The original Number 96 novel (Stag, 1976) by Carl Ruhen

NOVEL: The plotlines for this original paperback novel, "Number 96" (published by Stag, a division of Horwitz, North Sydney; released in early 1976), take place around the time of Episode #885 in late 1975. The title page is simply "96". The two main story arcs feature Jaja Gibson and Grace "Prim" Primrose prominently, but no actors from the series appear on the book's cover. There is even a series of references to the ongoing garbage strike, aka The Dustbin Dispute, against Paddington Council happening in the aired series, in particular: Episode #885 (Weppo tells Reg about the proposed strike action); Episode #890 (Reg asks Weppo to resign); Episode #892 (TV journalist Brian Proud covers strike for Channel TEN); Episode #894 (Norma gets involved); Episode #896 (Network 0-10's The Mike Walsh Show interviews Dorrie and Weppo); and Episode #898 (Strike is over). Uncredited, this novel was apparently written by Carl Ruhen, who did the Neighbours paperbacks a decade or so later. He is also credited with novelisations for Alvin Purple, Mad Max 2, The Young Doctors, Sons and Daughters and Melvin, Son of Alvin.

Characters:
* Norma and Gary Whittaker of Flat 1 and Norma's Bar. (Gary is briefly mentioned, contemplating a return to the army.)
* Arnold and Liz Feather of Flat 2 and A. Godolfus, Delicatessen. (The Feathers were married in Episode #869.)
* Dorrie and Herb Evans and Flo Patterson of Flat 3. (Herb is consistently called "Herbie", even by Dorrie.)
* Eileen, Jane and Debbie Chester of Flat 4. (The Chesters are not mentioned in this novel.)
* Reg and Edie MacDonald and Weppo Smith of Flat 5. (Nigel Morgan is frequently involved. Introduced in Episode #832. Weppo is not referenced, although the strike is often mentioned.)
* David Palmer and Jaja Gibson of Flat 6. (David is away for work. He and Jaja will be kidnapped in Episode #902.)
* Vera Collins and Grace "Prim" Primrose of Flat 7. (Vera is only briefly mentioned. Prim is said to be missing David.)
* Don Finlayson and Dudley Butterfield of Flat 8.

A crank caller rings a young woman on a Friday night. The reader eventually realises that the victim of these calls is Prim. [Maggie Cameron had been receiving sexual anonymous calls from Episode #806, although these were later exposed as being sent by herself.] Dorrie, Herb(ie) and Flo discuss tycoons/typhoons/hurricanes and a forthcoming island cruise: two weeks in Noumea, Fiji, Tonga and Auckland. The tickets and travellers cheques are "somewhere safe", according to Dorrie. There is mention of Cyclone Tracy, and an unspecified Paul Newman movie. In Norma's Bar, Don notes the post-bomb changes in the decor. Dudley is said to be like actor Paul Henreid [Victor Laszlo in 1943's "Casablanca"], calls people "sweetie" and references Prudence Pureheart [the family nickname of Susan Rancourt, one of many women killed in 1974 by US serial killer, Ted Bundy. Pearl Pureheart was the girlfriend of "Mighty Mouse" (1947-53).] Prim is seemingly out of sorts, and "probably missing David". She looks tired, as if she is getting insufficient sleep. Jaja is "falling in love again...". Dudley considers the lyrics of that song [originally performed by Marlene Dietrich in the 1930 film, "Der Blaue Engel", aka "The Blue Angel".] Dudley and Don liken Jaja to performer Mitzi Gaynor - always bouncing back with a smile on her face [in movies such as "There's No Business Like Show Business" (1954)] - and also Marlene's character when she was following Gary Cooper across the Sahara Desert [in the movie "Morocco" (1930)]. Norma is said to be somewhat changed since the bomb.

