Broken Mercury
As Spring approaches, more and more works in the countryside need for my spare time. These also are the last weeks of renovation works at our home, so there will be a moving, and many other projects in the meanwhile. I think that the schedule of the random prompts will change from weekly to something like… one after the other, as soon as I can.
It was well past teatime, and the three people were sitting in a tiny room in the Leman Street Police Station. They were on the second floor; from the window, only a few distant carriages could be heard. There were very few passersby at that hour.
The Inspector mumbled, looking at his notepad, then asked, “To recap, Professor Draycott, are you confessing a murder?”
The white-haired man exhaled a long, frustrated breath. He had been sitting there for hours. “As I told you, I haven’t touched anyone. But yes, I firmly believe that I killed Mr. Grimshaw.”
The two policemen glanced at each other. The Inspector was losing his patience. “Sir, please understand that what you’re saying is nonsense. You admitted you had broken him, and that poor man lost his mind. Can you repeat the whole story one more time? What did you do precisely?”
“Nothing you would easily understand, I’m afraid. That fool, Mr. Grimshaw, surely had a great knowledge in some arts you deem forbidden — and so do I.”
“When did you two first meet?”
“You could say I had been stalking him for months. You are aware that he was Grand Master of an order, aren’t you?”
“Yes, it’s a private association. It sounds like a sect, but it is regularly registered. We already interviewed some of the members.”
“From what I saw, that was not entirely true. Well, I had been seeking an audience with him for a long time, I thought that my discoveries deserved a place in that order. I wrote to him dozens of letters, sent him extracts from my studies, and even took the liberty to mail him some notes I took on his research. Finally, three months ago, he invited me to his manor in the Cotswolds.” His expression hardened. “I really don’t know why I wanted to be allowed amongst that crew of ignorant clowns.
“Did you show up? Did you go alone?” the Inspector asked.
“To my surprise, it was a private meeting. When the carriage drove me down the lane there was a fog so thick that it was hard to see any details. Despite that, I could sense that his estate was immense, even though I could see only a boulevard lined with tall cypresses. I walked up the unpaved road for what felt like an hour, in total silence and with no buildings in sight. Eventually, four or five dim lights emerged from the dark, along with the outlines of an impressive stone chateau.
“I knocked on the massive wooden doors, and the butler –Fenshaw, if I recall his name correctly– welcomed me. Strangely, I could see no other household; that house must have kept busy at least seven or eight servants. I’ve been accompanied upstairs, to Mr. Grimshaw’s study; he was sitting next to the fireplace, studying an old tome. He had me sit on a leather armchair, and offered me a glass of port. We talked for about an hour, at first with enthusiasm, but after a while it became obvious that… our ideas were vastly different. After a while, I left.”
The Inspector tapped the pen on the table. “Mr. Draycott, I must insist that you provide a more detailed account of the facts. Please be collaborative.”
The man ran a hand through his hair, itchy, “I—I would rather not remember that conversation, that’s all.”
“Why? Did he threaten you in any way?”
“No, no. We talked about our own ideas, and… found them deeply dissimilar, despite founded on the same principles.”
“Will you be more precise? Your freedom depends on this interview!” intervened the Captain, raising his voice.
Draycott let out a sigh. “We talked about the principles of alchemy and our studies on the subject.”
The two policemen shared a quick glance, but let the man continue. “I read almost everything Mr. Grimshaw had published about alchemy, and I profoundly respected his work — until that night. When I finally told him about my discovery, which I believe to be substantial, at first he listened with presumed interest. I started to be dubious when I saw a slight smile on his face, he looked almost amused. At last, he burst into an almost incontrollable laugh. He mocked me shamelessly! That filthy, insolent cretin!”
“Please control yourself! Do you think your tone is appropriate for a University Professor?”
The man’s face was red, veins pulsing on his forehead. He was lost in that awful memory; after a moment, he came back to his senses and looked at the policemen. “I’m sorry, gentlemen. You must understand that I have studied those topics for years, even if considered blasphemous by many, and lately, I’ve been deeply disillusioned by a man I thought to be a genius. Instead, he refused to even consider my thoughts about the alkahest.”
“And what would that be?”
“Alkahest is –pardon me, was– believed to be a substance capable of separating, or disintegrating, any other element. It was first hypothesized by Paracelsus, centuries ago. A myth by all means — until a decade ago. I humbly allow myself to declare that I finally discovered its secrets.” The officers raised their brows, but he continued, “That night, I’ve been sharing my innovative findings to Grimshaw, hoping to impress him. His servant was in a corner of the room with us, so I spoke sotto voce, but I’m sure he can attest his master’s inconsiderate laugh.”
“So what did you do after his poor reaction?”
“To be honest, I was so shocked that I can’t clearly remember. I think I humiliated myself by stuttering an explanation, but after a short time I got up and left without a word. Or maybe I said something, I’m not sure. As I told you, the butler asked if I wanted to stay overnight, but I refused, and left — I’m afraid I spoke harsh words towards him, poor man.”
