2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 6: Too Much Iron in the Sand

The Advocate and the solicitor stood in the middle of the sweltering glass factory. Blane continued: ‘Lady Carmunnock’s intention today is to find the child we saw last week and to take her away from all of this.’

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 5: But Why There?

‘Remarkably clever, your man, Edward.’ Kane and Collins were sipping their coffee in the Advocates Reading Room. Kane smiled: ‘I must have missed that aspect, Collins.’ The other Advocate furrowed his brows: ‘I thought that it was quite ingenious. His view of the spider. An analysis that went to the very heart of our accepted jurisprudence.’ Kane shrugged: ‘I’m not sure that ’. Collins wagged his finger: ‘No, Edward, no. The example is instructive. The spider is proceeding along on familiar ground – well-known to him – and suddenly – without advertisement – a barrier is imposed – quite arbitrarily – upon his ability to progress. With a severe penalty for transgression. To cross the line of the circle – in this case – means death. And the spider does not know that. And then, when spider – inadvertently – even manages to obey the new law, he is still punished. The whole tale is an object example of the arbitrary exercise of power.’

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 15: The Properties of a Dream Under Opium

Kane’s heart was sinking. It had become obvious by now that the judge had already taken the time to set up the relevant cases in order to have the enjoyment of knocking them down like skittles. Lord Minto smiled: ‘You were about to move on the case Baillie v Agnew perhaps you could help me with something first?’

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 14: When in Wicklow

If sworn to tell the honest truth about the matter, then Mr Horse would have to admit that he was lurking. Horse was not a lurker by nature – preferring victory or defeat in open contest – but on this occasion his prospective opponent – Big Brendan – would have to be approached with a significant degree of caution.

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 13: No Return on That Investment

The kettle was on in the Kane household for that prodigiously strong cuppa, but all was not well.‘You in pain, Mr K?’ Horse sat at the table, smoking his long clay pipe and drinking from his old tin mug.

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 12: Tiny Shards of Green Glass

Here’s a question: when a blind person is hit over the head with a bottle, do they see stars? Perhaps it depends on what is meant by the words ‘seeing’ and ‘stars’. Scientists tell us that a blow to the head can cause significant pressure on the eyes, especially the light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye. The bang on the head can activate those cells and the brain reads their activation as flashes, spots and stars.

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 10: Luck Had Nothing To Do With It

Mr Horse and the foreman, Conar Boylan sat in the filthy drinking den and drank on. The Irishman grinned and continued his narrative: ‘So the day came to decide who was going to get the money to take one of us across the water to Edinburgh and one of my brothers – I think it was Padraig – said: “But how are we going to decide this?” And I said “We should draw lots - like them soldiers did under the cross – you know, when they were trying to decide who got Jesus’s clothes and such.” And everybody nodded. And then Padraig tell a lie, it was Michael said: “So what do we use? Do we draw straws or matches or what?” And at that point, I was lighting my pipe, and I had this little fella out ’. Boylan shook the little tobacco tin in his hand and Horse heard the scrunching sound of matches inside. ‘And I said “Here you go – whoever draws the shortest match wins”. And so we had our pick of the matches, and when we laid the matches side-by-side, what did you know: it was my match was the short...

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 8: What Have I Missed Here?

Collins sat polishing his spectacles with a small square of silk. He was shaking his head: ‘You were wrong, you know, Edward.’

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 7: None So Blind

‘So – Mr Horse – what did you make of the good Lady Carmunnock?’ ‘Honestly, sir?’

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2 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 4: Patria Potestas

‘A punch, Mr K?’ Mr Horse puffed on his pipe. ‘For a girl? Oooh, sir – I don’t know about that. But how old was the girl, again?’

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3 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 18: What Does it All Mean?

Lord Minto had settled himself into his seat and nodded towards the young Advocate. Kane gave a little smile and bow in response. The judge continued: ‘It was a fool’s errand with which he was entrusted, but he stuck to his task admirably despite my, um, “assistance”.’

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3 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 17: They Ran from the Scene

Supper of left-over scraps finished, Mr Horse looked over to his master and patted his stomach: ‘Any joy yet, Mr K? Any “movement”?’

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3 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 16: No King Solomon, I Assure You

Dim in that courtroom. Edward Kane couldn’t really say why, but he had found himself looking out of the window during the exchange between the child and the judge. Changeable weather today. Rain earlier. Then sunny. And now more rain. Clouds as black as ash crawled across the bleak Edinburgh sky. The court was now in semi-darkness as if evening had crept into the room. But there was a beam of golden light coming through the window and shining on the child’s face. It reminded Kane of a portrait of a Catholic saint. And with the child’s last question, something in the judge was changing. Hard to identify. As if the air was coming out of the balloon.

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3 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 3: The Creature Had Taken a Different Form

The Advocates Reading RoomCollins, Edward Kane’s friend, gave a little cough to stifle what he feared was an impolite chuckle rising in his throat.Edward Kane, solicitous, leaned forward: ‘Are you quite well, my friend?’

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3 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 11: Having Trouble with Big Brendan?

The gigantic Irishman was so close now, that Horse could smell his rancid breath. Horse took stock of the situation. In a fair fight, one without weapons, the best that Horse could hope for was a kind of ignominious draw, where he would get in a few jabs, then take to his heels and run; on the other hand, if Horse could only produce and utilise his nine-inch iron bar (affectionately known as ‘Aunty Betty’), then Horse could ‘brain’ his oversized opponent (assuming that this confrontational gentleman possessed a brain in the first place). Two complications: (1) the iron bar was in the sleeve of Horse’s jacket, which jacket was hanging on the back of the chair beside the table, and (2) the aggressor was carrying a weapon of his own, a large green bottle. Best play it safe for now. Horse was fond of the song ‘Ten Green Bottles’, but he didn’t want to be hit over the head by one. He gave a nervous laugh: ‘Service is slow tonight, ennit.’ The barmaid slid two rums onto the counter and he...

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3 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 2: And in the Middle of that Circle

‘Cheeky madam!’ Mr Horse was crouched at the fireplace, frying sausages in an enormous pan.

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3 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 1: A Little Paintbrush Had Painted Little Spider Webs

Edinburgh, 1854 ‘Did I ever tell you, Mr K, about the time when I got struck by lightning?’ Things were quiet on this lazy day in the Kane household.

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3 w. ago Edward Kane and The Voice of the Spider. Chapter 9: I Was Caned at School

After the testy encounter with Lord Minto, Kane and solicitor Blane took a promenade side-by-side, up and down the great Parliament Hall.

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