Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 141 The Last Greeting (3)
Such an analysis of Holmes immediately became very clear, and I have to admire him.

"But why did the servant come back?"

"We may suppose that they must have forgotten something very important in their haste, and that he must come back to fetch it, no?"

"What about the letter?" I asked.

"The letter Garcia received at dinner said that they had a partner living somewhere else. Where exactly? Do you remember what I told you, it must be in one of the few big houses live in."

"Do you know which one it is?"

"A few days ago in the village, I chatted with others when I was studying my botany. I learned about the life experience of the owners of these big houses and their experiences."

"Then what did you find?"

"There is only one dwelling that I find very queer, and that dwelling is Jacobin Manor on the list, an old manor at High Gables. Mr. Henderson is the owner of the house. The place of accident is not far from there, Only half a mile.

"The owners of the other houses are nothing special, they are all traditional and respectable. Only Mr. Henderson is very strange. I think there may be some strange things happening to him. Therefore, I have carefully inquired about his family's affairs. .

"I found out later that it was a bunch of eccentrics, and that Mr. Henderson was the oddest of them all. I found an excuse to get closer to him, to get to know him better. But he saw what I meant, and he had a suspicious look in his eyes. He is in his fifties, still in good shape, with gray hair, two thick eyebrows that are almost connected to a line, and he is very responsive, a bit like a king. He is very bossy and cold.

"Despite his indifference, there is still fire like passion. He may be a foreigner, or he has lived in the tropics for a long time. His skin is yellow and resilient, as tough as a pair of breeches.

"He has a secretary named Mr. Lucas, who is a foreigner, like a cunning and treacherous fox. He is very polite to people, but his words are often barbed.

"That's how we got acquainted with two groups of foreigners. One was High Gable House;

"The master and the secretary were the principal persons in the house. Henderson had two daughters, the youngest eleven and the eldest thirteen. He had a governess for the two children, Miss Burnett, an Englishwoman. , more than 11 years old. There is also a manservant. Just like that, a family is formed.

"They're a lot of people traveling all over the world. I've heard that Mr. Henderson has just come back and been away for more than a year. He's so rich that he can buy anything he needs.

"The rest of the house is exactly the same as the big house. There are many maids, servants, and stewards to serve, and some people who only know how to eat and drink.

"I found these things through my own observations and other people's gossip. I also found a good witness, and he was John Warner. I was lucky to find this wronged and fired man. I didn't see him until I asked around. He was an important breakthrough in the case.

"In High Gables, John Varner was a very good gardener, but for some reason he was thrown out by that strange Henderson. Since their servants are very good with gardeners, these servants They are afraid, they are afraid that one day they will be driven out by weirdos, so we can find what we want to know through the gardener.

"According to the gardener, the owner of this house is very strange. There is a row of rooms on two sides of the house, one for the master and the other for the servants. Only Henderson's valet sees you at dinner. For the rest of the time, people on both sides do not communicate, just put the things the master wants at the door designated by him to contact. The two little girls and the female teacher do not go out, just take a walk in the garden.

"Henderson has never taken a walk by himself, and the secretary has been following him like a shadow. Because they behaved so strangely, the servants whispered: Their master was afraid that someone would kill him, and for money he sold his Soul, afraid that others will come to pay for his life.

"Who they were, where they came from, and where they were going, the servants did not know. They were very cruel. It is said that Henderson used to beat people with a dog whip, because he was rich and could use high The amount of compensation is out of the lawsuit.

"Watson, let's speculate based on these circumstances. It was the family who sent the letter, which was all coded. In order to make the recipient Garcia prepare for action in advance, who sent the letter? It was a woman, and there was only Burnett in this house. The teacher is a woman, and there is no one else but her.

"If this is the case, then our previous assumption was wrong, this is not a matter of love, but a plan, a secret that no one knows.

"If she wrote the letter, then Garcia and she are accomplices. If she heard that Garcia was killed, how would she react? She would not speak, or would she avenge Garcia? Where is she? Can we see her? If we can see her, all problems will be solved.

"I know that Miss Burnett disappeared the night Garcia was killed, and has not been seen since. This proves that the previous speculation was correct. Garcia was with her. She was also killed. Is it still alive? These are all unclear.

"The situation is against us, Watson. We don't have enough evidence to get a search warrant from the magistrate. They will certainly think we are playing tricks, because in such a quaint house it is very unusual for a governess to disappear for a week." That's normal. But maybe her life is in danger at this moment. It's not safe. We can only watch the house secretly. Therefore, I have my agent Wanna stay and look at the gate. He will watch all the gates. If there is any movement, we will be notified. If the law can't do anything about the case, then we have to go exploring."

"How do you want to do it?"

"I wanted to find her in her room. In those days, I knew her room could be entered through the roof of a house outside. I think we must go at once!"

I was very scared in my heart, this operation was very dangerous.The mansion is ghastly, the owner is violent, we have no legal security, and it's an adventure.

But I can see that Holmes is very determined. Only by doing so can the woman be saved and the case progressed.Holmes and I held hands tightly, full of confidence.

