Speaks the Nightbird

by Robert R. McCammon

  “No sir, I wouldn’t dare. I’d get a terrible whippin’.”

  “You ought to get your water and go home, then,” Matthew said. “But one more thing: when you entered the Hamilton house, do you remember smelling anything? Like a very bad odor?” He was thinking of the decaying carcass. “Or did you see or hear a dog?”

  Violet shook her head. “No sir, none of that. Why?”

  “Well…” Matthew reached down to the chessboard and traded positions between the king’s knight and the king’s bishop. “If you were to describe this board and the pieces upon it to someone not in this room, how would you do so?”

  She shrugged. “I suppose…that it’s a wooden board with light and dark squares and some pieces in position on it.”

  “Would you say the game is ready to be played?”

  “I don’t know, sir. I would say…it is, but then again I don’t know the particulars.”

  “Yes.” He smiled slightly. “And it is the particulars that make all the difference. I want to thank you for coming to tell me what you’ve remembered. I know this has been very difficult for you.”

  “Yes sir. But my mama says when the witch is burnt up my head won’t pain me no more.” She picked up the two buckets. “May I ask you somethin’ now, sir?”

  “You may.”

  “Why do you suppose Mr. Linch was back there in the dark, singin’ like that?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered.

  “I thought on it all this mornin’.” She stared out the window, the yellow sunlight coloring her face. “It made my head ache so bad I almost cried, but it seemed like somethin’ I had to keep thinkin’ on.” Violet didn’t speak for a moment, but Matthew could tell from the set of her jaw that she had come to an important conclusion. “I think…Mr. Linch must be a friend of Satan’s. That’s what I think.”

  “You might possibly be right. Do you know where I might find Mr. Linch?”

  An expression of alarm tightened her face. “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

  “No. I promise it. I would just like to know where he lives.”

  She hesitated for a few seconds, but she knew he would find out anyway. “At the end of Industry Street. He lives in the very last house.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I don’t know if I was right to come here,” she said, frowning. “I mean to say…if Mr. Linch is a friend of the Devil, shouldn’t he be called to account for it?”

  “He’ll be called for an accounting,” Matthew said. “You may depend on that.” He touched her shoulder. “You were right to come. Go ahead, now. Get your water.”

  “Yes sir.” Violet left the library with her buckets in tow, and a moment later Matthew stood at the window watching her walk to the spring. Then, his mind aflame with this new information, he hurried upstairs to look in on the magistrate.

  He found Woodward sleeping again, which was probably for the best. The magistrate’s face sparkled with sweat, and when Matthew approached the bed he could feel the man’s fever long before he placed his fingers to Woodward’s hot forehead.

  The magistrate stirred. His mouth opened, yet his eyes remained sealed. “Hurting,” he said, in that tormented whisper. “Ann…he’s hurting…”

  Matthew drew his hand back. The tips of his fingers felt as if he had held them over a forge. Matthew placed the rolled-up decree atop the dresser and then picked up the box that held the remainder of the court documents so that he might continue reading through them tonight. For now, though, he had other things to do. He went to his room, put the document box on the table beside his bed, splashed water in his face from his shaving bowl to revive his flagging energies, and then was again out the door.

  It had become a truly magnificent day. The sky was bright blue and cloudless and the sun was gorgeously warm. A light breeze was blowing from the west, and in it Matthew could detect the fragrances of wild honeysuckle, pine sap, and the rich aroma of fulsome earth. He might have sat down upon the bank of the spring to enjoy the warmth, as he saw several citizens doing, but he had a task ahead of him that granted no freedom of time for simple pleasures.

  On his way along Industry Street—which he was beginning to know quite well—he passed Exodus Jerusalem’s camp. Actually, he heard the bluster of Jerusalem’s preaching before he got there and he marvelled that the breeze didn’t become a hot and malodorous tempest in this quarter of Fount Royal. Jerusalem’s sister—and by that term Matthew didn’t know whether the preacher meant by blood or by indecent patronage—was scrubbing clothes in a washpot next to the wagon, while the young nephew—and here it was best to make no mental comment—was lying on a quilt in the shade nearby, picking the petals off a yellow flower and tossing them idly aside. The black-garbed master of ceremonies, however, was hard at work; he stood upon an overturned crate, orating and gesticulating for a somber crowd of two men and a woman.

