The Silver Arrow

by Ian Todd

  “Partick Cross and Finnieston Lane ur within a stone’s throw ae each other,” Danny Murphy hid growled tae nods fae the others.

  “And smack in the middle ae where Harding’s supposedly picking up his coke,” Peter the Plant hid reminded them.

  “Aye, bit who hid Harding been meeting up wae between nine o’clock and hauf two, three in the morning? That’s whit we need tae find oot?” Charlie hid said.

  Everywan hid been sensible enough tae no go oot and smash up everything associated wae The McGregors in the toon. There wid be plenty ae time fur that wance the papers goat fed up wae the story. The Big Man hid agreed that it wid be best tae let that run its course. There wis nae use them feeding the journos, as they’d jist make it up as they went alang anyway. The main thing wis tae get their hauns oan Harding. In the meantime, The Big Man wanted a comeback plan drawn up o’er the next few days, wae a particular emphasis oan hitting The McGregors financially. The loss ae income wid hurt them much mair than the loss ae somewan like Harding Lennox.

  “Ye don’t think they wee manky fuckers hid anything tae dae wae any ae this, dae ye?” Charlie Hastie hid asked him oot ae the blue.

  “Good question,” Wan-bob hid replied, keeping his thoughts tae himsel.

  Aw options oan who could be responsible wur oan the table and wid be explored o’er the coming days and weeks. Whoever hid been involved wid live tae regret it. There wur very few secrets in the toon that didnae surface eventually. Two ae their boys hid been shot tae death and set alight. That wisnae good fur business, especially if there wisnae seen tae be swift retribution. They widnae want tae send oot the wrang type ae signals tae the wee tickets who saw themsels as being something special in the toon. Harding Lennox wis a tough basturt and no pusho’er, bit then again, that wid also apply tae Spotty Hector and Chic Shand. The fact that maist ae The McGregors wid’ve hid the opportunity tae see the flames fae the banks ae the Clyde oan their side ae the river if they happened tae take a peek oot ae their windaes, wisnae lost oan him either. He could jist imagine the celebrations taking place, as the burning car, wae Spotty Hector and Chris Shand inside, wis being reflected aff ae the calm waters ae the Clyde. It must’ve been some sight. Somewan wis taking the cunt big-style, and he wis determined tae find oot who the fuck it wis.

  “The nurse…whit dae ye want done aboot her, Wan-bob?” Charlie hid asked, as the boys started slipping oot fae Jimmy’s in wans and twos.

  “The nurse? Ach, let’s leave that fur the time being. We’ve goat enough oan oor plate jist noo. We’ll come back tae that wance the dust settles a wee bit,” he’d replied.

  “Good evening. My name is John Turney and these are the news headlines in Scotland tonight.

  Fears are growing that a major gangland war may be erupting in Glasgow tonight, with two well-known notorious underworld gangland figures believed to be the bodies discovered in a burning car in Finnieston Lane on the Broomielaw in the early hours of this morning. Police believe that Charles Shand and Hector McBride may be the victims, after the charred remains of the pair were transferred to the city mortuary in the Saltmarket. There are unconfirmed reports that the pair may have been shot before the car they were sitting in, a brand new yellow 1974 Vauxhall Viva, was set alight. At a news conference this afternoon in Central Police Headquarters, Assistant Chief Constable Jack Tipple, flanked by Chief Superintendents, Sam Bison, Head of Serious Crime and Intelligence in the city and Bob Mackerel, Head of the city’s Murder Squads, urged the public to keep calm and to let the police do their job. Refusing to confirm the identities of the victims, Mr Tipple said that it was too early at this stage to confirm the exact cause of death…

  Union leaders in Scotland have accused the government of importing cheap coal from Eastern Europe and stockpiling it in case of further industrial action by the National Union of Mineworkers. The government has denied the allegation…

  A young nurse was assaulted and raped minutes after she finished her shift at Glasgow Royal Infirmary last night. The nineteen-year-old was dragged into Canning Lane between Allan Glen’s School and Collins, the book publishers on Cathedral Street. The attacker, said to be in his forties, with a receding hairline and wearing a dark trench coat, was last seen running up North Portland Street in the direction of the Rottenrow after the vicious attack...

