Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 3 The Tracking of Blood Letters (2)
I'm always very disgusted with the untuned things he plays.When I was about to have a fit, he would play some of my favorite tunes for me to please me.In the first few weeks, no one came to see us, so I thought we were both in the same situation, no relatives or friends.But then I learned that there are actually many people who knew him, and these people came from all walks of life in society.A gentleman named Lethred came several times a week, he was not good-looking, the only thing unique was his eyes.One morning a very fashionable woman visited him and stayed for half an hour.Immediately afterwards in the afternoon came an old man in ragged clothes with a blank face, and an old woman came with him.The people who visit him can be said to be various.I had to stay in the bedroom when people came because they were going to be talking in the living room.He used to say to me with a kind of apology: "My client is here, we have to be in the living room." I felt that this was a good time to ask him my questions.But after thinking about it, he must be unwilling to take the initiative to tell his occupation, so I didn't ask in the end.To my surprise, he took the initiative to talk to me about this issue before long.

It was the morning of March 3th, and I got up early before Holmes had breakfast.Usually I get up very late, so the landlady never thinks about my breakfast.That day, I asked the landlady to make some breakfast for me as soon as possible.While waiting for breakfast, I flipped through the magazine on the table.The title of an article in a magazine was flagged to make me take a second look.

The title is called "Treasures of Life", which seems a bit exaggerated.This article tells how a person can benefit greatly if he is good at observing and thinking about what he sees.I don't think highly of this article, and while it's unique, it's also absurd.Although its arguments are strong, it always makes people feel that the conclusion is a bit awkward.The author claims that he can infer what a person is thinking from his words, expressions, and even some insignificant actions.He also said that a person with great observation skills cannot be deceived.His conclusions were spot on.Presumably, some people who don't know the truth may think that he is a "know-it-all".The author of the article, to illustrate his argument, also relates the fact that a logician can deduce the existence of the Atlantic Ocean from the existence of a drop of water, so that the whole of life is like a huge chain, and if you see a link in it, you can Infer the situation of the whole chain.The article believes that inferring and analyzing subjects is also an art, which requires specialized professional training to be handy. Sometimes, people may not be able to achieve deep attainments after a lifetime of research.Beginners must start with some simple questions.For example, try to judge a person's historical background and occupation from the way he dresses.Although some people think this kind of training is absurd, they ignore that it plays a pivotal role in the cultivation of people's insight.If the observer cannot judge this person's occupation from these most basic and low-level knowledge, it is simply a failure.As I read it, I couldn't help throwing it on the table without interest, cursing: "It's just boring."

"The article about what?" asked Holmes.

I pointed to the magazine that was discarded on the table: "This one."

I asked: "This must be the mark you made, right? This article is really disturbing people's mood. Which gentleman made up some random theories, which is too unrealistic. If he is allowed to be in the third-class compartment of the train If he can tell everyone's occupations one by one, he will be a living god!"

"Then you're wrong. Do you know who the author of this article is? It's me."

"Is that you?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, that's me. I have genius-like observation and reasoning abilities. You must think those theories are absurd, but they are actually very reasonable. I rely on these theories to support myself."

"You live on it?" I was a little taken aback.

"I'm a 'consulting detective' by profession. I guess I'm the only one in the world. You may know something about this job. I've solved problems for many official detectives and private detectives that they couldn't. The evidence others give me and my knowledge of criminal history guides them to solve their cases. Everything is alike. If a man has details of a thousand cases, he is still confused about the thousand and first case It's strange to be at a loss. Mr. Lesred is a famous detective, and he was caught in a forgery case recently, so he came to me for advice."

"Why did the other people come to you?"

"Most of them encounter difficulties and need me to give them advice, and pay me a certain fee for this."

"Are you talking about things that other people have witnessed and have no way to solve it, but you can explain it based on their description?"

"Yes. I have a special ability to analyze and deduce things. For those cases that are so complicated that even I can't figure them out, then I have to investigate them myself. All difficult problems can be solved with my special knowledge. This An article you think is not worth mentioning, in fact it is very valuable. Besides, I have super observation skills. When I first met you, I concluded that you are from Afghanistan. Don’t you admit that is true ?"

"Of course, that's the truth. Did someone tell you beforehand?"

"Of course not. I judged that you came from Afghanistan, based on my facts. First of all, I can see from your appearance that your face is dark and your wrists are black and white. I can preliminarily confirm that you were brought from the heat; On the whole you have the air of a soldier and the delicacy of a doctor. It is obvious that you are a military doctor; from your countenance, you have just recovered from a long illness. From your actions, you are not very mobile; A British army doctor who had been wounded in the tropics, no doubt from Afghanistan. The judgment of all this flashed through my mind like lightning, and obviously my words surprised you."

"Look, it's a trifle. Are there really people like Edgar Allan Poe's Douban in the world?"

