Mary's Nineteenth Century

"On the morning of May Day, 'Cupid' knocked on my door with my dear Mr. Holmes in the morning light."

If Mary kept a diary, she would do so on the page for May 1873, 5.

Too bad she doesn't have a diary habit, and the 'Cupid' who shows up in the living room is just playing that mythic role during the hip-hop parade.

"Master Matthew, good morning."

Mary knew this high-level British government, of course, not referring to Matthew's Cupid appearance, but met him at a dinner party in early April. "Your arrival immediately makes the succulent flourish."

"You are being polite. Allow me to say that I am sorry in advance, I have disturbed your arrangement for the May Day celebration."

Matthew did not exchange pleasantries. In the face of emergencies, those red tapes must be omitted.

"With all due respect, I hope you can help investigate one thing this time. Big Ben fell to his death at [-] o'clock this morning. The deceased was a senior Whitehall employee, male, but he jumped off the building wearing a bridal wedding dress."

In broad daylight, such a sensational thing happened on the side of the important parliamentary grounds in central London? !

"You're worrying about the headlines tonight."

Mary immediately understood Matthew's concerns, "Men wearing wedding dresses and jumping Big Ben can easily be associated with homosexuals committing suicide after courtship. This will become a serious scandal in Whitehall."

Matthew nodded again and again, "Mr. Minton, you are very right. Those tabloids have bad character and will never let go of a hot spot. I think you also have a deep understanding of the scandal of your Mrs. Roman three years ago , is distorted by those media, isn't it?"

All right, why mention old news?

This is a test!It was a sudden temptation!

Mary didn't look sideways and didn't look at Mycroft at all. For the first time, she clearly denied the relationship between Mr. Minton and Mrs. Roman in front of people.

"God! Your Majesty, Matthew, you are so insightful. Everyone else follows others. Few wise men like you understand that gossips are gossips after all. Mrs. Roman and I are just close friends, but some relationships are distorted in the rumors."

Why does Mary have to steadfastly deny it?

The reason, of course, was that my dear Mr. Holmes should not be in trouble.

Mrs. Roman's identity was false, someone must have created that identity in the first place, and the creator was well aware of the fact that Mycroft had disguised himself as a woman.

According to Matthew, he came to Mycroft after the big event.

With such a unique style, it is almost possible to determine who Madam Roman's previous online was.

Facing Matthew, if he still insists that the scandal is true, he may suspect that there is something wrong with Mycroft's sexuality.

A suspected gay Whitehall senior employee jumped off a building wearing a wedding dress in public today.At such a cusp, Mary couldn't show any clues.

Some things can be done secretly, but they must not be revealed to others, at least at this moment, so that Mycroft's superiors cannot be aware of it.

Upon hearing this, Matthew nodded in relief.Mr. Minton's words matched with Mycroft's statement when he reported to work, the M;L love story is just a fabricated story.

That's good, he doesn't have to worry about his most valued subordinate doing a fake show and embarking on the road of crime.It's not trust, it's because Mr. Minton is quite charismatic, what if the rational Mycroft can't think about it and is really attracted?

So, what should he do as a boss who wants to retire early and enjoy life?Is it to help cover?Or help to confuse the public?

Too cruel.

Such a high-intensity job that would kill a batch of brain cells is too cruel for middle-aged and elderly people who have been fighting openly and secretly for half their lives.

However, denouncing is impossible.

the reason is simple.

Matthew has a small goal, just work for a few more years and retire smoothly.From now on, this shabby stall in Whitehall will be thrown to Mr. Holmes.

Shhh!

The truth must not be shown in the slightest.

At the moment, Matthew has a serious expression and talks about the case of Big Ben's death in a serious manner.

"Mr. Minton, since you have personally experienced the power of newspaper nonsense, you don't need me to repeat how troublesome this death is."

Matthew also wanted to ruthlessly reprimand Barry Boulder for not choosing the time and place for his death, but he was not such a ruthless character. The first thing he thought about was whether Boulder committed suicide?Could it have been framed?

