by steve higgs
I wanted to watch Amanda - to make sure she was alright, but if she needed my help, I could not offer it right now. A fist flashed out towards me, the sunlight glinted off of what I thought was a collection of rings but realised almost too late was a knuckle duster armed with spikes. It was precisely the move I had hoped for though. It would be simple for me to step inside the punch while spinning to place my back to the attacker. I had practiced the move hundreds of times in various classes. Catch his right arm with my left, right elbow high going back into his face or throat. Pull down with the left arm and duck under it and suddenly the attacker is bleeding from his face and lying on the floor with me on top of him.
Yeah. Didn’t happen like that.
I caught the punch and span but as I lifted my right arm everything went wrong. My pain killers had worn off and I had no power in my right arm with which to hit him. I ended up just backing into him so that we were basically spooning in the street.
‘What the…?’ he asked from right next to my left ear.
He shoved me hard in the back, forcing me to break my hold on his arm. To my left, Amanda had her man on the floor in a head lock, but he was fighting her. He too had a knuckle duster and was trying to punch over his head to get to hers.
Klown dickhead one, the Klown that I had thus far had little success with, came at me in a huge haymaking lunge. He was trying to get me with the knuckle duster, which told me that it was probably his only move. He wasn't a fighter then, he was a big guy with a weapon, full of false bravado because there were two of them and they were armed. I imagined that they had told themselves this would be easy.
If he knew about my ribs, he was failing to target them. However, if his intention was to kill me or cause serious injury, he looked to be more than capable, and Amanda could not hold off both if I was unable to deal with him.
From the crowd, someone shouted, ‘Bravo!' A quick glance revealed that Amanda had her man on his front now with both hands behind his back. She was sitting on him. That a crowd had formed to watch the spectacle but were doing nothing to help the little blonde lady said volumes about human mentality. Did they think this was a show put on for the tourists?
Another haymaker punch swung harmlessly by as I span away. He was slow, not uncommon in big men, but having missed me several times, he accepted that his tactic was not working. I saw the change in his stance and in the next second, he came at me with both hands trying to grab me. Keeping my feet apart and balanced, I parried his hands away. But I was using only my left arm; my right arm I kept tucked into my body. Any attempt to use it would result in incapacitating pain, so it was held in a boxer's defensive pose where I could pretend it was ready for the big punch if I got an opening. Keeping his focus on me, I had circled him around so that I was now between him and Amanda. I could not allow him to interfere with her restraining the other Klown.
Barely a minute had passed since we came out of the office, fights are always so quick, but I was feeling the effort and my right arm was getting difficult to hold up. It seemed to me that he noticed my discomfort as he changed his stance again. He led with a kick which came low and on my right side. I could not block it with my left arm, so I moved into it to take the blow early on. In doing so, I had given away any distance advantage I had, which exposed me to his next move. He grabbed my right arm and the pain in my ribs made my head swim. I was going down.
I tried to focus on his face, looking for advance warning of the next blow, hoping I could go with it or twist away from it. He had hold of my right arm though and I could not pull it from him. Just then though, as I was looking at his face, it disappeared. It just exited stage-left from my field of vision. In its place was an enormous boot. The Klown's body followed its head, flying off to the left. I was rid of the Klown it seemed, but he failed to release my right arm as he went, causing a savage tug to my injured side. It finished me off and I tumbled to the floor in a pile.
‘Are you alright, Tempest?’ asked Basic, leaning over me.
I gave him a thumb’s up with my left hand. It seemed easier than speaking.
‘Hur, hur,’ he laughed. Basic laughed a lot.
I was able to raise my head a bit so I could see that the Klown Basic had kicked showed no sign of movement and Amanda's Klown was incapacitated. Then raised voices drew my attention. Coming towards us through the crowd were two uniforms. They arrived slightly out of breath, but ready for action. They spotted Amanda and it was clear they recognised her. From her position still sitting on top of the still protesting Klown's back, she gave the cops a little wave. Sirens heralding the arrival of more police and an ambulance split the tranquillity of the ancient stone around us. I continued to lay on the floor. It was not exactly comfortable, but I really didn't want to move.
