Who Watches the Watch?

Chapter 4

Dawn crept slowly over the edge of the city. More watchmen were returning from the search now, surprised to see the crowd was still there. Some of them had been standing around for hours, but no one looked like they were preparing to leave. The size of the crowd wasn't diminishing at all. If anything it was getting bigger, as more people were arriving, curious to see what was going on.

Inside the Watch House, the front office also buzzed with activity. Returning officers were writing up reports, exchanging stories and theories with those watchmen already in. It appeared Noakes had just vanished. And no one knew what they were going to do about it. They were painfully aware there weren't sufficient watchmen to cover the entire city. And even if there were, Noakes was a watchman himself; did they think they could outwit him? Noakes knew the city as well as any of them. If he didn't want to be found, they could be running around in circles all day. The man worked with Vimes, for heaven's sake. He wasn't daft.

The front door suddenly opened, and Angua came in. Hurrying past Colon's high desk she tuned in quickly to the general conversation. The gist of it was clear, and she found herself agreeing with them. But there was a reason why she'd been delayed, and she thought the commander would want to hear about it...

She knocked on Vimes' door.

"Come in!" said Vimes.

"...and Corporal Hanson's report says much the same thing," said Carrot, as she entered. "There simply aren't enough... Oh, hello, Angua." He glanced at the clock. "A little late, aren't we?"

"Morning, Carrot," said Angua, pointedly. She turned to Vimes. "Sorry I'm late, sir. I was waylaid by some of the citizens on my way back."

"Are you all right?" said Vimes. And then, realizing how daft that sounded, changed it to, "I mean, they didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

"Oh no, sir. Quite the opposite. As a matter of fact, they just stopped me to say they had every faith in the Watch, sir, and that regarding this case, they were trusting them to do the right thing."

"They did?" said Vimes, looking slightly surprised. "And, er... is that it?"

"Oh no, sir. They also said—"

"Hold on," said Vimes. "Who said? I mean, who was it telling you this?"

"Quite a large number of the elderly citizens, sir. The ones less excitable than that lot outside, I imagine," she added. "And also those members of our community you might call 'less fortunate'."

Vimes nodded. "Go on..."

"Well, they also said that in their opinion Walby Birkett was nothing but a troublemaker, sir, and they didn't believe for one minute that that nice young captain had anything to do with this crime."

Vimes looked at Carrot, who enthused, "Well, that's encouraging, sir!"

"Yes, it is," said Vimes. "But unfortunately, it doesn't help us an awful lot..." He turned to Angua. "I don't suppose they had any more information for us?"

"Not unless you need to know how much Noakes gave to the beggars, sir, or how many little old ladies he helped across the street?" she hazarded.

Vimes shook his head. "No... I already know all that."

"You do?" said Carrot, genuinely impressed. "Gosh."

"So, we're none the wiser now than we were last night in the alley," Vimes sighed. "You know, I hate to admit this, but I'm beginning to think we're buggered."

"Well, maybe not, sir..." said Angua. "I haven't had chance yet to mention a smell I detected in the alley."

"Something important?" said Vimes.

"Well, I'm not sure, sir... It was something I couldn't quite make out. But it was similar to... sadness?"

"Is that significant?"

"Well, that would depend on who it came from, sir. But if it was Noakes, then it puts a whole different light on him being the murderer. And after what those other people said, well... I wondered if I might take another look at the scene, sir? Perhaps I missed something last night?"

"Absolutely!" said Vimes. "And I'll come with you. I'm willing to try anything that'll shed light on this matter."

"Will you be needing me, sir?" asked Carrot.

Vimes looked at Angua; Angua shook her head.

"Right," said Vimes. "Stay where you are, then, Carrot. Carry on looking through those reports. And contact me the moment you find anything that might give us a clue to Noakes' whereabouts. You'll know where to find me."

"I'll do that, sir."

When Vimes and Angua had gone, Carrot settled in at Vimes' desk. He pulled the in-tray towards him, and with a concentrated look, painstakingly began to study the ever-increasing reports.

Outside the open window, the rumble of the crowd increased noticeably as Vimes and Angua left the Watch House...

-o0o-

In the dull light of morning, the scene in the alley looked bleak. Vimes moved into the centre and turned slowly about. "Where was this smell you detected, Angua?" he asked.

