Symbiosis: Visiting time

“Yeah, I see your point I see your point about how dumb squirrels are, however we are in a concrete jungle, a suburban one admittedly but we are right on the south circular without a hedge or field never mind a tree, in sight. How are the squirrels getting here to stash their cache? Are they driving or coming on the bus to wreak havoc in your loft? Oh, hang on I remember now. I think I saw one on a bicycle this morning and come to think of it he had an enormous backpack, no a good idea on a bicycle.” She smiled and then dropped her face. “Get a central heating engineer to have look!”

At that moment a banging started, like somebody violently hammering the floor with a shoe, as abruptly as it started it stopped and was replaced by what sounded like the noise of people rolling around on the floor fighting.

“Christ! What the fuck is that?” asked Jess craning her neck in anticipation of witnessing the fight that Billy was trying hard to conceal.

Billy didn’t answer. Wide eyed he was staring right past her into the Mews. Following Billy’s intense gaze Jess turned to see 3 youths standing right behind her. A white guy wearing an all white tracksuit stood between 2 Afro-Caribbean kids. One had a T-shirt with Mr Trouble on the front the other wore a black hoodie. The white tracksuit spoke in a childish high-pitched drawl,

“Stay away from the Golden Lion”. She thought such an affected manner of speech ridiculous, like a terrible comedy act. But as he spoke he brought his hand out from behind his back to reveal a large knife and in one purposeful movement he stepped forward smashing the blade across Billy’s face. Billy tried to protect himself with is hands & turning his head away as best he could. Jess threw herself on the white tracksuit screaming. It was all over so quickly. Billy could see blood on the floor. His new floor! He looked up to defend himself against the next wave of attack but the leisurewear-clad trio was gone, causally strolling back up the Mews. Fuck! The blood was everywhere! He stumbled back through the hall to the kitchen, grabbing a hand towel he pressed it hard into his face. There were shouts coming from outside, the neighbours had been disturbed/alerts by Jess’s scream. The police were there in minutes followed by a paramedic on a motorbike who immediately started trying to stem the flow of Mark’s blood. The police asked what happened & Jess describe the incident. “Must be mistaken identity, happens all the time,” Billy mumbled half-heartedly.

“Well, we have a description, we’ll take a look around the area now and look at the CCTV footage”.

Drizzle was falling as the ambulance had arrived, it extruded a green paramedic who tried to shepherd Billy into the vehicle, he resisted.

“Oh no! Anything but hospital. I hate that place. Really, I’m fine. I might catch some thing there, some thing fatal. Then that would be your fault”. He looked daggers at the man in green before continuing. “ Look at me I’m fine & come on, in your professional opinion. I’m fit as butcher’s dog – admittedly with a cut but otherwise I’m fine. But you, unprofessionally, want to send me with an open wound to a place that is full of infectious diseases! This is madness!”

Jess broke his nervous diatribe, “You’re more afraid of hospital than you of being attacked by knife wielding thugs on your own doorstep!”

This comment didn’t help seemingly inflaming Billy,” Yes! Yes I am! Which is more probable? Dying in hospital as the result of an acquired infection or a doctors negligence or as the result of being attacked on your own doorstep?”

“Look get in the van, I’ll come with you. We won’t stay long enough at the hospital for them to kill you. I’ll probably have done that long before for we get there.”

The greenman said he would survive but he has lost a lot of blood. His defense and Jess’s counter attack had been just enough to get his face out of the way of the impact, but is ear was practically cut in two & there was a 5 centimeter wound behind it. In the bright light of the meat wagon as it bumped it’s was down Lordship Lane towards Queens University Hospital Billy and Jess discussed what had happened.

“I had been expecting something bad, the knockers were warning me” he said to Jess.

“What?” Jess quizzed

“That banging was the knockers warning me. Something bad was on its way”.

Jess’s frown deepened.

The knockers have been with my family since my grandfather worked underground in the pits. The knockers, or Tommyknockers used to knock and warn them when there was danger of a collapse or an explosion.”

