Baker Street Charterers

The case was full of fog from beginning to end, and the room fell silent after Sedes left.Holmes leaned against the wall, he didn't seem to be under too much pressure, and said in a flat tone, "It's getting late, Miss Morstan, maybe you need someone to send you back—"

Mary shook her head palely, although she looked shaky, she still showed considerable courage and composure, "I think even if I go back now, I won't be able to fall asleep right away, why don't we wait for that Mr. Sholto to give us a Answer, so maybe I can sleep more peacefully at night."

Holmes nodded appreciatively, then turned to look at Nora, and said slowly, "As for Miss Sharp, I think we can omit this step."

Nora waved her hands meaninglessly, "The case is the most important thing, Sherlock, you are right. I am a competent employee, even if we need to spend a night here, I will not hesitate."

Watson defended Mary and looked at Holmes warily.

Holmes smiled amusedly, and narrowed his gray eyes slightly, "Even if you are willing to sacrifice, we will not allow ladies to be treated like this."

Both Mary and Watson breathed a sigh of relief.

There are still many doubts about this case, Nora asked without shame, "Smart Sherlock, I don't think you would mind sharing your experience on this case with us?"

Holmes habitually stroked his chin with his fingers, and replied as patiently as a professor explaining to a student, "It's actually very simple—of course it looks so, maybe there are more mysteries hidden in it. I slowly Let me tell you, please sit in the corner and watch out for your footprints! That's evidence."

Nora sat down as promised.

"You are probably wondering how the murderers got in and how they got out-the door of the house has not been opened since last night, McMurdo can prove it, but what about the windows?"

His voice gradually became high, and he was already immersed in the analysis of the case, "The window is closed from the inside, and the window frame is very strong. Let's open it and have a look. There is no sewer pipe nearby, and the roof is far away, but Someone stood on the window sill—look here, it rained lightly last night, there is still a footprint on the window sill, a round mud print, on the floor and by the table."

Watson took a closer look, "No, these are not footprints at all."

Nora was thoughtful, "This mark...it looks like a foot, and the other is a wooden stake." She suddenly realized, "Mr. Sedes mentioned a person with a wooden leg, could it be... "

"That's right, that's the more important evidence. And there's another man, who's quick and intelligent—look here, doctor, can you climb that wall?"

It was at least six feet above the ground, and the walls were so smooth that there were no cracks in the bricks that could be climbed. Watson immediately shook his head.

"That's right, it's impossible to climb up without help. But if there is a friend of yours here, use that long thick rope in the corner, tie one end to the big ring on the wall, and throw the other end. Go down, even with a wooden leg you can climb up the rope, that's how they get in and out of here."

Nora took the long roll of rope and looked carefully, and indeed found some bloodstains in the middle, probably because the speed of the descent was so fast that the visitor scratched the palm of his hand.

However, there is another problem with this statement -

"Then how did that accomplice get in?" asked Watson.

Holmes frowned and pondered, "As for this, it is indeed interesting. The chimney is too narrow for a human being to pass through, let alone doors and windows, so there is only one conclusion, and no matter how inconceivable it is, it will be the correct answer."

Nora took a breath, "He came in through the hole in the ceiling."

"Undoubtedly." Holmes nodded. "If you don't believe me, why don't you come with us and have a look."

As he said that, he climbed up the ladder, put both hands on the wood and pressed hard, and turned over to the secret room on the roof with great agility, then poked his head out and extended his hand to Nora.

Nora, who was also about to flip up, was stunned, so she held Holmes' hand and jumped up together. To be honest, she didn't think that this simple movement needed Holmes' help, but out of respect for Holmes' masculine pride, she jumped up together. Despite her concerns, she still chose to cooperate.

Watson didn't get this kind of treatment, he climbed in with difficulty, during which he accidentally slipped a step and bumped into the 楥木 next to him, and his face was covered with ashes.He wiped his face in embarrassment, and looked resentfully at the duo of dogs and men with calm expressions.

Holmes had already begun to survey the chamber, which was about ten feet long and six wide, with a floor in the middle of thin strips of wood and a layer of plaster.The roof is pointed and unfurnished, and the dust accumulated over the years is everywhere.

"Look here. This is a secret door leading to the outside of the roof. Outside is the roof with a gentle slope, which is the way the man came in. Maybe we can gain something else here." Holmes took the lamp and shone on the floor. Go, even if he is as calm and rational as him, he can't help showing a look of surprise——

There were barefoot footprints without shoes, clear and complete, but not half the size of an adult, looking like the pranks of creepy ghost children.