"Currently, the body has been transported to a specific morgue, and a tight-lipped doctor has been hired for an autopsy."

Matthew asked bluntly, "Now, can you go and investigate the inside story of the crash of Big Ben with Mr. Holmes immediately?"

"Of course. Your Excellency Matthew, it is my honor to invite you."

Mary readily agreed without asking why she was asked for help.There is no need to ask, because she is excellent, and the reason is as simple as that.

Then Mary smiled at Mycroft, as if

He said solemnly, "Mr. Holmes, it is a pleasure to cooperate."

Mycroft: I don't know why, but from Mr. Minton's formulaic "happy cooperation", he actually heard a bit of the subtext of "happy affair".

"Pleasant to work with."

Mycroft responded calmly, as if there was no weird inner drama at all. "If possible, let's go to the scene as soon as possible."

Regarding the archives of Barry Bald, Matthew left these basic materials and left first.

Not much to say, the two quickly had breakfast and were ready to set off.

After the meal, Mycroft handed out the portfolio first.

"I've seen it, Barry Boulder, single, no marriage history. 1861, half a year after university, entered Whitehall.

In 1866, Bald's mother died of illness, and his father died three years later.He had an elder sister who was four years older than him, and the older sister married in 1860 in Liverpool, northwest England. For 12 years, Boulder has been living alone in London. "

Judging from the archives alone, Barry Boulder's interpersonal relationship is simple.

Mary flipped through it quickly, and Baldor's scope of work was also very fixed, it didn't seem like someone had an inexplicable period of career.

After Bald graduated, he stayed in the Treasury Department in Whitehall and was promoted steadily and orderly.It is down-to-earth and step-by-step.

For his job evaluation, there were a few lapses recorded in the first two years, but nothing serious.Later, he did not have another recorded error, but he did not have an amazing contribution either.

"It seems that this is a Whitehall employee who is content with the status quo of life."

Mary found out that Baldor's address has changed three times in 12 years, from sharing with others to renting alone in a place with a good environment, which is also in line with his salary increase.

In other words, Baldor's life can be seen almost at a glance.There's no way a guy like him could climb up and jump off Big Ben in a lady's wedding dress.

——If it is really voluntary, it can be described as possessed by the devil.

However, not all cases are recorded on file.

Everyone has secrets, and some people are good at disguising, and they can deceive many people across the sea.

Mary closed the folder, "Mr. Holmes, you and the deceased both worked in Whitehall. Did you know each other before? As far as you know, does Baldur have any unspeakable secrets?"

"If the so-called acquaintance is to sit down and chat and eat

Of that kind, Bald and I don't know each other. "

Mycroft and Baldor weren't even acquaintances, they just lived in the same building and knew each other's faces.

However, for a Sherlock Holmes, not knowing each other does not mean not knowing each other.

"If I'm not mistaken, the reason Boulder is single is not that he's a celibate, but that he's not yet in love with the object of his love."

Mycroft mentioned a bookstore encounter at the beginning of the year, "I remember Bald bought a bunch of "49 Great Ways to Succeed in Your Marriage Proposal", "How to Please a Lady", "[-] Reasons Why a Lady Likes You" etc."

"It's really a string of titles that tell you what's in the book at a glance."

Mary did not doubt Mycroft's memory, but looked at him with a slightly playful look.

He didn't speak, but the meaning in his eyes was obvious, "I'm a little curious, has Mr. Holmes bought similar love guidance books?"

"I don't!"

Mycroft stared back very firmly, how could he buy those ridiculously stupid courtship guides.

Who can it be used for?To Mr. Minton?Only to be laughed at as an idiot.

And if anyone in the world can write a book "teaching you how to pursue Mr. Minton with a 99% success rate", that person's intelligence is extremely dangerous, and one must doubt whether he is a criminal expert.