“What? Your central heating gives you messages about street gang violence? Does it have Blackberry messenger service or something? Or does it just give none descript warning about some bad about to happen. Your crazier that I thought”.

“Carry on, you laugh.”

“Any way, back in the real world, what was the stuff about the Golden Lion about? Sounds like a Chinese restaurant to me. Did you know them?”

“No.”

“I think I’ve seen the guy who cut you around. The other two nuts must be his cronies. I‘m sure the police will get the bastards”.

“Who knows? As the prime minster is so fond of saying they are all in it together. The criminals, the police and the press, they need one another, it’s the perfect example of the symbiotic relationship”.

“I’m not sure that’s what the correct interpretation of what the Prime Minister had in mind that phrase. You don’t seem to have a great deal of confidence in the police”.

“Listen. The Golden Lion they trying to scare me off isn’t a Chinese restaurant it’s that a boozer on Sydenham High Street”.

“Oh, that place? That’s good advice actually. I wouldn’t have a drink there either.”

“It’s where thugs like them buried an axe in a guy’s head for the sake of the police . . . & possibly people in the media, back in 1987. I went down there the other day to see what I could find out”.

“I’ve couple of questions. One: Why didn’t you tell that to the police? Two: What do you mean find out? 1987 is ages ago. What could there possibly be to discover now about such an old cold case?”

“It wouldn’t make any sense to the police. What was `I trying to find out? Well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me”. Billy paused looking up at Jess “I’ve got a somewhat unusual talent.”

“Yeah, you said it! You’ve a talent for annoying your neighbours and getting fucked over by thugs”.

“No. It’s a psychic thing. I can see into the past”.

Jess laughed thinking Billy was bullshitting her. “So what did you find out, Nostradamus?”

“Nostradamus saw the future”

“Oh you’re the only past, yeah? You’re more of a historian? So what did you find out, Mr Historian. I hope it was worth it”

“Nothing yet, but clearly they are they are trying to protect some thing. There must be more to find out.”

“Would that be wise?”

“That depends on what it is and who I can nail with it”.

Billy closed his eyes and withdrew into the injured victim, thinking he’s said too much. They continued the rest of the short journey in silence.

Hospital Visit

At Queens University Hospital they went through A&E. The medical staff discussed whether Billy should be admitted to over night or be discharged, he’d lost quite a lot of blood. Finally, finding there were no beds left on the surgical wards they sent him up to the general ward. It was getting late, Billy sat on a trolley with a drip in place watching staff disappearing and reappearing behind a hospital curtain pulled across an apparently solid wall, the ward nurse told Jess she could stay for about 15 minutes to help Billy settle in. Billy had a bed near to the ward entrance the rest of which was in darkness. A somewhat rough looking pair of patients emerged from the depths of the ward, wearing grubby jeans and jackets over their bedclothes & with roll ups in hand, pushed passed, evidently getting high on government approved shots & smoothing the way with nicotine.

“I guess they keep they slots nearest he doors for late arrivals and light sleepers” Billy quipped. “You gonna be OK getting home Jess? If you feel uncomfortable going home on public transport, you could always stay the night. I could get them to make up the spare bed. Then again, I could go with you, it would be no trouble.”

“Shut up and get into bed”.

Further up the ward the lights flickered on. “My bed’s shaking”, a patient complained. Immediately, the whole ward was reverberating to the banging of bedside cabinets, bed pans, rattling false teeth in jars . . . A tsunami, a wave of light and noise was spreading down the ward towards them.

“It’s the knockers!” said Billy.

Jess pulled him across the ward and he found himself outside in the cool air, damp air of a small confined space between two adjacent buildings.

“Hi” said Jess to the nurse who had just moments before disappeared behind the curtain. “Good guess, I used to be a nurse,” she said to Billy, then she addressed the nurse “got alight”, she waved the roll up between her finger fingers in front of her face in weak a royal wave.

“Sure, here you go”.

