Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 105 The Return (16)
"It had something to do with my father. I was just ten years old when Dawson retired, but I will never forget the shame and horror of that incident. Many people have always believed that my father stole All securities, which is not at all consistent with the actual situation. My father knew that if he was given more time to convert the securities into cash, he would not be able to pay off the debt. The court summons to arrest my father, He was obliged to go to Norway on a small yacht, and I still remember him saying good-bye to his mother that dismal night, handing us a list of the securities he had taken with him, and assuring us that he would Came back to clear everything up and not implicate those who trusted him. But since then there has been no news of him, neither his person nor his yacht. My mother and I think he and all the securities are sunk Into the bottom of the sea. We have a very good friend, he is a businessman, and said that not long ago, he saw the securities that my father took away appeared on the London Stock Exchange. We were really surprised, as you can imagine, I struggled After many twists and turns to trace the source of these securities, I finally found out that the captain Peter sold it, and he is also the owner of this log cabin.

"Of course, I also made a careful investigation of him. I learned that he had been in charge of a whaling ship, which happened to be returning from the Arctic Ocean on the day my father crossed to Norway. There were many storms that autumn. , there are constant strong winds in the south, and it is very likely that my father's yacht was blown to the north, that is, it encountered Captain Gary's boat. If this is the case, what about my father now? As long as I can get it from Peter's Finding out how these securities were listed in the speech will prove that my father did not sell these securities himself, and it will also prove that he did not take them for money.

"I came to Sussex, intending to see the captain. That's when the murder took place. I learned about the cabin from the post-mortem report.

"It was reported that the ship's logbook had been kept in the cabin. I immediately thought that if I could see what happened on board the 'Unicorn of the Sea' in August 1883, then my father's disappearance Isn't the mystery completely solved? I wanted to take these logbooks last night, but I couldn't open the door. I had to do it again this evening. I found the logbook, but found that all the logs in August were torn out And that's when you caught me."

Hopkins asked, "Have you explained everything?"

"Yes, I'm telling the truth." When he said this, he looked away.

"Don't you have anything else to say?"

After a little hesitation, he said, "No more."

"Have you not been here before last night?"

"No."

Hopkins took out the evidence notebook, which was stained with blood, pointed to the letters on the first page, and shouted, "How do you explain that?"

The poor young man was so dismayed that he covered his face with his hands and was shaking.

He said in great pain: "Where did you get this book? I really don't know where I lost it. I thought it was left in a hotel."

Hopkins said solemnly: "Okay! If you have anything to add, go to the court and go to the police station now. Mr. Holmes, thank you both for coming here to help. The facts are here, You don't need to come, can't I close the case without you? Anyway, I still thank you, and I booked a room for you at the Branbright Hotel, now let's go back to the village together."

Early the next morning, as we were driving the carriage back to London, Holmes asked, "Watson, I always find this strange."

"I don't think you're happy with that."

"I am quite satisfied, my dear Watson, but I do not approve of the way the sheriff has solved the case. I am really disappointed in him. I hoped he would do well. A detective should be able to deal with the crime." Whether there are other possibilities for this case to be explored in depth, it must be able to withstand scrutiny, which is very important to solve the case.”

"And what about the second possibility in this case?"

"It's a lead I'm investigating myself. Maybe it won't lead to anything, I can't say, but at least it's going to be done."

On reaching Baker Street, Holmes received several more letters.He grabbed the letter, opened it, read it, and chuckled triumphantly.

"Excellent, Watson! This second possibility is being developed. Do you have a telegraph at hand now? Write two for me: 'Ritcliffe Street, Maritime Co., Semna. Send three men Come, at ten o'clock in the morning. - Basil'. That's the name I used to play the character. Another one: 'Sheriff Stanley Hope, 46 Lord Street, Burneston Kings. Come to breakfast at 09:30 to-morrow. Urgent. If not, call back.-- Sherlock Holmes. 'Watson, this nasty case has haunted me for ten days. Erase it from my heart. I believe I will hear the final result tomorrow."

The sheriff came punctually at the appointed hour, and we sat down to a good breakfast Mrs. Hudson had prepared.The young detective was in a state of excitement over the success of the case.

"You feel that you have done quite rightly, don't you?" asked Holmes.

"I think it's perfect."

"However, in my opinion, the case has not been finally settled."

"Mr. Holmes, what you say goes beyond what I expected. Do you have any evidence for it?"

"Can you explain all aspects of the matter?"

"What's the problem. I found out that on the day of the accident, Nergen came to the Brambright Hotel and pretended to play golf, so he lived on the ground floor so he could come and go as he pleased. He went to the house that night. Demanley, and went to the cabin, where they had quarreled, and he strangled him. On the way out, he left the notebook there because of panic, and he took it with him to ask about the matter. A thing about securities. You must have noticed the marked securities. Most of them were not. Some marked were found in the London market. Others may still be in Peter's hands. As he said, Nelgan was eager He really wanted these securities to belong to his father, so that he could return the creditors and clear his father. After he escaped, he dared not enter the cabin again for a long time, but in order to obtain the situation he wanted, I had to take a risk to get it. Isn’t this obvious?”

