Zodiac's toy - John Jones (bill gates best books txt) 📗

better go and see what work Gary's got for me, then I've got to go and see me fuckin' muppet probation officer," Lee said, standing up and leaving the flat.

Shane and Ray lit up more cigarettes, Shane reluctant to go into his own flat.

Take your weapons and fuck right off, was what Shane wished he could say to Nugget, but he would simply have to put up with thinking it. Perhaps it might not be so bad if Nugget was a friend, or a nice man, but he was just one of Gary's 'bone-heads', whose only intellect was for money and weapons and not much else. A person 'consumed' by business, by making money.

Soon afterwards Ray had a text from Ambroses. They wanted him in in an hour. So Shane reluctantly went back to his own place.

 

Chapter 32

 

Billy Price had been 'persuaded' out of his car-office by his superiors and into the probation offices behind the local police station. It wasn't his own personal office but he'd still managed to make a mess of the sparsely furnished room, mainly by spreading papers around the place. He was rather disorganised, but then many of his fellow workers were the same. There was paperwork on top of paperwork on top of paperwork, and keeping track of it all was a talent in itself, especially when it came to managing the computer database as well.

Lee was sat opposite, slouched, arms tightly folded looking for all the world like he would literally rather be anywhere else, trying his best not to look at Billy.

"I’ve been so mad busy lately I haven’t had time to check on this job you want, but I will don’t worry. What was it, a debt agency?" Billy said, stacking papers. Lee shrugged.

"Debt advisor. People who borrow money who can't or won't pay it back, I go and offer them advice. Money management. Help them balance their books. Recover assets". Billy nodded.

"That's great. Once I’ve checked up and approved it, you’ll be making good old-fashioned spondoolica in no time” he said, rubbing his fingers together in a money gesture. “ It's good to see you're rehabilitating well before you go into the Blossom programme. I would like you to go back into the prison to give a little talk on how you're finding it outside. How you've found work. An inspirational boost for the prisoners will help in going towards them not re-offending. I think they would enjoy it".

"Would they?" Lee muttered. "Do I have to?" Billy just nodded, writing in his note-pad.

"I'll arrange that for next week. Keep your phone on". Lee wished he could just leap across the table and pound his face in. He could probably do some serious damage before anybody could intervene.

Perhaps for a second, the consequences would be worth it. I may be locked up forever in solitary confinement, but at least I got to beat fuck out of the snotty little cunt.

Lee however, just played his part to the least of his ability what Billy wanted to hear, what should probably keep him at bay, as far away as possible.

"Yes I'd love to do that," he said. "It would be nice to see some friends I made inside who are still there. I'll tell them there's hope". Billy put down his pen and nodded emphatically.

"Yes, yes, that would be amazing," He made a fist and gave it a little pump, "Give them great motivation". Lee reigned in his growing temptation to leap across and snap his neck, but he just smiled and said:

"I'll start work on my talk as soon as I go home".

"Good, okay, now the Blossom programme will be starting in about a fortnight. Also let me remind you about your options with regards helping with your finances, plus where we’re up to with your benefits applications". Lee made an exaggerated sigh and sank further into his chair which went unnoticed by Billy as he sifted through the papers.

 

Ray was kept busy at work. Two families had decided to go shopping with their young children which resulted in a lot of running around, screaming, fights, and spilled cartons of milk and juice in the aisles. One of the parents caused a scene as well when another customer dared suggest that the children were out of control.

'How dare you tell me how to look after me kids..!' and soon the parents and some of the customers became embroiled in a shouting match.

'...kids are more mature than you..'

'...don't you speak to me like that..'

'...go and get the fuckin' manager then...' However, the manager could see on the CCTV what was happening, and decided to let security handle it. This kind of activity didn't happen often, but neither was it rare.

Some of the staff were embroiled in light brawling with the families, but soon it dispersed to the tune of:

'I'm never comin' here again...' but some of the staff recognised them, and knew full well they would return, maybe not as a family, but when it was time to go shopping, and they would shop as meekly as possible.

Ray hung around until they were gone, and mopped up the spillages. An elderly couple walked nearby and the wife said, rather too loudly to her husband so Ray could hear:

"Did you hear about those Scorpios?"

"What?" her husband said. "What do you mean?" but she never answered, and they continued, leaving Ray to slowly mop up chocolate milk.

It was a long day for him. He'd cleaned most of the time and returned stray trolleys in the car-park, and had a meeting with other workers for a reminder of health and safety policy with potential updates.

Still he managed to pilfer alcohol and cigarettes, and decided to sit off and drink a small whisky in a bus-stop on his way home. His system had taken a hammering over the years and a small whisky had lessening effects. However, after five minutes and half of the bottle, it still blurred his vision and slowed his movements slightly, so much so that across the main road standing at the roadside, it took a few moments to notice a man watching him.