Jess lit the fag, inhaled deeply, after giving back the lighter she offered the roll up it over to Billy. The three of them stood in the confined space, a light drizzle and the nicotine rush washing over them in the weak red light that seeped through the curtain before soaking into the surrounding brickwork. The curtain was drawn back and a head protruded in the narrow space. Silhouetted against the strobing ward lights and the associated cacophony the owner of the head paused, looked at all three of them, seemingly weighing up their intimacy, before saying to Billy, in the measured tones of a Hospital Doctor.

“Slunden! . . . Stay . . . the fuck away . . . from . . . the Golden Lion. . .” Before theatrically drawing back behind the curtain.

“Fuucksssssakke” exhaled the nurse next to them stubbing out her cigarette, “You people ain’t been here 10 minutes & the place as gone mental”. She pushed past drawing back the veil that separated them from the ward. The white light flooded out. The nurse screamed. Right in front of her was the head and the body of the person who had threatened Billy was standing right on the other side of the just curtain. A cardboard cutout in silhouette. As their eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the ward they saw he stood completely motionless & rigid as a tree. His eyes were expressionless.

“Right that’s it! I am outta here, you coming Billy?” announced Jess.

The lights on the ward had now gone back to the normal semi-darkness & the nurses were making soothing noises amidst cries of panic and fear. The calm of the calm of the red eye flight was being restored.

“No I’d better stay & get checked out”, Billy replied whilst getting dressed, “I’ve lost a lot of blood, you know?”

“Fuck that! You hate hospitals,” said Jess. Within minutes they were standing outside waiting for a bus.

“What? The Fuck? What the fuck is happening? Two crazy people are telling you stay away from the Golden Lion. Do you know what? I think they are right, you should get as far away from it as is humanly possible. Let’s go to . . . .”

Brixton and the Devil

Jess and Billy stand in front of the big red lettering of the A&E department, debating their next move. They decide to go & stay with Jess’s brother in Brixton, which is a short bus journey away. At the bus stop it very busy.

“Look, the laser display screen, if you believe it, predicts that the number 35 bus to Brixton is in over 10 minutes, it’s gonna be rammed full & all these people will want to get on. What with you looking like Mr Bump we are likely to draw the attention of the south London night life.”

“On a Tuesday?”

“Every night is a party night in this part of town & even if you fancy a quite night in there’s always the chance of a game of pay or play first. You’re not in your safety zone of leafy Forrest Hill. She stopped and then whispered, “ We are already getting some funny looks as it is. They think you’re some sort of mental patient who has escaped. Which you have.”

‘Come-on your imagining it. Mind you, know you’ve mention it I do feel a little uncomfortable”.

While Billy had been speaking Jess had watched a mini cab dropping somebody for the hospital, just a little further up the road & set off towards before Billy had a chance to finish speaking.

“Quick one to Brixton mate?” she asked through the passenger window.

“Sure, get in”

“How much?”

“10 quid for you”.

“Fine”. They climbed in and the car pulled out into the traffic and the eased passed the people waiting still waiting for the arrival of the number 35 bus “Nordbourne Road. It’s just after that ugly building before the town hall”.

Jess caller her brother on her mobile phone to warn him they’ll be there – soon!

The Taxi ride took them past the kids drug dealing on Cold Harbor Lane, the fucked up users stumbling ‘home’ for a hit and the white middle users queuing up alongside the brigades of international drugs tourists to consume south London’s finest offerings of recreational ‘Class A’s in the convenient situated nightclubs. His view of the streets though this taxi’s window told him she was right, every night is a party night in this part of town.

The Taxi turns in to Nordbourne Road accelerating down the suburban street & bouncing over the speed bumps, after all if you’re a Taxi driver time is money, right? Billy catches glimpses of the red brick Victorian terraces some with white wooden paneling that line the road.

“Anywhere, just here on the right is great”. Said Jess.

They stop just before an enormous privet hedge that juts out taking up most of the pavement. After Jess pays the taxi driver. They enter the gate of property housing the monstrous hedge.

