by Ian Todd
“Ah see,” Madam Elektra murmured, sitting back in her seat, no saying anything fur at least a full minute. “While Ah kin see the logic ae where youse ur aw coming fae, it isnae quite as simple as that…and, believe it or no, yer request isnae that unusual. Ah get quite a few people, wummin maistly, who want tae know if they’re daeing the right thing by marrying somewan efter their nearest and dearest his departed tae the other side. Trust and getting it right is an important factor fur a lot ae people. Ah usually recommend a tarot card reading fur that. There’s a lot ae good card readers oot there, so there is.”
The expectant faces listening tae her turned tae disappointment.
“Trying tae speak tae a Yuan Gui kin be…er, a wee bit challenging,” she continued, as the expression oan the faces changed fae disappointment tae alarm. “Oh, don’t worry girls, youse wid aw be awright in ma company. Nowan wid dare try tae harm youse oan ma watch.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Jean tittered, easing the tension and patting her bump, as everywan laughed nervously, clearly relieved.
“The problem is, despite whit people may think, it’s no like calling up somewan, a relative or a loved wan oan the phone. Ye jist don’t know whit Yuan Gui ye’re likely tae come across. It could be a spirit who’s been looking fur answers fur a long time, who’s clearly frustrated and wants revenge…who knows? Some ae them kin be right nasty…their language, Ah mean.”
“Bit ye’re saying it could be done…reaching oot?” Michelle asked.
“Whit? Reaching the other side? Oh, aye. Even as Ah’m sitting here speaking tae youse, Ah’m conscious that we hiv some departed friends wanting tae speak the night,” she replied, as everywan jumped in their seat, looking fearfully aboot, as Madam Elektra smiled. “Don’t you worry, girls, nowan here is gonnae hurt youse, ur ye dears?”
Madame Elektra shut her eyes, as Kim Sui silently padded across the flair in her bare feet and turned aff the lights, leaving the lamp oan that wis sitting oan the table wae the bottles ae champagne, as everywan looked nervously at wan another. Nowan spoke as their eyes flitted between the medium and Kim Sui, as she quietly lifted the bottles aff ae the table and placed them oan the carpeted flair underneath, before sitting doon, no too sure whit they wur supposed tae dae, if anything.
“Ur we no supposed tae be sitting haudin hauns or something?” Aggie wondered.
“Aye, Ah know, dear. Ah hear whit ye’re saying. Ah don’t think so. Naw, no the night. It’s no yer turn.” Madam Elektric murmured, smiling kindly, her eyes still shut. “Aye, it looks like it’ll be busy the night, girls. Whit’s that, darling?”
Silence.
“Her name’s Senga, hen,” The Medium answered quietly, as Senga jumped in her seat wae fright. “It’s awright Senga, hen, Annie here jist wants tae thank ye fur trying tae help her,” she said, as aw the lassies stared at Senga as if she hid two horns sticking oot the side ae her heid. “Don’t be shy, hen…aye, Senga knows that fine well. Ah’ll jist tell her the noo, darling. Annie jist telt me that she wis yer first patient oan that first nightshift ae yours up in the casualty department a few years back.”
Senga tried tae think ae who Annie could be. There hid been so many patients o’er the years, bit The Medium hid said it hid been her first wan. She remembered that it hid been a busy Monday night, usually the quietness night ae the week. The only wummin she could remember wis an aulder wan who’d been attacked by her drunken man. He’d stuck a broken bottle intae her neck before snatching the few coppers she hid in her purse and legging it doon tae the licensed grocer oan the corner fur a bottle ae Lanny. Senga remembered hivving tae staun wae her fingers pressed intae the neck wound, trying tae stem the flow fae her severed blood vessel, while the doctor oan duty tried, bit failed, tae save her. She couldnae remember her name…in fact she couldnae remember much aboot her shift due tae the shock ae the scenes gaun oan roond aboot her fur the rest ae the night.”
“Annie here jist wants tae let ye know her neck is better noo, Senga, thanks tae yersel, hen. She jist wanted tae thank ye fur yer kindness,” The Medium continued quietly, as Senga’s haun shot up tae cover the whimper aboot tae escape fae the back ae her throat. “Aye, Senga’s glad ye’re awright noo and in a better place, Annie.”
Silence.
