"The Widow" Bertha

Half a year ago, No. 22 Nan'an Street was still a dilapidated "haunted house", but just half a year later, even the most superstitious old people in the neighborhood would not think that the storefront at No. 22 still had the possibility of being haunted.

The outside door was painted black, replaced by bright glass windows, and hung a sign with the words "Thames".The metal nameplate glistens under the ostentation of the sun, so grand that even the neighbors can't remember the ghostly appearance in the past for a while.

As for the interior, it has a new look. The bar counter located in the center of the lobby on the first floor is painted in different colors, which just separates the bar—there are mostly high stools beside the round table on the left, which are suitable for workers to get off work After drinking a glass of beer and leaving; the square table on the right is well-behaved, if you want to drink something good and communicate with friends, you must come here.

"This was personally supervised by Mrs. Thames and her younger brother Thomas," Ned introduced the situation to Mrs. Bartz, who came, er, to be an applicant. "There are eight accommodation rooms on the second floor, which can be regarded as the basic configuration of a bar. It has just been refurbished and the furniture is brand new.”

"how?"

Bertha who was sitting at the bar asked with a smile, "I'm quite satisfied with this place myself."

Mrs. Bartz looked around, then nodded sincerely: "It is indeed a pretty bar, ma'am."

Bertha: "So this place still meets your expectations."

Mrs. Butts lowered her head.

I have to say that Dr. Bartz is quite self-aware. Although his brain circuits are weird, his wife is indeed plain-looking, not ugly, and definitely not good-looking.

How should I put it, if an artist were to blindly draw a portrait of a "middle-class lady of the nineteenth century", it would most likely look the same as Mrs. Butts.

However, if it weren't for this, Bertha wouldn't feel a little satisfied when she saw Mrs. Bartz.

"Ma'am, you have a lot of people, and you are willing to provide me and Frans with the opportunity to repay the debt," Mrs. Bartz said in a neither humble nor overbearing way. "It is completely a guide sent by God to redeem me and my husband. I am very grateful to you, but I am not Get it, why should I run a bar with a street gang behind it?"

"Mrs Butts."

Before Bertha could speak, Ned, the little accountant, adjusted the mirror frame with a cold face: "I hope you understand, what Mrs. Thames wants to do, she doesn't need any reason."

Mrs. Butts: "Naturally, but I still want to know the answer."

Ned: "You—"

Bertha: "All right."

She couldn't laugh or cry, she didn't need any reason to be okay, as if it wasn't her who was beaten by Mycroft secretly before.Even if she gave Inspector Lestrade a big gift, who could guarantee that she would not become the second gift to Scotland Yard from the next replacement after she acted too wildly?

People need to be self-aware, even more so when they are street gangsters.

"The answer is simple. I have renovated the bar but I can't find an operator, and as you said, this bar belongs to a street gang," Bertha replied naturally. "Of course I need someone who can manage it for me." , I’m afraid there’s nothing better in this world than being in debt, right?”

"...You are right, ma'am." Mrs. Butz thought for a while and accepted Bertha's words.

"Don't be so rude in the future," Ned tapped.

"It's about the same for you, Ned," Bertha couldn't help laughing. "I'm not old Jessie, so I have to flatter me? Do you know why Thomas is so cute?"

"Please speak, madam."

"Because he has a gang vibe like you, but he never kisses ass."

"..."

Bertha brushed Ned off with a smile, still in front of outsiders.This made Ned Morrison stunned, and then the little accountant laughed himself.

"You're right, ma'am." With such a smile, the young man let go of his sleek aura, "Forgive me for always being unable to change this habit."

This is decent, young people have to look like young people.

To be honest, Ned looks really good, especially because he always likes to wear formal clothes, with a pen pinned to his chest, and with glasses framed on the bridge of his nose, he looks like a well-mannered college student.

Bertha likes such a well-dressed young man, but Thomas is good at everything, but his aesthetics are too stubborn.

"I am not afraid of being offended," said Bertha frankly. "It is better to speak out than to calculate. Mrs Butts, although you and your husband owe me a thousand pounds, I will not withhold your wages, and I will I will also sign a guarantee contract with you."

"If possible, I would like to sign a contract."

"No problem," Bertha said happily, "If you are satisfied with the job, I can hire a lawyer right away."

"That……"

Mrs. Bartz hesitated for a moment, and then asked directly: "France said that as long as the bar makes money, the net profit can be used to repay the debt. Is it really that simple, madam?"

This question came to Ned's professional field. He glanced at Bertha, and waited until she nodded before speaking: "As for the debt repayment issue, I will agree with you on a more reasonable business goal, Mrs. Bartz. As long as you The net profit of the bar during the year exceeds this target, and the excess will be fully calculated as the debt repayment amount.”

"This agreement could also be written into the contract," Bertha added.

