Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 139 The Last Greeting (1)
There were ears of two people in the package sent; the tenant who rented the house had unbelievable behavior; overnight, the whole family either died or went crazy... What is hidden behind each mysterious phenomenon?
death tracker
I read this record in my notebook: At the end of March, 1892, on a cold and windy day, while we were having lunch, Holmes received a telegram and responded immediately.He may be thinking about something, so he has been silent. The reason for my judgment is that he stood in front of the fireplace with a serious expression.He was smoking and looking at the telegram when he turned suddenly to me with mystery in his eyes.

Holmes said to me: "Watson, if you use the thinking of a writer to explain, what does 'grotesque' mean?"

I replied: "Unusual, weird, strange."

He disagrees with me.

He said: "I think there's more to it, a bit deeper, and it's tragic. I say that because of your articles that often torment the public psyche. I think the grotesque has a deeper criminal meaning. .”

I asked in surprise: "Is there such a word in the telegram?"

He read the telegram aloud:
Can you help me with something intractable and weird?

Scott Eccles
Charing Cross Post Office
"Is it a woman or a man?" I asked.

"Women don't send this kind of telegram. You have to pay back the electricity bill for this kind of telegram. Besides, if it's a woman, she will come by herself. It must be a man."

"Want to meet him?"

"Dear Watson, do you know how boring I have been since I was imprisoned in Carust! My brain is like a machine, and I can't work and can't make products. Life is so ordinary, and newspapers are so tasteless. Our Life is too terrible. So, no matter how little things are now, I want to study them. Listen! The man is coming, and we're going to see him."

I actually heard footsteps.After a while, a tall man with a gray beard came in.From his haughty temperament and sad angry face, it can be seen that his experience broke his original peaceful life.He spoke as soon as he sat down.

"Mr. Holmes," said he, "a strange and unpleasant incident has befell me. Nothing like it has ever happened to me. It is the most unbearable thing. I must have them give me a reasonable explanation."

Holmes said to him very gently: "Mr. Scott Eccles, you sit down first. You answer my question first. Why did you think of looking for me?"

"Sir, I don't think this has anything to do with the police. After hearing this, you will think you can take care of it. Although I have no interest in the profession of private detective, I have heard of your name-" —”

"Yes, yes. But why didn't you come when it first happened?"

"what do you mean?"

Holmes glanced at his watch.

He said: "It's fifteen past two, and you telegraphed at about one. If you can't see right away that you've just woken up and are in trouble, then he must have paid no attention to your appearance."

The man straightened his unkempt hair and touched his chin with his hand.

"Mr. Holmes, you are quite right. I did not think of combing my hair, and my first concern was to get away from that horrible house as soon as possible. I asked everywhere about the house, and the result? They told me that Mr. Garcia's rent Handed it in early, and said everything is fine in Westeria."

Holmes said very politely: "Sir, I'm sorry. Please don't be like my friend Watson, who tells the result first. It's a bad habit. Please calm down and tell me the whole process, okay? I'm really sorry." I don't understand what is so important that an elegant gentleman like you can't wash his face, comb his hair, or button his buttons, so he came to ask for help."

The man sat there with a sad face, looked at himself, and felt that the clothes were indeed not neat.

"Sir, it's very bad that I'm dressed like that. But I still don't know how it happened, it's incredible. I'll tell you the whole thing, and you'll understand why I'm so disheveled." gone."

He had just begun to tell the story when there was a commotion on the stairs, and Mrs. Hudson entered, followed by two very strong, somewhat official-like figures.We know Sergeant Grayson of Scotland Yard, he is handsome, has a magnetic voice, and is considered a fierce general.After Holmes shook hands with him, he introduced us to another man, Sergeant Baynes of Surrey Police.

He looked at the man and said: "Mr. Holmes, we have been following him, and at last he has come to you. Are you Mr. John Scott Eccles, and you live at Bohan House in Lee Street?"

"Correct."

"The two of us have been with you all morning."

Holmes asked: "You followed him because of the telegram?"

"You're right! We've come here because of that telegram!"

"Mr. John Scott Eccles, please don't panic, we need a statement, about Mr. Aloysus Garcia, who lives in Waitersia near Usher, you tell us Tell me something about his death yesterday."

The man was very flustered when he heard this, and his face was bloodless.

"What? He's dead?!"

"Yes, dead!"

"How did he die? What happened?"

"Possibly murder!"

"My God! It's frightening! Do you—do you think I have anything to do with it?"

"We found a letter in his pocket, from which we know that you wanted to sleep with him last night!"

"Correct!"

"Oh? Did you sleep there?"

At this point they took out the notebook.

Holmes said: "Wait a moment, Inspector Grayson, do you just want statements?"

"Mr. Scott Eccles, we remind you that we can charge you with this confession."

"Mr. Eccles was about to give us the details of the matter when you came in. Get Mr. Eccles a brandy, Watson. He will then explain the matter more clearly. Sir, tell us." Come on! Don't be afraid, just as you did just now, pretend there is no one here, and tell us very clearly."

