Painted Black (27 page)

Dust Bin Bob agreed and said, “That's exactly what I saw.”

“Maybe I should have it framed.” Brian's voice sounded upbeat. “I'm having a hell of a day, man. I just got word that the new Neve console has arrived from Germany. Clovis has been dispatched down to Hartfield to pick it up.”

“Great! Maybe I can get there before Clovis leaves. My plane is boarding now.” Brian could hear female announcers on the public address system in the background, announcing flights in French.

“Listen, Brian, before I ring off … You're not doing any more mirror gazing are you?”

“Who, me? Nah! I just use it to shave.”

“Don't be so cavalier, my friend. I don't think you should be messing around with that mirror anymore. You have no idea what you're doing. Suki called me and she's very concerned.”

“She worries too much.”

“Tell me the truth, are you doing it?”

“Well, just a little. The meditation helps relieve my headaches. It's actually beneficial.”

“I don't have a good feeling about that mirror. I don't like the hold it's got on you.”

Brian snapped. “I know, you've made your feelings known. I got the message.”

Brian changed the subject, saying, “Clovis should be back with the console at any time. I can't wait to start working.”

“It's great to hear you're so positive, Brian.”

Brian paused. “There's only one last thing to take care of now; that bastard Frank Thorogood and the Pep Boys. I'm going to sack them all today. I've already contacted the Stones office and had their pay stopped. That should freak them out.”

Dust Bin Bob paused. “Maybe you should wait until I get back before you do that.”

“No, I have to do it myself. No help from anyone. Just me. It's something I have to do. I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately. I have to confront my fears and break free of this horrible paranoia. It's the only way.”

“Yes, but is it safe? Frank and his goons might get rough with you. Who's there with you? Why don't you wait until Clovis gets back from Hartfield? I'll be there in a few hours.”

“I really don't think that's an issue.”

Clovis returned to the train station, his frustration beginning to show.

“Where is my freight?”

“We can't release it until the stationmaster gets here and signs for it.”

“But where is he?”

“He went home. He wasn't feeling well. His brother is coming.”

“Can his brother sign the release form?”

“Yes, yes, of course. He will be here soon.”

Clovis phoned Brian and informed him of the delay. He assured him that he would get it all sussed out and he'd return with the console before the day was over. Brian told Clovis that Dust Bin Bob was expected in Hartfield in a few hours, Clovis agreed to keep an eye out for him if he was still there.

But by now, the shadows had grown long and still no stationmaster or his brother.

Among other males, Brian was as nonconfrontational a fellow as you'd ever meet. He didn't like bad scenes. He hated to yell at them or be yelled at. So it was extra difficult for Brian to find the courage to fire Frank Thorogood.

Today would be different. The deed could not be put off any longer. In Brian's mind, it had reached a critical point. He had to take care of this problem himself.

“
Er
, Frank, might I have a word?”

“Sure, Brian. What's on your mind?”

Brian paused for a second, then let it all out. “Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go.”

Frank laughed, “Let me go? You can't fire me.”

“I already have. Tom Keylock's getting another bloke lined up. I hate to do it Frank, I really do. It was the picket fence that finally did it. When you couldn't put up a fuckin' picket fence, I figured that was it. You and your whole crew are sacked.”

Frank's jaw hung lose. He looked Brian like he didn't believe it what he was hearing.

“Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“But I thought you liked what we were doing.”

“When you ordered the furniture, you ordered two sets, one for your house and one for mine.”

Frank paced the floor, acting guilty. “Oh, Brian, don't be so petty. … Surely, you don't begrudge me basic furniture. Besides, you can afford it.”

“And overcharging me up the wazoo for work, food, booze, everything. It all winds up on my tab.”

“Well, I can explain that. You see, those are business write-offs for the Stones office. I was told to bill everything through them.”

Brian spat. “Write offs? I'm afraid it's more like rip-offs.”

“No, Brian, you got it all wrong. I was hired by the Stones office to take care of you.”

