When No One is Looking

7/28/2019 When No One is Looking

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WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING

Hannah Shilling

When No One is Looking by Hannah Shilling is licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.!n"orted License .

#his is a $ork o% %iction. &e%erences to real "eo"le' events'establishments' organisations or locales are intended only to "rovidea sense o% authenticity and are used %ictitiously.

Co"yright ( Hannah Shilling )**+

,ublished by Acedusahtt" acedusa.$ord"ress.com sherlock
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)

#he sun is the most delicate "earl against the mist' and by this$eakness could easily be mistaken %or her sister'#he #hames grey' as i% deceit%ully "aved'#he munici"al outlines smoothed to deadening./orning or evening is it0!nless being borne along by time' involuntarily in that channel1s

%lo$' ho$ shall $e say0#he nocturne living $ell in ambiguity' and ambiguity has al$ays

been a cause o% sorro$ to humans. 2eduction %rom the available%acts' someone is needed to hel" us.

Sorro$' even the strongest city is broken-hearted'issured' the river al$ays running through.Old story' %ounded on %ording-"lace' gro$ing u" as hamlet' village'

to$n'#he city stitched together by bridge and bridge and bridge'#he heart sutured' tem"orarily.

/ake the day rise' and a strong sun burn against e4uivocation.Since embedded in the tide$ay1s oo5e is' as a "itch oblong' a blunt

obstacle'Sub6ect to the la" o% $inter ebb but unmoved'And visible to all "assers-by o% the t$o embankments 7sa%ely

living8'A co%%in9#ogether $ith' to be revealed at St. :artholome$1s morgue' its

"iti%ul occu"ant.On the south shore' bet$een the ;ictoria &ail$ay and Albert

bridges' by Nine


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>% > should totalise the ingredients the /ystery' the ,ath' the alse#arget' the ,rocrastination' the #est' the Waverer' the /ale%actor' the

ts %eebleness mocked' "rovided $e are sho$n.:ut $e are at the beginning9>% there is a sign"ost saying /ystery' and $e $alk the other $ay' $e

are lost to ridicule'9And so' "icking u" his coat' and asking that a cab be called %orour 6ourney to the morgue'He took on the case' having no alternative.

#he /ystery is undivided by revelation' undamaged by its o$ndeath'2iminished not at all.Such that his des"eration kee"s its recklessness.

And $hen %irst he took himsel% into this $restling match $ith/ystery'> believe he %ormulated' %or his o$n resilience' t$o rules#hat he should never des"air or ho"e.


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Whether the Adventure takes us to an o"ium den hard byLimehouse'

Or the intriguing $orld o% chambermaids secretly discoveringyello$ing legacies'Or the middle reaches o% society' $here scandal must bring

ruination'Head %irst $e enter this $orld' and %eet %irst $e must leave.

9>% it should rain on an o"ened grave' then someone in that %amily$ill die 9 and $ithin the year.9Notice ho$ e%%ectively the ant colony senses the %irst day o%

s"ring $eather' and are immediately at their industry on the%lagstones.9When $e have time a%ter lunch' > $ill retire to consider the

motivation o% the innocent-seeming schoolteacher $ith le"ido"teraninterests99Ho$ sim"le to deduce that the man is an ailuro"hile.9> can see that your servant girl has a 5eal' but not a lack o%

clumsiness.

9#he lady $as cursed by her association $ith an evil husband. Her%irst mis%ortune to make this marriage' and then' $hen so beset' shehad no means o% resisting those dee"er di%%iculties that $e haverecently uncovered.9His method ensured that the door could never o"en unless he

kne$ about it? ho$ever it $as only his imagining that only orbeshad ever "ossessed a key.9#hat a cri""le should have mud on his boots' > %ind disturbing.

9Which "revents the cor"se %rom looking back and beckoning toanother.#he "olice are an interested "arty' des"ite there being no indication

o% criminal involvement at this stage' they stand %ull agog.#he /ystery is the breaking o% Ho$' in this linear and serial $orld'

came the co%%in to be $here it "reternaturally $as.


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>t is %or me to o%%er my in%ormed o"inion9 #his man has been dead %or %ive to ten years. #he degree o% decay

must indicate this.And inhumed %or that $hole "eriod.

