23 March 2011

Jets, frets and threats...

As I'm in my own flat (for once) trying to remember which way up you hold a guitar, in order that I don't embarrass myself completely when I play to Danger, it struck me that I haven't mentioned Jet Harris yet. He was a bass guitar player and a bloody good one. Played for the Shadows, most famously. RIP.

Today was one of those frustrating days.



Took all my work to write this seminar to court with me - knowing there would be a long boring period before I got called for my moment of glory. But of course, everything is conspiring against that, so I immediately bumped into an old friend, then had a phonecall and then got called in. So no work done.

Had to head up to the river again and check what had turned up there (more spectators, not much else). Then back to the yard.

Started chipping away at the inevitable mountain of paperwork which always gets on your desk when you leave it unattended. And (this is where I'm glad there's a few miles of London inbetween me and Danger) I got a good, old fashioned, death threat. Sadly not in cut-out newspaper. Just felt pen. But worded as you'd expect, largely. Tracking me down, making me regret things, and death, if I didn't stop an investigation. As if I could.

This led to long meeting with the drugs and gangs boys (and girls). As they've also had very similar threats to some of their officers. And it all seems to be linked to this torso (which in turn is linked to drugs, which are inevitably linked to gangs). Obviously in the last week or so, while I've been stirring things up, someone's been getting a bit upset.

Needless to say none of the drugs or gangs team are dead yet. But it does mean we need to pool our information and do a lot of work to figure out just who is behind all this. We have our suspicions. Obviously I won't say on here.

And now I'm trying to play a half decent tune on my guitar, which is making the fingers that locker attacked the other week ache a bit. Hence stopping and writing this.

And this still isn't getting my seminar written...

29 comments:

John H. D. Watson said...

I suppose it means you're getting somewhere at least? Please try not to get murdered by a drug lord.

Greg Lestrade said...

Yeah. Of course, finding out what part of what we're doing is getting somewhere is the hard part...hence the meetings.

I'll do my best. I haven't been so far. And it's far from the first death threat I've ever had. Most of them are yelled from the dock though, rather than sent in the post. Saves the cost of a stamp.

John H. D. Watson said...

Just writing it out seems a bit lazy. They couldn't at least type it? Murderers had more style when Bogart was making films.

Greg Lestrade said...

Don't suppose anyone owns a typewriter nowadays.

I was really hoping for the newspaper cut-outs.

Anyway, the lab got all excited about inks and paper types and are all over it.

I know (from experience) that I don't need to say it...but do just keep an eye out, won't you? I mean, just in case anyone has been following me or anything. Which I'm sure they haven't. But y'know. Can't help worrying about you all.

John H. D. Watson said...

That's not why you're not here, is it? Because this could take ages, and we'd miss you. Miss you now, in fact. And yeah, I'll be careful. And don't worry. It's not just me looking after the boys, remember.

Greg Lestrade said...

Not entirely, no. I do have to do this stuff. And I definitely have to practice (without any hint of an audience). But it did cross my mind.

I know it's not just you looking after the boys, and I'm sure they knew what my post said before I did, but maybe just mention it to Anthea or something? But do try not to kill anyone innocently recreating crime scenes in the flat, too...

Lupe said...

Good luck with that seminar, Lestrade! I'm sure you'll do well. You can always bring the Holmes boys to help you with a reenactment. :D

Greg Lestrade said...

Cheers Lupe. The boys would definitely liven the place up! But then John really would be all alone on his birthday. Unless we all had an exciting outing to a police conference. Which really isn't my idea of a fun time. Cheap hotels in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of boring old farts... John would probably start standing me up to go to Bingo with Mrs H in retaliation.

John H. D. Watson said...

I've told her. She'll have an eye out. (Probably the murderer's if he tries anything.)

Greg Lestrade said...

Is there a secret knock I should do if I come around? Something to tell her I'm friend not foe?

What am I saying...Mummy can just activate the tracking device she's had implanted in my brain or something. Right? I'm probably a little grey dot on the screen of that blackberry.

(have I mentioned how boring seminar writing is? Or how quiet my flat is? Or how much I miss you all - dogs included?)

Lindsay said...

Fucking gangs! Those dumbfucks epitomize everything that's wrong with the human race, in my humble opinion. Selfish, short-sighted bullshit and idiot ritual and all. I swear to God it takes a point off my iq every time I read a spot of gang graffiti.

Ugh. Hope you figure out what you're doing right and catch whoever's behind the torso.

John H. D. Watson said...

Simpler than that. I'm fairly sure she's got cameras on the door and the pavement outside. No need for secret knocks, although I wouldn't put the tracking devices past her.

We miss you too. Sherlock's gone all grumpy since he found out you weren't coming.

Bee said...

@Lindsay, you can READ the graffiti?*is amazed* it just looks like a bunch of colorful squiggles to me.
Magazine cut out threats? I think people are just to lazy for that now. If someone did it it would imply they cared, and personally, I think they got they're point across quite clearly. But do take care, we'd miss you too much.

