It’s taken a little longer than Lord John Grey would like, but he’s finally getting some answers in A Plague of Zombies Section 15. He also gets confirmation that the bite marks are human.
This chapter sees Dawes finally share a little about the governor’s past. This connects to Nancy Twelvetrees, which finally helps John to understand her animosity toward him. Did she arrange for his death, though? It would certainly seem it.
We also learn more about Cresswell. At least, we learn where he could have been taken. Sometimes, it would be helpful if people could just give all the information at the start!
Breaking down A Plague of Zombies Section 15
Lord John Grey and Tom Byrd are starting the medical examination on the body. In the way that they can, anyway. Tom has the stomach to look at dead bodies, and I love that he’s just getting right in there to help John. It’s funny seeing how other men react to this.
Tom notes that the teeth marks in the governor are definitely human. That at least rules out wild animals getting in. This was murder; pure and simple. They do eventually find stab wounds, indicating that he was stabbed to death.
Dawes, who is feeling rather faint at all the blood and gore around the room, shares that the governor seduced Nancy Twelvetrees while in London. He discarded her for someone else, though, so it explains why she is so bitter toward the man. When he came to Jamaica, things were even worse for Nancy. He ended up getting involved with Black woman.
Well, it was getting involved with her when the fear of snakes came up. This must signify that she said something about her superstitions or that someone has used that to their advantage.
John arranges for the governor’s body to be wrapped and taken to the shed. While on their way, Rodrigo appears. He is not all that willing to help with the situation. The staff clearly know something, but we need to get it out of them.
The conversation moves onto Captain Cresswell, who is missing. Well, he was accused of “corruption and peculations,” and many believe that he was captured by Captain Accompong of the maroons. They think he’s been in collusion with the governor, and they want answers.
It all comes back to the maroons, but it doesn’t look like it was the maroons who killed the governor. So, what do the maroons want? Lord John Grey needs to think on this.
Could this chapter be used in a TV series adaptation?
There is so much going on in this chapter that connects to the plot. There would be no way around using this chapter if A Plague of Zombies was adapted. In fact, it doesn’t make sense to skip over any of this.
We have a few plot threads at play. The first is the connection to Nancy Twelvetrees. Is it possible that a Twelvetrees is on the wrong side of the law this time? The second is Cresswell’s mention and connection to the maroons. We also have the investigation into the governor’s body and what that brings up.
This chapter certainly leaves us with more questions, and it would be a great end to an act in a TV episode.
Let us know what you spotted in this chapter via Facebook and Twitter