Split Infinity

by Tony Rattigan

  Benton stirred the tea and then poured it into two mugs, adding milk. He handed one to Cobb and then sat down at his desk. Cobb looked around the room; things hadn’t changed at all since this had been his office, years ago. There were two desks, one that the sergeant sat at and the other where the inspector sat. Benton had sat at his own desk, which just left the inspector’s, Cobb’s old desk. For some reason he couldn’t bring himself to sit at that, so he stood by the fireplace and leant on the mantelpiece.

  Benton put his feet up on the desk then lit his pipe and puffed it into life. ‘Well that’s a turn up for the books, about Ffolkes I mean. Looks like you had him pegged right all along.’

  ‘Oh, I didn’t trust him and I never liked him but I didn’t suspect him of being bent,’ replied Cobb.

  ‘Well,’ said Benton, ‘it explains a few things that happened after you left and he took over the squad. He’d get tip offs that didn’t come from our usual sources and he wouldn’t explain where the information came from. We would raid places sometimes and he would know in advance exactly what we would find, how many people would be there, that sort of thing. It was puzzling at the time but it’s obvious now that the information came from Quist. Getting rid of the opposition, I suppose.’

  They both sipped their tea quietly for a few moments, each man alone with his thoughts. Benton puffed moodily on his pipe, staring at his boots while Cobb discreetly watched him.

  Finally Benton took a deep breath and spoke. ‘You know of course, that there’s a page missing from that book.’

  ‘Oh really? And what page is that?’

  ‘The one that has my name on it,’ said Benton, heavily. ‘The one that lists me as taking a bribe.’

  Cobb reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. He held it out in front of him. ‘Ah … that would be this, then.’

  ‘So you knew all along. What are you going to do about it?’

  ‘That kind of depends on you. I wanted to see what you had to say about it first. Owning up is a good start,’ replied Cobb. ‘Why’d you do it, George? Why did you take a bribe from Quist?’

  ‘I didn’t realise that I had at first. I don’t know if you remember but years ago, just after I transferred in from the country and joined the Met, my wife came down with bronchitis. She was very sick and the medicine was just too expensive. I couldn’t afford it on a constable’s wages. I was at my wits end; just didn’t know what to do.

  ‘Then some men approached me and offered me money. They had something planned to take place on my beat, all I had to do was not be there when it happened. It’s easily done, you just take a bit more time talking to people along the way and stopping to check doors. Just enough to delay you, so you don’t reach a certain place, before a certain time. I mean, it could actually happen that way for real. So I did it, I took the money and they robbed a warehouse on my patch.

  ‘Then they came back to me another time but my wife’s health was better by then and I was no longer desperate for money. I told them to get stuffed. That’s when I found out that they worked for Quist. So I told them if they ever sent anyone to me again, I’d break his legs. Then they said that Quist would shop me to the force. So I sat at home and waited for you or someone else to come and arrest me.

  ‘But it never happened. I didn’t understand why until today. I imagine Quist figured that if he shopped me, it might start an investigation into police corruption and who knows where that might have led? They might have uncovered Ffolkes. So I guess Quist decided he’d rather have Ffolkes in place than risk him being exposed, just to get at me out of spite.

  ‘So what happens now?’ he asked Cobb.

  Cobb looked at the folded sheet of paper, looked at Benton, back at the paper and then threw it in the fire. ‘Let’s just keep it our little secret, shall we?’

  ‘Why did you do that?’ asked a surprised Benton.

  ‘I went through those books with a fine tooth comb and I only found your name in them once, whereas Ffolkes’s name appears all over them like a rash. I figure we’re all entitled to one mistake George; the Gods know I’ve made plenty in my time. I guess you’ve learnt from yours. I just wanted to see if you were man enough to admit your mistake.’

  ‘I don’t know how to thank you.’

  ‘Just do the best you can in your new job, that’ll be thanks enough. You’re a good copper George and the force needs good coppers.’

  ‘You have my word, Cobb.’

  ‘That’s good enough for me,’ replied Cobb. ‘Well, I’d better be on my way. Take care George.’ He buttoned his coat and made his way out of the office.

  Cobb came out of Caledonia Yard and walked out in to the street. Today was going well, very well; maybe he should make the most of it while he was on a roll. There was just one more thing he had to do; one more person he should speak to.

  ***

  Cobb returned home and found Adele in the living room. ‘Everything go all right at the Yard?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, it went very well, thanks. Ffolkes has been arrested and they made my friend George Benton, inspector in his place. Have you given any thought yet to what you are going to do now?’

  ‘Well, I’ve been thinking. Quist bought the house in Swanwick in my mother’s name and he also put a lot of money in accounts in her name, so she’d be protected if anything happened to him. She named me in her will as her sole beneficiary, so I could become … moderately wealthy.’

