Michael Gallagher's Blog - Posts Tagged "mysteryweek"

THE PROLOGUE

London. August, 1853.
“Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.”
—Shakespeare’s Macbeth

‘“I CAN’T THINK WITHOUT thinking about you; I can’t BREATHE without thinking about you; I can’t LIVE without thinking about you,”’ quoted George. He glanced at me through suspicious, narrowed eyes. ‘It looked like your handwriting, Octavius.’
It was; not that I was about to admit it.
‘Was it signed?’ I asked, knowing full well it was not. Oh, why had Annie kept my note? Why had she hidden it where George was bound to find it? Surely she knew her brother pried?
‘No, but the writing was cursive like yours is,’ George persevered, ‘all spiky L’s and T’s. This is my little sister we’re talking about.’ He stressed the words little and sister again, then glowered at me some more.
‘Concentrate, George. This is a crime scene, and we have precious few minutes before young Mr Badger returns with all the constables of N-Division in tow. Come, observe whatever may be observed, and tell me what you think.’
The big lad peered momentarily down at the body, which was sprawled across the broad octagonal space formed by the transepts and the nave. Cool early morning light filtered in through the church’s narrow east windows, amply illuminating the corpse.
‘I think he’s dead,’ said George.

Continues tomorrow exclusively on Goodreads
Love mysteries? Love #MysteryWeek

Don’t forget, all this week you can ask me questions; any question—past or future—about the series’ characters on the Goodreads’ “Ask the Author” feature. Is Gooseberry in with a chance where Annie’s concerned? Ever wondered what becomes of the snivelling Walter? Ask what you will, and I promise to answer as truthfully as I can.

There are twenty free copies of Octopus: Send for Octavius Guy #2 (Octavius Guy and the Case of the Throttled Tragedienne) to be given away throughout May. You’ll find the coupon code and link you’ll need at the bottom of my monthly post on my website. Just scroll down! Happy reading.
Michael
Find me on my website
on Facebook
and @seventh7rainbow

‘I THINK HE’S DEAD,’ said George.
‘It would certainly seem it,’ I concurred. ‘See how the whole of his face is stove in? All that is left is a pulpy, bloody mess.’ It prompted in me a sudden memory.

When thou saidst, “Seek ye my face,” my heart said unto thee…
Thy face, Lord, will we seek.

Prophetic words indeed.
‘Hammer?’ enquired George, with a detached sense of professionalism I could only admire.
‘Yes, or some kind of mallet.’ I cocked my head to the side. ‘Such a frenzied attack! Someone was most determined that he should not survive it.’ Someone, presumably, who was frustrated with our efforts to date, and had resorted to a much quicker solution to their problem.
George sniffed. ‘Or maybe they didn’t want us to identify him,’ he posited.
It was certainly a suggestion, though not one that was borne out by the evidence. I scrutinized the man’s manner of dress: the fusty old frock-coat, the battered felt hat, the telltale gloves that encompassed his hands: white, inexpensive, and—most importantly—brand new. If anyone was trying to hide his identity, they’d made a deplorably bad job of it.
‘I was just saying,’ grumbled George when I pointed this out. ‘If the murderer didn’t want us to identify him, what better way than to bash in his face?’ He crouched down to take a closer look. ‘Poor bloke was trying to defend himself,’ he observed. ‘See how he’s cowering? Arms and knees drawn up in front of him to ward off the blows, and look at how he’s got his fingers clenched. Here, what’s this?’
George leaned forward and fiddled with the Reverend Burr’s gloved right hand. With a forceful tug he prised away a torn scrap of parchment.
‘From some kind of paper or document,’ he opined. ‘Whatever it was, the murderer must have grabbed it off him once he was done for. Looks old,’ he said, as he held it up to the light.
‘What’s it say?’ I asked.

Find out tomorrow exclusively on Goodreads
Love mysteries? Love #MysteryWeek

Don’t forget, all this week you can ask me any question—past or future—about the series’ characters on Goodreads’ “Ask the Author”. How are George and his new wife getting along? Is it true that Bertha murdered her own father? Whatever you wish to know about your favourite character, now is the time to ask!

There are twenty free copies of Octopus: Send for Octavius Guy #2 to be given away throughout May. You’ll find the coupon code and link you’ll need at the bottom of my monthly post on my website. Just scroll down! Happy reading.
Michael
Find me on my website
on Facebook
and @seventh7rainbow

‘WHAT’S IT SAY?’ I asked.
‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ He shrugged and handed the fragment to me. There was writing of a sort on it—just one line—though it appeared to be some form of code:

etomnialignaregionisplaudentmanu

I scanned my eyes back and forth along the letters. The script indeed looked ancient, with any rounded parts not rendered as circular, but formed instead with a flat-cut nib employing short, oblique strokes of the pen. No matter how I tried to group them, the only words I could make from it were “to” or “Tom”, “I align”, “a region is”, and then either “laud”, “den” or “dent”. And “man”, of course, though, with its ensuing “u”, I presumed we were missing the -facture or -facturer that would most likely come next. A thousand pities that we had only this small portion of text, I reflected. Had we more, what grand truths might we have been able to discern?
George watched as I stowed the scrap inside my pocket.
‘Guy’s Seventh Rule of Detection?’ he queried, and I shot him a grin: Never allow good evidence to fall into the hands of the police.
Well, it’s not as if they would be needing it; if I couldn’t work out what the message meant, then they, poor souls, had no chance at all. Mr Peel’s finest are not exactly noted for their brains.
‘Has the clergyman anything more to tell us?’ I asked.

