A Day in the Lonesome October-fest, October 15

The continuing account of reading A Night in the Lonesome October with an nine-year-old, out loud and during the day.

October 15

I made my rounds again, then went off to drag the inspector a little farther along. Having done it both ways, they're easier when they're stiff than when they're limp, and he was limp again.

Lily was confused by this, so I explained the process of rigor mortis to her. (And algor mortis and livor mortis, because I paid for that degree in forensic chemistry, and I'm goddamned well going to use it)

An eyepatched man with shaggy hair, a terrible limp, and a withered hand staggered by, selling pencils from a tin cup. I went on point even before he emerged from the fog, recognizing from the scent that it was the Great Detective in disguise. Jack bought a pencil from him and paid him handsomely for it.

He muttered a "Bless you, guv'nor" and limped off.

Lily really likes the segments where the Great Detective is disguised as someone. She's going to be in for a treat over the course of the month.

I predicted in an earlier post that she would warm to Graymalk's name the more she liked the character, so I asked her what she thought of the name. I mentioned that she possibly comes from the play Macbeth. She knows who Shakespeare is, but wasn't familiar with Macbeth, so I told her a little about it, and reassured her that both Jill and Gray make it to the end.