  Matthew stared straight ahead, hoping to invoke invisibility as he slipped past Jerusalem’s field of view, but he knew it was not to be. “Ah!” came the sky-ripping shout. “Ah, there walketh a sinner! Right there! Look, everyone! Look how he doth scurry like a thief in broad daylight!”

  What Jerusalem called scurrying Matthew called picking up his pace. He dared not pause to deflect Jerusalem’s hook, for then he would be nattered to holes by this pseudo-holy imbecile. Therefore he kept a constant course, even though the preacher began to rant and rave in a fashion that made Matthew’s blood start to boil: “Yes, look at him and thy looketh upon the pride of a witch’s bed! Oh, did thou not all know the vile truth? Well, it is as plain as the writ of God across the soul of a righteous man! That sinner yonder hath actually struck me—struck me, I sayeth!—in defense of that wanton sorceress he so dearly yearneth to protect! And not just protect! Gentle flock, if thou but kneweth the cravings in that sinner’s mind concerning the dark woman, thou might falleth to thy knees in the frenzy of madness! He wisheth the flesh of her body be gripped in his hands, her mouth open to his abominable needs, her every orifice a receptacle of his goatly lusts! And there he goeth, the blind wretched beast, scurrying away from the word of God lest it scorcheth some light into his eyes and maketh him see the path to Damnation upon which he rusheth to travel!”

  The only path upon which Matthew rusheth was the one leading away from Exodus Jerusalem. It occurred to him, as he gladly left the preacher’s caterwaulings behind, that the gentle flock would probably cough up some coins to hear more on the subject of orifices, receptacles, and goatly lusts, which was probably at the heart of it the whole reason for their attendance today. Matthew had to admit that Jerusalem had a talent at painting horny pictures. For now, though—until, dreadfully, he had to come back this way—his attention was focused on finding the ratcatcher’s domicile.

  He passed the Hamilton house and Violet’s home, and continued by a large weed-choked field where a split-rail fence had fallen to disrepair. Further on, what appeared to be an attempt at an apple orchard was stubbled with dwarfed and twisted trees that seemed to be begging for the mercy of an axe. On the opposite side of Industry Street, the feeble trees of another unfortunate planting drooped in apparent pain, their few remaining leaves blotched with brown and ochre sores. In this area of Fount Royal, the sun might be shining but there was definitely no rejoicing of nature.

  Matthew saw that Bidwell’s orchards had suffered greatly during the long period of storms. The coarse, sandy earth had been washed away to such an extent that some trees seemed more exposed roots than branches, and what branches there were had shrivelled and malformed in their piteous reach for sunlight. Here and there some kind of knobby-looking thing had sprouted, but it was more green mold than edible product. This display of blighted agriculture seemed to stretch on and on like a preview of the harvests of Hell, and Matthew could readily understand how Bidwell and the citizens might ascribe the devastation not to natural causes but to a demonic purpose.

  As Matthew continued walking between the miserable fields he
reflected on the possibility that, in addition to the havoc wreaked by the deluge, this climate and soil might not be suited to sustain the types of crops that Bidwell was trying to grow. Of course Bidwell was trying to produce something that would earn him money and attention from the home country, but it might be that apples, for instance, were doomed in this swamp air. Likewise doomed was whatever those green molded things were. It might be, then, that a suitable cash crop for Fount Royal was yet to be planted, and Bidwell could benefit from the advice of a professional botanist. Yet a botanist would command a sizeable fee, and Matthew thought that if Winston was correct about Bidwell’s combination of stinginess and swollen self-worth—and there was no reason to doubt it—then the master of Fount Royal was apt to consider himself as much an expert on growing crops as in building ships.

  Presently Matthew came to the last dwelling on Industry Street, beyond which stood the fortress wall.

