Phillips Harbour
Saturday, October 24, 1868. Early Afternoon.
As it turns out, Phillips Harbour doesn't have an actual jail. Miss Pau is being held at the town hall, a misnamed small building with a few rooms that the town clerk, sheriff, and mayor all use as office. It's not large enough to be a true town "hall": town meetings are held at the much larger church.
The outer door to the offices is locked, but Shaft and Caliban can hear muffled voices within. A few kids are hanging around the side next to the shuttered windows, trying to peer inside. After several insistent knocks by Mr. Shaft, the door opens. "What now?" a disgruntled and harried-looking Sheriff Ponds snaps.
Just beyond him, Mrs. Stephenson wrings her hands. "Oh, Mr. Shaft!" she exclaims as she sees who it is. "Please, you've got to help! You know Miss Pau isn't a witch, this is all some terrible misunderstanding."
The chimpanzee following Mr. Shaft, dressed in a shirt and vest and wearing a heavy work jacket against the cold, looks rather out of his element. It is not so much the clothes, which he wears as if they were quite normal to monkeys, but the hub-bub of people and emotions that he seems unprepared to deal with. He looks about bewildered and stays close.
"Well, this whole 'witch' thing is a bit.. odd," Herbert says. "I thought it would be wise to photograph the event, if possible Sheriff? This isn't old Salem, after all, and there should be some proof that Miss Pau is hale and healthy, and indeed appears on photographs."
"Will you give it a rest, ma'am?" Ponds says, rolling his eyes. "You saw the evidence as well as any of us. Way you're acting makes me wonder if you weren't in on it, you takin' her in and all." Mrs. Stephenson opens and closes her mouth at that, flummoxed, and Ponds uses the break to eye Mr. Shaft. "She's fine, but the reverends don't want no gawkers an' I agree with them about that. No need to make a circus out o' this. Any more than it already is."
"Evidence?" Shaft asks. "Of witchcraft? Is it anything that is actually.. well.. illegal in Philip's Harbor?"
Ponds looks Mr. Shaft up and down slowly, then his chimpanzee. His eyes narrow. "I don't know what the laws are like where you come from, Mr. Shaft, but in my country stealing dead bodies, working necromancy, cursing folks, and consorting with the devil are all still crimes."
Mrs. Stephenson wrings her hands again. "I know some of those things she had are very strange, Mr. Ponds, but I'm sure there's another explanation for all this ... "
"My goodness!" Herbert says, and casts a questioning look to Mrs. Stephenson. "What sorts of things? Surely not a dead body!"
"No, of course not!" Mrs. Stephenson insists.
" ... that we've found. Yet," the sheriff adds darkly.
The monkey looks confused.
"And what was that other thing? Necrofancy?" Herbert asks the Sheriff. "I'm not familiar with that term, what does it mean?"
"It means stealin' dead bodies and doin' unnatural things with them." The sheriff folds his arms over his paunchy stomach. "Did you know Miss Pau had the dried-out corpse of a cat in a basket in her room?"
"A.. cat?" the Englishman asks. "Or rather, a mummified cat? Forgive me, sir, but I don't see the connection? Is taxidermy also a crime?"
"It wasn't no stuffed criter!" Ponds glowers. "Ain't no good Christian got a natural use for a dead cat, Mr. Shaft. Not in my country."
"But she's not from our country, sheriff," Mrs. Stephenson pleads. "Maybe she doesn't know -- "
"I.. see," Shaft says backing off a bit. "So, the.. cat. Was there anything else?"
"And those blood-stained bowls? And the knife? And all those funny tiles an' poisonous plants? She ain't in China now and I ain't havin' no Chinese witch in my town!" Ponds bellows.
"And these items were all found in her room?" Herbert asks.
Caliban rubs his chin thoughtfully, as if a yokel from some tiny village considering the strange ways of 'townies'.
Ponds nods, glaring at Mrs. Stephenson, who hunches her shoulders and mumbles something like "didn't know." The two of them are standing in a small office/foyer before the front door as they speak with Mr. Shaft. At the far end of the room, the door opens and a tall, slender cleric steps out. "Is there a problem here, gentlemen? Ma'am?"
"Nothing at all, sir, just interviewing Mr. Ponds for the article," Shaft says.
"Article on what, Mister ... Short, was it?" the reverend inquires. "Are you with the press?"
"Not exactly, sir, but my sponsors would most certainly want to know about a witch being found," Shaft replies.
