The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 167 The Last Greeting (10)
"At last, Watson, we have the information we want! British Government--Ulwich, Arsenal--Technical Files--Mycroft, it all fits together. If I'm not mistaken, Mike Loft will explain everything to us."

A few moments later Mycroft Holmes was ushered into the room.He is tall and burly, and looks a little clumsy, but there is a majestic atmosphere between the head and brows on this clumsy body, the gray sunken eyes are so alert, and the expression is so unfathomable. Whoever saw him for the first time would only remember his extraordinary wisdom and forget his clumsy body.

Behind him came our old friend, the thin, serious Lestrade of Scotland Yard.The serious look on their faces showed the seriousness of the problem.The detective was silent as he shook our hands.Mycroft Holmes took off his coat, and sat down in an arm-chair.

"It's a tricky business, Sherlock," said he. "I hate changing my habits more than anything, but things are so bad that I have to. As things stand in Siam, it's a good time for me to leave the office." What a terrible thing. But there is a crisis, and I have never seen the Prime Minister so anxious. And the Admiralty is in a mess. Have you seen the case?"

"Just saw it. What are these technical documents?"

"Ah, that's it! It's a good thing it wasn't made public. If it were, the press would be furious. The papers found in this unfortunate young man's bag are Bruce-Partington's submarine designs."

It can be seen from the serious expression on Mycroft Holmes's face when he said this, how serious this matter is.His brother sat with me, waiting for him to continue.

"You must have heard of it? I think everyone has heard of it."

"I've only heard the name before."

"Their importance is enormous. This is the government's most closely guarded secret. I can tell you that there will never be a naval battle within the effective navigation range of Bruce-Partington. Two years ago, the government removed from the budget secretly allocated a large sum of money for this patented invention, and took all measures to strictly keep this secret. This huge and complex design includes more than 30 individual patents, each of which is indispensable to the whole. These blueprints are stored in a well-crafted safe in the confidential office adjacent to the arsenal, and the office is equipped with anti-theft doors and windows. Under no circumstances are the blueprints allowed to be removed from the office. Even the Navy The Chief Technician had to go to the Woolwich office if he wanted to consult the blueprints. However, we actually found these blueprints in the pocket of a dead clerk in central London. From an official point of view, this is simply terrible."

"But haven't you found them already?"

"No, Sherlock, no! That's the problem. We haven't recovered the blueprints. Ten blueprints were lost from Woolwich. Only seven were found in Cadogan West's pocket. And the most crucial Three copies are missing and stolen. You must drop everything else, Sherlock, from those little cases. Now you have to solve this big international case. Cardo Why did Gan West take the blueprints? Where are the lost blueprints? How did he die? How was the body there? How can the damage caused by this disaster be undone? You have done the country a great favor."

"Mycroft, why don't you handle the case yourself? You know what I know."

"Perhaps so, Sherlock. It's a matter of finding out the details. You tell me the details, and I can give you expert insight from an armchair. Running around, asking the road police, looking through with a magnifying glass-- It's not my job, I can't do it. Finding out the truth is in your hands, if you want your name on the next honor roll."

My friend smiled and shook his head.

"If I'm going to find out, it's only for the sake of finding out," he said, "but there are a few points of interest to me in this case that I'd be happy to investigate. Please give me some more clues."

"On this piece of paper, I wrote down a few key clues, as well as a few addresses that are useful for your investigation. The official who manages these confidential blueprints is a well-known expert in the government-Sir James Walter. His honor and title, occupy two places in the directory. He is a connoisseur in office, a gentleman, popular in high society. Besides, his devotion to his country is unquestionable. The key to the safe He was one of two persons. I may add, too, that the blueprints must still be in the office during working hours on Monday. Sir James left for London about three o'clock in the afternoon, took the keys with him, and the whole of the accident In the evening he was at Admiral Sinclair's house in Barclay Square."

"Are there any witnesses to this?"

"Yes, his brother, Colonel Farentine Walter, saw him leave Woolwich; Admiral Sinclair also testified that he was in London. So Sir James can be ruled out as a suspect in the case."

"Who is the other person who holds the key?"

"Mr Sidney Johnson. He is a clerk and draftsman, 40 years old, married with five children. He is not usually very talkative. But on the whole, he does his job well. His relationship with colleagues Distant, but hard working. By his own account, he was home all night after work on Mondays, with the keys on his watch chain, as only his wife can attest to.”

"Tell me about Cadogan West."

"He's been in the job for ten years, and he's done very well. He's quick-tempered, impulsive, but honest and forthright. We have a good impression of him. In the office, he's second only to Sidney Johnson. His responsibilities He needs to touch the blueprints alone every day. No one else can touch the blueprints."