“I bet you can see this thing from space, it enormous” said Billy gesturing at the hedge in which a motorbike is hidden. The door opens and seemingly disembodied bald head floats in the darkness of lobby. As Billy’s eyes adjust he can see the head is attached to the body of a solid man dressed in black t-shirt and black trousers.

Always Good Dave: courier, squat Hackney, good at breaking and entering. The woman from SR next-door lives upstairs.

Has simple outlook. “There are good people & bad people. The good people have to try to stop & balance out the bad people. Simple as that.”

“Hi Dave, thanks for having us. This is my brother Dave. Dave is my neighbour at Havelock, Billy.”

Despite being right next to Billy, Dave announced in a in a very loud voice.

“Blimey! It’s Mr Bump. What happened to you, mate?”

Jess answered for him “Get inside & get us couple of beers and we’ll tell you. It’s been a really long day.” Then she turned & whispered to Billy. “Don’t be alarmed, Dave’s a bit deaf from years on the bike & he’s always been straight forward. Dead, straight forward. A spade’s a spade with Dave”.

Dave turned round and led them into the ground floor flat. They went inside and Jess closed the front door & the door to Dave’s flat.

“Where’s Emma?” she asked of Dave’s partner “Oh she’s camping against capitalism up in the city.”

“Good for her! Is she enjoying it?”

I’m sure she is, urban camping has a lot to be said for it but when did the Yanks ever listen to a bunch of hippies in tents with Guy Fawkes masks. Gotta smack ‘em HARD in the bollocks. Then they might listen. Camping and carols is gonna frighten no one. But that’s just my opinion mind. I’d sleep quite easily with protesting campers on my doorstep. Just like being on a campsite or at a festival, right? In fact it could be quite helpful – you could nip out asking for a bottle opener, sugar or weed, should you need it – no worries . . . . ”

Jess told Dave how the evening had unfolded.

“The Golden Lion – on every High Street?” Dave asked and without waiting for an answer asked “D’ ya puff, Mr Bump? D’ ya puff?”

“Yeah, of course, doesn’t everyone?”

“Schweet” Dave whistles as he started to skin up & Billy began his story of the Golden Lion pub and the Golden Wonder murder.

“The Golden Lion is a pub on the High Street in Sydenham, just around the corner from where Jess & I live, you know it?”

“Not really, I’ve never really strayed to far from the south circular in that part of town”.

“Probably quite wise not to. Anyway in the late 80’s a private detective called Daniel Williams was found prone in the car park like a drunk who has had one too many G&Ts & would tomorrow wake up with a splitting headache, but with one significant difference” he pause for full dramatic effect “he had an axe buried in his head”.

“Shit. Are you sure you want to het mix mixed up in this sort of shit?” asked Jess.

“Maybe not, with the luxury of hindsight but it’s now too late, I am. I think it’s what today has all been about. Williams had been a private investigator partnering Jonathan Reed at Southern Investigations. Southern Investigations had a reputation for daylight robbery to rival their namesakes at Southern Trains. The day before Williams’s murder, Williams and Reed had been a seen arguing at the Golden Lion in Sydenham. Their relationship had soured over the illegal hiring of duty police officers from Catford nick by Reed, one of which was a certain detective sergeant Sidney Livery. Reed had hired the moonlighting coppers as protection for transporting cash for Bell Car Auctions, amongst other things”.

“They took the cash?” asked Dave laughing “Perfect cover for an inside job.”

“You guessed it! It was turned over & Bell Car Auctions lost £18 000 during the robbery. Williams & Bell Car Auctions suspected the obvious fabrication so much so that the Car Auctions launched a civil claim against Southern Investigations”.

“On the night of his murder Danny, as he was popularly known, had been lured back to the pub again to meet Reed again they argued. Reed left the premises at 9pm sharp. Danny finished his drink and bought two packets of crisps for his kids before heading out into the car park 15 minutes later. At 9.40pm Williams found dead. His note pad had ripped from his trouser pocket but he still had his Rolex and over a grand of cash was still in his inside pocket.” Not only did they want to silence him quickly but also they need to remove any evidence of what he was about to expose”.