  If the ratcatcher desired to live apart from other human beings, he could only have created a more suitable abode by digging a hole in the earth and covering it with a mudcaked roof. The house—if it might be distinguished by such a term—made Winston’s shack appear the brother of Bidwell’s mansion. Brush had been allowed to grow up around it, all but obscuring it from view. Vines gripped the gray clapboards and ivy grew abundant on the roof. The house’s four windows were sealed by unpainted and badly weathered shutters, and Matthew thought it was a wonder the rains hadn’t broken the poor place down to the ground entirely.

  Matthew made his way to the door over a bare yard still treacherous with mud. Over the door Linch had hung three large rat skeletons from leather cords, as if to announce his trade to the world—whatever portion of the world cared to come to this place, that is. But then again, perhaps those three rats had given him such a fight Linch felt the need to mount them as trophies. Matthew swallowed his disgust, balled up his fist, and knocked at the door.

  He waited, but there was no response. Matthew knocked again, and this time called, “Mr. Linch? May I speak with you, please?” Still there was no answer. The ratcatcher was out, probably pursuing some long-tailed dame or dandy.

  Matthew had come a distance to see the man, and he despised the thought of making a second trip. He might wait for Linch, he decided, though there was no telling when the ratcatcher would return. He knocked a third time, just to know he had, and then he put his hand on the door’s crude latch. He paused, weighing his sense of morality as concerning entering a man’s home unbidden.

  Pulling his hand back, he stepped away from the door and stood looking at the latch with his hands on his hips. What was the right thing to do? He glanced up Industry Street the way he’d come. There was no sign of a living soul. Of course, the right thing was to leave and return at a later time. The necessary thing…now that was a horse pulling a different cart.

  But he wasn’t sure he wanted to enter Linch’s sanctum. If a place ever smelled like dead rats, he was sure this one did. And those skeletons did not speak well of what else might be on display in there. Matthew looked again down Industry Street. Still no sign of anyone. If he wanted a chance to explore the ratcatcher’s quarters, this was definitely the moment.

  He took a deep breath. Trespassing upon a house was far different than intruding upon a barn…or was it? He didn’t care to debate the distinction.

  He quickly lifted the latch, before he could think better of it, and pushed the door open. It went smoothly, on oiled hinges. And by the sunlight that entered the house Matthew saw a very strange thing.

  He stood at the threshold, peering in and wondering if he had lost his senses. Or at least his sense of order. This revelation took him inside. He looked around, his curiosity now well and truly piqued.

  There was a desk and a sleeping pallet, a hearth and a shelf of cooking utensils. There was a chair and beside it a table on which sat a lantern. Nearby were a half-dozen candles wrapped up in oiled paper. A chamberpot was placed at the foot of the pallet. Two pairs of dirty shoes were lined up side-by-side next to the hearth, which was perfectly devoid of ashes. A broom leaned against the wall, ready for work.

  And this was what so completely astounded Matthew: Linch’s dwelling was the absolute picture of neatness.

  The pallet had been made, its bedding tight and precise. The chamberpot was spotless. So too were the cooking pots and utensils. The lantern’s glass bore not a trace of candlesoot. The floor and walls had been recently scrubbed, and the house still smelled of pinetar soap. Matthew thought he might have eaten off that floor and not tasted a grain of dirt. Everything was so orderly that it put a scare into Matthew even more than the terrible chaos of Winston’s home, for the single reason that—like Winston had been—the ratcatcher was not who he appeared to be.

  “Well,” Matthew said, and his voice trembled. He looked once more toward town, but thankfully Industry Street was still empty. Then he continued his examination of this place that seemed to be a hovel from without but within was the epitome of…might the word Matthew was searching for be control?

  This was one of the damnedest things he’d ever seen. The only bad note in the house was the foursome of dirty shoes, and Matthew thought those were part of Linch’s ratcatching costume. He decided to add a pound to his penny of intrusion and therefore opened a trunk, finding within it more clothes—shirts, breeches, and stockings, all of them clean and perfectly folded.