Reg MacDonald (consistently misspelt "McDonald") chats with Nigel and Norma. There is mention of her son, Gary, and deceased husband, Les. Reg attended a [mid-winter?] Christmas party with the Mayor (Charles Gough), TC (Edward Buchanan), DTC (Ian Duncan, new arrival Nigel Morgan, and the Town Engineer, at the Paddington TH. Reg is distressed about a supposed incident between him and temporary Council employee, Miss Celia Carmichael, in the filing room. [Celia is not connected to Celia Palmer, who departed the series in Episode #873, nor Cain Carmichael, who left in Episode #585.] She had told the DTC in an apparent attempt to blackmail Reg. Reg calls his wife "Edie", not "Edith". Reg can recall the Christmas party of three months ago but insists that there was no incident. Is Miss Carmichael really pregnant? Reg needs to talk to her. Prim interacts with the bar regulars, including George Meadowes, who wants a divorce from his wife, whom he calls "The Puff Adder". There is also the enigmatic customer known only as "The Undertaker", and a new arrival to Paddington, Constable Peter Wills. Peter has just moved into the upper floor of a terrace around corner with his mother and younger sister. The young police constable tells Prim that she’d be surprised how ordinary most rapists, cat burglars, prowlers and murderers turn out to be. David is filming in the country, and Prim has been getting crank calls. [Maggie Cameron had been receiving sexual anonymous calls from Episode #806, although these were later exposed as being sent by herself.] Somehow, his person knows all about Prim. Someone watches her changing in Flat 7 when she has to go upstairs to change her dress after a wine spill in the wine bar.

On Saturday morning, Michael Hooper, a young photographer, drives his new girlfriend, Jaja, in his Datsun sports car to a neglected row of shops. The studio called Superior Photography is in a seedy part of Paddington, and nothing like the classy establishment that she had imagined. The garbage strike is ongoing. In Flat 2, Liz often lies awake at night, next to her husband, Arnold, after a traumatic incident with the departed Gary. Meanwhile, in Flat 3, Herb wants to get rid of a monstrosity of a vase that Dorrie recently bought. He sneaks it down the back stairs. [Woollahra's "Moncur Flats" have back stairs, but not Paddington's "Number 96"]. Herb will claim that he broke it accidentally. Dudley’s recent fling with his cousin, Jaja [in Episode #855], is affecting Don. Dudley is, after all, "free, white and 21". Dudley arrives home to Flat 8 very talkative and gets into bed, naked, next to Don [not actually permitted in the TV series until Episode #861!], but he is quite hungover in the morning, like Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend (1945). Dudley has apparently brought home Shane, a country lad of about 17 or 18. [A different Shane is namedropped by Jane Chester as her then-current boyfriend when she joins the series.] Dudley had put him in the spare bedroom last night, but he's certainly not Dudley’s usual type. [Don once brought home the young Kevin Ramsey in Episode #318, who then robbed him and ransacked Flat 4.] Jaja and Michael strip and get amorous. The naive Jaja doesn't recall consenting but observes that, if this was rape, it "wasn’t so bad after all". In Flat 3, Dorrie has noticed that the vase is missing. She doesn't believe Herb's story that the vase was smashed accidentally. So where are their tickets and travellers cheques that were inside it? Did Herb put the vase out in the back lane for the upcoming Council cleanup? Downstairs, Arnold has a deli order for Vera. Her account is overdue, probably because of her being so busy with the new fashion salon. ["The House of Danielle" opened in Episode #846.]

Arnold considers a vacation with Liz, as a break from the deli. There are references to recently-departed tenants: the Sutcliffes, who are now in Perth, Arnold's late wife, Patti (misspelt "Pattie"), the Godolfuses and Les. He also thinks of the "tragic" Maggie [now in prison after being revealed as the Mad Bomber in Episode #844.] Liz thinks about a recent unpleasant experience with Gary. She believes that the deli is an important part of Arnold's life. Herb rushes into the deli - he's been looking for the vase - and it is gone from where he left it! In Flat 5, Reg and Edie chat. Mother notices that Daddy is broody lately. Reg has looked up Celia’s address and is determined that he must visit her and settle matters. At Superior Photography, Michael and Jaja are still making love, secretly watched by a man, Clive. In the deli, Herb tells Arnold more about looking for the vase and tickets. In Norma's Bar, Prim gives Peter a rundown of the caller, who knows everything about her movements. Prim complains that Mrs Whittaker is out for the afternoon and there has been no sign of Dudley turning up for his shift. Peter suggests that the police could trace the calls and they could set a trap for the perpetrator? At the photography studio, Clive claims that "porn is 'chic'" and Jaja is compared to adult actress Linda Lovelace [star of 1972's "Deep Throat"]. Jaja wants to leave, but the door of the studio is locked. Michael offers to take her home. The camera from Clive’s pocket is on the table. Clive suggests that he could blackmail Jaja by sending photos of this afternoon's antics to her friends at Number 96? Reg goes to a sleazy part of Paddington to visit Celia’s apartment block in the rain. The surrounding streets are still strewn with bins, rubbish, and the Council's planned kerbside pickup of household junk. Prim's mysterious caller is in his room, obsessing over Prim. He has been writing kinky contact letters to the classified advertisers in the local sex newspapers, but he never posts them. Leafing through his favourite porn magazines, he imagines Prim in the scenes instead. [A missed opportunity here to mention the "Paddo Scream".]