  There was a long pause while Cobb plucked up the courage to get around to what he really wanted to say. ‘That’s good news but that’s just material stuff, what I meant was … erm … what are you … going to do now?’

  Adele got up from the sofa and walked to the window so she had her back to Cobb. She stared out into the garden, twisting her handkerchief tightly between her fingers. ‘I suppose that Won Lungh and I could go back to Swanwick and then maybe I could go back to teaching.’

  ‘Or you could … stay here.’

  ‘Stay here?’

  ‘With me.’

  ‘With you?’

  ‘Is there an echo in here?’ said Cobb, looking around the room.

  ‘Oh, sorry, I’m sorry. I just wasn’t sure if you’d want me to stay.’

  Cobb walked over to her and put his arm around her waist, ‘I want you both to move in here with me … and Lucifer.’

  ‘Oh Cobb, yes I’d love to.’ She wrapped her arms around him and Cobb hugged her back. The Universe would no longer be such a cold and lonely place for either of them.

  Outside in the hall, Won Lungh and Lucifer who had been listening at the door looked at each other and nodded.

  Somewhere in heaven, Esme smiled.

  Somewhere else, Harlequin said, ‘That’s my boy!’

  Epilogue

  Cobb was sitting in his office with his feet up on the desk, reading a newspaper. Adele had popped out to do some shopping and Won Lungh was doing … whatever it is that ‘Evil Henchman’ do when they’re not killing people. Sharpen their knives, maybe? Or just lurk around the house, scaring mice.

  Anyway, Adele had assured Cobb that Won Lungh would do him no harm, and he seemed eager to fit in, so Cobb tried not to get too worried about being in the same house, alone with him. However, he had left the door open to the safe, where he kept his gun.

  He was doing the crossword again. He was looking for a five-letter word meaning, ‘The Spawn of Hell’. Quist? he thought. It was true and that’s probably where he was at the moment but unfortunately it didn’t fit in with the other answers.

  He heard the front door bell ring but before he could make a move, he heard it open and the ringing stopped. After a moment there was a knock on his office door. Cobb took his feet off the desk and made sure he could reach the safe if he had to. ‘Come in,’ he called.

  Won Lungh opened the door and said, ‘Missa Cobb, there a couple of people to see you. Say they know you, Missa and Missus Wilkes.’

  Cobb was surprised to hear from them. ‘Er
… yes, show them in.’ He quickly scribbled ‘DEMON’ in the crossword and threw the paper aside. He stood up as the Wilkes’ entered the room.

  ‘Mr. Cobb,’ said Ronald Wilkes, a big smile on his face. ‘Lovely to see you again, I hope you’re keeping well. I see things have changed slightly around here, got a foreign butler now, eh? You must be on the up.’ He took Cobb’s hand and shook it vigorously.

  ‘Well, yes,’ Cobb admitted. ‘There has been a change in my domestic circumstances, that’s true. But how are you both, Mrs. Wilkes, lovely as ever if I may say so.’ She came forward and gave him a hug, which surprised him.

  ‘Good to see you Mr. Cobb.’

  ‘It’s nice to see you both again but to what exactly do I owe this pleasure,’ Cobb asked them.

  Mr. Wilkes smiled and beckoned Cobb over to the window, which faced out on to the street. Outside Cobb’s house, sitting in Mr. Wilkes’ carriage was the young Simon Ellis, waiting patiently.

  ‘Ah,’ said Cobb.

  ‘Yes, ah,’ said Mr. Wilkes. ‘I’d like to show you my son, Simon Ellis.’

  Cobb looked at Mr. Wilkes, at Mrs. Wilkes, who had a big smile on her face, and then back to Mr. Wilkes. ‘You mean … ?’

  ‘Yes, my wife told me all about her and Lt. Ellis and how he died bravely, fighting for his country and that he left her with his son, Simon, to be brought up by his grandparents. And how he came to Londum to find his mother and make a name for himself. It would be my pleasure to honour Lt. Ellis by accepting his son into my family.’

  ‘That’s very noble of you,’ said Cobb. ‘You’re a decent man.’

  ‘And so are you,’ replied Wilkes. ‘My wife also told me about your visit to her and how you tried to persuade her to come clean with me about Simon. You obviously had an effect on her, because after weighing it up for a while, she finally told me all about it.’

  ‘And you’re happy with this?’ Cobb asked him.

  ‘Ecstatic. As you told my wife, I would have given anything for a son of my own but the son of my wife is the next best thing. It’s still a blood relation to the family.’

  Cobb looked at Mrs. Wilkes. ‘And how’s Simon taking this?’

