Dead Alone
Authors: Gay Longworth
DEAD ALONE
To my mother
A hard act to follow
Everyone sees himself as a star today. This is both a cliché and a profound truth. Thousands of young men and women have the looks, the clothes, the hairstyling, the drugs, the personal magnetism, the self-confidence, and the history of conquest that proclaims a star. The one thing they lack – talent – is precisely what is most lacking in those other, nearly identical, young people whom the world has acclaimed as stars. Never in the history of show biz has the gap between amateur and professional been so small. And never in the history of the world has there been such a rage for exhibitionism. The question is, therefore, what are we going to do with all these beautiful show-offs?
Albert Goldman.
Disco
.
Jessie Driver had her thighs clamped round the leg of a man she hadn’t been introduced to. Hanging upside down, she could feel the sweat running through her short spiky hair. From the corner of her eye she watched two men shake hands. The small envelope of folded lottery paper passed from one palm to another. Jessie was pulled back up and spun around. It was time to leave this club. Local boys from the nearby estate were eclipsing the dance aficionados and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly hostile. Jessie couldn’t relax any more. She ran her hand down the perfectly smooth biceps of the man she’d been dancing with, squeezed his hand reluctantly and left. Her flatmate, Maggie Hall, was signing a flurry of autographs by the bar. All men, Jessie mused as she approached.
‘Jesus, you’re soaking,’ said Maggie, looking at Jessie in disgust.
‘Properly purged.’ Jessie leant closer. ‘Can we go?’
Maggie nodded, flashed an ‘if only’ smile to the admirer she would instantly forget and walked with Jessie to the coat check. Maggie was a presenter; with ruthless ambition she had come up through the highly competitive ranks to become a household name. It was strange watching an old friend gain in fame. Of course, at thirty, it hadn’t come soon enough for Maggie. People asked Jessie whether Maggie had changed. The answer was no. She’d always been ambitious.
They had reached the motorbike bay when Jessie heard the sound of a van backfiring. Twice. In quick succession. She turned abruptly towards the noise. Like a solitary clap in a crowded room, the sound silenced the world around them. For a second. And then people started to scream. A man ran across the road and climbed into a waiting car. From the narrow doorway and two fire-exits people spilled out into the street. Jessie threw her helmet at Maggie.
‘No, Jessie!’ shouted Maggie. But Jessie didn’t hear her. She ran straight into the sea of oncoming frightened faces. Ducking, side-stepping, shouldering against the outpour. She battled against the tide down the narrow staircase. At the bottom, a young man lay on the ground. He’d been shot. Twice. Two girls stood next to him screaming and jumping up and down intermittently. She threw her phone at one of them.
‘Call the police and ambulance service,’ barked Jessie. Her commanding voice silenced them as
swiftly as the gunshot had set them off. ‘And someone turn that music off!’
Only the man made a noise now. He wasn’t dead. But he was bleeding profusely.
‘What’s your name?’ asked Jessie.
‘Carl,’ he whimpered.
‘Carl,’ she said, ‘the ambulance is on the way. Meantime, I’ve got to try and stop this bleeding. You stay focused, concentrate on me.’
Jessie ripped his trousers and T-shirt and examined the singed, bloody holes.
‘Perhaps you should think about a change of career,’ said Jessie. ‘Small-time dealing on someone else’s patch is a sure-fire way to get yourself killed.’ She smiled at him. ‘And I think that would be a waste. Good-looking boy like you.’ One bullet had embedded itself in his right thigh. The other had passed through his left flank. Jessie guessed he must have spun round from the impact of the first bullet and been hit by the second in the leg. Better aim and the boy would have died instantly.
‘Well, Carl, seems it was your lucky day,’ said Jessie.
The boy continued to blink at her, mesmerised. The girls stepped forward to get a better look. Jessie pulled a couple of super-sized tampons from her bag, ripped the plastic off with her teeth, and inserted one gently into the bullet wound in the boy’s leg. It was soon plump with blood. Carl
clenched his jaw and shuddered. Jessie inserted the second into the boy’s fleshy side.
‘Carl,’ said Jessie, ‘you still with me?’
‘Man,’ said one of the girls, ‘she just stuck a Lil-let in your leg.’
Carl groaned and passed out.
The sight of two uniformed officers careering down the stairs made the girls jump.