  Beside the lantern and the candles was a small ivory box. Matthew opened it and discovered matches and a flint, the matches all lined up like obedient soldiers. In a larger box that occupied a corner Matthew discovered a supply of salted beef, ears of com, a pot of flour and a pot of grain, a bottle of rum and a bottle of wine, and various other foodstuffs. Upon the desk was a clay pipe and a carefully wrapped packet of tobacco. There was also an inkpot, a quill, and some papers ready to be written upon. He slid open the desk’s top drawer, and found a second inkpot and a stack of paper, a leather wallet and…wonder of wonders…a book.

  It was a thin volume, but a well-read and well-travelled tome, from the wear and tear of the binding. Matthew gently opened it to the title page—which threatened to fall out between his fingers—and received another puzzlement. The book’s title, faded as it was, read A Pharaoh’s Life, or Concerning Fanciful Events in Ancient Egypt.

  Matthew knew that Egyptian culture, known through the travails of Moses in the Holy Bible, was a source of great fascination to a certain segment of the English and European populace—mainly, those gentry who had the time and inclination to indulge in theories and discourse on what that mysterious civilization might have been like. He could have expected a book of this nature to adorn Bidwell’s library, simply for the show of it, but never touched; it was absolutely incredible that the ratcatcher might have an interest in the life of a pharaoh, however fancifully described. Matthew would have paged through the book to get an idea of its contents, but as the leaves were so fragile he decided to forgo that particular exploration. It was enough for now to know that Gwinett Linch was not the man he presented himself to be.

  But if not…then who was he?

  Matthew closed the book and made sure it was exactly in the position it had been when he’d touched it, as he had the feeling that Linch would know if it had been moved a hair’s width. He picked up the wallet, unfolded it, and found inside a small object wrapped in brown cotton cloth and secured with knotted twine. Matthew’s interest was further sharpened. The problem, however, was not the undoing of the twine but in the redoing of it. Was it worth the time and effort?

  He decided it was.

  He carefully untied the cord, noting the structure of the knot. Then he opened the cloth.

  It was a piece of jewelry: a circular gold brooch, but missing its clasping pin. Picking up the item, he held it into the sunlight…and stared with amazement into the blazing dark blue depths of a sapphire that was near the size of his thumbnail.

  The hairs stood up on the back of his neck. He twisted his head ar
ound, his eyes widening, but the doorway was empty.

  Linch—or the man who called himself Linch—was not there. From where he stood, Matthew could see no one approaching. But he was certain that if Linch found him with this fabulous jewel in his hand, his life would be as short as that of a belly-gashed rat on the bloody blade of that sticker.

  Time to go. Time to get out, while he could.

  First, though, to wrap the brooch up once more, return it to the wallet and replace the wallet exactly—exactly—as it had been. His hands were shaking, as precision was a demanding taskmaster. When the wallet was correctly positioned, Matthew slid the drawer shut and stepped back, wiping his moist palms on his hips.

  There were other drawers he might have wished to go through, and he might have desired to inspect the underside of Linch’s pallet and further explore the house, but it would be daring Fate. He retreated to the door and was about to shut it when he realized with a shock that he had smeared across the otherwise-pristine floor a small amount of mud from the sodden yard.

  He bent down, attempting to get the debris up with his hand. He succeeded somewhat but there was still a telltale streak. No doubt of it: Linch was going to know his sanctum had been violated.

  A bell began ringing in the distance. Matthew, still working at removing the stain of his presence by spittle and elbow-grease, realized it was the watchman at the gate signaling an arrival. He had done the best he could do. A little grime on the floor would pall before the gore that would flow if Linch found him here. He stood up, went out, pulled the door shut, and dropped its latch.

  As Matthew started walking back along Industry Street, the signal bell ceased. He assumed that the new arrival had been allowed into Fount Royal. Would that it was a doctor whose method was more medicine and less bloodletting!

  The sun warmed his face and the breeze blew softly at his back. Yet Matthew had never felt as if he walked a darker or colder path. The sapphire in that brooch had to be worth a small fortune, therefore why was Linch stabbing rats for a living? And why did he go to such effort to disguise his true nature, which appeared to be a preference for order and control, behind a facade of filthiness? It seemed to Matthew that Linch even wished his house to look absolutely decrepit from the outside and had gone to some lengths to make it so.