At this point, my own curiosity knew no bounds. 'Good heavens!' I exclaimed. 'The man did not fly there!'
Holmes speared me with a frigid glance, but Dankers patiently explained. 'The roofed porch is but one story, Dr. Watson, where the cottage is two. There's a dormer window opening directly on the slanting roof of the porch.'
Witherspoon interrupted with some excitement. 'A fact which might explain an apparent contradiction. Most sufferers of acrophobia fear open heights. I mean to say that Amos Gridley climbed to his second-story bedroom for years with no fear at all. Possibly he opened the window and, still in contact with the main house which lent him a sense of security, stepped out on the porch roof to check its condition. I do know that he contended that the painter, Morris, had tramped over his shingles in such a fashion as to cause leaks. In any case, possibly his fear of heights caught up with him or perhaps his foot just slipped and he slid to his death.'
Holmes closed his eyes for a moment of reflection. When they flashed open in but a moment, he seemed disposed to accept Witherspoon's pat explanation.
'In any case, Doctor Watson and I shall have to take a look at the premises,' he said, casually. 'Do have another Guinness, Constable,' he added, signaling the waiter.
'Don't mind if I do,' replied Dankers, promply. He drained his glass and wiped his moustache carefully. There was a shrewd look in his eyes.
'Pardon my asking, Mr. Holmes. Truly, no death is a small matter, but what be there about the Gridley matter that brings you from London?' Again, the constable shot a quick look at Witherspoon. 'Would you be representing the insurance company, perhaps?'
The waiter arrived at this moment and Holmes ordered a refill all round along with a tot of brandy for himself. 'As Watson can attest,' he said, somewhat airily, 'I have an overdeveloped interest in those matters that present interesting angles. So frequently it is the less celebrated affairs which provide fascinating sidelights to the true devotee of ratiocination.'
And that, I thought to myself, is as elaborate a way of admitting to nothing as I have ever heard! There was some doubt in my mind that the constable or medical examiner were hookwinked by Holmes's flow of words, though they had the good grace not to exchange a telling glance or elevate their eyebrows in disbelief. To my surprise, Witherspoon seemed to fall in with the idea.
'Since a visit to the scene of the crime does seem in order, let me run you over to Gridley's cottage. 'Tis no more than the further side of the valley and my carriage will get us there in short order.'
Holmes was happy to accept Doctor Witherspoon's offer and soon thereafter we bid Constable Dankers farewell and were headed for the outskirts of St. Aubrey.
11
The Famous Chair Fighter of the Andaman Islands
105
It was a pleasant afternoon and Witherspoon's horse set a good pace with no urging. For several miles the road was level, though winding, with low hills on either side.
We began to progress upward toward the end of the valley and our speed diminished. To our right was a low-hanging building with a sod roof that displayed a ramshackle sign announcing THE HAVEN. Witherspoon indicated it with a gesture of his hand and a grimace of displeasure.
'The local den of iniquity. It does have the good grace of being removed from St. Aubrey. Bit of hard drinking goes on there. Constable Dankers keeps an eye on the place just as a matter of procedure.'
The Haven, being on the crest of a small hill, we swept down a gentle incline and Witherspoon negotiated a right-hand turn onto a narrow lane, which brought us, in short order, to a small cottage but recently repainted. The building was two stories' high and of Queen Anne design, being flanked by a porch of modest proportions that was roofed as we had been led to expect.
Having piled out of the carriage, Witherspoon indicated the porch. ' 'Twas from there that Gridley fell.' He crossed to indicate an area under the eaves. 'The body was found right here.'
Holmes surveyed the ground with no more than a cursory glance. Because of the passage of time, there were no revealing clues to engage his attention. Rather, he moved back from the dwelling to survey the slanted porch roof, which formed an angle with the side of the main building. The dormer window was of fair size and I could readily see that, in addition to providing ventilation and light, it could also be a means of access to the porch roof.
Holmes was studying the dormer with interest. 'Locked, I judge,' he said, almost of himself.
'The house has been sealed until the matter of the estate is settled,' explained Witherspoon. 'There's also the question of the crown tax,' he added.
Holmes's quick steps took him to where he could view a side of the house. 'I wonder if there might be a ladder around?' he asked.
'Don't know as Amos had one. His little tool shed is locked, though we could get Dankers to open it and the house as well.'
Holmes responded to Witherspoon's suggestion with a negative gesture, crossing to a barrel placed under a downspout leading from the wooden rain gutter beneath the eaves.
'This might serve the purpose, gentlemen. Empty, I note. Lend me a hand, if you will.'
It took but a moment for the three of us to upend the barrel, obviously used to collect rainwater, and position it at a corner of the porch. Holmes surveyed it with satisfaction.
'This should serve my purpose admirably and permit a closer look at the shingle roof, which proved fatal to its owner. Watson, good chap, if you would hold the barrel and stabilize it, possibly I can, with the aid of Doctor Witherspoon, boost myself up on it and scramble onto the porch roof.'
Witherspoon promptly gave him a leg up and, standing on the barrel, Holmes quickly secured a firm handhold and raised his lean and wiry form up to the porch roof. Walking with some care, he made his way to the dormer window, which he subjected to a close scrutiny.
Both Witherspoon and I had stepped back from the house to view his actions and, after exposing the window to the revealing lens of his ever-present pocket glass, Holmes began to walk down the incline of the porch preparatory to descending and rejoining us. Something caught his eye and he regarded a wooded area close to the cottage for a moment.
'I say,' he stated, casually, 'it would seem our activities are of interest to someone else.'
Witherspoon and I spun around to look in the direction indicated by his gaze. 'I see no one,' said the medical examiner.
'He's dodged behind some foliage. Black-haired chap. Quite large. From the coppery color of his skin, I'd judge him to be a seaman.'
'Lothar, without a doubt,' stated Witherspoon. 'Strange his being secretive, but no loss to us.' As Holmes scrambled down from the roof, the medical examiner adopted a confidential tone. 'Frankly, gentlemen, though his uncle thought highly of him, Lothar is not one whose company you would welcome. Like many who go down to the sea in ships, he displays an alarming thirst when on land and I do not mean for water.'
Holmes exhibited a thin smile. 'From your tone, I might judge that he is a frequenter of The Haven. He might well have seen us pass by it and decided to investigate.'
'Well, he's not thought well of by the townspeople,' stated Witherspoon. 'Not overly intelligent and an awkward hand in a row.' The medical examiner seemed nervous. 'If your survey is complete, Mr. Holmes, possibly we should return to the village proper.'
As we started toward Witherspoon's carriage, I threw a quizzical glance at my friend and companion.
'You seemed more interested in the dormer window. Holmes, than the roof itself.'
'And a good thing, too,' was his response. There was a trace of that complacency in his words that so often proves grating to one like myself who lacks his unique abilities. 'I presume,' he continued, 'that the house painter, Morris, was eager to finish the job and his arguments with the deceased. His work on the window was slapdash indeed. The paint around the window frame was certainly applied with more speed than dexterity. Though not obvious from the ground, the paint was allowed to run from the brush and cake around the window slide. I can assure you, gentlemen, that said window was not opened following the repainting of the building.'
