Doomwatch 1972 theatrical trailer

Story Three: WHO KILLED MIKE ARNOLD? Part 1

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OK, here is the third story in the NEW DOOMWATCH series:

"WHO KILLED MIKE ARNOLD?"

Part One

The bitterly cold wind blew sleet into the young man's face as he closed the car door and hurried along the street towards his home, tightly clutching a file of papers in his hand. He let himself into the house, locked the door again and threw the papers onto the sofa, wiping the sleet and rain off his glasses. He took his phone out of his pocket and called one of his contacts:
"Hi. I've got them out..... No I don't think anyone suspects... I'm booked on the 9.15 tomorrow, you're right it's best if I take them to London myself... yes to Doomwatch."
The young man wiped the wet off his forehead and threw off his jacket. He was about twenty-five and had the look of an older incarnation of Harry Potter about him. He also looked extremely frightened. He picked up the file walked through into the lounge, collapsing onto the sofa with a sigh. As he did so there was a loud knock on the door and the young man looked afraid. He quietly slipped out of the lounge and upstairs. He entered the front bedroom and kept the light off so that he could go to the window and look down at who was standing at the door. As he did so he gave a sigh of relief, yet also looked puzzled. He came downstairs and went to the front door, unlocking and opening it.
"Hey, why didn't you say you were on the way here when I was just speaking to you on the phone?"
As the young man turned to show the person into the house he felt a sharp pain in his side and then all was darkness.......

Charles Furness was leaving the Southbank Centre in London after attending the first night of a new performance of Benjamin Britten's opera 'Billy Budd'. As he collected his jacket and umbrella in the foyer area, Genna Miles came running up to him:
"Charles, why the hell haven't you been answering your phone? The boss wants us all back at Doomwatch HQ tonight. There's some kind of job on and it sounds really serious."
Charles gave her an anguished look:
"Sorry, I assumed it would be ok to switch it off during the performance. Ok I know we're supposed to be on 24 hour contact but I just wanted to see this production and was lucky to get the seat."
Genna smiled at him:
"The seat? You mean you're here on your own Charles? We assumed that you must be on a date."
Charles sighed:
"Yes well it was a case of either go on my own or not go at all. The endless dilemma of Charles".
He smiled and Genna hugged him:
"Come on, let's go and face the boss."

At Doomwatch HQ, Peter Ashton-Scott was pacing up and down in the main office. The rest of the Doomwatch team were sat waiting, Steve Allen reading a report on his tablet. Ashton-Scott looked up at the clock on the wall:
"Where the hell are they? This is completely unprofessional and the sort of thing I'd associate with that amateurish outfit centred around Adam Quist. "
He turned towards a man in his sixties who was sat at the table beside him:
"I'm so sorry about this Geoff. Normally I can account for the whereabouts of my team at all times and they all know that they need to remain in immediate contact 24-7."
As he spoke the door opened and Genna and Charles entered the room.
"Where the hell have you been?" Ashton-Scott barked at Charles:
"I'm really sorry Peter. Look I just had to turn my phone off during the opera, if it had gone off I'd have been mortified."
Ashton-Scott took off his glasses and threw them onto the table:
"Mortified? You were given clear instructions that you could by all means visit the cinema or theatre on nights off but that you must on all occasions keep your phone on, regardless of the circumstances. Do you think that this is just some ordinary job? Doomwatch is a vocation and one which requires complete commitment and moral fibre. If you're not up to that then it's time to move on."
Steve Allen looked up from his tablet:
"Hang on, don't you think that's a bit harsh....."
"Harsh? I'll tell you what's harsh. It's harsh that right now the planet is reaching a tipping point where global warning may become irreversible. It's harsh that the earth is entering the sixth mass extinction while world governments' action on global pollution remains woefully inadequate. That is what I consider harsh", Ashton-Scott barked back. Charles sat down and flicked his long hair out of his eyes:
"I'm really sorry Peter. Look please don't doubt my commitment to this organisation. I totally share your passion and your concern for these issues. I realise that I've made a bad call on this but I assure you that the impression it gives of my dedication is a false one. I can only apologise."
Steve Allen interjected:
"Look can we all just move on and get on with the briefing."
Ashton-Scott frowned:
"Well yes, we'd better. Colleagues, may I introduce to you our guest. This is Mr Geoff Hardcastle, one of the original Doomwatch team."

The man in his sixties stood up and began to speak. He wore a battered leather jacket and jeans. He had put on weight since the 1970s but his long grey hair gave him something of the look of that generation ; the look of the battered old 1970s survivor.
"Hi everyone. I'm here because I need your help in investigating something which goes beyond anything Doomwatch ever stumbled upon in the old days. Since I left the organisation in 1971 I've had a number of jobs but for the lastten years before I retired I was working at the Mersea Centre, the nuclear power research centre near to Bradwell Power Station"....
Ashton-Scott gave a visible scowl, which Hardcastle noticed:
"Your boss has made his disapproval crystal clear to me earlier, however I truly came to believe that nuclear was the only viable and immediate solution to global warming. As you may or may not know, the Mersea Centre is run as a partnership between the government and the French company L'Orleans. One of our best young scientists, Mike Arnold, came to see me with a range of concerns regarding what L'Orleans were up to and was making claims about how money for nuclear energy research was being siphoned off for some other purpose. Obviously I've been out of the loop since I retired but I'd kept in touch with Mike as he was the most brilliant young scientist I've ever worked with. Two days ago Mike was found stabbed to death in an alley in Colchester."
Geoff threw a copy of the Colchester Gazette onto the table:
NUCLEAR SCIENTIST FOUND STABBED TO DEATH
screamed the headline. The photograph showed the face of a young man who resembled an older version of Harry Potter.....
............to be continued.

