7 Secrets Never to Be Told

Chapter 2

The Great Fire - St. John (Saint John), New Brunswick - June 20, 1877

The bells of the City's churches chimed for hours, but now only a few of their proud steeples stood, for their bells lay spent on burning beams never to ring out again. Their ghostly peals reverberated too late, too late.

Many citizens heeded their strikes and moved to safer ground; still others thought the fire would pass having no effect on them, so they waited. One of these unfortunate souls was Jean Baptiste Dupuis, known to his friends simply as Jean or Frenchie.

Jean, a private investigator, was on lookout for Seth Shaw, also known as The Crow. The man is a murderer, rapist and a notorious drug smuggler and expected to dock his ship, The Raven, at its mooring at Sidney Slip.

The Raven was not difficult to recognize, as it was a large four-mast schooner, painted black with gold trim, with two large ravens carved and mounted on each end of the ship and in their beaks it was rumoured to hold human skulls.

When The Raven arrives, Jean was to head to Market Slip to inform Lucas Lyon, his boss and Chief Inspector Michael McLaughlin of Scotland Yard. The team was preparing to arrest Seth Shaw, but to do so they required his arrival time, and location for apprehension.

When Jean spotted The Raven, turning around in the harbour to return to Market Slip, he should have left to report what he seen, but Jean and his fellow gamblers were deeply involved in a high stake game. It was such a glorious day, hand after hand of cards pushed the pots his way and left his penniless marks crying in their ale. They paid little attention to the fire around them with only a few slipping away after losing their coins.

It was not until Jean concentrated once more on his surroundings, and heard all the remaining churches' bells, that he finally took real notice. He swore, cursing myself for his stupidity. He slipped his winnings into two leather pooches, drew the strings tight and tied both bags to his belt; now to save himself, if he was not too late.

He began to work his way down Prince William Street, to Market Slip, but to no avail. Flames jumped from wooden shingled rooftop to rooftop leaving homes and business destroyed. Only blacken skeletons remained of trees and glass from exploding windows flew through the air like blades of grass in a strong wind. To protect the veins in his neck, Jean pulled up his coat's collar, and wrapped a scarf around his head and face. The smells of burning wood filled his lungs, burned his eyes and he cursed himself again.

Turning around, Jean tried a number of other streets, but fire blocked his way. His nerves raw, he jumped when he felt the ground shake. He thought for a second it was an earthquake, but soon discovered that brick walls were collapsing from losing their building's interior wooden frames, so now fallen hot bricks further blocked sidewalks and streets. The wind rose and a wall of suffocating heat rolled like a wave towards him knocking him off his feet.

Going back was not an option, for the South End was a peninsula; one might drown or be burn alive. Fearing for his life, Jean preceded to work his way down Germain Street. The heat was unbearable and the rush of confused citizens running away, or towards him, made the walking even more difficult.

He heard the panic in the screams of two women crying out for help, for their invalid father, who was sitting in a chair in the middle of the street. He thought about helping them, but he was not anyone's hero today. His conscience was relieved when he saw someone coming to assist them.

Large maples and elm trees exploded into flames sending flares in all directions and terrifying the city residents. "Mon Dieu!" the words escaped Jean's parched throat as he propelled through the air. Instincts clicked in immediately and he threw his hands out in front of him to break his fall. He landed hard on his hands and knees feeling the hot cobblestones beneath him. As he sat down on the stones and tried to catch his breath, Jean looked to see what made him trip. He was relieved to see only a dead dog, and not a human body lying there.