Smedley

Louise's chauffeur and pilot, Jack Smedley could be the archetype for the East End taxi driver.  He is in his late thirties, a genial figure with thinning brown hair, a glint in his eye and a copy of the Racing Post never far from his hand.

His appearance, as with so many in the Parallax campaign, is deceptive.  He possesses a gift for mechanical and electronic invention that in several fields matches that of Becky Martin.  He is happiest tinkering with one or other of Louise's fleet of vehicles, and has added refinements to most of them that improve their performance immensely.  Examples include a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost that can do 0-60 in five seconds and designing an entirely new form of engine and skin for Louise's Gulfstream IV personal jet that allow it to supercruise (break Mach One without recourse to an afterburner).

His talents for designing and refining these vehicles is exceeded only by his ability at driving them.  His command of the road would be the envy of a Formula One champion, while in the air he can fly circles around even a Top Gun fighter pilot.  He is also at home on the sea, where his navigation skills and seamanship are beyond question.  Like many experienced sailors he prefers to navigate by the stars, but members of the Club have noted with amazement that with such ancient methods he can plot courses and determine locations as accurately as Mitch's internal GPS system.

Lately, however, some of Smedley's behaviour has led to suspicion from his employer.  He was badly burned when a car he was driving exploded, yet within days he was completely healed, even to the point of regrowing the damaged skin.  When asked how such a thing was possible (A vampire's ghoul can heal burns but Louise has never ghouled him, deeming it both unnecessary as well as unfair to him), Smedley answered that "everyone has their little secrets".

Recently, it was revealed that Smedley was in fact spying on Louise, or as he put it, "keeping an eye on her", on behalf on another organisation that he has refused to name.  Louise was horrified at first, but on reflection has decided to keep Smedley around on the basis of 'better the devil you know'.  And of course she can now also keep an eye on him.  As a sign of alleged 'goodwill', the organisation to which he allegedly reports were behind the Club's receipt of the Second Prophecy of Joseph the Lesser (see Story Arc).

Finally, during a recent excursion to The Shadowlands of Egypt John Henry and Jake encountered a mysterious stranger in an ancient tomb.  He was able to perform a number of powerful spells to aid them, and both Club members noticed his vague resemblance to Smedley.  As yet, no-one has asked Smedley why this is, as they suspect the answer would just be another evasion.