"The Widow" Bertha

The next day, the textile factory.

Originally during the strike period, the front of the textile factory was supposed to be quiet, but at this time, several cars were parked in a mighty manner.

Dawson looked solemnly at the carriage with the Italian family crest and opened the door. Marco Esposito stepped down and glanced in the direction of Mary Morstan: "How on earth did you invite me?" Lady Thames?"

The red-haired Irish girl had a more complex expression than Dawson.

She didn't expect that when she went to ask Mrs. Madam Thames, she would ask Mrs. Thames.

"This……"

Miss Morstan thought for a long time, but in the end she just sighed: "It's a long story."

The Italian leader in the distance stretched his long legs and walked towards the ordinary carriage parked on the other side of the street without looking back.Thomas Thames jumped down from the driver and took the lead to stop Marco who was walking forward.

"Mr. Esposito," Thomas began, "what do you want?"

However, Marco didn't even look at Thomas Thames. He just walked around the second in command standing in front of him coldly, and opened the car door for Mrs. Thames himself.

Thomas' face suddenly became ugly.

Marco stretched out his hand, and what protruded from the carriage was a royal blue sleeve.

Mrs. Thames got out of the carriage. She was wearing a bright dress. The sky was gloomy today, and the bright colors with well-cut and good materials seemed almost glaring on the gray factory front street.

——Except for her clothes, she was no different from yesterday, but as soon as she thought that this was Mrs. Thames, Miss Morstan felt that this lady suddenly became different.

As for Bertha...

She stepped on the ground with her face up, and then took her hand back from the man's palm.

"Sir," began Bertha, "is it not too impertinent for you to ignore Thomas Thames, my brother of the same surname, who asks you questions?"

Marco smiled coldly: "On our side, ma'am, when young people face elders, they should meet and say hello."

"That's Thomas' fault."

After speaking, Bertha turned her head: "Thomas?"

The young man in a beige coat bowed his head immediately: "I apologize to you, Mr. Esposito, good day."

Marco raised an almost smug look.

"Then," continued Bertha, "it is your turn to apologize to Thomas."

"..."

The pride of the man on the other side immediately produced a momentary stiffness.

Bertha's request was quite rude for a leader to bow down to the young and promising second in command of the opposing family.But Thomas apologized first without hesitation, and if Marco didn't apologize, he would appear very immodest.

The Italian's face suddenly darkened.

"I'm sorry, Thomas," he said with a straight face, "I just wanted to say hello to Mrs. Thames."

"So it is."

Thomas intentionally raised a relieved smile, his ice blue eyes were full of cunning: "You should have said it earlier, sir!"

Mark:"……"

Said it as if he didn't do that.

As soon as they met, they suffered a dark loss, and the Italians held back their anger.But he didn't sit in the parent's position by playing tricks. Marco really swallowed his breath and made a gesture of invitation: "As you wish, madam, I will give you what you want."

Between the words, it was as if Bertha begged him to order the textile factory to open the door.

Bertha rolled her eyes inwardly.

Sherlock Holmes had been waiting at the gate of the textile factory for a long time. Obviously, the detective had no interest in gang disputes. After seeing Bertha, he said directly: "The crime scene is on the east side."

Thomas: "How do you know?"

Holmes grinned, but said nothing.

If it wasn't for Bertha's promise that they could walk in dignifiedly, he would have directly looked for a chance to climb over the wall and enter the door, which was more efficient.

The factory building on the east side of the textile factory has been completely sealed up. I don’t know how Marco explained it to the factory owner. They didn’t even see a supervisor along the way.

Holmes was so happy that no one stopped him, he entered the factory building, and Miss Morstan immediately raised her hand to point out the location: "Martha's accident happened in the southwest corner."

There was an echo in the empty factory building, but otherwise there was no weird atmosphere as Bertha had expected.The site has been dealt with, and whatever was there, all that remains are water-splashed concrete floors and closed windows.

But this did not stop Holmes' enthusiasm.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Sherlock Holmes flicked the hem of his coat and knelt directly on the ground.He touched the ground with his left hand, then brought the ash under his nose and sniffed it.

Bertha caught the moment of his contemplation: "Any clue?"

Holmes: "It comes from the underground waterway."

Bertha was taken aback: "What?"

Holmes: "Is there a drain outside the window?"

This question was asked of Miss Morstan, and the red-haired Irish girl replied immediately: "Yes, under the window."

Then the young detective didn't say a word, he got up and lifted his legs, and walked over the window lightly, wanting to go to the sewer.

Bertha: "..."

The underground water system in Europe and the United States is a corridor type, which is quite different from the sewer system in the Soviet Union. It is not only open, but also quite spacious. The widest place can even be used by boats.

In other words, London's drainage system is complex and extending in all directions, almost a labyrinthine world built under the ground.

If the perpetrator, or other creature, came from the sewers, it would be troublesome, because it would be impossible to find out where it came from.

If it is related to the laboratory of the Truth Society, the condition of Pastor White, and the way of Martha Marquis' death, Holmes knows it all, so is it okay to go directly to the sewer like this? !

"Thomas," Bertha said, knowing she could not stop Holmes, "follow him."

"it is good."

"If there is something uncomfortable down here," Bertha urged, "even if it is just a feeling, stop Holmes immediately."

Bertha found out that Thomas is very sensitive to those strange things, and at this time he can be used as a "detector".

