Chapter 6 – After 10pm

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Jenks (to himself): Ten o’clock. It’s getting late. I’m gonna have to pick up the pace if I’m gonna solve this by midnight.

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WITNESSING REBECCA AND RYAN AT THE PUB

Rebecca: Tell him about Simon.
Ryan: I really don’t think it’s my place, darling.
Rebecca: It IS your place. Here.
Ryan: I just don’t want to tell tales.
Rebecca: TELL him about Simon. You know what happens when you don’t do as I say.
Ryan: Ah, so it’s going to be THAT kind of evening, is it?
Rebecca: If you play your cards right.
Ryan: Only if you deal.
Jenks: Problems?
Ryan: Hello, Inspector. See you later.

Jenks (to himself): Well, isn’t that interesting?

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ANYTHING TO SAY, REBECCA?

Jenks: The cupboard downstairs, there’s a lot of unopened stuff in it…
Rebecca: Is there?
Jenks: Prescriptions, made out to you.
Rebecca: Oh, they’re just spare painkillers. The chemist always gives us too many, he’s a friend of the family.

Jenks: So… You don’t take any medicines, except for prescription painkillers.
Rebecca: Well, they’re not actually for me, they’re Ryan’s. For some reason, the chemist always makes them out to my name. He’s an old gentleman.
Jenks: Does Ryan NEED prescription painkillers?
Rebecca: Yes, he’s got arthritis.
Jenks: Really? He’s young to suffer from that, isn’t he?
Rebecca: He doesn’t have it badly, but he does need medication from time to time.
Jenks: What medicine?
Rebecca: I couldn’t tell you to be honest. Ryan will know.
Jenks (to himself): So Ryan’s the one using the prescriptions. I think I might have a word with him to work out exactly what this medicine is.

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IS YOUR WHOLE FAMILY CRAZY, PAUL?

Jenks: When did Ryan begin to suffer from arthritis?
Paul: Ryan doesn’t suffer from arthritis.
Jenks: Really?
Paul: The only thing that Ryan suffers from is a pathetic inability to deal with any kind of discomfort. He pulled his back some time last year, since then he’s going around telling everyone he suffers from arthritis.
Jenks: I thought he had medication for it.
Paul: Oh, he only has medication because his GP, who is almost as dysfunctional as he is, keeps prescribing it for him.
Jenks: So you don’t believe he really has arthritis?
Paul: Not at all.

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WITNESSING SIMON LOSING SOMETHING

Jenks (to himself): Bit careless, Simon! Probably nothing important, but at this stage, I need all the clues I can get.

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INTERVIEWING EMMA

Jenks: Did you know about Ryan’s arthritis?
Emma: Arthritis? I didn’t think Ryan had arthritis.

Jenks: Have you seen this before?
Emma: Erm… no, sorry. Never heard of him.

Jenks: What do you know about this?
Emma: This is Simon’s! I bought this for him when we were on holiday! Has he lost it?
Jenks: He dropped it.
Emma: He can’t keep anything!

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INTERVIEWING SIMON

Jenks: Did you know about Ryan’s arthritis?
Simon: Ryan? He’s got arthritis?
Jenks: Apparently.
Simon: No, I didn’t know. I hadn’t noticed he had any problems.

Jenks: I think you dropped this outside. Someone you know?
Simon: Oh, this is just from some IT guy I met, I don’t need it.
Jenks: Fair enough. I noticed some numbers on the back, do you need these?
Simon: I don’t know, what is it?
Jenks: One, nine, zero, five.
Simon: Oh… that’s just a PIN for something, it’s OK, I can remember it.
Jenks: So not an off-shire savings account or anything…?
Simon: No, no, it’s… It’s not important.

Jenks: Is this yours?
Simon: Yeah… It’s from my keys, where did you find that?
Jenks: Just outside.
Simon: Oh… it must have come off when Nathan dropped my keys off. He was borrowing my car.
Jenks: That’s very trusting!
Simon: I suppose it is. I am a bit too trusting really! It’s a new car as well.

Jenks: So the bike’s the only way you can get to work, yes?
Simon: Yep.
Jenks: What’s wrong with the car?
Simon: I can’t drive the car, can I? I don’t have my license.
Jenks: Right…
Simon: I got a windfall from an insurance pay-out, figured I’d buy something sensible with it straight away instead of wasting the money.
Jenks: What was the insurance pay-out?
Simon: It was for a laptop that got stolen down at Atlas.
Jenks: At Atlas?
Simon: Well, they didn’t break in, I think they just walked in and took it. The laptop was in a storeroom, but I think the lock was broken to be honest.
Jenks: Doesn’t sound like they’re taking their security very seriously.
Simon: Actually it got a lot better after that.
Jenks: Think I’ll check it anyway…
Jenks (to himself): It must have been a very nice laptop to be able to buy a car with the insurance… Or a very cheap car. Might have to have a talk with Ryan about his security measures.