  A women who was assaulted and battered by her husband after refusing to hand over her purse so that he could go and buy more cheap alcohol from the local licensed grocer has been fined fifteen pounds at Glasgow’s Central Court today. Alistair Dunn, a first offender, admitted the assault and was warned by Mr George Mathieson on the bench that the next time he committed an assault on his wife, he could end up being sent to prison. Women’s groups in the city were said to be outraged at the leniency of the sentence. Mrs…”

  Chapter Forty Two

  Things wur looking up, fur a change, Johnboy thought tae himsel as he put doon Senga’s latest winged instalment. The news that Stuart McKenzie and Graham Portoy hid goat the go-aheid tae submit the new evidence fur a review, based oan the contents ae The Stalker’s pocket notebook, meant the baw hid started rolling and he wis oan the first rung ae the ladder tae freedom. He wis fully aware that it wisnae withoot its risks though. Nobody in jail goat considered, let alone offered parole, if they continued tae insist that they wur innocent, including YOs serving life and HMP. Given that he didnae think he’d ever get offered it in the first place, that consideration didnae influence or get in the way ae how he conducted himsel in the jail. Although he wisnae mentioned by name in the application tae The Sheriff Court fur access tae the notebook, everywan in Dumfries knew that it wis Johnboy that wis being referred tae. The revelation in the papers and the news that Graham Portoy hid been perching oan the procurator fiscal wis still delighting The Mankys.

  “That’s ma boy,” Pat hid said, using his best gruff Spike, fae Tom and Jerry voice, efter reading it oot loud fae The Sunday Echo a couple ae weeks earlier.

  “It disnae exactly say he wis perching oan her, Pat. It said that it wis well-known within legal circles that there hid been mair than jist a professional relationship,” Johnboy hid reminded him.

  “Aye, meaning he’s been hinging oot ae her,” Snappy hid declared.

  Aw the Mankys knew Glenda Metcalfe well, hivving been up in front ae her oan many an occasion. She tended tae go in the huff or scream like a banshee if things wurnae gaun her way in the courtroom. It hid been her that hid goat Johnboy sent tae an approved school when he wis younger. Her and that auld basturt, JP Donnelly, the cooncillor fae the Toonheid, who sat as a Justice ae the Peace, hid been up each other’s arses. It hidnae surprised him that she’d ended up covering The Sheriff Court. Her and Tony hid hid some rare run-ins when he wis younger. She’d tried tae get Tony and Joe McManus jailed fur daeing an acid job oan the paintwork ae her fancy new BMW car, bit hid been telt tae get oan her bike efter Graham Portoy demolished her argument. Tony hidnae hid anything tae dae wae it. It hid been Joe and Ben McCallum that hid done the damage. He smiled at the reaction ae the other YOs and the screws, efter it hid become common knowledge that he wis challenging fur a retrial.

  “Where the fuck did that come fae?” Jimmy Baxter hid demanded tae know, clearly confused as tae whit wis gaun oan and making Johnboy feel even guiltier fur no putting mair ae an effort in tae convincing him ae his innocence.

  “Jimmy, Ah bloody well telt ye that Ah wisnae in the bank that day, bit ye widnae listen, so ye widnae.”

  “So, whit else dae ye know that ye’re no telling me?” he’d come back wae, making Johnboy feel guilty aw o’er again.