He took the brandy and drank it down in one gulp.After a while, his face gradually turned red.He glanced nervously at the notebook and began to tell us about his experience.

He said: "I'm single and I love people so I have a lot of friends. Mr Melville is a self-employed brewer who lives in Abermale, Kemberton. I was introduced to him not long ago. I met a young man named Garcia. I know he is of Spanish descent and has some connections with the embassy. He speaks English very well and is very likable. I can even say that he is the most handsome man I have ever seen. .

"We got along very well, as if he liked me from the very beginning. On the day we first met, he even visited me at my place and asked me to go to his house several times. That was last night, at the Westerian house between Oxshott and Usher.

"Before I went, he told me something about his house. He had a very faithful Spanish servant, who took care of everything for him, who was his housekeeper, and who spoke English very well. There was a half-breed chef I got on a trip and he cooked really well. I remember him saying this to me: there should be a house like this in the center of Surrey. He told me it was weird that me and his Same idea, though it's weirder than we thought.

"I drove south of Usher, which was about two miles from Usher. There was a road behind the house, and the house was very tall, and there was a weedy undergrowth in front of the house, and there was a hard-to-see driveway in the bushes. This is obviously an old house, because it has not been repaired for a long time, so it is dilapidated everywhere. Our carriage went through a bumpy road, and when we came to the gate along the winding path, I was shocked by the scene in front of me. The paint on the gate seemed to have been through the centuries, falling into pieces. I thought at the time: I don’t know the owner of this house very well. Is it stupid to do so. I didn’t expect that he opened the door for me himself, and it seemed very He welcomed me. Later, he asked a servant to take me into the bedroom that had been prepared earlier. This dark-faced and somewhat melancholy servant helped me carry my schoolbag. As soon as I entered the room, I found the atmosphere here to be particularly depressing.

"Afterwards, we started to eat dinner. The host looked very attentive, but I could see that he had other things. Because he sometimes talked without knowing what he was talking about. His eyes were erratic, as if there was no one. A place where he feels secure. His legs are shaking, and sometimes he bites his nails, he doesn't pay attention at all, and when he talks to me, he seems to be very disturbed. I don't think that dinner was good at all , the master didn’t talk to me congenially, and that gloomy black servant almost suffocated me. I felt uncomfortable all over, as if I couldn’t breathe. At that time, I really wanted to find any reason to return go home.

"I bite the bullet and finish this meal, yes! When we were almost finished, the servant brought a note. Maybe this note has something to do with the matter you want to investigate, but I paid attention to every expression of the master. He saw After finishing the note, it was even weirder, as if I didn’t exist at all. He stayed there smoking a cigarette by himself, staring at a place in silence. I didn’t know what was written on the note, so after eleven o’clock, I I went to bed. I just lay down for a while, Garcia asked me at the door: 'Did you ring the bell?' I replied: 'No!' I couldn't see my fingers in the room. After he apologized to me, let Let me go to sleep, it was almost a little by then. I gradually fell asleep after that, and it lasted until dawn.

"Unexpectedly, things were even more strange after dawn. I woke up and looked at my watch. It was almost nine o'clock. I told the servant to call me at eight last night. Why didn't he call me? So I rang the bell to call the servant, but He didn't come up, I pressed it a few more times, but there was still no response! I just thought the bell was broken, so I hurriedly put on my clothes and went downstairs to wash my face, but I didn't find anyone downstairs. So I shouted loudly, but Only my own echo. I went from room to room looking for someone, and I panicked when I found myself alone. I remember Garcia pointed me to his house last night, and I hurried to knock on him The door of the room, but there was still no answer. I opened the door and went in, but from the neat quilt in the room, it can be seen that there was no one staying there last night. They all left! Those servants, cooks, all left! Therefore I We had to end our visit to Garcia."

Holmes laughed out loud after hearing this, and recorded the incident.

He said: "Sir, your experience is really strange. Can you tell us what you did after you came out of that house?"

"I was very angry at the time. I thought they were playing a trick on me. I packed up my things, slammed the door, and went to Usher. After some inquiries, I found out that it was the strange villa of the estate managers Ellen Brothers. So , I wondered if he was fooling me like this to evade the rent. It was late March, and it was almost time to settle the bill. I asked the manager there, but the manager told me that the rent had been paid long ago. .What is going on?
"I knew he was Spanish, so I went to the Spanish embassy and asked him, but the embassy didn't know him, so I had to go to Melville because I first met Garcia at his house. I saw him I haven't known Garcia before. Mr. Holmes, I have received your call at this time, so I have come to you. I know that you can solve many problems. But, Mr. Sheriff, it seems that there is another tragedy. Please tell me, what is the tragedy? I swear to God, everything I say is true, and I don't know anything other than the above, let alone how he died! But I will Do my best to work with you."

"We believe what you say, Mr. Scott Eccles," said Inspector Grayson kindly, "and our speculation agrees with what you say. But I want you to answer a question. You have It is said that a servant brought a note during the meal, so where did the note go?"

"I paid special attention to it at that time. He crumpled into a ball of paper and threw it into the fire."

