Page 147 of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
DATE:6 August 2021
SUBJECT:Re: The beast
FROM:Paul Cole
Dear Oliver,
Thank you for your email. These are key questions.
For the Antichrist to realise its powers, it must gravitate towards the upper echelons of society, where it has the opportunity to exert its influence. Otherwise, it will be impotent. The Antichrist is drawn to fame and wealth because they are short cuts to power. However, I believe the beast will also gravitate towards high and powerful positions subconsciously, because there are forces moving obstacles out of its way. As pawns are moved aside in a game of chess, to protect the queen as she makes her way across the board.
I’ve no idea how Gabriel was so certain. As for whether we have attained the Age of Aquarius, I’m not so sure. The world doesn’t seem to be as equal as that just yet! But do continue your research; I believe you have some very pertinent and interesting topics here for your book.
Best wishes,
Paul
Text messages between me and Police Chief Inspector Mike Dean, 6 August 2021:
Amanda Bailey
Hi Mike. When we spoke on 27 July you mentioned a female officer interviewed Holly in 1990. Can you remember her name?
Mike Dean
Nikki Sayle. She chairs a group for retired female officers; you might get in touch with her that way.
A page torn from the novelMy Angel DiaryBook 3 by Jess Adesina:
The first of June at two p.m.
Ashleigh wants a baby. There, I’ve committed it to my angel diary and that makes it real. She’s been casually mentioning it for weeks. I’ve been changing the subject.
Who will be the father? Gabriel or Joseph? If she has a baby with Gabriel, does that mean I have to get knocked up by Joe? Dotheydecide who gets to be daddy first? If only the non-angel world knew the traumatic decisions we face on a daily basis. Do I even want a baby in the flat? There’s only just room for us in this relationship, let alone another angel-being. A new, innocent one with chubby cheeks and tiny wings in its eyes.
She’s out now with Gabriel. I’m not jealous. I’m jealous but it’s OK. I’m really jealous. At the back of my mind I know one day, and soon, she will wave that positive test before my eyes like a magic baby wand of doom and the deal will be done. I’m fine with it. I’m fine.
The sixth of June at six p.m.
So, the last diary entry I made five days ago feels like a childhood crayon drawing fallen under the fridge and forgotten. It’s a long story. Settle in.
Ashleigh came back later that day, having been out with Gabriel for a suspiciously long time. I opened the door. There she stood in the corridor. My eyes fell to what was in her arms: a tiny baby wrapped in a navy-blue garment I would later discover was an Adidas hoodie.
What the actual? Like, come on. ‘Whose is it?’ I asked. That was back when I thought a rational explanation might be possible. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered. ‘But look! It’s perfect.’
Reader, it was cute, but whose was it?
It was outside the library, she said, and I swear the wings shimmered in her eyes. I was frozen to the spot, speechless, as she slid past me into the hall – in a few short steps of hers I was accessory-after-the-fact to a child abduction. I’ve not been studying law for long, but that rap sheet in myhead was getting longer with every step. Failure to report a crime. Aiding and abetting a known criminal …
Gabriel’s footsteps clattered up the stairs. He careered into the corridor, dived through the front door, slammed it shut and threw himself against it panting with relief. I started to say something. He shushed me, waved us both into the kitchen.
‘Can someone explain?’ I ask. Ashleigh replies, but her eyes stay firmly on the baby, ‘It was abandoned in a buggy. No one wants it, Tilly. This is the solution.’
‘The solution to what?’ I can’t think of any problem borrowing someone’s baby without telling them solves, but then, I’m just a simple angel trying to get by on earth.
‘The usual way is too complicated. This is the answer. Look at her face.’ Instead, I look at Gabriel’s face as he pulls the curtains firmly closed.
‘Stay away from the walls where the neighbours will hear. Tilly, when Joe comes back, you and me, we’ll go out and pick up food and equipment. We’ve got a few hours before word spreads, then we have to batten down and wait for the high-alert phase to pass.’