"And your sponsors would be ... ?" The reverend closes the door behind him, but not before they see that there are at least two other witch-hunters in the room beyond. Shaft and Caliban couldn't see Miss Pau, but the other new cleric's head was bowed in prayer, lips moving quietly.
"Sorry, I didn't mention?" Shaft asks. "I photograph churches for the Vatican."
The monkey, looking curious at the glimpse of two people inside, begins to pad over toward the door.
Sheriff Ponds raises an eyebrow. "No," he says. "I don't believe you ever have mentioned that, Mr. Shaft -- hey! Where'd'ya thing yer goin', ape?"
"Indeed. You are a Papist, sir?" Rev. Woodrome asks.
"Ook?" The monkey turns around and gives the sheriff an obvious 'who, me?' look.
"Well, I am British, so I can't claim to be entirely under the call of Rome. I work for the Jesuit Order in this instance, not the Pope," Shaft explains.
"Whatever ya are, get yer animal under control." Ponds glares at Caliban. "And get him out of here. I've had about enough of this."
"Shall we go fetch our camera equipment then?" Shaft asks Ponds.
The monkey goes back to its master's side like a good pet, evidently able to recognize the disapproving tone of Mr. Ponds's voice.
Rev. Woodrome is giving Shaft an appraising look. Ponds glances at him, and the cleric raises one shoulder in a half shrug. "I see no harm in a photograph, sheriff. Documenting a case is illuminating for future ones."
"Thank you, sir," Shaft says to the clergyman.
The sheriff gives an inward sigh and stands to one side of the door as Shaft and Caliban retrieve their equipment and bring it in. Rev. Woodrome opens the inner door for them when they're ready, and Mrs. Stephenson sidles in on their coattails.
The inner office is slightly larger, but the addition of three new figures, two bearing clunky equipment, makes it cramped and crowded. Rev. Locke and his secretary were already in the room; Locke looks up from his prayer as the others enter. Miss Pau is seated on a wooden chair with her head bowed and her hands bound before her. She looks worn and tired, but otherwise unharmed.
"Forgive the interruption," Shaft apologizes. "Please just try to ignore us."
The ape monkey-handles his share of the equipment with ease, then sets it down as indicated by his master. He looks up for further directions.
"Assemble the flash tower, Caliban," Herbert says, referring to the segmented pole that the flashbulbs get mounted on. The man goes about setting up his boxy camera, trying to find a spot that has Pau and the reverend both in frame.
Caliban sets to work. Being able to actually do something seems to cheer up the chimpanzee, as he energetically extends the pole and twists stuff into place.
Woodrome nods to Locke, then kneels beside the other clergyman and joins him in prayer. They're not far from the accused woman, but the room is small enough that it's hard to get far enough back from the figures to catch both in the same shot. The reverends are reciting a bible verse, from the sounds of it: something asking the Lord for strength in fighting the devil. A psalm, maybe? Miss Pau's face is half-covered by black hair that's pulled free of her braid, but she peers through the veil of it to watch Shaft and Caliban. The expression in her eyes is hard to read.
Herbert shifts the camera a bit, hoping instead to capture more of the details of the room (such as the windows) in the frame.
The monkey sneaks a glance toward Miss Pau now and then, but most of his attention is focused on getting... that last... twist piece in place. click! He sets the tower in place and with tongue protuding from the side of his mouth, pokes at it a little to make sure it's not going to fall over.
The room has two small windows, one on the north side and one on the west. Both are shuttered now, with the slats tilted slightly so that a little daylight slips in to illuminate the otherwise darkened room. The clerics finish their prayer and get to their feet. "Are you ready to discuss your associates now, Miss Pau?" the slight Rev. Locke asks her.
Herbert takes his time taking out a prepared glass plate from the film case and slotting it into the camera, giving a little nod to Caliban as he does so.
"Not I understand you." Miss Pau's accent is even thicker than usual. "Good Christian woman. Only friends Christian."
"Ook! Ook eek ook?" the monkey asks apparently to his boss, standing triumphantly next to the flash tower. He glances toward Miss Pau's feet.
"Almost," Herbert responds, as he zooms the camera in and out to take up time.
The monkey frowns and peers at the flash tower. He keeps glancing to Miss Pau now and then as he adjusts it a little, raising its height.
Miss Pau starts at the sudden noise from the monkey, looking frightened and more confused. Her right foot twitches sideways against the floor.
"Ook, eek eek ook?" queries the monkey again, looking at his master.
"Backlighting is a bit tight," Herbert mutters. "A bit more to the left, Caliban."