“Frank, you're out. Call Tom Keylock if you have any questions. He's been instructed to settle up with you.”

Frank sputtered. His anger rose but he said nothing.

“You can stay the night and have dinner with us, but tomorrow you have to move out. It's over, Frank.”

Brian walked out of the room leaving Frank feeling dazed.

That evening, Clovis still hadn't returned from town. After watching
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
on TV, Brian decided to go for a swim with Anna.

In a typical Brian Jones mood swing, Brian felt guilty that he had fired Frank Thorogood earlier in the day. To show that there were no hard feelings, Frank offered to prepare their dinner, as he often did, and ate with Brian, Anna, and Frank's girlfriend, Janet Lawson. They were all convivial and Frank's sacking was never discussed.

Later, shortly before ten in the evening, Brian walked over to Frank's flat over the garage and invited Frank and Janet for a swim.

Anna changed into her bathing suit and took Brian's dogs, Emily and Luther, down to the water's edge. Luther, an Afghan hound, was high-strung and very protective of Brian. They playfully ran up and down the length of the pool, barking and nipping at each other.

Brian came back with Frank and they had another drink. The vibe was not weird, which made Brian slightly suspicious.
Shouldn't Frank be upset?

Maybe he thought Brian was just ranting and raving and didn't mean a word of it. Janet came down to the pool with her swimsuit on. Brian and Frank dove in and swam from end to end to the delight of the dogs, who ran back and forth and barked at them. Anna went into the water but after a few minutes complained that it was too warm. She got out and went into the house. Janet didn't want to go in the water. She thought it was dangerous to swim at night after drinking. She warned them to be careful then she slipped back into the house as well.

Brian kept several of his asthma inhalers around the pool so they'd be easy to grab if he felt the need. He reached for one and took a long hit on it and put it back. His asthma had been bothering him for the past few hours. His lungs were full of fluid. He took a tranquillizer to steady his breathing.

Renee and Skully drove back the way they had come earlier in the day.

“Something's going on here,” Skully whispered. “Come on, let's check it out.

As the shadows lengthened, they slipped out of the car and crept toward the house.

The insects sang in the foliage, filling the early evening with a grand symphony of natural sounds. The smell of newly cut grass mixed with the chlorine smell of the pool. Steam rose off the eighty-degree pool water. Brian kept the pool warmer than most people preferred.

The bust of Christopher Robin near the famous A. A. Milne sundial in the center of the garden seemed to keep watch over the tranquil scene. It bore more than a passing resemblance to Brian.

Renee and Skully hid together behind some rhododendrons. They settled in for the wait.

Skully whispered, “As soon as this is done, we'll get the hell out of here. What will you do next?”

“I don't know. Commit suicide, maybe.”

“Why would a beautiful young girl like you throw her life away?”

“Boredom. Brian. Ennui …”

“Forget about Brian. He's a loser. You want to come along with me?”

“Where?”

Skully paused. “I can't tell you.”

“The M Group is going to kill another rock star, aren't they?”

“Clever girl.”

“Who?”

“No, not the Who. Somebody you already know. Does that excite you?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Renee thought of Brian. She had become obsessed with him. In the early days while she stalked him, she kept a professional distance, but as time went by she wanted him more. Once she slept with him, and they had fabulous sex all night, she couldn't get him off her mind. Brian was a devil all right. He became her private incubus.

Skully allowed Renee her insecurities, even helped her kill that model bitch Claudine Jillian out of sheer revenge.
That one was a freebie.
Skully hated those kinds of chicks anyway. It was good to let Renee run wild now and then. Renee was a good lover and a skilled assassin when she had to be. So was Skully.

Neither Renee nor Skully spoke for a while. Renee eventually broke the silence.

“Does it ever get to you?”

“Does what get to me?”

“This.”

Skully thought for a moment. “Don't flake on me now, girl. We're just getting started. I recruited you for this, remember?”

Renee's voice became tiny, barely audible. “Did you know I'm in love with Brian?”

Skully looked at her suspiciously.
Was she losing her nerve?

