The Devil In Her Heart (Beatles Fan Fiction)

Chapter 59

For a moment, no one dared to move. Paul glanced at Pattie, sitting to his left. She’d stopped crying, her face stained with tears and ruined make up. She stared down at her hands in her lap, as she seemed to tremble. Mark sat in the chair to Paul’s right. He stared into the middle distance. He hadn’t said a word since the revelation that Archer killed Grace. Whether he was in shock or if it was something more, Paul couldn’t say.

Paul’s bloody nose throbbed, but it at least seemed to have stopped bleeding. He thought it might be broken. Archer had caught him square on the end of it. Paul was sure he’d heard a sickening crack.

“Oh, sod this,” he said and stood up.

“No, Paul, don’t!” Pattie whispered. “He said...”

“Bugger what he said,” Paul replied, striding across the room to George’s telephone. He lifted the receiver. Nothing. The line was dead. As Paul turned to tell Pattie of this fact - in the bedroom, the gun fired.

***

The gunshot seemed to echo for a lot longer than was possible. There wasn’t any other sound in the world; just that hollow, final, bang.

George took a deep breath and dared to open his eyes as he mentally checked himself for where the bullet had hit him, where there pain was going to be - but there wasn’t any. For the briefest moment, he wondered if that was it, if he was dead - but if that was true, then heaven looked an awful lot like his bedroom.

The bedroom door burst open and Paul jumped into the room. “GEORGE!” he bellowed and then stopped as he saw him, sitting still on the bed, unhurt. “Are you alright?”

George nodded. He couldn’t help but smile at him. “Yes...” he said. His voice was fainter then he expected.

On the floor was the crumpled heap that used to be Michael Archer. Blood flowed freely and quickly from the mess the bullet had made of his head. His unblinking, glassy eyes stared at George, unseeingly.

“Oh God,” Paul said, looking at him.

“Pattie..?”

“She’s outside...”

George stood up, surprised again by how weak his legs felt. He put his arm across Paul’s back, as he guided him out of the room with him.

***

From The Daily Mail, 14th December 1965:

NOT GUILTY PLEA ENTERED IN EPSTEIN POISONING CASE

Dr. Charles Hopkins, the physician accused of the attempted murder of Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, entered a plea of not guilty at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday. A trial date has been set for March next year.

Mr Epstein attended the plea hearing yesterday, accompanied by his solicitor, David Jacobs and assistant, Alistair Taylor. Still recovering, the Beatle’s manager looked pale but determined as he watched the proceedings from his wheelchair.

Dr Hopkins is accused of methodically poisoning Mr Epstein under the orders of Mr Epstein’s business partner, Michael Archer. Archer shot Mr Epstein in an attempt to kill him when Mr Epstein confronted him over the plot three weeks ago. Michael Archer later turned the gun on himself.

December 14th 1965, 3.30pm

He missed his old car, George decided. This one just wasn’t the same.

The Aston Martin had nearly been the end of him. George still saw it’s gleaming silver grill bearing down on him in his dreams; waking up in a sweat just before the car hit him.