He looks at me9 And >' on the other hand' o%%er my o"inion that' most

signi%icantly' this man is a nondescri"t.He says this in a clear intimation to$ards disa""ointment.#his man $ithout distinguishing marks. #his mis%ortunate

anonymous.iving no sign o% a reason.

+

He s"ends the 6ourney back 4uiet.With other da$ns' others have been %ound on the various #hames

%oreshores#oo much having drunk the night be%ore' Arrant stu"idity in

revelry'Or an end met at the hands o% assailants unkno$n to them' and

kno$n':ut a man already co%%ined' ho$ is this0With no sign o% com"elling reason $hy the co%%in should have been

"laced or discarded.

A "ossibility that the man had been brutally done to death' and thisdis"lay as a $arning to others' $hich $ould come about $hen he$as identi%ied and re"orts "ublished 9 but this im"ossible' giventhat there $as no identi%ication 7and the body sho$s no sign o% a

violent end8.As another "ossibility' the theory is "ut %or$ard that the co%%in $as

to be used in a scheme o"erated by some substantial villain' "erha"saborted be%ore its %ull enacting' $ith a ,lan : even no$ being in "lay.9> shall not rule out that "ossibility' he says.A "ro" 7theatrical' $ith concomitant scaring value8.


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>t seems "lain enough' the mani%estation is a $arning o% things tocome' sacrilege must have been done some$here.#he dead kee" their counsels and the 4uick are on scared hooks.

Saliently' the co%%in revoked 9 as it might be i% lost %rom a shi"' anaccident. 7/ay that not be so.8And that shi" no$ to :remen' ,iraeus or Ne$ Dork' the mani%est to

be checked once at harbour' and the absence o% the %reight discoveredthere.Although no large shi"s travel u" the #hames to this e@act "oint'

the tides could bring this %lotsam u"stream' in contravention o%logical thought. Accident remains a "ossibility.9;am"ireE e@claims an >ns"ector o% the Dard' on being in%ormed.

Lost in transit to Whitby' surely.

F.

When o%%ered a /ystery in $hich the river #hames "artici"atess"eci%ically' as "ur"orted'#$o %orgers %rom the "revious century' o% su""lied names William

and Charles'come to mind' and the human activity o% scavenging' a "air o%mudlarksScouring the tidal %lats around ShoreditchAnd having cons"icuous success in %inding medieval remnants in

"e$ter and other base metals'Which they sold to eager anti4uarians.Le%t' %orgotten' discarded' lost. &evoked.A remarkably curious and uni4ue collection o% signs' or badges'

%rom the time o% &ichard >>. ,ilgrim1s tokens' said some o% theanti4uarians' their eagerness to e@amine the Latin inscri"tions %or thehistory they might reveal.

#hese %akes' my immediate inclination is "oint u" the gullibility o%the anti4uarians %ar too 4uickly they discarded all critical %aculties


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$hen pilgrim $as attached to the %inds.>ndeed' $ith Ossian and many other %akeries' such as The Letter of

Prester John ' "ilgrim and sanctity $ere clouding %actors.#hose setting o%% %rom the sign o% theTabard '

As thrilling as though #he ,ardoner or #he Shi"man or #he &eeve$ere connected.>% not these' then at least good eo%%rey Chaucer might once have

held one in his "alm9#he $retchesE So much $iserE #he mudlarks $ho need not travel

any$here near the chilly #hames busy casting them at a small%oundry they had made in a back room'/anu%acturing at the rate o% %ive thousand a year.Against the e@citement' the doubters voicing their %ears in The

Gentleman's Magazine ' and so the %raud $as %ully discovered in time'$ith arrests %ollo$ing. When released a%ter serving their inevitableterm' Charlie soon died' but William $as s"ared 7and' it may besus"ected' continued in that "ro%ession even then8.#hese tokens reaching our era to be kno$n as 1:illies and Charlies1'

a%ter their makers' not their %inders' or 1the Shad$ell orgeries1.

akery is blunt' o"a4ue'#he molten s$irls o% the slag' cock metal and latten'Guick $ith the re"ly o% 1Smith1 to any Scotland Dard >ns"ector'#he %orger at his %orge' the %oundryman?Hot %rom %urnace to cool' taken' the truth %rom the stream'Ho$ the ,ilgrims1 Latin turned out to be ibberishAt the >lliterates1 guess. /udstained tri%les' 4uickly $ashed#o $ink a Holy re%ulgence>mitation' and $e are at &esemblance.