“That's okay, as long as you can kill him.”

“How can you kill somebody you love?”

“You always kill the ones you love. Isn't that an old Mills Brothers song?” He sang the chorus of “You Always Hurt the Ones You Love” with the new lyrics he'd just made up.

“You always kill, the ones you love, the ones you shouldn't kill at all,” he sang.

“It scares me,” Renee said.

“Yeah, I'll bet. But it's your destiny, Renee. Quit worrying so much about it. When we met, you told me your life had no meaning. I told you I could fulfill all your fantasies. You stick with me and together we'll change the world.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Mirror Gazing

Skully watched as the two women went inside the house, toweling themselves as they walked. Now it was just Frank and Brian in the pool, swimming lazily back and forth. The dogs had retreated back into the building, and it was quiet but for the water lapping against the sides of the pool and the low buzz of the nocturnal insects.

The oasis of light illuminated by the floodlights was bright, but beyond its beam it was as dark as outer space. Living in a country house meant no streetlights, no traffic, and no police sirens. It could be incredibly dark when the lights were out.

They crept closer. Frank and Brian were still swimming.

The moment was at hand.

“Watch out! Don't drop it. Easy, easy … there,” Clovis said. The Neve console seemed to weigh a ton.

They put the huge wooden crate in the truck bed. The big guy named Doug he hired to lift the crate asked him what it was.

“It's part of a recording studio.”

“You mean, like, for rock and roll?”

“Yep.”

“Blimey, you'd think these yobbos would jump at the chance to move one of these. 'Oo's it for? Da 'Oo?”

“No, it's not the Who.”

“Faces?”

“Not likely. Look, why don't I just tell you and—”

“No! Don't tell me! Let me guess!”

“ELO? David Bowie? Led Zep? Cream?”

“Stop! It's for Brian Jones!”

The big guy scratched his head.

“Brian Jones? Never heard of him.”

“From the Stones.”

“Oh, THAT Brian Jones. I thought they broke up.”

Clovis spat like a cowboy. “I have to get started back to Cotchford Farm. I gave you directions. Come out first thing in the morning, and help me get this thing off the truck and into the studio. I'll pay you double.”

“I'll be there, mate!”

Clovis knew the Neve would make all the difference in the world when it came to Brian's music. With his home studio up to professional standards, he could literally make albums in his house. That meant anytime he had an idea, or a guest musician, he could cut a professional track on the spot.

It would only be a matter of time until Brian would have enough for a solo album. Clovis visualized connecting the board; it seemed easy in his mind. He daydreamed about recording there with people like John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix.

As they were closing the back of the truck, the final train to Hartfield pulled out of the station. It left two people on the platform as the smoke and steam evaporated.

Dust Bin Bob stood triumphantly with his suitcase. He put his hands on his hips and surveyed the situation. He had made it back from Paris to Hartfield on the same night against all odds. The other passenger from the train disappeared into the shadows.

Bobby walked to the empty cabstands and saw Clovis and another big guy closing a truck.
What incredible timing
.

“Hey! Is that the Neve board?” Clovis looked up, surprised to hear Bobby's voice.

“It sure is. Looks like you're in the right place at the right time, pardner. Climb in.”

Bobby looked around at the nearly deserted station, wondering where the other passenger had gone. He hadn't noticed the man's face because he sat in the car behind him.

“Let's roll.”

On the other side of the building, hidden from view, a car and a driver are waiting with their lights off.

Bruce Spangler got into the car and nodded to the driver. Without saying a word, he started the car and drove off.

Brian Jones felt good. The warm water felt pleasant against his skin. He launched himself forward through the water with swift, strong strokes. He had always been an excellent swimmer. His asthma had been bothering him, but swimming seemed to help.

He heard splashing behind him and turned his head to see another swimmer.
Was it Frank? Who else would it be?
Brian skimmed through the water effortlessly.

His mind had been racing all night; it was as if it were a machine he couldn't turn off. He kept thinking about the mirror, the ghost girl, and Claudine. The mirror was his connection to them, and he fought the constant urge to hide away and gaze into it all the time. It was the only way to make his headaches go away.

