• TheAngelOfDeath

Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 !![Notes]

(BenChalmers)

"When at night I go to sleep
 Fourteen angels watch do keep

 Two my head are guarding
 Two my feet are guiding

 Two are on my right hand
 Two are on my left hand

 Two who warmly cover
 Two who o'er me hover

 Two to whom 'tis given to guide my steps to heaven."

It will take more than an evening prayer to save the residents of Unity from His wrath.

guest starring Brian Blessed as MrFlanagan

A personal account can be found at HayesJournal

Episode 1: A Threat and a Promise

It all began when ClementGreer showed a group of members of TheUnitySociety TheJournalOfWilliamSmith and asked for their help in authenticating it. The Journal was more than just a very old book - it shed light on the pre-history of unity: A settlement named Raliegh until now forgotten, not even recorded in the pages of the society's history books. Moreover this book was not only the journal of a founded, but of a man who dealt with dark forces - amonst pages of cryptic illegible ramblings were clearly seen the words "Ritual to banish the Shadow King".

Then they returned to the comfort of 122, only to find a visitor waiting. Antonio DaVinci, major figure within the unity mob, and husband of one of the societies members. He explained rather forcefully that he was vexed at the danger Lisa had been placed in, and to reassure himself that the society was not desirous of vexing him, perhaps they would do a favour for him, investigate the death of one of his former employees (AlexBird) and convince his wife not to go to the police. Antonio's offer was difficult to refuse.

AlexBird died from arsenic poisioning, apparently self inflicted within a locked room. It would have been considered a cut and dried suicide had DarleneBird not pointed out:

• Alex wasn't suicidal: quite the opposite, he had just been promoted to deputy manager of TheWhiteHorse and was happier than he had been for ages

• Alex had received a letter signed The Angel Of Death, which could be read as a threat. Or as a sign of the end of the world (perhaps Darlene's preferred interpretation)

And then Ethan remembered having seen a similar letter in the office of ClementGreer

Meanwhile, in a park nearby the bird residence, Julius and Benito discussed avian artistry

In the society Library Eric became more and more fascinated by a seemingly ordinary book about 14th century embroidery

And outside the church which he believed lay on the spot where "A large flat stone was lied safely down" at the Raliegh settlement, Robert decided he needed to talk to philanphropist HilaryMerritt who was financing the church renovation.

Little did he know what was occuring only a short distance away...

Episode 2: Safe as horses

A swift phone call ensured Toni was happy for Benito and Hayes to visit TheWhiteHorse. It was a pokey little place, supporting the illigitmate drinking needs of the locality but offering little more. Nevertheless it was crowded and being made deputy manager had clearly been a significant step up the ladder for AlexBird. A few PicturesOfLincoln slipped over the counter made the barman and manager Clifford Walkerton more than happy to talk.

Alex had been given his job by Antonio DaVinci. Toni wasn't the sort to promote people who hadn't shown some sort of business acumen, so there was clearly something up. Rumours abounded, but the most enduring seed to indicate that Alex had clearly done Toni some sort of big favour. Some people were even saying he had saved Toni's life. Alex and Toni however were saying nothing. You almost got the feeling Toni wanted things that way. But whatever, Alex hadn't seemed suicidal, quite the opposite, and there were no crowds of mysterious killers, celestial or otherwise waiting in the wings. He was a man on the up and up, untill he was cruelly shot down.

ClementGreer kept to his promise. Arrangements were made for society members to visit, examine the book in greater detail, and perhaps even make some photographic records on Monday afternoon. Preperations were made and eventually Ethan, Rebecca and Alsoud paid Greer a visit.

They were met by Greer's maid who showed them to his locked office door. but this time Greer could not be persuaded to answer. A look through the keyhole showed it to be blocked - the door had been locked from inside! It was decided to push the key from the keyhole, but the wire used to do this managed not to force out the key, but instead break through a blob of wax - there was no key in the lock after all!

The key had been placed on the floor behind the door, and was skillfully retrieved by the maid, who quickly confessed that she was actually RobertaHenry, a reporter working undercover for TheUnityTimesChronicle. The door was opened and the room found to be tidy and empty. Only skillful eyes noticed the angel of death's letter and the blood trickling from the safe.

