Mary's Nineteenth Century

In the end, Mycroft didn't ask Mr. Minton about liking men.

Feelings cannot be judged by common sense. Even if there are unwavering standard principles, they will occasionally be shaken by a specific person.Therefore, it is completely meaningless to talk about general cognition without directly talking about a special case.

The two read the newspaper very seriously, trying to find clues that might be related to the person who left half a shoe print.

In fact, it is not surprising that the tabloids will report on the news of men cross-dressing. Two or three years ago, a couple of male transvestites wandered the streets and were arrested and imprisoned. Of course, they were accused of being gay.

That kind of news is explosive and eye-catching, and newspapers publish photos of cross-dressers, and they can criticize them wantonly.

Today, Boulder fell to his death from Big Ben wearing a wedding dress, and chose a festive day, simply trying his best to bring together all the bloody elements.

"There is no abnormal content in today's evening paper."

Before the food was served, Mycroft finished reading the stack of newspapers that affected his appetite. "If someone is really behind the scenes, the news should be released one after another."

First stir up a man who wears a wedding dress and suspects that he likes the same sex and is rejected by jumping off a building. When the heat rises, his workplace is released, and then his real identity is slowly released.

If the technology is in place, a photo can be faked.It sounds unbelievable, but through multiple exposures, multi-bottom composite printing, photo montage, etc., it is enough to make fake photos. ①

It's not just a splicing of two men's intimate photos, but also splicing of two ghosts fighting on the pillow.

Moreover, because there are not many people exposed to photos and photography nowadays, it is easier for people to believe that the so-called photographs are the truth.

Mary does not deny that such a series of follow-up operations may occur, "If that is the case, after Balder's physical death, he will be completely socially dead."

If the follow-up develops as predicted, those who harmed Baldur will hate him deeply.

"This level of hatred is even to the point of betting on your own life. The high-altitude climbing Big Ben was laid out in advance. How could the half-footprint suspect not leave traces in Baldur's life."

Mary visited Boulder's colleagues in the afternoon.Judging from the current investigation, there is no crazy Avenger in Baldur's daily life.

Mycroft also visited

Neighbors and vendors near Baldur's residence, "People have the same evaluation of Baldr, saying that he is an easy-going gentleman."

Of course, Bald is not without persistence.

There is a sweetheart, the red-haired Miss England, with whom he desperately wants to spend the rest of his life.

"Wait to check at the post office and bank tomorrow."

Mycroft hoped to find out who the red-haired lady was, "whether Baldr sent letters to whom frequently, and whether there were unaccounted expenses in his personal finances."

Mary is going to visit a few more chimney sweeping services in London, and maybe someone has noticed strange wool knots on the roof of a house.

And visit several more hospitals and clinics to determine where Boulder had treated old brain injuries and get a more detailed timeline.

Time flies.

With the two days of news fermenting, almost all of London knew that a homosexual committed suicide by jumping off Big Ben.

The publishing headquarters on Fleet Street certainly did not have only one voice, and some newspapers pointed out suspicious points in the incident.

But before there is more conclusive evidence, people don't pay attention to rational doubts, only curious about who the dead is?Want to know more inside gossip.

Rumors and speculation abounded.

The death of Barry Boulder is not an absolute secret. The clock tower patrol team, colleagues in the Whitehall office, etc., all know who is dead.It is only a matter of time before Bald's identity is leaked.

Under such circumstances, Bald's sister Jenny rushed to London.

On the morning of 5 May, a telegram was sent to Liverpool.After Jenny received the news of her brother's death, she set off for London immediately.

"Impossible, Barry would never like a man."

Jenny stated her intention very categorically, "It's even more impossible for him to commit suicide. Two weeks ago, he sent me a letter saying that he would definitely pursue the red-haired lady."

"Do you know who Mr. Baldr's lover is?"

Mycroft had checked the post office, but the post office didn't keep track of every sender.Bald didn't have many features, and the staff didn't remember the appearance of this person at all.

From the side, it shows that the frequency of Baldr's sending letters is not high, and he did not launch a love letter-bombing style of pursuit of his sweetheart.

Additionally, he has no unusually large outlays of funds in his bank account and does not appear to have purchased an engagement ring or other expensive gifts.

In one way, though, Boulder is crazy.

Although his medical records were not found, three

At the end of the month, he bought hemostatic medicine at a pharmacy three kilometers away from his home.

Mary went to ask, and the pharmacy clerk recognized Bald's photo, because he really remembered it deeply.

It was past ten o'clock on Sunday night.Bald's face was pale, and he knocked on the door of the pharmacy with blood on the right side of the back of his head. He claimed to have been accidentally injured in a street fight.

The pharmacy clerk saw that Baldor was well dressed and looked honest and reliable, so he didn't doubt the reason he said, and sold a bag of medicines and gauze.

The old intracranial injury found in the autopsy was not knocked by a heavy object, but more similar to a fall injury.

Therefore, it is reasonable to suspect that Baldor lied.

At the moment, Jenny couldn't give the name of her brother's sweetheart, the red-haired lady.

"I asked him about the specific situation, but because of Barry's personality, he won't talk about personal matters with people. He just told me that once the proposal is successful, he will tell me the good news as soon as possible."

In late March, Boulder suffered a head injury.

In mid-April, he expressed his determination to pursue his sweetheart in a letter to his sister.

Mary asked directly, "Ma'am, did you bring that letter? In the letter, is Mr. Baldor confident in his pursuit of success?"

"Sorry, the letter is in Liverpool, I came out in a hurry, and I haven't had it at all..."

As Jenny spoke, she thought of a possibility, "The two suspect that my brother's death has something to do with that red-haired woman who doesn't know who it is?"

"Everything is still under investigation."

