NaNoWriMo 2006 novel. Writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Quality may suffer.
Chapter 1 - A Curious Incident
A curious incident occurred aboard the steamer Jeraboam in June nineteen fourteen whilst on passage between Southampton and New York. A passenger, one Frank H Pabodie, an archaeologist from Illinois, was brutally murdered in his cabin with the door locked from the inside. The murderer was never caught.
Little was known of Pabodie by the other passengers and crew, he had boarded the vessel only a few minutes before departure and had purchased his ticket not an hour before then. His behaviour on-board was remarked upon as peculiarly nervous and solitary, he rarely left his cabin except for meals and barely talked to anybody when he did. His manner was civil when engaged in conversation, but distracted and terse. It was noticed by some that before and after each meal he would walk quickly once around the deck, apparently checking the horizon for other vessels, before immediately returning to his cabin not to be seen again till the next time the dinner bell rang. It was noticed by others that he had a habit of periodically glancing behind him, and regarding with suspicion anyone he happened to see there.
Only once, the night before his death, did Pabodie freely engage in conversation with another passenger. The man in question was one Montague Rhodes James, an English scholar from Cambridge en route to a conference in New York. James, like many aboard by that time, had previously tried and failed to engage Pabodie in conversation, and was now content to ignore the quiet American.
James was fifty two years old with a solid build, large hands, and broad shoulders. He had a face that veered between the stern visage of a schoolmaster and the quiet contemplation of a scholar, with a thin mouth that twisted sideways when he smiled and eyes that could at times appear severe and forbidding but always betrayed a playful spark before long. He wore a pair of wire frame spectacles and his greying hair was neatly cut with a sharp side parting. He had been a lifelong bachelor but despite the lack of feminine influence he was always impeccably turned out, although a close observer might on occasion notice a few specks of chalk dust on his jacket.
The incident in question occurred on the night of the twenty-eighth of June during supper. The Atlantic was flat calm and both James and Pabodie were seated at a table in the dining room with several other passengers. It was not till the subject of Mr James' own work came up in conversation that Pabodie showed any interest, indeed he had not spoken a word to another man so far that day. Montague James was an antiquarian of some note at Kings College, Cambridge, and was explaining to Lucy Willet, an young American woman, that he had been invited to New York to give a presentation on the translation of ancient texts.
'You translate these yourself sir?' asked Pabodie out of the blue.
'Yes,' replied James, looking up from his supper, 'I translate them myself.'
'And what ancient languages can you read?'
The interrogative nature of this exchange did not go unnoticed by others at the table, many of whom remarked on it later. James' demeanour remained unruffled and he explained that he mainly focussed on European and classical languages but had done cursory translations of eastern and middle eastern texts in the past despite being no expert in the subject although he regretted that he was useless without the right reference materials at his side.
'And do you have reference materials with you?' asked Pabodie.
'I have a brought a few recently produced works that I thought might be of interest in my lectures,' replied James, 'as well as a couple of the more unusual texts which have been helpful to me in the past.'
'I think,' said Padbodie, in a manner that suggested he was talking to himself rather than Mr James, 'that I have something even more unusual to show you.'
'Do you indeed?' said James.
'If you would meet me in my cabin later sir, I have an item and accompanying documents that I think will be of immense interest to you.'
James raised a quizzical eyebrow and said 'of course.'
'Good,' said Pabodie, 'then I must prepare. I beg your pardon ladies and gentlemen.' And with that he shook Mr James warmly by the hand and rose and left the table, his plate barely touched.
For a moment nobody at the table spoke, then Lucy Willet, the young woman to whom Montague James had been talking before Mr Pabodie interrupted, spoke up. 'Well Mr James,' she said, 'it seems you have made a friend.'
'You know,' said a gentleman from the far side of the table, 'I believe that is the most our Mr Pabodie has spoken all voyage.'
'He certainly has been most taciturn with us,' said t
he gentleman's wife, 'and this item of "immense interest, what on earth can it be?'
'Yes,' said James, looking up from the supper he had resumed with relish as the conversation flowed around him, 'I admit he has aroused my curiosity.'
'You'll go then?' said the gentleman. 'I wouldn't venture into his cabin for a hundred pounds, the man's obviously barking.'
'Oh I would,' said Lucy Willet, 'I love a good mystery. Montague is an expert on mysteries and writes the most wonderful stories.'
James gave the young woman a grateful smile at the last comment
'My daughter has a scholar's curiosity,' said Mrs Willet, 'I am convinced it will land her in trouble one day.'
'The only thing better than a good mystery,' said Miss Willet, 'is a good solution.'
'Ah,' said James, pushing his empty plate away and leaning back in his chair, 'I am afraid Miss Willet that in my experience real life mysteries rarely have good solutions. More often that not solutions turn out to be mundane, and when they are not mundane they are often ...' he paused, 'to be regretted.'
'Nevertheless,' said Mrs Willet, 'I must admit that my curiosity is also aroused, what do you thing this item of his is?'
'With accompanying documents he said', said the gentleman at the far end of the table, 'I rather suspect it is not his at all but something he has stolen and wishes our Mr James' to help him value.'
'Oh yes,' said the gentleman's wife, 'that will be what it is.'
'Or,' continued the gentleman, 'it is some object of antiquity that belongs in a museum and he seeks our Mr James as a guinea pig to test the quality of his forged documents of ownership before attempting to smuggle it into the United States.'
'Oh yes,' repeated the gentleman's wife, 'I am certain now, that is what it is.'
'You may rest assured,' said James, 'that if I suspect that is the case then I will inform the correct authorities.'
'Oh do be careful,' said Miss Willet, 'he may be desperate.'
'After so publicly inviting me to his room I doubt I am in any danger my dear.'
'Of course,' said the young lady, looking embarrassed at her concern.
'Well Mr James,' said Mrs Willet, 'you must go see what Mister Pabodie wants to show you, and then report back to us all at breakfast.'
Others on the table laughed at this. Montague James just removed a pipe and tobacco from his jacket pocket and said 'Madam, I am your servant.'