"You think that comparing me with Duban is an exaggeration of my abilities, don't you?" Holmes lit a cigar. "I think Duban has analytical powers, but he needs a quarter of an hour to come to a conclusion about his friend's mind. Is he worthy of people's admiration?"

"So, what do you think of Legauk in Gapolio's novel?"

"Le Cocquer is hardly worth mentioning," Holmes smiled contemptuously. "The only thing he deserves is his energy. It takes Le Cocque six months to identify a criminal, and I can solve the same problem in twenty-four hours." .I should really be a teacher of detectives, instructing them on what to do and what not to do."

It hurts me to hear him say that about someone I admire.Facing the window, watching the people passing by, I thought: "He is simply too arrogant, although he is very smart."

"Why haven't any cases happened these days? We have no work in this line of work. Although I have a gift from God, especially for detective cases, I have a unique insight, but this is only for those complicated cases, not for simple cases. Those people at Scotland Yard can take care of your case." I was so tired of his tone that I wanted to find another topic to talk about.

"What do you think this man is looking for?" I pointed to a tall man outside the window, who was holding an envelope in his hand, looking at every house number on the street, "Maybe it's a messenger?"

"The man you speak of is a retired marine officer," said Holmes with certainty.

I glanced at him and thought: "What are you bragging about, even if I don't know the identity of that person, don't try to fool me."

When I was thinking about it, I saw that person walking towards us, and then I heard someone muttering something, and then there was a knock on the door.When I opened the door to look, it was just that person."This is a letter from Mr. Holmes," he said, handing it to me.

I want to take this opportunity to cure Holmes of his arrogance, so that he will not be arrogant again in the future.So I asked, "Boy, what do you do for work?"

"Merdy," replied the man politely, "I've got my uniform mended."

"Then what used to be your job?" I glanced at my companion.

"I used to be an officer in the Royal Marines Light Infantry." Then he saluted us in military posture and left.dead man in empty house

I have to admire Holmes' ability to speculate, but at the same time I doubt whether I have fallen into the trap he set.When I looked up, he had finished reading the letter and was lost in thought.

I asked, "How did you know his identity?"

He asked impatiently, "You know what?"

"How do you know that man just now is an officer of the Marine Corps?"

"I don't have time to talk about this!" He said angrily, and then smiled at me, "Please don't mind, your question interrupted my train of thought, but it doesn't matter. Don't you have any questions about his identity?" Can't you see anything?"

"Unrecognizable."

"Actually, this matter is not difficult, but I can't explain my deduction process. Although you know that the fact that two plus two equals four is undeniable, it may be difficult for you to prove it. Because I saw the back of this man's hand There was a large blue anchor tattooed on it, no doubt a sailor's mark, and he had a soldierly air and beard, which made him a Marine. I presume he was an officer because he gave me a haughty feeling."

"It's amazing!" I couldn't help shouting.

"That's nothing," said Holmes.But I could feel that he was very happy when I admired his judgment.

"I was worried that I had nothing to do just now, so I will come out with one now." As he spoke, he threw the letter to me excitedly.

"Ah, that's horrible!" I glanced around and screamed.

"This case is indeed very difficult. Will you please read this letter aloud to me?"

Here is what the letter said:

Hello, dear Mr. Holmes!

A homicide occurred at 3 Lauriston Gardens Street, at the end of Brixton Road, yesterday evening.At two o'clock in the morning this morning, the police found lights inside, which caught their attention. Usually there are no people here.The patrolling police walked over and found that the door was open, and there was nothing in the room except a male corpse.The body was well-dressed and contained a business card in its pocket, which read Ilouk Ding Draper, among other words.From these superficial phenomena, the cause of death cannot be seen at all.Although the room was stained with blood, there were no wounds on the body of the deceased.How did the deceased get into the house?We are really at a loss on this case and would like you to be here before twelve o'clock.Looking forward to your arrival.Before you watch the scene, we must protect the scene.If you can't come, I hope you can give us some pointers, thank you very much.

To Rebel Gleeson

"Gleeson is a very able policeman," said Holmes. "He and Lethreid are the first of the lot of fools. They are both very decisive, but conservative, and they like each other. Comparing, always jealous and suspicious of each other. Let them complete a case together, and the result can be imagined."

I said very anxiously: "You must hurry to the scene, or you will be delayed." But Holmes did not mean to be anxious.

"I haven't decided whether to go or not. I'm too lazy to move. Maybe it's because I'm lazy today. I'm usually very diligent."

"Didn't you already look forward to this day?"

"Yes, but these are two different things. Even if I close the case, I have no credit! The credit belongs to the officials."

"But they invited you to help!"

"Yes, they know that they are indeed inferior to me, but they will only admit it in front of me. But I still have to go and see, I want to do it myself. Even if there is nothing in return, at least it will embarrass them. Okay, let's go!"

