The Last Notes From the Dispatch Box of John H Watson, MD

by Hugh Ashton

  Holmes tutted in impatience.  “ We can assume nothing else, can we ?  I am of the certain opinion that this letter was written at the behest of those who would do him harm, and Abrahams being a man of some ingenuity, devised this method of communicating with me, trusting in my ability to discern his true meaning.”

  “ A trust which was not misplaced,” I said.  “ But the paper and the pen ? ”

  “ Obviously, this message was written while he was away from his home or his bank, or anywhere where he could expect to use his usual stationery.  I know Sir David to be a man of some fastidiousness in such matters, and he would not have used such materials with which to write a letter unless there was some good reason for him to do so.  I am certain that such an absence is involuntary.”

  “ Of what nature do you consider this danger to which he refers to be ? ”

  Holmes shook his head.  “ It is hard to make any kind of conjecture.  I have heard nothing but good of the man and the way he conducts his business, and I have never seen him treat others other than with courtesy.  It is hard to know what enemies he might have here in England.”

  “ A kidnap for ransom, perhaps ?  He is a wealthy man.”

  “ But who would pay the ransom ? ”

  “ He has no family in this country of which I am aware.”

  “ His business associates, perhaps ? ” I ventured.

  “ A point well worthy of consideration.  There may also be some relatives in Europe who are the target of the outrage I suspect of having occurred.  However, I intend to find out more.  I shall visit his bank this morning and talk with him.”

  So saying, Holmes replaced his coffee cup on the table, and strode into his bedroom, whence he emerged some minutes later, attired in overcoat and walking-boots.  “ You may expect me for luncheon,” he informed me, as he left the room.

  In the event, he was not present for that meal, and it was late in the afternoon before he returned, a look of puzzlement on his face.  “ I apologise for my non-appearance at luncheon,” he said, flinging his hat onto the sofa, and throwing himself into the easy chair.  “ I have already made my apologies to Mrs.  Hudson, who has promised to heat up the remains of the meal —  ah, here she is,” he broke off, as our landlady entered, bearing a tray and setting it down on the table.  “ Thank you,” he addressed her, tucking in his napkin and falling to with an appetite that suggested his morning had been a strenuous one.

  “ But where have you been ? ” I enquired in some perplexity.  “ Was Sir David not at the bank ? ”

  “ Aye, there's the rub, Watson,” he answered me.  “ I was not expecting to meet Sir David at his bank, but it was my first port of call nonetheless.”

  “ He was not at the bank ? ”

  “ Correct.  Not only was he absent from his office, but I was told that he had decided only yesterday to take a few days as a holiday, and had informed his partners there of the fact.”

  “ He had informed them in writing ? ” I asked.

  Holmes shook his head.  “ You make an excellent point, Watson.  No, the information was transmitted by messenger as a verbal message yesterday morning.  There was no letter such as we received.  The messenger, I ascertained, was from a service that the bank had never used, and was unfamiliar to them.”

  “ And the bank was unable to inform you of his whereabouts ? ”

  “ Once again, you are correct.  I therefore took myself to Hampstead, where Abrahams maintains his bachelor establishment, but was unable to discover his whereabouts from his man or from his maids.  According to them, he had set out for the City yesterday morning, and had not returned.  A messenger had brought a note that afternoon informing them that he had to travel abroad on business and he should not be expected back for some time.”

  “ A note ?  Written in Abrahams’ own hand ? ”

  “ As far as I can judge, that is the case.  I have it with me.” He withdrew from his pocketbook a square of paper which appeared to be of the same type as that of the letter we had received earlier.  “ See here ! ” With an air of some triumph he fitted it to our earlier missive, and it was clear that not only had they been torn from the same sheet of paper, but that the torn edges fitted exactly.  “ We may assume, therefore, that Abrahams wrote, or to be more precise, was forced to write, these two letters, and possibly more, to persons as yet unknown, using whatever materials were to the hand of those who forced him.  The timing of the delivery to his house and that of the message to the bank might well suggest that the message to the house, coming later, was an afterthought, as was the letter to us, judging by the time of the postmark.” He picked up the envelope which had arrived on our breakfast table that morning, and scrutinised it.  “ Dear me, Whitechapel,” he mused, examining the postmark.  “ Hardly a salubrious area where I might expect Sir David to be spending his days.”

  “ Let us assume you are correct in your deductions,” I said to Holmes, “ in that Sir David is being held against his will in that area.  How can you ever attempt to discover where he is being held, and who is holding him ?  It would appear to be a problem similar to the proverbial needle in a haystack.”

  Holmes smiled at my words.  “ You cannot believe that I spent the whole day on the two errands I have just described ?  I have spent a considerable time researching what I could discover of Sir David's past life before he came to this country.  It is not easy, and the documents I required were, almost without exception, not written in English.”

  “ Where would you find such records ? ” I enquired.

  For answer, Holmes merely tapped his aquiline nose with a long forefinger.  “ These are matters about which you need have no knowledge, Watson, believe me.”

  I knew that his brother, Mycroft, had been described by my friend as being equivalent to the British Government at times, so I forbore from further enquiry.

