Free The King's Evil by Edward Marston

you thought the nightwatchman
might be guilty of something else.'
    'Yes,'
said Christopher. 'Drunkenness. He is far too honest to be in league with any
thieves but he is also elderly and prone to fatigue. I believe that he drank
himself into a stupor here last night. That is why the thieves were able to
strike again.'
    'What
proof do you have, Mr Redmayne?'
    'Only
this,' said the other, holding up an empty flagon. 'It was hidden under the
tarpaulin near the nightwatchman's bench. My guess is that he brought this for
companionship, drank it to keep himself awake but found that it only made him
slumber more soundly.'
    'Dismiss
the wretch!' cried the lawyer. 'I'll bring an action against him for
dereliction of duty.'
    'That
is the last thing we must do,' said Christopher firmly. 'The nightwatchman may
be our one asset in this business.'
    'Asset!'
    'Yes,
Mr Creech.'
    'A
drunken nightwatchman is an asset?'
    'If
he is seen on duty again tonight, the thieves may be tempted to strike again.
Cover the site with additional guards and they will be frightened away
completely.' Christopher gave a shrug. 'What chance will we have then of
apprehending them and recovering our property?'
    Littlejohn
nodded sagely. 'Mr Redmayne has hit the mark.'
    'I
fail to see how,' complained Creech. 'It sounds like madness.'
    'Humour
us for one night,' said Christopher. 'We are only dealing with two or three
men. That is why they take away the lighter materials and leave most of the
stone and the lead. They are limited in what they can carry. They must rob us
piecemeal. I have a theory, Mr Creech. Let me put it to the test.'
    'And
lose even more of our building materials? Never!'
    'Nothing
else will be stolen, I assure you.'
    'How
do you know?'
    'Trust
me, Mr Creech.'
    'Why?
Will the nightwatchmen stay awake tonight?'
    'Oh,
no,' said Christopher with a smile. 'He will doze off even sooner. I will buy
him a flagon of beer myself to make sure that he does not get in anyone's way.
The last thing we need is a nightwatchman who actually stays awake throughout
the night.'

Over
thirty of them attended the meeting but they took care to leave at intervals in
twos and threes. Under the terms of the Clarendon Code, a gathering of more
than five adults for the purposes of worship was considered to be an unlawful
assembly. If they were caught, heavy fines would be imposed. Persistent
offenders could be imprisoned or even transported and Jesus-Died-To-Save- Me
Thorpe belonged in that category. He was the last to slip out of the house. He
had no fears for himself but family responsibilities weighed upon him. His
wife, Hail- Mary, was ill and unable to attend the Quaker meeting that night.
She needed him to look after her. It was a bad time for him to be apprehended
so he was obliged to exercise discretion for once.
    There
was another reason why he had to avoid arrest. Concealed under his coat were
the remaining copies of a pamphlet which he had written and printed for
distribution to the Friends. His views On The Evils Of
The Established Church were trenchant and they would lead to severe punishment if they fell into the
hands of the authorities. Carrying such forbidden tracts on his person gave him
a feeling of righteous power but it was tempered by the caution brought on by
worries about Hail-Mary Thorpe's illness. Her husband had to get back to her
safely.
    Since
she was upset that she had missed the meeting, he decided to console her by
reading his pamphlet to her once again. It would be a form of medicine.
    It
was late as he wended his way home. Part of his journey took him along the
riverbank and he could hear the Thames lapping greedily at the wharves. Many
warehouses had now been rebuilt and commercial activity restored to an area
blighted by the fire. Thorpe walked swiftly, glad that there were so few people
about at that hour. He was leaving Queenhithe Ward when the three men lurched
out ahead of him. Instinctively he stepped into a doorway, his black