Chapters (90)
- PROLOGUE
- 1849
- ONE
- TWO
- EDINBURGH
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EPILOGUE
- HISTORICAL NOTE
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Extract from A Corruption of Blood
- 1850
- ONE
Soutar picked up a page and briefly glanced at it.
‘We will investigate this in due course, but it is not why we’re here. You are being apprehended on suspicion of the murder of Dr Archibald Banks.’
SIXTY-EIGHT
hey marched him down the High Street through the crowds, a man either side. Amidst the chaos of the crowd, there seemed ample opportunity to run and disappear, but aside from his hands being bound, where would he go? Best that he remained cooperative and acquiescent, then he could calmly and rationally explain why the accusation was false.
He just wished he had heeded Dr Simpson’s advice in seeking to have McLevy owe him favours.
They passed Parliament Square, the police office coming up on the right-hand side. Raven noticed a policeman at the door gesture to Soutar with a shake of the head and a pointed finger.
They kept walking.
‘Where are we going?’ Raven asked. The police office had been a troubling enough prospect, but somewhere unknown was far worse. His fear was that he was being taken directly to Calton Jail, schoolboy tales of which had haunted his nightmares ever since.
‘No room at the inn,’ Soutar told him. ‘All of the holding cells are full. It’s been a busy old day. Often happens after a full moon. We are using the Night Asylum for the Houseless as an overspill.’
Raven was led past Gun Tavern and through a heavy door, where he was greeted with a sight akin to that which greeted Heracles on his errand to retrieve Cerberus. Behind a gate barred from floor to ceiling there had to be at least forty men confined inside a single chamber. From the fact that the smell of alcohol was strong enough to be detected over those of sweat and urine, it was evident that most of them were drunk.
A few sat on benches lining the walls, but most were milling around, conversing, laughing, arguing. They could have been in the tavern next door except there was no more drink to be had, and they could not leave. He saw several lying on the floor, unconscious, but not all from the drink. Some were out cold in puddles of vomit, others in puddles of blood. Somewhere in the gloom he could hear a sonorous, stentorian snoring, like some terrible beast was asleep in the dark. He could not see where.
Tommy undid Raven’s bonds while Soutar patted down his pockets, removing his Liston knife.
‘Better we take this from you than one of them. It would not serve the ends of justice were you to be gutted before we have the chance to hang you.’
Raven was surprised he didn’t take his money too. It seemed certain he would be relieved of it soon enough.
He was thrust through the gate by Soutar while Tommy pulled it shut again with a reverberating clang.
Raven turned to face his jailer.