CHAPTER FIVE

Blackmail ... or Murder?

Mr Hyde looked up in surprise. His mouth opened and he made a hissing sound, like a snake. He said coldly, "You surprised me, sir. Hyde is my name. What do you want?" His voice was rough. His eyes looked at Utterson's face quickly, but he kept his head turned away, as if he did not want Utterson to look at him.

"I saw that you were about to enter this house," answered Utterson. He tried to keep his voice calm and cheerful. "My name is Gabriel John Utterson, and I am Jekyll's friend and lawyer. You have probably heard of me. I was about to visit the doctor, and I thought you might let me inside the house?"

"Dr Jekyll is not at home. How do you know me?" Hyde asked. He was still looking away from Utterson.

"Let's make an agreement," said Utterson. "I will answer your question, if you will let me see your face."

Mr Hyde did not move for a moment. Then he turned and faced Utterson with an angry look. For a long moment the two men looked at each other. They seemed to be deciding if the other was dangerous. Then Utterson spoke.

"Now I know you," he said. "This will be useful."

"Yes," said Hyde. "It is good that we have met. Also, you should have my address." He gave Utterson an address in a different area of the city. Utterson knew that part of London, and it was not a nice one.

"Has he, too, been thinking about the will?" thought Utterson with fear. But he said nothing.

"Now," said Hyde, "how do you know me?"

"Oh, I was told what you look like by a common friend of ours," Utterson said cheerfully.

"Common friend?" said Hyde. Utterson noticed that he looked like an animal that has been caught in a trap. "Who is he?"

"Well ... Henry Jekyll, for one," said Utterson. He suddenly felt afraid of what Hyde could do.

"He never told you anything about me!" said Hyde. He turned red with anger and his voice hissed like a snake's. "I did not think that you were a liar!"

"Oh, now listen! That is not polite language," said the lawyer calmly.

Hyde snarled aloud like a dog. This sound quickly turned into an evil laugh. Suddenly he spat at Utterson's feet! The next moment he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house, slamming the door behind him.

Mr Utterson stood where Hyde had left him. He felt sick inside. His meeting with Hyde had only given him a little bit of information. Then he turned and walked away, thinking about what had happened. Hyde was pale and short, like a dwarf. He seemed somehow broken and deformed. But even though his face and body were horribly ugly, their shape was normal. His smile was unpleasant, and his behavior was disturbing. He seemed bold, but also terribly afraid of people. But why? Then, there was his hoarse, whispering, and somewhat broken voice. But even though he tried, Utterson simply could not explain why this man was so horrible to him. Hyde looked like a human being, but Utterson had the strange feeling that the man was a monster!

"This man is like the devil himself!" Utterson said. "To think that Henry has chosen him to receive all his money!"

Mr Utterson walked around the corner. He entered an area that had some old houses that were once beautiful. Now they were broken looking and dirty, and did not look well cared for. However, there was one house on the street that was better cared for than the others, and looked more comfortable. Mr Utterson knocked at its door, although it was late at night. The door opened and a well dressed, older man looked out.

"Good evening, Poole," said the lawyer. Poole was Jekyll's head servant. "Is Dr Jekyll at home?"

"I will go see, Mr Utterson," said Poole. He opened the door wide and Utterson entered the large hall. There were large, wood tables standing on both sides of the room and a thick, dark red rug on the floor.

"Please wait here by the fire, sir, or would you like to wait in the dining room?" asked Poole, pointing toward the large, warm fireplace.

"I will wait here by the fire, thank you," said Mr Utterson.

Utterson sat by the fire and waited until Poole returned and told him that Dr Jekyll was not at home. Utterson felt less worried after hearing Poole's words.

Casually the lawyer said, "I just saw Mr Hyde enter the house through the old laboratory door, Poole. Does Dr Jekyll allow him into the house, even when he is not at home?"

"Yes, sir, it's quite all right," replied Poole. "Dr Jekyll gave him a key."

"The doctor seems to trust that young man quite a lot," continued Utterson.

"Yes, he does, sir," replied Poole. "We all have been ordered to obey him as if he were the doctor." Mr Utterson turned toward the door.

Then, acting as if he had just thought of it, he said, "I don't remember meeting Mr Hyde at any of Dr Jekyll's wonderful dinners."

Poole looked shocked. "No, sir. Mr Hyde never dines here. Actually, we almost never see him in this part of the house, in the living rooms. He usually just uses the laboratory."

"I see. Well, I must go, goodnight, Poole."

"Good night, Mr Utterson."

The lawyer walked home feeling very worried about his friend. "Poor Henry Jekyll," he thought. "I fear something terrible might happen to him. When we were in college together he was a wild young man, but that was so long ago and he is such a famous and good man now. Any bad affairs he may have had in the past should have been forgotten. But now it seems that this Mr Hyde has learned some terrible secret of his and is blackmailing him."

As Utterson came close to home, he realized that Mr Hyde also looked like a man with many secrets and terrible acts to hide. Utterson knew that Hyde was already doing one horrible act—blackmail. He feared that this strange man might be planning an even worse crime—murder!

"Henry is in great danger," thought Utterson. "If that monster Hyde learns that he will receive all Jekyll's money, he may decide to get it all quickly; he may kill Jekyll!"

Utterson suddenly felt full of determination. He would go see Henry Jekyll. He would find a way to help his oldest friend. He would protect Jekyll from Mr Hyde and any other troubles he faced, no matter what happened. And together, he and Jekyll would end the power that Hyde had over the doctor!

(end of section)