“Ah don’t think so, son. Naw, it’s goat nothing tae dae wae the lasses sitting here, so it’s no. Ah’m no sure if they know ae any singers…Rod Stewart? Wis he yer favourite singer, son? Up beside Partick Thistle fitba ground? Ah’ll jist ask them. Dis anywan know anywan that unfortunately droont and who wis intae Rod Stewart or sang Rod Stewart songs?” she asked, as everywan looked at each other, aw looking nervous at being asked a question by some ghostly singer.
“Er…naw, Ah don’t think so,” Frances croaked oan behauf ae them aw.
“Ah’m sorry, son. You take care noo.”
“There wis quite a few wee boys back in the sixties, who droont up at The Nolly when we wur at primary, bit Ah cannae remember any ae them being intae Rod Stewart. Ah don’t think Rod The Mod wid’ve been aboot back then,” Senga murmured.
“In A Broken Dream,” Aggie reminded her.
“Whit wis?” Frances asked.
“His first big hit back in seventy-wan or maybe it wis seventy-two.”
“Ah thought it wis Maggie May?” Michelle volunteered.
“Okay, his second wan then.”
“Naw, that wis Python somebody…Python Lee Jackson…sounded jist like him though.”
“That wis quite strange, so it wis,” Madam Elektra admitted. “Ah kept seeing a wee school lassie, hovering aboot somewhere in the background, behind him…at least Ah think it wis a school lassie. Ah tried tae get her tae come closer, bit she hung back. Maybe she wis jist too shy. It’s no always straightforward. Sometimes the spirits oan the other side kin be connected, bit they themselves don’t know it.”
Silence.
“Oh, oh, that’s strange. Ah’m picking up a rumbling noise…naw, wait a minute. It sounds like washing machines…industrial washing machines…there’s somewan staunin…there’s two ae them. They’re…no that happy wae each other,” she said, suddenly looking across at Kim Sui.
“Oh, my uncle…Jimmy Tarbuck? He owns the Chinese laundry along in Finnieston…but he’s still alive,” Kim Sui telt her, looking puzzled.
“They’re still there. It looks like they’re hivving a wee heated exchange...the big wan is pointing towards us.”
“And the other one?”
“He’s a lot smaller…and thinner. He looks a lot younger as well.”
“It widnae be Wee Pie, wid it?” Aggie exclaimed, as everywan looked across at Kim Sui, whose haun shot up tae her mooth.
“Can you speak to him…the younger one, I mean?” Kim Sui asked stiffly.
“Ah’m sorry, hen, bit they’ve gone. Sometimes that happens. There’s been a few ae them the night…big guys…who’ve come and gone in the last few minutes. Usually, they’ll come intae the light, bit no the night. Annie, who wanted tae thank Senga? She wis staunin beside ye Senga, hen. Smiling doon at ye, so she wis. This wis different. Although it’s been busy the night, maist ae the spirits hiv been staying in the shadows, hinging aboot, no saying anything. It’s no unusual. Usually when that happens, there’s connections tae the people in the room, bit no necessarily a direct link, like family. It usually means inadvertent connections, like people associated tae the people who want tae get in touch wae spirits oan the other side, especially if they’re Yuan Guis.”
“Dae any youse know ae any big guys connected tae any ae us that hiv passed away?” Jean asked, as Donna The Prima Donna shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“Fat John McCaskill.”
“Who?” they aw asked, looking across at Pearl.
“Him and his brothers used tae hiv the coal wagons back in The Toonheid. That ma ae mine said that he drapped doon deid carrying a big bag ae coal up the closemooth next tae hers a few months ago. He wis a big giant ae man.”
“It’s Pearl,” Pearl hauf yelped, jumping in her seat, her haun automatically gaun up tae touch her mass ae red curly hair, as The Madam chuckled. “Oh, he’s across at you noo, Senga, hen.”
“Skull? Skull is that you?” Senga asked, baith her and Pearl’s eyes filling wae tears.
“Aw, he’s smiling, looking at the baith ae youse,” The Medium continued. “He disnae know which wan ae ye tae go tae next. Ye’ve no tae worry, Pearl, hen. He says there’s a job waiting fur ye jist roond the corner, so there is. Whit’s that, son? Say that again, darling. Something…dae any ae youse know a…Ah think he said…John?”
“Oh ma God, Senga,” Jean and Frances baith exclaimed thegither, as everywan gasped, looking at Senga.
“He’s saying…say that again, son…he’s saying ye’ve tae jist hing in there, Senga hen. Dis that make any sense?”
“A…aye.”
