Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 4 The Tracking of Blood Letters (3)
Gregson pointed and said: "Everything is here, a gold watch number 97163 made by Barrod Company in London, a relatively precious gold chain, a diamond ring with the Masonic emblem, and There was a gold brooch with a puppy's head and two rubies in its eyes. In the card case was a card that read Enoch J. Draper Cleveland, initials matching the letters EJD on the shirt. Found change for seven pounds and thirteen shillings. There was also a very small copy of The Decameron, signed Joseph Stangerson. Two other letters were addressed to EJ Draper and Joseph Stein Gerson's letter."

"Where is the address written on the letter?"

"Sent to the American Exchange on Riverside Road. The letter was sent by Guyon Shipping Company. The content of the letter was to inform the ship of the sailing time from Liverpool. It seems that the deceased was planning to return to New York."

"Have you investigated Stangerson?"

"We investigated it from the very beginning, sir. We have sent the advertisement draft to the newspaper, and sent people to the American Exchange to inquire about the news. But we haven't returned yet."

"Have you contacted Cleveland yet?"

"Telegraphed this morning."

"What did the telegram say?"

"We talked about the situation here and asked them to cooperate with us."

"Didn't you emphasize the key issues?"

"I read about Stangerson."

"Is there no other crucial issue in the whole case? You can make a few more telegrams to inquire about other aspects."

"I've asked all I need to ask," Grayson said impatiently.

Just as Holmes was about to ask further questions, Lethred came in cheerfully from the front room.

"Mr. Grayson, I observed a crucial clue just now. Fortunately, I checked it carefully, otherwise it would be a real loss." He spoke with a smug expression.

"Come on, come with me," he said, already in the front room.By this time the body had been carried away, and the air was much better. "Okay, just stand here." He struck a match on his boot brightly, and lifted it up to shine on the wall.

"Look at this!" he said triumphantly.

On a place where the wallpaper fell off, there was a word written in blood: RACHE.

"What do you think of this discovery?" said Lesred, boasting. "No one has discovered this, because it is in the most difficult place to be found. It must have been written by the murderer dipped in his own blood." ...and the deceased did not commit suicide."

"Why did the murderer choose this place to write? Because when the candle is lit, it is illuminated here."

"Yes, but what's the use of discovering the word?" Grayson said dismissively.

"This is the name of a woman. She should be called 'RACHEL'. It may not be written completely. I dare to assure you that when the case is closed, there must be a woman named 'RACHEL' involved in it. Mr. Holmes, You will definitely laugh at me, but please remember that ginger is still old and spicy."

Holmes laughed out loud when he heard this, but when he saw that Lethreid was very angry and about to lose his temper, he hastened to say: "Please calm down, you are the first person to discover this word, and everyone does not deny it. As you said, there was indeed another person who wrote this word at the time of the incident. But I haven’t checked the room yet, if you don’t mind, I will check it soon.”

After speaking, he took out the tools that he carried with him-tape measure and a magnifying glass.Sometimes measure and sometimes observe with a magnifying glass, walk over for a while, stop for a while, kneel down for a while, lie down again for a while, and sigh from time to time.Watching him concentrate, I couldn't help but think of those well-trained hounds who would not stop until they smelled the prey.He checked for more than 20 minutes and even measured the height of the wall.He didn't spare even a handful of dust on the ground, took a little and put it in an envelope.In the end, he put the magnifying glass on the bloody words on the wall and carefully observed them for a long time, then rolled up the tape measure and smiled knowingly.

He laughed and said, "Geniuses must also have the spirit of enduring hardships and standing hard work. This sentence may not be true, but it is the most suitable for detective work."

Grayson and Lethred had been watching his every move like a monster.It was evident that they had no idea what Holmes was up to, still less his purpose.Of course, I feel the same way.

"Sir, do you have any unique insights?" The two asked at the same time.

"If I want to continue, you will think that I am fighting for credit. Now your work is progressing very well, so you don't need other people to interfere." Inform me, and I would be willing to help. Now, I just want to see the policeman who first discovered the body, and tell me his address and name."

Les Reed checked his notepad and said, "He lives at 46 Audley Court, Kennington Gardens Gate Road, and his name is John Lance. You can see him now."

Holmes copied down the address, turned around and said, "My friend, we can go. Before I go, I would like to give my opinion on this case. This is a murder case. The murderer is a man in his thirties, six years old. He wore rough leather square-toed shoes and smoked Indian cigarettes. He and the deceased had come together in a four-wheeled cart drawn by a horse with shoes as small as The one on the right front hoof is new. The murderer has a reddish complexion and relatively long nails on his right hand. These may bring convenience to your investigation work.

Lethred and Grayson glanced at each other with dubious eyes.

Lesred asked, "If the man was murdered, how was he killed?"

"Poisoned," replied Holmes in the affirmative.

