Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 173: Investigating Strange Cases (15)
This is by far the hardest problem I've ever encountered.McPherson's time to the beach was particularly short, and Mr. Stadhurst arrived shortly after.When McPherson went to the lake, he encountered such cruel whipping before entering the water. He exhausted his last strength to get dressed, and fled from that scary place.Apparently the murderer had been waiting for McPherson for a quick end.But where can he hide?The caves in the cliffs are so shallow that it is impossible to hide.The people in the distance are too far away, it is impossible to fly across the saltwater lake.It is also okay to ask a few fishing boats at sea, but there is not much hope, this is the basic situation.

When I came back, there were already many people.Murdoch has brought the village policeman, Ai Desheng, who is clumsy and unresponsive on the surface, but actually shows his vigor everywhere.He took down what we said.Then he took me aside and said, "Mr. Holmes, this case is very peculiar. I am not capable of solving such a complicated case. I understand that you are outstanding in this area. You have to guide me. If I make mistakes in my work, my superiors will blame me." mine."

I told him that I was willing to help, and of course it wasn't just for him.I got to work right away, and I sent him to his supervisor and doctor.Before that, it was not allowed to walk around or move anything.I checked the clothes of the dead man again.In his pocket I saw a handkerchief, a knife, and a card holder—and inside was a note written by a woman:
I will be on time for the appointment.

Maud
McPherson's lover must be Maud, but it is not clear where and when they will meet.The police took back the note and put it in the raincoat pocket of the deceased together with the sundries.The situation was clear, and there was no need for me to stay. After telling the police to search the beach carefully, I went home.

A few hours later Mr. Stadhurst came to give me a new update.The body has been transported back to the school for further examination, and there is nothing suspicious about the beach cliff.As I observed, he saw several love letters in McPherson's desk.The correspondent was Maud Bellamy, from the village of Falworth.

He said: "The two of them must be looking for a partner. Although the letter was taken away by the police, and I don't know the content of the letter, I think they are very serious. Except for the note, it can't be seen that their love is related to this case. "

I said, "Really, no one would go on a date at a pool that's full of people."

"McPherson used to go with a few students, but it was changed temporarily this morning, so those students didn't go."

"Is it really such a coincidence?"

Strayhurst tried to recall every detail of this morning, saying: "That weird math teacher Murdoch insisted on giving a lecture before dinner this morning. That's why. But he was very concerned and sympathetic to McPherson. "

"It is said that the two of them had a bad time."

"Before it was just because of a dog, but they have gotten along very well this year. Murdoch and people have never been so good. You know he is very withdrawn."

"Maybe there's a bit of resentment over the dog quarrel."

"Impossible. I'm sure their friendship is real."

"In addition to these, we have to care about the girl who wrote the note. Tell me about her situation."

"She's a well-known local pretty girl. She's been courted by a lot of people, and McPherson is one of them. I didn't know they were lovers."

"How is her family?"

"Her father, Tom Bellamy, used to fish for a living, and now the swimming pool and the fishing boats in the village belong to him, and he has become very rich. His son's name is William."

"I want to meet them."

"In what name?"

"It's simple. There are few people in this place, so McPherson doesn't associate with many people. As long as we carefully analyze his interpersonal relationship, we will definitely find out why he was killed and find the cruel murderer."

The village of Falworth is on the bay, and the surrounding scenery is very charming, but my mood was disturbed by the tragic scene this morning.Tom's status can be known from the modern villa of Tom's house. No need for introduction, the house that is different from others must be Tom's house.

Stiehurst introduced to me: "This bluestone and green tile house is the proudest thing in Bellamy. 'Bayside Hills' is the name he gave to this house."

I looked up and saw the very thin Murdoch walking out of the villa.This naturally arouses our suspicion.We met on the road.

Stadhurst greeted him: "Hello!" He was very cold, and there was almost no sign of kindness.But Stadhurst did not let him go.

"What are you doing in the villa?"

"This has nothing to do with you. Although you are my boss, you have no right to ask me about my personal affairs." It is obvious that Murdoch hates this question and is full of hostility towards us.