  “ There is one other point to which I would draw your attention,” said Holmes.  “Compare the two letters ; that addressed to me, and that to the bank.”

  I took the two pieces of paper and examined them.  “ They are clearly from the same piece of paper,” I began, “as you observed.  And quite possibly torn from butcher's paper, as you say.”

  “ And your deductions from these observations ? ”

  I shrugged.  “ I cannot say.  Have you any theory ? ”

  “ Several at present, but there is none on which I would wish to pin my hopes as yet.”

  “ How do you intend to pursue this matter further ? ”

  “ If my deepest suspicions are correct, I have little time to lose.  I must take myself to Whitechapel at the earliest possible opportunity.”

  “ Do you wish me to accompany you ? ”

  Holmes considered this for a few seconds.  “ No, Watson,” he replied.  “ Invaluable though your services are at times, I trust that you will not be offended if I say that this is one occasion on which I feel that you will prove more of a hindrance than a help.  The mission I am about to take may well prove hazardous, and I have no wish to expose you to the dangers that may beset me.”

  “ In that case, I must insist on accompanying you,” I expostulated.

  My friend shook his head.  “ No,” he repeated.  “ You must remain here and act as my second line of defence.  Should I fail to return within,” he glanced at his watch, “ six hours from now, that is, before midnight, I wish you to alert brother Mycroft, and, should my brother deem it necessary, Inspector Lestrade at Scotland Yard.  Mycroft has some idea of the business on which I am engaged.”

  “ And I do not ! ” I exclaimed bitterly.  “ Holmes, I had expected better of you than this.”

  “ Peace, my friend,” he replied.  I fancied that his tones were not without some tenderness.
  “ Believe me when I say that there are some things which it is better for you not to know at this stage.  It is better for me, as well as for you, if you stay here and await my return, and act as my saviour should it become necessary.”

  I was a little mollified by this speech, and Holmes left me to change into attire more suitable for a visit to Whitechapel.  Accustomed as I was to his powers of disguise, if I had not seen Holmes enter the bedroom alone, I would have taken my oath that it was a different man who emerged.  The stage lost a fine actor when Sherlock Holmes took up the profession of detective, and it was not merely in his looks that he changed his personality.  His movements, self-assured, but with an air of furtiveness, matched to a hair those of the unsavoury denizens of that area of the East End, and his voice and accents, when he spoke, were those of the most untrustworthy specimens of humanity infesting the East End of the metropolis.  He could almost have stepped off the last boat from Riga, so perfect was the assumption of another's character.  I could hardly forbear from applauding, so perfect was the performance.

  “ It is an act worthy of the finest theatres in London,” I informed him.

  “ Aye, Watson,” he answered me with a grim smile.  “ An act that, should it fail to please my audience tonight, may well cost me my life.” So saying, he stepped to the bureau, and slipped the riding-crop with the weighted handle that formed his favourite weapon into his breast-pocket.  “ Watch well, my faithful friend,” he told me.  “ Mark the clock, and if I have not returned before twelve tonight, Mycroft may be found at the Diogenes.  He will know what to do and will instruct you accordingly.” He turned in the doorway, and sketched a farewell salute, with his right hand brushing the greasy peak of his cap, before going down the seventeen steps leading to the door.  I leaned out of the window to watch my friend, but the fog and dusk combined to prevent my following his path to the end of the road.

  It was an anxious period that I spent in my wait for Holmes.  On each occasion the quarter hour that the clock on the mantel chimed, I was reminded of the inexorable passage of time, and of the continued absence of my friend.  The clock had struck its penultimate tune at a quarter before twelve, and I was preparing myself for the journey to the Diogenes Club, when Sherlock Holmes, still in his character of the Russian Jew, flung wide the door, a broad smile across his face.

  “ See the conquering hero,” he exclaimed.  “ Bloody, but unbowed, as you may observe.” He held up his right hand, the knuckles of which were indeed bleeding.  “ I fancy I gave back better than I received, however.” He chuckled in a fashion that was not entirely pleasant to hear.

  “ You will permit me to dress your wounds, I hope,” I told him.

  “ All in good time,” he answered me in high good humour.  “ For now, brandy would seem to be an imperative, in order to wash the taste of that filthy beer from my mouth.  Champagne would be a little premature, though I anticipate sharing a bottle with Abrahams before a few days have passed.”

  I made haste to pour a few fingers of cognac into a glass and handed it to him.  “ You know where he is, then ? ”

  “ Better than that, “ he said, draining the brandy at a draught.  “ I have seen him and spoken with him.  The time was not right, though, for his release.”

  “ But now you know where he is, is it not merely a matter of alerting the authorities and letting the police do the work for which they are employed ? ”

  Holmes shook his head.  “ Let me answer your question with one of my own.  What do you know of the Okhrana ? ”

  “ The name is hardly a familiar one to me, but I seem to recall that you have mentioned it in the past.  It refers to the political police of Russia, does it not ? ”

  “ Perfectly correct.  Many of their officers are currently operating in London, especially in Whitechapel, where there is a concentration of poor outcasts who have fled from Russian persecution.  Not all of these so-called refugees are what they might appear to be at first sight, however.  Many of these are revolutionaries and anarchists who wish to further their nefarious ends while residing in an environment where they are less subject to police persecution.  Though the authorities are well aware of their existence, and the goals which they seek, it is impossible for them to be apprehended, since they have committed no act which breaks the law of this country.”

