Wellington, New Zealand. September 1881
The whereabouts of John Valentine, a notorious vagabond from Dublin and a known distiller of contraband alcohol, has been of interest to local police for sometime.
The Irishman is a cult hero to many, but certainly not the methodical and resolute Senior Sergeant Frank Aitchison. When the remnants of a recently dismantled still are discovered, within the confines of a graveyard, Aitchison believes he has his man.
But Valentine’s network is much wider than the good copper knows. He has connections and hide-outs all across the city and is seemingly always one step ahead of the law.
Unbeknownst to Valentine himself though, the water drafted for his latest moonshine operation, came from a stream believed to be contaminated by grave effluence.
A recent spate of earthquakes were responsible for damage to burial sites in the Bolton Street Cemetery, which sits on the hill above Lambton Quay and the major residential suburb of Thorndon.
Medical practitioners shared concerns that the municipal water supply had become contaminated by seeping tomb discharge, likely the result of the rapid spread of zygotic diseases.
City councillors disagree, but scaremongering is rife, with mounting public concerns and some absurd theories propounded.
Valentines latest batch - unaware that he has brewed a deadly concoction - is covertly distributed to the usual cohorts and unwittingly unleashed on an unsuspecting public.
A weekend of chaos prevails, with wide spread panic and uncertainty around the capital.
Police pathologist, William Dakers, proposes that a chemical reaction between the processes of fermentation and decomposition, is somehow responsible for the mysterious deaths of the past twenty-four hours.
The hunt for John Valentine intensifies. The police chief becomes obsessional about catching the rogue and bringing him to justice. Every cop in the city is out following leads and looking for him.
Will Frank Aitchison nab him, before he can escape Wellington city?