Rev. Locke looks startled by the sounds from chimp, too. His secretary watches the man and chimp interact with narrowed eyes. Locke narrows his lips and continues, "Please drop this pretense, Miss Pau. The evidence of your possessions is quite compelling. It would be in your best interests to cooperate. We understand that a young woman such as yourself, in a strange country with unfamiliar customs, can be easily led astray." He gives a sidelong glance to Miss Stephenson. "If you would tell us those who practiced witchcraft with you, it would go a long way to establishing your sincerity and repentence."
"No, not witch." Miss Pau shakes her head vehemently, her left foot bouncing with anxiety." "Good Christian. No witches, no witchcraft."
As directed, the monkey twists the flash tower a little to the left, but appears unsatisfied with the results. "Eek eeek, ook?" he asks of his master, shaking his head.
Herbert peeks out from under the camera blanket to check the new position, and then goes over and stands behind the flash bar. He holds his hands up in a 'framing' gestures and looks through them with one eye, as if gauging the area that will be lit up.
"We know you understand us perfectly well, Miss Pau. This pretense grows tiresome. Please, answer the question. Who else has joined you for black mass?" Locke taps the tips of his fingers together.
Pau has a wild-eyed, frightened look. "Only go Church services. No devil. Not witch." Her left foot still taps.
"Too much contrast from the windows," Herbert mutters, and moves to close the window shutters further.
The monkey watches his master, then inquires as if a little peeved, "Eeep ook owoop?" He shakes his head as he carefully unlocks the flash tower's legs, then moves it forward a bit.
"Just a moment," Herbert whispers back. "Set the bar for two bulbs, I don't want the shadows to be too harsh."
Locke's gaze shifts from his subject to Mr. Shaft, and then falls on the chimpanzee. His eyes linger there, and he doesn't speak for a moment. Miss Pau is still tapping her left foot up and down, uncomfortable and upset.
Shaft returns to the camera, and picks up the squeeze-trigger for the flash bar. "Excuse me," he tells the men. "Please remain calm, but there's going to be a bright flash of light when I take the picture."
The monkey looks puzzled at his master and shakes his head, as if he didn't understand that. "Ook eek ook?" he asks, looking up at the flash bar and then back at his master.
"Two bulbs, Caliban," Shaft says. "That should be plenty."
Pau seems to become aware of her nervous twitching, and plants her her left foot firmly against the floor. Locke turns to the cameraman and gives a nod of acknowledgement, as does Woodrome. Bolton, the secretary, turns his face away from the flashbulb to watch the accused witch. Pau hooks her right foot around the leg of the chair.
"Ready, Caliban?" Herbert asks from under the camera hood.
The monkey catches on and nods enthusiastically. "Ook wooOok!" he says, putting his hands over his eyes.
"Three... two... one..." Shaft counts down, ending with, "Smile for the monkey!" FLASH
In the wake of the flash, Locke and Woodrome blink rapidly, dazzled. Mrs. Stephenson was standing beside the door and not as affected but still brings one hand up to rub her eyes. Miss Pau makes an incoherent pained cry and spasms, toppling herself and the chair with her to one side. "Miss Pau!" Mrs. Stephenson cries in alarm.
The monkey gives his master a worried look, pulling his hands away.
Herbert jerks his head out of the camera hood and gapes at the screaming woman. "Oh.. aunt Agnes! Of course!" He turns to Mr. Ponds and says, "Get Dr. Greene! Don't you see.. the plants, the bowls.. cathartic herbs and bloodletting! The woman suffers from hysteria!"
As Pau twitches and writhes uncontrollably on the floor, Rev. Locke offers a counter diagnosis of "demonic possession", but Shaft offers convincing anecdotes about the fits that his "Aunt Agnes" used to get, the the clergy allow that in any event it can't hurt to send for the doctor.
While they await the doctor's arrival, Bolton risks life and limb (to hear Shaft describe the possibilities) and pins Pau's struggling body to the ground. "Faced demons before. Not worried about a hysterical little girl," the big man tells Shaft when the Englishman warns him about aun Agnes almost biting through a man's arm.
Locke appears to be seriously considering the possibility that Shaft's aunt suffered from demonic possession. Pau doesn't show signs of superhuman strength as she thrashes against Bolton's grip, however. At last, Dr. Greene arrives on the scene, and examines the woman.
The monkey frets, making little pathetic ooks and moving from one side of his master to the other. He shows no obvious fear of Miss Pau; if anything, he looks worried about the poor, sick human.