"Is this... the footprints of a child?" Watson exclaimed.

Holmes ignored him, but took out a magnifying glass and a measuring tape, bent down and knelt on the ground without a gentleman's demeanor, carefully inspecting these footprints inch by inch, his gray eyes were as sharp as hounds.

Watson couldn't help muttering, "I'm glad Sherlock is a detective and not a criminal."

Nora nodded—with Sherlock Holmes' energy, intelligence, and meticulous observation and reasoning ability, if he was more interested in crime, it would be a terrible disaster for the British people and the world.

Perhaps the murders of his men will make him more terrifying than the famous Jack the Ripper, and even more terrifying, probably no one will be able to capture the genius of this high-intelligence high-functioning sociopath.

Just when Nora and Watson were both shuddering at the same thought, Holmes let out a joyous cry. "We are very lucky," said he. He accidentally and unluckily stepped on top of dulse oil, that puddle of foul-smelling stuff, and the bottle next to it broke."

Watson, "?"

Holmes was satisfied, "It's nothing at first, but do you know that a dog can follow the smell to the end through the sense of smell, and we can use these things—"

Before he could finish speaking, Holmes suddenly stopped, "The police are here."

From below came the sound of heavy footsteps, voices and doors closing.

Nora was still amazed at Holmes's sharper perception than the hounds, and Holmes seized the time to remind Watson, "Before they destroy the scene, touch the arms and legs of the corpse and tell me how it feels."

Watson, "Muscle is as hard as wood."

Holmes raised his eyebrows. "Yes, this is an extremely strong 'contraction'. It is more severe than the general post-mortem stiffness. Looking at the twisted face and expression of the deceased, what conclusion do you have, doctor?"

Watson thought for a while, "He was poisoned by plant alkaloids, probably similar to meth, and would cause tetanus symptoms and die."

"Indeed, do you think of the thorn that went into or shot into his head? The angle of the thorn was right above the hole in the ceiling. Look at the thorn."

Holmes held the black thing carefully. Under the light, it was long and tapered, with one end covered with a layer of shiny jelly that seemed to have dried, while the other end was blunt, as if it had been cut by a knife.

"England has no such thorns," Watson judged quickly.

Nora looked carefully, and suddenly thought of something, her eyes changed, "This thing, I used to..."

Holmes was concentrating on what she was about to say when the sound of heavy footsteps came to the stairs. A middle-aged man with a red face and slightly fat poked his head in, followed by a sheriff And the trembling Sedus Sholto.

Seeing the person coming, Holmes raised his eyebrows, curled his lips imperceptibly, and Nora showed a thin smile in her eyes, and did not continue speaking.

As soon as the middle-aged fat man came in, he shouted in a rough voice, "It's outrageous, what's going on? Where did these people come from? There's a lot of noise in the room, what happened?"

"Mr. Athelney Jones," said Holmes flatly, "you remember me?"

"Of course, of course! Isn't this our great theorist, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" Jones smiled slyly, "How could I not remember you! That time you told us about the Bishop's Gate treasure The cause of the case and the result of the deduction are really wonderful! You did bring our clues on the right track, but I believe that luck is the main factor, what do you think?"

"That's just a very simple and well-understood case." Holmes remained calm.

"Ha - oh, oh come on! You see you're ashamed to admit it! But what's going on here is a terrible situation. I think the truth is out there, and I don't need you to make inferences. Fortunately, I As to the cause of this man's death, Mr. Holmes, who happened to be at Upper Norwood on some other case?"

Holmes spoke slowly, all of them sarcastically, "Based on what you said just now, this case should not require my inferences."

Jones paused, wiped the sweat from his face, "ah, no need... no need—but we still have to admit, sometimes—I mean a small number of situations, and you can really get it right. According to me Understood, the door has been locked and £50 worth of treasure has been stolen, what about the windows?"

"It was locked from the inside, and there are obvious footprints on the window sill." Compared with Jones's endless articles, Holmes looked very straightforward.

"Since the windows are closed, the footprints have nothing to do with this case." He made a decisive judgment, "It's all basic common sense. In my opinion, this person died in a fit of rage because his jewelry was lost. Ha - Sholto said that he and his brother met last night, and I assume they had a dispute over the treasure, and his brother died in a fit of rage because of his impulsive emotions, so Sholto took the opportunity to take the jewel Take it, what do you think?"

"Of course—" Holmes smiled ambiguously, and said slowly, "very—correct inference, and afterward, the corpse stood up very carefully and locked the door, don't you think?"

Jones couldn't help loosening his collar in embarrassment.