Free Lavender Hill by P. J. Garland

Jack Clarke.”
    The Tall Man lifted the lapel of his jacket and spoke into a hidden microphone.
    “Can we have a check on a Jack Clarke?”
    As he turned away, Jack noticed a small, skin coloured earphone placed in his ear, with the thin cord running down the side of his neck. The Tall Man turned back to Jack after appearing to listen to something.
    “Residence in Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London?”
    “Yes,” replied Jack, and looked over to Amy to check she didn’t react to him giving the wrong address.
    “OK, Mr Clarke, some of our colleagues would have called at your house in London, but seeing as you are here with Ms Stola we can request that both of you come with us back up to London.”
    “Why? Why do you want us to come with you?”
    “We are requesting interviews from a selection of people that have stated they experienced the Rapture, and your names were amongst that group.”
    “Do we have a choice?” asked Amy.
    “We can request a more formal demand for you to attend these interviews, Ms Stola.”
    “Can we get ready? We’ve only just woken up,” asked Jack.
    “Yes, of course – ten minutes let’s say?”
    Jack and Amy went to walk over to the bedrooms, but the men quickly stopped them.
    “Check the rooms,” ordered the Tall Man to the other agents, who then quickly checked the rooms for possible ways of escape. “Take enough for an overnight stay,” he said as the men returned.
    Amy and Jack both instinctively went straight to the bathroom so they could speak to each other.
    Jack whispered to Amy, “Don’t mention my house in Devon, or what we’ve discovered.”
    “OK – why do you think they want to speak to us?”
    “I don’t know, Amy. But I’m sure it’ll be OK.”
    They collected some things from the bathroom, and then their rooms, before going back to the living room.
    Jack and Amy followed the agents out to their car. They sat next to each other and held hands as the car was driven quickly out of Bristol and towards London.
     
    *****
     
    11:32am
    Jeremy sat in the studio watching Katie on a large screen. She was standing on a balcony overlooking Trafalgar Square in central London. The square was full of people and the crowds were swelling onto the surrounding streets and blocking traffic from moving around the square. At one end of the square was a stage and the sounds of speeches, applause and cheering resonated within the arena created by the beautiful old stone buildings surrounding the square.
    Katie turned to address the camera. “We can now see Rebecca Hartley taking to the stage. She has become a focal point for this rally, and the crowd have been waiting for her speech. Apparently, she intends to speak to the crowd about media bias in the reporting of the Rapture.”
    Jeremy momentarily looked uncomfortable before quickly saying, “How would you describe the rally so far, Katie?”
    Katie seemed hesitant as if she was about to talk over an important part of the rally, while in the background Rebecca Hartley began to speak.
    “Uh... it’s been peaceful. The speeches have focused on a religious interpretation of the Rapture, which we haven’t heard much in Western countries.”
    “...we should begin with a pray to our saviour...” Rebecca Hartley could be heard to say in the distance as small snippets of her speech wafted over the square and through the cheering crowds.
    Stating matter-of-factly, Jeremy said, “Well, it’s clear from the size of this rally there isn’t much enthusiasm from the religious community for a religious interpretation of the Rapture.”
    “I don’t know. There have been reports of other gatherings around the country.”
    “...our views are not being represented in the media, friends...”             
    Jeremy’s expression hardened as he heard Ms Hartley in the background. “Yes, but these gatherings are small in comparison.”
    “Yes, I suppose so,” replied Katie.
    “...I was forced off 24/7 News