The safe was opened by HayesWebster, who seemed to know an old trick or something. The contents was somewhat disturbing: The dead bound and gagged body of ClementGreer. The cause of death was obvious: blood loss caused by overenthuseistic circumcision. Inside was also a large quantity of money and a book of accounts.

Confusion ensued as people tried to decide what should be done. Benito took the opportunity to contact Toni, and make arrangements for a cleaner to visit the site. Hayes passed this information on to the others. The action shocked the delicate sensibilities of others there who thought the police would be a better organisation to contact.

Hayes was expecting the cleaners' arrival, so after convincing Roberta to leave he answered a knock on the door. A young boy was running away, but the doormat had another letter from the angel. Hayes jumped into his car and sped off after the boy. The letter had been addressed to him.

Episode 3: Clean Conscience

{{{"Booked in for the night

• He christens her with a name She turns in back towards him And they form a crescent chain. Human is the moon On a bedsheet sky of white Down below the trains are rattling
  • through the night
    • The angel
    through the night
    • The angel"

}}}

The cleaner, SamuelPellecchia arrived and quickly set to work. He and Benito took the body, bundled in tarps out to his lorry. While Sammy made some final arrangements, Benito returned to the house to see if Rebecca had even begun mopping up the blood.

Hayes chased after the kid who had delivered the note. He cornered him in an alleyway, and was able to take him captive. The kid was cagey. He told Hayes that he had been paid to deliver the notes by a friend of his dad, BlackPhil the CoalSeller, and that he had delivered others to Bird, Greer and RuthSoto. Hayes resolved to be more persuasive later on.

Sammy never returned to the house. It wasn't his style - the man who was paid to hide evidence had left a mess. He had also left his truck out front. When people peered in, they were already expecting to see a dead body - but maybe not Sammy's body, a sword entering his mouth and exiting the back of his thoat and into the trucks floor. There was no sign of ClementGreer.

RutheSoto, the madame of Unity's most exclusive brothel, was unwilling to speak to Alsoud. He left her a message, but her staff's reaction indicated he should not darken their doorway again. Maybe she would heed his warning, maybe not.

Toni was most disturbed by the news of Sammy's death. It was becoming clear that this was more than the suicide of one man. This was an all out killing spree which seemed to centre around him. He sent a man to deal with Sammy's truck and asked Benitto to gather the others.

The kid was more willing to talk, once Hayes had him alone, and had disguised himself as GilCobbett. The man responsible for the letters, the kid said, was Alessi. He described a short thin man. It sounded like the description of Junior.

When Benitto got to the society, noone was there. They had trapsed down to the police station where RobertaHenry had discovered another death. She claimed there had been a murder in the cells - the new impregnable cells. MickeyMonahan wasn't an important member of his family, but dead in the cells, with blood eveywhere. The police were keeping quiet. Roberta had, however, been able to ascertain that Mickey had received a strange yellow letter.

Everyone was gathered together at Toni and Lisa's house. Toni was apologetic (or as apologetic a man like him can be). He had involved the society and put them - and perhaps also those he loved, in danger. Robert told Toni about Greer and the book, but Toni seemed to dismiss the idea as "more of that rubbish you keep filling Lisa's head with". Toni was also told about Junior. He didn't wan't to beleive it, but things were sounding plausible until Ruthe was mentioned. "Then it can't be Junior. Junior has something of a thing for Miss Soto"

Meanwhile, a few streets away a brothel began to smoulder and burn.

Episode 4: The Angel of Death

While Alsoud and Hayes discussed the openings in the curio market that Greer's death had left, the others investigated RobertaHenry - the only person present at all the murders, or at least all the murders that they knew who was present for. When their last lead closed, they turned to the Bible.

They noticed that the letters were all drawn from the same section of the bible, and that another passage in the same vein, mentioning locks and doors, pointed to KeirLeary, a local blacksmith who had dealings with Junior. Benito and Hayes drove to Leary's place, only to find Junior.

Junior explained that he was the Angel of Death who had sent the letters. Now everyone would take himn seriously.

They had made a powerful enemy.

The York Notes Guide To The Angel Of Death

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