Dorrie is too upset to go to the meeting at the Senior Citizens Club. Flo is shelling peas [her prize of a year's supply of frozen peas, from Episode #323, must be used up]. Dorrie wants Flo to say that she has a migraine
[not a "migrant headache"?]. Dorrie mentions her "manifest activities" [but does she mean "Maifest"?]. Mrs Marks is said to be the Senior Citizens' worst gossip. [The author could have used the established Mrs Marcazite, Jessie Blanchard or Mrs Bairstow.] The Senior Cits need to buy a gift for Dorrie as the retiring Secretary. Perhaps a colour TV? Miss Carmichael is in her ground floor flat and Reg realises he can smell gas. [Phyllis Pratt tried to suicide with her gas stove in Episode #782, and Edie bungled a similar attempt with her electric stove in Episode #786.] Celia's red-haired neighbour, George Meadowes, confronts Reg in the building's foyer and infers that Celia is a prostitute; men are always coming and going from her flat, and he assumes that Reg is her "ponce". Or maybe Reg could be the Eastern Suburbs Rapist? [The so-called Hooded Rapist, of a separate, future storyline, would be revealed to the audience around Episode #1003/1004.] George is called away by a woman (ie. his wife). Reg goes outside, moves along a ledge, and past the bathroom window of Miss Cartwright's flat. Reaching the bedroom window, Reg is startled to see a naked man in her room. It is... Nigel! A betrayal? Nigel refers to how men have been seen slipping Celia an envelope. Meanwhile, Herb searches around Paddington for the vase in the rain and visits many shops. In Flat 8, Shane is watching [Bud] Abbott & [Lou] Costello on TV in his underpants. He has consumed four cans of beer. Dudley is unimpressed. Apparently, Don went out. Dudley phones Prim in the wine bar and claims to be feeling unwell, so he will be late. Dudley calls Shane "Ducky" twice. [This is Norma's usual catchphrase, not Dudley's.] Shane is bored but has no money to visit the big metropolis, or even to go downstairs to the wine bar. Shane’s young friends from Sydney's Western Suburbs have been invited over, and Dudley is regretting ever inviting Shane home.

Dudley is needed by Prim down in the wine bar. Jaja has taken the whole day off, even though Saturday night is their busiest time. Meanwhile, Michael tries to convince Jaja that there's big money to be had in modelling. Is she free to go with him? Clive is not wanting models with beauty or glamour, but he needs someone with vitality and eagerness. It will involve travel to the Far East. She is not being held captive and is free to go, but don’t forget the pictures that Clive took. Jaja grabs camera and Clive slaps her face. He and Michael argue and a fight breaks out. Michael's involvement in the racket is finished. Clive reminds him, "With your level-headedness, flair for organisation, scouting ability" and yet all it took was one screw, when he could have had any girl whenever he wants? Michael demands the key to the office and Clive deliberately drops it on floor. Michael receives a chop across the throat. Jaja hurls the camera out of window! She then uses the flagon to the back of Clive's head. Michael wants the flagon from her and it gets smashed over Clive’s head. He is unconscious. Michael tells Jaja that she has seen nothing. They use the key to get out and Michael drops it down a drain. In Flat 7, Prim tries to entrap her mystery caller when he next rings, just as Peter had advised. She could try changing her phone number... [but this is Vera's flat?] Prim keeps him talking. Could the disguised voice belong to a woman? The Undertaker? The anonymous caller wants to know, "Will Prim be wearing something slinky?" When they are finally face-to-face, he’ll whisper his name. Prim tells him that he is "a strange person".

