Detective Watters Mysteries

Chapter 6-2

Watters spent the next day asking mill managers about recent fires. There had been no spike in alarms elsewhere in the city; only Beaumont"s mills had been affected. In the evenings, Watters toured the docks and public houses asking for Richard Jones with no success at all.

"What have you found out about Beaumont?" Watters sat at his desk in the police office with his two constables standing in front of him.

Scuddamore spoke first. "Beaumont owns five factories and mills through Dundee, but unlike the Cox and Baxter families, they are not concentrated in any single area. Two are near the Scouringburn, one in Lochee, one is on Brown"s Street, and one is off the Dens Road."

That much Watters knew already. He drummed his fingers on his desk, realised he was aping Mackay, and immediately stopped. "And Caskie?"

"The elder Caskie was a bitter man," Scuddamore said at once. "Nobody liked him. His foremen drove the hands hard, and he undercut his rivals by paying low wages."

"How did he get hands for his mills if he paid badly?"

"He recruited in Ireland," Scuddamore said. "The poor girls didn"t know what they were coming to until it was too late."

"And the younger Caskie?"

"William Caskie raised the wages as soon as he took over the company," Scuddamore said. "He has business interests in France; something to do with shipping, I believe."

Watters noted that down. "France again," he said. "I know that William Caskie has taken his new bride over there. Did you make out a list of the hands who Beaumont"s mills have released recently?"

"Yes, sir," Duff said. "There are only three. Two young girls, one aged fourteen who fell asleep at her work, one seventeen-year-old who swore at the supervisor, and a forty-year-old man with a history of drunkenness." Duff looked up. "He was named Alexander Mitchell; you might know him."

"I know the name," Watters said. "I arrested an Alexander Mitchell three months ago for a drunken assault on a p********e. I"m surprised that Mr Beaumont even employed him. Scuddamore, bring him in for questioning, and Duff, you talk to the young girls. I doubt they are involved, but it"s best to make sure."

"There is one more thing, Sergeant." Duff consulted his notebook. "The day after Lady of Blackness sailed from Calcutta, one of Caskie"s ships, Godiva, also sailed. She arrived in Dundee six days earlier than Lady."

Lady of BlacknessGodiva,Lady.Watters lifted his head. "Did you get her crew list?"

"Yes, Sergeant. All Caskie"s vessels have log books that include a list of the crew. I took a copy."

"Good man." Watters glanced at the list that Duff gave him. "Round them up and question them. I"ll speak to the master and mates."

Police detective work was like that, Watters thought as he knocked on Captain Bremner"s door. From the outside, it looked glamorous and exciting, waging war against crime, protecting the respectable from rogues and blackguards, but most of it was routine and tedious. For every fifty men and women that he questioned, perhaps two would be guilty of some crime, and mostly, it was petty theft or drunkenness.

Captain Bremner of Godiva was young, vigorous, and helpful. He listened to Watters"s questions and responded directly.

Godiva"Yes, I was aware of Lady of Blackness berthed alongside, and yes, I knew of the rivalry between the two companies." He grinned at that. "Old Mr Caskie always paid us a bonus if we beat a Beaumont ship to port."

Lady of Blackness"Are you aware that there was a murder on board Lady of Blackness?"

Lady of Blackness?"I am." Bremner nodded.

Watters instinctively liked this man. "Are you aware there was an attempt to set fire to Lady of Blackness?"

Lady of Blackness"I heard the rumours," Bremner said at once. "The police found gunpowder and fuses in the hold next to the body."

"I"ll come straight to the point, Captain Bremner. We think it is possible that somebody working for Mr Caskie may have wanted to damage or sink Lady of Blackness."

Lady of BlacknessBremner was equally direct. "Why would he want to do that? Godiva is a much faster ship built to young Mr Caskie"s French design. Lady of Blackness is the oldest and slowest of the Beaumont fleet; she is no threat to Godiva or any of the Caskie ships."

GodivaLady of BlacknessGodivaFrench design? "The two companies are business rivals," Watters prompted. "Perhaps somebody wished to remove the competition."

French design?Bremner shook his head. "No, Sergeant. I am a shipmaster, not a merchant, but as far as I can see, business is sufficiently brisk to ensure profit for everybody."

"Do you think it is possible that a member of your crew may have killed the victim?"

Bremner screwed up his face as he considered his reply. "Seamen have been known to brawl, Sergeant, particularly after a drink or two, and the crews of different ships sometimes fall out on shore. I won"t say that did not happen, but I can"t see why one of my men should have boarded Lady of Blackness. There would be no reason for it."

Lady of Blackness"Can you vouch for your hands, Captain?"

Again, Bremner screwed up his face. "No, Sergeant. They were a decent enough bunch, the usual mixture of experienced Sou" Spainers, Lascars, men looking for a passage home, and keen youngsters."

"Were they the same men you had on the outward passage?"

"Mostly," Bremner said. "We always lose a few men in Calcutta, some Lascars return home, and some men don"t leave the brothels in time. We contact one of the crimps—that"s the boarding masters—and make up the numbers that way. I use three-fingered Ned normally."

Watters nodded. That was a fair answer. Boarding masters, or crimps, were the usual port-of-call for shipmasters desperate to get crew. The boarding master or his women would welcome any stray seaman into his den, offer them drink, food, and female company for as long as their wages lasted. The moment the money ran out, the boarding master would hand the seaman over to any shipmaster that paid the required amount.

"We do what we have to do," Captain Bremner said.

Watters"s liking for this uncomplicated seaman intensified. "Thank you, Captain. You have been very helpful."

What had he learned? He now knew that William Caskie had no pressing commercial reason to attack Beaumont"s ship in Calcutta. Was there a personal reason? He would have to dig deeper. He had also confirmed William Caskie"s French connection. It was not much of a step forward after a full day"s labour, but it was something.