Mycroft forcibly brought the topic back on track, "Not only is it the popular guide to love nowadays, but Baldur also bought books on folk remedies, such as "Successful Love Witchcraft in History". On Valentine's Day, I noticed that Bauer De carried a piece of sheep belly fur with him, thankfully the sheep skin has no blood."

That would be a bit spooky.

Mary was also unavoidably surprised, "Is that some kind of strange method of courtship witchcraft?"

"Afterwards, I went to check it out."

Mycroft also thought it was quite weird at the time, so he bought a copy of "Successful Love Witchcraft in History".

"It is said that this method came from the famous military general and state activist in ancient Rome. Agrippa once said a courtship method with sheep belly fur."

The general operation is to tie a knot with sheep's belly hair, and hide it on the roof of the beloved's house, which can induce a strong love for the other party.Maidens are attracted to suitors who place woolen knots, and the two can marry very quickly. ①

After hearing this brief introduction, Mary was at first speechless about the old customs.

From this, it is not difficult to understand why goats are regarded as a symbol of the devil, because sheep's belly hair has been used in witchcraft to confuse people's hearts.

"Wait a moment."

Mary quickly thought of the key point, "Hiding the woolen knot on the roof requires climbing skills. If it is not a chimney sweep or a cleaner climbing the roof, but a man in a suit and leather shoes, that scene is very weird."

From climbing the roof to climbing the Big Ben, the difficulty gap between the two is very large, but it can also be understood that one has two.If Baldur has a history of climbing other people's roofs, it's hard to say whether he has developed other climbing behaviors.

At that time, Mycroft didn't care about the follow-up situation, he was too lazy to fulfill his curiosity. "I'm not sure what Boulder ended up doing with the mutton skin. Perhaps he enlisted the help of a chimneyman? Perhaps it was a coincidence that his purchase of the mutton skin had nothing to do with this courtship witchcraft."

What kind of coincidence would cause Baldr to fall to his death on May Day?

The suspicious signs that happened to him cannot be explained by coincidence from the moment of his strange death.

It takes about 15 minutes to walk from Pall Mall Street to Big Ben.

When the two arrived at the scene, more than two hours had passed since Boulder fell to his death, but the crowd of onlookers never dispersed.

Today is May Day, and most people are on vacation.

It is reported that various celebrations have not been cancelled, but for example, the hip-hop parade has been postponed, because the route has to be changed slightly, and it is no longer possible to pass near Big Ben.

"It seems that there are always some people who are more interested in the death of the crash than celebrating the festival."

Mary watched as Scotland Yard officers labored to keep order and keep the crowd from rushing into the crash site.Police officers can stop people in their tracks, but they can't stop their curiosity.

Mycroft looked at the congestion on the ground, and then looked up at the dial of Big Ben, which was tens of meters above the ground.

"On the ground, you can always pass through the crowd with hard work. However, the key to knowing how Boulder fell to his bloody body is still in midair."

Was Baldor the only one who climbed onto the dial alone?Did he jump off by himself?Is there any secret?

To answer these questions, it is necessary to investigate on the spot.That is, you must go to the dial tens of meters high to take a look.

Here comes the important point, the two must work at heights in full view.

"What I'm going to do next reminds me of the Boston hot air balloon incident.

"

Mary smiled and said, "With Mrs. Roman at my side, I didn't have the slightest panic about flying in a hot air balloon, and enjoyed the rare high-altitude trip. Now I'm with you, Mr. Holmes, it really seems like yesterday reproduce."

Mycroft: Who, 40 minutes ago, steadfastly denied having an intimate relationship with Mrs. Roman?Now it's bringing up the past again.

"Mr. Minton, we will not go up in a hot air balloon. We need to get out of the small window on the upper floor and climb to the dial with bare hands."

Mycroft corrected the discrepancy between the two things.Then, as if to ease the tension brought about by the high-altitude survey risks, he asked jokingly, "You might as well think about it, Mrs. Roman or me, who is more enjoyable for you?"

The author has something to say: ①The old custom comes from "How to Skin a Lion", [UK] Claire Coke Starkey