CHAPTER SEVEN

Detective Newcomb

For the next year Utterson did not see Mr Hyde. Indeed, there were no strange happenings in this time. Utterson scolded himself for worrying about Jekyll and Mr Hyde as he had—Jekyll seemed as normal as ever. Therefore, when Mr Newcomb, a police detective, came to see Mr Utterson, it was a huge shock.

Early one morning, Utterson's servant woke him and told him that a police detective was waiting downstairs and wanted to speak with him immediately.

Utterson dressed quickly and ran downstairs to meet the detective.

Utterson entered the living room, where the detective was waiting for him. He was surprised to see a young woman wearing a maid's uniform, sitting on one of his old chairs, crying. A policeman stood next to her and the detective, Mr Newcomb, was writing in a small notebook. The detective apologized to Utterson for coming at such an early hour. Then he asked the lawyer to come with him into another room so he could explain the reason for his visit and about the young woman.

"A terrible crime happened in the middle of last night," said the detective. "That girl is a maid, and she is the only person who saw the crime. We came here because we believe you can help us. I want you to hear the maid's story and tell me what you think. It is a bit hard for her to speak right now because she is quite frightened by what she has seen."

Mr Utterson nodded that he understood, and the two men went back into the living room. The girl tried to stop crying, and looked up at Mr Utterson with large, blue eyes. The woman seemed more frightened by the large, expensive house, than she was by the policeman at her side. She sat uncomfortably in the expensive chair and did not dare lay her arms on its clean, wooden arms.

"Now, Sarah," said the detective firmly, "this is Mr Utterson, he would like to hear your story. Stop crying how, please."

Though her eyes had begun to fill with tears again, Sarah controlled herself and began speaking, "Yes, sir, I'll try to speak clearly, sir. I had finished my work and went to my room at around eleven o'clock. Then, while I was sitting at my desk and looking out the window at the moon, I saw a fine old gentleman walking down the street ... "

Utterson interrupted, "You say that you were looking at the moon?"

Sarah turned a little red, "Yes, sir. I can see the river from my window and the moon looks so beautiful shining on it. It looks like a picture from the storybooks I used to read when I was a young girl in school."

The detective grew tired of her description and said quickly. "Yes, please continue your story. You saw the man walking."

Sarah nodded, and a few tears ran down her face. "He was wearing such nice clothing, and I knew that he must be a kind gentleman because he smiled so kindly at Mr Hyde."

"Mr Hyde!" Utterson exclaimed when he heard the name.

"Oh yes, it was definitely Mr Hyde," Sarah said. "I know him because he sometimes visits the house where I work. He is so strange-looking and angry. None of the servants like him and we all try to avoid him."

Now the detective interrupted again, for the story was becoming complicated. He explained to Utterson that two men happened to meet on the road that Sarah was watching from her window. The older man seemed to ask the second man for directions, for he bowed politely and pointed his finger down the road. The second man looked like Mr Hyde. The detective ordered Sarah to continue her story.

"Mr Hyde didn't answer him—I could see that he didn't open his mouth. He then began waving his big cane in the air and seemed to want the old gentleman to leave. He jumped up and down, almost like he was crazy with anger."

"Well, of course, the old gentleman was surprised, and he took a few steps back. I think he must have been a little afraid. I was certainly afraid, and I was safe inside! But as soon as the man stepped back, Mr Hyde jumped at him! He lifted up his big cane and then hit the gentleman on the head hard. The gentleman fell down onto one knee and Hyde just kept hitting him. When the gentleman fell down, Mr Hyde jumped right on him, and kept jumping up and down on his body and head. He was acting just like an animal in the zoo! And then ... I don't know any more."

"She had fainted," explained the detective. "When she woke up it was two o'clock this morning. Of course, Mr Hyde was gone, but the man still lay in the road dead. The body was in very bad condition. We found the bottom half of the cane in the street. The man was hit so hard that it broke, even though it was made from heavy and strong wood. The murderer must have carried the top half of the cane away with him." Mr Utterson suddenly felt his legs become weak, and he sat down quickly. He was afraid to hear the answer, but he asked anyway, "Who did Hyde kill?" "We are not sure yet," replied the detective. "His face was hit so hard that we can't tell who it is. That is why we have come to see you. The old man has a purse and a gold watch, but no papers with his name. But we found a letter in his pocket that is addressed to you. We think that the man was looking for a post box and asked Hyde where to find one."

Mr Utterson controlled his fears and followed the detective to the police station. There, the lawyer was led into a small room, where the body of the man lay under an old, thin blanket. When the blanket was pulled away from the face, Mr Utterson let out a cry of shock.

"This is Sir Danvers Carew. He was a member of Parliament and one of my clients."

"My God!" exclaimed the detective. "This is a terrible murder; certainly everyone will be talking about it soon. It is lucky that we already know who the murderer is. Now we only have to go and find him."

Utterson turned his head away from the dead man's face. "Perhaps I can help you find him!" he said. "I have met this Mr Hyde before and I know his address."

(end of section)