Any ideas or suggestions as to what it might mean? Feel free to share, especially if you know the answer! Trust me, it won’t be a spoiler
Continues tomorrow exclusively on Goodreads
Love mysteries? Love #MysteryWeek

Don’t forget, all this week you can ask me any question—past or future—about the series’ characters on Goodreads’ “Ask the Author”. Does Mr Smalley’s young assistant, the obsequious Perkins, ever make a return? Does Bertha discover the wonder of wigs—or should I say dolly, dolly riah? (Yes, she does, and she comes up with quite a unique way of wearing them, too!)

There are twenty free copies of Octopus: Send for Octavius Guy #2 (Octavius Guy and the Case of the Throttled Tragedienne) to be given away throughout May. You’ll find the coupon code and link you’ll need at the bottom of my monthly post on my website. Just scroll down! Happy reading.
Michael
Find me on my website
on Facebook
and @seventh7rainbow

‘HAS THE CLERGYMAN ANYTHING more to tell us?’ I asked, making a mental note to have another crack at the cypher once the police had been and gone.
George scratched his head. ‘Well, his muscles are stiff.’
‘Fully stiff?’
‘They don’t come no stiffer.’
I tried to recall what I had read about this, which proved to be a great deal easier than actually applying it. ‘Rigidity starts to take hold approximately two hours after death, and reaches its peak some eight to twelve hours later. The muscles can remain fully stiff for a further eighteen. But…’
‘But?’
‘Well, it was a rather balmy night last night, which would speed up the process a little. The hour is now almost seven by my reckoning. Which means…’
‘What?’
‘Well, the odious Reverend Burr must have met his end during the thirty hours preceding five o’clock this morning.’
George did not look impressed. ‘We both saw him late yesterday afternoon,’ he pointed out, ‘going about his business as usual. It had to have happened sometime after that.’
Ho hum. Estimating time of death by observing the body’s rigours is an imprecise science at best.
‘We should check the church for more clues while we still have the chance,’ I suggested, eager to press on from my embarrassing little oversight. ‘You take that side; I’ll take this.’

Just one or two more clues (of a sort) to come when this sneak preview concludes tomorrow exclusively here on Goodreads!
Love mysteries? Love #MysteryWeek

Don’t forget, all this week you can ask me any question—past or future—about the series’ characters on the Goodreads’ “Ask the Author” feature. What becomes of Gooseberry’s younger brother Julius when he grows up? Does Prince Albert put in another appearance? Did Hector Willoughby ever make it to the gold fields? Act now, friend! The crystal ball is growing dimmer.

There are twenty free copies of Octopus: Send for Octavius Guy #2 to be given away throughout May. You’ll find the coupon code and link you’ll need at the bottom of my monthly post on my website. Just scroll down! Happy reading.
Michael
Find me on my website
on Facebook
and @seventh7rainbow

‘WE SHOULD CHECK THE church for more clues while we still have the chance,’ I suggested, eager to press on from my embarrassing little oversight. ‘You take that side; I’ll take this.’
For the next few minutes we inched our way through the interior, starting at the altar and working down the nave, and thence into the aisles along either wall. Though Gothic in style, it was a new church, and everything in it—bar the fresh pool of vomit made by the young Mr Badger—was spick and span and spotlessly clean, just as I expected it to be. From the bible on the lectern—open, I observed, at the Book of Isaiah—to the rows of hardwood pews, there was hardly a scuff mark or smear to be seen.
‘Anything, George?’ I asked, as we met back up by the cleric’s body.
‘Nah. You?’
‘An impression, George, and quite an interesting one, at that. The blood…or the lack of it, to be precise. His face was beaten to a pulp, yet there isn’t nearly as much blood as I would expect there to be.’
George glanced down at the floor and frowned. ‘You’re right. There should be more. A lot more. What can it mean, Octavius?’
The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps from outside the church put paid to any immediate speculation; the stalwart men of N-Division had arrived.
‘Don’t think I’ve forgotten that note to Annie,’ George warned me, as they blundered noisily in through the entrance. ‘She’s my little sister, see?’ He turned his head and fixed me with a stubborn, bovine stare.
Unfortunately for me, I saw only too well.

Here endeth the Prologue
Keep your eyes peeled for Oh, No, Octavius!: Send for Octavius Guy #4 and join Gooseberry and his ragtag bunch of friends when they investigate “The Case of the Quibbling Cleric”
Want more?
The Victorian boy detective’s other fiendishly puzzling cases are available now
Love mysteries? Love #MysteryWeek

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little peek at what’s coming next for Gooseberry and George. I’ve certainly enjoyed sharing it. A huge thank you to Goodreads for hosting #MysteryWeek; I do so hope it becomes an annual event. Remember, there are twenty free copies of Octopus: Send for Octavius Guy #2 (Octavius Guy and the Case of the Throttled Tragedienne) to be given away throughout May. You’ll find the coupon code and link you’ll need at the bottom of my monthly post on my website. If you miss out, you can still get 50% off the list price of Send for Octavius Guy #3. Just scroll down the page.

#MysteryWeek ends this Sunday, so there is still time to ask me questions on “Ask the Author”. Does Charley’s luck ever change? How did Gooseberry’s mother die? Does George come to terms with Annie and Octavius’s relationship? Hurry, though; the crystal ball grows dim. Happy reading to you all!
Michael
Find me on my website
on Facebook
and @seventh7rainbow