“Yes, we already questioned Mr. Fenshaw; he confirmed that you were troubled. He also told us some words you spoke before leaving Mr. Grimshaw’s study. Can’t you remember anything?”
Draycott touched his forehead, striving to recall anything except the rage he could still feel. “No, I’m sorry.”
“The attendant claimed that, while walking away, you whispered something inaudible. He could distinguish the very last words, though: ‘…on your own skin.’ Does that sound familiar?”
The interviewed blinked his eyes. “Oh, I guess that makes sense.”
The policemen leaned towards him. “What do you mean?”
“I already told you that I’ve… murdered Mr. Grimshaw — indirectly, I mean. I must have decided to do it then.”
The Inspector couldn’t handle it anymore. He asked Draycott to make a break, and he and the Captain exited the room. Ten minutes passed. When they entered again, everybody was calmer.
“So, Professor Draycott, what do you mean when you declare that you killed indirectly the victim?”
Draycott took a deep breath. “Very well, I’ll try to be as clear as I can. I ask you to be broad-minded, and wait until the end before making any comment.
“I told you what the alkahest is. What I discovered is that it is not a substance, a tangible element. It is deeply intertwined with our essence. You see, our soul is based on a delicate balance of a few key elements as sulfur and mercury. What I did is… simply to cause a rupture in Grimshaw’s equilibrium. By introducing the alkahest, you can slowly dissolve one of these constituents.”
The policemen were listening closely, but the Captain was clenching so hard that his fingers had whitened. He let out a question. “Introduce? Did you have any further contact with—”
“Gentlemen, please. I asked you to let me finish. No, I hadn’t met Grimshaw after that night. I didn’t mean injecting with a needle: alkahest is not solid or liquid.”
The Captain’s face was reddening. “So how do you—” The Inspector put a hand on his shoulder. “Please go on, Mr. Draycott.”
The latter nodded, “Thank you. I think that the easiest way to explain how to inject the alkahest in one’s body is that you have to… cast a spell on that person. I’m sorry, but the method would be complicated to describe, especially in case of skepticism. Well, I confess that I did that — and I was clearly successful given the consequences.
“If the harmony of our inner elements is broken, there can be unforeseen outcomes, untested until today. For Mr. Grimshaw, the intention was to dissolve the mercury in his essence. You see, mercury has always been connected to duality because of its peculiar behavior: its fluidness makes it different from almost any other element. It is believed to be a maintainer of the order, one could say that it isolates us from our inner chaos.
“I acted on impulse, driven by rage. I couldn’t imagine the exact consequences — except that now he’s dead, of course. As I told you, we hadn’t met after. By removing the mercury from Grimshaw’s body, I can only assume that the poor man must have gone insane. Did he behave strangely?”
The policemen looked at him, speechless. A few moments passed, then the Inspector took the floor. “Ahem, yes. About three months ago, after the meeting with you, Mr. Grimshaw was reported to act unnatural by his acquaintances of the order. He couldn’t control the tone of his voice, he spoke nonsense… or stared at the void, ignoring anyone else in the room. They also claim they had seen him for the last time a couple of weeks after, and his servant confirms that: since then, the man stayed in bed. He suffered from a high fever and increasingly violent hallucinations. He attempted twice to take his own life, and then he was tied in bed. Eventually, he was found dead last week, still in his bed. His tongue had been bitten off, and choked him.”
Mr. Draycott went pale, stood silent for a minute. When the Inspector cleared his throat, he quickly came to his senses. “It worked,” he whispered.
“Pardon?” asked the Captain.
“It… It actually worked,” the man repeated. “This means my theory was right! My studies are correct! I’ve discovered the actual secrets of the alkahest!”
The Inspector looked at the notebook, and at his colleague. Then he shook his head. “Sir, I think you should go home and take some rest.”
Draycott suddenly stared at them with astonishment. “What do you mean? I have killed a man!”
“We all know you are an intelligent person, Professor. Even if you have studied highly questionable matters as the ones you claim, you can’t seriously think that they can harm a person in that way. Or that we can believe you’re responsible because of a spell!”
Mr. Draycott was indignant. “…I had to imagine it. You’re no different than Grimshaw, attached to your ancient preconceptions.” He got out of his chair furiously and grabbed his coat. He headed towards the door, but before turning the knob he turned towards the officers and added, “Probably the only way to convince you as well would be to make you feel it on your own skin.”
As Spring approaches, more and more works in the countryside need for my spare time. These also are the last weeks of renovation works at our home, so there will be a moving, and many other projects in the meanwhile. I think that the schedule of the random prompts will change from weekly to something like… one after the other, as soon as I can.
It was well past teatime, and the three people were sitting in a tiny room in the Leman Street Police Station. They were on the second floor; from the window, only a few distant carriages could be heard. There were very few passersby at that hour.