With the attention focused on Pau and Dr. Greene, Shaft steps next to Mr. Ponds and whispers to him, "Fear not, Sheriff, I'm sure Mrs. Stephenson will back you up if you distance yourself from these men, lest their... shall we say 'sloppiness'... tarnishes you. The female mind is a fragile thing, after all, and no husband wants to see their wife's private ailment brought to the public eye and misconstrued as demonic possession."
In an even lower whisper, the Englishman adds, "Nor do you want to give the women the notion that they can accuse one another of witchery out of petty spite and be taken on their word alone."
Dr. Greene treats the witchhunters with grave courtesy as he examines the woman. After due consideration, and much tut-tutting beneath his breath, he administers orally a liquid from his black bag, and Miss Pau finally calms, going limp against Bolton's arm. "Mr. Shaft is quite right," the doctor pronounces. "The woman suffers from hysteria. Very common among Oriental women, I understand. If I might see these artifacts you siezed from her ... ?"
More tut-tutting as Dr. Greene examines the items, especially the herbs. "yes, yes, the Chinese use mummified animals as folk remedy for a number of ailments -- no science to it, of course, but no harm in it, I should think. But these herbs, now -- how long have you been preventing her from using them?"
The doctor looks suitably appalled by the response from the clergy. "No wonder the poor woman is in such a state, if she's been denied her medication for so long. She must be brought directly to my clinic that I may monitor her condition. Do you know how serious this is?"
Herbert goes about securing the camera, looking desultory. He resheathes the photographic plate and pulls it from the camera, only to look at it and sigh. "Well, that was a waste of five dollars," he mutters, before returning the glass plate to the film case.
The monkey looks up at his master curiously.
Mr. Bolton looks impressed by the doctor's presentation. Locke and Woodrome are definitely less convinced, and Ponds looks torn, uncertain as to which expert to believe. Locke and Woodrome don't want her out of custody, despite Greene's assertions about the siezed paraphenalia. Ultimately, however, they consent on the condition that Locke accompany Greene and their prisoner to keep an eye on her.
"Pack it in, Caliban, there's nothing to photograph here after all," Herbert says. Quietly, to the Sheriff and Mrs. Stephenson he comments, "It is a shame they wouldn't allow the doctor to examine her from the beginning, as you'd suggested, Mr. Ponds. Isn't that right, Mrs. Stephenson?"
Caliban goes about refolding the flash tower and putting stuff away, once his master's given him a suitable cue.
Mrs. Stephenson offers a hesitant nod, but Ponds only scowls. "Ain't right," he mutters. "Can't treat a sickness with a dead cat, I'm tellin' ya."
"Just remember, Sheriff, that these men will leave town when they are finished," Shaft whispers to Ponds, "but you will be the one to deal with any damage they leave behind." He then slings the camera over his shoulder, and says in a normal voice, "Well, that was quite exciting, truth be told. If you'll excuse us, we need to return our equipment. Unless there is anything else you need, Sheriff?"
The ape ooks under a largish pile of equipment.
After returning to the boathouse to stow their equipment, Caliban and Shaft go back out to find Miss Townes, figuring it would be too conspicuous for them to follow Dr. Greene themselves. By the time they reach the Red Flag, the crowd there has thinned somewhat, and Bernice isn't around. Additional inquiries suggest that Miss Townes has rejoined Dr. Greene to look after Miss Pau. Rumor that Miss Pau is ill and was self-medicating, rather than being a witch, has already started to circulate and compete with the "witch" rumor.
"I do hope they can help the poor woman," Shaft comments. "Mrs. Stephenson would be distraught if permanent trauma was caused to her guest over this little misunderstanding." Smiling to Gertie, he asks, "Is there a special for this evening's meal?"
The monkey perks up at the mention of food, or perhaps it's just the effect of being around an inn where the smell lingers.
Gertie's mood is much improved from earlier in the day. "It'll be special if there's anything left, Mr. Shaft," she tells him. "Aunt complained we were running out of everything, but I think Uncle Alfred came back with some fresh fish from the docks and she's planning to fry it up with a little flour. Do you like fried fish, Caliban?"
The monkey drools.
"Ahh, fresh.. fish," Shaft says, with a forced smile. "I see Caliban likes the idea. I'm still a bit full from lunch myself though. I don't suppose you have any leftover bread or cheese?"
"I'll check for you, sir," she promises, and slips back to the kitchen. She returns a little later with a plate of fish, and some hard biscuits with cheese.
"Thank you, Gertie," Herbert says, generously leaving all of the fish for Caliban. "Eat up, Cal, you need the protein. And we should have your dressings checked by the doctor later, to see if you've strained your wound again."