After finishing speaking, he strode towards the door, and suddenly turned around again: "Mr. Rachel, let me remind you, 'Lache' means revenge in German, so don't focus on Miss Lachel. There." Speculation on the murderer

It was almost one o'clock in the afternoon when we came out of 3 Garden Street, Lauriston.We sent a telegram, and took a cab to the house of the Reims police.

"I'm clear about the case. But just to be sure, I'd better look into it," said my partner.

I said, "Man, are there any facts in the details you just said?"

"Of course I did. As soon as I got there, I found two deep wheel marks on the side of the road. Such deep car marks would not be left on a sunny day. They must have been left after it rained last night. Then Looking at the horseshoe prints, one of them was the clearest, and I'm sure only one of the hooves was new. Since it all happened after the rain, and the scene was protected again in the morning, I concluded that it was the wagon that brought the body. into an empty house.

"That sounds plausible," I said, "but what is your basis for your guess about the murderer's height?"

"Not to mention this, the height can be inferred from the size of his steps. Coincidentally, the height I deduced by measuring the size of his steps is consistent with the height measured when he is writing in the room, because people write on the wall. When you write on it, it is usually at eye level with yourself."

"And how does that explain his age?" I asked.

"Of course, if a man can span a width of four and a half feet, he is never an old man. There is a wider hole in the garden path, and the man in the square boots stepped over it, and The one in the patent leather boots went around. Isn't that enough proof? What's not clear to you?"

"And what about fingernails and Indian cigarettes?"

"There are traces of fingernails on the place where I wrote, and secondly, I found deep and flaky soot on the floor. You must know that I have studied smoke quite well, so I can tell what kind of smoke it is. These details Is it enough for you to see the difference between me and Gregson and others?"

"Oh, as for the red face, how did you figure it out?"

"This point, I'm sure it's correct, before the case comes to light, please avoid this question for a while."

I touched my face and said, "I'm getting more and more confused. I can't figure out how these two people got into the house? Who was the coachman? How did the murderer make him take poison? Where did the blood come from? What is the murderer going to do? Why is there another female ring? Why did the murderer write the word 'revenge'? This series of questions is really incredible."

He looked at me approvingly.

"You're talking about difficult problems. I don't know much about some things now, but they are generally clear. The word 'revenge' was used to divert the attention of the police, but it didn't work. Germans usually write in Latin characters, and walls The 'Lache' on the website is obviously a poor imitation. The imitator is not very smart. He made a mistake of superimposing the snake. Well, I won't say much. The detective is no different from the magician. Once the magician's tricks It’s not interesting if it’s exposed, and if I tell you everything, it’s not interesting to you.”

"No, you have raised detective art to such a scientific and precise level that you are almost the founder of it."

My companion blushed with delight at this compliment—he always showed a girlish unease when he was acknowledged for his detective skills.

He couldn't help telling me: "The murderer and the deceased seemed to be very friendly before. They rode together in the car and walked side by side on the path in the garden. But after entering the house, the murderer kept walking back and forth, and his steps became bigger and bigger. Finally Finally, I couldn't control myself. So the tragedy happened. I've told you everything I need to tell you, and you can imagine the rest. We have to leave quickly, there is a concert by Norman Neruda in the afternoon .”

Before we knew it, we had arrived at Audley Court. The coachman stopped and said, "It's time to get off." He pointed to a dirty alley, "It's right here, I'll wait for you here."

The yard was rather dirty, so we walked through the alley and entered a large courtyard paved with stone slabs.The rooms on both sides are very simple. After passing through a group of children playing and drying clothes, we finally saw the word "Lance" written on door 46.After entering, we found that the policeman was sleeping soundly, so we had to wait for him in a small living room.Because he was disturbed, he said impatiently when he came out: "I have already reported this to my superiors."

Holmes was playing with a half-pound gold coin in his hand: "Can you explain the matter carefully?"

The policeman quickly focused on the gold coin and said, "Okay, I'll tell you everything I know."

"Very well! Let us begin, then!" said Holmes.Lance sat on the sofa and spoke in detail.

"This matter has to be said slowly. I was on duty that day, and the shift time was from ten o'clock in the evening to six o'clock in the morning. There was a fight on Bahote Street after eleven o'clock that night, and other blocks were as usual. Around one o'clock , it was raining heavily, and then I met my friend Harry Moche, and we talked for a while. About two o'clock, I went to check Brixton Road to see if there was any movement. Rain Just stopped, the road was very difficult to walk, it was pitch black, except for a white carriage walking, everything was silent. It was very cold at the time, and I was thinking how comfortable it would be if I could drink a pot of boiling wine. Thinking about it Looking up, I was startled by the lights in the house ahead. I'm afraid something is going to happen again! Because these two houses have never been lived in, and one of them has had an unfortunate tenant. , died of typhoid fever. When I got to the door of the room..."

"Why did you stop suddenly and go back to the garden gate?" interrupted Holmes.Obviously, Lance was a little taken aback and looked at Holmes dumbfounded.

