He walked through the dirty redbrick houses with a horrible grin on his face, thinking only of what was to come. When he found the house he knocked twice, standing as close to the door as he could.
"Oh hi, it's you! Come on in." Sid opened the door and greeted the visitor.
The newcomer laughed and grabbed Sid by the wide rim of his shirt collar, pushing him against the wall. "I'd like to see you bleed all over the carpet while your wife watches crying."
"That's not funny!" Sid tried to brush him off.
"I wasn't joking Sid."
Sid pushed him away, fear beginning to set in. "Stop this! It's not funny man!"
"I said I wasn't joking Sid, I'm going to get you." He produced a small kitchen knife from his jacket and waved it at Sid.
Sid ran for the back door, but was too slow. The intruder's knife caught him in the back and he fell to his knees coughing up blood. From down on the carpet he stared up at the attacker. "Why man? We were mates."
"Why? - Immortality." And he began to laugh.
***
The Epitaph bar, 1978, hangout for the unemployed, the desperate, and the punks. Often the customers were all three. Today 'Free Munitions' were loudly in residence, watched by a deadpan crowd and three strangers: A alien being known only as the Doctor, and his two companions, policemen from the future called Roz and Chris.
Roz peered through the cigarette smoke. "I've had more enjoyable times with toothache than in this place."
Chris relaxed back in his chair. "At least here no ones trying to kill us."
"Just trying to sing us to death aren't they?" Roz glared at the band.
The Doctor sighed. "Don't dismiss them too soon, a fine example of early punk with the potential to go far."
Chris grinned. "You've taken us to a gig before the band became famous?"
"To save on ticket prices?" muttered Roz.
"No, that's the thing." The Doctor looked troubled. "The TARDIS took us here by chance, and I've never heard of this band."
"You can't expect to know everyone from Earth's past Doctor," said Chris.
"No, but I'd have heard of this band if they had found success, and like I said they have potential."
"Name change?" tried Chris again.
"No, I'd recognise the faces or the style at the very least."
"Maybe they just cut their career short - split up early for whatever reason," ventured Roz.
"You're probably right, it's just a shame, their tunes are quite catchy - with a bit of work..." the Doctor mused.
***
After a few songs the singer silenced the crowd with frantic waving of his hands and thereby commanded their attention.
"Hi, most of you know us by now, we've been playing here a lot in the last year, however you'll notice that our bassist Sid is absent today. As you may have heard he was murdered at the weekend along with his wife Debbie. Our bassist for tonight only is Davey." The crowd clapped limply. "This one goes out for Sid..."
The band launched into a song about love, unemployment and council estates with a fresh dose of anger and hate.
"Well that explains the depression," ventured Chris.
"It also gives us a murder to investigate," the Doctor added, gravely.
"So where do we start?" asked Roz.
"Call yourself a detective? How about the crime scene?" The Doctor glanced at the bar. "I'll go and see if the barman has any information on where that would be."
The barman was watching the band when the Doctor approached him. "They're good, I was sad to hear of Sid."
The bartender nodded, "Mike, that's the guy singing and playing second guitar, he's taken it especially badly, probably the last time we see them here now."
"A shame."
"Yup, Free Munitions used to pull in the crowds, doubling my takings. So what can I get you?"
"Three of your finest ale my good man. So are they local?"
"Sid lived just up the road, number 6 Daygreen lane. It really hits you for something like this to happen close."
"Thanks, you've been most helpful." The Doctor paid and returned to his friends.
"Any joy Doctor?" asked Roz.
"We have a house to break into, so drink up."
***
"Boring place to kill someone," observed Roz as they approached a red brick semi purporting to be number 6. A policeman stood on guard outside. He looked warily at the three newcomers. "Sorry no visitors, this is a murder scene."
The Doctor looked the policeman in the eye. "Don't just stand there man, get back to the station. The chief doesn't want to have to add your name to the dead. This case is under my jurisdiction now."
"But?"
"Do you want the whole of Scotland Yard on your back?"
