A/N: This story is set in the early 1970s.
Murdoc on the prowl.

-oOo-

She raised one eyebrow as she looked at him. He pointed at his hair.

"My college buddies and I had a bet. I lost."

"I thought they usually shaved your head if you lost."

"My friends, and I use the term loosely, thought that this would be more embarrassing."

"It is. It makes you look like an aubergine."

"Thank you." Murdoc gave her a rueful smile. "Most people tell me I look like an egg-plant."

She smiled. "I'm sure you could always dye it in your own color."

"Why would I do that? Purple hair is a great conversation starter. Would you have given me another look if my hair had been some boring sandy brown?"

"Probably not."

"Right. The purple stays. For a while. Can I buy you a drink? I promise if you ignore the hair color I can still be quite charming."

"I'm sure you are, but I'm here with some friends."

Murdoc turned his head in the direction she indicated. She waved at three women sitting around a little table. They waved back.

"There's three of them. They can keep each other company. Why don't you keep me company?"

"It's my round," she confided in him.

"And they would hate for you to get out of that one."

"Exactly." She glanced over at her friends and then turned back to Murdoc. "Tell you what. I'll go back to my friends now, but if in about half an hours time your purple hair hasn't managed to start up another conversation, you can buy me that drink."

"Agreed."

She turned to the landlord and ordered four half pints. She threw Murdoc a smile as she carried the last of the glasses to her friends. Murdoc watched her walk away. He toasted her and her friends and turned back to facing the bar. He finished his drink, ordered another one and took it to a table in the corner where he had still a good view of the women.

He had half an hour to spare. He took a book from his shoulder bag and sat down to read.

-oOo-

"No wonder no one is talking to you."

Murdoc looked up at the disturbance. He was happy to see it was the woman from before.

"You're sitting in the corner, reading a book. No amount of purple hair is going to make up for that."

Murdoc smiled. He closed the book and put it face up on the table. "I guess I cheated a little. I'm sorry. Please, have a seat."

She sat down.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Half a pint. Er, seen as you cheated, make that a full pint."

"Right away." Murdoc got up.

A few minutes later he returned with their drinks and a packet of crisps. He set them down on the table and slipped back in his seat. The woman had picked up his book. She put it down.

"I hope you don't mind I was reading the comments you wrote in the margins. Thanks. Cheers." She took a sip from her larger.

"I don't mind. I hope you agree to some of them."

"Agree?! When you wrote here." She picked up the book and leafed through it to find the right page. "'Again Rachel knocks me a week from Sunday. How could we have let this happen?' I felt exactly the same way. When I first read Silent Spring I must have been in a coma for four months. I kept getting knocked a week from Sunday. I'm Eileen, by the way."

"Simon. Do you think these things are still going on?"

"Think! I know they are still going on!"

"C'mon. It's been nearly ten years since the publication of Silent Spring. Surely companies and governments have learned by now."

Eileen gave a hearty laugh. "First of all, many of these toxins are persistent. They could have been dumped in the environment a hundred years ago, and a hundred years from now still be as toxic as ever. Secondly, companies only feel they have a responsibility to their own profits. If they can make a profit poisoning us, they will poison us. And don't get me started on governments."

"You had a nasty run in with the government?" Murdoc asked. He took a sip from his drink and opened the packet of crisps.

"No, the run in with the government was actually rather clean. They blankly ignored everything I put forward to them."

"What kind of things did you put forward to them?"

"Oh, you don't want to hear all that. It's bad enough what you read in here. You wouldn't want it to come any closer."

"Ever since I've started reading Silent Spring I've been wondering whether there are carcinogens in hair dye, and whether my friends have actually tried to kill me."

"If they did I'm sure they didn't do it on purpose."

"You don't know my friends. Now tell me, why are you fighting with the government? Is it about hair dyes?"

