Tunes of Glory by James Kennaway

Author:James Kennaway [James Kennaway]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847678041
Publisher: Canongate
Published: 2009-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

TWO

An hour later Jimmy Cairns saw Jock, and by then a great deal had happened.

When Jimmy arrived at Battalion H.Q. that Monday morning there was already a buzz in the air. A filing clerk was leaving the Colonel’s room, and Mr Simpson had just re-entered. The Colonel himself was in a fever of excitement. His hands were on his hips, his eyes were bright and he was lighter than ever, lighter than thistledown, perpetually on tiptoe. He was like a politician flitting house, sending people here and there, talking on the telephone, jotting down notes on a pad. Nobody knew exactly what was happening. Everybody made a guess. All this Jimmy saw from his own office as his assistant dashed in and out, but it was a little while before he picked up the first scents of the story. The key seemed to lie in the doctor’s visit. Barrow and he had spent half an hour closeted together and it was known now that the doctor had been called across to the Band Block because a piper had been hurt. From one of the sergeants in the office, from a brief talk with Mr Riddick, and from the hush-hush expression on Simpson’s face, Jimmy managed to piece the story together. Then he was called in himself. Barrow made an effort to look grave, but he could not stand still. He bounced about the room as he said how serious and awkward was the situation.

‘I have reason to believe – no evidence, you understand, Jimmy, but reason to believe that a corporal was struck by an officer in a bar last night.’

Jimmy nodded, and Barrow continued.

‘Well, well,’ he clipped his words, in this mood. ‘Of course we must take steps.’

‘Sir. Have you rung the proprietor?’

Barrow smiled. ‘No evidence there. The men shouldn’t have been given drinks anyway. He won’t make any statement. If the newspapers got hold of the story he’d lose his seven-day licence. He might lose his licence altogether. No … no. The evidence lies within the barracks. There were other people there. We could get some sort of a story but it’s a question of whether we want to go so far.’

Barrow bounced over the other side of the room and flapped a piece of paper that was pinned on a board there.

‘Whether we want to go on,’ he said again, with a little drama. ‘It would probably be a court martial, you know.’ He shook his head. ‘That sort of thing doesn’t do the Battalion’s name any good.’

‘It does its name more harm if the story leaks out and we do nothing about it.’

‘You think so?’ Barrow opened his eyes wide: he looked curiously innocent. But Jimmy did not have a doubt.

‘Of course.’

Barrow nodded, and he steadied a little.

‘It’s very difficult.’

‘So,’ Jimmy often said when he did not quite understand.

‘The personalities in the case complicate things. I’ve called for Charlie Scott. We’ll talk it over, the three of us.’

‘So.’

Almost in passing Barrow said, ‘Jock’s involved,’ and at last it all made sense to Jimmy.

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