“Oh, oh, here we go. This looks a wee bit mair promising…Ah kin see a uniform…she’s a nurse,” she said quietly tae them, as the hair oan the back ae everywan’s neck aw stood oan end. “Kin ye come a wee bit closer, hen? That’s better. Aye, Ah know darling. That’s why Kim Sui turned the lights doon tae. It wis blinding us as well. There’s nothing tae be afraid ae here, hen. Ye’re in amongst friends, so ye ur. Aye, Ah’ll tell them. Whit’s that? She says she’s grateful fur everything ye’ve done fur her parents and…her wee sister and brother as well. It’s been a big help tae them, she says. Aye, the girls here appreciate that, hen.”
Silence.
“There’s a lawyer…she seems a nice wan, bit the lassies here wur jist wondering… whit’s that, darling? She says she knows who Ah’m talking aboot,” The Medium said, nodding tae them aw.
Silence.
“And?” Michelle asked impatiently, as everywan glared at her fur interrupting. “Is she kosher fur Elspeth Jefferson tae work oan her behauf against the polis and Wan-bob Broon and Charlie Hastie…at the forthcoming trial, Ah mean?”
Silence.
“Ah’m sorry…she’s gone,” Madam Elektra said, as everywan’s face drapped in frustration and disappointment.
“See, Michelle!” Frances growled at her.
“Oh wait,” The medium suddenly said, smiling.
Silence.
‘Whit?” Senga asked, as everywan leaned forward in their seats, haudin their breath.
“Can none of you smell it?” Kim Sui asked them, as her and Madam Elektra looked at each other knowingly, smiling.
“Whit?” a bewildered chorus wrang oot that included Donna The Prima Donna this time, the longest she’d ever sat doon withoot a fag sticking oot her face in the past forty years.
“Ah’ll let you tell them, Kim Sui, hen.”
“Sometimes a Yuan Gui will speak, but there are other ways of communicating as well. If a Yuan Gui is unhappy, they’ll flood the room with the foulest smell…”
“Is it jasmine?” Pearl asked, smiling.
“Oh, Ah kin smell it as well.”
“Me tae,” Aggie announced in wonder.
“Wid somewan mind telling me whit’s gaun oan,” Donna asked, joining in, in the group sniffing session, they flared nostrils ae hers taking o’er her make-up caked face, as she sniffed the air like an auld bloodhound oan heat. “That sense ae smell ae mine went tae pot years ago…that’s whit happens if ye live wae a smelly basturt, who won’t wash his feet.”
“If a Yuan Gui is happy, they can fill a room or wherever they are, with the most beautiful scent. And yes, it’s usually jasmine,” Kim Sui said tae Pearl, as Madam Elektra nodded, chuckling at the lassies and Donna The Prima Donna, aw sniffing away as if they wur in a pre-war consumption ward.
“Kin…kin Ah ask her something?” Senga asked.
“Ah’m sorry, hen, bit she’s no here noo. There is somewan else here fae the other side that wants tae pass oan a wee message, though. Lizzie, hen? Ah think yer granny wants a wee word.”
“Me?”
“Aye, Granny Beth. She’s staunin jist beside ye…”
“Oh,” Lizzie gasped, looking aboot, as the others looked at her, a few still sniffing away.
“Granny Beth here said ye’ve tae stoap worrying aboot that brooch she left tae ye…it’ll turn up. Whit’s that, dear? Oh, and she says her and yer granda ur so very proud ae ye, you being a nurse. Okay, darling.”
“Wis yer granny called Beth?” Pearl asked Lizzie, as Lizzie nodded and smiled back, wiping away her tears.
“Ah lost that brooch no long efter we moved in, remember?” she turned and asked Senga, who nodded.
“Well, that wis a pleasant wee surprise, so it wis, Lizzie hen. We don’t usually get a family visit fae the other side when the room’s full ae Yuan gui. They usually hog the limelight, trying tae get answers as tae whit’s been bothering them.
Chapter Thirty Two
“Oh, aye, it looks like oor pal Jake’s burning the midnight oil,” Patsy Green, The Goat’s driver said tae him, nodding across at the boutique, as they sat waiting fur the lights tae change at the corner ae St Vincent Place and Buchanan street. “Dae ye want tae pay him a wee visit tae noise him up?”
