Zodiac's toy by John Jones (read 50 shades of grey .TXT) 📕

introducing rules upon rules upon rules...well, that way lies Fucksville.

So he decided to write a lot of Gary's debts off. Fuck it, they can keep the money, and he would start by keeping a few whose addresses were in a note-book he'd found with the latest debts and addresses. There were also five phones he could access. Whatever business came through them and the note-book, that was it, and for him it was a decent beginning.

There were also appointments today, but most of the money was in a locked safe and he could find no combination. He couldn't get into any of the four laptops he had without a password. All the papers he thought could be binned and had scanned them all for passwords and codes but found nothing.

He didn't care what it all meant. Just bin the lot and start over again. Nevermind what any of it means, because it meant nothing to Lee.

There was a few hundred pounds in cash lying around, so he went to his own flat and retrieved money from his safe. At least he had the post-office money as well, and maybe Nugget had some notes. So had a good nest-egg to start with, and wondered if one of the contacts on one of those phones was any good at safe-cracking. Maybe leave them alone, whoever they were. Other 'enforcers' on the payroll. He would deal with them in due course if they complained about not getting paid. Fuck 'em, just send them a text to say Gary's dead then block their numbers.

He was staring at the safe when there was a knock on the door. He answered and found it to be a girl who must have been in her twenties. An 'emo' with one side of her hair shaved and green eye-shadow on one eye.

"Are you Gary?" she asked, "bloody stinks out here. Like there's a dead body or something. I've got an appointment to see you". Lee was desensitised to the smell, but now that he concentrated on it, it was apparent, clawing its way into his nostrils.

"Yes," he said nodding inside.

 

After ten minutes of hearing why she wanted seven hundred pounds, Lee had almost talked her out of it, until deciding business was business, and if she wanted liposuction, then she could have it.

"I don't think you need it, you're not fat". She had stood up and pinched her stomach.

"I am, I need to lose some round here".

"Have you tried exercise?"

"Yes, but...it'll be easier and quicker this way". Lee had just shrugged, and handed her the money. Giving her three months to pay it back, and when he had taken down her details, realised she could have said anything. He should have rang her phone there and then in the flat to make sure the number was correct, but she had left with a smile on her face seven hundred pounds richer.

He realised he needed help. He needed a Blotto, so maybe those contacts might come in handy.

A cup of coffee was in order so he stood up to go to the kitchen, only to hear a distant knocking. He entered the hallway and heard it again. Someone was knocking on another flat.

Sounds like mine, he said, his hackles rising, and he edged to the door and opened it ajar to see somebody knocking on his flat.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he whispered, and opened the door. He'd forgotten his probation officer said he may make unannounced calls, let alone think he would actually do it.

"Billy," Lee called. He had a look of sourness on his face.

"Lee, something smells around here, you should see the landlord or something. I can get onto them if you like," he said, walking along the corridor. "What are you doing in this flat anyway?"

Lee spun him a yarn that had Billy looking pleased.

'Your own business...that's great...certainly going up in the world...I'm really pleased for you...but first I’m going to need to check its legitimacy, just to make sure it meets all the legal requirements as you’ll be paying national insurance and doing tax returns. Also, after I’ve made sure everything is fine and given you the go-ahead, I’ll help you apply for financial support...honestly Lee you’re doing wonderful'.

He stayed an hour, but it wasn't all plain sailing, as the legitimacy of the business began to creep into Billy's mind, but Lee would rescue it.

'This is just temporary premises until I get myself off the ground'.

'That is great,' Billy had said, and once again, the temptation to attack the probation officer surged through Lee, but he reigned it in, and Billy left happy, if slightly confused, but there was nothing to bring up. On the surface, Lee looked like a normal businessman, a 'Loan specialist officer' he'd thought up on the spot, and Billy didn't question it. He pointed out the smashed screen of the television in the hallway, and Lee had said it was awkward and heavy to carry up the stairs, and the other guy had dropped it, and now owes for damages, but Billy probed no further and seemed relieved to be going, reminding him of his talk at the prison, and putting the Blossom project on hold incase permission for business go-ahead was denied.

When he waved him goodbye with a painted smile, the stench emanating from his own flat entering his nostrils, he knew that the body had to be dealt with as soon as.

Where was Ray? he thought. Maybe he could fill in for Blotto for the time being, even though Lee knew he would be utterly useless at what he wanted him to do.

 

Ray had fairly enjoyed his day at work, as far as enjoyment could go cleaning and clearing. Perhaps it was what he needed, a slight bit of therapy, away from being imprisoned and attacked, although twice throughout he had been told that he was a Pisces, and one toddler had thrown a toy Lion at him. 'Sorry,' the man pushing the pram had said, as Ray handed the toy back. 'Don't be throwing Leo at the man'.

As he entered the building, the smell hit him and he walked up slower and slower, and soon entered Shane's flat, but no sooner had he closed over the door than Lee came out of Gary's.

