The Magician's Sons

Chapter 29

Milford let out a short laugh. "That's what they all say, Mr. Jameson. But carry on. It is my job to listen and gain evidence."

Blair's body trembled as a shiver rattled down his spine. His frantic mind could hardly form a clear train of thought. He could only think of one thing. At last, in a half sob, he cried, "He tried to murder me!"

"What?"

"He tried to murder me!" the boy repeated. "He set me on fire and left me to die. I could hear his voice, but I never saw his face. All I saw were the flames, and then he was gone!"

"Who was gone?" The inspector demanded in shock.

"The dragon..."

"Dragon?" Milford burst in amusement.

"No, no, I didn't mean that," Blair corrected, a bit dazed. "It was Hugo Webb. I couldn't see him, but I knew his voice! And I thought he was just ahead of me—but instead, he was behind. And when I turned to look, I saw flames and nothing else."

The inspector stared at the distraught lad for a minute, neither moved by Blair's distress nor convinced. At last, without emotion, he turned to the doctor. "Is it possible that his judgement is impaired either by fever or medications?" he asked.

"That is undoubtedly probable, sir. He has been in a state of delirium off and on for hours," the doctor affirmed.

The words made Blair's temper rise. "I am not!" he cried passionately. "I give my word, I have not spoken without sense! Believe me, or my blood will be on your hands when the villain comes again! He tried to murder me once. What's to say he will not come again?" In his state of weakness, the thought was more than he could bear and tears stung his blistered face as he began to weep.

The doctor did his best to calm him. "Don't fret, lad. The good inspector has heard your case and believes you, don't you Inspector Milford?" he said.

Despite the look of entreaty in the doctor's eyes, Milford stubbornly stated, "I don't know if I do. Unless I can gather more evidence to suggest that this Webb fellow was present at that exact location and at that exact time, I cannot verify that such an event did, in all actuality, take place. And if such evidence does not arise, I have already come to a very reasonable conclusion."

"What is that?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Well, most obviously, that this young man's tale is utterly false and that the whole thing was the result of a group of inebriated rogues playing with matchsticks. There's too many ways for that to go wrong, you know."

It didn't help Blair's state to hear judgment passed so harshly upon him. The inspector left without a care in the world and went on to find the next witnesses. He questioned all of the staff. They told him that they hadn't noticed the young men's presence until they had heard a dreadful scream in the room below. The more Milford learned, the more convinced he became that the event had been a simple, stupid case of teenage revelry gone wrong. With that in mind, he cut his investigation short.

It was discovered that most of the youths involved were both very young and very rich, facts which turned out to their guardians' misfortune. There was no mercy shown when they were charged for their children's foolish game.

The very next day after the fire, Crumley set himself to work on his young friend's behalf. He handled everything gingerly, lying when needed, and paying off fines through a bank account which Sterling had given him access to for business.