Part 2

Ashton-Scott skimmed through the newspaper article with a look of focused concern:
"Hmmm, it states that the police are treating this as a mugging that turned lethal. They may of course be right but in the light of what Geoff has just said, I think we need to investigate further."
Brian Eddowes interjected:
"Did you say the chap was called Arnold? He phoned us earlier in the week. I took the call."
Eddowes fumbled in his pocket for his notebook:
"Ah here it is. Michael Arnold from Colchester. He said he had some papers that would be of interest to us and that he was going to send 'em to us special delivery. But nowt has arrived from him."
"Did he leave a contact number? Didn't you follow up on it?" Geoff Hardcastle asked. Ashton-Scott looked up:
"We get all sorts of cranks phoning us and sending us material Geoff. Most of it involving alien abductions, UFO cover-ups and the like . All manner of conspiracy allegations. We cannot possibly follow up on everything. However I assure you that Doomwatch will investigate this thoroughly. Anything involving misuse of nuclear technology goes to the top of the pile. Tomorrow Steve, I want you to speak to the police in Colchester. Charles and Genna, you need to pay a visit to this Mersea Centre. Have a sniff around and try to get a feel for the management style."

The next morning, Steve Allen was in Colchester Police Station speaking to Chief Superintendent Laura Scott. Laura was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties and Steve felt that a turning on the charm approach might work. He smiled:
"A cold looking office you have here. It could do with a more modern décor in keeping with a young, modern and highly attractive officer."
Superintendent Scott frowned:
"I do not have time to discuss the layout of my office with you and neither I suspect do you. Please get to the point Mr Allen."
Steve laughed:
"Ok. But perhaps we could go somewhere more relaxed. Is there a pub or bar nearby, it is lunchtime after all."
Superintendent Scott fixed him with a cold stare:
"Mr Allen I am not in the habit of discussing police matters in pubs. Now get to the point please. Exactly what does Doomwatch want to know regarding the recent murder here in Colchester?"
"We'd just like to know if there is anything at all to indicate that this was anything other than a robbery gone wrong. That this may have been a targeted pre-arranged hit."
Superintendent Scott picked up a file and skimmed through it:
"Nothing at all. It is all in here. Scene of crime officers found no evidence other than that pointing to a casual mugging. I have said many times that we need stiffer penalties for those who carry knives and I believe that the government are now listening."
"So why did a young, successful scientist just happen to be lurking around in a dark alley? Also can you tell me whether any files or paperwork regarding his work at the Mersea Centre Nuclear Research Centre was found in his home", Steve asked. Scott frowned:
"The case is still under investigation. However we are pursuing the line of enquiry that Mr Arnold may have been lured into the alley by his attacker or attackers on some sexual pretext. The area in question is known to be frequented by young women on the game. As for your second question, scene of crime officers have recorded all paperwork examined in the victim's home."
"That is not what I asked".
"Mr Allen, I am not an expert in nuclear science. However it states in the scene of crime report here that all paperwork removed from the victim's house was of a personal nature. I hope that answers your question. Now if you would excuse me I have a busy day ahead. Goodbye."
Steve stood up and sighed:
"I may need to call on you again. Perhaps we could arrange to talk further over a meal away from the icy formality?"
Scott looked up coldly and put down her pen:
"I don't think so Mr Allen. I find your constant suggestions that we meet informally both unprofessional and distasteful. Goodbye."

Meanwhile Charles and Genna were having lunch in a vegan café before catching a bus to the Mersea Centre. Genna was reading about the centre on her tablet:
"Their website states that the L'Orleans corporation are on of the leading pioneers of French research into nuclear fusion energy. Where the energy creation mirrors that of the sun by fusing hydrogen atoms together."
Charles sipped his organic tea and sighed:
"Well certainly nuclear fusion could provide far more energy than mere fission technology. But the same environmental problems would still exist, particularly what to do with the waste. I can see why Geoff Hardcastle would be attracted to the idea of nuclear in terms of a temporary necessity to cut carbon emissions until renewables have expanded enough to supply more energy. However I do think that he is ignoring the problem that the more we come to rely on nuclear the less incentive there is to expand renewables."
As Charles spoke, a young man with long hair and a beard arrived with their food order, two falafel burgers with hummus and salad. He overheard part of what Charles was saying:
"Hi, I'm Jed. I couldn't help overhearing what you were saying. Are you here for the demo?"
"What demo?" Genna asked:
"Oh sorry, my mistake. Some of us are going down to that Mersea Centre this afternoon to stage a protest. I'm with the Action Against Nuclear Contamination (AANC) group. Direct action is the only way to deal with those bastards. Last time we broke in to expose how lax their security is."
Charles looked up:
"Did any of you take any photographs Jed? I'm Charles by the way and this is Genna, we are with Doomwatch."
"Oh yeah, I've heard of you. Yeah you're good though a bit establishment. Yeah we took loads of pictures."
Charles pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and jotted an email address on it:
"Could you send the pictures to me and I'll pass them onto the Doomwatch team for analysis. We are on the same side here I'm sure. Our boss is about as nuclear-sceptic as you can get."

As Charles and Genna left the vegan café they failed to notice a young man in a leather jacket watching from the other side of the road. He lifted his phone:
"They've just left the café. Yes, the same one where Jed Adams works... yes.... what take Adams out?"
Later, Jed Adams finished his shift and left the café on his bike , cycling through the town towards the railway station where he was to meet up with his fellow activists. As he cycled down a side street a man stepped out in front of him and caused him to swerve into the pavement:
"Hey watch it mate...."
Before he could finish he was grabbed from behind and bundled into the back of a car. An hour later his body was floating down the river colne.......

..........to be continued.