POI fic: Bingo
TITLE: Bingo
AUTHOR: whomii2
DISCLAIMER: do not own
SUMMARY: part of the Games series
They were pretty sure the elderly woman who was their latest number would be a victim rather than a perpetrator. However it was difficult to see where a possible threat might come from. She lived modestly on her pension. She rarely left her home, and the greatest source of excitement in her life seemed to be from her daily soaps (with which Finch and Reese had become all too familiar in the course of their otherwise tedious surveillance of the Number). When they heard her making plans to go out to a charity event at her church they decided that this would most likely be the time when something might happen.
Unfortunately the event was Ladies Bingo Night - and Carter was away with Taylor. Zoe was also unavailable. They didn't think monitoring the situation from a distance was wise, as it might take them too long to respond to a threat, especially with so many other innocents who could be collateral damage. Finch volunteered to be their eyes inside, but Reese was reluctant to send him in alone. He would not be very effective if violence broke out, and the problem of response time remained. Reese decided that he would have to go undercover as well, to act if necessary and to serve as another pair of eyes to look out for anything suspicious in the crowded Bingo room. And if Reese was going in, so was Fusco.
Finch took on the task of obtaining the elements of their undercover disguises, as Fusco was tied up with police work and Reese wanted to stay watching the number on the slim chance that they were wrong about when the anticipated attack might occur. Reese figured Finch must have visited some thrift shops as their outfits had a comfy, careworn appearance that made them seem less costume-y than crisp new store-bought clothes.
Finch was in a neatly tailored pink suit, complete with silk scarf tied in bow and a demure string of pearls. With his grey wig and the way he sat rigidly yet demurely in his chair, John thought he looked rather like the church lady from Saturday Night Live. John was a bit surprised at the beige compression stockings Finch had put on before slipping into his orthopedic shoes. Harold dryly commented that he had neither the inclination nor the flexibility to shave his legs, and the stockings provided adequate camouflage.
Reese had done some shaving of his own, though only the usual facial hair. Stubble might be a bit hard to explain. Harold had obtained an extra-large velour track suit for John's outfit. The pants were baggy enough for comfort but unfortunately not long. A pair of brown Ugg boots concealed the fact that the pants ended a few inches above John's ankles. The baggy jacket helped conceal Reese's gun in his shoulder holster. John hoped the room where they would play bingo wouldn't be too hot, as unzipping the jacket was not an option. Not only would the shoulder holster be a problem, but John had decided to supplement the padded bra Finch had given him by stuffing in a few grenades. The bra worked surprisingly well as a grenade hammock, but to allow easy access if they became necessary he was wearing it on top of his undershirt. He definitely didn't want anyone catching a glimpse of his explosive undergarment. To round out his disguise Finch had gotten him a long brown wig. The bangs and long hair, as well as a pair of large round tortoise-shell glasses with gold accents helped to conceal John's face.
Fusco didn't have a wig. Instead he had a number of velcro rollers stuck throughout his curly hair, and covered over with a large silk scarf. He had a pair of catseye shaped glasses with rhinestones on the pointed edges. But the real distraction was the long floral mumu dress he was wearing, its colors so bright they hurt the eyes.
After checking out each other's disguises to ensure that they were sufficient (and an obligatory round of teasing comments between Reese and Fusco) they set off for the church. Once they purchased their cards, they settled down to keep an eye on their Number and the surrounding room in anticipation. While Fusco and Reese had only one card each, Finch had bought several. Harold settled in with his cards spread out in front of him, before removing his phone and an official Bingo marker from his voluminous purse. John might have worried about Harold not paying enough attention to the Number if he didn't know the man was such an accomplished multi-tasker.
The time passed slowly, Finch having a Bingo and winning a gift basket of toiletries being the only excitement. Until late into the evening it finally happened-a trio of masked perpetrator's burst into the room, demanding the money and the prizes. Two of the perpetrators weren't much of a threat as they were using toy guns. They looked real enough to people who weren't used to firearms, but Reese and Fusco weren't fooled. The third robber had a real weapon, although he clearly wasn't too familiar with its use. Clued in to the real threat by Reese's commentary over the ear wig, Finch created a distraction by screeching and tossing his gift basket into the air. With all eyes drawn to the basket, Reese tackled the armed perpetrator while Fusco pulled his gun on the other two, who quickly surrendered.
It was only during interrogation later that they found out the source of the threat to their Number. The gunman was her estranged nephew. He was an addict with a history of petty crime to support his addiction. As her only living relative, he had wanted to inherit her meagre savings as well as her insurance. But with his history he would have been a prime suspect if she were found murdered. He knew of her habit of attending the church Bingo nights, and had decided that if she were killed during a robbery he could avoid suspicion when he collected his inheritance. He had talked two fellow addicts into joining him, but had not shared with them his plan to kill his great aunt and perhaps a few other players as a way of covering his tracks.
Fusco just shook his head when he shared the details with them later. Definitely one of the stupider criminals he had dealt with this month.
