Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 5 The Tracking of Blood Letters (4)
He said and handed me the newspaper, and a bold headline came into my eyes, "Lost and found column" read: "I found this in Brixton Road, between White Hart Tavern and Holland Grove. A diamond ring. Those who have lost it, please claim it from Dr. Watson at 221 Baker Street."

"Forgive me for using your name without your consent," said Holmes. "Using mine would attract the attention of other detectives."

"That's all right, but I don't have a real ring on my finger?" I replied.

"Here's one that can be tricked." He handed me a nice ring.

"Then who do you think will come to recruit?"

"It must be the man in the square boots and the brown coat, and if he doesn't come he must have sent someone."

"Does he dare to do that?"

"Of course, I believe in my own judgment. It would rather take the risk to get the ring back. He dropped the ring in that house, but he didn't know it. When he found out and was about to go back to look for it, he saw The light was on, and the policeman was already inside. He wanted to find the ring, but he was afraid of being noticed, so he pretended to be a drunk man. Let us put ourselves in his position. He must not know where the ring is. Lost, when he sees this news, he will definitely think that God has helped him. He will not consider that this is a trap set by others. He will definitely come, and you will see him in less than half an hour. "

"Then what should I do when he comes?"

"Let me deal with him, oh, do you have any weapons?"

"There's a revolver with a cartridge."

"You'd better be loaded and ready. Though I'm sure I can catch him, it's better to be prepared."

I did as he was told, and when I came out Holmes was playing with his fiddle, and the table was cleared.

"I have received a call back from the United States, which confirmed my speculation. Now, the case is clear."

"That's great!" I said excitedly.

Holmes: "Do you hear my violin play more beautifully? Because I just got new strings. Well, you hide the gun in your pocket first, and don't worry about the rest. I will do everything else." Cope with it. But remember, don’t speak out easily.”

I looked at my watch, it was already eight o'clock.

"Perhaps he will appear before us in a few minutes. Open the door a little, and put the key in it. Now, take a look at this "On the Laws of Nations," which is written in Latin It was written. I passed by the bookstall yesterday and saw this book and bought it. It was published before Charles I was guillotined."

"Who published this book?"

"Philippe de Croy, I don't know what kind of person he is. On the first page of the book, it says 'Guillemie White Collection', which reveals that this person is a jurist of positivism in the 17th century. That Someone might be coming."

There was a knock at the door. Holmes stood up, fiddled with his collar, and opened the door. "Excuse me, does Dr. Watson live here?"

I said loudly: "Yes, please come in."

The one who opened the door was an elderly woman with wrinkled face and a little limp when she walked. When she first came in, she couldn't adapt to the strong light in the room, so she closed her eyes slightly.After saying hello to us, she rummaged in her pockets with both hands, looking for something.Holmes stood there stupidly, while I kept my eyes fixed on the book.Finally the woman produced a note, handed the advertisement and said: "Gentlemen, this advertisement says that Dr. Watson has found a ring, and that is why I am here. My daughter Sally was at the Lost a ring while walking on the Brixton Road. It was her wedding ring. His husband would be very upset if he knew she had lost it. He has a bad temper. Oh, to bother you Yes. She went to see... last night?"

I asked, "Is this the ring your daughter lost?"

"Yes, that's it, great! Sally would be so happy to know that this is the ring she lost."

"Where do you live then?" I asked.

"Quite far from here, at 13 Duncan Street, Red Zid Pool District."

"The Brixton Road doesn't seem to be between the Crimson Pool and the Circus?" said Holmes.

The old woman glanced at Holmes and said, "He's asking where I live. My daughter lives in Beckham, No. 3 Mayfield Apartment."

"Then what's your name?"

"My name is Sawyer, and my daughter's husband is Tom Dennis. He is a very good accountant, and he is a man of integrity when he works on the ship, but he is different when he comes ashore. He is a woman and a drinker..."