“A murder inquiry was launched within hours. Among the coppers assigned to the case was non other than DS Sidney Livery who unsurprisingly kept schtum about not only knowing the deceased but also about how he had moonlighted for Reed as a security guard. Livery ensured that he was first to interview the main suspect, Reed & during the initial ‘searches’ by also conducted by Livery important documents such as those relating to the car auction job disappeared from Southern Investigations offices”.

“So why did they kill him, what was this about? It must have pretty important to them, can’t just be a single robbery, right?” said Dave passing the joint to Billy who took a blast and continued.

“True. It is widely believed that Williams was about to disclose details of police officers, running drugs. Coppers from Catford nick, where else?”

At the inquest it was heard that Reed had told the book-keep at the detective agency. ”I’ve got the perfect solution for Daniel’s murder. My mates at Catford nick are going to arrange it”. It was alleged the hit was planned in the police station & then contracted out for a 50 grand to some Ree’s nephew and some local lads. After the hit the gang referred to it as the Golden Wonder murder because of the crisps Williams had been carrying and the location was the Golden Lion pub.

DS Sidney Livery and two other officers were arrested for involvement in Williams’s murder but were subsequently released. They’ve tried time and time again to make some thing stick. So far, I think there have been 5 investigations and trials, all of which have failed to bring anybody to justice for Danny’s murder. Seeing as everybody seems to know what happened, who did what to who but nobody gets sent down in the courts some people say there is a Freemason conspiracy behind it.”

“In spades!” Agreed Dave.

“Livery was medically discharged from the police and being cosy with Reed, incredibly, he took over Williams’s old job with Southern Investigations. Both have main the subjects of ongoing police enquiries. Livery moved to West Queensdown & was later convicted of possessing indecent images of children”.

Stubbing out the spliff Jess said incredulously, “What? That’s some story. As you’ve probably figured out Dave and I aren’t great fans of the police but this is ridiculous, do you really expect us to believe it? Why haven’t we heard anything about it before? ”

“Well, it’s true it’s been on Crimewatch ‘n’ that,” Billy smiled & continued. “This is where it gets really silly & this is the bit that is of real interest to me”. . .

On his release from prison Reed he was rehired by the World of Real News, then editor by Andy Coulsdon.”

“Coulsdon! Snorted Jess & Dave together with derision.” The ex-PM David Gabon’s media advisor & hacker extraordinaire?”

“Yeah, the very same. I told it was mental. Once employed by the News Of The Screws Reed and Livery set about building and empire of corruption using their network of corrupt police officers to obtain confidential records such as telephone numbers, bank account details and car registration numbers of prominent public figures for them. This data them facilitated the much talked about phone hacking you’ve just alluded to. It was also widely suspected the pair also commissioned burglaries on behalf of journalists”.

“When another inquiry investigating the murder of Daniel Williams was initiated by the Met. Reed & Livery used the World of Real News’s photographers and vans to spy on Detective Chief Superintendent David Scott the senior detective leading the investigation. They got Scott’s home address, payroll number, date of birth, mortgage details all blagged from confidential databases – including the Met’s own records. They had also hacked Scott’s wife’s mobile phone.”

“Frightening” said Dave. “But why are you so interested & who wants to try and put you off & why?”

“Good questions. Today we see that the media and the police are intertwined. Investigations into phone hacking and media ethics can’t pick them apart. I thought what was it like back then. Clearly, people like Reed & Livery have no scruples. What if they initiated the corruption we see today between the police and the media? I thought what if Williams had discovered that Reed & Livery were fitting up people for the police and then selling the stories to the press. Symbiosis. The criminals feed the police who feed the press who pay everybody. The wheel turns.”

“So what’s your angle? I’m not sure if I’m missing it. I might be a bit bollocksed.” Dave tried again.

