Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 104 The Return (15)
"Do you remember that two days before the accident, at one o'clock in the morning, a stonemason, Slater, stopped by the Forest House to take a look at the cabin, and the light in the window was shining A few trees outside, Mason swears to me: 'There's a clear picture of a man's head bobbing from side to side through the curtain, but there's no way it's Peter Gary's' because he knows Peter too well.Although this man had a beard all over his head, unlike the captain's, this man's beard was short and turned forward.The stonemason remained in the hotel for two hours, which was also some distance from the cabin and not on the main road.It was a Monday and the murder happened on a Wednesday.

"On Tuesday, Peter got drunk and had another row, ferocious as a man-eating beast. He went around the house, and his wife and daughter ran away in fear. It was late at night. , he returned to the cabin. At about two o'clock in the morning the next day, because his daughter always slept with the window open, he heard horrible screams from the direction of the cabin. He usually always drunk It was yelling, so no one cared. After the maid got up at about seven o'clock, she saw the door of the hut was open, but he was too scary, so no one dared to go in. No one stood there until noon. Looking in from the door, the situation frightened them, and they ran back to the village. About an hour later, I received the case and came to the scene.

"Mr. Holmes, you may know that I am very strong. However, I tell you that when I entered the cabin, I was shocked by the situation inside. There were swarms of green bean flies buzzing endlessly. On the ground , the wall looks like a slaughterhouse. He called this cabin a small cabin, and it's really like that, you feel like you're on a boat. At one end of the cabin there's a bunk, a storage box, maps, charts, There is also an oil painting of 'The Unicorn of the Sea', and there is a row of logbooks on the shelf over there, all of which are exactly the same as the real cabin. He is leaning against the middle of the wall in the small room, his face is in pain. And twisted, his grizzled beard turned up in pain, a harpoon pierced his chest and into the wall behind him, he was like a beetle nailed to cardboard, making that sound After roaring, he died.

"Sir, I understand your method of handling the case, and I have tried it. I checked every corner carefully before allowing those things to be moved. There are no footprints at the scene."

"You mean you didn't see any tracks at all?"

"Sir, I'm sure there's not a trace at all."

"My dear friend Hopkins, I have solved many crimes, but I have never seen a flying animal commit a crime. As long as the murderer is a man with two legs, there must be a trace. Or have rubbed and those invisible signs of movement. If a detective can use science, he will find it. Can't a trace of a crime be found in a blood-spattered room? In your investigation report, I It feels like there are some things you just haven't double-checked."

The young sheriff was embarrassed by my friend's sarcasm.

"Mr. Holmes, I was very foolish not to invite you. But it is irretrievable. There are some objects in the house which are of particular note. One of them is the harpoon with which the murderer was killed. Caught from a tool rack on the wall. One of the harpoon slots on the tool rack is now empty, and there are two other harpoons hanging there, engraved with 'SS Sea Unicorn, Dandy'. It can be concluded from this that the murderer must have been very angry at the time, and he took off the weapon on the wall and killed the person involved. The murder took place at about two o'clock in the morning, and it can be seen from Peter Gary's clothes that he may have been with the murderer at that time There was an appointment, as evidenced by the bottle of rum on the table and the two used glasses."

"I think the inference is reasonable," said Holmes. "Is there anything else in the room besides rum?"

"Yes, there is a small wine cabinet on top of the glove box, with brandy and whiskey on it. But this does not seem to help us solve the case very much. The bottles are full of liquor and have not been touched at all."

Holmes said: "Despite this, the wine in the cabinet is still of some significance to solving the case. However, please tell me about the status of some items related to this case."

"The first is the tobacco pouch on the table."

"Where is it on the table?"

"In the middle. The tobacco pouch is made of raw sealskin with hair on it, tied with a leather cord, marked 'PC' inside the pouch, and contains half an ounce of strong tobacco for sailors."

"Okay, is there anything else?"

Stanley Hopkins took out of his pocket a notebook with a rough tawny cover and a dirty edge.On the first page is written the letters "JHN" and the year "1883".This notebook was placed on the table by Holmes, and he examined it carefully, while Hopkins and I stood beside Holmes.On the second side of the notebook are the letters "CPR", followed by numbers on the following pages, followed by headings such as "Argentina", "Costa Rica", "São Paulo", etc., with the number of pages following each entry and numbers.

"What do these symbols and figures mean?" asked Holmes.

"These appear to be statements concerning the stock exchange. I think 'JHN' is the initials of the broker's name, and 'CPR' may be his client's initials."

