“Well, let’s see. I suppose it began after I left you yesterday, sir,” Charlie began. “I returned to my post outside Mr. Bragg’s room—that is, the late Mr. Bragg’s room. When Chief Inspector Marlowe arrived, I told him that I thought it would be wise to post guards tonight to protect Mr. Henderson. He asked me why. Now, you must understand that the chief inspector is very . . . selective about what he is willing to believe. Some of the other men are more open-minded—Officer Porter told me he attended a séance once, and I’ve even seen Lieutenant Dupin knock on wood—but not Marlowe. Marlowe does not even believe in luck. I couldn’t very well tell him about the banshee, so I just told him that something Henderson said when I revisited his room made me believe he had information about the murderer, and that he was too afraid for his life to come forward.

“The chief inspector just looked angry about that, and asked when I had spoken to his witness without permission. I told him we just stopped by on our way out, and that you had actually had a calming effect on the poor man. That was a mistake. He got all red and asked why the hell I had let that lunatic crackpot—sorry, sir, his words—wander around the building against his orders. He reminded me who was in charge, and told me he would have my badge if I couldn’t recognize the chain of command.

“It was my fault. I should have been more careful with my words. Commissioner Swift had arrived, as you know—he came into the hallway while we were speaking, breathing hard as he came out of the stairwell. Having the commissioner around always puts Inspector Marlowe on edge. I apologized and assured him it would not happen again. Then I asked if he would still be placing any officers to watch Henderson. That was another a mistake. He used quite a few unpleasant words to tell me no. Well, I could not argue with the chief inspector, especially with the commissioner present . . .”

“But you couldn’t stand idly by while a man’s life was in danger, either?” Jackaby offered. “You came back anyway, didn’t you?”

“I had to try to help him. Yes, I returned after my shift had ended and all of the rest of the police had gone.”

“Your time might have been better spent comfortably at home with your family.”

“I have no family here, Mr. Jackaby, and I can think of no better way to spend an evening than in service to my city.”

“That sounds terribly lonesome,” I said. “I mean, isn’t there anyone . . . ?”

“My life is . . . complicated,” said Charlie. “I find it much more convenient to live alone.”