"No, not hair dyes. Textile dyes."Eileen leaned forward and started in a conspiratorial whisper. "There's this local company, Stoke Chemical. They make industrial Textile dyes. Reds, pinks, greens, blues, the lot. I don't know why they are making a synthetic red, the Romans already knew how to make natural red dyes, but they make them synthetic. Anyway, that is not so important. What's important is that since a few years, thanks to this book, by the way." Eileen knocked on the cover with her right index finger. "Since a few years they can no longer dump their waste water on the Strine, you know the little stream up North."

"Yeah, I've been there. It used to be a little more brownish in the past than it is now. So, I guess the new policy is working."

"In part. They don't dump all their waste water on the Strine anymore, but they still dump some. Particularly when their own waste water facility is overflowing they dump on the Strine."

"You could say that was beyond their control."

"That's exactly what they are saying, but they're lying. I believe their facility is permanently too small for them, and I believe the local council knows about this, but isn't doing anything about it."

"How does the council know about it?"

"Stoke Chemical had to apply for a license when they wanted to expand a few years ago. Before that they had to get that license for their waste water facility. On that license it says how much waste water their facility can handle. On the other license it says how much waste water will be produced after the extension. That number is bigger than the waste water facility's capacity."

"Shouldn't they have built a larger waste water facility?"

"Of course. But that would have cost them money. And the Council didn't pressure them for it. I think they were confusing the numbers: the peak capacity of the facility can handle all the waste water."

"That's okay then, isn't it?"

"A facility can't constantly run on peak capacity."

"That is true."

"So, they keep on dumping on the Strine. Not as much as before, but still.."

"Perhaps it isn't so bad. I mean, the dyes color the water, but that doesn't mean they're toxic."

"Please. You've been to the Strine. Where is there more variety in vegetation? Where are there more birds and fish? Up the Strine from Stoke or down the Strine?"

"Up the Strine."

"Exactly. So don't tell me Stoke isn't dumping toxins. I get enough about that from them."

"You're confronting Stoke with this too?"

"Of course. I'm doing everything I can to make them stop. I petition; I picket. One time I even cut through their fence and took pictures of their practices. I've begun to hit a nerve too. They used to ignore me, but now they've realized I've got a following. People have started to listen to me. People with money and influence. People that can decide to buy their dyes elsewhere."

"I bet Stoke isn't liking that."

"Not one bit." She smiled. "Now Stoke is trying everything they can to discredit me. They had me arrested for the pictures I took."

"You did break into their facility."

"And I did my three months inside for trespassing. But it won't make me stop my quest. I won't stop until they stop dumping on the Strine." Eileen took one large swig from her drink. "What about you? Any big corporate toes you're treading on?"

"Hardly." Murdoc chuckled. "I study photography at the college here. And before you ask, I recycle all my chemicals. Mind you, mainly for financial reasons."

"Doesn't matter why you do it as long as you don't dump them in the environment."

"I'll drink to that."

Their conversation continued and moved on to talking about Silent Spring in more detail. Murdoc was delighted to see Eileen started to take a liking to him.

The landlord announced last call.

"Another one of the same?"

"Yes, no, make it a half pint this time."

"I'll be right back."

On his return Murdoc found Eileen reading his book again.

"Your friends seem to have deserted you."

"I know." Eileen briefly looked up from the book. "The moment they saw you reading Silent Spring they wanted to leave me here with you. They know I forget about them if there's a chance to talk about this book." She put it down. "They're right: I can't leave it alone."

"As long as you let me keep my copy, I don't mind."

"Oh, of course. I wouldn't take your copy." She pushed it across the table. "I think everyone should read this book. I've even been thinking of buying more copies and leaving them in random places where unsuspecting citizens can find them."

"I like that idea. Tell me when you'll start with that. I'll help you spread the word."

The lights in the pub were turned on.

"Oh dear, we're about to be thrown out."

"Drink up, I'll walk you home. That is, if you came walking and don't mind if I tag along on the way back."

"I came walking and I'd like the company." Eileen finished her drink, put down the glass and slipped on her coat. "Let's go, before they really throw us out."

Murdoc put his book in his bag and quickly followed her out.

Eileen lived not far from the pub and ten minutes later they arrived at her front door.