"Who locked the blueprint that night?"

"Mr Sidney Johnson."

"Oh, that would make it obvious who took the blueprints. In fact, the blueprints were found on Deputy Cadogan West. Isn't the problem solved?"

"Yes, Sherlock, but there are still many doubts. First, why did he take the blueprint?"

"I suppose it's because the blueprints are worth a lot?"

"Then he could easily get thousands of pounds."

"Can you think of any motive other than taking it to London and selling it for a good price?"

"No, I can't think of any."

"Then, we can take this as a prerequisite for our investigation. Young West wants to take the blueprints away, and he needs a counterfeit key."

"It will take some counterfeit keys. He will have to open the doors of the building and the rooms."

"Then he has some counterfeit keys. He took the plans to London and sold the state's secrets, no doubt trying to get the plans back in the safe the next morning, before anyone discovered they were missing." .and lost his life in London doing this treasonous business."

"How did you lose your life?"

"We assume he was killed on the way back to Woolwich and the body was thrown from the carriage."

"His body was found at Aldgate some distance from the station to London Bridge, and he may have traveled by this road to Woolwich."

"We're assuming a couple of things as he passed London Bridge. It could be that he secretly met someone in a carriage and they got into a fight, and he lost his life and his body was thrown over the tracks. Or it could have been an argument between the two, he tried to get out of the carriage and he fell on the tracks and the man closed the door. The fog was so thick you couldn't see anything."

"Based on what we have so far, we can only make such inferences. But, Sherlock, if you think about it, what details have you not considered. Let us suppose that young Cadogan West It was already planned to take these blueprints to London. He had already made an appointment with a foreign spy and tried to avoid suspicion that night, so he bought two tickets to watch a play with his fiancée, but suddenly disappeared."

"Guessing!" said Lestrade.He's been sitting and listening to our conversation, but he's growing impatient.

"It's a really odd case, and that's the first thing that doesn't get clear. The second thing that doesn't get clear is this: we assume he's in London and has an encounter with a foreign spy. He has until the next morning to get the design out Put it back where it was, or it would be revealed. He took ten copies, but we only found seven in his pocket, where did the other three go? The three he lost certainly didn't do it voluntarily .And what about his reward for selling his country? We should find a lot of money in his pocket."

"It seems to me that it's pretty clear," Lestrade said. "I'm sure it's this: he took the blueprints and sold them. He had a meeting with a foreign spy, but the price wasn't agreed. After the negotiation, he returned. But the spies followed him, killed him on the train, snatched the three most important blueprints, and threw the body out of the car. Isn't the matter clear? "

"Why didn't I find his ticket?"

"Once we find the ticket, the station closest to the spy's residence will be exposed, so he took the ticket from the victim."

"Very well, Lestrade," said Holmes. "Your reasoning is very good. But if so, the case should be closed. First, the traitor is dead; The plans for the Tinton submarine have presumably been brought to the Continent. What else can we do?"

"At once, Sherlock, at once!" cried Mycroft, jumping up from his chair. "I subconsciously disagree with this inference. Use your housekeeping skills and go to the scene of the crime! Inquire. Concerned people! Do everything possible to find out the truth! There will never be a better opportunity in your life to serve the country."

"Yes, yes!" said Holmes, shrugging his shoulders. "Come, Watson! And you, Lestrade, could you please accompany us for an hour or two? Our investigation begins at Aldgate station. Good-bye." , Mycroft. I'll give you a report before dark, but don't get your hopes up, I say."

An hour later, Holmes, Lestrade, and I were on the Tube, which crossed the tunnel and intersected with Algate station.A polite, ruddy old gentleman received us on behalf of the railway company.

"The body of the young man is lying here," he told us, pointing to a place about three feet from the railroad track. It fell off the train, which we presume passed through here around midnight on Monday."

"After checking the carriage, did you find any traces of fighting?"

"There were no signs of a fight, and no tickets were found."

"Did you notice that the door was open?"

"No."

"We have a new clue this morning," said Lestrade, "that a passenger on the regular Tube at [-]pm on a Monday night said that when passing Algate station, shortly before the train arrived, He heard a thud, as if a man had fallen on the railway. But as he could not see anything in the fog, he did not call the police. Well, Holmes, what is the matter with you?"

My friend stood there sternly, staring at the rails that curved out of the tunnel.Algate is a junction station and has a network of barriers.His eager, searching eyes were fixed on the gate.On his alert and vigilant face, his lips were tightly closed, his nose fluttered slightly, and his brows were furrowed. These expressions are all familiar to me.