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EMMA AGAIN

Jenks: Did you know about Simon’s laptop being stolen?
Emma: Yeah, because it had all my college work on it, which I hadn’t backed up or saved. Not that it mattered much, but I did buy a new one… And Simon uses it now. When I let him.

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ODD THINGS, RYAN

Jenks: Do you know what the medicine in the cupboard at the pub is for?
Ryan: You’d better ask Rebecca about that, I’m not exactly sure what’s in there. She tends to keep her wares under lock and key. Do you know, our wedding night was quite a surprise.

Jenks: Tell me about your arthritis.
Ryan: Oh, you’ve found out about that. Well, yes, I’m old before my time!
Jenks: That’s very unlucky to have it so young.
Ryan: Well, I take a lot from life, Inspector, and sometimes life likes to give you a little bit back. It’s not too bad, it’s not too debilitating, it’s mainly some in my right hand, some in my left hand. It’s not particularly a problem. Makes it difficult to hold small things though…
Jenks: What do you take for it?
Ryan: I get a prescription pain killer.
Jenks: How often do you need that?
Ryan: Not often, as and when. I keep some here, I keep some at home. It’s not a problem.

Jenks: Know anything about this?
Ryan: Er… No, I don’t, sorry. We have our own IT chap. Lovely chap in fact. Fat and sweaty though. Sounds like a double act, doesn’t it! Hmmm…

Jenks: Have you seen this before?
Ryan: No, sorry.

Jenks: Were you at Atlas when Simon’s laptop was stolen?
Ryan: I believe I was, yes. It was taken from the storeroom in the hallway.
Jenks: Was it ever recovered?
Ryan: No, we didn’t catch anyone. We’re quite exposed out here… Somebody could have just wandered along the lane, seen into the storeroom, it’s not particularly secure, they could have been in and out in minutes. That’s why we advise people to keep their valuables with them, you can’t be too careful these days, Inspector.

Jenks: So you don’t keep any medicines on site at Atlas?
Ryan: No.
Jenks: Except… your prescription pain killers.
Ryan: Well… these are not available to the students.
Jenks: But they ARE kept on site?
Ryan: Yes, but they’re locked away, they’re in a store room. Nobody could have had access to them.
Jenks: Are you sure about that?
Ryan: Absolutely sure.
Jenks: And what ARE the pain killers, Ryan?
Ryan: They’re pain killers, just pain killers. Normal pain killers.
Jenks: Paracetamol? Codeine? Morphine?
Ryan: Well, alright, they’re morphine tablets, yes!
Jenks: Oh, really?
Ryan: Oh, come on Inspector! I know what you’re thinking, but there’s no way Kate could have had access to them.
Jenks: Because they’re in the store room?
Ryan: Not just that… she wouldn’t have even known about them, or where they were.
Jenks: Sure about that?
Ryan: YES.
Jenks (to himself): So it’s morphine Ryan’s taking. The pieces are starting to come together. Now I just have to work out how Kate got hold of it. If it was Ryan’s morphine she got hold of, of course.

Jenks: So the store room isn’t particularly secure, yet you keep your morphine tablets in there? I thought you said no-one could have access to the morphine… but they could, quite easily, couldn’t they, Ryan?
Ryan: I didn’t mean THAT store room, I meant a different store room. I keep them in there.
Jenks: OK. So where WAS it locked up?
Ryan: It’s upstairs. It’s got a combination lock on it… Nobody could have had access to it, except me and dad. Nobody!
Jenks: I might have a look at that if you don’t mind.
Ryan: Don’t mind at all.
Jenks (to himself): A combination locked room? I see. I might have a look around for that, see how secured and combination locked it really is.

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INSIDE ATLAS MIRROR ROOM

Recorded voice: Welcome to the Mirror Room. This exercise is all about identifying the difference between the image, one presents to the world and one’s real self, which lies deep in our unconscious. As you move through the network of mirrors, practice seeing yourself as a stranger. The more you separate from your persona, the more aware you will become of your true desires and ambitions. Chant with us… I am free from my image… I am free from my past… I am free from myself… I am free from my image… I am free from my past… I am free from myself… I am free from my image… I am free from my past… I am free from myself…

[NEW TRACK] This exercise involves the use of liberation masks…

[NEW TRACK] You have now completed module one. Module two covers boundary testing, threshold testing and extreme testing. Please read the notes carefully before attempting the module.

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WHAT THE HECK, RYAN?