"No sir, I'll be going sir." The policeman scurried away.
Inside the house was just the typical working class content, save a bloodstain on the hall carpet. The Doctor examined the door eagerly. "The door wasn't broken into, so Sid or his wife must have let them in, probably someone they knew."
"I don't think we're going to find much else here, save the policeman coming back with some friends in fifteen minutes," said Roz.
"Maybe we should try talking to the band?" suggested Chris. "They ought to be finishing up about now."
***
Joey wanted to turn the amp up as high as it could go and let the resulting noise drown his problems, but instead he kept it low and practised a couple of the bands songs; not that the band needed them now, the dream of stardom had died along with Sid.
Dex and Davey had already gone home, and Mike was collecting their pay from the barman.
Joey looked up as Mike crossed the room towards him. He gasped as he realised that Mike's hands were stained red with blood.
***
The Doctor opened the unlocked door to the Epitaph, ignoring the 'closed' sign. Chris and Roz followed after him. Inside all but the stage lights were out, wrapping the room in a cloak of darkness. Suddenly the Doctor paused; he pointed to a spot on the floor before them where a human form lay spread in a puddle of blood. Crouching briefly to check on the corpse, the Doctor rose back up to face his friends. "The barman." Roz and Chris merely nodded.
"Freshly dead. Our killer is likely to be nearby. You two try and find a phone in this place, and get the police."
"A phone? What's that?" Chris looked puzzled, as did Roz.
"Go outside and find a passer-by, tell them to get the police here." And then the Doctor was away, fading into the shadows.
***
Joey hid behind some kegs in the storage room behind the bar. He lay flat against the wall terrified that Mike would find him.
"Where are you Joey? Where are you?" Mike's voice sounded far away, but getting closer. "I can make the band live forever Joey, don't you want that?"
Joey fell to his knees and buried his face in his flares. He realised he had begun to sob; he tried to stop himself - to keep his position a secret. He knew that Mike had got the barman, and must have killed Sid and his wife, had he also got Dex and Davey? It was better not to think of such things, but to simply concentrate on staying hidden.
"Let me kill you Joey, you'll never be forgotten."
Mike's voice rang from the other side of the barrels. Joey lunged at them side on and watched them cascade down over Mike.
"Joey, that hurt and I'm really mad." Mike lay prone on the floor, apparently paralysed.
Joey skipped between the barrels and back out of the storeroom. In doing so he nearly collided with a short middle aged man who barred his way.
"Where is he?"
"Back there, I think I hurt him bad but he got the barman first. I'll get help." Joey ran off
The Doctor walked over to Mike. "Why did you do this Mike? You could have had fame, had it all."
Mike grinned. "I wanted to be remembered and no ones going to forget me now: The guy who murdered his band for rock and roll."
"It's over," spat the Doctor. "Now all you can look forward to is the mental institution."
"Better make the best of this then, while I'm still on the outside." And with a last summoning of strength Mike grabbed the Doctor and pulled him to the floor. He knelt over the Doctor as he struggled beneath him, and held his knife high, ready to plunge.
"Good night Doctor, you'll be history soon, my history."
"In five years, no one will remember you Mike."
Mike swung the dagger down, then crumpled into a heap beside the Doctor, unconscious. Above him stood Chris bearing a beer barrel, now sporting a Mike shaped dent in the side.
"Just in time Chris, just in time."
***
The police escorted Mike away as the Doctor, Chris, Roz and Joey looked on.
"What happened to the others?" asked Joey.
"They'll be fine," answered the Doctor. "Davey becomes a banker, and Dex starts up a music shop. They both make it to the next millennium okay. As for you, avoid excess sunlight and chicken salad."
"Thanks. I think..." Joey smiled sheepishly then left, not even stopping for his guitar.
"What happens to Mike then?" asked Chris.
"The filth and the jury. They won't be letting him out quickly that's for certain."
"This time stinks," observed Roz. "Let's find exotic alien beaches."
"Things do get better Roz, but for now I think we could all use a change."
