Police Quest 2 Part #5 - Episode Three: Showdown with the Death Angel!

Part 5: Episode Three: Showdown with the Death Angel!

Alright. We go in, we get anything we can on Bains, and we get out.

Check. If he's on his way out of town, there isn't much time.

But first...

Oh, right, fiddling with your pistol. Again. Are we not in a rush?

We will never be in THAT much of a rush. Proper custodianship of your weapon is-

The jailer speaks to you through the PA system... "Booking desk... can I help you?"

Yeah, we'd like three large pies, one pepperoni, one meat lover's, one cigarette...

Oh, for God's sake.

After showing your ID, you hear a loud metal "clank" as the jailer releases the door locks.

Well, this place certainly has gotten a bit swankier. You even got rid of that software pirate.

Yeah, ever since that local ordinance they passed paroling anyone who was in jail for an incredibly silly reason.

Awww. I wanted to talk to him again. But I guess that ship has sailed.

Don't do this.

What? I'm just talking about our friend, the sailor on the high C++.

No, seriously, stop before it's too late.

I guess you have no reason to arrrrrest him anymore.

Hey, look, the jailer's here so we can work on the case now and you can shut up!

Yeah, usually people just escape the normal ways, by climbing the fence or going out the fire exit or going through the secret door marked "do not enter" or digging a tunnel with a spoon or wishing for freedom on a glowing stone.

Continuing... "Bains took Pate and escaped in Pate's car. I sure hope he's OK. Poor kid... he's just a rookie, you know. Heck, we just put together the file on Bains this morning, and he's gone already."

So he's got Pate's car? What does it look like?

WOW. Really. Is there a rainbow on it, too?

Do we have any witnesses to the crime?

"Yes," he says... "we have one man in custody who saw the whole thing. Saxton... Sherman Saxton is his name." The correctional officer continues... "Just walk over to the interview area, and I'll call him out."

So, what do you think? Biker? Hilarious caricature? Racist stereotype?

Or just a regular guy with a little more hair than usual.

I'm here to hear about Bains.

"Oh, yeah, the escape," he says... "That dude Bains did a number on your little jailer friend."

"It looked so easy!" Saxton says, "I mean, he just grabbed the jailer, put a knife to his throat, and sashayed right out of the jail. Unbelievable!"

Thank you for your cooperation.

At least offer him some extra cigarettes or something. See, Keith CAN contribute to the case!

Enough clowning. We need to look at some files before we go.

Shouldn't we be... you know, rushing off in hot pursuit?

I'd like to, believe me. But we don't know where to go until we report the car's description back and someone spots it. And I want to have to have as much information as we can get before we go. I don't want to find out that Bains is armed five minutes AFTER we meet him, for example.

The Jailer posted:

Which file do you want to look at?

Didn't we already look at his file?

This one might have some updates. I'm hoping in particular they have a new pi... ah, here we are.

Here we are. A more recent photo.

So we have one version for if he's had time to cut his hair and one for if he hasn't.

Good thinking. A very clear observation. Are... you feeling okay?

Cute. You said we needed to look at files, plural?

I'd like to see Pate's file as well, please.

Thank you.

Just a rookie. Damn it all.

Not much useful here.

Let's check the next page.

Well, shit.

...yeah. So we can now assume that Bains is in possession of all of this gear, although we don't know how much of it Pate had in his car.

Ok. Can we give chase now?

Yes. Yes, we can. Thanks for the help, officer!

Where the hell did Keith go?

Don't worry about him.

Believe me, I'm not. I was just kind of curious.

Watch this.

...wow.

Yep.

You'd think he could move faster.

All the cigarettes. I've told him before, but it's no good.

Your magic no-drugs talk doesn't work on him, huh?

In one ear and out the other.

Remember to call Dispatch.

Right, thanks.

Could you ask him about the stupid cigarettes?

Again? Oh, well. Keith, about the non-stop smoking...

Keith, as usual, takes in a big puff before responding.

Well, yes, honestly.

You're the worst cop ever, Keith.

Come on. Let's report back to the station and see if anyone has seen Pate's car.

OK. I have mucho paper work to finish.

Dispatch comes on the air and responds... "53mary2... 10-4. Dispatch copies 10-8 from Lytton City Jail."

Keith keys the mike... "Dispatch... 53mary2. Be advised we are enroute to the office."