He was also irritated by Stadhurst.He was very self-cultivated and could control his emotions.Maybe he encountered too many things today.

"Murdoch, you are so rude."

"Your question is not very clear."

"You are too presumptuous. Since you don't obey the management, then find another high place. I don't keep people like you here."

"You think I want to stay in your shitty place? It's not because of you that I work here."

Murdoch walked away angrily.At this moment, Stadhurst was gasping for breath. "I'm so pissed off. This guy is so weird, hell!" It was obvious that his anger wouldn't die down anytime soon.

I persuaded him for a while, thinking that I can't use this kind of emotion to investigate the problem, and he finally calmed down his anger.What is Murdoch's role in this incident?He used the report to stay away from the scene, so I had to link him to the case.

We waited a while, and Mr. Bellamy received us.He is a very powerful middle-aged man, and his beard adds a bit of roughness to him.He seems to be angry with people.

Mr. Bellamy said: "I don't know anything about McPherson's death, and I can't give you any information. My son and I don't want Maud to associate with him at all. I don't like his behavior—no Make a formal proposal and seduce her to go out to play. Maude is a good girl, I won't let her be deceived, I want to protect her-"

At this moment Maud came in, and Mr Bellamy stopped.She was indeed beautiful, which did not befit her birth.Although I have never been fooled by a beautiful appearance, I am sure that her delicate and lovely face with a moist complexion will fascinate many young people.There are always complications around women like this.

She came in and said to us, "I understand he's dead, I just wish the truth could be told."

Her father said, "A man came and talked to us just now."

"This matter has nothing to do with my sister, please don't pester her." His brother sat in the corner and yelled at us angrily.

"William, please shut up, it's none of your business. I'll take care of this. He must have been murdered. McPherson is a nice guy and never had a feud with anyone. I've got to find out about it." , to avenge him."

Stadhurst gave her the details.The sudden bad news didn't make Maude trance, but made her very calm and strong.I think she must be plotting how to find out the truth.I admire this beautiful, innocent, calm and strong woman very much.She left a deep impression on me.Perhaps she already knew my identity, she said to me:
"Mr. Holmes, I hope you will find out the murderer as soon as possible. I will support you at any time. The McPherson of the other world is also grateful to you." She looked at her father and her brother as she said these words. Don't just say it to me.

I said: "Miss Maud, I am very touched by your words. McPherson is so happy to have such a nice girl who loves him. I need your help and cooperation very much."

"Mr. McPherson is of strong build and quick reflexes. He is in good health except for his heart. I therefore do not think he would have done that lightly, and in such a short time. I do not think there was more than one murderer." , and has a particularly mysterious weapon."

This lady is very assertive.I said, "Can we talk in private?"

Her father said very angrily: "Don't bother my daughter any more, Maud, you have nothing to do with it."

Maud ignored her father and said to me, "What can I do for you?"

I said: "Since your father doesn't want you to talk with me alone, let's talk about it here and let everyone discuss it. It's not a secret. I found a note in McPherson's pocket. I hope you Explain. It's about the case."

She replied: "There is nothing to hide, I can explain. We are aboveboard and engaged. The engagement is not made public because of Fitzroy's inheritance. His dying uncle said that if it is not according to his wishes." To marry would disinherit Fitzroy. That was the reason."

Mr. Bellamy was very angry, and shouted: "How dare you get engaged to that man without permission!"

"It's useless to talk to you if you don't agree with us."

"The door is wrong, the door is wrong, he is not worthy of you."

She took out another note and said: "That's why I didn't tell you. In fact, the note is very simple. He asked me to meet, and this is the proof."

Dear:
See you at the old place in the evening, you must come out.

FM

"It's this evening. It doesn't have to be now."

"But who passed the note on your behalf? It must not have been mailed."

"I don't want to tell you that. You don't need to spend your time here. It must have nothing to do with the case."

I asked some other questions, and she answered them all in detail, but it was basically useless to solve the case.According to her, McPherson is very popular and has no enemies.But it is not certain that those enthusiastic suitors will not do anything to McPherson.