Presently, a green box appeared by my head and a paramedic appeared above me. ‘I'm ok,' I told him. ‘I'm just having a rest.' I explained about my ribs and was rewarded with the promise of some medication. They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I knew there was no need. I thanked them and forced myself into a seated position.
Amanda was a few feet away talking to Chief Inspector Quinn. He and I had met a few weeks ago, the day after I had met Amanda, actually. He didn’t like me. The two Klowns were in handcuffs and being led away and the crowd had been pushed back but had grown in numbers. Lots of them had their phones out and were recording the scene. No doubt I would be on YouTube tonight showing people my incredible fighting skills - something to look forward to.
Amanda saw me sitting up and came over to check on me. ‘How are you feeling?’ she asked.
‘Same as before. My ribs hurt. Did you get anything from the Klowns?’
‘Nah, they won’t speak. CI Quinn will be interrogating them shortly back at the station, but there is no ID on them just the same as the last guy we caught. I wanted to check on you, but I will have to go soon. They have recalled all officers. With an attack in daylight they have called for reinforcements from other counties, so we have to show that we are using all our available resources here first.’ I guess that made sense. ‘Is there anything I can get you?’
‘No. I’ll be okay. Where is Basic though and what was he doing here?’
‘Ah. Actually, Basic is here because I hired him.’
‘Hired him?’
‘As protection for you.' I opened my mouth, but she kept talking so I could not get a word in. ‘Just for a few days. From your description of the attack the other night, it seems likely that they targeted you deliberately. Today's attack right outside your office confirms it. You are injured and cannot defend yourself as you normally would, so you need someone around that can help. Big Ben is out of action and Basic said he could take a few days off from the supermarket to help out.'
I nodded. I might not like it, but it made sense. My pride, my sense of manliness was wounded from the suggestion that I needed a bodyguard. I was big enough and tough enough to take care of myself. Except I wasn’t at the moment. If Basic had not come to my rescue, I might not have survived the most recent attack. I really didn’t like it, but I swallowed my pride and kept my mouth shut.
‘What’s going on?’ asked a voice that I recognised as Jane’s. ‘I noticed flashing lights from the office window when I got up to make a tea and was starting to wonder why it was taking so long to fetch a sandwich.’
‘We got distracted,’ I said.
‘Yes. I see that.' I would have to sit down for a proper chat about the Klowns with Jane later. It felt very possible they might target her also.
Amanda checked her watch. ‘Do you need to go?’ I asked her.
‘No, no. I can hang on for a bit,’ she replied, but it was clear that she was being polite.
I said, ‘There is nothing more you can do here. You need to feed yourself and get to work. You should go.' I spotted Basic eating a kebab and sat on a bench just behind the crowd of people watching us. ‘Basic is here. Don't worry about me.'
‘I think you will have to g
o to the station anyway, Tempest. They are going to want to question you about your involvement.' Of course, they would. I had been attacked twice in a few days.
I clambered to my feet, wobbling a little as I did so. Once I was up, I had to bend over a bit to lower my head until the sparkly lights stopped dancing in front of my eyes. ‘I'm fine,' I lied to Amanda and Jane’s concerned faces. ‘I just stood up too quickly.'
Basic saw me and gave a wave. CI Quinn saw me also and detached himself from the officers he was talking to. The show was over anyway, the police were packing up and moving out.
‘Mr. Michaels, another busy week for you. Would you care to tell me why the Klowns are targeting you?'
‘I wish I knew.’ It did seem that I was part of their plan though. Maybe if I could work out why, it would be possible to solve this case.
‘I will need you to come to the station, Mr. Michaels. You are free to do so at any point, however, right now would be as good a time as any.'
I nodded my head. ‘I’ll be along shortly. Within the hour.’ CI Quinn appeared to be content with my answer, he turned away to deal with other business as I looked around for Jane.
