The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 118 The Return (33)
"Our French friends seem to have hit the nail on the head this time, and they have a point, she knocked at the door. It was an unexpected visitor, and Lucas rarely interacted with the outside world, because Lucas couldn't keep her on the street. That's why she opened the door and let her in. Mrs. Vernaille told Lucas that she had been looking for him and had reproached him. Things are always connected, and the dagger was hanging on the wall and within reach. But it didn't It was not stabbed to death at once. You can see that the chairs were all over the side, and Lucas was holding a chair in his hand. He wanted to use the chair to block Mrs. Lucas. It seems that the matter is very clear, as if it happened It's the same as before."

Holmes opened his eyes wide, looked at Lestrade, and asked, "Why are you looking for me?"

"Ah, that's another thing, a trifle, but it's odd, as you call it an anomaly, so I'm sure you'll be interested. It doesn't have anything to do with the main fact, at least on the face of it. Nothing to do."

"So, what's the matter?"

"You know, when things like this happen, we always take great care to protect the place. We have people on guard day and night, and nothing is allowed to be touched, and nothing has been touched. We buried the man this morning, and the investigation has been completed. It's over, so we thought we'd clean the house too. The rug wasn't attached to the floor, it was just sitting there. We happened to lift the rug and found..."

"What? You found out..."

Holmes's face was strained with impatience.

"I bet you'd never guess for the life of you what we found. Did you see that bloodstain on the rug? Most of it soaked through the rug?"

"Is such that."

"But don't you wonder that there is no blood in the corresponding place on the white floor?"

"No blood! But, it must be..."

"Although you say that there must be, but in fact there is not."

He held a corner of the carpet, turned it over at once, in order to confirm what he said, and said: "No, the blood stains under the carpet are the same as on the top, and there must be traces."

Lestrade chuckled happily as he watched the famous detective bewildered: "Now I'll show you the answer. There's a second bloodstain, but it's not in the same place as the first." .You can see it very clearly."

As he spoke, he lifted the other corner of the carpet, and immediately, a purple blood stain appeared on the clean white floor. "Mr. Holmes, what do you think of this?"

"Quite simply, the two bloodstains were supposed to be identical, but someone turned the rug. The rug is square and it's not stapled so it moves easily."

"Mr. Holmes, we police don't need you to tell us that the rug must have been turned. It's obvious because the blood on the rug should just cover the blood on the floor. What I want to know is who moved the rug and why. ?”

I could see from Holmes' sluggish expression that he was very excited.

After a while, he asked, "Lestrade, has the policeman at the door guarded the scene?"

"Yes."

"Please do as I advise you to ask him carefully. But not in front of us. Take him to the back room and talk to him alone, and he may admit it. Ask him why he dared to let someone else in , and left the man alone in the house. Don’t ask if someone came in, just say you know someone has come in, press him, tell him that only by confessing can he be forgiven. Remember to follow what I said do it!"

"I can guarantee that if he knows, I will be able to get him out of him!" said Lestrade.He hurried down the passage, and a few minutes later his commanding voice was heard from the back room.

Only then did Holmes say to me ecstatically, "Watson, look!" He couldn't hide his inner excitement, and instead of his calm demeanor just now, he lifted up his spirits.He quickly pulled the carpet away, prostrated himself on the floor, and tried to break apart every square plank of the floor with his hands.He kept lifting the board with his nails, and suddenly, a board moved.Like a box-lid, it flipped up from where the leaves had been, and there was a small black hole beneath, into which Holmes hastily thrust his hand, drawing it back with a groan of anger and disappointment.The hole is empty.

"Quick, Watson, quick, put the rug away!" No sooner had the board been covered and the rug put away than Lestrade's voice was heard in the passage.When he came in, Holmes was lounging, leaning against the mantelpiece, doing nothing, looking patient, and yawning with his hands over his mouth.

"Mr. Holmes, I am sorry to have kept you waiting. I am afraid you are getting impatient? He has admitted it. Come here, Macpherson, and let these gentlemen hear of your good deeds."

The tall policeman, flushed with shame and regretful, crept into the house and whispered, "Sir, I really did not mean to do anything wrong. A young woman came to the gate last night, She got the house number wrong. We started talking. It's boring to be here all day."

"So, what happened next?"