AUTHOR: whomii2
DISCLAIMER: do not own
SUMMARY: part of the Games series
They were pretty sure the elderly woman who was their latest number would be a victim rather than a perpetrator. However it was difficult to see where a possible threat might come from. She lived modestly on her pension. She rarely left her home, and the greatest source of excitement in her life seemed to be from her daily soaps (with which Finch and Reese had become all too familiar in the course of their otherwise tedious surveillance of the Number). When they heard her making plans to go out to a charity event at her church they decided that this would most likely be the time when something might happen.
Unfortunately the event was Ladies Bingo Night - and Carter was away with Taylor. Zoe was also unavailable. They didn't think monitoring the situation from a distance was wise, as it might take them too long to respond to a threat, especially with so many other innocents who could be collateral damage. Finch volunteered to be their eyes inside, but Reese was reluctant to send him in alone. He would not be very effective if violence broke out, and the problem of response time remained. Reese decided that he would have to go undercover as well, to act if necessary and to serve as another pair of eyes to look out for anything suspicious in the crowded Bingo room. And if Reese was going in, so was Fusco.
Finch took on the task of obtaining the elements of their undercover disguises, as Fusco was tied up with police work and Reese wanted to stay watching the number on the slim chance that they were wrong about when the anticipated attack might occur. Reese figured Finch must have visited some thrift shops as their outfits had a comfy, careworn appearance that made them seem less costume-y than crisp new store-bought clothes.
Finch was in a neatly tailored pink suit, complete with silk scarf tied in bow and a demure string of pearls. With his grey wig and the way he sat rigidly yet demurely in his chair, John thought he looked rather like the church lady from Saturday Night Live. John was a bit surprised at the beige compression stockings Finch had put on before slipping into his orthopedic shoes. Harold dryly commented that he had neither the inclination nor the flexibility to shave his legs, and the stockings provided adequate camouflage.
Reese had done some shaving of his own, though only the usual facial hair. Stubble might be a bit hard to explain. Harold had obtained an extra-large velour track suit for John's outfit. The pants were baggy enough for comfort but unfortunately not long. A pair of brown Ugg boots concealed the fact that the pants ended a few inches above John's ankles. The baggy jacket helped conceal Reese's gun in his shoulder holster. John hoped the room where they would play bingo wouldn't be too hot, as unzipping the jacket was not an option. Not only would the shoulder holster be a problem, but John had decided to supplement the padded bra Finch had given him by stuffing in a few grenades. The bra worked surprisingly well as a grenade hammock, but to allow easy access if they became necessary he was wearing it on top of his undershirt. He definitely didn't want anyone catching a glimpse of his explosive undergarment. To round out his disguise Finch had gotten him a long brown wig. The bangs and long hair, as well as a pair of large round tortoise-shell glasses with gold accents helped to conceal John's face.
Fusco didn't have a wig. Instead he had a number of velcro rollers stuck throughout his curly hair, and covered over with a large silk scarf. He had a pair of catseye shaped glasses with rhinestones on the pointed edges. But the real distraction was the long floral mumu dress he was wearing, its colors so bright they hurt the eyes.
After checking out each other's disguises to ensure that they were sufficient (and an obligatory round of teasing comments between Reese and Fusco) they set off for the church. Once they purchased their cards, they settled down to keep an eye on their Number and the surrounding room in anticipation. While Fusco and Reese had only one card each, Finch had bought several. Harold settled in with his cards spread out in front of him, before removing his phone and an official Bingo marker from his voluminous purse. John might have worried about Harold not paying enough attention to the Number if he didn't know the man was such an accomplished multi-tasker.
The time passed slowly, Finch having a Bingo and winning a gift basket of toiletries being the only excitement. Until late into the evening it finally happened-a trio of masked perpetrator's burst into the room, demanding the money and the prizes. Two of the perpetrators weren't much of a threat as they were using toy guns. They looked real enough to people who weren't used to firearms, but Reese and Fusco weren't fooled. The third robber had a real weapon, although he clearly wasn't too familiar with its use. Clued in to the real threat by Reese's commentary over the ear wig, Finch created a distraction by screeching and tossing his gift basket into the air. With all eyes drawn to the basket, Reese tackled the armed perpetrator while Fusco pulled his gun on the other two, who quickly surrendered.
It was only during interrogation later that they found out the source of the threat to their Number. The gunman was her estranged nephew. He was an addict with a history of petty crime to support his addiction. As her only living relative, he had wanted to inherit her meagre savings as well as her insurance. But with his history he would have been a prime suspect if she were found murdered. He knew of her habit of attending the church Bingo nights, and had decided that if she were killed during a robbery he could avoid suspicion when he collected his inheritance. He had talked two fellow addicts into joining him, but had not shared with them his plan to kill his great aunt and perhaps a few other players as a way of covering his tracks.
Fusco just shook his head when he shared the details with them later. Definitely one of the stupider criminals he had dealt with this month.