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smaller bored-looking policeman got out of the driver's side and
rested his arms on top of the police car. Shaking his head, he let
his chin fall on his arms.
    'You bothering
these kids, Rita?' Barrel-chest asked, glowering at the
transvestite.
    'Like you’re
really, really bothered,' one of the kids quipped.
    Barrel-chest
took a step forward as the other copper lifted his head and,
catching the kid’s eye, shook his head in a warning. Getting the
message, the kid had the sense to back off. With a satisfied smirk,
Barrel-chest turned his attention back to Rita.
    Mike knew he
should move on, not get involved. He had too much going on at the
moment, but he’d never been able to walk away from a bully. If Rita
wanted to dress like a woman that was his business, nothing to do
with this Neanderthal dressed as a policeman.
    'What’s the
matter, Mr Cop?' Rita asked, 'Trousers too tight? Dying to try a
skirt on, is that it?'
    'Ohh shit,'
Mike muttered. 'Wrong thing to say, Rita, wrong thing to say.' He
slowly started to walk back to them.
    The cop leaning
on the car put his head down again and resignedly shook it, as his
partner launched a huge fist at Rita’s chin.
    Rita wobbled on
his high heels, and the kids jeered and booed at the copper.
    'That’s
enough.' Mike shouted as he reached them.
    Barrel-chest
turned, a snarl on his face. 'If you know what’s best for you,
you’ll piss off and mind your own fucking business. This perve was
about to molest these innocent kids.'
    'No, she
wasn’t,' one of them plucked up the courage to shout, and was
quickly echoed by the others.
    Mike took his
badge out. 'I think it’s best if you piss off, don’t
you?'
    The bored
copper quickly jumped into the patrol car as Barrel-chest backed
off. 'I… er… I was only doing my job,' he spluttered, getting into
the car.
    'If I ever find
out that you’ve come back and bothered this lot again, I’ll
personally make sure that you’re out of a job. Got it?'
    Staring
straight in front of him, not daring to meet Mike’s eyes, he nodded
as the car drove off.
    'Thanks,
mister.' Rita held his hand out as he rubbed his bruised chin with
his other hand. 'I owe you.'
    Mike took the
offered hand, noticing the red manicured nails . What the
hell , he thought shaking Rita’s hand, if this is how Rita
wants to live, then it’s up to Rita.
    After leaving
messages again that he would be on the nine o’clock train to
Newcastle in the morning, this time he was greeted with promises
from all of them that they would go seek Smiler out. He tried a
couple of other places, leaving more messages with a lot more
people that they promised to deliver if and when they saw him.
    As a last
resort Mike tried the hospital. The doctor on duty was the same one
he’d met to talk about Smiler.
    'Hi,' Mike said
when they met up in the corridor. 'I was wondering if you’d seen
Smiler lately?'
    'No, not for a
while. I’m told he popped in a few weeks ago and read some stories
to the kids. Everyone was so pleased at how well he looked,
actually putting a bit of weight on… I believe we have you to thank
for that.' He smiled.
    Mike shrugged.
'Well, actually we had a bit of a falling out today, and I have to
go away tomorrow. I would hate for him to think I’ve just sort of
abandoned him. So if he does happen to call in some time, just tell
him I’m sorry. And if he ever needs me, he knows my number.'
    'Of course I
will. You’ve done so much for him that I can’t see him turning his
back on you over a row, he’s probably gutted that you’re leaving…
So take care.'
    'Yeah, you
too.' Mike nodded then turned and walked away.

CHAPTER NINE
    As Mike was
finally putting his head down for a few hours sleep, three hundred
miles away in a nightclub a young girl gasped, frightened. She left
the nightclub in a frenzied hurry, the bouncer, (usual issue,
medium height, muscles bulging, bald head, dressed in black) said a
pleasant, 'Good night.'
    She ignored
him, moving as