REDMAN

***REDMAN*** is the first episode of the first season of *Dead Man's Phone*.

## Synopsis

*A teenage boy falls from a London tower block. A murder investigation is launched.*

## Plot

DCI Sutherland calls you and debriefs you on the incident at Stafford Tower block - a teenage boy has fallen and died, and residents think a violent incident happened. Sutherland identifies the boy as Jerome Jacobs, 16 years old, a resident at the block. The officers first on the scene, PC Bronson and PC Maguire, are taking witness statements.

PC Bronson reports no one saw the incident, but someone heard Jerome shout ‘redman’, though it could’ve been misheard for ‘dead man’. It sounded like there were multiple people chasing Jerome. Bronson and Maguire are sent to conduct a patrol of Spring Block, allegedly where a rival gang operates.

A metal mask has been found on the crime scene. Vikram sweeps it for DNA - no DNA apart from Jerome’s has been found - and Sophie identifies its origin - a chrome costume mask common among south London gangs.

From looking through Jerome’s Chatsapp messages, you discover Jerome and his group of friends Lucas, Keiran, Aaron and Will, known as SE15, attended a rave the night of the murder, with Lucas and Keiran intending to bring knives, and Keiran mentioning the Spring Block gang. Jerome left the party alone. In the chat with his mum, Jerome implies he is troubled by something to do with a girl he’s been seeing, and lies about attending the party the night of his death.

Vikram finds Jerome’s abusive stepdad Marcus’ DNA on a cut on Jerome’s face. Marcus is brought in for questioning, believing it’s something to do with domestic abuse. When he is informed Jerome is dead, he doesn’t believe it at first, thinking it’s some kind of police tactic, but when he realises it’s serious, decides to cooperate. He reveals Maya, Jerome’s mum, found out about his unemployment and confronted him, so he hit her, with Jerome bursting in to protect her. Marcus, struggling to remember, recalls seeing Jerome the night before on a quiet street, headphones in, and attempts to talk to him, smacking him when he won’t. Jerome put on the chrome mask and walked off. You can either charge Marcus with abuse or let him go.

Lucas is brought in for questioning as he might know something about Jerome’s murder. He explains the group went to the party but he and Keiran left early. They came across a group of boys wearing chrome masks, who called for their Spring Block olders. Lucas snatched the mask off one of them, and he and Keiran ran away in opposite directions. Lucas came across Jerome and shouted to warn him, but he couldn’t hear him because he had his headphones in. Sutherland theorises that Jerome found the mask, and Spring Block mistook him for Lucas, hunting him down. Lucas finds that hard to believe and asks to go home. You can either charge him with assault or let him go.

PC Bronson calls you to inform you nothing has happened on their patrol but he suddenly hears a scream around the corner and finds a boy stabbed, and someone with a knife running away. You can ask Bronson to either aid the victim or chase the attacker.

## BBO News headlines

* John Greenlees named the annual ‘Giving Hero’ by the Charity Trust
* Mexico virus outbreak: Mystery illness investigated in Hermosillo
* Raymond Steele demonstrates ‘superpower’ human microchip implant
* Man charged in connection with fatal tower block ‘fall’ (if you decide to charge Marcus)