"As for how much, you and I can discuss it at a suitable time," Ned said again. "In this way, do you have any questions, Mrs. Butts?"

"I have no problem."

It has to be said that the conditions proposed by Mrs. Thames can be described as generous, and there is almost no pressure on the debtors.

So Mrs. Bartz accepted the condition: "Thank you for your generosity, madam, you are completely different from old Jesse."

Bertha laughed.

She brushed her long hair that was coiled up high, and said casually: "What's the difference? For ordinary people like you, aren't you all the leaders of street gangs.

"It's still different," Mrs. Bartz insisted. "I heard that the accountant of Jesse's gang is the best at exploiting and lending money. I don't know how many people have been ruined. But today, he is not such a person at all."

Ned: "..."

Now he regrets that he followed Mrs. Thames to South Bank Street, why not find a reason to shirk?

Although Mrs. Butts was right, Ned Morrison's hands were not as clean as Bix's, but as a gang accountant he couldn't do them himself.The little accountant never denies what he has done in the past, but... can you not expose your faults in front of your new employer!

In particular, Bertha looked very interested. She became refreshed when she heard the words, her dark golden eyes immediately turned to Ned, and said with a half-smile: "Oh? Are you like this, Ned?"

Ned Morrison broke out in a cold sweat on the spot.

"It doesn't matter at all," Bertha saw that he was guilty, and turned to excuse him. "It depends on the owner. If you feel that you have done something wrong with Ned, I will replace you with a connector."

"Ma'am, you can arrange it."

Mrs. Bartz didn't say much: "It's okay to simply run the hotel for the gang. Do I need to do anything else?"

Bertha: "It's nothing."

At first she bought the land with the idea of ​​opening a bar to gather intelligence.But now she has a whole squad of street thieves, and just happens to have London coachmen on her side, and possibly whores in the future, and Lady Thames' boys don't have any source of information right now.In contrast, a bar does much less.

"There's nothing 'extra' to do for the time being," said Bertha. "You just work hard, Mrs. Butts. I don't have a source of income from usury, so I have to rely on the bar to collect money."

"I'll do my best."

At this point in the conversation, Mrs. Bartz was completely relieved: "The last request, madam, can you let me see the appearance of the bar in detail?"

"Of course, this is where you will operate in the future."

"Thank you."

After getting approval, Mrs. Bartz turned around and stepped up to the second floor, holding the corner of her skirt.

Bertha looked sideways at Ned.

Meeting Bertha's interested eyes, Ned felt uneasy: "Ma'am, I—"

"Okay, okay." In her eyes, the little accountant was like a frightened cat, and Bertha had to comfort herself, "I won't have a quarrel with myself because of such a trivial matter, and you shouldn't do it because of it." Embarrassing Mrs. Butts. She is just protecting herself, who told old Jessie to press so hard before?"

"That's right."

Hearing what Madam said, Ned felt at ease: "Madam, you have a lot."

Bertha: "The more you do, the more you can make up for what you did in the past. I..."

"lady?"

Before Bertha finished speaking, Mrs. Bartz, who had just gone up to the second floor, came down with a serious face: "Why is there something on the wall in the room on the left on the second floor?"

"what?"

"Impossible," Ned was astonished, "the decoration workers on the second floor were personally arranged by Madam!"

Looking at Mrs. Bartz's expression, she seemed to have seen something bad.Bertha immediately frowned and got up from the stool by the bar. She walked up quickly and followed Mrs. Bartz.

The future bar operator did not hesitate, Mrs. Bartz took Bertha and the little accountant to the room on the second floor without saying a word.

She opened the door with her own hands—

What caught my eye was a basketball-sized symbol of the Truth Society on the central wall of the dormitory room.

This room was the room where Sherlock Holmes forged the laboratory secret room at that time, but when Dr. Lang was taken away, Thomas immediately arranged for someone to clean up the murals on the wall. After cleaning up, Bertha had been here, and she was very happy Clearly there shouldn't be any traces left.

So what's going on here?

"This... doesn't this symbol mean 'light'," Mrs. Bartz said, "Why is it here?"

"What did you say?!"

Bertha looked at Mrs. Bartz in shock: "How do you know the meaning of this symbol?"

Mrs. Bartz was taken aback: "I, I just occasionally looked through Frans' medical journals and came across them by accident."

Medical journals?

Bertha's thoughts changed instantly.

It is certain that after the renovation, the symbol is not present in the room.It was not the first time Bertha had come back, of course she knew.

So when did this symbol appear?Why did he choose to stay in the room where Dr. Lang once stayed?

"Ma'am," Bertha said gravely, taking a deep breath, "you must go home and find this publication for me. Ned! Go and call the postman from South Shore Street, along with Faddie."

Brother Holmes must be notified of this matter.