Second Chance (a North and South tale)

Chapter 34: Engagement

John

While Mason was telling me details about teh time and circumstances ofthe crime, we briskly walked towards the police station. There, walking down the stairs to the cellars, my nose met a distrubing smell of decay. Thats probably the place they examine corpses. And I was right, as he showed me the way to dead leonards, whose case I had to take care of. 

"The doctors examined him already. Thats why I called on you. They are uncertain what exactly caused his death. As I told you, he was pushed and fell down a staircase lateron. They dont know ifit was the physical violence inflicted upon him by a fight, the fall or maybe even his drinking habits."

"You told me, that he had been excessively drinking for a long time now. Wouldnt that mean, the alcohol was the reason why his body didnt recover from such impacts? Why do you investigate further when it is clear that he put that upon himself by drinking?" 

"Well, we would stop, and yet there are two more problems, which prevent us from closing up the case. Firstly, he was surely injured by someone, in a fight or something similar to that. There are injuries that could just not come from falling down a staircase, so we have to find out who inflicted those on him. Secondly, there is the matter of his fianceé, who I believe is working at your house as a servant. She will surely insist on the persecution of the one responsible for his death. And there is something else..."

He stopped talking and started to observe me, searching for something, looking me up from head to toe. 

"And what is there else?" I demanded. I was getting uncomfortable with him looking at me like that. And by the way, I still  had some other business to attend to, he may hurry up.

But instead of going on with his talking, he went over to one of the makeshift beds and lifted the blanket it was covered with. There laid a dead man, still young, blonde and his features showed hints of his hard life of working and the exessive drinking of alcohol. I knew him. When Mason called the man Lenards I couldnt connect the name to anyone. Now I had seen him and suddenly I remenbered why the date, time and place made me feel anxious inside. He was the drunkard that attaced Margarets spanish lover.

I didnt notice how Mason was observing every emotion that played on my face quite obviously.

"The other problem, Sir, is that you, our local Magistrate, have been seen, fighting with this man, just mere hours before his death, and in the company with a man, that was earlier seen acompanying a Lady named Miss Hale."

I froze in place. I had been seen. I had to stopp any further investigations on this case. That man was that drunk, he surely wouldnt have survived anyway. It wasnt just to think that way, and yet I couldnt let anyone look further into it. 

If word spread, and it surely will onces this inspektor is disturbing every house to find some information, Margaret would know I had seen her with her lover and probably would escape before I had a chance to confront her about it.

But she wouldnt run away, wouldnt she? She would rather stand before me and tell me the truth after I already knew everything instead of running away like a coward. Nevertheless, I could not trust my opinion of her,as  it seemes to be that I never knew her at all. The Margaret I knew would have never betrayed me like that, and yet she has. Surely I couldnt think of her character as trustworthy now. 

"Mr. Thornton?" Mason tried to get my attention, with one quizzical brow raised at me. 

"Yes, I remember. It was me. He attaced the man, I only helped. He didnt fall then, or I would have called somebody to help him. Its not like I would have left him on the streets. At that time I only saw him as a drunkard, searching for trouble and nothing more. The man he attaced was younger than me, I thought it to be right and help him."