R. Morris: The Cleansing Flames

The junior sailor gave the most minimal of nods as he inhaled.

‘The most modern ship in the Baltic fleet,’ remarked Porfiry.

‘The most modern ship in the world,’ corrected Ordynov. His pride was a fierce glimmer in his eye.

‘When do you have to be back on board?’

‘We have a couple more days in the capital while she undergoes repairs. But now that the ice is melting, we are clear to sail.’

‘Two days? Then I am truly sorry we have had to detain you. You will naturally want to make the most of every hour, every minute you are here. You will be off to the fair, I shouldn’t wonder.’

The boy gave a shrug, non-committal.

‘Still, you have time to smoke a cigarette with me, I dare say. And if I ask you a few questions while we smoke. .’

Another shrug. ‘It’s all the same to me.’

‘Just tell me how you found the body, in your own words.’

‘I was swimming with my mates. I dived down to the bottom and there he was. At first I didn’t know what to make of it. Couldn’t tell what it was. It was pretty dark down there, you see. But I felt his hair brush against my fingers as I swam. I thought, Hello, what’s this? ’

‘So the body was at the bottom of the canal? What prevented it from floating to the top, I wonder?’

‘Rocks. It was tied to some rocks that were keeping it down.’

‘I see.’

‘Me and my mates went back down to loosen it. Then it came up.’

‘And so you raised the alarm immediately?’

The young sailor glared at Porfiry. ‘Well, yes, but. .’ He broke off.

‘But?’

‘Well, there was this fellow. We sent him off to get a policeman. But he never came back.’

‘I see. One of your mates?’

‘No!’ Ordynov was indignant at the suggestion. ‘Just some fellow. He was watching us, while we were swimming. There was something fishy about him. Not right in the head, if you ask me.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘He asked us who it was! As if we should know. I mean to say!’

‘That is odd.’

‘It was almost like. .’

‘Go on,’ encouraged Porfiry.

‘Almost like he had half an idea who it might be.’

‘That’s very interesting. And perceptive, if you don’t mind me saying.’

‘We thought he was mad, the way he kept gabbling on. And then he made us turn that one over in the water, so that we could see his face.’

‘The body was floating face down, of course.’

‘Yes. That’s right.’ Apprentice Seaman Ordynov squinted narrowly at Porfiry. ‘I mean why was he so interested in seeing its face?’

‘A perfectly reasonable question, my friend. In fact, I would go further than that. A very astute question.’

‘And then he ran off. We thought he was going to get the police, but he never came back. So we had to send someone else.’

‘Could you give a description this mysterious individual?’

‘He was a gent. But like one of them new types of gents.’

‘Yes, I know exactly what you mean.’

‘You could tell he was educated, but he didn’t bother to keep himself as smart as he might.’

‘Long hair?’

‘That’s it. Long hair. All over the place. His face was very. .’

‘Pale?’

‘Aye, with dark rings around his eyes as if he had been up all night.’

‘Beard?’

‘He did have a beard.’

‘Not a civil servant then. I take it he was not in any kind of uniform?’

Ordynov shook his head tersely as he blew out his last lungful of smoke. He threw the stub down and ground it under his heel. ‘Finished my smoke.’

‘Thank you, my friend. You have been most helpful. If we need to contact you again, we can reach you through your ship. You are in Petersburg for two days, you say?’

‘We sail on Wednesday morning. Leastways that’s what they say. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes longer.’

‘And where are you bound once the repairs are completed?’

‘Arkhangelsk.’

‘How long is the voyage?’

‘We are at sea for thirty days. We can’t put in to Arkhangelsk before May, on account of the ice.’

‘Do you put in anywhere along the way?’

‘For sure.’

Porfiry waited expectantly. When nothing was forthcoming, he prompted, ‘We may need to get in touch with you.’

‘Our first port of call is Helsingfors. After that, Reval, then Riga, then Libau.’

‘It is a veritable cruise!’ cried Porfiry.

‘His Imperial Majesty likes to show his finest ship off at every opportunity,’ said the young sailor wryly. ‘There are other ports after that. Do you want them all?’

‘I do not think that will be necessary. I wonder, did anyone who is not going to Arkhangelsk see this man?’

Ordynov shook his head.

Porfiry gave a silent chuckle and nodded to release the sailor.

Ordynov twisted his lower lip hesitantly. He looked over to his shipmates but did not rush to join them. ‘Do you think he had anything to do with. . you know. . that fellow in the water?’

Porfiry smiled but said nothing. The roar of the nearby fair seemed to answer the question for him.

*

An hour later, they were back in Porfiry’s chambers in the Department for the Investigation of Criminal Causes. The department was attached to the Haymarket District Police Bureau on Stolyarny Lane, though the cases they investigated were not limited to that district. At his desk, Porfiry was bent over Sergeant Ptitsyn’s report, which was already written up and filed. Virginsky, who was seated on the cracked artificial-leather sofa, was treated to a view of the top of his superior’s close-cropped, bulbous head. The soft light from the window caught the almost transparent hairs in a phosphorescent flash. Virginsky had the impression that if he struck Porfiry on the back, a cloud of dust would rise to join the other fine motes swirling in the luminous corridor of the beam. He had no idea why the idea of striking Porfiry in this way came to him just then. Except for the fact that Porfiry’s frockcoat was stretched as tight as an overstuffed armchair and Virginsky had once had a habit of thumping armchairs. But that was a long time ago.

‘A fine officer, young Ptitsyn,’ said Porifry. ‘We are indeed fortunate that he was the first on the scene. This is an exemplary report.’

‘The spelling’s atrocious,’ commented Virginsky. It did not please him to hear other men praised, especially Ptitsyn, and especially by Porfiry Petrovich. Virginsky knew precisely where his dislike for Ptitsyn originated. He had once been assigned to search a crime scene with the young policeman, and it was Ptitsyn who had made the significant discovery. In his defence, Virginsky could say that he had not long been in the job. But still, he had underestimated Ptitsyn, deceived by the young man’s good-natured willingness to please, taking that for simple-mindedness. Virginsky could not forgive Ptitsyn for the fact that he — Virginsky — had all the advantages, and yet it was Ptitsyn who had proven himself more able. He knew that it was undemocratic to harbour such resentments, which only made him hate Ptitsyn all the more.

All that had happened several years ago, and Virginsky should have been able to put his antipathy towards his social, intellectual and professional inferior behind him. But the fellow haunted him like a demon. He had an uncanny knack for turning up, like a counterfeit five-kopek coin.

Porfiry Petrovich looked up, his face open in reproachful surprise. ‘The spelling is beside the point. He has recorded the exchange between the sailors and the mysterious onlooker practically verbatim. The art of investigation is all in the detail, you know.’

‘So you do think he had something to do with it? The man the sailors saw.’