The Midnighter

November 16, 1893 (Duncan Brown's Diary)

10:44 P.M. I have decided to write every detail of this case. So far in my life, I have seen many homicidal cases, but this case seems to be something else. No, not about the killer- the killer has been confirmed, I am thinking about the motive. Something doesn't just fit right. Although I know the verdict would come out soon and Willis would be punished for this, the death penalty most possibly, and my speculations would be of no use. Yet, I think maybe there is something or someone else involved in this case, that Willis is not revealing. If it is true, then I have to find it out before anyone else gets hurt before the court releases its verdict; I am the police inspector of Whitby, and I must ensure the safety and security of my people. The news of this case is now high among the civilians, and in the newspaper, they call it, 'The Hudson Horror'.

This is the murder case of Kingsley Wood. At first, I am writing down the primary details of this case:

Victim: Kingsley Wood; Age: 31; Occupation: Businessman; Address: 312 Hudson Street; Died: Sunday, 12th of November; Cause of death: Homicide, having hit on the backside of the head; Weapon used: A walking stick

Prime suspect: James Willis, Age: 54, Occupation: Teacher, Address: 312 Hudson Street, Motive of murder: Unknown

Currently, Willis is under my custody. At first, I thought it was a straight and simple homicide case, as all the pieces of evidence and witnesses testified against James Willis, and there was nothing to solve here. But then, after observing Wills, it felt as if this case, maybe, is not as simple as I thought. As per the circumstantial shreds of evidence that were seen and collected, it was understood that there was a rough tussle between Kingsley Wood and James Willis, which resulted in Kingsley getting mortally wounded. However, the motive of this incident was unclear to the department and the people of Hudson; though the case seems simple and clear, the whole department thought not to think about it much. I, was not quite satisfied with the department's decision, especially what Willis said while he was being arrested. He shouted that Kingsley was a monster, and if I remember clearly, he mentioned Kingsley's height. This is where I got stuck. No, I never thought of Willis being innocent, but I thought about someone else's involvement here.

After Willis was sent to jail, I went to Hudson Street for some interrogation; I asked Willis' other tenants and got to know some interesting, but doubtful information. Willis was never an aggressive man, rather he was one of the most polite and innocent they have met. Willis never argued with anyone or caused any such incident, nor did he hurt anyone ever. His parents passed away quite a long time ago, and his wife died a few years ago, and he has no children, and thus, has no family. He remained alone and busy with his work. Whenever anyone needed help, they did not hesitate to ask Willis; if he could, he would help. Willis never consumed alcohol or had a habit of women's company. However, I had confirmed the alcohol fact, as I hadn't found any traces of alcoholic drinks, cocaine, or other similar stuff. In short, Willis is a man with, probably, no polluted past, or character. He seems like a man worthy to be idolised. But now the question arises, if this man is so humble to have not even entered into arguments, suddenly what forced him to wound someone to death?

After I interrogated Willis' tenants, I told my department about it. They insisted that I should not overthink it, as the case was already completed and resolved; well, they were not wrong as the collected evidence, supposedly the main one, depicted who is the killer. The walking stick was bloodstained on the lower end, which indicates that it had been used to hit the victim. But one more thing that was seen was that the handle part of the stick had some grease upon it. Although I understood the reason when I went for the interrogation of the local people, who were present near the building. So according to them, this is what happened that day- Those people regularly sat there and gossiped. That day was no less than a normal one, and so they were there. A few of them noticed Willis come down with a bunch of papers and take out his cycle, only to realise that some of its parts needed to be fixed. Those people went to ask about the problem to help him, but Willis thankfully said that he could do it on his own. So they walked back and continued their gossip. Willis was fixing and lubricating the wheel bearing and the chain; he went out somewhere and brought grease for it. But then for some reason, he went back into the building and then he did not return and, after a while, they heard the scream, following which they discovered the incident.

I cross-checked all these facts and confirmed that they are true. After the interrogation ended, I wanted to return to the police station and note it down, so that the witnesses could be summoned further, to record their statements officially. But as I was about to leave, I suddenly remembered what Willis said while being arrested, and so I went back to those people. "Excuse me please, I have already taken much time of yours, but I have one last question. Can any of you tell me what was the height of Kingsley?" All of them were surprised to hear this, but I do not know why, I felt that I needed to know this. Seems ridiculous, I know, but it is the truth. "Kindly tell me, even if it's a guess. If any of you have noticed his height?" They discussed within themselves and after a few minutes, they nodded their heads in slight despair. As none of them could answer, and I understood, that my doubt was a bit astonishing for them. But just then, one of them raised his hand and came up to me. "I work here in the nearby coffee shop. I have seen Kingsley many times, I think I will be able to tell." I listened carefully as he said, "He was somewhere around 5 feet 6 or 7 inches, but I am sure not more than that." I deliberately asked him, "Are you sure? Think again." He nodded his head up and down, and said, "Absolutely sure, sir. Not more than that." I asked the others present there if they could confirm whether what he said was true or not; they affirmed. I gladly thanked him and left. But instead of the police station, I went to the mortuary where Kingsley's corpse had been kept.

Fortunately, I got the sight of the forensic specialist there. I told him to take me to the room where Kingsley's corpse was kept. At first, he felt strange, but I comforted him saying that it was just a regular check as it was a murder case; at the moment, I felt, not to disclose the actual reason. He took me to the room and opened the chamber. There I saw, Mr. Kingsley Wood, lying comfortably as if he were sleeping; hard to believe on sight, that it was a dead man. I stood there and sighed. "Is everything alright?", said the forensic doctor. "Oh, yes, alright. You may close the chamber, as the smell and the sight, both are certainly not pleasant!" The doctor did so. As he was closing the chamber, I said, "I need to check the detailed note of this corpse." The doctor nodded and provided me with the note sheet; there I could check every necessary detail of Kingsley Wood. I went through all of them, but my eyes got stuck on one point. It was written on the sheet that the height of Kingsley Wood is 6 feet 6 inches. How is this possible? I asked the doctor whether all the mentioned facts were re-examined and authentic. He said, "Yes, Inspector Duncan. I can assure you of that. All of the points written, are authentic and examined properly under my supervision." It was ridiculous and astounding! How can anyone's height increase within a span of a few days? When I saw Kingsley's corpse, I realised that he was taller than most men. But then, did that man at Hudson Street say incorrect? But it cannot be, as others confirmed it. Did they lie? No, I don't think they would. But if both are correct, how did Kingsley get taller within a span of a few days? Something is not quite right here. I need an answer to this before the court's judgement, and I know that only one man can help me with this and that is James Willis.