Page 35 of Maybe Tomorrow

‘Like they’re going to give us their real names? Come off it, Eddie. I didn’t know your name for the first two years.’

‘Any weirdos?’

‘They’re all weird. Narrow it down a bit.’ She started to walk away, barely made it a couple of steps before she stopped and turned back. ‘Hang on a minute. There’s this one bloke. He’s down here quite a bit. He’s not weird in the sense you’re talking about. Not a customer. He just stands in the shadows and watches.’

‘He watches? He doesn’t, you know, partake in the goods on offer?’

‘No, Eddie. You get watchers occasionally. They’re usually the new ones who are building up the courage to approach us.’

‘You think that’s what this one’s doing?’

‘No. He’d have approached by now. He’s been coming down for months.’

‘Have you ever spoken to him?’

‘Yes. Nearly scared Jen silly a few weeks ago. She’s new and doesn’t know about him. She’s on her knees with one of her regulars, looks up and he’s standing right in front of her, hands down his trousers.’ Tania started to laugh. ‘Jen nearly bit her punter’s dick off. We’ve not seen him since. Probably nursing a bruise somewhere he’s struggling to explain to his wife.’

‘What did you say to him?’

‘Who?’

‘The watcher.’

‘Oh. Well, I went up to him. The girls asked me to. I thought I’d offer him a discount seeing as he’s here all the time. He didn’t say much at first. A few weeks later, I got a smile. Another few weeks, he said “hello”. Like I said, he’s harmless enough,’ she smiled. Beneath the harsh light of the streetlamps, Eddie could see her smile revealed a row of stained teeth. ‘I remember once, it was freezing cold, there was hardly anyone out and I was bored to tears, I went over to him for a chat. I asked him why he liked to come down, he said he just liked to watch. He said he thought we were nice women. He said I was pretty. I believed him, too. Long time since I’ve been called pretty. Or felt pretty,’ she said as an aside. ‘Anyway, I thought, fair enough. I told him he can watch, but don’t get too close. I felt sorry for him.’

‘Why?’

‘Like a copper, Eddie, I can spot a virgin a mile off.’

‘How old is he?’

‘Dunno,’ she shrugged. ‘I’m not good with age. Twenty-five. Thirty. Dunno.’

‘What’s he look like?’

‘Tall. I’m talking well over six feet. And he’s big. To be honest, I’m glad he only wants to watch. I wouldn’t want him on top of me. He’d flatten me.’

‘When was he last here?’

Tania thought for a moment. ‘Huh. I’m not sure, actually, now you mention it. I haven’t seen him for a while. Jen!’ She called out to a young woman a few feet up the road. She was standing beneath a streetlamp, wearing very little. Even from far away, Eddie could see she was shivering. ‘That big bloke who scared you shitless, have you seen him lately?’

‘Not for weeks. Thank fuck. Terry was here earlier, asking for you.’

‘Shit,’ she said under her breath. ‘Are you pissing off, Eddie? Terry’ll be back round in a bit and he’s a good payer.’

‘Can you describe this man? Would you recognise him again?’

‘Dark hair, messy, big face, dark clothes, always wears an anorak. And, yes, I’d recognise him again. We don’t get many giants round here. Now, go on, bugger off. You’ll lose us business.’

Tania walked away, leaving Eddie behind. He looked around at several prostitutes standing beneath the lampposts, freezing cold, damp from the rain, waiting for a car to pull up to offer them a fiver in exchange for a quickie on the back seat of a Sierra. He shivered, and it wasn’t from the cold. Surely, there were better ways they could earn a few quid? he thought to himself.

ChapterSixteen

Thursday 3rd November 1983

DI Henry Bishop was alone in the incident room. He hadn’t been able to sleep and decided tossing and turning and kicking the bedsheets was not conducive to a good night. At five o’clock, he got up, had a wash, dressed in yesterday’s suit, and headed for work. Unfortunately, being alone in the office did nothing for his productivity. He pulled out a chair at a random desk and lit up a fag, staring at the smiling face of Alice Patterson through the fog of cigarette smoke.

As one cigarette was dying, he lit up another, and continued until it started to get light outside and the sound of the police station waking up could be heard through the double doors. He was hungry and could smell fried food coming from the canteen, but he couldn’t draw himself away from the incident room and that poor innocent girl glaring at him from the murder board.