Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Basic outline

Characters:

Agent Charles Kittridge: FBI agent working for the West Yorkshire Police in Leeds.

Charles Kittridge is an FBI agent on leave from the bureau and now lives in Bradford, England. He is 33 years old and has been an FBI agent since the age of 25. Kittridge suffered a breakdown after spending 3 years working in the elite pedophile investigation unit, chasing down and arresting pedophiles and child abusers. At the time of his breakdown, Agent Kittridge had a car accident while drunk, killing an entire family. His superiors managed to conceal the accident since they saw Kittridge as a valuable FBI asset that needs to be protected. An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General determined that a crime may have been committed by both Kittridge and his superiors, and he is under investigation for this incident.

As part of his recovery process, as agreed to by the FBI's agent services division, Kittridge has been seconded to the West Yorkshire Police to work with the Bradford CID. He works only 3 days per week and draws a full agent salary, but is finding things very difficult. Repeated absences and unexplained sick leave forces the Bradford CID to refuse to work with him. Chief Superintendent Andy Bell at the Leeds CID agrees to take over Kittridge's case, and he is required to work as a uniformed Police Constable while looking after "The Icebox" - a series of "cold cases" that are unsolvable.

Kittridge is an intelligent but emotional and sensitive person. He is taking regular doses of antidepressants and sleeping pills to cope with life. He feels a great deal of guilt about his car accident - the details of which he has kept from his wife and those close to him.

Leah Kittridge: Agent Kittridge's wife

32. Leah Kittridge has been married to Charles for nine years. She chooses not to do paid work and often involves herself in charity and volunteer work. She is shortsighted and needs thick glasses. She is not "pretty" but she is dedicated to her husband and supports him regardless. She is not a college graduate and is often unable to understand complex information (including some of the things her husband talks about). She hides her emotions whenever her husband is present in order to convey support and happiness, but is often emotional and distraught when he is not present. She does not have many friends. She is unable to have children.

Detective Inspector Albert Santiago: CID inspector with West Yorkshire Police.

45. In charge of "The Icebox" ('Cold cases' that have been thoroughly examined and cannot go any further). Santiago is Kittridge's investigative partner. Despite his name, Santiago is not Hispanic, having changed his name for many years. Santiago is also homosexual, though he does not have any regular partner that he lives with. Santiago is occasionally camp and flamboyant, but only in a subtle manner.

Santiago is generally disliked by other members of CID - not because of his homosexuality (two other members of the Leeds CID are gay and are not "on the outer"). The issue stems from a number of incidents in the past where Santiago refused to remain fully loyal to his fellow policemen because of concerns he had about their conduct. Santiago was given "The Icebox" to essentially work on by himself since he was getting to be an outcast (and also very annoying). He has begun to drink too much in the last year or so.

Chief Superintendent Andy Bell: Station head at Leeds.

55. Andy Bell is a fair and honest cop who rewards loyalty and appreciates hard work rather than flair. A former cricketer who once opened for Yorkshire with Geoff Boycott, he often takes time off to watch Yorkshire play at Headingly. He has been widowed for twenty years and has two adult sons - both of whom work in Scotland Yard in London. He is also friends with FBI Assistant Director Randy Frey, and was instrumental in getting Kittridge a position in the West Yorkshire Police.

Bell hates laziness and is pedantic about detail.

PC David Lovering:

27. One of Kittridge's "partners" when on the beat. Lovering is a hard-working "lad" who nevertheless plays hard as well. He is the best looking PC at Leeds and is often the object of desire of many female PCs. He has a "fan club" with the female PCs, and a betting pool has been set up to see which female PC will partner him next. Lovering's parents were Americans who moved to the U.K., so he was more than willing to help out Kittridge when given the chance. He also tries to celebrate July 4th and Thanksgiving with his parents. Despite his American influence, Lovering speaks like a stereotypical Yorkshireman and follows Leeds United F.C. with a passion, even wearing a L.U.F.C. scarf in cold weather when on duty. As his relationship with Kittridge and Santiago develops, he is given special permission to assist work with "The Icebox"

PC Mary Cheyne:

26. Another of Kittridge's "partners" when on the beat. Like PC Lovering, Cheyne has special permission to help "The Icebox". Cheyne is a plain-looking, slightly overweight woman who will often speak out about her Christian faith - she is a member and worship leader at Bradford Apostolic Revolution Church (BARC). Consequently, she is not well liked by others, especially the women - in fact, she would prefer to talk to the male policemen rather than the female ones. She is a competent but not brilliant police officer. She becomes friends with the Kittridges when they start attending BARC.

