*

New Scotland Yard, Westminster,  London
Thursday, the 4th July
3:04 p.m.

"Who killed Brian Jones?"

The air was stuff and dry and his throat was sore, but Keith didn't care and lid himself a cigarette calmly. The cold metal of the lighter felt good in his hands and the smoke that filled his lungs a second later were even better. 

It wasn't his first police questioning surely, Keith didn't even know how often he had been in a similar situation-probably too often as one should be, but if he had learned one thing, keeping his cool was always an advantage, especially if one was innocent for once.

Nothing that had happened had been his fault, if anything Brian had it coming for him. 

Keith took another drag from his cigarette, before he finally decided to speak.

"How should I know? I wasn't anywhere near him when he died, but you already know that." 

The two detectives shared a look, Keith wasn't sure how to judge. To be fair he wasn't even sure what to make out of the two police officials anyway.

The one sitting in front on him, was somewhere near his forties, but looked nearly like fifty. White hair, greyish skin, reddish eyes and the last time he had done any fitness must have been in the police training. Keith would have known even without the small tremble in the detective's hands, what was wrong with him. Keith had fought his own demons and knew exactly what they looked like, even if his had been a different one. 

He had once joked that he never had a drug problem, but rather a problem with the police, which had only been partly true. Even he had realised someday how harmful those things could get and the great Keith Richards nowadays was mostly clean, beside alcohol and some weed now and then. Nothing really bad of course, just something to have a nice evening.

He definitely was no longer addicted to anything, contrary to the little plump man in front of him, who needed his next drink soon and Keith seemed to be the only person in the room to know about it.

His partner, who sat to Keith's right side and had mostly done the interrogation seemed obvious to the other man's problems or maybe he just wanted to overlook them. The second detective was young, maybe 30 at most and had an ambitious air about him. Probably why somebody had thought putting Detective 'it's always five o'clock somewhere' with him. The younger one could work for the two of them.

"But you had a motive."

Keith rolled his eyes at detective 'apparently not only ambitious, but obvious too'. 

"Everyone did. Listen, nobody of the people that were there wanted to be actually there and if I had known what this really was about I wouldn't have stayed 5 minutes."

"Why didn't you leave like your ex-wife?"

Keith fought the urge to roll his eyes again. "Anita and I were never married and it turned out so well for her, didn't it? Seriously the moment we arrived at this goddamn place we were doomed."

"What happened?" the younger one asked and Keith sighed. It was a long story and he didn't even know half of it.

  "20 years have passed since the bastard died and he still can be a damn torn in one's side," Keith stated dryly. "It all started with a letter...

*

Cothford farm, Hartfield, East Sussex.
Tuesday, the 2nd July
6:50 p.m.

"Keith! Can you tell me what the fuck is going on?"

If only he knew, he thought as he lid himself a cigarette, which Anita snatched right out of his mouth. The blond woman was clearly irritated and Keith could understand her very well. He as well couldn't believe where the driver had dropped him off... The last time he had been here was over 20 years ago and he never had had any desire to come back.

Cotchford Farm had always been a beautiful place, but Keith had his own beautiful home he'd much rather be, especially today.

The moment he had read the invitation letter, he should have realised this was no normal dinner. Fucking hell it probably had been obvious as hell- Bryan Lewis, the date even the name of the fucking assistant was Jones- but Keith hadn't wasted a thought about it until his management told him he had to go for whatever stupid reason. He hadn't been too happy about it, but they made it out to be something very important, something he couldn't miss under any circumstances and after a while he had just said yes, as had Mick and Charlie. 

Neither Bill nor Ronnie had been invited and Keith had already envied them about their free evening, but when he had stepped out of the car he had even more reason to be jealous. 

This was going to be Hell and nearly as if universe wanted to proof him right, Anita appeared. Her expression was a mixture of anger and sheer horror. She immediately tried to get back in the car, but the driver left her no chance and drove off. 

If Keith hadn't been so fazed, he probably would have laughed at the picture of Anita trying to run after a car. He at least managed a smile, which only earned him an angry glare from his former lover and the question both of them would have liked to be answered: what the fuck is going on?

"If I knew, do you really think I would have agreed for them to take me here?"  he countered and took another cigarette out of his packet for himself.

Anita only rolled her eyes as she smoked Keith's cigarette. "Well I'm not staying here."

Idem, Keith thought. No event could be this important, though he had no idea how to get anywhere, they could probably walk to the closest village, but he had no idea where that was located and over all the idea didn't seem that tempting, but neither did staying here.... "You do realise you'd have to walk?" Keith pointed out.

"I don't care!" She exclaimed and Keith could see the determination in her eyes he once had appreciated so much and later one had annoyed him so much. "I just want to get away from here."

"If I were you, I wouldn't leave, Miss Pallenberg," a voice exclaimed from behind them. Out of the house had stepped a young woman, Keith had never seen before. She was wearing a striped skirt and blazer ensemble and he immediately suspected her to be the private assistant. She simply had something secretarian-like about her, at least her clothes did. her long hair which she had tied back with a hairtie and her gentle face seemed somehow too soft, even if her manner wasn't at all. She stepped closer to them and something about her seemed monetarily familiar though Keith couldn't place it.

"There's nothing much around as you may know and there's supposed to be a storm later on and I don't think you would like to get caught up in it and get lost in the forest?"

Anita crossed her arms, she never had been one to be bossed around. Keith knew better than to say anything and decided to keep quiet and let them argue.

"And how about you just call a taxi that can pick us up?"

The woman shook her head. "Sadly we had a problem earlier and the phone line has been cut off, you-"

"You can't be serious?" Anita interrupted her. "Who are you even?"

"Miss Jones, Mr Lewis personal assistant," she replied calmly and Keith had to respect the girl for staying that cool while facing Anita, who had a fiery temperament if provoked. "So if you could please follow me in, the others are already waiting."

Others, Keith frowned. Of course he had known that there were other guests, but until now he hadn't actually wondered who else this Bryan Lewis had bothered to invite, judging by what he had arranged, it couldn't be anyone pleasant though...

"Who else did you invite?"

"I invited no one, Mr. Lewis did and if you please follow me in, you'll find out," Miss Jones replied and Keith decided he no longer respected her coolness, but found it annoying. How was he supposed to find something out if she acted so professional.

"I don't care, who he invited. I'm off," Anita exclaimed and without a further word she marched the driveway down as Keith heard thunder from somewhere in the distance and he sighed. 

"I really don't have a choice, do I?"

Miss Jones didn't reply, she just went ahead inside Brian's former home, leaving Keith definitely not much of a choice and he followed her in. Hoping that whatever sort of dinner this would be it would at least include alcohol, because Keith could certainly use one after seeing who the other guests were. 

Maybe he should have left with Anita, he thought as it flashed outside and it started to rain.

*

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