The Truth of All Things Read Online Free PDF Page B

to hear any of this,” said Lean, “so just answer the question.”
    The watchman rubbed his fingertips together, contemplating his options while staring into the dark gaze of Perceval Grey. “All right then, as you say. It ain’t so bad usually. Just this past week’s been worse than ever. I’ve been promising my wife I’ll go down to the druggist shop for them drops her sister’s always carping on about helping the rheumatism in her hands—”
    Grey held up his own hand to stop the unnecessary tale. “Just a week, then? Before then you were making your rounds timely?”
    “Yeah.” The man’s shoulders slumped, and he sighed, a combination of relief and defeat. “Been doing one roundabout soon as I get here and another before sunup. If I’d known that something like this wouldhappen, I’d have said something, let someone else take my rounds. But I can’t lose the work, you know?”
    “You needn’t trouble yourself,” Grey said. “Walking your rounds would not have saved that girl. Now, let’s have a look at your bottle.” The watchman’s eyes went wide and his lips parted, but the protest of temperance died in his throat. With something of an effort, he leaned down to an overturned wooden crate and retrieved a bottle from inside. Grey examined the bottle, removed the loose cap, sniffed the contents, and handed it over to Lean. “The closure is of interest.”
    Lean glanced at the bottle’s top. It was not the more common lightning-type closure that had a metal wire toggle atop the stopper. This one was a loop seal: a disk with a metal loop on top and a rubber convex bottom forced into the mouth of the bottle. It was favored by bootleg bottlers since it was cheaper, but it was only a one-timer, not reusable like the lightning type. Once it was yanked out by means of a small hook, the rubber stopper expanded, rendering it impossible to completely reseal. Lean also sniffed the bottle; it smelled of cheap beer, though a bit off. Unlike the stopper, the bottle would have been used many times over and might not have been cleaned after its last use.
    “It’s just beer, no booze. And you see I only drank half it anyways,” said the watchman.
    “Fortunate for you. You’ve been drugged. If you’d emptied the bottle, you’d still be unconscious. You bring the same kind every night?” Grey said.
    “Most every.”
    “You open it before your first inspection of the property?”
    “Nah, I wait till after the first walk round. Done about ten o’clock.” The watchman wiped his lips with the back side of his hand. “Work up a thirst and all.”
    “What time did you hear the bird crash into the lamp by the machine shop’s side door?”
    “Right about ten twenty.” He stopped short and stared suspiciously at Grey.
    “You looked at your pocketwatch?”
    “No, but the Montrealer gets in at ten past ten. And it was just a bit after that I heard a bunch of fellas wandering this way from off the train. Carrying on loud enough to get me up to take a look. Could practically smell the Canadian Rye on ’em all the way up here. They made it a few hundred yards from the station ’fore they seen they were heading toward the ocean instead of the city.”
    “So you noticed the light was out, went to investigate, realized that the bird had busted the lamp, and returned here. Then what?”
    “Same as I’ve already said ten times. I was feeling sleepy. Must have dozed off. Next thing, I hear a sound—a scream, maybe. Took my lamp and stick. Saw a candle flame in through the window of the machine shop. Went inside, and that’s when I saw this man running for the side door. Didn’t get a good look at him. I would’ve gone after him, but then I seen her lying there. And that’s all.”
    Grey motioned to Lean, passing off the watchman.
    “All right, you’re free to go now. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” Lean said.
    “There is one more thing you can do to help,” added Grey.
    “Anything.