After Thomas caught up, Bertha turned to Dawson and Miss Morstan: "Where was the overseer who found the dead?"

Dawson looked blank: "I haven't seen him today."

Marco, who was watching coldly, spoke with an Italian accent: "Here I am."

Bertha: "..."

When Marco's subordinates pushed the overseer almost from left to right, she really didn't hold back the expression on her face.

Though the Thames boys did it too, it was Dr. Butts who owed usury first.What did the overseer do again?Seeing his trembling appearance and the bruises on his face, I'm afraid he has had a rough night.

"how?"

Perhaps it was because the disgust on Bertha's face was too obvious, Marco smiled: "I'm afraid he will run away, Madam, this is the key witness."

Bertha pretended to smile back: "It's so sweet, sir."

After finishing speaking, she looked at the supervisor: "On the day Martha Marquis had an accident, did you see anything?"

The overseer had already been frightened by the gangster style. He looked at Bertha, swallowed his saliva first, and then stammered and replied: "No, no, I, I, I ran over when I heard the sound, and it just depends on the situation." To Marquis her, she's dead!"

Bertha thought for a while: "Nothing? For example...strange light?"

The supervisor was stunned: "Light? How can there be light? It was dark at that time, and the lights in the factory buildings were turned off. Where did the light come from!"

Bertha: "...you haven't experienced any memory fragments in the past few days, have you?"

"No, absolutely not!"

The supervisor seemed to have misunderstood it as Bertha's disbelief: "Ma'am, even if I don't want a job, I'm still a living person who needs to eat and sleep! You don't know about such a big thing... I haven't done it for two days." Eat it!"

Bertha slowed down her tone: "If you don't have it, you don't have it. I'm just asking."

Although the overseer stuttered, it was confirmed that the Italians were intimidating him.The overseer's speech was clear, and it didn't look like his memory had gone wrong.

Relating to the experience that Pastor White told before, Bertha thinks that the overseer has indeed not seen anything strange.

It's his fate.

"Let him go," Bertha said to Marco, "he doesn't know anything."

Marco waved his hand upon hearing this.

His butler walked forward without saying a word, and took out a shiny pound from his pocket and handed it to the overseer: "It's all thanks to Mrs. Thames, understand?"

Even though he had been beaten, the overseer's eyes still lit up when he saw Pound.

He hastily accepted the reward and bowed his head: "Yes, yes, I definitely remember Mrs. Thames' kindness!"

Bertha twitched the corners of her mouth with a half-smile.

Not long after, Holmes came back through the window.

The young man who was still well-dressed just now, walked into the sewer, and naturally became stinky.But Holmes didn't care at all. He came around by the main entrance, still holding an indistinct object in his hand.

Bertha couldn't help frowning: "Where's Thomas?"

Holmes: "It's spit out."

After finishing speaking, he dropped the half-person-high "thing" on the ground.

After the "thing" landed, it made a "pop" sound, as if a body of mucus had fallen to the ground.The splashed mud caused several Italians to avoid cursing, and then...

After seeing clearly what the "thing" on the ground was, everyone was taken aback.

It might be the carcass of an animal.

The reason for using "maybe" is that Bertha couldn't tell what kind of creature it was.It has a mouse-like body and tail, but thick horny limbs and an almost reptilian head. The "animal" corpse was covered with sludge and dirty water from the sewer, which caused Bertha to be unable to confirm for a while whether the "animal" was born like this, or grew into this appearance later.

—that is what Sherlock Holmes and Thomas Thames saw in Dr. Long's laboratory.

Bertha's face changed: "This must be informed to your brother, Mr. Holmes."

Then she turned her head to look at Marco. It was rare for the Italian to say anything more. Instead, she turned her head exaggeratedly and raised her hands in a gesture of surrender: "Everything is for you, madam. I will not interfere with matters related to the case." .”

That's good, Bertha is not in the mood to continue to compete with him now.

***

Thomas Thames had a hard time with the troubles brought about by the Truth Society several times before, and this time was no exception.

Bertha's original intention was to let Thomas stop Holmes cautiously, but no one expected that this would make him see this strange "creature" again.After the Italians left, Thomas outside the factory was still leaning on the wall and couldn't stop retching.

"Water? Or I'll ask Miss Morstan to buy a bottle of spirits." Bertha handed Thomas a handkerchief and patted Thomas on the back. "Bromium salt is also fine. How can I make you feel better?"

"I'm fine, ma'am, this vomit—"

"..."

Bertha didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's all my fault, the next thing related to the case will let Sykes run."

Thomas waved hurriedly.

He vomited for a while before he was able to recover, but his face was still pale.Thomas took Bertha's veil with guilt on his face: "I don't feel sick, I just... can't control it."

Bertha: "Okay, okay."

The siblings returned to South Bank Street in a carriage. After getting off the carriage, Bertha wanted to ask Thomas a few more words, but before she could speak, she turned around and saw two acquaintances standing in front of her house.

One was Sherlock Holmes who had just left with the "animal" corpse, and the other was his elder brother.

Mycroft Holmes was still the same: well-dressed and tall, holding his bare cane, talking in low voices to his brother.

The two Holmes are equally tall and straight, just standing side by side becomes a beautiful landscape in front of Mrs. Thames' gate.

Mycroft raised his head following the sound, and met Bertha's gaze from a few meters away.

Their eyes met, and the corners of Bertha's mouth curled up.

This is the first meeting in six months.