Doctor Who_ Bad Therapy - Matthew Jones [0]
Seeking respite after the traumatic events in the thirtieth century, the Doctor and Chris travel to 1950s London. But all is not well in bohemian Soho: racist attacks shatter the peace; gangs struggle for territory; and a bloodthirsty driverless cab stalks the night.
While Chris enjoys himself at the mysterious and exclusive Tropics club, the Doctor investigates a series of ritualistic murders with an uncommon link –
the victims all have no past. Meanwhile, a West End gangster is planning to clean up the town, apparently with the help of the Devil himself. And, in the quiet corridor of an abandoned mental hospital, an enigmatic psychiatrist is conducting some very bad therapy indeed.
As the stakes are raised, healing turns to killing, old friends appear in the strangest places – end even toys can have a sinister purpose.
MATTHEW JONES wrote ‘The Nine-Day Queen’ for the Doctor Who short story collection Decalog 2. He also writes a regular column, ‘Fluid Links’, for Marvel’s Doctor Who Magazine. He lives in east London and this is his first novel.
BAD THERAPY
Matthew Jones
First published in Great Britain in 1996 by
Doctor Who Books
an imprint of Virgin Publishing Ltd
332 Ladbroke Grove
London W10 5AH
Copyright © Matthew Jones 1996
Reprinted 1996
The right of Matthew Jones to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
‘Doctor Who’ series copyright © British Broadcasting Corporation 1996
Cover illustration by Mark Salwowski
ISBN 0 426 20490 5
Typeset by Galleon Typesetting, Ipswich
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Mackays of Chatham PLC
All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
For Iain, with love.
Publishers’ Announcement
The story in this volume, like that in most of the New Adventures, is a continuation of the events described in the preceding book.
Unfortunately, it has proved impossible to publish So Vile A Sin by Ben Aaronovitch on time. The publishers apologise for this; however, we do intend to publish the book in early 1997.
Contents
1: The Colour Of His Hair
1
2: Used To Be A Sweet Boy
13
3: Half-A-Person
25
4: At Your Own Risk
47
Interlude: Gilliam’s Story
57
5: Something Beneath The Skin
61
Interlude: Gilliam’s Story
83
6: You’ve Never Had It So Bad
87
Interlude: Gilliam’s Story
97
7: On Being Sane In Insane Places
101
8: Against Nature
115
9: Sweet And Tender Hooligan
127
Interlude: Gilliam’s Story
143
10: You’re Gonna Need Someone On Your Side
149
Interlude: Gilliam Comes Home
163
11: All I Have To Do Is Dream
165
Interlude: Home At Last
177
12: Hold On To Your Friends
179
13: Alone
189
14: London Burning
205
15: Whatever Happens, I Love You
215
Epilogue: Equal Affections
235
1
The Colour Of His Hair
Soho, London – October 1958
Teenagers! Madge thought to herself. She didn’t even like the word. Why did they have to go and call themselves something special anyway? She had never been a teenager and frankly, she didn’t see why anyone else had to be one. As far as she was concerned when you were young you were a kid and by the time you were old enough to go out to work you were an adult. She couldn’t understand why there was this sudden need to be ‘in between’.
There hadn’t been any in between for her, no time for her to be a teenager –
in love or otherwise. Madge had left school at thirteen to sweep floors and wash hair at her local hairdressing salon. Thirty-five years later she was still working at the same place, only now it was her name