Social Anthropology at the Oxford African Studies Centre.

'Yes, hello, um...uh...oh, it's you Simon. You arsehole, do you know what time it is?

'Wait a minute, you've sent me a text, and a picture. Seriously Simon, did you think I'd be checking my phone in the middle of the night?

'What's this picture then? Is this for that missing girl. For god's sake, didn't they find her already? Oh, fine. I can tell you what it is, it's a symbol associated with the Cult of the Bloody Tongue.'

-----

Kris flings open the store cupboard. Apart from a mop and bucket and a few half filled bottles of cleaning fluid there's nothing that catches his eye.

In the bathrooms Jocelyn finds what she expected, a few stalls and urinals, sinks etc.

Unless you're looking for anything specific?

To be thorough, Jocelyn lifts the lid of each toilet's tank and looks inside, just in case something was hidden within.

"Good evening Annabelle," Simon replies smoothly. "Yes, it's just after 2 in the morning. And of course I didn't expect you to see it; hence the phone call.

"These are very serious matters, Annabelle. I'm not fully at liberty to say at the moment but the short of it is we have strong evidence that girl's father is planning a major attack for Tuesday. We're investigating his church now. That symbol was on his altar. Can you tell us anything else about it; does it have anything to do with these sacrifices the cult was conducting?"

Growing frustrated with their lack of success, Kris checked the back wall of the cupboard, searching in the hope of finding some sort of secret door…

Despite tapping and thumping the back wall of the storage cupboard there's no doorway to Narnia that Kris can find.

Jocelyn goes through the cisterns of each toilet, removing the ceramic cover and peering inside. She finds nothing in the women's bathroom and moves into the men's. On the second tank she slides off the cover and looking inside thinks she can see something jammed in behind the stopcock. Removing the cover altogether she reaches in and removes a tightly wrapped plastic carrier bag. Carefully unwrapping it she finds a ziplock bag and inside that what looks to be a semiautomatic handgun.

-----

Annabelle is quiet for a few seconds before answering, 'Well I guess that confirms a connection between your priest and the cult of the Bloody Tongue. It still doesn't prove that he's mixed up with the Red Trumpet, the Bloody Tongue are just a historical footnote at this stage, unless you know any more than you did the other day. As to what the symbol means, I have no idea. I re-read the chapter from Blackwell after you left but it's mostly observations about what he saw, he doesn't seem to have had any more of an idea what all these symbols, ritual knives, masks, and feathered robes actually mean.'

Jocelyn shows the others her find and takes a picture of it. "My instincts were spot on," she says. "Let's get forensics to go over it. This should be enough evidence to keep Regina away, especially if we can pull Balfour's prints from it."

"It shows a connection to a group that was said to proactive human sacrifice, albeit it from sketchy sources. We'll likely need more evidence though." Simon groans; that seemed to be a running theme with this case. Balfour was clever enough to maintain plausible deniability.

His mood improves when Jocelyn finds the gun, and he grins widely. "Hold that thought, Annabelle; we've just found a weapon. Fire and brimstone indeed. If you learn anything else important do text me. After this all wraps up I'll invite you out to lunch and tell you everything I can about this case. And invite you to attend my knighthood honour, he thinks. "It was quite a fascinating case."

”Good work, Jocelyn,” said Kris. “We’ll have to get forensics to come and take a look but I’d say that this makes the church a crime scene. That should be enough to keep it locked up and out of bounds for the foreseeable future.”

"Cheers," says Jocelyn. "The shelter too. They may call off their plans if that's sealed off and they can't get inside. They believe they need its protection."

”Don’t forget the phone call I overheard, where Mrs Balfour talked of ‘other plans’,” Kris reminded Jocelyn. “We need to deny them access to the church but that may not stop them carrying out their ritual. I think the best thing is to get the gun back to Forensics and see if we can get some prints. They aren’t guaranteed to be Balfour’s. I’ll call DI Malone and update him on progress.”

Kris pulled out his phone and dialled Malone’s number.

After ringing for what seems like a very long time someone answers Malone's phone, there's some muffled cursing followed by 'Detective Inspector Malone, this had better be good.'

-----

The AFOs go out to the car and return with tape, cones, and plastic barriers. They seems to be muttering among themselves and eventually PCs Babcock and Wisniewski wander off to start securing the crime scene while Ollie Grey gingerly approaches, 'Something you might want to see outside.'

”Sir, we’ve found a weapon - an automatic pistol - on the premises. I think it may be sufficient to declare the building a crime scene,” reported Kris.

Acknowledging Ollie, he continued to talk as he walked over to the door. “Do you think that’s enough to arrest Reverend Balfour, Sir? That could keep him out of circulation until after Tuesday.”

"Let's go see it," says Jocelyn, following Ollie.

Simon also hurries outside, curious.

'Good work Sapru, get the church cordoned off, I'll send forensics. As to Balfour, a church is a public place, where was the weapon? Can we definitely link it to him?' says Malone.

-----

Outside the church the ARV and patrol car still have their lights flashing, painting the building in a stark blue colour. On the far side of the road is a van pointed towards the police cars, headlights on, illuminating a woman being filmed by a cameraman.

The van is marked GNS, the reporter is the ubiquitous Julie Thomas. Spotting Kris she shouts out, 'Detective Sapru, why are you breaking into the Balfour's church while their daughter lies injured in hospital and her kidnapper dead due to your incompetence?'

“We’ll have to get Forensics to confirm that, Sir,” said Kris. “I’ll get into that as soon as I can.”

He looked outside and saw the GNS van. “We’ve got the press outside. I’ll bat them away for now but we’ll need the Force PR rep to give a statement in the morning.”

Leaving the call open, he saw Julie Thomas approaching. ”A moment, Sir…”

”Our enquiries are ongoing,” Kris said to Julie firmly but politely, ignoring the barbed comment. “We’ll make a formal statement in the morning. For now, could you please move back beyond the cordon for your own safety.”

He turned away and walked over to Olly. ”Let’s get the area taped off, so no one can approach,” he said.

"You handled that better than I would have, Detective." Simon whispers to Kris. "That woman is quite aggravating."

"I want to know who her source is with the police who keeps tipping her off," says Jocelyn.

”Thanks, Simon,” replied Kris. He glanced at Jocelyn and mulled over what she had said. ”That’s a good point. We might be able to use that to our advantage.”

'Keep the damn press away, how did they even hear about this so quickly?' curses Malone.

As Kris turns away, Julie Thomas shouts after him 'Did you shoot Lindsay Peale Detective Sapru?' The cameraman circles around her to get both the reporter and Kris in shot, he bumps into Jocelyn and mumbles an apology.

Ollie draws a line of police tape from a plastic barrier across the footpath, 'Can you please step back for me Julie.'

”I’ve no idea, Sir,” replied Kris. “Unless someone’s making a bit of extra money by tipping her off.”

He heard Julie’s accusation and as much as he wanted to turn around and tell her where to go, he knew that wouldn’t help, so he hunched his shoulders and walked away.

Jocelyn nods in response to Kris's statement. Or maybe she's giving her source something other than money, she thinks. She follows him away from the reporter and cameraman, saying nothing.

'Well there's nothing more you can do now. Good work Sapru, get some sleep' says DI Malone.

The GNS news crew back away from the police line but continue to film as Julie Thomas gives an inaudible report to camera.

Anything else you guys would like to do here at the church? Forensics will be along later and a new shift of uniformed officers will arrive to secure the building in the next hour or so. Then the AFOs will knock off as well.