  The screws, as expected, wur bloody well raging, prattling oan aboot how the system wis being abused by scum like Johnboy. Fuck them, he thought. He’d never asked them fur their opinion in the first place. Whit hid made it even better wis that Jake hid goat Kim Sui tae send in fancy gold-plated invitations tae everywan, including Johnboy, fur the catwalk fashion show the following week, tae noise up the screws.
Obviously, he widnae be there, bit the sick look oan the faces ae Dickheid Dick, The Tormentor, Ding Dong and the other Mufti Squad members hid been bloody priceless. Jake and Kim Sui hid been a regular fixture oan the news recently and The Tormentor hid been heard tae comment that he thought Snappy wis talking ‘name-dropping bullshit’ aboot claiming tae know Jake and Kim Sui. The news that, at last, something wis happening wae his case couldnae hiv come at a better time. Fur a wee while, he’d felt himsel go doon a bit in the auld chin stakes due tae the fact that Silent wisnae aroond and Tony, Snappy and Pat hid less than a week tae go until they wur liberated. He’d been dwelling too much oan whit life wid be like wae them no being there, insteid ae looking beyond that inevitability. They’d things tae dae that needed tae be done and he hid tae look tae a future that didnae involve them in his day tae day decisions, even though it wis still difficult hivving tae be so dependent oan them, no jist fur his future, bit fur Senga’s as well. He wondered whit her reaction wid be if she found oot that she wis at the centre ae everywan’s universe and that it hid been The Mankys that hid goat shot ae Spotty Hector and Chic Shand doon in the Broomielaw fur trying tae get intae her flat? He wis still terribly worried aboot her and her flatmate. The fact that Wan-bob, the basturt that he wis, hid started tae move against the lassies, wis terrifying. Somehow he didnae think Senga wid appreciate everything that wis being done oan behauf ae her and her flatmate. She’d nae doubt be angry at him fur reneging oan his honesty promise, bit sometimes the truth hurt, and in her case, telling her whit the score wis wid’ve been devastating and no really helpful in resolving the situation. He wanted tae try and turn his life aroond and hid been seriously trying tae work oot in that heid ae his, how exactly that could be done. The quicker the appeal situation goat resolved, the better aw roond. He knew fine well that it wid probably still take a few years. He hoped that Senga widnae heid intae the sunset, back tae wherever she’d been travelling tae before she’d goat back in tow wae him, wance details ae whit he’d goat up tae wae the rest ae The Mankys started tae come oot in the wash as a result ae the appeal. His situation wis complicated because he hid tae depend oan other people and still keep his heid above the water…a difficult thing tae maintain in a place like Dumfries. Father Leonard hid picked up oan how doon he’d been feeling.

  “You and Jimmy seem a bit down, Johnboy,” he’d said earlier that day.

  “Ach, well, us circus seals cannae always be expected tae put oan a show withoot a wee bit ae self-reflection getting in the way every noo and again,” he’d retorted.

  “Yes, but are you both okay? You haven’t fallen out, have you?”

  “Naw, in fact, Jimmy’s jist asked me if Ah want tae learn how tae become a painter and decorator. He spoke tae Nelson in the paint shoap aboot getting me transferred oot ae the sewing shoap and seemingly, Nelson’s agreed. It’ll mean Ah’ll hiv tae dae a bit ae studying at night in ma cell fur ma City and Guilds though.”

  “Good, good, I’m glad for you.”

  “Ah also found oot recently that somewan I knew vaguely hid died. Ah’ve been surprised at jist how much it’s affected me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Was it through illness?”

  “Naw, he droont, although it could’ve been avoided if Ah’d been mair focussed, insteid ae me hivving that heid ae mine stuck up ma arse, as per usual,” he’d replied.

  “Oh?”

  “Aye, Ah won’t bore ye wae the details, bit according tae good friends ae mine, it wis an accident that happened because they’d goat distracted by an argument concerning who played lead guitar oan a Doors’ song. Everywan hid joined in the debate and before they’d known whit wis happening, the guy, who did a great impersonation ae Rod Stewart, by the way, wis a goner efter being left unsupervised.”

  “Yes, it’s always difficult when children are involved,” Father Leonard hid said.

  Johnboy hid changed the subject and asked whit wis gaun oan wae Dickheid Dick and The Tormentor, who’d been swanning aboot aw week, humming and mumbling oot ae tune ‘Ah’m In The Money.’

  “Oh, they’ve been chosen to go across to the H-Blocks over the Christmas period to allow the local prison officers some respite. It’s big money for them. They leave next Monday. I dare say the YOs in here won’t miss them,” The priest hid replied, smiling.

  “They’ll be rejoicing. It’ll be good fur us aw tae hiv a wee break fae that pair ae wankers, so it will. We kin aw dae wae it efter the chaos they’ve caused this year. Ah’m surprised nowan his killed wan ae them by noo.”

