bright lights and colours of a few moments ago yielded to an agonised spiral downwards into seemingly infinite blackness.
The dream had become a nightmare. He was in such pain that he couldn’t move without stabs of protest coming from his injured body. The bed was hard and it was wet; he could feel it grazing his cheek. In fact, it wasn’t a bed at all; it was… a pavement… it was raining… and it wasn’t a dream.
Steven’s eyes flickered open to see flashing blue lights reflected in a puddle in the gutter where he was lying. There were people nearby but he felt that he couldn’t turn his head just yet. He went on gazing at the puddle, watching a cigarette butt and a chewing gum wrapper float hither and thither on the rippled surface as a slight breeze rose and fell away again. He moved his attention to some moss growing in a join in the pavement as he tried to determine which part of him was hurting most. The vague sounds nearby however, were starting to become distinguishable words.
‘ I don’t fucking believe it, Mike,’ said a man’s voice. ‘Do you know who this guy is?’
‘ Surprise me,’ said another man’s voice sourly.
‘ None other than Dr Steven bloody Dunbar.’
‘ You’re joking!’ exclaimed the other man, now sounding very interested. ‘The Home Office guy the boss has been shitting bricks about?’
‘ The very same. Take a look. Her Majesty’s Sci-Med Inspectorate.’
Steven who had now regained full consciousness realised that his warrant card had been taken from his pocket. He tried to move without much success but the two men above him noticed the attempt and knelt down beside him. He could see now that they were policemen. He could smell boot polish and the wet serge of their trousers.
‘ Just you stay put, pal,’ said one. ‘An ambulance is on its way. You’ve had a bit of a doing.’
‘ And well deserved too,’ said the other. ‘If what we’ve been hearing is anything to go by. Santini is going to love this. Man o man. Yes siree. I can almost feel promotion in the air.’
The two policemen started laughing as they stood up.
Steven, wondering just what the hell they found so funny, tried to raise his head to demand an explanation. The arriving ambulance however, drowned out his words and two different uniforms jumped out to take centre stage.
After an examination by two paramedics, during which it was established that none of his limbs had been broken, Steven was helped up and into the back of the vehicle after waving away a stretcher. The last thing he saw before the doors were closed was a lilac neon sign on the wall of the building outside. It said, ‘Cuddles’.
‘ You were lucky,’ said the young woman doctor in A amp; E.
Steven closed his eyes and felt sure that if he had fallen into a mincing machine and lost all his limbs, someone would be sure to come up to him and say these self same words.
‘ No broken bones,’ continued the severe looking young woman. ‘Just bruised ribs and a variety of cuts and bruises that should keep you out of mischief for a bit. We’d like to keep you in overnight though, just as a precaution. You took quite a beating about the head. We’ll do some tests. Any idea how long you were unconscious?’
‘ What time is it now?’ Steven asked.
‘ 2 a.m. give or take.’
‘ Since the back of six last night.’
‘ What?’ exclaimed the doctor. ‘Are you serious?’
‘ The last thing I remember is getting into my car around six last night. Someone grabbed me from behind and then… nothing until I came round in the gutter.’
‘ Well, memory loss is not that uncommon after head trauma. It’ll probably come back to you. In the meantime the police would like to have a word if you feel up to it?’
Steven nodded. As he waited, he ran his hand over the strapping that had been applied to his ribs and then explored his face for lumps and bumps, grimacing as he came across each of them. He was counting the butterfly stitches above his right eye when two plain-clothes officers entered. Neither smiled but they exuded an air of smugness as they introduced themselves that put Steven on his guard.
‘ There’s not much I can tell you,’ he said. ‘I didn’t really get a chance to see who attacked me.’
‘ We know who “attacked” you,’ said the elder of the two, glancing at his colleague and endowing the word with a degree of mockery that put Steven’s hackles up.
‘ Who?’
‘ The men who… restrained you are bouncers at the Cuddles sauna near Haymarket. According to these gentlemen, you came over all nasty with one of their girls and started knocking her about when you didn’t fancy the bill she presented you with after you’d had your wicked way with her. They claim they acted purely in defence of the girl. They tried reasoning with you but you insisted on playing the hard man so they had no other option than to give you a bit of a smack. The lady in question, health club assistant, Miss Tracy Manson, will be pressing charges for assault.’
‘ This is ludicrous!’ exclaimed Steven. ‘I’ve never been in the damned place in my life.’
‘ Aye, right,’ said the younger of the two policemen, a ginger-haired DC with a face like a ferret. ‘What’s your story? You had a quiet night watching the telly before going out and head-butting the pavement outside a sauna at two in the morning?’
Steven fixed him with a look.
‘ Come on, Doctor,’ said the ferret’s boss, changing tack. ‘Your job here in the city was over and you fancied a bit of rest and recreation before going home. Perfectly understandable, we’re all men of the world. Things just got a bit out of hand. These things happen and the supposed extras that some of these tarts try to load the bill with are a nonsense…’
‘ Stop right there,’ said Steven. ‘I don’t know any Tracy Manson; there was no bill and I have never been in Cuddles sauna in my life. I was attacked last night around six when I got into my car and… I don’t remember any more.’
‘ Well now, isn’t that convenient,’ sneered the ferret.
‘ You’re beginning to annoy me, sonny,’ said Steven in an ice-cold monotone.
‘ Enough, Roberts,’ said his inspector. ‘We mustn’t forget that Dr Dunbar is a senior colleague of ours and has full Home Office backing.’
‘ No, boss,’ said the ferret with a grin.
Steven bunched the fingers of his right hand and the ferret noticed. ‘Is that what Tracy Manson got then?’ he asked. ‘A bit of a thump for being a greedy girl?’
Steven held his temper in check although it was touch and go for a moment. ‘Are you charging me?’ he asked.
‘ Not just yet,’ replied the inspector. ‘We’ve not finished our inquiries but you won’t be going anywhere will you, Doctor?’
Steven swore softly as they left. He lay back on the pillow, wondering just what the hell was going on. The young doctor, whom he could now read from her badge, was, Dr Cynthia Reeves came back into the room and asked how he was feeling.
‘ Worse,’ replied Steven.
‘ How so?’
‘ Part of my life has gone missing and I don’t like what certain people are intent on filling it with. I can’t remember a damn thing after I got in the car last night.’
‘ Can you remember where you were going?’
Steven thought for a moment before saying, ‘Oh God! I was on my way to see my daughter Jenny. God almighty! Sue and Richard will be wondering where I am. I’m supposed to be taking Jenny and the other two swimming this morning. I’ve got to phone them and tell them what’s happened.’
‘ Easy,’ said Cynthia, restraining him. ‘All in good time. It’s three in the morning. The whole world’s asleep.’
Steven was persuaded to relax for the moment. He calmed down and lay back to start thinking again about the previous evening. ‘I got in the car and then… nothing. I can’t remember anything. No wait! There was a smell, a cloth on my face, Chloroform! It was chloroform! I remember now.’