Dispatch answers... "53mary2... 10-4. We copy you are enroute to the office."

Oh god this is all just so fascinating.

Keith grabs the mike and answers... "Dispatch... 53mary2. Go ahead with your traffic."

"53mary2, 10-4" dispatch continues... "Traffic Officer Haines has located a vehicle belonging to the correctional officer at at Oak Tree Mall."

Continuing, "Per Captain Hall, respond to that 10-20 and 11-98 with Officer Haines... Dispatch clear."

...

Well, you heard the man.

Right. To the mall.

Did I already say you were the worst cop, Keith? I can't remember.

Well, it bears repeating.

Keith keys the mike... "Dispatch... 53mary2. Be advised we are enroute to Oak Tree Mall."

Dispatch answers... "53mary2... 10-4. We copy you are enroute to Oak Tree Mall."

At least he's good at that.

Mercy, mercy! We almost had that bulldog for a hood ornament.

Sorry, Keith. For SOME REASON I'm having trouble seeing in here. I'm sure it couldn't possibly have to do with the cloud of smoke currently filling the interior of the car.

Can you believe the cars they give us to drive these days? I think I can get better acceleration from my ten-speed bike.

Keith has a BIKE? Okay, him in biking shorts is not a mental image I needed today.

...oh, look, we're here.

Keith contacts dispatch... "Dispatch... 53mary2 10-97 Oak Tree Mall."

Dispatch responds... "53mary2... 10-4. Dispatch copies 10-97 Oak Tree Mall."

Is that Haines?

Yeah, that's him. Good guy.

My God, give the man a prize! He has mastered basic recognition of a person he knows standing less than twenty feet away from him!

No. Stop. I completely disagree. How dare you insult my partner. How dare you.

Why do you even have that guy around, anyway?

He's actually not a bad guy if you're in a tight spot, really. And I have to have SOMEONE as my partner.

But... you have me, right?

So you're saying I should call up the Captain and tell him I'm sending Keith home because the mysterious voice in my head is providing all the backup I need?

...yes.

I'll take it under advisement.

It's been sitting here a while, though. The engine is cold.

OK. So, let's have Keith check the car while we...

Sonny, I'm going to take a look around. You go ahead and check out the car.

Uh. Alright. So how about we send Haines to...

...okay, then.

You get used to it.

So we check the car, then?

Yep. Let me get my kit.

I have been waiting so long for this. SO LONG. Cool powders! And vials! And zooming in on details! Woosh!

...

That's what it's like... right?

Yeah. Yeah, it's just like that.

OK, what is that thing doing this time?

That THING has a name, you know.

...it does?

No. No, not really.

...

I think he noticed something odd over there. He's pointing it out to you. Pointily. Like a thing that points.

Well, good luck with coming up with a name for him. I was going to go check the car anyway, so I guess I'll go over there.

Yes, yes, don't get excited. I know it's his car.

That's going to sound really bad in retrospect if his beheaded body is in there or something.

Well, only one way to find out.

OK. So we want to connect Bains to this car, right? Can we get a print off of the wheel?

Maybe, but it's a tricky surface. Let's try the glove compartment - I think he'll have gone in there.

Using the tape, you carefully "lift" the print.

Tape? TAPE? Did you just stick a goddamned piece of TAPE on there?

Sure. See, we've got a perfect picture of the print here. And now I'll just put it into this little plastic baggie and we can take it with us.

...

It's not like it's Scotch Tape, you know. It's made for this purpose.

...

"Woosh."

Let's just see what's in there.

You look at the empty holster and ponder the whereabouts of the gun. You retain it for evidence.

Ah, shit.

That's no good. No good at all.

Not really a surprise, but no. Okay. Baines is definitely armed.

Anything else in that car?

One second, I'll look around.

Just the registration, which has Pate's name on it. Come on.

Where the hell did Keith and Haines get to, anyway?

I think I see Haines now.

Oh, that looks promising.

Yeah. Let's see what she has to say.

This is Detective Bonds, ma'am.

Just call me Sonny. That's what everyone calls me.

You ask for a description of her car and she says... "Oh, yes! It's a 1986 compact Chevy station wagon. It's black, and the license number is... is... C035... Oh! That's all I can remember, officer.