I just typed this on my smart phone and I have realized that, yes, infact it is very annoying.

Good luck with the torso case... And the seminar. I hope you don't leave it until last minute.

bee said...

I just noticed a bunch of grammatical mistakes on my comment, please ignore those. Damn you 'phone!

Anonymous said...

Gangs are seriously bad juju. Stay safe Orio. Stay very safe. John and the boys would be desperately unhappy were something to happen to you. Maybe you should start taking Phobos and Deimos to work with you. That would certainly deter me from attacking. And even if they are useless in the attack dog department, anyone who tries to jump a man with a pair of dogs that size is an idiot beyond all compare.

Also, silly Orio, you're not a grey dot. You're a little silver fox icon.
^ ^
/ \_/ \
/ \
| O O |
| \ / |
\__\o/__/

Like that one, only better.

Toodle-pip!
Bronwyn

Anonymous said...

Awwww, the fox went PBBTH!

It stole all my formatting! Fine. I'll do it with stupid place holders.

.....^....^.....
.../.\__/.\...
./.............\.
|...O...O...|
|....\...../....|
.\....\o/..../.
...\____/.....
Hopefully, the dotty version works, because he's pretty silly.

Toodle-pip!
Bronwyn

Lindsay said...

@Bee Some of it. Of course gang graffiti where I live is rather sterile- no art to it at all, mostly just scrawled names. such-and-such set up, such-and-such set down, blah blah blah.

Here's an example, you see this shit everywhere:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zombie37/2279089880/

I can read a lot of that but not all. TTP is tree top pirus, which is a Bloods set. Park Heights is probably where they are based out of. CK is for Crip Killers- they actually went ahead and wrote it out, too. Bloods put a down arrow on the C, it's a form of dis. Sometimes they put an up arrow on the B but they didn't here. Rollin 50s is another Bloods set. The 5-pointed star is a Bloods symbol, it stands for a bunch of stupid shit I can't bother to waste my brain cells remembering.

They have this whole "philosophy" but it's so incoherent, it's like something a bunch of 10 year olds came up with in their secret tree fort. Except these shmucks are running around with handguns, robbing and killing people.

...Yeah, I think I mentioned I didn't like the gangs?

Greg Lestrade said...

Thanks everyone, and don't worry, none of the others who have received threats are anywhere near dead, so I'm sure i'll be fine.

I did think about asking to borrow a dog Bronwyn, but I can only imagine what sort of chaos a bored dog would cause at the yard.

We generally deal with gangs bringing drugs in from Europe, joining up with our home grown London ones and then the infighting and territorial bollocks that results.

Danger, tell Sherlock I'm sorry. If it's any comfort to him I didn't sleep, got up before 5 and came back to work. Would rather have been with you lot.

Nicky said...

I hope you're taking this more seriously than you make out on here. I mean, a death threat? Was it actually to you - in your name, I mean? How did they find out your name? Be careful, won't you, I do worry.

And it sounds like you'd be safer at John's.

Nicky
Xx

John H. D. Watson said...

Nicky - he would be safer here, you're quite right.

L - Would be glad to loan out the dogs, but I think you'd have to take them both. Deimos gets weird and paranoid without Phobos.

Greg Lestrade said...

Nicky - yes it was in my name. But my name isn't hard to find out. Don't worry.

Danger - I think I'd need Mycroft too, to control them. I don't think the Yard is ready for two large dogs, weird and paranoid or not.

I'll try and make it over tonight, but no promises as I might be stuck here until late.

John H. D. Watson said...

You'd get a reputation. Especially if you go back to the motorcycle. Striding about in leathers with two huge, black hounds. Of course you'd have to tote them around in a sidecar, which might spoil the image a bit.

Greg Lestrade said...

Going by the LGBT leaflet and the addition to my work picture I'd say I already had one.

You're making me imagine cartoon dogs, with flying helmets and goggles, tongues hanging out of the sidecar...

God I'm bored. Feel like I'm at school, when you can see it's sunny outside but you're stuck in class. If I wasn't going through these case files with the other teams I'd find a nice outdoors case to investigate and enjoy London in the sun.

What are you up to (feel free to tone it down so I don't become insanely jealous)?

John H. D. Watson said...

Not that sort of reputation, a "dangerous" one!

Greg Lestrade said...

I imagine half the force would feel like that sort of reputation was pretty dangerous.

I shall just settle for flirting with Danger, not being dangerous myself.

John H. D. Watson said...

As long as you don't expect me to wear leather or studs.

Greg Lestrade said...

Nope.

Because I know you prefer a cool graffiti coat.

John H. D. Watson said...

I'm not even sure what that means.

Greg Lestrade said...

Oh hush, as if you haven't watched the video a thousand times.

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