  Johnboy hid been devastated by Silent’s admission that The Mankys hid been involved in the disappearance and wanton murder ae Python Lee Jackson. Why? Whit hid Python Lee ever done tae deserve that? He wis a bloody singer, fur fuck’s sake. Okay, he’d hidden Toffee-arse Simpson, the younger ae the Simpson brothers, who’d stabbed Silent back in Polmont in 1971…bit murder? Alex The Manager ae Jonah’s, the lounge The Mankys and the lassies aw drank in up in Springburn, hid booked Python Lee tae play a gig wan Saturday night. Johnboy and maist ae The Mankys hid reckoned he sounded quite good as a Rod Stewart impersonator, bit aw the lassies, withoot exception, hid found him tae be the sleaziest basturt they’d ever come across in their lives. Up until the point when Silent hid telt him that they’d goat shot ae Python, Johnboy hid been wrestling wae aw this rehabilitation shite, bit that disclosure hid been the straw that broke the camel’s back. When he’d brought up his shock wae Tony, Snappy and Pat, they’d aw found his reaction strange.

  “The basturt that put up Toffee Simpson efter he goat libbed fae Polmont, efter colluding wae a screw tae turn his back in Polmont while Silent goat stabbed? Fur fuck’s sake, Johnboy, ur you gaun saft?” Snappy hid scowled at him.

  Johnboy hid made up his mind there and then. The band, or the singer in this case, wis supposed tae play oan, as chaos reigned aroond everywan…like oan the Titanic. Extinguishing the life ae a poor basturt like Python Lee Jackson, because he’d helped somewan oot, wis jist pure nastiness. Johnboy didnae want tae be part ae that any mair. He wondered why it hid taken him so long. He wanted oot, and no jist fae the jail either. How he wis gonnae manage tae survive…inside and oot ae the jail…he didnae hiv a clue, bit wae the support ae Senga, he’d find a way.

  So, his appeal hid started, he’d a visit fae Senga coming up oan Saturday and it looked like he’d be starting in the paint shoap efter the New Year. Tae add icing tae the cake, three ae the biggest wankers in the world widnae be aroond tae noise everywan up during the Queen’s speech. Christ, life could be a lot worse, he thought tae himsel, opening up the guitar case and taking oot the damaged Guild.

  “Good evening. My name is John Turney and these are the news headlines in Scotland tonight.

  Three Law Lords have sensationally ruled today that twenty-year-old, convicted schoolgirl killer, Robert Connor, currently serving a life sentence in Dumfries Young Offenders Institution, and who has been challenging his conviction and the sentence imposed on him at The High Court in Glasgow on the 30th January 1973, will have an appeal against his conviction heard at The Court of Appeal in Edinburgh. It is anticipated that the appeal process could take until October of next year, thus allowing the Crown and Defence to prepare their cases. Connor’s solicitor, Silas Abraham, claimed today that it is outrageous that his client, who is clearly innocent, will have to spend a further year in a Young Offender’s Institution despite his clients innocence. Once again, Mr Abraham hinted that the reason for the agreement to allow the appeal to proceed was due to a member of the Intelligence Services providing a statement that will ultimately prove Robert Connor’s innocence. The parents of fourteen-year-old schoolgirl, Ann Dunn, who went missing on a snowy evening on the 9th November of 1972, were said to be devastated tonight, as they firmly believe that Connor is responsible for the abduction and murder of their daughter. Connor’s mother has been at the forefront of a high profile media campaign for the past eighteen months. She released a statement today stating that she believes that
the appeal will prove that her son Robert is innocent of…

  A café owner and a street burger vendor appeared at the Marine Police Court in Partick today after being arrested for a breach of the peace and causing a disturbance in a public place. Amrish Singh, owner of the recently renamed Silver Arrow Café on Great Western Road had got into an altercation with The Silver Arrow burger van owner, Atal Khan, which subsequently led to a fist fight in front of stunned customers and onlookers over the ownership rights to ‘The Silver Arrow’ sausage burger that both have been heavily promoting. Mr Sing accused Mr Khan of stealing his recipes, whilst Mr Khan claimed he’d been selling The Silver Arrow sausage burger, a burger coated with silver coloured mayonnaise, for two months before Mr Sing changed the name of his café, The Cordon Bleu. Mr Hay, the justice of the peace on the bench, fined both men fifteen pounds and bound them over to keep the peace…