"God, how do you know such details? When I was about to go in, I suddenly felt very scared and trembling. I wanted to find someone to go with me! Actually, there is nothing in the world that scares me, except that there was a death in that room." Extraordinary. I ran straight to the gate, hoping to see Moche, but saw no one."

"Is there no one in the street?"

"Yes, sir, not even a small animal. Helpless, I had to muster up the courage and walked in by myself. There was no movement inside. I walked into the room with lights, and under the candlelight I saw... "

"Okay, I know all about the plot from now on. You first walked around the room, and then you made up your mind to take a look inside the kitchen, and then you saw everything."

"Oh, where were you at that time, I didn't see you?" John Lance was stunned, "Why do you know these things so well?"

Holmes smiled and handed his business card to the policeman, and said, "Don't doubt me, I am just a faithful police dog, and Grayson and Lethred can testify to me. Now you don't have to doubt me Me, please continue, what did you do after that?" Lance straightened his back and said with a surprised expression: "Then I ran out and blew the siren a few times, and then Moche and others Then the two policemen arrived."

"Was there anyone else on the street at the time?"

"The decent people have gone home."

"How do you say this?"

The policeman said with a smile: "I saw a drunkard who was so drunk that he sang some dirty songs and he was almost unable to stand."

"What does that man look like?" asked Holmes.

"This man is very strange. I was busy at the time, otherwise he would have to be sent to the police station." Perhaps because Holmes kept interrupting him, John Lance said a little impatiently.

"Then do you have any impression of his appearance?" asked Holmes.

"He is tall and his face is a little red. This is what I saw when Moche and I helped him, and there is a circle under him..."

"Well, what then?" asked Holmes eagerly.

The police said: "Because I was very busy at the time, I don't know what happened next."

"However, he must have returned home." The policeman said tirelessly.

"Can you describe what he was wearing?"

"Oh, a brown coat."

"Do you have a whip in hand?"

"No."

Holmes said in a low voice, "It must have been thrown away. Did a carriage come by afterwards?"

"No."

Holmes tossed the gold coin to the policeman, put on his hat and said, "Mr. Lance, you may never have the chance to be an official in this life. You are so stupid. You had an excellent opportunity to get promoted and make a fortune yesterday, but you Not sure, everyone is looking for him, but you let him go easily. The fact is, it is useless to say anything now." Just as the policeman stood there at a loss, we had already got into the carriage .

On the way home, Holmes scolded angrily: "What a stupid pig, such a good opportunity was wasted."

"I still don't know. Of course, the man the police said was the criminal you imagined. But why did he go back? It doesn't seem to be consistent with what a murderer does."

"Sir, 'Ring', you remember the ring, that's what he came back for. If there's no other way, use the ring to lure him, and he will fall for it. I bet you I can Catch him. If I don't go, I might lose a great opportunity. I should really thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gone. Let's call it 'The Pursuit of Scarlet'. Why not use a fancy word to describe this case? Murder is a thread of ordinary life, and our mission is to find the murderer. Come on, we should eat and go to the concert in a while! Norman· Neruda's voice is just so beautiful. She played Chopin's music is nothing to say, la la la..."

Looking at his happy singing, I thought: "Ah, the human brain is simply amazing."
After a busy morning, I felt a little tired, so when Holmes went to the concert in high spirits in the afternoon, I lay in bed trying to sleep for a while.But the events of the morning flashed before my eyes from time to time, and as soon as I closed my eyes, the image of the grinning dead man appeared in my mind.This face made me feel ugly, and I even wanted to be grateful to the murderer, because if the appearance is directly proportional to the crime, then the appearance of the deceased really makes people feel that his crime is unfathomable.However, I still think that things should be dealt with fairly, and legally, the crime of the murderer cannot be offset by the crime of the victim.

Holmes judged that the deceased was poisoned, and he made his judgment by smelling the lips of the deceased.Because there were no wounds on the body, it must have been poisoned to death, otherwise what would be the possibility?Unless the problem of "there is blood on the ground, there is no sign of a tear in the house, and no murder weapon is found", neither Holmes nor I can sleep.However, from the look on his face, he must have known the case inside out, but I still don't have a clue about it.It was quite late when Holmes came back, but I don't think he was so late because of the concert.When he came back, supper was ready.

"Today's music is so beautiful!" He said and sat down, "Darwin said: 'Humans' ability to appreciate and create music precedes human speaking ability.' This is probably why people are susceptible to music." Reason."

I said, "Isn't that too broad a statement?"

Holmes said: "The scope is a little wider. Oh, what happened to you today, frightened by this case?"

"Maybe that's the case. I have seen all kinds of situations in the war, and I have never been afraid. But today's situation is a bit abnormal."

"I can understand you. The case is thought-provoking and makes you more and more frightened. Have you read the evening papers?"

"No."

"The evening paper has already reported this case and described it in detail. The only thing that hasn't been mentioned is the ring. It's really great."

"why?"

"Look at the ad first. It's an ad I put in the paper this morning."

(End of this chapter)