‘Into some kind of security work, I think.’
‘Well, you know Richard Dawson? He’s been using Douglas for this and that and now Dawson’s being investigated for some kind of financial irregularities or something. Anyway, Douglas told him that this investigation, it’s down to his friendship with me. That’s why he’s being investigated; to put me in my place.’
‘Bollocks.’
‘What I thought. But this morning I went to see Douglas.’
‘Yeah?’ says Murphy, quietly. ‘Was that wise?’
‘I just wanted to get it straightened out. Joan’s good friends with Linda Dawson, you know. And I need to be thinking about this here, not Bob bloody Douglas.’
‘And?’
‘Douglas said he’d got it from Ronnie Allen.’
‘Verbals himself.’
‘Yep.’
‘He’s a bloody knob, isn’t he? Ronnie?’
‘Gets worse. Hooky’s in charge.’
‘Fuck.’
‘Yeah. And they raided Dawson’s house first thing this morning.’
‘Fuck, fuck.’
‘Yeah.’
‘You want me to put the feelers out?’
‘Well I spoke to both Hooky and Clement Smith and they reckon it’s nothing sinister. Finances. Said I’m paranoid.’
‘Peter Hunter paranoid?’ laughs Murphy, but his eyes are dead.
‘Reckon I am.’
‘But him knowing you? That’s not paranoia.’
‘But it’s not only me. Smith’s mates as well.’
‘I know him too. Might be next?’
I smile: ‘Lot of folk.’
‘See, don’t worry about it,’ he says. ‘That what the Chief said?’
‘You know Smith; he just said to keep my distance for now. But…’
‘But if I do happen to hear anything, or ask someone, then…’
I smile again: ‘Thank you.’
‘I’ll get back to you,’ he nods.
‘About what?’ says Craven suddenly, there in the Ripper Room -
His room -
His Ripper.
‘Nothing to worry you about, Bob.’
‘I’ll see you at breakfast, then?’ smiles Murphy.
‘Yep,’ I say. ‘And I’ll bid you two gents a goodnight.’
‘Not having a swift one?’ says Craven. ‘Not tonight, Bob,’ I say, patting him on the shoulder as I go out.
He winks: ‘Got a date, have you?’
Headingley -
It’s been four nights now, everything still dead -
Forever dead.
I pull into the Kentucky Fried Chicken car park, once again positioning the car so I face the main road, and then I go inside.
Again, I’m the only customer.
I order the same chicken and chips, the cup of coffee, and wait under the same white lights for another ten minutes while the same Asian staff prepare the order, staring at the light reflected in the coffee.
I take the food back out to the car and sit in another night, the window down, picking at the pale stringy meat again, watching the street -
No-one.
I drink down the cold coffee.
I get out of the car and walk across the road to the bus stop.
It’s 9:53, the Number 13 coming up Headingley Lane -
Like clockwork.
And again, it doesn’t stop.
I cross back and turn right onto Alma Road -
Alma Road, with its police tape and one dark car waiting.
Again I walk down the dim tree-lined street, crossing to avoid the cordon, past the officers in the police car.
And at the end of the road, by the school, I stop at the gates again and stare back down Alma Road -
Again, Alma Road -
The ordinary street in the ordinary suburb where a man took a hammer and a knife to another man’s daughter, to another man’s sister, to another man’s fiancйe -
The ordinary street in the ordinary suburb where a man took a hammer and a knife to Laureen Bell, an ordinary girl, and shattered her skull and stabbed this ordinary girl fifty-seven times in her abdomen, in her womb, and once in her eye -
And in this ordinary street, in this ordinary suburb, in this ordinary world, I listen to the silence and the song it sings:
And when we die
And float away
Into the night
The Milky Way
You’ll hear me call
As we ascend
I’ll say your name
Then once again
Thank you for being a friend.
This ordinary world -
This whole, empty, forgotten, ordinary world at war.
dirty cow e know this face from somewhere e am sure transmission two the body of joan richards forty five years found in a derelict building of the industrial estate on manor street leeds seven at five past eight today friday the sixth of february nineteen seventy six it is known that the woman has recently been an active prostitute in the chapeltown area of leeds when found she was wearing blue green and red checked overcoat blue and white horizontal striped dress white sling back shoes fawn handbag black knickers brown tights it is known that between the times six ten PM and ten thirty PM thursday the fifth of february nineteen seventy six she was in possession of a white commer van with ladders on the roof motive appears to be hatred of prostitutes the man we are looking for is the type who could kill again assailant may be heavily bloodstained and is believed to be wearing heavy ribbed rubber boots or heavy Wellington boots registration number JRD six six six K vehicle has been found on a car park belonging to the gaiety hotel roundhay road leeds approximately half a mile from the scene of the crime and any sightings of the woman or the vehicle should be notified to this office the deceased suffered severe injuries to the skull consisting of lacerations and a number of small skull fractures believed caused by a hammer and fifty two stab wounds to the lower throat and neck upper chest lower abdomen and back possibly caused by an instrument similar to a philips screwdriver cross pattern type that bordered on the maniacal on one of her thighs the impression of a heavy ribbed rubber boot or Wellington boot was found though there had been no sexual interference to the vagina the brassiere was removed to a position above the breasts and dress and there are several indications that the person responsible for this crime may also have been responsible for the death of the prostitute theresa Campbell at leeds on sixth of june nineteen seventy five he is a sadistic killer and may well be a sexual pervert particular attention should be paid to persons coming into custody for the footwear described who may also have a vehicle containing tools of the type described and will perhaps be a workmans van a search of records for persons convicted of serious attacks upon prostitutes would be appreciated and here the tears we first wept in the black snow knot and cluster and fill the hollow parts around the eyes lord break these hard veils the pain that swells our hearts here in a place in hell called leeds e saw her outside the gaiety in that place and e picked her up and drove her to derelict land at the centre of this evil plain this the place in which we found ourselves parked away from the lights her overwhelming smell of cheap perfume making me feel nauseated and so e had to get her outside so e got her to hold a torch while e raised the bonnet of the car to examine the engine then e took a couple of steps back and aimed two blows at her head with the hammer then e took her into the shadows and pushed her sweater cardigan and brassiere up to expose her breasts and e stabbed her fifty two times in the breasts neck back and low abdomen with a cross ply philips screwdriver and e took a piece of wood and thrust it between her legs to show her as disgusting as she was in possession of a white commer van with ladders on the roof motive appears to be hatred of prostitutes the man we are looking for is type who could kill again assailant may be heavily bloodstained and wearing heavy ribbed rubber boots e drove to my mother in laws with a feeling of justification and satisfaction and next day it was my mothers birthday and e made sure e delivered her card the snowflakes are dancing on the radio a broken