"She wanted to see where the murder had been committed. She said she had seen it in the paper. She was a very respectable and very talkative woman. I thought it would be all right to let her see. As soon as she saw the blood on the carpet , immediately passed out on the floor, and lay there dead. I ran back and got some water, but couldn't wake her. I went to the 'Ivy Store' on the corner and bought a little brandy, But when I got the brandy back, the woman woke up and went away. I think she was ashamed and didn't want to see me again."

"How did that rug move?"

"When I got back the rug was a little bit uneven. You see, she fell on the rug, and the rug wasn't fastened against the smooth floor. Then I set the rug up."

Lestrade said gravely: "This is a lesson, MacPherson, and you can't fool me. You must have thought that this dereliction of duty would go unnoticed, but I knew at once that someone had been in the house when I saw the rug. No It's your luck to lose something, or it's your fault. Mr. Holmes, I'm sorry to make you come here on such a trifle. But I thought it might interest you that the two bloodstains were not together. .”

"Yes, I am interested. Police, did this woman come only once?"

"Yes, only once."

"who is she?"

"I don't know her name. She saw the advertisement and was applying for a typing job. She went to the wrong door. A very gentle and elegant young woman."

"Is it tall? Is it pretty?"

"That's right, she's a good-looking young woman, pretty as it may be. Someone might say she's pretty. She said, 'Sir, please let me have a look!' She had a knack for persuasion. I would have liked her to just peek out the window, and that's fine."

"How is she dressed?"

"Very elegant, wearing a robe that drags to the feet."

"When did you come?"

"It was just getting dark. They were lighting the lamps when I got back from the brandy."

"Very well," said Holmes. "Come on, Watson, we have to go elsewhere. We have a very important matter to attend to."

When we left the house, Lestrade remained in the front room, and the shamed policeman opened the door for us.Holmes reached the steps and turned, still holding something in his hand.The policeman stared fixedly, and exclaimed in surprise: "My God!" Holmes put his forefinger to his lips, motioned him to be silent, put the thing into his breast pocket again, and walked away triumphantly. In the street he laughed aloud.He said: "Excellent! Behold, my friend, the last act has been enacted. Be assured, there will be no war, and no shadow will be cast over the bright future of Mr. Trilony Hope, the imprudent The monarch will not be punished for this letter, and the prime minister does not have to worry about complicating the situation in Europe. As long as we use a little strategy, no one will be affected in the slightest by this unfortunate event."

My heart was full of admiration for such a special person, and I couldn't help shouting: "You solved the problem?"

"That cannot be said, Watson. There are still a few doubts. But we know enough. If we still cannot clear up other questions, we are incompetent. Now we go directly to Whitehall. Uptown, put an end to this."

It was Mrs Hilda Trilawney Hope that Sherlock Holmes was looking for when we arrived at the European Secretary's residence.We went into the living room we used in the morning.

The lady blushed with resentment and said: "Mr. Holmes! You are very unfair and unkind. I have already stated that I hope that my visit to you will be kept secret, so that my husband will not say that I interfered with his affairs." and yet you have come here to show that you have business ties with me, and to injure my reputation."

"Unfortunately, madam, there is nothing else I can do. Since I have been ordered to recover that very important letter, I can only ask you to place it in my hands."

The lady stood up suddenly, and her beautiful face changed color in an instant.Her eyes were staring straight ahead, her body was shaking, I thought she was going to pass out.She braced herself up and tried her best to remain calm. The complex expressions on her face were completely covered up by strong anger and surprise for a moment.

"Mr. Holmes, you--you insult me."

"Madam, please calm down, these tricks are useless, you should hand over the letter."

"The steward will ask you to come out," she said, as she ran to the handbell that called for the servants.

"Mrs. Hilda, there is no need to ring the bell. If you do, all my sincere efforts to avoid gossip will be in vain. You hand over your letter and everything is under control. If you cooperate with me, I can arrange everything. If you won't cooperate, then I'll expose you."

She stood there fearlessly, looking very majestic.Her eyes fixed on Holmes's, as if to see right through him.Her hand was on the handbell, but she restrained herself from shaking it.

"You want to threaten me, Mr. Holmes. It is not a manly thing for you to come here and threaten a woman. You say you know something. What do you know?"

"Sit down, madam. You'll hurt yourself if you fall. I won't speak until you sit down."

"Mr. Holmes, I'll give you five minutes."

(End of this chapter)