Holmes smiled and shook his head.

"There is a loophole here. He himself could never have killed. Have you ever harpooned any animal body? Haven't you? My dear sir, you have to pay special attention to such small things. My friend Watson will As I told you, I've been doing this all morning. It's not easy to do, it requires a strong arm, and the throw has to be accurate, and the steel fork throws very fast, the fork head Only then can he enter the wall. Think about it again, would that skinny young man have such ferocious power? Could it be him who drank with Black Peter in the middle of the night? The silhouette you saw on the curtain two days ago would be his No, no, Hopkins, that man must be very strong, and we must find him."

The sheriff's face grew longer after hearing what my friend said.All his hopes and ambitions were shattered, but he could not give up his position without a struggle.

"Mr. Holmes, you are not entirely sure that Nergen was not there that night. The notebook is the evidence, and if you want to find fault, my evidence will still satisfy the jury. But where is the hideous criminal you speak of?" Woolen cloth?"

Holmes said calmly: "I think he is at the stairs. Watson, I reckon you put the gun somewhere within easy reach." He stood up and put a piece of written paper on a table against the wall. superior."We're ready," he said.

Mrs. Hudson opened the door upon hearing foul language outside, and three persons wanted to see Captain Basil.

"Call them in one by one," said Holmes.

The one who came in first was a small, ridiculous-looking man, with a red face and a grizzled, shaggy beard.

Holmes took a letter from his pocket and asked him, "What is your name?"

"James Lancaster."

"I'm sorry, sir, all the seats are full now, I'll give you half a gold pound first, please go to that room and wait for a while."

The second person who came in was a thin, straight-haired, sunken man named Hugh Pattins.He was also unemployed, but got half a guinea, and told him to wait.

The third person who came in had a strange appearance, with a ferocious face like a lap dog hidden in a mass of unkempt hair and beard, with a pair of bushy and clustered eyebrows hanging downwards, and a pair of black eyes underneath. fierce eyes.He saluted us, stood aside like a buffalo, and kept turning his hat.

"What's your name?" asked Holmes.

"Patrick Cairns."

"A harpooner?"

"Yes, sir, twenty-six sailings in total."

"Around Port Dandy, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir."

"How much do you earn every month?"

"Eight pounds."

"Would you like to go to sea with the expedition immediately?"

"As long as things are ready, I can go."

"What about your proof?"

"Here, sir." He pulled a crumpled roll of slips from his pocket, stained with grease.After reading it, Holmes returned it to him and said, "You are exactly the person I am looking for. The contract is on the table next to the wall. After you sign it, the matter will be settled."

Holmes leaned on his shoulder, and stretched his hands to his neck.

"That's it," he said.

Immediately I heard the clang of metal and a roar, like the cry of an enraged bull, and the sailor and my friend rolled into a ball, and although Holmes put the handcuffs on him briskly, he was as strong as a bull, If Hopkins and I had not rushed to the aid, my friend would have been subdued by him in no time.When I put a gun to his head, he realized that resistance is useless.We tied his ankles tightly with rope, and then stood up panting.

Sherlock Holmes said: "I'm sorry, Hopkins, but I'm afraid the scrambled eggs are cold. But you'll feel good eating when you see the case go so well."

Stanley Hopkins was too surprised to know what to say.

He blushed, and before he could think it through, he said, "Sir, I don't know what to say. I feel like I've fooled myself from the beginning. Now I understand a little bit. I'll always be your student, and you'll always be your student." It's my mentor. Although I have witnessed all this just now, I still don't understand how you did it?"

Holmes replied happily: "Well, you will gain wisdom through experience. Your lesson this time is that you can't stick to one method and never let go. Your attention is completely on the young Nergen alone, and you ignore The real culprit is Patrick Cairns."

The sailor interrupted our conversation with hoarse voices.

He said: "Sir, I have nothing to say about the way you have tortured me, but I want you to clear things up. There is a big difference between your thinking that I killed Peter Gary and my own admission. Probably If you don't believe me, it's more likely that you think I'm lying to you."

Holmes said: "No, first let us hear what you have to say."

"I swear to God, everything I say is true. I know Black Peter well, and when he drew the knife, I knew that one of us was going to die, so I took the Throw the harpoon at him and he'll be dead. What's murder? If Black Peter's knife had been in my heart or had the noose around my neck, I'd have died the same way."

"Why do you come here?" asked Holmes.

