Death in the Dark Walk Read Online Free PDF Page B

waited, then snatching at his rebellious wig, fallen forward while he slept, John turned to face the door.
    It opened slowly, dramatically, as if the person beyond were making an entrance in a play, and the Apothecary felt his heart quicken in fear as he stared into the gloom. A man waited silently in the shadows beyond, a vast figure, well over six feet in height, whose broad shoulders and powerful build filled the entrance in which he stood. John saw a long white wig which fell to the shoulders, a thin nose with flared nostrils, a black bandage where there should have been eyes. In awe and terror he watched as the Blind Beak, Mr John Fielding, the most powerful and respected man in London, tapped his way into the room, felt for the chair opposite the sofa and sat down on it.
    â€˜Mr Rawlings?’ asked the Beak in a voice which sent a shiver down John’s spine, and turned his sightless gaze in the Apothecary’s direction. Even though he could not be seen, the younger man rose to his feet in respect.
    â€˜You are addressing him, Sir,’ he answered, and to his ears his tones sounded as pitiful and fluting as the squeaks of a mouse.
    â€˜Then kindly retake your seat.’
    John obeyed, closely surveying the face turned towards his, its trenchant profile lit by the early morning light which was by now streaming through the window.
    â€˜I believe it was you who actually discovered the body,’ the Magistrate began without preliminary. ‘Pray describe the scene for me exactly as you saw it. Take your time.’
    It was a relief to talk at last to a man known for his fairness, for his acute mind and grasp of situations. Almost with alacrity, John began to recount the story of his solitary walk, of the muffled cry, the glimpse of the figure in blue running away. Yet throughout this discourse the Blind Beak said not a word, the black bandage turned intently in John’s direction, the man not moving in the slightest degree.
    â€˜Tell me of the body,’ he said at last. ‘Every detail if you will.’
    â€˜I fell over it to be honest, Sir. Landed face-down on the grass beside it. Then I rose and lifted the dead girl, turning her upwards. Perhaps your Brave Fellows have told you, Mr Fielding, that I am an apothecary. That is why I did not give chase to her murderer but stayed with the victim to see if I could restore her to life.’
    â€˜But you could not?’
    John gave an involuntary shiver. ‘No. She was gone. Choked to death with one of her own stockings.’
    The Magistrate nodded. ‘So what did you do next?’
    â€˜I put her back on the ground and straightened out her clothing, which had become disarrayed during the struggle. Yet this was no common rape, Sir. I could not help but notice that the girl’s small clothes were undisturbed.’
    The Blind Beak pursed his lips but made no comment, instead asking, ‘Was the body still warm to the touch?’
    â€˜Yes, Sir. I believe, taking into account the time elapsed between her scream and finding the victim, that the girl had been dead only about ten minutes.’
    The bandaged gaze drew slightly closer to John’s own. ‘Was there anyone else near you? Did anybody else witness your stumbling over the corpse?’
    â€˜No, Sir, I was quite alone, though a young couple who are presently here in the Public Office, arrived shortly afterwards.’
    If Mr Fielding had been a sighted man he would have been staring the Apothecary straight in the eye. ‘You are probably aware, Mr Rawlings, that because of this fact you yourself are under suspicion. You see, it is a known trick for a killer disturbed in the act to pretend that he was the first upon the scene of the crime. It has been done many, many times.’
    â€˜That’s as may be,’ John retorted angrily. ‘But the fact is I did not even know the dead girl. What possible motive could I have had for doing away with