Angua went straight to the bloodstain. "It was here, sir," she said, indicating the dark spot.

Vimes walked over and breathed in deeply, almost as if expecting to determine the odour for himself. "And it was similar to sadness, you say?"

"That's right, sir."

"Could it possibly have come from the victim?"

"It's possible, sir, but... well, I don't think it did. It kind of... lingered, sir, heavy on the air, like it came after the victim was dead."

"So, Noakes, then?"

Angua nodded. "I'd say that's more likely, sir."

In the privacy of his head, Vimes agreed.

He turned towards the alley entrance and reflected for a moment. And then he turned back towards the fire escape. "And then he took off in that direction for a reason..." he mused, nodding to the least likely choice of exit. He shook his head. "Damn, how in the hells am I supposed to figure this out, Angua?" he sighed.

"Maybe you won't have to, sir?"

"Meaning?"

"If Noakes isn't the killer, then maybe he'll come in on his own?"

"Do we really have time to wait for that, Angua?"

"Do we really have a choice, sir?"

-o0o-

Carrot was struggling to concentrate. The rumbling below the office window had turned into a racket. Closing the window was not an option because as well as trying to study the reports he was also trying to keep an eye on the crowd's mood. But he wasn't expected to do everything, surely? There was nothing preventing Sergeant Colon from going out there and asking them to keep the noise down.

Actually, there was...

Sergeant Colon was under his desk.

Nobby was hopping from foot to foot. "C'mon, Fred, your pen couldn't have rolled that far..." Nobby, it seemed, was also no longer interested in hogging the window position.

"'s all right, Nobby..." came a muffled voice. "I have it now."

"We want to know what's happening!" someone suddenly shouted outside.

"Oh, gods..." Nobby muttered, as Colon finally surfaced, "I told you it was only a matter of time..."

"And I told you we got nothin' to worry about, Nobby. As long as we're in here, we're perfectly safe."

"You'd better tell them that, Fred."

"I shall do no such thing, Nobby. Only a bloody idiot would consider opening that—Hello, Captain Carrot!"

"Why haven't you gone out and spoken to them, sergeant?" asked Carrot. "How on earth am I supposed to concentrate upstairs?"

"Er..."

"We demand justice!"

"...that's why, captain," said Colon sheepishly.

Carrot strode to the door, and opened it.

There was silence.

For a moment, anyway...

"We want to know what's happening, Captain Carrot!" shouted someone in the crowd.

"Yes. Of course you do," said Carrot, scanning the sea of faces for the speaker; there were so many of them. "Our inquiries are continuing," he said. "I can't give out details, for obvious reasons, but you can rest assured the commander is doing all he can."

"To protect your watchman, no doubt?" shouted someone else.

"Yes, I realize your concerns," said Carrot. "And they're our concerns, too. That's why the commander must be allowed to do his job."

"That's the trouble, he ain't doin' it!" shouted another voice.

Carrot shook his head. "Don't be silly. Now, for the moment, I think you all need to calm down and trust the Watch to—"

"We're not sure we do trust 'em!"

"No, and we need protection!"

"Our city's not safe anymore!"

Carrot held up a hand. "All right... I'm going to close the door now," he said. "Anyone still here causing a disturbance when I open it again will be charged with a breach of the peace. Do I make myself clear?"

A few mumbles were heard.

"Good," said Carrot. And closed the door.

The Watch House fell silent. Nobby and Colon watched, amazed, as Carrot crossed the room and climbed the stairs back to the office. He probably would have made it, too, if a stone hadn't come flying through the window.

"No one is above the law!" someone shouted through the break in the glass. "Especially one of yours! If you won't catch the watchman, then we'll do the job ourselves!"

Carrot rushed downstairs and flung open the door. But the crowd were already scattering in all directions.

-o0o-

The feeble warmth of the sun was still trying to burn off the mist from the river when a bedraggled watchman emerged from the sewers. He straightened stiffly, and blinked, and after a moment of disorientation, found his bearings for the Watch House. He'd decided; it was time to come in. With his mind still whirring with past events he started down the street, and this dulled sense of alertness meant he was slow to notice the shouting in the distance.

Which was unfortunate, because it was heading his way...

-o0o-