It's Saturday night in Norma's Bar. Norma, Dudley and Prim will all be present, but there is no sign of Jaja. Reg sits alone. Prim’s suspicion again falls on The Undertaker, who has just come in. Then she notices that George has a cut over his eye. Dudley has seen four friends of Shane enter Flat 8: two guys (both with long hair and bad skin), and two girls (both pale and loud). Don arrives home to a blocked driveway [er, what driveway?], and must park in the street. There is a "bomb of a car" in the way. Don passes Edie on his way upstairs. She mentions a party in his flat. What party? Don is so angry he could strangle Dudley. In the wine bar, Nigel boasts to Reg that he has bluffed Celia. She had thought that Reg would throw money at her to stop a scandal. They won’t see her at the TH again. Reg still feels sorry for her. Peter comes in, dressed in a purple skivvy, yellow sweater and tight, faded jeans. Prim tells Peter that she has lined up a meeting with the caller, just five minutes walk away [ie. "Moncur Park" in Woollahra, only metres away from Moncur Flats, would suit as an unspecified "Lindsay Park", Paddington.] Prim still suspects The Undertaker. Peter recalls that the perpetrator would be there in the park between 10.30pm and 11.00pm. It's really the only way to stop the calls. The guy might be in the wine bar right now? It is decided: Prim will meet the guy in the park tonight, with Peter to follow. The Undertaker is still watching them from his corner of the bar. At the Senior Citizens event, there is bunting in the hall for Dorrie's farewell. Herb is sitting next to Flo. He blows his nose - he has caught a cold from being out in the rain, getting wet, while looking for the vase. The wrapped gift is too small to be the colour TV that Dorrie has been anticipating. Mrs Marks (a large woman, with small eyes) makes a speech. Mr Fogarty drops his walking stick, and Herb almost sneezes during the speech. Michael takes Jaja back to the wine bar. The white slavery racket has been exposed [although Jaja and David become embroiled in a different illegal racket in Episode #904. That storyline is resolved in Episodes 915/916]. Like Jaja had heard, young women have been known to accept to go on a modelling trip - and wake up in a brothel! Michael must leave for overseas; he admits that he used Jaja and is now remorseful.

In Flat 8, Don wants the youths out of his flat. Shane is in a lounge chair, and there is a girl on floor, topless. Another youth is on the couch: "Who's this?" Shane's friends realise that Don lives here, too. "The poof?" [Meaning Dudley.] There are beer cans and LP records scattered everywhere. "The other one." Eddie, another of Shane's mates, emerges from the bedroom wearing Don's robe. A topless girl comes out behind him. Don threatens them all with the police. Eddie throws a punch at Don and yanks the phone plug out of the wall. He throws the phone across the room and the receiver flies out of Don’s hand. Don is knocked down but manages to connect a punch into the guy’s midriff. The two young guys punch him back, cheered on by the girls. But, as an escapee from a prison farm, Shane can’t just "go home". The cops will be waiting for him there. Don can hear them ransacking all the drawers and rifling the cupboards. The flat will be full of fingerprints, but the teens know that "he won’t say anything. They [ie. gays] never do." Dorrie thanks Mrs Marks and opens her gift: it is her own missing vase! Herb realises that no two such ugly vases could exist in the world. Herb and Dorrie wrestle over the vase. Mrs Marks had even mentioned the cost in her speech!? The vase smashes... and the missing tickets and travellers cheques are still inside! Prim feels that something is wrong. She goes to the park [during a break in her shift?] and catches a glimpse of the Harbour on her way. Peter is following, but at a distance. "Any sign of him?" asks Peter eventually. If the perpetrator was watching her, he’ll have seen Peter - and now he won’t show. She challenges Peter, as she had never told him the time of the meeting. Somehow, Peter had known this detail. "It was you all the time," she tells him. They struggle. She screams. Lights in a nearby house come on, and a dog barks. Prim calls out for help. She falls to the grass and Peter starts to drag her. "You're mad. Sick. Diseased!" shouts Prim. She accuses Peter: he would get his kicks over the telephone, and then would come into the wine bar to be a broad shoulder for her to cry on. Prim keeps him talking, stalling for time. Peter forces a kiss onto her, and squeezes her breast. In return, she squeezes his nether regions! Peter screams, and curls up into a ball. Two policemen turn up. They want Prim to wait in the police car while they arrest her injured attacker, but Prim won't be pressing charges. He wouldn’t have hurt her, he’s just tired out and has had a breakdown. Prim walks off as the police descend upon Peter.

[Apparently, the upper floor of Peter Wills' terrace has a good view of the window of Prim's bedroom in Flat 7. The novel needs at least one page more to sum up all of the novel's storylines, especially Dudley’s and Prim’s. Maybe we should see Don nursing his injuries, and he and Norma could be catching up Vera about everything that has been happening during her convalescence from her miscarriage and the hectic opening weeks of the salon?]