"I am very pleased for you, and I give you the ring, Mrs. Sawyer," I interrupted, taking Holmes' hint.

The old woman thanked us, visibly nervous as she wrapped the ring, and walked out the door.Holmes took a coat casually, and hurriedly said to me: "Wait, don't go to sleep, I will follow her, she must go to the murderer." After speaking, he ran downstairs.From upstairs, I saw the old woman walking around looking around, and Holmes followed closely behind. I thought: If there are no accidents, Holmes will be able to catch the murderer.In fact, if he doesn't tell me, I have to wait for him.Because he doesn't come back, I can't sleep.

I sat in the room, smoked a cigarette, flipped through "The Life of Bohemian" by the way, and waited impatiently for his return.The maid and the landlady went back to sleep one after another.When it was almost twelve o'clock, I suddenly heard the sound of turning the door lock.A moment later Holmes entered, with an elusive expression on his face, but I was sure he hadn't succeeded.Suddenly he burst out laughing.

Holmes collapsed on the sofa and said: "This matter must not be spread, especially not to the people of Scotland Yard. Otherwise, they will laugh at me, but this is temporary, and I will definitely save face."

"What the hell happened?" I asked.

"It's useless to tell you. The man stopped a passing carriage before going far. I hurriedly followed her to find out where she was going. Actually, I didn't have to bother at all, because her voice was very loud." High, I think everyone on the road can hear what she said. Go to the red pool area, 13 Duncan Street. At that time, I didn't even think about it. I jumped on the back of the carriage when she got into the carriage Well, a skill like this is something every detective must possess. I jumped out of the carriage early as it was approaching Duncan Street, and followed it all the way.

"When I saw the carriage stopped in front of No. 13, but no one got out of the carriage, I walked over, and the coachman was yelling angrily. He cursed some ugly and vicious words. The passenger had already It’s gone. I went to No. 13 with the coachman to inquire, and there’s never been a lady named Sawyer here. The house on No. 13 is a paper maker, and he looks simple and honest.”

"Does that old lady have transformation skills?" I asked in surprise.

"She's not an old woman at all. We were fooled. He must be a pretty good young man, and his skills are particularly good. He probably expected that someone would follow him, so he used a golden cicada to get out of the shell, without anyone noticing." These circumstances are enough to let me understand that the murderer is by no means alone, and there are many people around him covering him. From this, it is clear that this person is not easy to deal with. Well, you go to sleep! "After such a day of tossing, I am really tired today, so I left and went to sleep.Holmes sat by the fire and played the violin. The melodious sound of the violin was like Holmes' confession.Grayson caught the "murderer"

The Brixton case was such a hot topic in the newspapers that almost every paper had it on the main page.Some newspapers even wrote their own comments, but even the insiders were not clear about some of the plots assumed in the newspapers.I also kept some newspaper clippings about the case.

Below is one of them.

"Daily Telegraph" reported: This case can be called a rare bizarre murder in the world.The murderer wrote "Lache" on the wall in imitation of German, but his motive for killing could not be seen.It is speculated that it may have been done by a group of desperate political prisoners and revolutionaries.The dead were most likely murdered in violation of their rules.The newspaper also mentioned the German secret court case, the mineral spring case, the Italian Carbonari case, the Marquise Branville case, etc., and finally believed that the government should closely monitor foreigners in Britain.

The Standard newspaper slammed the Liberals in power.The report said: The reason for this tragedy is that the weak government power has confused the people.The deceased was an American gentleman who had lived in London for several days. After bidding farewell to his landlady, Mrs. Charpentier, on the [-]th of this month, he was accompanied by his secretary, Mr. Joseph Stangerson, to Euston Station for a ride.Somebody has come across them.But then I don't know where they went.The body of the deceased was reportedly found in a vacant house on Brixton Road.Although Brixton Road is not far from Euston station, how he got there and how he was killed is still unclear.Stangerson's current whereabouts are unknown.It is said that the case is being investigated by police officers Les Reid and Gregson of the Scottish Police, and it is believed that it will be resolved in the near future.

