Temperance Town

 

“You’re a time tourist, are you?” The words penetrated Ken Frane’s skull like a homemade arrow. “I’m not a tourist, I’m a private detective”

“You best be on your way chummy and let me tell you now, if we have the misfortune to even so much as see your ugly blaspheming drunken mug around here again then you will be acquainting yourself with the desk sergeant’s boot and they are new Size 11s as well with steel toe caps”

Terry Heston was a problem gambler and Ken Frane was a problem drinker so they made a fine pair. The team had worked well and they kept each other apart from their respective addictions but when they were apart the demons would come out to play and until Frane walked back into the office Terry Heston would probably end up playing the slot machines, the dreaded FOBTs in the Bookies.

“Sergeant, here is the man we told you about the other night. He was under the influence of hard liquor and was blaspheming in Temperance Town. He has come to our attention again by getting involved in an incident on the corner of James Street and Bute Street today.”

Frane’s eyes begin to be accustomed to the cell with two wooden beds. There are two iron buckets at the bottom of each bed. There is a ceramic bowl, underneath is water taps and a blue enamel jug. There is another prisoner in the cell. It is the Sudanese man that was escorted out from the Atlas buildings earlier in the day. The spyhole is opened and the desk sergeant puts his eyeball to it. He smirks to himself although the prisoners do not see this.

 “Sailors have gone missing from there. The police did you a favour! They should have shut the place down years ago. I tell my girls not to visit clients in there. You’ve heard of the Burke and Hare murders in Edinburgh?” “Of course,” “Medical experiments, I’ll say no more than that”

Sid lights a cigarette. “I know all the men on the Red Star because I work on the Dock and I’m loading and unloading all the time. Punch Drunk and Ronnie Ronaldo wouldn’t accept them at the Bute Dock Hotel putting the prices up because people have been starting to ask questions about the disappeared.” Lilly mutters the word ‘Bastard’ under her breath.

“Thank you, Councillor Mayhew, point of order. This is not an open forum for discussion. This is a meeting so that the police can outline the best way forward and for us to discuss afterwards in Committee and Sub-Committee. Gentlemen of Cardiff Constabulary would you outline the predicament before us.”