12. The Pipe Smoker

A Chapter by Peter Rogerson

12. The Pipe Smoker

Jerry received a series of text messages later that same day, starting not long after the DI had carted the two men off for questioning at the police station and the elderly Baz Juniper had been taken to hospital for a precautionary check-up. The first of those messages, signed Glimpton in an unusual archaic font simply read “Am on my way. Stay at home address.”

Jerry cursed, not quite under his breath, but then there was nobody anywhere near to overhear him. He had never met the renowned agent Glimpton before but what he had heard by the by was enough to make him never want to.

His life was stressful enough with a lively eleven year old to care for, his late wife’s best friend Angela in the house in a role so difficult to define he couldn’t be bothered to, though it did include the odd moment of intimate passion and rare but longer sessions sharing his bed.

Then there was his work, tracing the activities of an ill-named cell of miscreants. Whoever heard of a name like Gloopy for an antisocial group intent on political revolution? But they were there and known to him and, he suspected, he was equally well known to them. That was why the wretched Glimpton had been sent, a fresh eye in the battle against chaos.

Then another text arrived.. “Maybe half an hour away. Remain in home.”

By then he was at home and sitting at the kitchen table with Angela, who was beginning to look more like her old self after the unwarranted attack on her had left her prone on the floor. The twins were upstairs in Jack’s room. He could hear the familiar sound of music from one of his favourite games.

“They get on so well,” sighed Angela, “it’s so good to know. Janice would have been so pleased to know that.”

“She would indeed,” he sighed in agreement. “And she would have been just as pleased to see you looking so well and happy. You are happy, aren’t you.”

“Of course I am, silly!” she replied, “and I always will be because that’s one thing Janice will never be again: happy. Nor sad nor anything emotional, because for no good reason she passed away before she could learn to love her babies properly.”

“But she did tell me how much she loved them,” he told her, “when she was still very much alive,” and he would have gone on to tell her how she had enjoyed coming up with names for the twins but a third message made his mobile buzz. ”Ten minutes away. Stay put,” it said.

“I’m going to have something serious to say to Glimpton when I see him,” he growled, “as if him coming here isn’t bad enough, he even has to occupy my thoughts before he gets here!”

“I’ve made your office up for him if he’s staying here,” muttered Angela, “You hardly ever use it, and I’ve trundled your filing cabinet into your own bedroom, though even without it the room is not big enough to swing a cat in, and the camp bed takes up most of its space!”

“He might take one look at it and decide a box room’s not good enough for him and find a b&b in town for while he’s here,” murmured Jerry hopefully.

“Or he might find that the sound of two eleven year-olds playing on his nerves,” smiled Angela.

“I might have a word of encouragement for them then,” smiled Jerry, “you know, turn the volume of that PlayStation game up and practice one of those modern dances on the bare floorboards! They’d love to do that!”

There came the sound of a car door openng and Jerry sighed. “That’ll be him,” he said, “he reckons that he’s the Major’s best buddy so I’ll have to be nice to him.

He went to the front door and opened it before it could be knocked.

He might never have met Mr Glimpton, he knew he hadn’t, but somehow the man who had just stretched arms and legs after climbing out of his car and slamming its door shut had a familiar look to him. And after stretching the man reached for a gnarled wooden pipe from his pocket and checked that it was still useable, and lit it using a lighter that had a huge flame, and, thought Jerry, it was the sort of flame that could be dangerous. Then he expelled a cloud of pipe smoke and made his way towards Jerry, at the door.

“Newby?” he asked, reaching out the hand that wasn’t holding his toxic looking pipe, “I believe you’re expecting me?”

“If your name is Glimpton, then I am,” replied Jerrym scowling, “and I would ask you not to smoke that pipe of yours in the house. I’ve got young children and they have become acquainted with enough antisocial habits without having pipe-smoking being added to the list.”

“And a woman?” asked the strange Mr. Glimpton, I heard you had a woman here, but that she’s unwell… in hospital, maybe?”

“Angela Smithson is well and at home,” replied Jerry, “but if you’re happy not smoking, please come in and meet everyone. Angela’s in the kitchen having a hot drink and the boys are upstairs. I’ll call them.”

“There’s no need to,” replied Glimpton, “please, no fuss. Is there somewhere we can discuss matters privately? Do you have an office?”

Jerry shook his head. “I had one until it was purloined to make a room for you,” he grinned. “If you want secrecy we can use the front room, though I don’t know why we have to be so double-oh seven in my own home!”

“Remember what you were taught in training,” pointed out Glimpton, who was already getting up Jerry’s nose, “even walls have ears…”

Jerry led the way into the lounge room in which there was comfortable furniture and a huge television.

“Take a seat,” he said, “and I’ll call the boys. They’d better be introduced to you or you might bump into them and if they don’t know you they might create a fuss.”

He reopened the door and stuck his head out.

“Jack and Jonny,” he called, “would you come down for a moment. In the lounge, there’s someone I’d like you to meet…”

There then followed a clattering of feet on the stairs and at the same time Angela emerged from the kitchen to ask the visitor if he’d like a coffee.

She pushed the door pen and sniffed. Even though Glimpton had extinguished his pipe there was a strong smell of it in the room, and Angela screamed.

“The smell,” she gasped, “it’s the same smell…”

Then to complete the picture, Jonny followed by Jack pushed his way into the room, past Angela.

And he pulled up to an instant standstill.

“That’s the man!” he shouted, “the one who bonked me on the head and left me out cold!”