Doctor Who_ The Hollow Men - Keith Topping [72]
Which you know nothing about.‟ Denman gestured at the filing cabinet. „You say that there‟s nothing here to find?‟
„No. Word has it that Hatch‟s CJD material came up from the south.‟
„ “Word has it”?‟ queried Denman. „You watch too much TV.‟
„What about me?‟ queried Hill.
„Oh, when I‟m back, I‟ll take you to the cleaners, sonny, don‟t you worry about that.‟
„But not...‟
„Kill you? No. If my career is going down the toilet, I‟ll make damn sure yours is flushed so far down with me that you‟ll never see daylight again.‟ He turned for the door. „That‟s justice, you see. Funnily enough, that‟s why I became a copper. Justice.‟ He glanced back at Hill. „I don‟t know about you.‟
Water dripped from taps and broken showers, pooling in sinks and dirty baths. In tumblers of cola, ice melted under the fierce glare of the sun. People sat outside bars and pubs, chasing away wasps as the early-morning breeze gave way to the glare of midday, and then to the stealthy approach of dusk.
Mounds of refuse rotted in backstreets, attracting mice and rats. Diluted bleach and the eventual rain could not disguise the smell that was rising from the city, the stench of death that grew as the water fell from the taps.
* * *
Wayne drummed his hands on the steering wheel as the rhythm of the song ricocheted around the inside of the BMW
It was „Born Slippy‟, an old dance track, and its elegant, pulsing soundscape throbbed loudly over the bubbling voices of those in the car.
„Turn it up, Wayne,‟ shouted Jim.
„Eh?‟
„One louder!‟
„Right.‟ Wayne nudged up the volume.
Mega mega white thing
Mega mega white thing
Mega mega Shouting
Lager, lager, lager, lager
Wayne, Jim, Chris and Darren joined in, loudly. Wayne tossed Darren and Chris in the back two cans of Red Stripe from the plastic bag at his feet.
„Sound,‟ noted Darren as he attacked the ring-pull with relish.
When the song ended Jim reached over from the passenger seat to switch off the CD. The dirty BMW was plunged into a silence broken only by the occasional slurp from a warm beer can. Without the illumination from the car‟s stereo, darkness shrouded the interior. Fortunately, the sulphurous glow of the street lights was enough to help the drinkers find their cans.
„We having some scran, or what?‟ asked Chris to no one in particular.
„It‟s still chucking it down,‟ noted Darren, looking out at the thunder storm that raged overhead.
„It‟s only just around the corner!‟ exclaimed Wayne.
„I don‟t want to get my hair wet,‟ said Jim flatly.
„Ponce!‟
Wayne ran his fingers over the CD cases scattered over the dashboard. „What do you want? More old stuff? Oasis? The Prodigy?‟
„Got any Star Jumpers?‟ asked Darren.
„Naff off. Johnny bleedin’ Chester. Wouldn‟t have him in the car.‟
„He was all right till he married that Australian bird,‟
offered Chris. „The politician. He‟s totally lost it now.‟
„Them lot from Leeds - Amanda - are better,‟ said Wayne.
Darren half opened his side door and put one trainer on the sodden tarmac. „I‟m up for some curry even if you tarts are staying in here all night.‟ He took another swig from his can and then dumped it on the back seat, shutting the door behind him.
Through the rain-soaked windscreen, Jim watched his friend sprint around the corner. „I‟ll bet that soft get doesn‟t even have the sense to bring me back a bag of chips.‟
„Remember that party on Walker Road?‟ asked Wayne.
„Hippie Kev‟s house-warming?‟
„Aye, when he copped off with Brenda the Gender-Bender?‟
Wayne‟s laughter was like an explosion in the confines of the car.
He turned as a dark shape passed across the windscreen, moving towards the back door. „Hurry up, Darren, I‟m
starving!”
The back door opened.
Chris stretched out a hand to pick up Darren‟s lager can.
„Blimey, that was quick,‟ he said. „I didn‟t expect to -‟
Sound flooded the car. A burst of noise uncannily similar to the rhythm they had just listened to. Rat-a-tat-tat. Burr...
„What -‟ Wayne tried to turn his head towards the back seat, but the windscreen and upholstery that surrounded