Mary's Nineteenth Century

"Good afternoon, Mr. Holmes."

Sergeant Patton was unwilling to go to the British embassy every now and then, but his duties prevented him from doing whatever he wanted, so he briefly introduced his companions. "This is Mr. Mark Minton. He is here today to investigate a murder case."

Eleven days apart, although they came for the same person, the identity of that person has changed drastically.

Little Ralph, from suspected perpetrator to possible victim.Said "possibly" because his whereabouts were not yet known.

"At around 02:30 this afternoon, Mr. Minton found what appears to be the severed finger and ring worn by Little Ralph in an abandoned church on the outskirts of Berlin."

Sergeant Barton explained to Mycroft straight to the point, "The situation at the scene of the crime is serious. I hope you can tell me the latest developments about Mr. Ralph Jr. Now, can we talk about it in detail?"

Maybe something happened to little Ralph?

Mycroft was slightly surprised.Little Ralph spent two years in Berlin, during which time he caused a lot of trouble, but he never encountered any personal threats.Maybe it was because he knew that what he did deserved a beating, so little Ralph always carried guards with him.

"As far as I know, three days ago, Mr. Ralph Jr. set off to return home. Four guards, two maids, a total of seven people went on the road together."

Mycroft certainly wasn't going to see him off, but someone at the embassy watched the carriage drive out of Berlin. "The time the convoy left Berlin was around 10:30 am, and that was the last time the embassy was informed of Mr. Ralph Jr.'s whereabouts."

What about after that?

The embassy was not opened for little Ralph, and the reason for watching him leave was to prevent further troubles in Berlin.

"Counselor Ralph is still in Germany and may have had letters from his son."

Mycroft said 'maybe', but knew very well that the chances were not even one per cent.

Counselor Ralph has received the notice of resignation, but the handover of officials needs a process, and the full handover will be completed before New Year's Day next year.

Therefore, for nearly a month and a half, Counselor Ralph was very busy.He must deal with all kinds of problems properly, and must not make mistakes again. Who let his son make troubles to drag down his reputation.

Ralph had indulged his son in the first place, and he couldn't care less when he was busy.

Don't expect little Ralph to take the initiative to report his whereabouts. Only by sending a letter to his father does it mean that something serious has happened.

No matter how much mess little Ralph had made, Mycroft didn't want him killed.

The reason is cold, just reluctance to increase the embassy's workload.If something happened to little Ralph, his father would definitely pursue it to the end regardless.

So, Mycroft looked at Mr. Minton, who didn't seem to know him, with some doubts.

"Mr. Minton, on what basis do you judge the victim's identity? The storm of the inauguration ceremony of the Schiller statue has just passed. People once wildly rumored that the perpetrator was Mr. Ralph Jr., but it turned out that he had identified the wrong person. This time there are enough Evidence? Shouldn't there be another "mistake". "

As soon as these words came out, Sergeant Barton's face was embarrassed.He was one of those who got it wrong, and was pretty adamant that little Ralph threw a dead cock at the statue.

He averted his eyes slightly guilty.The flower arrangement in the living room today is very beautiful, it is sunflower.He will answer this question. Sunflowers represent silent love.

Mary didn't change her face, and looked back with a bit of ridicule. "Mr. Holmes, do you really think that I will talk about it?"This is so sad. 』

Mycroft: Without familiarity, it's impossible to read eyes.

At the moment, he didn't change his face, like a consulate staff in a business-like manner, as long as he listened to a specific explanation.

Instead of playing the guessing game, Mary handed out the little paper bag containing the royal sapphire ring. "Ralph Jr.'s body was not directly found in the basement of the abandoned church on Cheese Street, but a section of the little finger with a ring was found.

The degree of decay on the little finger indicated that it had been chopped off about two days earlier.It is said that this ring was bought by Ralph Jr. at a London auction last year. "

'You were in America with me last year, how did you know what kind of ring little Ralph had in London?The so-called rumors, who did you listen to? '

A question popped up in Mycroft's mind, and a series of answers soon came to mind.

He didn't immediately investigate the relevant information because he learned that Mr. Minton was in Berlin.It was just a casual look, and I learned how many meals Mr. Minton had with the two British visitors.

It is not difficult to infer that both Darcy and Bentley may participate in last year's London auction, and they are the insiders of the origin of the ring.

In addition, the location of the abandoned church is remote, and serious tourists will not go to that kind of place.Head there, either to do something shady, or to investigate oddities.

Immediately came to a conclusion, Mr. Minton went to the church with someone to explore the secrets, but unfortunately ran into the scene of the murder.

What else could Mycroft say?Could it be said that without 'Dear Mrs. Roman', Mr. Minton can still quickly find other partners.

If you are traveling with Bentley, it can be explained by Bentley being a warm companion.

But if it's going with Darcy, there's something odd about it.What kind of friendship or inside story, let the owner of Pemberley Manor accompany you to find excitement?

The more Mycroft thought about it, the more calm he became, and he just said objectively: "The ring doesn't mean everything. I have indeed seen Mr. Ralph wearing this ring, and the ring number is the same, but no one can guarantee that there will be no imitations. payment."

Sergeant Patton had recovered from his embarrassment, and immediately added, "That's true. So today I want to borrow some items with little Ralph's fingerprints on them."

After reporting the crime, the finger and a stump were sent to the Berlin police station.

Because it is winter, the rate of decay of the fingers is relatively slow, and half of the fingerprints can be barely extracted.

As early as 500 years ago, the Song Dynasty had a treatise on fingerprint identification cases.However, this theory has not been unanimously recognized by the world today.

In today's Europe, criminal investigation is still in its infancy, and there are different schools of identification.Such as phrenology, such as anthropometry dominated.