"I'll tell you from the beginning. Let me sit down first. It will be easier to tell. It happened in August, 1883. Peter Garry, captain of the Unicorn of the Seas, I was a spearfisher. We were returning from the Arctic Ocean, headed into the wind. We rescued a small boat at sea, which was blowing from the south, and the strong southerly wind had been blowing for more than a week. There was only one man in the boat, and he was a new sailor, and they all thought it was because the ship sank, and this man had to go to Norway in a small boat, and I think the rest of the crew must have died, anyway, we saved this man .He talked with us for a long time in the cabin. There was also an iron box salvaged with this man. No one asked the man's name, anyway, I don't know, but he disappeared the next night, as if It's like this man has never been on this boat. Others say that this man either jumped into the sea or was swept away by bad weather. I think there was only one person who knew what happened at the time, and that person was me. I was late at night The second watch saw the captain tie his legs and throw him overboard. About two days later we arrived at Surtland Lighthouse.

"I didn't tell anyone about this matter. I wanted to see what would happen. When I came to Scotland, this matter was suppressed. No one mentioned it again. For a stranger who died in an accident, who would Didn't bother to ask. Not long after, Peter retired. I didn't know his whereabouts until many years later. I think maybe he killed people for the contents of that iron box. I think he is now Should be able to give me some money to keep my mouth shut.

"He was seen by a sailor in London, from whom I learned his address, and I immediately asked him for money. He was very reasonable the first night, and offered to give me A sum of money that will save me from going to sea again in my life. It will be settled in two days. When I go to him again, he is drunk and has a bad temper, but I still drink with him and talk about the past .He drank more and more and I thought something was wrong with his expression. I saw that harpoon hanging on the wall and I thought I could use it before I died. After that, he lost his temper, Swearing and hitting me, with a murderous look in his eyes, and a jackknife in his hand. Before he could draw it, I stabbed him with the harpoon. My God! His The scream was horrible, and his face was slowly blurring before my eyes. I was really stupid at the time, and my whole body was splattered with blood. After a while, the surrounding was strangely quiet, so I mustered up my courage I looked around and saw that iron box on the shelf. I should say we were both entitled to this box, so I took it and left there. I was so stupid that I left the tobacco pouch there.

"Now I will tell you another very strange thing. When I came out of the house, I heard a man approaching, and I quickly hid in the bushes. The man came stealthily, and when he entered the house, he shouted , as if he had seen the devil, ran as fast as he could, and disappeared in a while. Whoever he was or what he was up to, it didn't matter to me at all. I walked about ten miles and got on the Dunbozhi Weilz The train went to London.

"When I opened the box, there was no money in it, only some securities, but I dared not sell them. I failed to get Black Peter with me, and now I am alone in London without a shilling, the only thing I have. It's just technology. I read from the ad that someone paid a high salary to hire a spearman, so I went to the shipping company, and they sent me here, and it's all true. I repeat, I killed Black Peter, But the law should thank me for saving them a noose."

Holmes stood up, lit his pipe, and said, "That's very clear, Inspector. I think you'd better get this criminal to safety as soon as possible. This room is not very suitable for a prison cell, and besides, he is a tall man. It takes up a lot of space in the house.”

Hopkins said: "Sir, I am very grateful to you. So far I don't know how you let the prisoner fall into the trap?"

"Fortunately, I had caught the lead at the beginning of the case. If I had known that I had the notebook, it is likely that my thoughts would have been taken elsewhere, as yours was before. But I It is learned that the man has supernatural strength, and can handle the harpoon superbly, and the rum and the sealskin pipe with thick tobacco, all of which remind us of a seaman who has hunted whales. I I'm sure the letters on the pipe may have been a coincidence, not necessarily Peter Gary. He doesn't usually smoke, and you can't find a pipe in the house. Do you remember I asked you if he had whiskey and brandy in the house? You say yes. Why should a man who doesn't go to sea drink rum when he has all this in his house? So I'm absolutely sure it's a sailor."

"And how did you find him?"

"My dear sir, that's a very easy question. If a seaman, he must have been on the Unicorn of the Seas. As far as I know, Peter Garry was the only ship on board. I'll go to Dandy sent a telegram, and three days later the names of the sailors who were on board in 1883 were found, and when I saw the name of the harpooner Patrick Cairns, I figured he might be in London, And wanted to leave here for a while. So I went to live in the East End of London for a while, designed an expedition to the Arctic Ocean, offered a good salary, and the purpose was to find a spearfisher and work under Captain Basil. The result came out .”

Hopkins exclaimed, "Brilliant, terrific!"

Holmes said: "You'd better release Nergen quickly, and you must apologize to him and return the iron box. However, I can't get back the part that Peter sold. Hopkins, there are Carriage, hurry up and take people away. If you want us to participate in the trial, our address is somewhere in Norway, and I will tell you later." The evil report of the scammer

(End of this chapter)