“Well since you persist. I really fucking hate the press”.

“Doesn’t every one, even them? They are full of self-loathing,” said Jess.

Dave agreed “Yeah. I can’t stand the parasites, but I wouldn’t to go out of my way to hurt them. Besides they’re too big to touch, look at the phone hacking enquiry. Even parliament can’t get at them. You sound like a desperate man. Why do you want this so badly?”

“I really, really hate the tabloids, particularly the WoRN editor Mackay, I’d love to see that bastard exposed as the criminal he is & watch him rot in hell”. Billy replied “I haven’t really told anybody this . . . my history & why I hate these fuckers so much . . . but I guess I’m amongst friends, right? I sincerely hope so. So why not tell you?”

“Right”. “Go ahead”. The siblings concurred

Billy told them about his psychic ability, the missing schoolboy, the unethical doctors, the media storm, the move to midland city, his loathing of the press & his return to London once he thought he could tie Williams case to the start of media corruption.

Jess was sat on the edge of her seat “I had absolutely no idea – I mean – I knew about your psychic art but I thought that was just a gimmick. I mean everybody thought that was just a gimmick.”

Dave said, “I think I understand, but I’m not sure there’s much you can do”.

“So how were you to trying to find out what Williams knew?” cut in Jess.

“This where it gets a bit hazy”. Billy inhaled deeply on the spliff. Jess noticed Billy’s eyes darken and widen, he being to look a little like the archetypal Roswell alien. “Do you believe in . . . time travel?” He exhaled.

“Eh?”

“Time travel?”

“Don’t be silly!”

“Well with my talent and favourable conditions I can travel back in time, visually I mean. I thought I could look at what really happened and find out if the World of Real News editor could be implicated in Williams’s murder.”

“And is he?”

“I dunno, possibility. Something was blocking me. They are definitely using some sort of paranormal blocking or psychic, much stronger than me. They are blocking out everything I try to find out about the Williams case.

“Is that even possible?” asked Jess before adding “Listen to me, I didn’t believe in any of this stuff, now I’m questioning if blocking is psychic is possible”

“If the press is prepared to pay any body for story that sells papers, why stop at astrologers, other criminals & the police. Why not use psychics & practitioners of the black arts to find out information, but also to protect themselves & their sources. I’m sure its been said before, but maybe the Devil himself works for the WoRN”.

They all laughed, a little nervously.

“It could be like that film ‘Men Who Stare at Goats’”, Jess suggested.

“Exactly” agreed Billy

“Sounds a bit fanciful” Dave suggested “More than a bit fanciful”.

“Well some people think there’s something in it. He’s had two warning about his interest today” Jess countered.

“Maybe it is the Devil’s work” said Dave caustically, ”But with this line of ‘investigation’ what could you possibly find that isn’t conjecture. Conjecture isn’t gonna punish the tabloid press, you need fact, evidence and stuff like that!” Dave’s cynicism killed the conversation mood. In the intervening silence he stood up & smiled.

“Easy tigers. You say Livery is still inside, so let’s take a look at his place and see what turns up. You could try to psychic it out there, Mr Bump. It’s Sunday tomorrow & I always like to take a trip on Sunday afternoon.” He descended the staircase into the kitchen singing his own version of “Sunny afternoon” by the Kinks.

“Is he serious?” Billy asked Jess.

“Who knows? Yes Probably. Almost certainly”, she smiled, “but he’s always had a good singing voice, . . .”

Dave and Billy slept in the living room. During the night Billy went to the bathroom, a small dark lean to stuck on at the back of the house that hummed to the compressors from the refrigerators at Lidl supermarket. The darkness was usually only illumined by a little square window at head height & was too small for a person to squeeze through.

The window opened out into the garden & let in only what little light wasn’t shaded out by the grey metal frame of the supermarket. Now it seemed entire black, darker than the surrounding walls. In it Billy could see the green eyes, black body & red tongue of a cat silently mouthing at him.