“Naw, Ah cannae be arsed wae that wee dandy knob. Ah’ll end up punching the wee prick if he starts. Keep gaun and turn doon intae Renfield Street tae hiv a wee swatch tae see if anything’s happening,” The Goat growled. “Stoap! Naw, keep gaun,” The Goat hissed, his frame bouncing forward and back in his seat, turning roond tae look oot the back passenger windae behind the driver’s heid, as Patsy braked, before continuing. “Turn right intae Gordon Street and then up intae Hope Street.”
“Whit is it?”
“Did ye no see it? The van sitting parked up the lane?”
“Where?”
“Renfield Lane,” The Goat replied, as the car turned intae Gordon Street. “Who the fuck’s that?” he muttered, as wan ae the taxi drivers, staunin leaning oan his parked-up taxi ootside the station suddenly walked across the road in front them, waving fur them tae slow doon.
“Hi Davey. How ye doing?” The Goat asked through the passenger seat windae.
“Aye, fine, Timothy. Listen, there’s probably nothing in it, bit Ah’ve noticed a few ae that young McGregor crowd oot and aboot in the toon centre the past few days, so Ah hiv.”
“Aye? Any names?”
“Naw, bit Ah know it’s them. That wee granny ae mine lives o’er in Napier Road in Govan. They’re always hinging aboot up at the cross selling aw sorts ae shite. Ah’d recognise them anywhere. These wans look shifty as fuck, so they dae.”
“Whit time?”
“Usually during the day.”
“Ur they in a set ae wheels?”
“Ah noticed a couple ae them driving aboot in a black transit van yesterday.”
“Whereaboots?”
“The pair Ah clocked earlier in the day coming oot ae the Wan-o-Wan snooker hall oan Hope Street, wur heidin across The King George Bridge fae Oswald Street later oan.”
“Whit time wis this?”
“Late in the efternoon, aboot fourish.”
“And it’s young wans?”
“Aye.”
“Okay, thanks fur that, Dave.”
“Gie Wan-bob and Charlie ma regards.”
“Whit dae ye think?” Patsy asked efter the taxi driver disappeared across the road tae the taxi rank.
“We’ll soon see. Let’s go,” The Goat telt him. “Go past the lane, bit park up jist beyond it.”
When the car turned intae Hope Street, the cobbled lane wis just up oan the right haun side. As the car slowly moved past it, The Goat leaned across the driver and quickly glanced doon in tae it. The van wis still sitting there.
“Mount the pavement a bit tae allow the traffic tae get past us, Patsy. We don’t wa
nt Mr Plod tae take an interest in whit’s gaun oan,” The Goat instructed, getting oot ae his side, intae the oancoming traffic, before walking across tae the entrance tae the lane. “Ah’m gonnae go and hiv a wee swatch.”
“Dae ye want me tae come wae ye?” Patsy asked, popping hid heid oot ae the windae.
“Naw, this isnae the best place tae be sitting,” The Goat replied, looking doon towards The Glesga Echo building. “If the basturts see the car, they’ll fuck aff intae Renfield Street. Ah want tae see whit they’re up tae.”
The goat wis six feet four, bit it wis dark in the lane. He stuck tae the wee narrow pavement oan the left haun side ae the cobbles, hoping his ootline widnae be seen in the passenger side mirror ae the van, lit by the cars and buses passing the entrance he’d jist come fae. Aboot twenty feet fae the back ae it, he paused in wan ae the exit door openings that wur cut intae the walls tae allow goods vehicles access tae drap aff deliveries. He slipped the Berretta oot ae his holster and checked the safety catch wis aff, before creeping forward. Jist as he reached the back ae the van, he could see the chest and shoulder ae somewan sitting in the passenger seat in the door mirror. He wid’ve preferred mair room tae manoeuvre, as the right shoulder ae his jaicket slid alang the side ae the van. He swiftly moved back oan tae the wee pavement and turned tae face the windae. A young guy wis sitting there oan his lonesome. He turned and smiled at The Goat, as the gangster lifted his erm wae the gun in his haun. Unfortunately fur him, he never heard the padded feet moving quietly, bit swiftly, creeping up oan him fae the direction he’d jist come, until it wis too late. He also never heard the explosion, as he wis hurtled forward, face first, wae the force ae the blast fae the sawn-aff shotgun in his back. He might’ve survived the first blast, bit the second wan obliterated the bottom ae that skull and neck ae his, splattering brain and vertebrae across the narrow pavement and cobbles, as the shooter used his victim’s back as a running board tae access the driver’s door oan the other side ae the van.