"Roadgate," he murmured, "Roadgate."

"What, what do you mean?"

"I don't think there are so many gates on other routes?"

"No, only a few."

"And the curvature of the rails. Barriers and rails, the curvature. My God! If only that was all."

"What, Holmes? Have you found a clue?"

"An idea, a hypothesis. But the case is more complicated. Extraordinary, very peculiar. How could it not be? I found no trace of blood on the tracks."

"No blood?"

"But I know he's badly hurt."

"Bones shattered, but no serious trauma."

"There should be blood. Can I check the train that the passenger who heard the thud in the fog was on?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Holmes. The train has been dismantled, and the carriages have been attached to individual trains."

"I assure you, Mr. Holmes," said Lestrade, "that I have personally examined every carriage carefully."

One of my friends' great faults is that he is always impatient with those who are less quick-thinking and less sensitive to details than he is.

"It may be so," he said, turning away, "in the present state of affairs I do not wish to look into the compartment. Watson, I have done all I can for you here. Mr. Lestrade, please do not trouble me." I think we must now go to Woolwich and investigate."

At London Bridge, Holmes wrote a telegram to his brother, which he showed to me before it was sent.The telegram reads:

A ray of light is seen in the darkness, but it is likely to go out.Please send to Baker Street at this time the names and full addresses of all known foreign or international agents in England.

sherlock

"It will be of great help to us, Watson," said he, when we were already in our seats on the Woolwich train, "and we should be indebted to my brother Mycroft for taking such a curious case to his Give us."

There was an energetic expression on his still eager and tense face.It suggested to me that some new and instructive thread had opened his mind.Look at a hound, when it lies in its kennel, its ears drooping languidly, its tail drooping; but the same hound now with bright eyes and tense muscles Tracking the prey forward.Such was the change in Holmes since this morning.A few hours earlier, he had been in gray pajamas, limp and bored, wandering around the fog-shrouded room.Now he is a completely different person.

"There's material here, and there's room to do it," he said. "I'm so stupid not to see it possible."

"Until now, I still don't know very well."

"I don't know the outcome, but I've got an idea that it might move our case forward. The man died elsewhere, and the body was placed on top of a carriage."

"On top of the carriage?!"

"Strange, isn't it? But if you think about it, is it a coincidence that the place where the body was found happened to be the place where the train bumped and swayed as it passed the barrier? If it wasn't here, could something on the roof have fallen off? The gates don't affect what's in the car. It would be a very strange coincidence if the body didn't fall from the roof. Now, think about the blood. If he died somewhere else, the rails Of course, there will be no blood on it. Every clue is inspiring to us. Together, the power is great."

"Tickets too?" I asked in surprise.

"It is true that we cannot explain why there are no tickets, but now, everything can be explained. Every clue is consistent."

"However, even if what I said is true, we still haven't found out the cause of his death. Now, things have not become simpler, but more complicated."

"Perhaps so," said Holmes thoughtfully. "Perhaps so." He continued to think about it until the slow train reached Woolwich station.He called a cab, and drew Mycroft's note from his pocket.

"We have several people to call on this afternoon," said he. "First of all, I think, is Sir James Walter."

The residence of the eminent official was a stately villa, with a green lawn stretching down to the banks of the Thames.By the time we got there, the mist had slowly parted, and a faint, steamy ray of sunlight shot through the mist.The butler heard us ring the bell and came out to answer the door.

"Sir James, sir," he said solemnly, "Sir James has just died today."

"Good heavens!" cried Holmes, astonished. "What is the matter?"

"Perhaps you would like to come in and see his brother, Colonel Farentine, sir?"

"Yes, you'd better see him."

We were ushered into a dimly lit living room.After a while, a tall, handsome, bearded man in his 50s came to us.He is the younger brother of the scientist who died.From his glassy eyes, unwashed cheeks and disheveled hair, the family had been hit by an unexpected blow.His voice was muffled when he spoke.

"It is a dreadful scandal," said he. "My brother Sir James, who was so concerned with reputation, was very sorry to have it happen. He was always proud of the efficiency of his department, but What happened this time was a death blow for him."

"We thought we could find some clues from him to help us find out the case."

"I assure you that, like everyone else, he has no knowledge of this matter. He has reported everything he knows to the police. There is no doubt that Cadogan West is guilty. But what happened Everything was so unexpected."

"Can you shed some light on this case?"

"Other than what I saw and heard, I don't know the rest. I know it's rude, but I trust you will understand, Mr. Holmes, I don't want to disturb too much now, please end it as soon as possible." This visit."

(End of this chapter)