Jenks: Can you tell me what you know about the mirror room upstairs?
Ryan: Oh, you’ve found that then! Well, it’s very similar to the costumes, Inspector. It’s designed to help students look at themselves differently.
Jenks: And what do you do with the mirrors?
Ryan: You look at yourself, Inspector. You look at yourself until you start seeing yourself as others do… and you don’t see yourself as you do anymore. It’s.. The idea is that you can see yourself, eventually, any way you wish.
Jenks: So why in a locked room?
Ryan: To make sure you’re not distracted, that’s all.
Jenks: How often is it used?
Ryan: Not often, few times a month. Some students find it useful, some don’t.

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EMMA? NO WAY…

Jenks: Do you know about the mirror room at Atlas?
Emma: The mirror room… No, I heard about it, but I think it was only for the students later on in the course. Something like that.

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SIMON!

Jenks: Do you know about the mirror room at Atlas?
Simon: Yeah.
Jenks: What is it used for?
Simon: It’s mainly for the autohypnosis module. You go in, stare into the mirror and… you go into a trance. Then when you’re ready, you come back out.
Jenks: So you just go in whenever you want to?
Simon: No, there are certain times when you’re allowed in, and only they know the combination anyway so… You can’t really get in.
Jenks: You don’t know the combination?
Simon: No.

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OR REBECCA?

Jenks: Have you seen this before?
Rebecca: No.

Jenks: Do you know anything about this?
Rebecca: No, sorry.

Jenks: Do you know anything about a locked room at Atlas with mirrors in it?
Rebecca: Not off the top of my head, no. I think that’s a question for Ryan.

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I DON’T TRUST YOU, PAUL!

Jenks: Do you know who this is? Dean Hayfield, Aztech.
Paul: Sorry, never heard of him. We have some prisoner sort, does our IT. Large guy. No manners.

Jenks: Seen this before anywhere?
Paul: No.

Jenks: What do you know about Simon’s laptop being stolen from Atlas?
Paul: I know I wasn’t happy about it.
Jenks: What did you do about it?
Paul: Ryan paid a conman to install a complicated CCTV system at twice the price that it would probably have cost. Seemed to do the trick though, we haven’t had a theft since.

Jenks: Can you tell me about the room with the mirrors at Atlas, the one with the combination lock?
Paul: How did you get in there?
Jenks: I was given the code for the combination.
Paul: By Ryan?
Jenks: Well, nobody else is allowed to know the code, are they?
Paul: Not in theory.
Jenks: So how is the room used on the course then?
Paul: It’s a meditation room, where the students can reflect on themselves. Literally.
Jenks: And what about the CD?
Paul: That helps too, it’s part of the programme.
Jenks: So you send the students into the room, they put the CD on, they stare into the mirrors… And how long does this last for?
Paul: Until the CD finishes or they fall asleep, what else would you like to know?

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SIR, YES, SIR!

Chief: Jenks.
Jenks: Yes, Chief. Made a very interesting discovery at Atlas. Ryan told me about the combination locked room there, he said that’s where he kept the morphine and that nobody had access. Except… I let myself in there earlier, using a PIN number that I found written on the back of a card dropped by Simon.
Chief: That was a very long sentence, Jenks.
Jenks: Thank you, sir.
Chief: So what does Simon say about this?
Jenks: Well I haven’t really questioned him properly about it yet.
Chief: So why are you calling me? Get back to Thompson! And call me back when you’ve got a proper question for me!
Jenks: Yes, Chief. Sorry. Speak later.

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YOUR TURN, SIMON?

Jenks: So you didn’t know the combination to the locked mirror room?
Simon: No.
Jenks: Except… You’d written it down, hadn’t you? This is the combination to the mirror room, Simon, that YOU wrote. It isn’t a PIN, it’s a combination.
Simon: Yeah…
Jenks: You see, this sort of thing makes me suspicious, Simon… What were you doing in there that you didn’t want anyone, including me, to find out?
Simon: It’s just part of the course, isn’t it? I just wanted to go in there when I was ready.
Jenks: On your own? You didn’t give the number to anyone else?
Simon: No.
Jenks: Simon… There was morphine kept in that room that might have played a part in Kate Vines’ death. Did Kate have the number?
Simon: Yes, OK… We both went in.
Jenks: Together?
Simon: We were trying to out-do each other, we both tried some morphine.
Jenks: What do you mean, trying to out-do each other?
Simon: It’s part of the course, to see how far you can push yourself, to see if you could do something you wouldn’t normally do.
Jenks: When was this?
Simon: Few months ago?
Jenks: How often did you try it?
Simon: Only that once, I’d never do it again.
Jenks: How about Kate?
Simon: I don’t know. Sorry.

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