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#o return to our investigation o% our only evidence' $e $eredisa""ointed that the burial had no 6e$ellery o% any sort. Since themourning %amily do consign valuables' o% the smaller kind' to the


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eternal bo@ as accom"animents %or the 6ourney' $hich one has to saydoes hark back to the "ractices o% an earlier era.He had surely ho"ed some token might reveal 9 $e might have

%ound some medallion o% civic dignitary the Odd%ello$s' or ree

oresters' "erha"s.:ut no' and he turns his attention to the casket.#he $ood o% oak'


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order to carry out these en4uiries' and Lestrade' having e@amined it%or himsel%' assented.

B.

On #ooley Street' once9Are you %amiliar $ith the derivation' he asks.St. Olave' $hich' over the centuries' the common tongue smeared

out 9 and took a$ay the church' the %oreign saint. Norsemenarriving' o$ning' making legacy.Over generations' reaching to$ards civilisation.#he Wal$orth &oad' named %or William' $ho did the king1s bidding

even be%ore the Iing kne$ his o$n mind' and cut do$n anarchistWat #yler in cold blood? William lived on $ell' as a merchant andkingsman.Iilburn and South$ark' Westbourne and Crouch


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#he straight lines and their "rimacy'&eceived my te@t o1 the day' and read it back'Absorbed it $ell' > think?:ut' re"lacement or its "rinci"les

9 i% only > could kno$ 9/aybe it is the same as yesterday.

) .

9> am %ascinated by his otherness' he says. Which he "roduces%rom his o$n mind directly.>t hangs on the north $all o% his rooms. Strange' but strange is never

strange to each other' the "ainting is the $ild "roduct o% an insanemind.Crudely daubed' the re"resentation is o% a child in the last hours o%

its illness' the last o% consum"tion' $ith the mouth a scarlet "atch'retching u" the in%ection' %ouling the cotton nightgo$n' the blood$hi""ed a$ay into s$irls on the dark ground' %lames' the heat o%death' torment not abridged' 6udgment?#he dread' the child is nothing in com"arison $ith the %orces o% the

disease'Also debauchery in the child1s succumbing to the %iend.9>t is Nor$egian.

> am not %amiliar $ith modern art and its e@cesses. :ut my %riendhas e@"anded on his vie$.9He reaches the de"ths. #o be sure' much in%luenced by that man

named %or his "ublic a""earances Odilon !edon ' 7that he goes by tothe authorities' at least8 $ho also is in the %ield o% the baro4ue

shocker' but > cannot see that as a reason to ignore the $ork. Alas' >$as bettered at the auction-house $hen one o% his /adonnasa""eared there last year... Others' or another' can see the talent... Dousay crudely daubed' but $hat else to name the vicissitudes o% this$orld than crude0#he crudity o% the une@"ected... this man ca"tures it.


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Star Omnibus Com"any' number 3 %rom the sus"ect it is there $e should begin our search.

)=.

o' study care%ully the beauties o% Kanuary'Created by a virtue uncatalogued'Ie"t vague to us $ith our standard derivations?And then' $hen liberated %rom the mass' return.

)3.

/ystery0 His brother has a very di%%erent "lan.9Although > s"ent some years a%ter > came do$n in "ersuasion o%

/ycro%t to ado"t a better accommodation $ith society' in the end >sa$ that it $ould not suit him? > sa$ that it $ould be dangerous %orhim.Something in the oreign O%%ice'A valued member o% the government1s clandestine services'> think not.A covering story' originally %or a""earance1s sake' but no$ a

"athology' more nearly' this 1"osition1.9>% you do not e@"ect the une@"ected you $ill not %ind it' %or it is

not to be reached by search or trail' says his brother.