So deep in thought was Brian that he hardly noticed when someone grabbed his foot.

He turned to confront whoever it was. Was somebody being playful?

Frank? Is that you? What the fuck are you doing?
He felt something push down on his shoulders, and then a foot in the middle of his back.

Brian tried to accelerate away, but the hand still gripped his ankle.
Was this just horseplay, or something more?
Still, Brian wasn't overly concerned. He knew he could swim his way out of anything.

Then the downward pushing became more forceful.
Frank? What the fuck? Come on, let go!

Brian fought to get away. But it seemed as if there were an extra pair of hands in the water now.

This is not funny!

Brian kicked at the hand and freed himself momentarily. He needed to surface and take a breath of air. Asthma made filling his lungs with oxygen more difficult. Still they pulled him down.

Brian's lungs burned. He held his breath even though he felt about to explode. He fought desperately to get away. He couldn't get a good look at who was pushing him down, but he assumed it was Frank. But this guy seemed heavier than Frank, and more forceful.

Distortion in the water made it difficult see faces.

Brian was losing time. He fought to hold his breath. Something in Brian clicked. Suddenly, it all made sense.

This was what the mirror had been trying to tell him.

Suddenly, everything went black. The floodlights had gone out. He was suspended in the dark.

He fought a losing battle against the dark. He became disoriented.
Which way was up?
Finally, he opened his mouth to cough and water rushed into his lungs. At that moment, he realized his fate.

He felt his body sink slowly to the bottom of the pool. With his lungs full of water, he lost his natural buoyancy. He heard someone get out of the pool, but it seemed miles away.

The floodlights came back on. The entire pool area lit up again.

Is this how it ends?
Brian looked down at the scene below. He saw himself floating lifelessly at the bottom of the pool. He watched as his last moments ticked by.

Claudine Jillian came to him. Eleanor Rigby appeared to him. The embraced him, saying nothing, understanding everything. Looking around, he saw that he was on the other side of the mirror now, too. He saw the mirror in his room. He could see the light coming through it from the other side and looked in, there he saw himself in the pool.

Brian understood that this was his fate. It always had been. It always would be. To fight it would be to fight nature. Though Jillian and Eleanor had tried to warn him, there was no turning back. He was part of rock's tragic legacy of death. Every A side like the Stones has a B side like Brian Jones. He couldn't escape it. He wouldn't be the first and he certainly wouldn't be the last.

Brian accepted it.
This is my fate,
God's will
, he surmised.
Call it what you will. I had a good run.

He hadn't noticed, but while he was contemplating his life, everything around him had turned into a great white light. A vortex of intense brightness swirled before him, blinding him and filling him with light at the same time. He was drawn toward it. Its pull was irresistible. He felt like smoke being sucked through a fan.

Brian Jones let go of life. He let go of the Stones. He let go of his women and his constant need for affection. He let go of the booze and drugs. He let go of trying to prove himself. He let go of fame and fortune. He let go of history and history let go of him. Legend would take over from here.

You can't sing the blues unless you pay the dues
.

Skully crouched down and ran along the line of deck chairs next to the pool. Somewhere behind him, Renee was running along in her black tracksuit, blending with the shadows.

Skully watched Brian, but something was not quite right. Something was different. The cadence of the swimming had changed.

The smooth steady swimming laps had ceased. There was a rush of water, and a great thrashing underneath the surface.

Abruptly, the floodlights went out. The pool, the house, and the yard were plunged into darkness. Only light from inside managed to leak out in feeble beams.

Skully, taken by surprise, looked up in the direction of the light switch, which he knew was just inside the door. He saw a backlit body silhouetted for split second before the door closed.
An accomplice in the house?

Shit! I should have kept an eye on the lights! That's the oldest trick in the book!

Suddenly, there seemed to be more bodies in the water. Where had they come from? Skully couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard them splash as they hit the water. In total darkness, Skully had no idea what was happening in the pool. He only heard the sound of water splashing.

