Bruce Alexander - Smuggler's Moon

Put thus, it did seem evident, truly enough. There was yet a detail or two that troubled me. I decided to challenge Sir John on at least one of them.

“Sir,” said I, ”would not the opening of the drapes have provided the visitor with all the opportunity he would need? Could he not have shot through the glass?”

Taking a moment to consider the point, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ”Yes, why didn’t he?” said he. ”It could be simply that Mr. Sarton did not present as sure a target this side the window. For after all, his first impulse upon catching sight of a pistol would be to let fall the drapes and duck back away from the window.”

“I can see that,” said I. ”The visitor felt he had to have a sure shot, for recognition during an unsuccessful attempt at murder would have been simply disastrous.”

“Yes, well … but what about this? Let us suppose that there was not one visitor but two. The first we have discussed, one who would instill such confidence in Mr. Sarton that he would throw open the door without hesitation, and the second to do the shooting. Why a second? Perhaps because he is used to such ugly work-a practiced killer. And perhaps because the visitor, the man whom Mr. Sarton recognized, was himself too fastidious to commit such an act.”

When Sir John had completed his study of the corpus and its surroundings, I informed him of the disastrous events that had taken place at the inn. I feared my news might crush him altogether, yet he took it quite stoically, as if so much had already gone so terribly wrong, that further calamities were of no real consequence and almost to be expected. Ultimately, the story of the unexpected failure of our operation against the smugglers, and the loss of the cargo, as well as the constable’s death, did naught but provide more fuel for his anger.

I concluded my report by confessing that I had more or less volunteered Clarissa for duty as nurse to Constable Trotter. He took it well and seemed to approve this new role for her.

“Just so long as it does not involve her for too great a time. Another must be found to help. Clarissa will be needed to act as companion to Mrs. Sarton, for the two get on well. She can help the poor woman through this crisis.”

“She will stay here, then?” I asked.

“We shall all stay here. This will be our new headquarters, if Mrs. Sarton will have us. I shall be particularly glad to have Clarissa out of that environment. Imagine locking a girl of her age in her room! On whose orders, I should like to know! And to what purpose?”

“What then with our baggage, Sir John?”

“Collect it all,” said he. ”Perhaps it might be best if you were to find that coachman, Mick … Mick Crawly is his name, I believe. He’ll take you up there. You can collect the baggage. Crawly will load it on the coach, then take you and Clarissa back to town.”

“Very good, sir, I’ll attend to that immediately.”

“No, I rather think that first we had better move Mr. Sarton’s body as best we can. Then you must call at the surgeon’s and ask him to come by. I have questions about the wound in Mr. Sarton’s head and the condition of the body that only he can answer. And lastly, you must visit the mortician and ask him to come at the end of the day to collect Mr. Sarton’s body and prepare it for burial.” Having said all that, he sighed, as if unwilling to continue. But, having sighed, he filled his lungs again, straightened his shoulders and suggested that we move the corpus. ”I may be blind,” said he, ”but if you take the lead, I should be able to follow.”

“No, you’ll do no such thing.” It was the unexpected voice of Molly Sarton, loudly preceding her as she came down the hall from the kitchen, her arms filled with rags and a pillow. She was much changed from the weeping widow I had seen kneeling over her husband. Clearly, she had got herself under control and was now determined to play her part in these sad, postmortem events. ”He was my husband, after all,” said she, ”and the least I can do for him is see that he’s given a proper burial. So you take him under the arms, Jeremy, and I’ll take his feet, and we’ll bring him into the big room here, and lay him onto the sofa.”

She nudged Sir John aside and tossed the pillow and rags down upon the middle of her husband’s body.

“Take a cloth or two and wrap it round his head,” said she, ”for if you don’t, you’ll have blood and brains all over that fine green coat of yours. I’d do it for you, but … but I can’t. In truth, I just can’t.”

I did as she directed, wrapping his head tight in the rags, using a third and then a fourth, until there were no spots of blood leaking through the layers of cloth. I could not but notice that all the time that I was thus occupied, she kept her gaze averted.

When the task was done, she asked if I were ready. I nodded, and she lifted his feet by the heels. I heaved him up by the armpits and wondered at how heavy he seemed for such a small man. Then did I recall the phrase ”dead weight,” and understood its origin and true meaning. We had not far to carry him, and indeed could not have carried him much farther. As I passed Sir John, he put his hand lightly upon my shoulder and in this way followed close behind me into the room, which they had ever used as a courtroom. Mrs. Sarton placed his feet upon the sofa, and I followed, situating his body in such a way that it rested easily upon the length of the piece.

“You had best tuck the pillow beneath his head,” said she to me, ”for the wound will likely leak further.”

Again I did as she told me, without question or comment. Sir John, who like me had said nothing since her sudden appearance, at last cleared his throat and made to speak.

“Your resolution is admirable, madame,” said he, ”but would it not be better if you were to take a rest? You have had a terrible shock. You ought not strain yourself overmuch in such a situation.”

“I thank you for your advice, Sir John, and though I know it be well meant, I’ll not take it.”

She looked down at her husband’s body there upon the sofa. With his head wrapped as it was, his face was barely visible, and what could be seen of it was so blackened by the pistol shot that the features were hardly discernible.

“Dear God, I did love that man,” she continued, ”but there is naught I can do to return him to life, and so I must get on with my own. I’ll bury him well, and in my heart I’ll mourn him.” At this point I remember well that she sighed and shook her head before concluding: ”But I can’t bring him back.”

“True enough,” said Sir John, ”but do you not suppose that-”

“In this alone I’ll have the last word. ‘Tis I will summon the surgeon and notify the mortician. These be matters which have to do with putting Berty safe underground. Let Jeremy go now and collect your baggage and return with Clarissa, as well. I’ll be happy to have you all here-and Clarissa not least.”

In this way it came about that I rode in the place beside Mick Crawly on my way out to Great Mongeham and the manor house of Sir Simon Grenville. I liked the man and his ready manner well enough, but his curiosity threatened to become an impediment to good relations between us. It seemed that he had learned something of the hectic and deadly events of the night before, and he wished to learn more. I guessed that the innkeeper was the source of his information. That meant that in little more than an hour, news of our victory-turned-defeat had spread across half the town. This in itself was not surprising when one considered the extent to which Deal depended upon smuggling as its leading local industry. No doubt it would take no more than another hour for the whole of the sad story to be spread cross the rest of the town. Yet if he were to learn more, it would not be from me.