#his agora"hobia his sibling e@hibits' this sco"o"hobia' he has

elevated to a technical skill' not 6ust a character trait.A silent mockery o% authority'A tendency to$ards rash utterance'Which you $ill not have been a "arty to' but > assure you is there.And %ar %rom en6oying a secure e@istence in the club he himsel%

%ounded' there is a caucus that $ould have him leave' %or some o% his"ublications. /ycro%t is not a voter %or the administrations o% the


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/ar4uess o% Salisbury I .9> am not an Athenian or a reek' but a citi5en o% the $orld' says

his brother' 2iogenes.

Noncon%ormists' and $orse' secularists. A man1s character is his%ate.Sherlock the key' the handle'9He $ill not' > surmise' come u" $ith anything use%ul in the years

to come 9 but > have been kno$n to be $rong./ycro%t' the unbreakable mystery.9Humans have com"licated every sim"le gi%t o% the gods' says his

brother' 2iogenes' the cynic.

) .

We $ere $arned o% the "resence in London o% one Hans K ger'$hom all the "olice %orces o%


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9And you "artici"ated in a ca"ture some si@teen years "assed 9Abraham Willstone' the O@ted %orger' > should remind you' although> cannot think you have %orgotten.9> did.

/y %riend1s career running concurrent to the sentence#he Adventure o% the Absent #radesman' #he Adventure o% the

Solitary Cyclist' #he Adventure o% the reek >nter"reter' et se".ive years1 hard labour at ballast-heaving on the &iver #hames and

ten years im"risonment.Not a "arodist' in any sha"e or %orm a dedicated man' unlike most

o% his ilk. He $as hard to catch and even a%ter$ards' by his and hiscounsel1s e%%orts' nearly evaded 6ustice at Old :ailey.:ecause gaoling may not be the end.Such that one may e@"ect $ith every heave and ho' he s"ells the

syllables o% his nemesis and his ob6ect o% revenge.Labour and "risoning may not re%orm a man'He may return %or another attem"t.He may have to be caught t$ice.:ut this is rivers' the "urest trees %rom source to sea' $hich have no

ser"ent-biting-its-o$n-tail moti%' only a clean %lo$.

)+.

Hence ado"ting a $hole sciolism to$ards the aesthetic'9> shall never kno$ $hy they are made so com"licated'He gro$ls to himsel%' re%erring to the multi"le strands that make a

monogram' laced' curlicued and t$isted out o% a straight%or$ardread.

#hat the initials are so unnecessarily disguised'Ho$ unnecessarily con%used is the nature o% Art.#hough he smiles $ith irony.Where an > might be a K' or even this S might be a ' until he

deci"hers it as OS' unless GS'2e%initely OS' yes' de%initely.


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)F.

or -d1s sake' HolmesE > $ant to survive to see my $i%e againE

Have you never had a "assion %or actresses'As might someone $ho does not %ollo$ the rules0

&esisting the river1s babble or not'#he %eet travel $ithout movement'Clever and stu"id travellers arrive and take their leave'Slee" $ell' dear heart' until the Iing o% lory $akens thee.

> 1ve heard the dead are raised in /aastrict'#he s"ongy loam not holding do$n the natural riseO% $aterlogged bo@ and occu"ant.

#he %loating bo@' mythic moti%orsaking a child to the sea,erseus and Orestes'&omulus and /oses.

Her beauti%ul red hair $as dra$n u" in intricate curls' and her greyeyes matched "er%ectly $ith the dove grey suit she $ore. She $as the"icture o% an elegant' %ashionable London $oman.

AhE What is man0Where%ore does he $hy0Whence did he $hence0Whither is he $ithering092an Leno

) .

He $ould "our $ater to a glass' and contem"late its "lay againstthe sun1s ray'


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>nto the %irst nightmare > $ent' $here there $as no CriminalWhere the sheets caught me un%airly' t$isting to un%air su%%ocation'And this could be 6ust as easily' e@ce"t > cried out at this'#ried my every damndest to avoid

#he vision o% destruction'We $ere bringing this all on ourselves'Wrestling $ith elusiveness' tantamount to nothing' could it be0> sa$ the tumbling' the "aviours o% the Way made into a bed o%

nails' %rom the earth eru"ting. Nails hammered to "ine'Antici"ation' > tremble' and am embarrassed.

