Chapter Six: The 'Slippery Jake Committee' Is Formally Set Up, Kind Of.
Detective Chief Inspector John Higgins liked nothing better than relaxing in the Bull Lounge Bar. It had been a busy week. A lot to follow up, prosecutions were being arranged. There was a mountain of paperwork and endless tedious meetings. The endless tedious meetings were also a feature of modern teaching, so I sympathized.
It was Friday afternoon again. It was now early December. London can get very cold, but this dull gray wet damp gloom was more the norm. The Detective Chief Inspector of course found an excuse to go to the Bull. Magda and Lina had pretty well now moved in with James and Justin. The two young 'detective apprentices' would also find any excuse to visit the Bull to be with their beloveds. Beryl had accepted this as both girls were still working very hard.
The two professors arrived at the Bull along with Pamela Parsons. She had 'got wind' of these recordings somehow. Sandra and Kevin were there with their equipment and their recordings along with the old Majors, plus me of course.
I just wanted the term to end. The students were getting 'hyped up' because Christmas was coming soon. The Autumn term was long. It could seem pretty interminable.
I was hoping Isabella would turn up. She sent me a text saying she would try. I had very good news for her. I had options on a very good Mitsubishi SUV. We could get that this coming weekend. So this would be the last trip in 'Samantha'.
Dr. Amelia Smith, Professor James Hudson, and Pamela Parsons all came together at around 4.20 pm.
Good Professor James headed straight for the bar and ordered a round for everyone.
"I have heard excellent reports regarding the ale you serve here. Make mine a pint of your finest."
Sid duly and carefully poured out a pint into a pint glass. The professor took a sip and moved the fine liquid around his mouth the same way you would a good Chardonnay.
Excellent!
Drinks were duly served to everyone.
Professor James Hudson, who was a specialist, in the Regency period, spotted Old Slippery's chair immediately.
"Ah, the resident ghost's fine Regency Chair. In very good condition and well looked after I might add. Why is it roped off?"
This was duly explained to the good professor.
"Ah, you don't want to be sitting on the ghost's lap then?"
There was a degree of skepticism there that was to be expected at this stage.
I thought it would be a good idea to get things moving along. I encouraged Sandra and Kevin to show their recording of Old Slippery to the new arrivals. This was greeted with some amazement, understandably. However, the newcomers did have some reservations. Dr. Amelia Smith for one.
"So, how do we know this is just some very clever film work added later?"
"Exactly!" responded Professor Hudson.
It was at this point that Pamela Parsons came up with a very important proposition.
"I feel both you Kevin and you Sandra should come as soon as possible to meet our technical department at the BBC."
They were both flabbergasted and amazed by this.
"Of course, we would!!!" They both chorused.
"Here are my office telephone numbers and office emails."
She gave them both her work cards.
Sandra and Kevin were respectively in a school and university. However, they both thought they could 'throw' a judicial 'sickie' each, to cover this.
The BBC had a Research and Development Department in White City, London, which they could both easily reach. They both looked at me expecting a negative reaction being a teacher. I just smiled and said "Fine."
"May I see your equipment too?"
They duly opened their camera bag and showed Pamela each item.
"Fascinating, fascinating! How did you both find out all about this 'thermal equipment?"
"The web." was Sandra's reply.
"A lot to discuss and examine. The implications of all of this could be quite wide-reaching,"
Professor Hudson agreed.
"Believe me, I will need a lot of convincing, so young people get all this thoroughly looked over"
Plus I added. "Again wait for the BBC reaction until you put any of this online and keep us all updated."
There was general agreement all around on this.
Lina and Magda were given chair cleaning duties. The Lounge Bar was now part restaurant. More staff were also available. However, Beryl did not let her young barmaids flutter around their beloveds all the time.
Of course, that decision had consequences. This roused Slippery Jake from his 'slumbers'.
