Read Doctor Who: Rags for Free Online

right.
    She frowned at herself. What the hell did she mean by that? An hour and a half ago she’d been in Plymouth, writing reports on neighbour from hell feuds and parrots sucked up by vacuum cleaners. This wasn’t her usual sort of scoop. And why did she have such a personal interest in it? Her editor hadn’t been convinced she should cover it, but she had practically hauled him up against the wall. She remembered the startled expression in the
     
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    tubby little prat’s eyes. I’m doing this, her tight lips and narrowed eyes had told him, without her having to say another word.
    Of course he’d let her. She’d have bloody gutted him if he hadn’t.
    She turned back to the hippie opposite. He was scanning the TV
    girl’s arse with more than casual interest.
    ‘You were saying about the band?’ she prompted with some impatience.
     
    ‘Uh?’ The hippie dragged his gaze away from the glamour girl and blinked at Charmagne. ‘Any chance of another of these, love?’
    he held up his near-empty pint and dragged on his cigarette, squinting at her.
    ‘You said you saw them arrive?’ she insisted. He’d get another pint, but only after she’d got the whole gruesome story out of him.
    ‘Never seen nuthin’ like it. Thought this lot were crazy bastards...’ He gestured at the jukebox. What is this that stands before me? Figure in black which points at me, the singer was droning. ‘But this bunch just... ‘ Yeah, you’re lost for words, aren’t you mate, Charmagne thought. Full of admiration: I can see it in your eyes. They just instigated a mini-massacre and you’re proud of them.
    ‘S’ like all this punk shit, that’s coming out now. I expect you’ve
    ‘eard it. I mean, it was like them, but it wasn’t. Know what I’m sayin’?’
    Actually, no. That’s why I’m buying you a drink, so you can tell me. She bit back her frustration. She concentrated on scribbling down some of his words, vague as they were. But there was something else fuelling her frustration - the biggest burst of excitement she had felt for a long time. This was big. Not just the murders, but something else behind them; maybe something to do with this band that played a gig, watched people die to their music and then simply strolled away. That was what excited her.
    And this long-hair was alluding to that big thing without being eloquent or intelligent enough to nail it. And that frustrated her 35
     
    immensely. Maybe she should talk to someone else. And then she knew she didn’t need to.
    A mummer had entered the pub.
     
    The Beast had never seen the Elbow so busy Even if it was full of scruffy-looking bastards he’d never seen before. He wished the town could see in a few more riots and murders, just to help his trade along a bit, you understand. He grinned as he collected empty glasses from a table and awarded himself a glance at the TV chick’s legs. Mmmm.Can’t beat the odd atrocity for bringin’
    out the talent. Yeah, he was a Beast, and he knew it. Admitted it to himself. But he had a heart of gold, y’understand.
    Heart of bleeding Gold...
     
    ‘That’s right, my girl,’ he winked at the TV girl, er, whassername... Truly Goodlegs, or somethin’. ‘You tell all the good folks out there in TV land what’s been goin’ on. I can fit ‘em all in here, see.’
    She looked at him doubtfully. Like he was some sort of dog splat on her shoe. Just buy some more G&T’s, ya bitch. Let my good old till chime. Anyroad, what right had she to give him a look like that when there was this dodgy crowd in here.Jeeeee-sus. Look at ‘em. He would have refused to serve the whole bleedin’ lot of ‘em ‘cept for the fact that he had a heart of gold.
    Then the ugliest bleeder he’d ever clapped eyes on entered the pub.
     
    Jo was sipping her half of bitter nervously. In fact, she didn’t think she’d ever sipped a beer more nervously than she was now.
    Thanks, Doctor. Thanks for bringing me to the most