Short Story Fiction - Inspector Pascal Mysteries 1000 #16

#16: Pascal is up to his neck in this murder case
A new, classic-style detective is solving crimes in only 1000 words,
Inspector Pascal Mysteries 1000

INSPECTOR PASCAL MYSTERIES 1000
#16, Washed Away by T.K. Naliaka ©2016-2023

“I don’t think you’re crazy, sir!” Sergeant Braque called down. “They just don’t understand the way you work!”

The voice below asked. “But, you do?”

“Of course, sir!”

“I appreciate that; since I need you to pull me out of this!  I want it very clear that I’m not here because I enjoy slogging through decrepit drainage systems... just for the record or my obituary, preserving the family honor, of course!”

“I won’t let that happen, sir!”

“Thank you Sergeant Braque!”

“You’re welcome sir!”

He sighed and looked around, then he sloshed through thigh-deep water carefully examining the subterranean junction by his flashlight.  Crouching, he peered inside the wide, dark outlet pipe.  The flashlight’s beam went a long way, then dissipated in a deeper gloom.  After a few minutes, he called up, “Sergeant Braque!” There was no reply.  He frowned, “Sergeant Braque?”

The voice was cool and venomous. “I’m so sorry Inspector Pascal!  Your Sergeant Braque was called away for a moment…too bad for you!”

The line Pascal had used to climb down into the big cistern suddenly dropped to slap on the surface of the water.  He splashed over before it sank, gathered it up quickly in big loops and hung it over his shoulder, then shined the flashlight beam up, but he didn’t see anyone. There was a loud clang, then a grinding screeching. Pascal pointed the flashlight to his right and watched the old rusted iron metal sluice gate start to move.

Pascal quickly stepped back to look up. “Wait!”

“You will be washed to the river! It’s a two-hundred meters-long conduit!  I do not believe that you will be able to make it… alive that is!”

Pascal shouted. “That’s how you killed Ferdinand!  You lured him here, gave him a shove and his body was found floating eight kilometers downriver!”

“Almost effortless, yes; one of the easiest things I’ve ever had to do, next to disposing of you, too - just flushing my problems away!”

The water level was rising, swirling around his waist.  Pascal jumped to catch at a handhold, but fell short.  He shouted. “What did Ferdinand do?”

The voice was contemptuous. “He never did anything!  So why should he inherit this estate and not the one who worked it?”

Pascal countered. “But it’s all going to Lady Paulina’s nephew, Martin!  He’s never even stepped foot in this country, much less this estate!  At least Ferdinand came here often!”

There was a low chuckle. “He’ll come; provided the authorities permit him a visa!  It will take a while so Martin will need the current staff to care for it for him! It’s in immaculate condition, therefore everyone will recommend this!  Martin will not be able to resist his new role playing lord of the manor, so it will be status quo for a little while.  As for Ferdinand, he came, he drank, he staggered away, every one of his visits here a fog!”

“Martin will sell!  Then where you will be?”

“Living well off the sales of the valuables that none of them knew about because they forgot there exists a catalog of them!  It was very helpful to me to select what to tuck away year after year, none the wiser!”  He mimicked. ‘Are you sure, my Lady… you instructed to replace the blue vase with the green, to match your curtains two years ago.  Ferdinand, don’t you remember you broke the clock during your party in May?” He snorted. “It was so easy!”

The water was up to Pascal’s chest.  He grabbed at an iron ring above him as he could feel the strengthening pull of the flow towards the outlet pipe.  He missed, then lunged up again and again, but was still short.  Quickly he felt along the wall, but the smoothed cement denied his fingers a good grip.

He heard a laugh.

“Having trouble? Just think how your bodyguard will be disciplined for negligence for leaving you - even for just five minutes - underground in a 200-year-old drainage system!”

Pascal jumped and hooked his fingers in the ring.  He quickly fed the end of the line through it and knotted it.  The rising water was lifting his feet off the bottom and his body floated as he held onto the line and worked to wrap a loop around his waist.  Just in time, the sluice gate opened wider and the water surged through, crashing and churning around him.

Pascal clung to the rope. There was shouting and lights flashing, but with the water gurgling and rushing by his ears, he couldn’t make out what was being yelled; suddenly there was a huge splash.  He turned to see Cédron’s head break the surface of the water close to him.

Frantically, Cédron grabbed at the loose end of the line, then he pulled himself towards Pascal.  Pascal elbowed him as Cédron tried to climb up on Pascal to force his head under water.  Pascal stiff-armed him away. “It’s over Cédron!  Everything you said was recorded!  It’s far past dealing only with me!  Ferdinand was weak and flawed, but he didn’t deserve being murdered!”

There was a grinding clang and rumble as the sluice gate began to close.  Cédron’s face twisted with fury as he tried to grab Pascal again.  Pascal kicked out.  Cédron lost his grip on the line, then he thrashed and caught it.

Pascal coolly held his gaze. “One murder, then the next seems as easy… and easier to justify!  No court in the world would have convicted you of Ferdinand’s murder!  There was no evidence!  But now you’ve given us the confession we didn’t have!!  You’ve sealed your own fate!  You’ll hang for that crime!”

Cédron stared at Pascal.  He looked up, saw police.  Finally, he slowly shook his head.  He let go of the rope, sank under the churning water and was gone.

Pascal waited.  The water at last drained; he was alone.  Chilled, he called up wearily. “Sergeant Braque, I want to get out of here.” by T.K. Naliaka ©2016 All rights reserved