‘Step away from the body,’ shouted one of the officers.
‘Show your hands, slowly,’ shouted the other.
Jessie turned around. ‘Everyone calm down. Where is the ambulance?’
‘Move aside,’ ordered the police officer.
Jessie did.
They stared down at the gunshot wounds. ‘What the hell is this?’
‘Don’t worry, they’re sterile. Thought it best, given the length of time ambulances take to get to shootings in this part of town.’
The coppers didn’t appreciate the snide comment. ‘And who are you – Florence Nightingale?’
Jessie reached into the back pocket of her tight blue jeans and held up a leather wallet. ‘I’m Detective Inspector Driver from West End Central CID, and if you want to know who shot this man, he is five foot eight, medium build, mixed race, wearing a red Polo running top. He left in a dark blue Audi 80, number plate T33 X9R.’ Jessie looked over to the girls. ‘Sound familiar?’ she asked.
Neither of them spoke.
‘Thought so,’ said Jessie, standing up.
Two paramedics arrived. Jessie stepped away. The uniformed officers stared at her as she began to mount the stairs.
‘You know where to find me,’ she said to their fixed expressions.
The paramedic looked up at her. ‘Thanks for bridging the gap,’ he said, folding out a stretcher.
‘My pleasure,’ said Jessie, and left.
Out on the street, Maggie stood holding both helmets. She smiled at Jessie.
‘All right, Mad Max. You done with your lifesaving antics?’
‘Yes thank you, Anne Robinson, I am.’
‘Sure? No burning buildings to run into? No pile-ups to attend?’
Jessie swung her leg across the leather seat of the chrome-and-black Virago and started the engine.
‘Finished?’ Jessie asked, backing out of the parking bay.
‘Yes.’
‘Then get on.’
Maggie smiled. ‘I love it when you get all masterful.’
‘Kebab?’ asked Jessie.
‘No,’ said Maggie. ‘I’m off to Istanbul, that means bikini and camera crew in close quarters, that means no kebab.’
‘I’m hungry,’ complained Jessie, revving the bike.
‘You’re weird. Now, take me home, Arnie. And don’t blast that music in your ears, it makes me nervous. You have precious cargo on board.’
Dutifully placing her minidisk player back in her pocket, Jessie pressed the bike into gear. It heaved forward. Jessie turned out of the cul-de-sac and raced down Goldhawk Road just as police reinforcements arrived.
West End Central was an old-fashioned, York stone building in the heart of Mayfair. Jessie had recently been assigned to the Detective Chief Inspector there, a man called Jones, a legendary police officer who had her hanging off his every softly spoken word. His Area Major Investigating Team were responsible for a large portion of Central London, and with around two hundred murders in London a year, they were kept reasonably busy.
She loved this new posting. She loved being back in London after four years in the regionals doing exam after exam to gain the necessary qualifications to make her the youngest DI on the team. Though her brothers, parents and friends were proud, there were others who did not appreciate her achievement. Jessie draped her leather jacket over the back of her chair and sat at her desk. A large box of Tampax had been placed in the middle of her blotting pad. The subtlety was not lost
on her. She rested her chin in her cupped hand and stared at it. She could see the humour, really – if it had been left by anyone other than Mark Ward. Her professional equal. Her personal opposite.
A small, curvaceous girl was pacing the corridor outside her open doorway. Jessie watched the vaguely familiar creature wiggle, swivel and sigh dramatically. Puppy fat on heels.
‘Can I help you?’ Jessie enquired politely.
The girl stopped in the doorway, weighed up Jessie’s role and decided on secretary. ‘I’m waiting for Mr Ward. He’s a friend of my father’s. Can you check his diary, he should be here.’
‘What are you seeing him about?’
‘Someone is out to kill me.’
‘Oh.’ Jessie nodded in a manner she hoped looked sympathetic. ‘Your name is … ?’
‘Jami,’ she shrieked. ‘With an “i”. I’m a singer. Some man has been sending me these letters.’
‘How do you know it’s a man?’
‘It always is.’
Jessie took the ‘death threats’ from her just as Mark Ward appeared. The forty-eight-year-old glanced downwards, unable to resist the gravitational pull of the well-mounted chest on display. Jessie could hear the saliva in his throat when he spoke.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting. You must be feeling terrible.’ He snatched the letters back from Jessie and gave her a warning look before leading the girl away. Jessie gave it a few minutes before
following them across the corridor. The great divide.
