5. Ghost in the darkness
The Pickled Starfish was a lonely inn by the edge of a gloomy corner of the Thames. It was dark when we arrived, and I was desperate to get into the warm surroundings of the pub.
According to Archie this riverside drinking den had once been used by the Royal Navy for everything from offices to ships’ stores. It was eventually sold to raise money to build new warships and had been bought by an enterprising ex-sailor who’d decided to earn a little by selling a lot of cheap booze.
I took a table in a dark corner and waited while Archie ordered a ginger beer for me and a sherry for himself. The long vault-like apartment was full to bursting with old hands, new hands and some even without hands. It was a wild place, full of wild people.
“Well, here we are then, Har