Mycroft's statement was very official, but it was also true. "Ma'am, the more details you can remember, the better it will help you find out the truth. How many times has Mr. Baldur talked to you about the red-haired lady? When did it start?"

Jenny tried hard to recall, "Last Christmas, Barry came to Liverpool to spend the holiday together. At that time, I asked him if he had any plans to get married. For the first time, he gave an affirmative answer, but did not say who the other party was. Counting, in mid-April That letter was the second time the woman was mentioned. It was only then that I learned that the man had red hair."

From this point of view, Bald is really reluctant to reveal his personal feelings to the outside world.

Mycroft understood this approach very well, no matter how good his relationship with Sherlock was, he would not talk about it.

For solving the case, the previous silence has become an obstacle. "Madame, please think again, every clue is good. For example, is the red-haired lady from London?"

"Oh! The red-haired woman does not live in London."

Jane

Ni recalled the words in the letter, "Barry mentioned, 'the red-haired lady in the rye is very charming', and I think she may live in a town around London."

This explains why the chimney services in the City of London have not found any strange woolen knots on the roof.

At the same time, it narrowed down the scope of finding the red-haired lady.

Boulder's working hours and location are fixed, and he has always maintained full attendance.Except for public holidays, he hardly ever travels far.

Suppose you want to secretly go to the roof of the red-haired lady to put wool knots, and you have to complete the back and forth on Sunday.

With London as the center, the surrounding villages and towns that meet the time conditions are limited.

While talking, Jenny thought of another point. "By the way, there is something very strange. In the letter, Barry wrote very abrupt words, 'Poppies and poppies look similar, but they are completely different, thanks to which I finally figured it out.'"

This sentence has no beginning and no end.

Jenny was puzzled, and when she wrote back to her brother, she asked about it, only to get a reply from Bald that he had studied botany.

"But you two have also seen that there is not a single green leaf in my brother's room. He doesn't like the smell of earth, and he has no interest in plants, and he doesn't know how to study flowers that look similar. "

Given Bald's mysterious death, every contradiction in him deserves attention.

"Madame, if you don't mind, would you please have your husband at Liverpool help me to telegraph Mr. Bald's letter to London as soon as possible?"

Mary thought it necessary to study the letter carefully.At present, there are no written or written records about his personal feelings left by Baldor in his residence, and he rarely confides in others. That letter is one of the few clues.

Telegrams counted words, and it was not cheap to send the entire letter to London.

Jenny agreed without hesitation.

"Okay, before the sun goes down today, I will finish it. I hope the two of you can restore my brother's innocence as soon as possible. It is absolutely impossible for Barry to be a homosexual criminal like those newspapers said."

Jenny left first and went to the nearest telegraph office.

In the living room, Mycroft glanced at his pocket watch, "14:47, I wonder if we can still book today's train ticket."

Why book a train ticket?

"Have you confirmed the location of the red-haired lady?"

Mary guessed that Mycroft had found some kind of evidence, "Did something be found at Bald's house?"

"Two York Road Four Seasons

Hotel receipts. "

Mycroft said that Baldor's residence is west of Whitehall, while York Road is about three or four kilometers north of Whitehall.

"Bald's scope of activities is basically fixed, and no other shopping records of him along York Road have been found, except for two breakfast receipts."

Unfortunately, the receipt does not indicate the year, month, and day.

It can only be inferred from the supply of seasonal fruits and vegetables that Boulder had breakfast at the King's Cross Station Hotel in March.

March coincides with the time when Boulder broke his head.

Why did Baldor walk five or six kilometers to the Four Seasons Hotel for breakfast?

The answer lies in the small town where the red-haired lady lives outside of London, and those scattered clues can be strung together.

"King's Cross Station, it's on York Road."

Mycroft quickly put together a few fragmentary clues, "King's Cross Railway Station opened in 1852, sending out trains to the northeast of England. Although the current speed of the train and the environment of the carriages are not flattering, it cannot stop Bald's impulse to meet his sweetheart."

There are at least a dozen or twenty trains departing from King's Cross Station during the breakfast time. Where is Baldor's target station?

"Since we can find the breakfast bill, don't we have a train ticket?"

When Mary asked, Mycroft shook his head.Now one thing is almost certain, "I think that from the night of April 4 to the early morning of May 30, someone went to Baldor's residence first."

Today, no written records have been found, and no train tickets have been found. Everything about Bald's love for the red-haired lady seems to have been artificially erased.

Mycroft agrees, "A suspicious person with half a footprint can sneak into Big Ben clock tower, just as he can sneak into Baldor's house. Stealing the proof that Baldur is in love with the red-haired lady is more evidence that he likes the same sex. rumors."

It was a conspiracy against Baldur.

The cause is unclear.Judging from Bald's life and work, he has no enemies with others, and the red-haired lady has become his biggest mystery.

"I'll have to ask a florist. Since Baldur mentioned poppies and poppies in his letter, maybe the town he's targeting is rich in these flowers."

Mycroft said he was going to leave, and in order to raise the cactus, he got acquainted with several flower shop owners. "If the target town is determined, Mr. Minton, do I need to book a train ticket for you?"

Mary is more concerned about why Bald, who doesn't like plants, brought up the two

The similarities and differences between different kinds of flowers, can this explain the reason why he appeared on Big Ben in a wedding dress?

I was thinking about business, but I smiled and said, "Of course we have to be together. I haven't experienced the trains in Britain today. For the first time, I have to choose the most suitable travel partner."

Mycroft: Oh no!Hold on!Stop his associative brain!

Why did you suddenly and casually start the subtraction method?This is unscientific. He almost deleted the word "travel" from Mr. Minton's words just now, so can he still think about the rest?

The author has something to say: ①Refer to the article "Standing up, from film to data, what is the century-old history of photo "falsification""