‘Thought you might want to take a DNA swab,’ said Jessie, leaning into the room. ‘The person sending these threatening letters may already have acquired personal items belonging to Jami.’
‘We don’t need your help, thank you,’ said Mark bitterly.
‘No, that sounds good. People will want to know what you’re doing to protect me,’ said Jami.
‘We can also compare it to the saliva on the envelope,’ said Jessie. The young performer held the smile until she fully comprehended Jessie’s words. ‘Then we’ll know when we’ve found the person responsible,’ she continued.
‘Excuse me, Driver,’ said Mark furiously. ‘I’m in charge of this.’
‘I’m sorry. I was only trying to help. I’ve brought a couple of swabs –’ She showed Jami the white spatula in its grey plastic case. ‘We’ll just scrape the inside of your cheek, and that’s it.’
‘I …’ Jami looked around the room for an exit. ‘I can’t have any foreign objects in my mouth. It could damage my vocal cords. I’m a singer!’
‘They are completely sterile,’ assured Jessie as she took a big step towards the shrinking girl.
Jami started backing out of the room, reached the door and picked up speed. ‘I need to talk to my manager about this. I’ll come back.’ Her six-inch heels clicked like castanets as she made her getaway.
Jessie turned back to Mark, smiling.
‘What the hell do you think you are doing?!’
‘Come on, you didn’t –’
‘Go away, Driver. Why don’t you do us all a favour and fast-track your tight arse back to the classroom, eh? Leave the real jobs to the real policemen. And stop sticking your oar and any other pussy paraphernalia where it’s not wanted, needed or desired.’
Ah, thought Jessie, that was the line he’d been working on. Quite inventive,
pussy paraphernalia
; quite a poetic ring about it. She flashed him a smile. ‘Tell me, Mark, do you play with yourself as much as you amuse yourself?’
Mark picked up the phone. ‘I need to call the press office, tell them they won’t be getting their photo op.’
‘
Their
photo op. Right.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Yes, actually, their photo op.’ He paused dramatically. ‘Imagine that, Driver, you don’t know everything, after all.’
Coming out of Mark’s office, Jessie bumped into their boss, DCI Jones. He was an unassuming man with grey eyes that matched his suits. As far as Jessie could tell, his only mistake was thinking that she and Mark Ward could learn from each other. Ward had been in the Force nearly thirty years, starting on the beat and working his way up until he was made a detective twelve years ago. He’d dragged bodies from burning cars, rivers and
ditches, picked bomb victims’ remains off buildings, and dismembered bodies off railway lines – a hard-drinking, notebook-carrying copper who was being phased out. She was thirty-three, same rank, and all her experience was two-dimensional. They were vastly different species occupying the same ecosystem; it couldn’t last.
‘Jessie! Perfect. I’d like you to come with me,’ said Jones.
‘I’ve got to go to the press office.’
‘Not that bunch of interfering old bags.’
‘I’ve made a –’
‘This is important. You can read the file on the way.’ Jones suddenly tensed.
‘You all right, sir?’
‘Old age. I’ll meet you downstairs.’
When she went to retrieve her jacket from her chair, Mark appeared in her doorway.
‘Managed to wiggle your way out of trouble again?’
She didn’t bother looking at him. ‘Fuck off, Mark.’
‘Thought you lot were supposed to use long words.’
Jessie zipped her leather jacket and stood back. ‘I’m sorry I got in the way of your voyeurism. Had I known it was the closest you’d get to the female form, I’d have left you to it.’
Mark watched from his office window as Jones and Jessie crossed the car park. When they’d pulled out of the gate, he called the duty officer.
‘Who’s doing the next few shifts?’
‘I’m on double,’ said the man. ‘Getting married, need the overtime.’
‘Next duff DOA you get in, give it to DI Driver. The duffer the better. I want to teach that little upstart a lesson in good policing.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘When you go off duty, pass the message on to whoever comes on.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘I’ll get a pot going, for your wedding.’
‘Thanks, sir. Much appreciated.’
‘This is between us.’
‘Of course.’
Mark put down the phone and prayed for a fly-infested OAP.