Francis Gadd: A pedophile serving a life sentence at Bradford high-security psychiatric hospital.

52. Incarcerated for 35 years, Gadd would have become a serial killer preying on children had he not turned himself in when 17 years old. Psychiatrists agreed with the admission of his condition and have worked hard to keep him incarcerated, despite the fact that he has not yet committed a crime. Nevertheless he is happy to live in confinement.

Gadd meets Kittridge when the FBI agent has to interview him for a paper Kittridge has to write as part of his recovery process. During the interview, Gadd reveals that he has the ability to be completely right in anything he asserts to be true. Despite Kittridge's disbelief, subsequent interviews and events prove him correct. As a result, Kittridge secretly begins to hand him "Icebox" cases, which he is then able to examine. Although he cannot explain how the murders or crimes were committed, he unerringly reveals the name of the perpetrator/s. Starting with the assumption of guilt, Kittridge begins to work backwards in trying to secure evidence that would then bring the criminal/s to justice. This process - the revelation of the criminal first and then the securing of the evidence - is the unique dynamic of this TV series.

Assistant Director Randy Frey: Agent Kittridge's superior officer in the Loiusville, Kentucky Field office.

60. Frey is the person involved in covering up the crime that Kittridge committed. He is lifelong member of the FBI and ensures that the Bureau is able to keep its best people. Frey managed to use his contacts with the Louisville PD to make sure that the car accident that Kittridge was involved in - which killed a family - would be covered up. Unfortunately it was not done very well, which has brought the Office of Inspector General into the picture. Frey believes that if Kittridge is convicted then the Bureau will lose a valuable crime-fighting asset. Many of Frey's contacts within both the Bureau and the Louisville PD are, however, becoming increasingly unreliable.

Agent Kelley Deal:

Investigating the reports of a criminal cover-up involving Agent Charles Kittridge. Works for the US offices of the Inspector General.

When Kittridge's car accident was covered up, a number of Louisville cops made the decision to tell the Governor of Kentucky. A formal investigation was made but nothing was proven. Enough evidence had been gathered, however, to prove that the FBI had been involved, and so the case was brought to the Department of Justice, where it set up an investigation into the incident.

Deal is a dispassionate investigator and prosecutor from Washington. The investigation into this cover-up is currently secret but she is more than willing to reveal to the press any information if she is blocked. She knows that Kittridge is involved and suspects that he was the driver - but she does not have any proof yet. She flits between Leeds and Louisville.

David Williams: The Ghost of a man that Kittridge accidentally killed.

David Williams is the driver of the car that Kittridge ran into. Williams and his family were killed, but Williams has come back as a ghost and accompanies Kittridge everywhere he goes. Despite being American, Williams speaks in Shakespearean English whenever he talks. No one can see or hear Williams, and he is incapable of doing anything except speak his mind about what is going on. He is naturally furious at Kittridge being his killer, and has no idea why he is cursed to accompany him around.


John Murphy: Pastor of Bradford Apostolic Revolution Church (BARC).
Kim Murphy: John Murphy's wife and assistant pastor of BARC.

BARC is a Charismatic Christian church located in Bradford. Planted only 12 months previously, the congregation is now over 100 strong. John is more than the pastor - he believes that God has blessed him with being an Apostle. PC Mary Cheyne is involved in the church, and Kim Murphy befriends Leah Kittridge and is able to invite both her and Charles to their church, where they are subsequently converted to Charismatic Christianity.

© 2006 Neil McKenzie Cameron, http://one-salient-oversight-caldera.blogspot.com/


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