"Daily News" reported: This is a political murder.At present, there are too many exiles in our country. Due to the autocracy and hateful liberalism of the government, a large number of such people have appeared.There is an unwritten strong rule among them, "If anyone dares to violate it, he must be executed." The police are currently looking for the whereabouts of Mr. Stangerson.The place where the deceased lived has also been investigated, and the case has changed a lot since then.This is all due to Mr. Grayson's superhuman detective ability.

After breakfast I read with my companion the reports which interested Holmes very much. "I've already expected it. In the end, the credit goes to Lethred and Grayson."

"That depends on the outcome."

"No matter what the result is, there are always people who praise them. If they catch the murderer, some people will say how clever they are. If they don't catch the murderer, they will say that the case is too rare and too strange. No wonder they can't catch it. A murderer. There is a French saying that goes: 'A fool is stupid, but there are always people who are stupider than him to applaud him.'”

Suddenly, we heard a rush of footsteps and the voice of the landlady asking.

"What's going on outside?"

I can't help asking.

"Oh, they are from the Baker Street Squad," said Holmes nonchalantly.Soon, a few urchins covered in mud rushed in.

Holmes ordered sharply: "Stand at attention!" The mud monkeys quickly formed a line. "Let Wiggins report the situation alone in the future, and the rest of you just wait below. Have you found it, Wiggins?"

One kid said, "No sir, we haven't found him yet."

"It's expected! But it doesn't matter. I will give you tips until I find out. I hope you can bring me good news when you come next time. Well, you can go." Holmes said goodbye to them, The group of children slipped out of the house in one swift motion.Then there was the sound of them fighting.

"Don't look at them as young, maybe they alone can catch up with several official detectives. Because people are often unguarded against these children, they can find out what you want to know. The only shortcoming of these witty little devils is It is lack of organisation," said Holmes regretfully.

I asked, "When did you hire these kids? Was it for the Brixton Road case?"

"Yes, because I still have a question that I can't figure out, but it will take time. Come here, look, Gregson is here, he must be reporting the news to us! Judging by his look, I'm afraid he's going to flatter again It's me! Oh, he stopped. Yes, it's him." Someone knocked on the door, and when we opened it, Gregson appeared in front of us.

"Good brothers, hurry up and congratulate me, I have already solved the case." He yelled loudly as if no one else was around.

Hearing what he said, Holmes showed a look of anxiety.

"Have you got the case out of the way?" he asked.

"Yes, I have caught the murderer."

"Who is the murderer?"

"Arthur Charpentier, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy," said Grayson triumphantly.

Holmes was relieved, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Sit down and have a cigarette. Tell me how you solved the case by the way. How about some whiskey and water?"

"Drink some, I've been exhausted for the past two days. My mind has never been idle these days, and I'm always in a state of excitement. I think you should understand this." Gleason said.

Holmes said solemnly: "You really flatter me, so tell me how you solved the case."

"Lesred is so smart that it makes people laugh. His thinking is completely wrong. He put all his energy on that Stangerson. In fact, Stangerson has nothing to do with this case."

The more he talked, the more complacent he was, and then he burst out laughing.

"So, how did you get the clue?"

"Oh, let me tell you all, although this cannot be discussed publicly, there is no need to keep it secret between us. My working method is different from others, and I will not wait for others to report to me. You should remember that the deceased Have a hat."

"That hat must have been bought from John Entew & Sons, 229 Camberwell Road."

Gregson was dumbfounded when he heard that: "You know this too, have you ever been to that hat shop?"

"No."

"Haha! Some cases have to start with some trivial details." Grayson cleared his throat and said proudly.

Holmes also said solemnly: "There is no small matter in handling a case."

"Afterwards I went to Enteu & Sons' hat shop and found out in the ledgers that Mr. Draper, who lived in Charpentier's apartment in Rue Torquay, had bought it. Then I found out where the man lived."