"Mr. Baynes, is there anything else you want to ask?"

Detective Baynes's face was large, but it was enhanced by those piercing eyes.His red skin was very strong and he was fat.His eyes were prominent because of his wrinkled face, and he smiled as he took out a folded note that had changed color from his pocket.

"Here is the note, Mr. Holmes. He threw it too hard, and threw it over the fence, whereupon I found it without burning."

Holmes showed delight and admired him for doing so.

"You must be very careful when checking, otherwise, it would be impossible to find the note!"

"Exactly. I did. Mr. Grayson, may I read it?"

The sheriff nodded.

"The note is a common beige straight-grained paper with no trace of watermark. It is only a quarter of the entire page. I cut it twice with short-blade scissors, folded it at least three times, and sealed it with purple wax. Hastily stamped the seal with a very flat oval, for Mr. Garcia in Westeria. It read:
Use our own colors: green, white.Green on, white off.Main staircase, seventh on the right, first aisle.Green tweed.Good luck. D.

"It must have been a letter from a woman, with a very thin pen, but the address was written in another pen or someone else, and you see how bold it is."

Holmes glanced at it hastily and said, "This note is so strange. You checked it carefully. I admire your style. According to my inference, I think this oval seal is a very common button, and nothing else can be it. This shape. The scissors are also the folding nail clippers. They are cut very short, and we can see the crease where the cut is made."

The beefy detective laughed now.

He said: "After listening to what you said, I realized that no matter how carefully I observed, I still missed a detail. To tell you frankly, I didn't pay attention to this note. I only guessed what they would do, and with a woman There are relationships."

Scott Eccles sat looking disturbed while they talked like this.

He said, "Very well, this note will prove what I said. But I would like to ask a few more questions: What happened to Mr. Garcia? What happened to his family?"

Grayson said: "As for Garcia, it's very simple, he was seen dead this morning. He was seen in a field in Oxshott about a mile from his house, his head had been flowered open and he was seen with They beat him hard with a sandbag or something like that, and kept beating him until he was beaten to a pulp. The crime was cruel and cunning, and we couldn't find any trace or clue at all."

"Has something been taken from the deceased?"

"No."

Mr. Scott Eccles said indignantly: "This is - so unexpected and terrible. The people I call have been out in the middle of the night for whatever reason, but have suffered such cruel accidents. I have nothing to do with this matter." It doesn't matter, sir, why are you following me?"

Detective Baynes said: "It's very simple. Because we found a letter you wrote to him in the deceased's pocket, the letter said that you were going to sleep there last night, but the owner of the room happened to die last night, so we I suspect you. It was also through this letter that we found out who the deceased was and where he lived. Therefore, we found his home at the address on the envelope, where you stayed last night. We saw no one there either. , it was very quiet everywhere, so we became suspicious."

"Greyson and I looked for you in London, and we inspected the mansion carefully, and finally we came here together after our meeting."

Grayson stood up and said, "Mr. Eccles, please cooperate with us now, go to the police station, and write down what you just said as a statement."

Our client said: "Certainly. But, Mr. Holmes, I still hope that you will help me to find out the truth. I will be very grateful to you."

Holmes turned to the country detective and said, "First, let's study the case together, shall we?"

"It will be a great honor to work with you."

"From what you said earlier, we admire your quick thinking and clear organization. Can you tell me about the time when the deceased was killed? What time do you think? What is the basis?"

"It was raining after one o'clock last night. We think he was there before one o'clock and died before it rained."

Our client exclaimed, "What? What are you talking about? God! Absolutely impossible, remember he was talking to me when I said that!"

Holmes said with a smile: "It is strange, but it is not impossible."

The detective asked: "How is it possible? Have you discovered something new?"

"From what we know, the case is not too complicated, but it has some weird and interesting features."

"I can only draw conclusions after a careful examination of the scene. Mr. Baynes, you found nothing interesting in your inspection of the house except a note?"

The detective looked at Holmes in amazement.

He said: "Yes, sir. Just as you think, I found a few very interesting things. I will go to the house with you to have a look after I finish the statement to this gentleman, okay?"

Holmes rang the bell. "Yes. Mrs. Hudson, please send these gentlemen, and ask the footman to send this telegram as soon as possible, and ask him to pay the return fee first."

The guests gradually left, and the room became quiet.

Holmes smoked quietly in the moment's silence.He furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward to stare at one place.Suddenly he turned to me and said: "My dear Watson, what do you think of the matter?"

"I don't understand why Eccles is lying?"

"How do you think he's lying?"

"Look, there was no one in that house last night. I think they agreed to kill the owner before running away."

"Your idea is also possible. But the strange thing is, if the servants wanted to kill him, why did they insist on assassinating him on a night when there were guests? Isn't this intentional disclosure?

"Besides, there are no guests for the rest of the week, but why didn't they do it then?"

I said, "That's right! Why are they running away?"

"Yes! That's the problem, there must be a reason why they did it. Also, we have to consider what Scott Eccles said, even though it's true!"

(End of this chapter)