"You see 'CPR'," said Holmes. "Does that mean the Canadian Pacific Railway?"

Stanley Hopkins cursed under his breath as he pounded his fist on his thigh.

Hopkins went on: "I'm asshole as hell, and you're absolutely right. Now just explain the letters 'JHN. Report, in 1883, I could find no broker with these letters at all, but I think this is very important. You should admit this, Mr. Holmes. This may be the initials of the second person on the scene, In other words, it is likely to be the murderer. I also found a notebook with a large amount of securities, which just pointed out the motive for the murder."

The change in Sherlock Holmes' countenance indicated that the case had taken a turn which he had not anticipated.

He said: "I think both of your inferences are absolutely correct. This notebook, which was not mentioned in the original investigation, has confused my thoughts. I did not take the contents of this notebook into account at first. Do you Investigated the securities mentioned in the notebook?"

"It's being looked up in the Exchange, but I think the full list of holders of those South American concerns is mostly in South America. The information will only be cleared up after a few weeks."

Holmes examined the cover of the notebook carefully with a magnifying glass.

He said, "Look, it's kind of dirty in here."

"Yes, sir, that's a bloodstain. As I told you, it was picked up from the ground."

"Is the blood spot on the top or bottom of the book?"

"On the side next to the floor."

"The book must have fallen to the floor after the murder."

"That's right, Mr. Holmes, and I understand it. I suppose it was dropped by the murderer in his haste, right by the door."

"I don't think any of these securities belong to the deceased?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you ever thought that this is a robbery-murder case?"

"Didn't really think about it, sir. Nothing looks like it's been moved in there."

"Oh, that's an interesting case, and there's a knife there?"

"Yes, it was a sheathed knife, which was never drawn, and lay at the dead man's feet. Mrs. Garry said it belonged to her husband."

Holmes was silent for some time.

He finally said: "I think it is necessary to go to the scene and take a closer look."

Stanley Hopkins shouted happily: "Thank you very much, sir! You will definitely help me solve the case!"

Holmes waved his hand to the sheriff and said, "A week ago this might have been an easy case. Now, it is a very serious case. Watson, if you can spare time, I would like to see you with me." I'll go with you. Hopkins, please call us a carriage." We arrived at Forrest Residences in about 15 minutes.

We alighted at a small roadside post and hurried through a vast forest.The forest is several miles long and was used to keep out the Saxon invasion. It has existed for as long as 60 years and is part of the British fortress.Most of the forest has been destroyed at present. This is because the first steel factory in Britain was built here, and the trees were cut down to make iron.But now the steel factory has been relocated to a place with rich mineral resources in the north. The only thing that can prove that there used to be a steel factory here are these incomplete trees and the pitted ground.Here was a hill, and in a clearing on its green slope was a stone house, long and low, from which a path ran winding through the fields.On the side near the main road, there is a hut surrounded by bushes on three sides, and only one window and door are facing us. This is the scene of the murder.

Stanley Hopkins led us into the stone house and introduced us to a haggard, gray-haired woman, the victim's wife.Her face was thin, deeply wrinkled, and her eye circles were red.There was still fear in her eyes.It also speaks to the suffering and abuse she endured over the years.Beside her is her daughter, also pale.She has golden hair.When the girl talked about her father's tragic death, she seemed very happy, but when she was asked to bless her father, she had a strange look in her eyes.Black Peter made the home un-homely, and we felt re-released when we came out of his home.Then we went on along a field path that Black Peter himself had made.

The structure of the hut was extremely simple, with wooden boards all around and a wooden roof. There was a window by the door and a window on the opposite wall.As Stanley Hopkins took the key from his pocket and bent to unlock the door, he stopped suddenly with a look of surprise and concentration on his face.

"The door lock was picked," he said.

This is an undeniable fact, the wooden part has been pried hard, and the paint on it has also been scraped off, as if it had just been scraped off.Holmes kept his eyes fixed on the window.

"I think the man was trying to get in through the window. Whoever he was, he couldn't. He was too stupid."

The sheriff asked: "This incident is incredible. I can guarantee that there were no such traces last night."

I said, "It's also possible that some curious villagers have come here and want to take a look."

"Absolutely impossible. They dare not come here, let alone enter this room. What do you think of the matter, Mr. Holmes?"

"I think we got really lucky."

"You mean that man is sure to come here again?"

"It's quite possible that the last time he was here, it never occurred to him that the door was locked, so he had to use a knife to open it, but he couldn't get in. What do you think he'll do?"

"Come back the next night with the proper tools."