"Did Murdoch, who came here just now, also admire you?"

From the change in her face, it was obvious that it was so.

"He courted me. Once I got into a relationship with Fitzroy, he quit."

This made me even more suspicious of this eccentric man.Strayhurst shares my opinion.So when I wanted to secretly search the weirdo's room, he volunteered to do it.We finally didn't make a trip in vain and found a breakthrough.

Stighurst is disappointed when he checks out the weirdo's room.The autopsy report also failed to analyze the real cause of death. I checked the accident site again, but still found nothing.It was really useless, and I felt so incompetent.But at this time McPherson's dog had problems again.

This is what the steward informed me.He loved listening to the radio, where he could get the oddities of the country.I'm not interested in this, so I don't listen much.

"Mr. Holmes, there is some sad news. McPherson's dog is dead."

I didn't want to talk about such nonsense, but the dog's owner's name alerted me.

"What the hell is going on?"

"A faithful dog, died with his master McPherson."

"Is there any accurate basis?"

"Is there any basis for this? We all know. The death of the master made the dog very sad. He ran to the beach where the master died and died there without eating or drinking. The students found out this morning."

"Why is it there again?" I wondered in my heart.It is not surprising that the dog died in grief because of the memory of its owner, but why did it die there again?Perhaps the dog missed its owner so much that it followed its owner's trail to the beach.Why did you die when you got there?What is the reason?Didn't the murderer spare even the dogs?I must go and see the dog for myself.I immediately went to the school and found Mr. Stadhurst, and told him my purpose.He called the two students who found the dog and asked me to ask.

The students all said: "We found it by the lake."

I looked specifically at the dog again.Its eyes popped out and its limbs stiffened and curled up in obvious pain.

When I came out of school, I couldn't help but walked to the swimming pool.I'll have to visit the site, maybe the environment there will stimulate me to think of something.The sun had set and the light was dim.The surface of the lake was calm, reflecting the dim light, and there was no sign of ominousness at all.In the dimness, the surroundings were very silent, and there were puppy tracks beside the rock where McPherson had put the towel.My mind was as dead as my surroundings.I really want to find out what I want to know.This search is very painful.I am alone in this horrible place, and I feel as lonely in my heart as this place.

Then I went home.I suddenly remembered something that had been stored in the back of my memory.In order to handle the case, I have learned all kinds of knowledge, all kinds of knowledge, although it is very superficial, it is very helpful to my work.Because my knowledge is complicated and I don't have a clue, so it's really hard to think about it when I use it.I had a bold guess a long time ago, but I have not found any evidence, so it cannot be established.Problem solved now, just to verify my guess.

As soon as I got home, I went into the attic, where there were all kinds of books I had read.I finally found that book.A certain chapter in the book clearly records what I want, a bizarre story.But I'm not sure if what's said in the book is the same as the problem in this case, I'll have to wait for tomorrow's experiment to find out.

But a visit in the morning delayed my going to the seashore.Inspector Baddle, of Sykes, came.This person can be seen at a glance as an experienced and sophisticated person.He came to me for advice, and he said:

"I have come to consult you today, Mr. Holmes. I cannot solve the complicated case of McPherson."

"What to do with Mr. Murdoch?"

"Yes. All the circumstances show that he is the most important suspect. The population here is sparse, and it is easy to determine this. Knowing that it is him, there is not enough evidence."

"Indeed, you cannot sue him."

The officer thought the same way I did.Murdoch is very eccentric, since the puppy and McPherson are a bit awkward, and they both love Miss Bellamy, he and McPherson are the most contradictory and easy to be suspicious.The officer said Murdoch was about to leave.

Officer Bader was so troubled by this matter that he said, "He's so suspicious, should I just let him leave like this? But I have no right to stop him from leaving."

"Although there are many doubts, the assumption is not valid. First of all, when the accident happened, he was lecturing, and he came from the school after McPherson died. He himself would not hurt McPherson so badly, and time Very short. There was no sign of a struggle. Maybe McPherson was just waiting to be beaten? Besides, we didn't find the murder weapon."