  She answered, ‘He thinks it’s wonderful, he can come and live with us and we can be together all the time. Besides, now he has that future that he came up to Londum to find. He couldn’t be happier.’

  ‘And it’s all down to you,’ said Mr. Wilkes. ‘If you hadn’t persuaded my wife to tell me everything, then this may never have happened.’

  ‘But what will you tell everyone?’ Cobb asked.

  ‘Well, they don’t need to know everything. He can start at the factory in the office, and I’ll take him under my wing and make him my protégé. It’ll seem quite natural, him having no parents and us having no children. In time I’ll make him a partner and then he can take over the business when I retire. No one will ever be any the wiser.’

  Wilkes walked to the desk and took out his cheque book. ‘I’d like to say thank you in a more practical way. I’m a rich man Mr. Cobb and you’ve given me something that I thought I could never have … a son and I’d like to repay you for that. Name your price.’

  ‘Ah now … that won’t be necessary,’ Cobb told him. ‘Much as I appreciate the gesture, the changes you commented on in my life have included financial gain as well. I’m actually quite well off now, myself. But just knowing that the two of you … the three of you,’ he corrected himself, pointing at the window, ‘are going to be happy together, is payment enough, I assure you.’

  ‘Very well then,’ said Wilkes. ‘But I’d just like to shake your hand one more time. You’re a true gentleman, one of the best.’ He gripped Cobb’s hand and shook it up vigorously.

  Laura Wilkes came up to him and actually kissed him on the cheek. ‘I hope you’ll be as happy as us, one day.’

  ‘I’m sure I will be,’ Cobb replied, thinking of Adele.

  Cobb opened the door and found Won Lungh waiting there to show them out.

  ‘If you ever need any plumbing supplies …’ said Wilkes.

  ‘Thanks, I’ll keep you in mind,’ replied Cobb. He stood at the top of the stairs down to the street and watched them mount their carriage and wave goodbye as it pulled away. He carried on watching and waving until it disappeared around the corner.

  Well, that worked out all right, he thought. He was glad his hunch had paid off. He turned around to find Won Lungh behind him. Won Lungh closed the door and the two men stared warily at each other. Then they both spoke at once, drowning the other out.

  ‘You want some tea?’ asked Won Lungh.

  ‘Can I have some tea?’ asked Cobb.

  There was a long pause and an uneasy silence, which Won Lungh finally broke by saying, ‘I get you some tea.’ He turned and headed off for the kitchen.

  Cobb went back into his office and thought, maybe there’s something to having him around after all.

  He sat down at his desk and picked up the crossword again. Now then, what’s a seven-letter word for fish?

  ***

  Just as a footnote: Never let it be said that the Gods do not pay their dues.

  The monk’s family; although they had to suffer the ignominy of his disgrace, and for a generation were shunned by the rest of the village, found that after a few years their fortunes improved.

  The land that they owned was the most fertile in the valley, the animals that grazed on those fields grew bigger than any others, the monk’s descendants grew to be big strong lads or beautiful young women, who anyone would desire. His family grew to positions of wealth and power in the hidden valley. For as long as the world existed, the debt was repaid to his descendants.

  P. S.

  The things watched the second Big Bang fade away. Then one of them turned to the others and said, ‘Well, that was fun. What do you want to do now? Go down the park?’

  One of them replied, ‘Nah, my mum says I gotta clean out my room.’

  ‘Bummer. So, see you tomorrow then?’

  ‘Yeah, ‘til tomorrow then. Bye.’

  ‘Bye.’

  And then they all faded away.

  THE END

  Rufus Cobb

  will return

  in

  HAIR OF THE DOG

  Other books in The Londum Series:

  Hair of the Dog

  The Speed of Dark

  The Londum Omnibus Volume One

  Snake Eyes

  A Londum Yuletide

  The Great Game

  Quantum of Solstice

  Snowfall

  Winter Shorts

  Foothold

  The Londum Omnibus Volume Two

  For more information about these books and characters go to www.tonyrattigan.co.uk

  About the Author:

  Tony Rattigan* is the author of a series of books about an alternate Universe, one of many different Universes that make up a Multiverse.

  After 22 years in the Royal Air Force, 5 years in the National Health Service and 10 years at one of the UK’s largest charities, Tony decided he’d done enough for Queen and Country and he was about due some ‘me’ time.

  Consequently he took early retirement in 2010 to work on his writing. He lives in Oxfordshire UK with his Albatross and a pet monkey. (No, not really. That’s just a vain attempt to sound interesting.)

  *Tony Rattigan is the founder member of the Anti-Reincarnation Society, whose motto is – “Once is Enough!” All members carry a card that reads, ‘If found dead - please do not reincarnate’.