I spotted her chatting with Basic and sharing his kebab. They were both sat on the bench. ‘Hey, Tempest.’ Basic called as I approached. ‘Why don’t sharks eat clowns? Because they taste funny. Hur, hur, hur.’ I smiled to be polite. Good old Basic.
‘Basic, I believe Amanda asked you to hang out with me for a few days.’
‘S’right,’ he said around a mouthful of kebab.
‘I need to go to the police station shortly. You don’t need to come with me, I should be safe enough there.’
‘Amanda said I was to keep you safe and to thump any of dem Klowns if dey came near you,’ he replied.
‘Okay. Well, I need some lunch so shall we meet in a few minutes?' Basic was already getting to his feet, clearly intending to accompany me wherever I was going. ‘I'm just going in that shop over there for a sandwich, Basic. You can watch the shop from here. Please finish your kebab.' I added that I would be fine since he did not look convinced and left him to finish shovelling bits of meat into his mouth.
I returned a few minutes later with a turkey and swiss sandwich wrapped in greaseproof paper that was tucked inside my shoulder bag. Basic had finished eating and had clearly wiped his greasy fingers on his jeans to dry them. The empty kebab container was in the bin next to the bench and a pair of pigeons were underneath his seat and edging close to a few scraps he had dropped.
As I approached, Jane got up. ‘Tempest, I forgot to tell you that I got a call just after you left the office. You have a female client visiting tomorrow morning at ten o'clock.'
‘What is it pertaining to?’
‘Same case. The Klowns. She was crying a lot so I could not make out all that she was telling me. She wanted to see you in person though, said she had information and wanted your help.' Information. I checked my watch. it was entirely possible the information was nothing, but I felt a pull to check it out anyway. I tapped a finger on the face of my watch idly while I debated what to do. CI Quinn was expecting me, and I actually wanted to get him on my side for once. He could be helpful to me if our relationship was less antagonistic.
Decision made, I hauled my keys from my bag. ‘Ready when you are.' I told Basic, at which he leaped up and off we went. ‘I'll see you in the morning, Jane.' I offered back over my shoulder while we were still within earshot.
Basic had another joke for me as we walked. ‘Hey, Tempest. What material do you use to make a clown outfit? Poly-jester! Hur, hur.’
Maidstone Police Station. Tuesday, October 25th 1413hrs
The journey to Maidstone police station was not a long one, but the Medway Towns road infrastructure could be a testing at times and often got clogged up. Usually, it took nothing more than a broken-down car or a goods lorry unloading outside a business, to cause a large tailback. We were fortunate today and suffered no such delays.
I checked my watch as we got out of the car: 1413hrs. I wondered if I would get anything out of this afternoon or if I would just be stuck here for hours. Basic and I walked around to the front entrance of the station and went inside.
The officer on the front desk noted my name and why I was there and asked me to take a seat. A dozen uncomfortable looking polypropylene chairs were arranged in two rows and welded to a bar so they could only be moved as one unit. It probably just kept them tidy. I slumped, already bored, into one of them, and started waiting. I am not a fan of waiting for the simple reason that it is usually open-ended. The wait stops when someone else decides it should. Today, I was in the hands of CI Quinn.
He made me wait.
After thirty minutes, I got up to have another word with the desk Officer, a polite request that he convey to CI Quinn that I was going to leave in fifteen minutes if he had not found time for me before then. I suspected, actually, that it was not CI Quinn I needed at all. I was only giving a statement and thus I could probably give it to anyone.
The fifteen minutes ticked by with no change to my situation, so I got up and left the station, taking Basic with me. I was disappointed that I hadn’t been taken seriously because I wanted to be involved in what was going on. Two attacks in the space of a few days was no coincidence and from the messages the Klowns had delivered, I was convinced that targeting me was very much planned. However, as I went out the door, I heard my name being called and I turned to see CI Quinn stood next to the desk officer. Conceding that it would be simpler to just get on with it now that he was finally ready, I went back inside and allowed him to escort me through to a back room. Basic remained in reception, content that I would be safe from Klown attack while I was here.
