Stone Cold

Shelter begins “a brief discourse on the subject of killing. Killing humans” (25). He reflects on his military training, which centered on killing as his primary duty. Shelter explains that the action of a soldier killing the enemies of his country isn’t murder, so he wonders why, if he’s disposing of these “druggy dossers whose activities are dragging the country down” (25), he is a murderer. He claims that, although society may view him this way, he’s simply a soldier out of uniform, killing for his country. The true difficulty, he notes, lies not in the killing itself but in disposing of the body. Most murders result in the discovery of a body, but Shelter has planned in advance. His apartment, being on the ground floor, has a well-ventilated space under the floorboards, which he has turned into his own personal “refrigerator.” That’s where his latest victim currently lies.

After being kicked out of his room, Link finds a doorway that offers him some shelter. It’s deep enough that the light from the street lamps and shop windows doesn’t reach it, allowing him to sit with his back against the door and remain unseen by passersby. As people walk by, none of them glance in his direction. Link reflects, “My anonymity was a comfort—at least I wasn’t going to be seen by people who knew me” (27).

Soon, however, the cold sets in, and Link needs to find a bathroom. He takes his belongings with him and eventually finds toilets in the underground station, but a turnstile is at the foot of the stairs. He needs a 10-pence coin to enter but doesn’t have the money, so he climbs over the stile. While he’s using the facilities, a man exits a cubicle and demands to know if Link has paid. When he replies that he hasn’t, the man becomes aggressive, insisting that he can’t leave without paying. The man tries to punch him, but Link escapes by jumping back over the turnstile. Returning to his doorway, Link finds it occupied by a very tall man, who tells him to “sod off” when Link protests. The man grabs Link’s sleeve and steals his watch, the last of his possessions. Link considers calling for help, but then thinks, “There were plenty of people passing, but I guess I knew it would do no good. Who’s going to risk a fist or a knife to help a dosser?” (29). Therefore, he walks away.

Shelter reflects on the nature of serial killers and their tendency to fall into patterns. He knows he can’t afford to do that if he wants to avoid being caught. Though all his victims are unhoused, he tries to vary his approach to avoid predictability. His most recent victim was a woman. Shelter saw her coming out of the Regent Palace and suspected she had sneaked in to use the toilet. Pretending to be hotel security, he tapped her on the shoulder. When she begged him to let her go, he pretended to be nice and offered her a night in his apartment. She agreed, and he took her home before killing her.

Link finds another doorway and lies down, exhausted. Suddenly he hears footsteps: A young man asks if he can sit next to him. Link agrees, thinking, “It felt good to be with someone” (33). The young man introduces himself as Ginger and tells Link he has been unhoused for about six months. The two go to sleep. However, police officers soon wake them, telling them that they can’t sleep in a doorway. It’s around six o’ clock in the morning. Afterward, they head to a nearby kebab shop to get a coffee with some of Link’s remaining change. Ginger explains that he probably won’t get the DSS money he’s hoping for and that the next step is begging for money. He tells Link that sometimes they receive nothing because people believe unhoused individuals will spend the money on drugs. They use the washroom to clean up before leaving the kebab shop.

They walk for a long time, and the cold morning air cuts through them. Ginger asks people for change. At one point, he approaches a military-looking man, who stops, looks him up and down, and says, “Change? I’d change you, my lad, if I had you in khaki for six weeks” (37). Unbeknownst to Link and Ginger, the man is Shelter. Eventually, the two reach St. James’s Church, which Ginger explains is open during the day but locked at night. With the change they’ve collected, they buy a sandwich and eat it inside the church.

Shelter reflects on his encounter with Link and Ginger, noting that after he responded to them in his usual way, he distinctly heard them laughing. He wonders how long their sense of humor will last, because he’s certain they’ll need it soon. Shelter prides himself on never forgetting a face, and he swears that their next meeting will prove far more amusing for him than for them.

Link and Ginger spend the afternoon in St. James’s before Ginger suggests that they head to Trafalgar Square. He tells Link to sit outside the National Gallery and try to beg for some change. Initially, Link takes the rejections personally, but eventually, he learns not to: “I blunted the point of my own sensitivity in the flinty soil of their indifference till I too became indifferent, and after that it was easier” (40). By the end of the day, Link has collected four pounds. When he meets up with Ginger again, they grab a pizza slice, and Link buys Ginger some cigarettes.

Link reflects on the harsh realities of “sleeping rough.” First, you choose your spot—usually somewhere cold and hard, with a floor made of stone, tile, or concrete. If you have a sleeping bag, you unroll it and try to get in. However, you’re at the mercy of the environment: A “drunk” or a dog might urinate on you, or security might kick you out. Link talks about how, as you lie there, you’re always listening for footsteps or voices. The discomfort is relentless: bruises from the hard ground, stomach cramps from hunger, headaches from the flu, toothaches, fleas, and lice. He adds, “I haven’t talked about homesickness, depression or despair” (42).

The next morning, Link walks back to the DSS, only to be told by a man that since he has chosen to make himself unhoused, he’s ineligible for benefits. Later, Link meets Ginger again, and they share some pizza. Ginger asks if Link wants to sleep at Captain Hook’s place that night.

Shelter reflects that three is a significant number. He has now killed three people and he’s “what the Yanks call a serial killer” (45). Last night, at eight o’ clock, he was walking along Camden Lock when he saw a thin, miserable-looking unhoused man. He approached the man and told him that he should try his luck at the Plender Street hostel, which he runs. Shelter offered to take him there, assuring him he’d definitely get a spot. As they walked together, the unhoused man shared that he was from Leicester, hadn’t found work for a long time, and came to London hoping for better luck. He tried joining the Army but couldn’t handle the discipline. Shelter then told the man they need to stop by his flat to feed his cat, and it’s there that he kills him.

Link and Ginger share a coffee from the pizza bar as Link tells Ginger about Captain Hook. His real name is Probyn, and he has created “floating dosshouses”—six boats converted into shelters for the unhoused. He charges three pounds per person per night and operates them near Camden Lock. Ginger asks if Link wants to spend the night there, and Link agrees, saying: “Two lost boys, off to the Never Never Land” (48).

Probyn is around 35, wears “wellies” (Wellington boots) and a waxed jacket, and is accompanied by a Rottweiler. On the boat, Link and Ginger are crammed together, and Link compares the experience to being on a slave ship. The stench of unwashed bodies fills the air, but they find a bit of unoccupied floor space where they lie down. Despite the discomfort, Link enjoys the boat’s warmth.

The next day, Link and Ginger walk around Camden Lock’s market. Link is struck by the many frivolous items for sale, such as jewelry and candles. They head to the public toilets to wash up and then have tea in one of the market cafés. Three kids enter, and Ginger greets them. The kids, two boys and a girl, are clearly unhoused, and they sit down to talk. Link worries:

These are Ginger’s friends. They’ve shared experiences. Have acquaintances in common. They know what he knows. What if he ditches me—goes off with them? If I was alone again, could I stand it? Do I know enough to get by?” (50).

They mention that one of their friends, Doggy Bag, has vanished. Link feels a pang of sadness, thinking about how this person, who was once someone’s baby, ended up unhoused, got nicknamed Doggy Bag, and eventually disappeared.

Shelter spots Ginger and Link at Camden Lock. He immediately recognizes them as the two unhoused men who laughed at him a few days earlier. He hopes they’ll split up occasionally so he can approach one of them alone, reflecting, “Loners are what you look for in my line of business. Singletons” (52). He decides to keep an eye on them, waiting for an opportunity when one of them is alone so he can bring him back to his place.