Play@YSDC

Simon has the good grace to be chastened by this. "Oh dear. I'm not going to be arrested, am I?" He asks, concerned. "I was just trying to get a confession from him."

"Don't worry about it," says Jocelyn. "I think you've already paid a high enough price for the indiscretion."

Looking pretty sceptical, Bates asks 'I don't suppose you've got any evidence for that big pile of supposition?' but it's clear this is a rhetorical question.

She turns to the other officer, 'You can take Balfour back to the station, but take a statement first', turning back to Simon and Jocelyn she says, 'Sorry, not my call, the DI wants him on TV tonight, we've not made much progress finding that little girl and the press are breathing down his neck.'

'More wrecked cars, is that three now? Anyway, it sounds like Simon needs to go to hospital, you coming with me to Chievely or are you going with him?' she asks Jocelyn.

"I'm hardly hurt, just a few cuts and bruises," says Jocelyn. "I don't need to go to hospital, and I'd best be on hand at Chievely to interview the witness. I can call for a tow for my car on the way."

"I humbly suggest you interview some of the other drivers. I'm sure some of them saw it as well." Simon's frustrated with them putting Balfour on TV, but he knows nothing can be done about it. "I'd prefer charges not be pressed on the reverend." It would only antagonize him further, and ruin any chance of establishing a productive relationship with him. But I would like to speak with him later. Perhaps after we find his child."

OOC:   I assume even with the great success Simon only gets 1 hp back? If he had recovered more I'd probably demur on him going to the hospital, but at 3 HP I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Simon addresses Jocelyn. "I think I had better go to the hospital to get checked over, but you have my number. If there is any break in the investigation, please contact me at once. I need to see this through and prove useful."

Keeper,Sorry to add, but can Simon make a psychology/psychoanalysis roll to determine if Balfour was really remorseful when he apologized to Simon or just faking it? 0 That's a pass either way.

"All right," says Jocelyn. "I'll call if we get a break, or if I need to pick your brain. I hope you get better soon."

In the absence of any witnesses to question, Bates and Jocelyn head down the M4 to the Chievely Services. It stands at the intersection of the M4 running east to west and the A34 running north to south. It takes them around twenty minutes in weather that has cleared up nicely, any hail and storm clouds having melted away. Jocelyn calls for a recovery truck to pick up her car.

Arriving at the services proper, with their shops and food courts, they drive past two hotels, a Travelodge and a DoubleTree, and park up at the petrol station, which sits opposite the services. In an adjoining bay they spot a familiar looking van, on the side it says 'GNS'.

"That must be Julie Thomas," says Jocelyn, glancing at the van. "How did she find out about this?"

Bates's face darkens, 'Let's find out.' She storms into the petrol station with Jocelyn trailing behind. Inside are the usual rows of sweets, crisps, and assorted motoring supplies. At the tills a short brunette woman in her fifties is being towered over by a woman with bouffant blonde hair, it looks like Julie Thomas.

Bates marches up to Thomas, 'Are you interfering with a police investigation?' Thomas coolly steps back, 'Mrs Price here was just telling me about the weeping young white woman asking for the nearest hospital with a young black child in her car. Very newsworthy don't you think?' She smiles and starts to walk off. The woman behind the till looks very worried, like she's done something wrong.

"And what led you to come here instead of going to the press conference?" Jocelyn calls after Julie Thomas.

Julie gives a dismissive wave, 'I have my sources...' and she walks towards the door. Outside, on the petrol station forecourt, they can see a cameraman taking background shots.

DS Bates is seething, 'I'm going to find out who's been leaking' she shouts after Julie Thomas. She turns her attention to the woman behind the till, 'Mrs Thomas I presume.'

Mrs Thomas looks petrified. 'Oh, um, am I in trouble? I thought that lady was from the police.'

Bates gets a gleam in her eye, 'Did she say that, did she say she was police?

'Um, well, no, now that you mention it, I don't think she did. Oh no, have I done something wrong?'

'Don't worry about that Mrs Price, just tell me what you told her, oh, and here is my warrant card so you know I am a police officer, Detective Sergeant Bates is my name, and this is my colleague Officer Leigh.'

'Yes, well, okay, yes, so I saw on the news about that poor little girl being kidnapped, Regina Balfour, they showed her picture. Well, on Thursday night I was working lates, it was near the end of my shift around 11.30. A woman in a dark car arrived, she didn't get any petrol but she came to the window. She was very upset, crying, kept looking back to the car. In the back I thought I saw a young child. Anyway, this woman was asking where the nearest hospital was and I have her directions to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. It's about 30mins away. I asked her if I could help but she just ran back to the car. The thing is, I know this shouldn't mean anything in this day and age, the woman was white and blonde, and the child seemed to be black, and, well, it did make me think of young Regina when I thought back on it.'

"Thank you," says Jocelyn. "When she left, did you notice if she went in the direction of Reading?" She nods to DS Bates. "We need to get there fast, before that reporter gets there."

'Oh, I'm sorry dear, I didn't see which way she went, you can't see it from here.' She points to the big roundabout outside the services, it allows cars to join the M4 motorway east or westbound and the A34 dual carriageway north or southbound.

If she was intending to travel to the Royal Berkshire Hospital she would have travelled eastbound on the M4, back the way she came.

"Thanks again," says Jocelyn. "Do you have the CCTV footage from that night?"

'We should do, just let me check,' she turns and shouts out the back, 'Mike, Mike, can you get the CCTV from Thursday night?'

A short, heavy set man with glasses pokes his head around a non-descript black door towards the rear of the shop, 'Course I can,' he looks around the shop, seeing only Bates and Jocelyn, 'Investigating that little girl? Nasty business. Come out the back and I'll show you what we got.'

Mike fusses around an antiquated looking CCTV system for several minutes until he eventually pulls up an image that looks fairly convincingly like Lindsay Peale standing outside the late night service window. In the background can be seen a dark car which doesn't seem to have a number plate.

"Thanks, I think that's her," says Jocelyn. "We'll need to review the footage for the time that she and the car were visible."