  “ But you are saying that the Russian police are encouraged to operate in this country ?

  Holmes smiled ruefully.  “ Their presence here is tolerated, rather than encouraged, and their activities are strictly curtailed by our own police.  Observation is the limit of their powers here.”

  “ But what has this to do with Abrahams ? ”

  “ It would appear, from my reading today, that Sir David was at one time in the employ of the Okhrana.  Although as a Jew, he was not fully trusted by the authorities, he was employed as a kind of agent provocateur, joining some of the revolutionary groups, and urging them into committing an outrage which would then be communicated to the police in advance of the actual event.”

  “ A kind of professional Judas, then ? ” I exclaimed in some disgust.  “ I had a higher notion of his morals.”

  Holmes wagged a finger at me.  “ My dear Watson, do I hear you aright ?  You are defending the rights of hoodlums and anarchists against the forces of law and order ? ”

  I considered my words carefully before replying.  “ I think you know me well enough by now, Holmes, than to accuse me seriously of such sympathies.  However, it seems to me to be an abuse of the trust reposed in a man to betray his comrades, however nefarious they may be.”

  “ I understand your sense of duty and of loyalty, and I commend you for it.  However, I would ask you to bear in mind that — and this information is imparted to you in the strictest confidence, you understand — Abrahams has single-handedly been responsible for saving the lives of at least one of the very highest members of the Russian Imperial family, through the timely warnings he passed to the authorities.”

  I pondered Holmes' words for a minute.  “ Very well,” I admitted.  “ For now, I will accept your assessment.  Who is holding him captive ? ”

  “ That is my problem at present.  Though I was able to communicate with our friend through the small window of the cellar in which he is being held captive, he was unable to tell me anything of those who had taken him prisoner.  All that he was able to tell me is that they were Russian, and that they appeared to him to be members of some of the organisations with which he had previous dealings.” Holmes leaned forward, and spoke in a low and earnest tone.  “ Watson, I fear for our friend.  Though he did not tell me, some of the matters he mentioned led me to believe that his captors will make a move against him within the next two days.”

  “ What can you mean ? ”

  “ I believe that they will attempt to spirit him out of the country for their own foul purposes, or even to kill him here before they return to the Continent.  He must be rescued from their clutches.”

  “ But as I asked you earlier, why cannot the police be employed here ?  Why must it be you who carries out this task ? ”

  “ Because for them to do so would be to admit the presence of both these anarchists, and of the Russian secret police in this country.  To admit the presence of either would deal a blow to the Government in the eyes of the public — a blow that must be avoided at all costs.”

  “ I see the hand of Mycroft in all of this,” I commented.

  Holmes nodded soberly.  “ That is indeed the case.  Though I am not acting under his orders, in the past he has made me almost painfully aware of his wishes in such matters, and those of the Prime Minister.  It is therefore not for the police, but for me to act alone.”

  “ I cannot permit you to carry out such a task unaided.  Allow me to assist you in this matte
r.  The matter is not one for you alone.  It is for me as well,” I retorted.

  “ There will be danger,” he reminded me.  “ These are desperate villains.”

  “ Pooh ! ” I retorted.  “ Have I not accompanied you on more hazardous adventures than these in the past ? ”

  “ And,” he added, “ should the guardians of the law discover us, we can expect no protection from that quarter.  I may take it that you have no objection to sharing a cell with me for a number of years ? ” His words were serious enough, but his eyes twinkled.

  “ None whatsoever,” I replied in the same vein as he himself had employed in speaking to me.

  “ Good man,” he answered, leaning forward once more and clapping me on the shoulder.  “ You are, as ever, the one individual in whom I can repose the most absolute trust.  We must make our move tomorrow.  There is little time to be lost in this matter.”

  -oOo-

  The next morning, Holmes, despite his exertions of the previous day, was awake and breakfasting by the time I entered the room.  He was dressed in a similar fashion to that which he had adopted for his visit to Whitechapel.

  “ You are too much of the ‘toff’,” he informed me curtly, after a glance at my attire.  “ If you really wish to be of assistance, please dress yourself in a fashion that will not attract undue attention.  And prepare yourself for an extended walk to our destination.  The use of a hansom would immediately rouse suspicion in our quarry.”

  It was not unknown for Sherlock Holmes to address himself to others so abruptly when his attention was claimed by the solution of a case in which he was involved, and I took no offence at his words to me or the tone in which they were uttered.  I returned to my bed-room, and re-entered the sitting-room some minutes later, clad in clothes and footwear that I deemed more appropriate to the matter at hand.  Holmes acknowledged the change with a wordless nod, and still without speaking, poured me a cup of coffee and helped me to eggs and bacon.