Thank you, ma'am. That information is extremely helpful.

"What am I going to do now?", she says. "My husband is going to kill me when he finds out that the car was stolen!"

...get a divorce?

You can give the rest of your statement to Officer Haines, ma'am. Thank you again.

I'll take it from here, Sonny. You've got your work cut out for you.

Why does everyone always forget their license plate number?

I'm... not sure I'd remember mine. You really have yours memorized? Wait, what am I asking? Of course you do.

How does he DO that?

Just imagine that he's the world's biggest cat and this is a giant can opener.

Keith as the world's biggest cat. Great, that's another mental image that'll haunt me tonight.

I discovered that our evidence-gathering procedures are lame! And that we should remember our license plate numbers in case our cars are stolen by crazed killers!

Yes, and we also discovered some important things.

"10-4, 53mary2." Dispatch crackles back. "Attention all units..."

"Update on jail break... per 53mary2, Jesse Bains may now be armed with the correctional officer's gun... approach with caution."

Keith advises Dispatch of the stolen car information and requests notification to all units.

"53mary2... 10-4." Dispatch says.

"Attention all units!" Dispatch transmits... "Be on the lookout for one black 1986 4-door mid-size station wagon stolen from Oak Tree Mall. A partial plate of C035 was given."

So, back to the station to wait for an update.

Sonny... before we go, I have a serious question for you.

Alright, Keith. What is it?

Keith, as usual, takes in a big puff before responding.

Uh... I guess I should say... well...

Hey, he learned a new trick! Good boy! That's a good boy!

Not you! Bad Keith! Bad!

Keith grabs the mike and calls dispatch... "Dispatch... 53mary2 is 10-8 from Oak Tree Mall."

Dispatch comes on the air and responds... "53mary2... 10-4. Dispatch copies 10-8 from Oak Tree Mall."

Keith keys the mike... "Dispatch... 53mary2. Be advised we are enroute to the office."

Dispatch answers... "53mary2... 10-4. We copy that you are enroute to the office."

Keith keys the mike... "Dispatch... 53mary2. Go ahead..."

"Respond to Cotton Cove... see the jogger standing by at the phone booth."

Dispatch continues... "Jogger has info of possible foul play... Be advised I have one traffic unit responding."

Keith keys the mike... "Dispatch... 53mary2 copied."

Ah, I see it's time to give that place some more unpleasant memories for you.

Spectacular.

Keith keys the mike... "Dispatch... 53mary2. Be advised we are enroute to Cotton Cove."

Let's hope it's some good news this time.

Yes, let's. At least we're being asked to talk to a live jogger and not examine a dead one.

Oh, hey, and here I was just wondering how we could make this trip a little stupider.

Alright, Keith, whatever.

Keith contacts Dispatch... "Dispatch... 53mary2 10-97 Cotton Cove."

Dispatch responds... "53mary2... 10-4. Dispatch copies 10-97 Cotton Cove."

Hey, that's the guy you didn't want me to talk to at the station. What's wrong with him?

Nothing! Nothing. He's a perfectly nice person. Just...

Oh my God. OH MY GOD.

Dammit, I knew you'd react like that.

Tell me his first name. Tell me his first name right now.

It's... Mario.

...Mario.

He can't help it! It's not his fault!

...

Come on, let's just find out what's going on out here.

Maybe you can ask him how spicy his meatball is. Or ask him how many mushrooms he stomped on today. That wouldn't be horrible at all!

No, we're going to talk to the jogger.

Oh, officer! It was terrible. There was... oh... BLOOD and... and... drag marks to the river!"

What? Blood?

In an excited voice the woman says... "I was jogging along the river's edge, and... and I came across something that looked like blood..."

Continuing, she says, "I stopped to look, and right next to the blood, I saw marks that looked like something had been dragged into the river. And... and footprints -- I saw footprints!"

You attempt to interrupt, but she keeps rolling it out as she says... "I got scared when I heard the brush crack, so i ran down here and called the Police."

The jogger says... "Officer, please go look! I hope nothing bad has happened."

The girl tells you the location... "just walk upriver about a hundred yards or so. It's right next to the water!"

Thank you, ma'am. You stay here with Officer Gelepsi and I'll go check things out.

A blood trail and she's hoping nothing bad has happened. I'm going to call out our new friend in case he'll be of some use.