His form started to materialize in full Regency regalia. Both the professors and Pamela Parsons opened their mouths wide. He was looking straight ahead at these three, carefully appraising them. He somehow knew they were people of learning.
Professor Hudson looked very closely at the ghost's clothes.
"Totally in keeping with the Regency Period, I would say around 1815. This is not a fancy dress either. He is detail perfect. My God, how can this be!?"
Dr. Amelia Smith added.
"I totally concur with Professor Hudson, every detail pure Regency. Is that a 'beauty spot' I see on his cheek?"
"Yes, no doubt hiding something else I would guess, the pox, syphilis. Very common then."
"When I get back to Oxford I will need to do research on the Right Hon Jake Horatio, Higginbottom. I will need to see how many original sources there are."
Dr. Smith also showed interest. "Yes, I will see what I can find out as well. From what I can gather he was somewhat 'airbrushed' out of the historical narrative by the Victorian period." "Can I add, I can detect a consciousness and an awareness in this ghostly spirit. See the way he looks at us now. This is very unnerving. Again, is there a precedent for this, other similar recorded events, or is he and this, unique? Much work to be done here! We do not have a 'classic Hollywood' ghost floating around in a white sheet here."
"Indeed Amelia, much work to be done!" was Professor Hudson's reply.
It was at this point that Isabella turned up. I told her the good news about getting the SUV.
"Ah, at last, shot of that wreck!"
She was duly introduced to everyone. She sat next to me opposite the Old Majors.
"So how are you gentleman?"
"Fine good lady, fine." was Percy's reply.
"We have had an interesting conversation on the clap and our resident ghost!" Humphrey added.
"Ah yes," Isabella added.
She was a little taken aback by his directness, but looking at their table and the number of finished beer glasses there, this was less of a surprise.
"The clap is syphilis, Mr. Humphrey. Very common then I believe"
"Indeed it was Doctor Smith", Professor Hudson interjected
"Please call me Isabella" she replied. Why are the English always so formal? She thought to herself.
"I think it was after the Second World War that antibiotics, especially penicillin emerged. These have proved pretty effective in combating syphilis. Maybe resistance is starting. STDs and sexually transmitted diseases are one of my major problems in gynecology. Pregnancy and birth complications often result when these are present, sometimes fatal for the baby and sometimes even the mother. Just this afternoon we successfully delivered a baby but there were complications due to STDs."
"So we still have problems?" Professor Hudson added.
"Yes we do and probably always will, given human nature and the way diseases always evolve.'
"Things change but stay the same" I added.
Isabella laughed. "One of my husband's favourite quotes."
"Some truth in that." Professor Hudson replied.
There seemed to be an innate English love of committees. It appeared the 'Slippery Jake Committee ' had been formed with its base in the Bull. Meetings were a bit ad hoc, but they would be scheduled regularly most Friday afternoons.
Isabella and I got home, just. I took the old car along to the Mitsubishi dealer. He gave me £50 for it. That would be around $70 US as I write this, mainly out of sympathy. I then test drove the new Mitsubishi SUV. It was like getting into the Star Ship Enterprise. I half expected to see 'Klingons' on the starboard bow.
However, my mind drifted across to the great Japanese Studio Ghibli Anime cartoon 'Spirited Away'.
In particular 'Haku' the river spirit. It was like flying on a carpet. The main problem was realizing there was an engine there at all.
Isabella was more than impressed. This fitted in with other plans she had. More on this later.
Meanwhile back in the Bull Public House, Old Slippery had made quite an impression in the Lounge Bar. Everybody at their tables were looking around at him. Pictures on cell/mobiles were being taken. It looks like the news would be out there very soon. Many people were a bit apprehensive understandably at first. Beryl, Sid, and the serving staff were taking all of this in their stride. This reassured but still puzzled the customers. There he was Old Slipper, nonchalantly sitting back, and smoking away at his ghostly clay pipe, looking around at everyone.