For example, everyone's fingerprints are unique. This theory has not yet been popularized, and it is only circulated in a small range.

Sergeant Barton proposed this identification method, of course he was instructed by others.It was none other than Minton who came to report the case.

Why would he take advice?It can be attributed to Mr. Minton's charisma, presenting the facts and reasoning, and there is no superior arrogance.

In short, Sheriff Patton was persuaded.

It's not a bad idea to try fingerprint comparison, and it won't cause any harm to him.

"Sheriff Barton, I didn't expect you to be the one who agrees with the fingerprint identification. It's really rare."

Mycroft's tone couldn't tell whether he was approving or derogatory, and it wasn't clear whether he supported or doubted the method of identification.

He glanced at Mr. Minton and knew without guessing who had suggested the comparison.

"There are no personal belongings of Mr. Ralph Jr. in the consulate, and the check-out procedure of the apartment he rented has not been completed. I hope the two of you will have better luck."

Check-out is done at the end of the month.Little Ralph left three days ago, and the servants stayed behind to pack up the items that little Ralph bought after living in Berlin for two years, and then send them all back to England.

Thanks to little Ralph who spent so much money, he left behind too many personal belongings, which could not be sorted out in three days, and it was even more impossible to clean the room and extract fingerprints smoothly.

Mary borrowed the materials needed to extract fingerprints from the chemistry department, and personally extracted multiple fingerprints from the personal items in Little Ralph's bedroom and study, and brought them back to the police station for comparison with the severed finger one by one.

Limited by the crude equipment, and even more limited by the lack of a second helper with professional skills, the appraisal took a long time.

By the time the results came out, it was already 10:30 in the evening.

A bad news.

Preliminary judgment shows that the little finger in the basement of the abandoned church matches the fingerprint left by little Ralph on the pen in the study.

Even if the severed finger can only extract half of the fingerprint, it can only be incompletely compared, but with the royal sapphire ring, the possibility that the severed finger does not belong to little Ralph is extremely low.

Little Ralph was escorted out, under what circumstances would his fingers be cut off?is he still alive

In addition, there is a similarity that must be paid attention to.

Some time ago, the body of a dead rooster thrown on the Schiller statue contained a black raven feather.This time the same raven feather was found on the side of the severed finger in the basement.

Is this just a coincidence, or does it mean that the two cases were committed by the same perpetrator?

If it is the latter possibility, did the two crimes target Ralph Jr., or did he have other criminal motives?

Mary heads to the British embassy again with bad news and questions.

Next, we need the cooperation of the embassy and consulate to inquire about the return route of Ralph Jr. and determine the location where he may have been attacked.

Ten o'clock at night.

Only a few rooms of the embassy and consulate were still lit.

Mycroft stayed and waited for the news, in order to deal with the follow-up as quickly as possible.

After hearing the specific situation at the scene of the stump, he already had an ominous premonition, and now the results of the fingerprint comparison gave a solid record.

Immediately send people out of the city, on the one hand to report to Counselor Ralph, and on the other hand to track down little Ralph's convoy.

It is not difficult to find the former. Counselor Ralph is currently attending an official banquet in Potsdam near Berlin; but it is difficult to find the latter. Little Ralph reported a planned route before leaving, but he will honestly follow this route ?

For the specific situation, we must wait for the news.

Mycroft arranged everything and went back to the drawing room which was still lit.

On the sofa in the living room, Mary sat leisurely, as if she didn't come to convey bad news at all.When he saw someone coming at the door, he showed a familiar smile this time.

"Mr. Holmes, who admired the scarab together, you are here. I heard that the relationship between the Berlin police and the British embassy is not close. I don't think you will mind the presence of Sergeant Patton just now. I act like I don't know you?"

Mostly because of little Ralph's troubles, the Berlin police really don't like dealing with the British embassy and consulate, and the relationship between the two parties is not harmonious.

Mary hopes to fully follow up the case and find out why the murderer chose the abandoned church as the dumping point. Will it be related to the "Scarab Society"?

With this premise, it is absolutely necessary to use the favorability of the Berlin police. It is a basic operation that Sergeant Patton is not familiar with the clothes on the scene.What's more, Mr. Minton is really not familiar with this Mr. Holmes. He only met yesterday, isn't he?

It makes sense, but...

Mycroft suppressed the second half of the sentence.Acting, who can't.He also performed very well just now, and he can continue to perform.

"It's getting late, what else do you want to ask when you stay? As for whether Mr. Ralph Jr. was killed, his father must have arranged for investigators, so you don't have to worry about that."

Mycroft said in a cold tone, "Counselor Ralph loves his son like his life, and he will not appreciate the explorer who found little Ralph's broken finger in the first place. He is not stable and reliable at all. Besides, you just came to Berlin to study It's just an exchange student, so there is no advantage in investigating the case."

Hearing this, the average person must feel offended.

Mary smiled, she understood the implicit meaning.

Counselor Ralph dotes on his son, and once he learns that little Ralph has had an accident, he will inevitably make trouble rationally.

As the first reporter to discover the severed finger, Mary will bear the brunt of suspicion.The logic is also simple, normal people who have nothing to do go to the abandoned church.

After dealing with this point, there is no need to get involved in the investigation.

Because Counselor Ralph was arrogant, he would never be a good client. Helping him investigate the case was just to make fun of him.

Why?

Wouldn't it be nice to stay in school and enjoy college life?

"Thank you, Mr. Holmes. You are a very considerate gentleman."

Mary smiled and praised, and then changed the topic, "But what if I must follow up the investigation? Since we have admired scarabs together, can you give me some good advice?"

Mycroft: Who cares?No, he did not.Besides, is it possible that if you praise him a few times, he will help?