"I think so too, if we don't wait here for him, it will be our greatest loss, now go in and see what's going on inside.

Although the traces of the murder have been cleaned up, all the furnishings in the house are the same as that night.Holmes examined everything carefully and carefully for about two hours, but, judging from his expression, he found nothing.Once he paused.

"Hopkins, did you take anything off this shelf?"

"I haven't moved anything."

"Something must have been taken. There's less dust in this corner of the shelf than anywhere else. It might be a book of some sort lying flat, or a small box, most likely. Well, there's nothing to do now." Watson, let's go to the beautiful grove and enjoy the fragrance of the birds and flowers. Hopkins, let's meet here tonight to see if we can meet that stupid guy last night."

When we finished setting up this little ambush, it was already eleven o'clock in the middle of the night.Hopkins insisted on opening the door of the cabin, which Holmes thought was inappropriate, as it would arouse the man's suspicions.The lock is easy to open with just a small solid piece of iron.Holmes told us to wait outside instead of going inside, so we lurked among the bushes near the corner.If this person lights a lamp, we will be able to see him clearly, and we must find out why he came here secretly.

The wait was long and tedious, but there was a sense of adventure, as of a hunter at a pool waiting for an animal to come to drink.What kind of fellow could it be that sneaked here in the dark?If it is a harmful tiger, as long as it can fight its fangs and claws indomitably, it can catch it.Otherwise, it is a looming jackal, terrifying only to the timid and unsuspecting.

We crouched in the bushes, quietly waiting for all possible events.At the beginning, the footsteps of some people returning to the village late and the voices from the village caught our attention, but these had nothing to do with the case.It was quiet all around, and occasionally heard the church bell from afar, reminding us of the progress of the night, and some drizzle fell on the fallen leaves above the head, making a "rustling" sound.

The bell had just struck 02:30, which was also the darkest time before dawn, when suddenly there was a low and sharp sound of "dida" from the gate.We are immediately alert.Someone is coming this way.There was a long silence again, and we guessed that the sound might have been a false alarm.At this moment, footsteps were heard from the other side of the hut.Later, there was the sound of friction and collision of metal objects.The man was using all his strength to unlock the lock, maybe his technique was better or the tool was easier to use, only heard a "snap", the door was unlocked, and then heard the door "creak".Then the matches were struck, and the lit candles illuminated the interior of the cabin, and through the tulle curtains our eyes remained motionless on what lay in front of us.

The stranger was a thin young man, with a black beard that contrasted sharply with his pale face.He was just over 20 years old. I have never seen anyone who was as scared as he was. His teeth seemed to be chattering all the time, and his limbs were shaking constantly.He was dressed like a gentleman, with a Norfolk jacket, knickerbockers, and a cap.He looked about him in alarm, then put the candle on the table again, and went into a corner where we could not see him at all.Then he came back with a large book in his hand, one of the logbooks that lined the shelves.Leaning against the table, he kept flipping through the book until he found what he wanted.He clenched his fists in a gesture of anger, then closed the book, replaced it in its original place, and put out the candle.But before he could leave the cabin, he was grabbed by the collar by the sheriff.I heard a long sigh when he learned he was under arrest.The candle was lit again, and in the presence of the detective the uneasy, trembling man sat on the glove box, looking helplessly from one to the other.

Stanley Hopkins said, "Young man, who are you? What do you want to do here?"

The man pulled himself together, tried to stay calm, and looked at us.

He said: "You must be police detectives? You don't think I have anything to do with the captain's death? I swear to you, I'm innocent."

Hopkins said, "We'll find out if you're innocent. What's your name first?"

"I'm John Hopely Nelgan."

I saw a quick exchange of glances between Holmes and Hopkins.

"What are you doing here?"

"I have very important matters, is it okay if I don't talk about it here?"

"No, of course not."

"Why should I tell you this?"

"If you don't answer, it will be very bad for you at the interrogation."

The young man was a little embarrassed.

He said, "Okay! I'll tell you about it. There's no need to hide it, but I don't want the old gossip to go round again. Do you know Dawson and Nelgan's?"

It was evident from the sheriff's face that he had never heard of it, let alone understood it.Holmes, however, showed great interest.

He said: "Are you talking about the bankers in the west? They lost a million pounds and half the families in Cornwall went bankrupt because of it, and then Nergan disappeared."

"Yes, Nelgan is my father."

We ended up with something useful, but what's the connection between a banker and a ship's captain?They are far from each other.We all listened attentively to what he had to say.

(End of this chapter)