"Ray, that you?" He came out.

"That body fuckin' reeks" said Ray.

"No does it really?" Lee said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder for him to go into Garys.

Ray sat on the sofa, Lee at the desk.

"Not tonight, but tomorrow sometime, I need you to do me a favour," Lee said, ripping out a piece of paper from his note-pad and pushing it across the desk.

"I need you to go to this address, and remind her, that's all you need to do, remind her she owes money". Ray looked fearful.

"I'm not breaking anyone's legs".

"No Ray, I'm not asking you to do that. I'm asking you to remind her to pay up. She's a few days behind on her payments. That's all". Ray looked at the piece of paper with distain. He nodded meekly.

 

Later on that night when night covered the town, and there were few pinpricks of stars, Lee decided it was time to deal with Nugget, and knocked on Shane's flat door.

Ray answered, guessing what was on his mind.

"Time to deal with Nugget," he said. Lee nodded. They stepped across to the flat, the stench palpable in their nostrils.

There was only small bulbs which came on at night to illuminate the lift, corridors and stairway, and Lee nodded towards the lift.

"Go and make sure we've got a clear pathway. Lift to the top and the window is open". Ray hurried across and was soon entering the lift.

Lee opened the door and stepped inside, the odour almost making him sick. He turned on the hall light, and stood outside the bathroom door, reluctant to open it.

Gloves, he thought, we're gonna need gloves. He remembered black leather ones he had used on post-office jobs that he had in the back of a drawer and went and retrieved them, pulling them on.

Ray came back, the stench making him recoil.

"You’ll need gloves, not just for handling him but for DNA and all that so you’d better find something" Lee said. Ray thought for a moment.

"No, not in my flat, but I'll just check Shanes," he went back inside, and emerged a few minutes later with grey lambswool gloves he had found in the pocket of a coat Shane had left behind. Lee nodded, took a deep breath of decay, and opened the door, turning on the light.

The first thing he noticed was the peas crabs. Hundreds crawling over the walls, floor and ceiling, and Nuggets body, white and gaunt. The crabs were crawling from the ragged exit wound where an ear used to be.

"What the fuck?" Lee said, and Ray saw them, trying to comprehend what he was looking at. Apprehension gripped him, anxiety, and he looked at Lee as if to say: 'What now?'

"Fucks sake," Lee muttered.

"If we leave it it'll be here another whole day rotting," Ray said.

"I know!" Lee hissed. "Come on lets do it," he walked across to the bath, crabs crunching like corn-flakes underfoot. Ray followed, trying not to stand on any and failing. Lee gripped Nugget under the arms and lifted him.

"Fuck..! he's stiff, fucking rigor motis". Ray reluctantly grabbed the calves and helped lift Nugget from the bath, crabs falling away.

He had to strengthen his resolve not to drop him when the crabs started crawling up his arms.

"They're crawling on me!" Ray said, as if Lee would stop what he was doing and help him clear them off.

"So...just get him to the lift he's a heavy cunt". So they bumped and staggered their way through and out into the corridor, crabs still emerging from the wound, some dropping to the floor, and after a few minutes of exertion they entered the lift and lowered the body to the floor, Lee banging the button for floor ten.

"That's weird," he said, as they ascended, "the crabs only crawled on you". Ray was stood there picking them off. They were soon carrying him along the corridor to the window Ray had opened. With one awkward lift and shove, he was being pushed out into the cold. Crabs still dropped to the floor and outside, drifting down. Nuggets feet narrowly missed Ray as they swung out and into the night he fell, the crabs like snow around him.

They heard him hit the ground, and Lee closed the window.

"Forensics are going to love that," he said as they made their way back to the lift. Ray looked worried.

“I know we had to get rid of him, but can forensics detect that it was us?”.

“Relax,” Lee said, “you haven’t got a criminal record have you? You’ve been a good boy. We’ll probably get questioned by police, but it’ll just be normal enquiries, shit like that. Don’t worry. Trust old Uncle fucking Lee and you’ll be alright”.

They said nothing as they went back down, Ray picking off what he hoped was the last crab from his shoe. When the lift doors opened there was another resident, waiting, an older man in a food-stained coat. They nodded to him as he passed.

"The scales of justice weren't balanced in his favour were they?" the resident said as the doors closed.

"What?" Lee said, "what did he mean by that?" Ray shook his head.

"Don't know," he muttered.

"There's a crab on your collar," Lee said. Ray angrily wrenched off the gloves and threw them to the floor, then swiped it off forcefully and stormed into Shane’s flat, slamming the door. Lee just looked in that direction for a few moments, then picked up the gloves and reluctantly entered his place, turning on all the lights and throwing the gloves on the sofa. There were a few crabs slowly crawling around.

Fuck it, he thought. I'm moving into Gary's flat.

 

The following day, they were woken by sirens. Lee decided he would go out and visit