Sentence The Fivehundredandninetyseventh

 

Jasmine Juniper-Green opened the envelope and scanned the typewritten sheets; she called over to Sam Smiles who had just finished a long telephone conversation: "sir," she said, "this is the next transcript of Tavish's Journal; "the party managed to escape from Albany Palace in the aftermath and confusion of the explosion which killed the Duke of Albany, and seven other members of The Ring of Gold; they were making their way to Edinburgh and his targets there are Lawyer Elginbrod and the Maister o Kilquhenny – they both have houses in The High quite near to MacFarlane's," and Sam beamed, "good old Tavish, he's always bang on the money! let me think, if you could take a look at

the information in Register House for those two at that date," and while Jasmine logged onto the data-base for Scotland's Hatches, Matches and Dispatches, he read: 'our flight was swift, we only took what was absolutely necessary which, in my case, included a set of knives from the kitchens, purloined for me by Wullie, the wee kitchen boy who has attached himself to us and proved indispensable on various occasions – Lolly and Wullie get on famously, I doubt if either can make out much of what the other says, but at their age, language skills ain't what they're cracked up to be!" and Sam chuckled then called to Jasmine, "I don't suppose you would have a minute to pop out and pick up two stoopwafels and two coffees for us, Jasmine? it's long past my sugar and caffeine fix," and he threw a paper-aeroplane Fiver in her direction which, after a complete loop, she caught single-handed, "fine catch," cried Sam, "you'd make a splendid close catcher for Melrose, you are a natural, you've got it inhere, and he tapped his chest, "true catchers are born. not made," and she laughed, "as are true blethers, sir," and disappeared out the door while Sam continued reading the translation of Tavish's encrypted message when! he stopped, looked over his shoulder and read again, then got up and closed the curtains, switched on his desk lamp and laid the paper flat on the surface of his desk, and read it again, and considered the implications, and read it for a fourth time: the implications could

be cataclysmic so he read it for a fifth time and when the door opened Jasmine came in, saw his ashen face, set down ther coffees and waffles and shut the door: "who just pissed ion your Jubilee Street Party?" "lock it," croaked Sam, "turn the radio on, we might be overheard," then handed the papers to Jasmine, with the whispered instruction: "read it quickly and note the inconsistencies, then hand it back to me," so Jasmine did as instructed and looked questioningly at her Boss; for his part Smiles was pleased to see that she had noted down what he had spotted, but doubted if she would have made the connection; he whispered again: "thoughts?" she shook her head, "I suppose it's just him using terms he would use if he were here, I suppose they didn't have jam-jars or teaspoons way back then?" and Sam nodded but then said, "read the sentence to me, just that particular clause, but quietly," so Jasmine Read: "good to have jam-jars and teaspoons in our case, they go together like bangers and mash." and she looked straight at him: "am I missing something, sir?" and Smiles nodded: "he knows that you and I are working on this case!" and Jasmine stared at him, waiting for a punch-line that never came: "I'm sorry sir, I just don't get it," at which her Boss smiled: "brilliant, my dear, which probably means no-one else has or will, but it poses a serious difficulty for us," and she asked the, almost redundant, "why?" and was astonished when he told her that 'Jam Jar' was Tavish's secret pet name for Jasmine, which only Sam knew about, and 'Tea Spoons' his pet name for Sam {he had to explain it's origin in lyrics for The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band's comedy hit record: The Intro and The Outro with the 1930s-style announcer referring to 'Sam Spoons, rhythm pole'} but the penny dropped and Jasmine's jaw nearly hit the desk and she gasped: "but how, how could he . . . . . .?" which got the

reply: "know? well he obviously has some quality source here and now, able to communicate with, what? there and then? but why is he keeping it a secret from us – and who on earth can it be?"