"This is where I live."

"Looks nice, by what I can tell from the street lights. You live here alone?"

"Yes, just temporary I hope. My roommate deserted me a couple of weeks ago. I hope to find a new one soon. I can't afford the rent on my own."

"I should go now." Murdoc offered his hand. "Thanks for talking to me about my hair color at the bar, and for a lovely evening after that."

"That's no way to say goodbye."

"No? Then what is?" The corners of Murdoc's lips curled up in a slightly deviant smile.

In reply Eileen put her hands behind his head and pulled him closer to kiss him.

"That's no way to say goodbye, either," Murdoc said, rubbing his nose against hers, his arms encircling her.

"Why not?"

"Because now I don't want to leave."

"Then don't."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Come inside."

-oOo-

Murdoc woke up and found Eileen staring at him. He moved up to lean on an elbow and brushed some locks of hair from her face.

"Your hair upon the pillow is like a sleepy golden storm."

"I like how you are poetic in the morning. Your hair just looks even more like an aubergine in the day light."

Murdoc wrinkled up his nose.

"Which has always been one of my favorite vegetables."

"Is that right?"

"Well ... Would you like some breakfast?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Or would you like to shower first? Or something else?"

"Breakfast first. No love on an empty stomach."

"Don't eat too much. There's no love on a full stomach either."

They got out of bed. Eileen slipped on a duster. Murdoc put on his underpants and his shirt and followed her out into the kitchen.

"What would you like for breakfast?"

"Some toast and marmite."

"Marmite." Eileen shivered.

"Marmite keeps mosquitoes at bay."

"It does? Still, we don't have much of a mosquito problem down here in October."

"I guess not. Some toast and jam then."

"Strawberry okay for you?"

"Perfect."

Eileen set the breakfast things on the table and turned around to make tea and toast.

"Could I have a banana."

"Sure." Eileen broke one of the hand and gave it to him.

They had a pleasant breakfast at the end of which Eileen confessed she had to go to work. Meaning that would be the end of their time together, for now.

Murdoc got dressed while Eileen was in the shower. After tying up his shoe laces he put on some surgical gloves and went to the bathroom.

Eileen stood in the tub taking a shower. Murdoc held his hands behind his back.

"What are you doing?"

"Just looking at you."

"You are naughty." Eileen splashed some water at him.

"Yes, very naughty."

Murdoc came closer. He put one hand behind her leg, just below the knee, and pulled. Eileen slipped. She hit her head against the wall and fell into the tub. Murdoc held her head down in the water until she stopped struggling.

"Slipped and drowned in the bath." Murdoc tsk-ed. "Now your eyes are soft with sorrow, but you only have yourself to blame. You should always remove the hair from the drain so it won't get clogged up. And perhaps you shouldn't have annoyed the people at Stoke Chemical."

Murdoc dried his gloved hands on a towel and left the bathroom. He returned a moment later with his bag. He took a camera from it.

"Say: deceased."

Then he took a nail brush from his bag and took Eileen's right hand. She had scratched his face with that one as she fell. He started cleaning her finger nails. When he was satisfied he dropped her hand back in the water. The tab was still running.

"What a waste of water."

He picked up his bag and went to the kitchen. He retrieved his banana peel from the bin and put it in a plastic bag he took from his bag. Then he did the dishes. He had forgotten which cup and plate he had used so he washed up everything, dried half the items and returned them to the cupboards, and left the rest to dry on the rack on the counter.

He found the vacuum cleaner, put in a new bag and vacuumed everywhere he might have been including the bed. The he replaced the new bag with the old one and put the new bag with the banana peel. He made the bed so it looked only one person had slept in it.

Satisfied with his own work he packed up everything. He threw one more look into the bathroom.

"You're right, my darling, that's no way to say goodbye."

Murdoc left. He wanted to buy some hair dye, a boring sandy brown.

-oOo-

A/N: it just occured to me that it may have looked like Murdoc wasn't working on assignment here. He was. This hit was ordered by Stoke Chemical.