At five or six o'clock in the evening, the sun slanted into our room, and when we were about to leave, a country bumpkin hurried into our room.I am amazed.

"They're gone, Mr. Holmes! They're on the last train of the day. The schoolgirl broke free on the train and was rescued by me. I let her sit downstairs in the carriage."

After hearing this, Holmes jumped up from his chair and said, "Varner, very good! How about it, Watson, the gap is closed!"

We hurried downstairs and saw a woman in the carriage.She was so tired that she was almost paralyzed.Her face was thin and haggard, and her head, which was about to break off, drooped feebly on her chest, showing the extent of her torture.She raised her head, her eyes were dull, as if she couldn't see anything, and her two pupils shrank into small black spots, which showed that she was forced to take opium.

"As you ordered, I stood guard at the gate. Tonight, a carriage came out, and I followed it all the way to the station. They pulled her out, and she was forced into the carriage without knowing anything. But just as the train was about to leave, she The child woke up and began to struggle. They pushed her into the carriage again, and she struggled to get off the train. I hurried her into the carriage and pulled her here.

"I'm very scared. That man has round yellow eyes and that face! If he succeeds, I'm afraid I'll die!"

We helped her upstairs and put her on the couch.I gave her two cups of strong coffee and after a while she was sober.At this time Holmes invited Sheriff Baynes, who knew everything when he saw the female teacher.

"You've found what we're looking for, sir! She's a witness in the case, and we've been looking for that lead from the start."

"Oh? You're looking for Henderson too?"

"Yes, sir. I was in a tree on the estate when you were walking in the shade of High Gables, and we'll see who gets a witness first!"

"But, how did you arrest that half-breed?"

Hearing this, Sheriff Baynes smiled smugly.

"I think after Garcia was murdered, Henderson knew he was under suspicion, and if we made a little noise, we would scare the snake away and let him escape, so we diverted our attention and caught the half-breed. So, Henderson thought Run away, and give us a chance to find Miss Burnett."

At this moment, Holmes patted Baynes on the shoulder.

He said, "Sheriff, you have a lot of talent, and that alone will get you promoted."

Baynes was glad to hear that.

"I've had a policeman guard the station these days, so wherever the High Gables go they are under my control. But when they were to take Miss Burnett today, though he wanted to, it was very difficult for him to come forward." Difficult. But your people managed to get Miss Burnett here. Without her testimony, we police can't issue an arrest warrant. We can only let the criminal go free. Therefore, the sooner we have her testimony The better."

"She is lucid," said Holmes, looking at the governess.Then he began to ask: "Say to me, Miss, who is Henderson?"

"He's Don Morillo, not Henderson. I hate him."

What?Don Murrillo?He was once called the "Tiger of San Pedro".

Tigers of San Pedro!

I remember all his history.Those tyrants all pretended to be civilized rule, but they were still tyrants, and Murrillo was the most tyrannical, brutal, and shameless one.He is physically strong, energetic, selfish, bossy, and brutal.It is too cruel to rule a timid and cowardly nation by violence for more than ten years.

It was horrific to hear his name in Central America.Finally, a national uprising broke out against him personally.However, he was not only cruel but also more cunning. When the people were a little disturbed, he loaded all the money and treasures he had found on board and fled without a trace.When the furious people came to his palace, there was only an empty house left.

He left with his governess, two daughters and a male confidant.

Since then, European newspapers have often commented on him.

Inspector Baynes said: "Yes, sir, you guessed rightly. The Tiger of San Pedro is Don Murillo. If you ask, Mr. Holmes, you will know that the green and the white make up the San Pedro." This happened to be consistent with the code in the letter. He called himself Henderson, but I checked his past, from Paris to Barcelona, ​​and he fled to Barcelona in 1886. But the nation that was persecuted by him has been Looked for him, but never found him. It wasn't until the last few years that he was found."

When Miss Burnett heard this, she sat up quickly and said: "We only found him a year ago. I remember that once, he almost died, but for some reason, he didn't die, but was still alive.

"Now, he killed the righteous and generous Garcia again, but he was safe and sound. If he didn't die, we would be killed by him one by one. But we always have hope, and we will definitely kill him Yes." She clenched her fists with a look of resentment.

"Can you tell me, Miss Burnett, how you came to be involved in this case?" asked Holmes.

"I'm here for justice. Many years ago, San Pedro was almost bloody, but the British government didn't care. He took a lot of property with him, and the British government didn't care. Maybe it has nothing to do with you. But , we have suffered so much, how can we stop there? No. Therefore, we must take revenge."

Holmes said: "I know he is cruel, but why do you resist him? Does he persecute you? Or something else?"

"I saw early on that he was going to kill anyone he thought was harmful. My husband, Victor Durand, was Ambassador to San Pedro in London. After Lilo knew his qualities, he found a reason to recall him and assassinated him. When he left, he seemed to have a premonition, so he went alone, and I heard later that he was assassinated. He left me Made a good memory.

"This villain was finally dethroned by a popular uprising, and fled with his belongings in a hurry. Although he escaped, he killed many people, and we must have revenge. So we formed an association, which will last until his death. . We have been looking for him, nearly a year to find out that he actually changed his name to Henderson.