"You don't think it's a whip?"

"We haven't found a whip either, so we can't be sure."

"Have you looked closely at the wound?"

"Correct."

"Through the magnifying glass, I found that the wound is very special."

"What's so special about it?"

I took out a photo and said, "This thing will help us figure things out."

"Mr. Holmes, I admire you."

"This is the quality that a detective must possess. Take a serious look at the scar on your right shoulder. Is there a problem?"

"do not know."

"The scar has spots of bleeding, different shades. It's not the same as a whiplash. What does it indicate?"

"I am not sure."

"I'm just guessing, and I have to prove it."

The police officer said: "I have an immature point of view. If you put a very fine red-hot net on your body, every intersection will be a bleeding point."

"Very thoughtful. I think it might be a whip with multiple thongs put together with lots of prickles."

"you're right."

"Maybe it's something else. You can't arrest Murdoch now. The dying man didn't understand what he was saying."

"You must think differently, Mr. Holmes."

"Yes, but I still don't want to say it now. I will say it when I have enough evidence."

"How long will that take?"

"Not long, perhaps soon."

The police officer didn't know what I was thinking, and looked at me with probing eyes: "Mr. Holmes, your thinking is very complicated. Are you suspicious of fishing boats?"

"The boat has nothing to do with this case."

"Is that the Bellamys who hate McPherson? They're rough."

I said, "You don't have to guess, I have something to do. If you're interested, come back after lunch—"

Before I finished speaking, there was a new incident, but this speeded up the speed of solving the case.

I heard someone outside knocking open the door, and then there was the sound of stumbling and falling.It was Murdoch, who looked terrible, his face was livid, his clothes were disheveled, he was panting heavily, and shouted: "Brandy! Brandy!" His barely standing body could no longer hold on, and he fell to the ground.

Behind him, Stadhurst came in, as embarrassed as he was.

He also shouted at the door: "Get the brandy quickly! He is dying. He fainted twice on the way."

Murdoch refreshed with a glass of brandy.He frantically stripped off his clothes.shouted: "Help me. Anything, and get me out of this unbearable pain. O God!"

Both the officer and I were stunned by the wounds on his back—exactly the same as McPherson's, web wounds like whiplash.

His painful demeanor was the same as that of McPherson before his death—he almost stopped breathing, his face was pale, and he wanted to dig out his heart with both hands, and he might die at any time.We poured wine on him and smeared the wound with vegetable oil.His pain was gradually getting lighter.After the pain subsided, he was very tired and fell asleep on the sofa.We were all relieved that he couldn't die.

Still don't know what happened."How can this be, Holmes? I can't stand it," said Styehurst, terrified.

"Where did you see him?"

"At the place where McPherson died. On the way, he couldn't hold on twice. Fortunately, his body, especially his heart, is better than McPherson's. Otherwise, he would have to die. In order to save him, I had to let He came to ask you for help."

"Did you see him there?"

"First I heard him cry out in agony. Then I saw him standing by the lake, almost unable to support himself. I hastened to support him, dressed him and came here. I beseech you, Holmes. Hurry up and catch this cruel murderer. I'm about to break down. If you can't help it, then we have no hope, can we live here in peace?"

"Please don't rush. I can solve this problem. Now I will catch the murderer, and you all will go with me."

Putting the patient in order, we went to the horrible lagoon together.We first see Murdoch's towels and clothes on the stone.Later, I walked around the lake to look carefully at the lake.They follow.The lake is quite shallow, but the water under the cliffs is deep and clear, making it a good swimming place.I looked carefully at the bottom of the water on a row of boulders, and finally I found the target.I couldn't help shouting:
"Cyanine jellyfish! Look at this nasty guy!"

At first glance, this strange thing really looks like a bunch of thorns twisted together, with silver ribbons sticking out from under the tuft of hair.It is slowly moving its bulky body to perch on the underwater reef.

(End of this chapter)