Heaven Knows Who Read Online Free PDF

this time of the morning!’ ‘Perhaps there’s sickness in the house,’ said Peterina, ‘or they have a late party.’ They could all clearly see the number of the house, No. 17; and Margaret, though she didn’t happen to mention it at the time, knew who lived there. On the Tuesday after the discovery of the murder she led another sister past it and pointed it out. ‘That’s the house where we saw the light after the wedding.’
    A little later—between four and five that morning—yet another reveller was said to have been passing Sandyford Place and to have seen ‘an old man resembling Mr Fleming’ at the door of No. 17. A Mr Sheridan Knowles, butcher, had been told so by a Mr Ritchie; or at any rate Mr Knowles thought it was Mr Ritchie who had told him, but he wasn’t sure. Nor, at the time of making his report to the authorities could Mr Knowles recall the name of the party who was said to have seen the old man, though he knew it was ashort name. Mr Knowles had said to Mr Ritchie—if it was Mr Ritchie—that the party ought to inform the authorities, and Mr Ritchie—if it was Mr Ritchie—had replied that the party didn’t want to get mixed up in the case. Later, said Mr Knowles, Mrs M’Lachlan’s life being in danger, he had again spoken to Mr Ritchie, and Mr. Ritchie now denied ever having mentioned such an incident. Mr Knowles, however, had found Mr Ritchie ‘only middling truthful in matters generally’.
    Mr Ritchie, questioned, forthrightly repudiated all knowledge of the affair. He had known Jess M’Pherson when she had lived in Falkirk and used to come to his shop, but he had no recollection of ever conversing with Mr Knowles about the murder at all. ‘In point of fact, I don’t know any party who saw an old man resembling Mr Fleming at said door; nor did I ever hear of such a thing until now.’
    So that was the end of a beautiful friendship no doubt, but at any rate the end of any sort of proof that the old man had been seen up and about that night.
    At six o’clock P.C. Campbell was relieved and retired home to bed, having missed his chance of more than a very small share in the notoriety that was soon to surround everyone connected with Sandyford Place.
    P.C. Cameron succeeded him. One half of the day beat came on at six and the other half at eight, whereupon the first half had time off for breakfast, so that between eight and nine only half the day beat were operating and Cameron was the only man on duty—with his station at the head of North Street, where he stayed until nine. Between eight and nine, therefore, there was no eye of the law to remark any comings and goings round Sandyford Place.
    There was, however, one very sharp-eyed observer.
    Donald M’Quarrie, ‘the historic milkboy’, was thirteen years of age and was employed with three other boys in distributing the milk which was taken round by horse and cart under the supervision of George Paton, a young man of twenty-five. Paton had been on this round for nearly a year, calling ‘twice every lawful day and once on Sunday’. M’Quarrie had been with him almost all that time and they were both well familiar with the habits of tenants at Sandyford Place, where they served sixteen houses.Many houses took no milk in the summer months or at week-ends, their occupants being out of town, but he had never known No. 17 to take none. A maidservant always answered the door and took in the milk, except occasionally on a Friday, when old Mr Fleming would appear, and on Monday afternoons, when he paid the account. Donald M’Quarrie knew Mr Fleming well from seeing him on these occasions. He would usually be wearing a black coat.
    On the Friday morning before the murder it was Jess M’Pherson as usual who opened the door. She handed M’Quarrie the jug and asked for two penn’orth. That afternoon Mr Fleming appeared