He hastily put on his coat, unable to hide his excitement any longer.He said to me, "Put on your hat."

"Can I go too?"

"Yes, if you have nothing else to do." About a minute or two later we hitch a cab and drove to Brixton.The whole world was shrouded in hazy smoke, and Holmes talked to me about the differences between several violins as if nothing happened.

"How can you take this lightly?" I interrupted his spiel.

"Until I have conclusive evidence, I will not make any guesses or estimates out of imagination." He replied.

I pointed to the front, "This may be where the incident happened, and you will be able to get all the information soon."

"Yes, here it is, please stop!" We got out of the car before reaching the accident site.

3 Lauriston Gardens has an ominous feel to it.There are a total of four houses here, No. 3 and the adjacent building are empty, standing on the side of the street, the word "for rent" is particularly eye-catching, and the scenery is desolate.They all had a small garden enclosed by a palisade with a path paved with clay and stones.Due to the heavy rain that had just passed, the path was already muddy.People outside the garden stretched their heads to look into the house, and a policeman leaned against the wall to maintain order.

To my surprise Holmes entered the room in no hurry.He walked up and down the street very relaxedly, looking now and then at the ground, occasionally up, and sometimes at the houses and the wooden fences on top of the walls.After this, he took the path in the garden again, walked along the grass, and watched carefully.Sometimes he would stop and think for a while, with a smile on his face.I really don't understand what he can do on this muddy road that has been trodden by the police.But I still believe in his astute observation, and I believe he will gain something.

At this time, a tall man with yellow hair and white face ran towards Holmes, shook his hand and said happily, "You are here at last. The place has been protected and hasn't moved at all."

Pointing to the path, Holmes said, "It's so messy here that it looks like a buffalo has stepped on it. Gregson, you must be sure of the case? Otherwise, you wouldn't have done it."

The detective shirked responsibility and said: "This is under the jurisdiction of Leth Reid, not my scope of responsibility."

Holmes raised his eyebrows dismissively, glanced at me, and said, "No one else will find out, as long as you and Lethred are here."

Grayson said happily: "But this case is too complicated. We have worked hard. I think it is the most suitable for you."

"You came in a carriage?" asked Holmes.

"No, sir."

"And what about Mr. Lethreid?"

"Nor is he, sir."

"Okay, let's go in and have a look together."

After Holmes finished asking, he quickly walked into the room, and Grayson followed him.

There was a dusty hallway leading to the kitchen, with two doors on the left and right.One of them had apparently not been opened for a long time, and the other was where it happened—the restaurant door.Holmes went straight in.I followed anxiously.

The room looked empty without any furniture.Opposite the door was a fireplace, framed in white marble, with a stump of candle on the mantelpiece.The walls are all pasted with floral paper, but some of them have fallen off, exposing the wall skin.Since there is only one window, the lighting is dim and it feels overwhelming to be inside.

Of course, these situations are all my observations later.Because as soon as I came in, the corpse attracted me strongly.The deceased was lying face up on the ground, about 40 years old, not too tall, with a mustache.He was well dressed, with a stiff collar and cuffs in white, and a pair of light-colored trousers.Beside the deceased was a top hat, his arms stretched out, his fists clenched, and his legs crossed.This shows that he had a painful struggle before his death.At first glance, he bared his teeth and had a ferocious face, which made people feel horrified.As a doctor, I have seen many kinds of dead people, but there is nothing more terrifying than this scene.

Lethreid stood at the door and waved to Holmes, a gesture that showed his detective demeanor.He said: "This case will definitely cause a sensation. I have done so many cases, but cases like this are really rare."

Grayson asked, "Have you discovered anything new?"

Holmes walked up to the body and examined it carefully.

Pointing to the blood-stained floor, he asked, "Are you sure there are no wounds on the deceased?"

"No." The two detectives answered.

"Then the bloodstains must be someone else's. If it's a homicide... Gregson, do you remember the case of Van Gensen in Freckert in 1834?"

"No memory, sir."

"You should look back at certain cases that have happened in the past, and there are always some things in common."

As he spoke, he examined the corpse, with a confused expression flashing from time to time in his eyes.Then he knelt down and smelled the dead man's lips, and looked at the soles of his patent-leather boots.

"Has the corpse been moved?"

"Except for necessary inspections, it has not been touched."

"Okay, the body is useless and can be buried," he said.

Grayson called the stretcher bearers over, and the body was carried out.Just then, a ring slid out and rolled onto the floor.Lesred quickly picked it up, held it and looked at it carefully.

He muttered: "This is a woman's ring, so it means that a woman has been there!"

He passed the ring to everyone to see that it was indeed the bride's wedding ring.

"It looks like things are getting more complicated," Grayson said.

"How do you know it will be more complicated? You can't see anything anymore. Check what else is in his pocket?"

(End of this chapter)