"Well, that's very shrewd!" exclaimed Holmes in a low voice.

"I went to see Mrs. Charpentier, but she was very nervous and pale when she saw me. I also saw her daughter Alice, a very beautiful girl. When she talked to me, I noticed that her eyes were red and swollen. , my lips were trembling, I began to doubt them at that time. This great discovery made me very happy. I asked her: "Have you heard the news that the tenant Mr. Draper of Cleveland City was killed?"

"The lady was silent and her daughter was crying. I found it more and more strange.

"'When did Mr. Draper leave for the station?'

"'About eight o'clock,' she went on, 'there are two trains for Liverpool, one at nine-fifteen and one at eleven. They are said to be catching the first train.'

"You will never see each other again."

"The lady's face suddenly changed when she heard this question. 'Yes.' She was very uncomfortable when she spoke.

"After a while, the girl suddenly spoke.

"She said: 'Mum, let's tell the truth! Or we'll be punished. Then I saw Mr. Draper again.'

"Mrs. Charpentier fell back on her chair and said, 'You've killed your brother!'

"The girl said firmly, 'Mother, Arthur doesn't want us to tell lies either.'

"I said, 'Just tell the truth! Besides, you don't know how much I know.'

"'Alice, it's all your fault.' My mother turned to me, scolding her daughter. 'Sir, I'm in a hurry. I don't mean that my son has anything to do with this case. He's innocent, so don't doubt him. His character and everything he does proves that he has nothing to do with the case.'”

"'Tell me the whole story, and trust me that we will never do wrong to a good man.'

"She motioned for Alice to go out, and Alice went out. She said, 'I didn't want to tell you, sir, but it's gotten to this point, so I'll tell you all about it.'

"I took out a pen and prepared to take notes.

"'Mr. Draper had been staying with me for about three weeks, and before that he and Mr. Stangerson had been traveling on the Continent. When they moved into our house, the suitcases still had stickers from Copenhagen on them. Stein Gesun doesn't talk much, he is a very upright person. But Draper is different, he is a hooligan with foul language all day long. He is dirty and obscene to the maids, it is unsightly. Later, he dared to My daughter is unreasonable and often says some nasty things to her. But my daughter is too young to understand. As a result, he got so close that he even hugged my daughter once. He is simply a beast."

"'Then why don't you drive him away, and endure what he's doing?'

"Mrs. Charpentier blushed when I said this. She said: 'I wish I didn't want him to come, but their rent is high, so I keep them. Because it is off-season, I It’s another widow’s family, and the family’s expenses are high, so I think I’ll bear with it! But then it became more and more unbearable, and I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I drove them away.’

"'and after?'

"'Later he left. But I never told my son about it, because he loved his sister very much, and I was afraid that something would happen if he found out. After Draper left, I felt at ease. Unexpectedly, In less than an hour, he came back. He seemed to be drunk, 'What a fucking bad luck to miss the train.' He said to my face, 'Alice, come with me! You've Now that you are an adult, no one has the right to interfere with you. I promise to make you happy." He grabbed Alice's wrist and walked out. At this time, he happened to meet my son. There was a lot of beating and shouting. When I woke up, Draper was gone, and Arthur was shaking with anger at the door with a stick in his hand. 'He will never dare to come again to this bastard.' He He put on his coat and said, "I'm going to see what that guy is up to." Then he ran out.

"'The next morning we heard that Draper had been killed.'

"These are all provided by Mrs. Charpentier. I have made a note, and I can assure you that it is correct."

Holmes yawned and said: "That's pretty good. What did you do after that?"

"What Mrs. Charpentier said gave me a better understanding of the case. Later, I asked her when her son would return home.

"She replied: 'I don't remember.'

"'Can not remember?'

"'I don't really remember, he had the key himself.'

"'And were you asleep when he came back?'

"'Fell asleep.'

"'What time did you go to bed then?'

(End of this chapter)