Walking a Fine Line: Day 5

Word Count: 30,106

Summary of Events:

Having finally spoken to everyone on Theresa's list of witnesses, and even to some other people whom those he'd spoken to had mentioned who weren't on Theresa's list, Joseph decided to call on Mr. Fannon again and ask some more questions. He went near closing time and, after having all of his questions answered — with the answers further reinforcing Mr. Varley's upstanding character — Joseph decided to ask some more questions of Mr. Varley, as well as discreetly finding out where Mr. Varley lived. To his frustration, Mr. Varley continued to be evasive, as well as to probe Joseph for information about himself, including seeking Joseph's surname, as he'd not yet learned it from anyone…

Excerpt of the Day:

Joseph set his jaw and glared at Mr. Varley stubbornly.

“You contend that I’m being evasive and withholding information from you,” Mr. Varley said. “But you have knowledge of a fact about me and refuse to share the same fact about yourself with me, which suggests to me that you’re being rather hypocritical. If you don’t want me to know things about you that you don’t know about me, then you should be willing to give me those pieces of information about yourself such as you already possess of me.”

Resentful of the validity of Mr. Varley’s point, Joseph glared at him for a long moment.

“Neil,” he finally spat bitterly.

“Joseph Neil,” Mr. Varley said. “That doesn’t sound too unique.”

“I can assure you that it is,” Joseph snapped. “My father was the only son to live long enough to have children of his own, thus none of my paternal cousins have the surname Neil, even if they have the same first name as I do.”

“But surely your grandfather had brothers,” Mr. Varley pressed.

“He didn’t bring his family here,” Joseph replied firmly. “After his death his wife moved her family here because she had relatives on her side in the city. Furthermore, I’ve not heard of having any relations outside of Chicago but within this country. All the other Neils I know of as relatives are still in Europe.”

“I don’t feel like Neil should be that uncommon of a surname,” Mr. Varley said. “Nevertheless, you have provided me that for which I asked, and for that, I thank you. Now a good night to you, Mr. Neil.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” Joseph declared. “And that’s not the only one I have for you either.”

“Some other time then,” Mr. Varley replied, indifference in his voice. “As I said, good night, Mr. Neil.”

A taxi pulled up to the curb and Mr. Varley got into the backseat. Joseph started toward the taxi to haul the door open and drag Mr. Varley out of the vehicle, but it pulled away from the curb almost immediately.

Managing to sight the license plate, Joseph read the numbers and letters on it and started repeating them over to himself, that he might commit the plate to memory and question the cabbie as to where he’d taken Mr. Varley, whom he angrily supposed to have spied the taxi coming and summoned discreetly, as he prided himself in being observant, yet he didn’t recall seeing Mr. Varley signal for the taxi in the way most people signalled, which was more obvious.

As he stared after the retreating machine until it disappeared, Joseph seethed that Mr. Varley had so craftily evaded him, and certainly thwarted him in his efforts to ascertain where Mr. Varley lived as well. He hoped that Mr. Varley was getting the cabbie to take him directly home, so that it would simply be a momentary delay, not a long-term evasion.