"We started to act. I served as the female teacher of his family, providing information and clues to people outside. He must not know that I was smiling and getting along with his children to kill him. I waited for the opportunity and tried Once, but it failed. Later, the villain ran around, going south for a while, and returning to the north for a while. We searched almost all over Europe, only to find out that he was hiding in this big house in England.

"He thought no one would kill him, but Garcia was still waiting for him. Garcia's father was once the highest priest in San Pedro. Garcia knew that the devil had returned, so he and his two loyal companions thought Find a chance to kill him.

"But he is very guarded. During the day, the secretary never leaves him. When he goes out, the secretary Luo Feisi always follows him. Only at night does he sleep alone.

"Finally, I have a chance. One evening, I sent a letter to Garcia. This guy is as cunning as a wolf, and he always changes rooms. In order for Garcia to find it, I opened the doors of all the rooms, and I went to the main road. The direction sends out green and white signals to indicate whether it is going well or not.

"But things didn't go as smoothly as we thought. We were monitored before we even started. The cunning secretary suspected me first. As soon as I finished writing the letter, he snatched it from behind. Later, he and the tyrant dragged me into The bedroom, treating me as a hateful female traitor. The two of them have been discussing whether to kill me, but they gave up this idea because they were afraid of the consequences.

"They thought Garcia was dangerous, so they were going to kill him. They asked me for the address, and when I didn't give it to them, they twisted my arms and gagged me with a cloth. They didn't stop until I gave them the address. tortured me.

"But I knew Garcia would die if I did this. I secretly prayed to God to save Garcia's life. Luo Feisi wrote the envelope, sealed it with a cuff button, and asked the servant to send it out.

"I don't know how they killed Garcia, but for sure Murrillo killed him himself because Lofes was watching me. When they first talked about letting Garcia into the house and killing him, they said It was to kill a burglar, but later I felt it was wrong, because if I killed someone in the house, it would attract police officers, which would expose their identities and make them more troublesome. If Garcia was killed, it would scare the police. Stop some people and make them stop stalking them.

"If I hadn't broken into their house and knew about their bad behavior, they would be able to get away with it now. Although I was about to die several times, I was still not afraid. They locked me in the room and carried out brutal torture. For Breaking me down, these shameless bastards cut my arms and shoulders with their knives.

"This time they locked me in the room again and didn't tell me to go out. I had to yell loudly, but he gagged me so that I couldn't make a sound. They kept me locked up for five days without giving me food. I almost starved to death, I just had a big meal this afternoon. I was very hungry at first, and I ate without thinking, and then I found out that there was poison in the food. I was pushed into the carriage by them in a daze, and arrived at the train At the station, put me on the train. When the train was about to start, I realized that I was about to lose my freedom. In order to get rid of those two man-eating devils, I struggled desperately, but they pulled me back hard. Thanks to the old man’s help , I escaped."

"Thank you," she said to the old man (it was the gardener).

The old gardener said, "You're welcome."

We all listened carefully to her narrative.

Holmes said first: "My friends, our question now is how to arrest him."

I said, "However, a good lawyer can make him defend himself. Otherwise, he would have been convicted a hundred times. Now we have to use this case to convict him."

Baynes said happily: "Don't think about it. He called it premeditated murder. Self-defense? It's nonsense. I hope the tenants of High Gables will testify for us."

The Tiger of San Pedro, however, escaped with his secretary, and with a little trick, fled their pursuers.Since then, they have not been heard from in England, and it will take time to punish them.

Inspector Baynes came to see us six months later and told us that the two criminals had been assassinated at the Hotel Escurial in Madrid. The murder had been blamed on anarchism and the killers had never been caught.He also gave us two sheets of paper, one with the portrait of the tyrant and the other with the portrait of the cunning secretary.So far, although it has been delayed for some time, justice has been done after all.

"Watson, the case is settled. It is both complicated and simple. Garcia is very clever. He knows how to use Mr. Eccles. Is there anything you don't understand?"

"How do you explain the weirdness in the kitchen?"

Holmes handed me a notebook, on which were a few sentences copied from the British Museum:
No matter what a devout voodoo does, he must first offer sacrifices to his unclean god.In special circumstances, they kill people as sacrifices, and then eat human flesh.Usually, a live white rooster is torn to pieces, or a black goat is killed and cremated.

After reading the words above, I know why that half-breed boy did that. He must have returned to the kitchen to get back the god he feared.Therefore, he was caught by Baynes.So Baynes' judgment at the time was correct.

Holmes closed his notebook and said slowly to me: "We can relax for a few days. Watson, do you remember that I said at the beginning that there is only one step between the grotesque and the terrible. This is fully reflected in this black man!" Health, am I right?!" The human ear in the cardboard box
I opened my notebook, trying to find some cases for readers and friends that can show Holmes' talents.The following record sounds scary, but if you study it carefully, you will know that it is indeed bizarre.

This summer is very hot, and the cicadas on the trees are always singing.The sun was baking the whole earth, there was no wind, and there were few pedestrians on the street, and people were all huddled at home.

(End of this chapter)