Was it Frank?
Skully couldn't see a thing. From what he saw just before the lights went out, this guy was much more muscular than Frank.

What the hell was going on here?

It was pitch-black in the pool. For some reason, he didn't think he was looking at Frank when the lights went out. It was hard to tell. The glare of the floodlights wiped out all the details when they were on. And when they were off, they made you blind.

Whoever controlled the light switch controlled the situation. Skully couldn't tell if the figure he saw at the door was male or female.

Someone shouted something that Skully couldn't hear and the lights went back on. The floodlights illuminated the entire pool area again, blinding Skully temporarily. The lights had only been off for a few minutes, but in that few minutes, something had happened.

When his eyes adjusted, he saw Brian at the bottom of the pool. He was alone and still.

“What the fuck?” Skully said in a hoarse whisper. “Did you see that? I don't believe it.”

“Somebody drowned Brian,” Renee said flatly. “Who was it?”

Skully and Renee looked at each other in astonishment.

“Was that Frank?” Skully asked. “I couldn't see. They turned off the fucking lights!”

“Who else would it be?”

Skully said, “Are you kidding me? This is insane. We come all the way out here to kill this guy, and somebody else beats us to it? I've never heard of such a thing. Exactly how many people wanted him dead? What are the odds?”

Skully began to laugh, quietly at first, until it became a phlegmy cough.

“The fucking nerve of those guys!”

Renee began to cry, tears trickled down her face, hesitantly at first, then with more gusto. Skully put his arms around her and pulled her close. She was trembling like a wet cat. He handed her a tissue.

“Why are you crying? Is it because Brian is dead, or is it because you didn't get to kill him?”

“I loved him. I earned the right.”

“The politics of passion never made sense to me.”

Renee sniffed and said, “I was ready, I was mentally prepared to do it. It took me all this time to get this close. Now it's been wrenched away from me.”

Skully heard some noises coming from the house.

“Get out of sight! They're coming back!”

Suddenly, there was shouting at the back door and several people ran out.

Anna charged out of the house screaming, “There's something wrong with Brian!”

Running right behind her was Frank Thorogood, still in his bathing suit but now smoking a cigarette. Anna dove into the water and went directly to Brian's body in the deep end of the pool and started to pull him up. Frank tossed his cigarette aside and dove in to help her. But Brian was dead weight. In the water, he weighed a ton. They struggled together to get him out of the pool. Anna and Frank rolled him over and started pumping water out of him. Anna gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Brian's hand reached out and gripped her wrist.

“He's alive!” she shouted.

But Brian's lips were cold, and try as she may she couldn't get him to breathe. The tears streamed down her face as she desperately tried to breathe life into her man.

“Come on, Brian! Don't die! Hang on!”

But Brian would not take a breath. Frank and Anna were frantically trying everything to get Brian to breathe again, but nothing worked. They kept pounding his chest and pushing lungfuls of air down into his gullet, only to watch it dissipate in his unmoving throat. The hand that had gripped Anna a moment ago now fell limp.

Janet phoned for an ambulance. Brian wasn't moving anymore. His body was pale and unresponsive.

Anna kept trying to revive him. She rolled him on this side and that side, trying to expel water from his lungs. Nothing seemed to have any effect. It was if Brian had already left his body and didn't want to come back.

Anna became more desperate. “Come on, Brian! Breathe!”

She could visualize Brian's spirit hovering above the scene, looking down as they frantically tried to resuscitate him. She threw her hands into the sky and shouted into the night.

“Brian! Come back, damn you! It's not your time yet! Please, come back!”

Somewhere Brian heard her. Her voice seemed so far away.
Come back! Come back … Come back …

But it was too late. He didn't want to come back. He'd had it with this world. Brian's soul hovered above them, watching the drama below, and then he was gone, instantly and permanently gone.

Clovis was only a half a mile from Cotchford Farm. He couldn't wait to see the look on Brian's face when he saw the console for the first time.

He's gonna flip!