Death is the Beginning - Chapter Two
Ianto Jones killed the ignition of his car and drew in a deep breath. The little supermarket he was eyeballing seemed to be a hive of activity early on a Thursday morning.
The incessant ring of his mobile drew him from his thoughts. Checking the caller ID he answered his second in charge on the third ring.
“Hey Tosh checking up on me huh?”
“Well someone’s got to. Where are you now?”
“What you don’t know?” Ianto replied with a smirk on his face.
Toshiko Sato had been a brilliant find and the perfect 2IC. The first time he had met her she had simply blown him away with her knowledge and smarts. She took technology to a new scary level.
Torchwood Investigations may operate outside recognised law but there wasn’t an official database in the country they couldn’t get access to not to mention a few of the unofficial ones as well.
He knew she was tracking him with his cell but decided to humour her anyway.
“I’m outside of Tescos ready to go talk to Dr Owen Harper, give him the good news.”
“Good, it’s about time you did some proper work.”
“Hey, I’m always working.” It was true, he was a workaholic, sometimes going days without sleep only to crash spectacularly and then the nightmares would come.
“You know what I mean Ianto, at least this time we’re actually getting paid for this one. You know you have to stop taking these bleeding heart cases. They’ll send us bankrupt.”
She was only half joking, the money was a long way from running out and his bleeding heart cases gave him the atonement only he knew he needed.
“Was there something you wanted Tosh?”
“Yes speaking of bleeding hearts, Rhys Williams called today, said he needed you help, said that if you were reluctant to mention Marks and Spencer?”
“God, how long is he going to play that card!” Ianto murmured under his breath.
“What?” Tosh asked.
“Nothing important Tosh, I’ll call him after I speak with Dr Harper.”
“Ok, let me know if you need any help. Oh and Ianto, explain to me why Jenni called me and proceeded to curse your name from here to kingdom come? ”
“Ah, well you see Tosh......”
“Don’t ‘you see Tosh’ me. What did you do?”
“Look, it was nothing, we had a nice dinner, talked a bit and she um.....asked me back to her place for coffee and sex which I refused.”
“Well that makes a few of the insults about frigidity make a whole lot of sense.”
“Look Tosh, I’m really not looking for a relationship now.” Ianto picked up the packet of cigarettes and took one out, rolling it between his fingers before absent mindedly bringing it to his nose, inhaling the smell of it.
God, he missed that.
“Who said anything about a relationship Ianto, sometimes you just need to get laid.”
Ianto felt the flush of embarrassment on his cheeks, even though no-one on the outside could hear their conversation; he crushed the unlit cigarette between his fingers and flicked it out the window.
“Gotta go Tosh, duty calls.”
“This isn’t over Ianto.”
“I said bye Tosh.” Ianto cut the phone before she could go further. Right now he needed to see Dr Harper, and then he would call Rhys to see what he wanted now.
****
Ianto made his way to the fridges, the section where Dr Harper worked, making sure they were packed so shoppers had their pick of food. Ianto didn’t really have to wonder how a man so educated could end up as a shelf packer for his local grocery store. The line between failure and success was a fine one, and there where many victims that littered each side.
He approached a man sitting amongst the crates packed high in the huge cool store.
“Owen Harper?”
The man looked up, a full on scowl on his face.
“That’s Dr Owen Harper to you, now fuck off, I’m on a break.”
“Mr...Dr Harper I’ve been hired by a local law firm to find you to let you know Alistair Jackson has died; he was a patient of yours?”
“So what? I had a lot of patients, so why don’t you bugger off.”
“This one left you $15,000 pound.”
“Oh that Alistair Jackson!”
“Yeah plumbing contractor, had a wife.....um.....Sharon?”
“Karen, god she must be lonely.” The doctor’s eyes where suddenly wistful.
Ianto’s eyes gaze flicked to the packet of cigarettes sitting on a crate near the man, his pen was planted firmly in his mouth.
“You want a cigarette?”
“What? No...no I don’t smoke.”
“Look pal, you’ve stared at that packet three times in the last minute, your sucking on your pen like it’s air and you tell me you don’t smoke?”
Damn, this guy was good.
“Is that what you were doing with Jackson? Getting him to quit smoking?”
“No...he was impotent. Fancy that, man lays pipe for a living and can’t get it up at home.”
“Well he must have had some hard on when he drew up this will.”
“Hey asshole, I was a good Doctor. I helped a lot of people through some crappy things. So I slept with a patient or two. Christ there was worse things I could do.”
“Right, sorry. Well all you have to do sign this and they can cut the cheque for $9,000.”
“What happened to 15?”
“Minus my commission.”
Owen scowled as he signed his name. Handing the pen back he regarded the younger man.
“Mr Jones, can I give you some free advice?”
“Sure.”
“Someone's either a smoker or a nonsmoker, there's no in-between. The trick is to find out which one you are and be that.”
“Ah sure well, cheques in the mail.”
Ianto filed the document in his breast pocket and headed back to his car. Pulling out his mobile to phone Rhys, a feeling of apprehension gnawed in the back of his mind.
Chapter Three