#he second' resultant' nightmare'#he shared detective and criminal becomes the creature in all its

eyes.>t1s male%actors $ho give rise to /ysteries' sleet %lurries and

blindness' and there are $orshi""ers o% their /ysteries' so many o%them'When male%actor and cause have to be so intimately $ra""ed and

given a sign 7...:ut su""ose the endlessly dead $ere to $ake in ussome emblem8'A tokenising o% men as agency'Ho$ long be%ore any "henomenon o% natural occurrence $ould

coagulate to an Anthromor"h0

)*.

Stum"ed' to the very marro$.On the third day' > had begun to $onder $hether this case $as

beyond immediate solution' and $ould have to be shelved. >

$ondered $hether to broach... and kne$ in the same breath that he$ould have the evading o% that very sim"ly.>nstead' he seemed to cast about %or something else to occu"y his

mind',ulled too hard' the brass handle on one o% his three desks

$renched %rom its %i@ing' in one o% his "i4ues' no doubt' although >


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had not been there to $itness it',er%orming since as an unregarded "a"er$eight.No$ $ith brada$l and %ine chisel' he sets to care%ully reset the

handle' $ith t$o lion head cartouches' e@"ending time over the

morning in the task'/i@ing a little sa$dust $ith horsehoo% glue %or the %inal touches.

&esting in his armchair' $hile his mind laboured.All the times turning over and over the "inchbeck $atch' muse again on the missing handles o% the co%%in 9 a conne@ion

here0 9 $hile occu"ying mysel% $ith $riting u" a dra%t %rom someother notes.9Cabinet maker' that is a "ro%ession' he under his breath. O%

construction in all its honesty.

And $e reach t$o in the a%ternoon#he a%ternoon sky in gold' celeste and black' "iebald by a storm that

has gone "ast' more a "henomenon o% /ay or Se"tember. Nature$ithholding its secrets' but "roducing the nocturne.9No more o% the storm' > believe.And then he does not o"en the dra$er to test' but "ronounces it' by

his estimation only' to be mended. Closed' static' yet %unctioning.And %rom his e4uable demeanour > can be reasonably assured that

$e are at an


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>t $as his e@"ress $ish to take in some %resh air'And %irst $e attended the "lace at Nine nCro@ted &oad he stood' gathering the lie o% the land a natural valley'it $ould seem.9#he name means 1crooked1' and this is said to have be a ,ilgrim

&oad' he con%ided.And he stood there %or about %ive minutes be%ore "ronouncing

himsel% satis%ied. Continuing south' $e sa$ All Saints Church on ourright' and $ent another mile to West Nor$ood. At the %oot o%Inight1s Hill' the road delicately %orked by Saint Luke1s' and hard bythe ne$ cemetery' $e had come %our and a hal% miles %rom the river.9>% $e $ere to $alk %urther' he said' $e $ould reach :eulah S"a'

and then Sydenham Wells.

>ron rosettes' iron ivy tendrils "icked out in green' Coalbrookdale$rought' $ith %ine traceries'#he gates o% the cemetery o"ened.9Let us go in and %ind $hether the Su"erintendent' or one o% his

assistants' is here and can hel" us. #heir records should "rove


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invaluable.And on consulting his hal%hunter9>t being about three o1clock' the hour o% good light $e have le%t to

us may su%%ice.

=).

>deas dug %rom mute graveyardsLeave the lych gate by the $rong direction' and suddenly burst into

li%e0Lilies $ither' and civilisation %inds an increase'!nderstanding blooms0

Where is the direction to assist the "ath0

#hey di%%er in their a""roach.Says Sherlock 9> do not have to visit it all to kno$. > have logic' >

have inter"retation.> $ill continue on my "ath' > have never been o%% it.Says /ycro%t 9 reedom comes in e@"eriencing the "ath %or $hat it

is.

==.

With the su"erintendent and his assistant making a %our o% us' andeach taking a ledger' )B*)' )B*=' $e settled to our $ork. We had a%ilter' and our %ingers ran do$n the ro$s' the harvest' the "ity'sto""ing here and then to %url a "age'


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When No One is Looking