‘Mr. Michaels, I will have a PC take your statement shortly, but I wanted to speak with you myself as once again you appear to be causing trouble that I cannot charge you with.' If he was looking for a reaction from me, I denied him the pleasure. He continued regardless. ‘How is it that I find you at the centre of the Klown attacks?’
Instead of answering a question that I was sure he knew I had no answer to, I tilted my head slightly, examining him as if he were a curiosity. He was being foolish, so I was treating him as a fool. ‘I need to speak with the men you have in custody.’ I made it a statement, not a request.
‘Certainly not,’ he scoffed.
‘They have targeted me twice, Quinn. Do you think it a coincidence? I am given to understand that they are being tight-lipped. Do you not think that it might be worth seeing if they open up to speak with one of their intended victims?'
He smiled at me and gave an amused chuckle. I thought it fake, but it sounded real. ‘I’ll send in that PC,’ he said on his way out the door.
Giving my statement did not take long; a few minutes only, after which I collected Basic from reception and thankfully escaped the police station. Then, I headed into town as there was an errand I needed to perform.
At the top end of Fremlin Walk in Maidstone town centre, was a florist. There were other florists around, or I could just order flowers online, but I liked to pick my own – it made the decision to do so more intimate. In the florist, I could see which flowers looked good, so that was what I did. I owed Sophie an apology, no matter whether she accepted it or not, or ever spoke to me again, it was right that I acknowledged my failing.
I selected and paid for a spray of freesias that they would deliver to her address. I had no idea where she lived but I did know where she worked, so I sent them there with a note that I wrote myself.
I got back to Finchampstead at 1717hrs. Basic was happy to be dropped at home. I watched him go inside before driving around the corner to my own abode. Happy dogs greeted me at the front door, then scampered off to the back door so they could scare the wood pigeons from the lawn.
With the world shut outside, I settled into a peaceful evening routine of feeding myself and getting an early night in the hope that I could make up for some of the sleep I ha
d been missing.
Outside the Blue Moon Office. Wednesday, 26th October 0853hrs
Despite the early night and my fatigue, I slept fitfully again. The painkillers kept the ache in my ribs at bay but movement in my sleep woke me every time. My continual grumping and groaning had caused the dogs to get off the bed during the night. They had retreated beneath me, where a folded single duvet provided a refuge in which they were supposed to sleep anyway. I gave up on sleep at 0702hrs, carried the Dachshunds downstairs and went through to the kitchen to find the kettle. Tea would help. It always does.
Presently, the dogs barked to come back in, waking me from my sleep-deprived daze where I had been staring at the mug of tea in front of me. I opened the patio door and followed them back through to the kitchen as they shot through the office in search of kibble.
A minute later, I was back in my home office and firing up the computer while the dogs wolfed down their breakfast. A text from Amanda telling me there had been yet another murder had arrived while I slept. She also told me that all police were now on duty rotation until further notice and all their time off had been cancelled. The name of the latest victim was not included because she did not yet know it. However, she advised, she would update me later.
I could find little information online other than the victim lived in Igtham – the second from the same small village and I wondered if they might be connected. I checked my notes again and could not help thinking that I might be missing something vital. Jane and I would put more effort into finding a link between the victims later today, not just the murder victims, but the earlier ones that had just been chased, robbed or hurt.
The clock on the computer told me it was 0742hrs so I needed to shower, eat, and leave for work. Normally, I eat a healthy diet devoid of processed food, low in unhealthy fats and stodgy white carbs and I complimented that with getting plenty of exercise. Now that I could not exercise though, and arguably needed to eat less or control my diet just a little bit more stringently, I found myself craving food that I would not normally entertain. This morning I wanted sausages, like a big sausage baguette or something equally filling and satisfying. Thankfully, I did not have the baguette or the sausages in the house, a deliberate ploy on my part to help me avoid such foods but it was a grumpy version of myself that made a veggie omelette.