A man that looked like his mirror image.

A man who walked across the road. Ray could see that he kept his focus on him, and not the traffic. The road was busy, but somehow the vehicles seemed to avoid the doppelganger.

He didn't approach Ray, but stepped onto the pavement and stood about twenty metres away.

He really looks like me, Ray thought, through his hazy observation. Then the man turned and walked down a side-road, out of his sight.

He was curious enough to stand up and go and see if he could have a closer look, maybe follow him, but when he entered the road he saw the man in the distance simply standing there, looking at Ray, who stopped and looked around like he'd been caught out, but the man continued walking.

It was almost as if he wanted Ray to follow, which he did.

The man kept looking around to see if Ray was following who by now was not pretending. He tried to catch up to him but he just walked faster. After around ten minutes, he entered the car-park of the high-rise.

Ray was not far behind. He saw the man enter the building.

 

"Sorry Lee but that's not my problem. It would be more trouble than it's worth," said Gary in his office, Lee looking hopeful at him stood near his desk. Blotto was sat on the sofa drinking coffee.

"He keeps banging on about this fucking Blossom project or whatever and I don't want to do it. I just need someone to sort him out, get him off my case. Someone from outside of town..."

Ray's doppelganger walked in holding a phone.

"Hi Ray," said Lee.

"Gary, you need to pay me and Shane what you owe you fucking shark or I'll call the police and get you shut down". The man held the phone to his ear.

"I'll call them. Pay the fuck up,” then he threw the phone at Gary and it hit him above the left eye. He turned around and stormed away, kicking a television, breaking its screen.

"Ray what the fuck!" Lee shouted and ran after him. He saw him at the top of the stairs grinning at him, then he ran down, but had disappeared into thin air by the time Lee reached the top step.

He dashed down and burst through the door to find Ray outside about to enter.

"Ray you fucking cunt!" he shouted, and proceeded to punch and kick him. He fell to the ground, the bag of bottles and cigarettes breaking and sprawling away.

"Lee what..?" but he just saw red, and kicked and stamped on Ray, who, despite his slight intoxication tried to protect himself to barely any avail.

Gary walked out and saw Ray being beaten. He pushed Lee to the side who stopped.

"What the fuck were you thinking Ray you fucking idiot!" said Lee. Ray lay there, battered and bruised, and Gary said nothing, then stamped on his face.

He wasn't unconscious, but Lee and Blotto carried him up the stairs and into his flat. They threw him down on the living room floor.

"Lee...why...?" he managed to mutter.

"Looks like he can just about comprehend what I say," said Gary, walking in behind.

"Blotto, go the DIY shop or wherever and get something to keep this door locked. I don't want this fucker going anywhere. I can't trust him not to call the police. He could bring the pigs to our doorstep and I'm keeping him here until I decide what to do with him," Gary then knelt beside him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are you little bastard? threatening me with the police. Do you have any idea what I can have done to you? I'll get someone to cut off your face and choke you on it. String you up from a tree with a fish-hook through your tongue. I've had them done before to non-payers, so a little cunt who threatens me with the police might just get far worse". He stood and walked out onto the landing, waiting for Lee.

"And you threaten my job and might have me thrown back in jail," Lee said, kicking him in the ribs and leaning down to spit in his face which was already streaked with rivulets of blood. He turned and left the flat.

"Make sure he goes nowhere until Blotto gets back,” Gary said, “and destroy his phone. I've got to decide what I'm gonna do with him". Gary then walked into his flat, and Lee went back inside Ray's and began over-hauling the place searching for his phone. He checked his pockets and everywhere he could think of where it could be hidden, until he found it in plain sight on his bedside table.

He heard Blotto's van pull up, and after Lee had stamped the phone into annihilation and disposed of it, they were soon screwing shelf brackets into the front door of the flat, locking Ray in.

That night, Ray had managed to muster enough strength to lie on the bed, but even with the effects of the whiskey still flowing through his system, and the fact he was very tired, he could find no sleep. His vision was even more blurry, and after a few hours at around 2am, with everything black as pitch, a faint blue light appeared in the doorway.

It's the glow from the television, he thought. The telly's come on. There was no sound though.

After a few moments, he managed to sit up and achingly walked into the living room where he collapsed on the sofa and watched through blurry vision the television. He could see it was the surface of a lake, a lake with a goat's head looking out at him.

After a few seconds the camera sank into the water to reveal the body of the goat which merged into the lower half of a fish, its fin slowly undulating.

Ray's tiredness, aches and pains and intoxication finally caused