Treachery in Torquay
Page 27
“That ruling, I’ll admit, was not to my liking,” I elaborated, “Holmes, I feel that Mr. Powe should have received a share of that treasure. Just imagine, those coins had been in that cave for centuries! Only the Premonstratensian monks at Torre Abbey, and other branches of that religious order, would have had any knowledge of the existence of the Roman coins. Additionally, the recovered booty wasn’t on the grounds of the Abbey anyway. If I were Powe, I would file a legal challenge to have a portion of the gold found on his property awarded to him. It’s terribly unjust to have the entire amount placed in the coffers of Torquay.”
Holmes only replied, “I can see your point, Watson, but we’ll have to leave those decisions for others to make. We can only hope that when all of the litigation has been completed, all parties will be satisfied.”
My traveling companion’s last remark was quickly followed by a loud, shrill whistle, signaling our locomotive’s progress through another small hamlet along the way. Soon, we would be arriving at our London terminus, bringing another one of our adventures to a successful end.
Afterword
Thursday, March 15th, 1928
I recently was reviewing all of the adventures in which my good friend and companion, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and me, had experienced. When I had finished compiling my tales, I had to say that I was profoundly pleased by my findings. Now, it’s not that I’m basking in self-praise for the outstanding body of work that I have contributed to world literature. No, although some fans of our tales have been known to claim as much, that was never my purpose.
Certainly, we’ve been through our share of successes and I should add, the occasional failure. That cannot be denied, but such is life. Now, you might wonder, what is the point that I am trying to make?
Actually, it became more of a reflection of the people whose lives have become inextricably connected with Holmes and me by virtue of our shared experiences. In these tales, we have come to know the best and worst of mankind, separating the wheat from the chaff as we helped people with some of life’s trials and tribulations. In most cases, we have been successful in our efforts, and in doing so, we’ve enjoyed strong friendships, alliances and attendent financial gain.
After all, our clients were privileged to have come to know and appreciate the skills of the world’s finest consulting detective.
At any rate, while leafing through our case files, I fondly remembered our meeting with a most curious young girl from Torquay. Her name at the time was Aggie Miller. That was many years ago, but both Holmes and I remember her well. She became involved in one of our most interesting cases involving multiple murders, the pursuit of long lost treasures and some spectral events that were of great interest to citizens of her lovely home town.
During our visit to that coastal community, Holmes and I were treated to one of the most exuberant, clever, multi-talented individuals that we’ve ever encountered. As we worked to solve the mysteries in that lovely Devonshire region, which I’ve named Treachery in Torquay, Aggie’s tenacity and intelligence were most memorable. We came to know and appreciate her family and other members of the peaceful Torquay community whose world was being altered forever by a series of senseless murders. It was 1905 when we were called to help a family whose lives were being threatened.
Of particular interest to me was the talk that Holmes and I later had about this young girl and her future. While I’ve identified her by her childhood name, most of you, dear readers, may know her by her more famous moniker! You see, Aggie Miller, the inquisitive, gifted youngster that helped us with that Torquay case, grew up to become the famous mystery author, Agatha Christie!
Mrs. Christie was most kind in her praise of the stories penned by yours truly, Dr. John Watson. Indeed, she was kind enough to state that my published adventures had a profound effect on her. So much, she said, that she decided to embark on a career of mystery writing. For that acknowledgment, I am truly thankful. I am proud that my humble efforts may have in some way influenced her life decision to become a writer. I might add, that from my experiences in reading her work, she has succeeded brilliantly!
Dr. John Watson, MD
Acknowledgments
Torre Abbey was constructed as a working Premonstratensian Abbey. Years ago, when the monastery order moved from that site, it eventually fell into the hands of a famous Torquay family, the Cary family. I have attempted to keep certain aspects of those historical facts as a part of my story. Action takes place in many sections of the Torquay countryside: Kents Cavern, Daddyhole, Ashfield, and the famous Imperial Hotel.
While my work is purely fictional, I thought it might be interesting to blend actual places with actual depictions of fictitious members of the Cary family, taking care to portray those members in only the most positive light.
To that end, any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is coincidental. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Conan Doyle Estate and Agatha Christie, Ltd. for use of their characters.
I wish to thank my lovely wife, Gloria, and the rest of my family and close friends for their support during this project. Their patience and understanding during the composition of this novel was integral to the successful completion of my work.
This is my second pastiche involving Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s brilliant characters and I sincerely hope that my efforts may serve to enhance the enjoyment of fellow Sherlockians!
I would also like to thank the following organizations, authors, agencies and others listed below for their use and permissions:
The Conan Doyle Estate
Agatha Christie. Ltd.
The Bedside Companion to Sherlock Holmes (Riley & McAllister)
Torquay, The Charm and History of its Neighborhood (John Presland)
A Short Description of Torre Abbey (Hugh R. Watkin)
Wikipedia: Agatha Christie
Daddyhole: (An Article by local historian Dr. Kevin Dixon)
Graphics Credits:
page 68, Imperial Hotel, adventures-of-the-blackgang.tumblr.com
page 196, Torre Abbey, Hugh R. Watkins
page 213, Ashfield, 20i30.blogspot.com
page 226, Daddyhole JSBlog-Journal of a Southern Bookreader
page 237, Kents Caverns, www.kents-cavern.co.uk
page 287, Spanish Barn, geograph.org uk
I am particularly appreciative for the contributions of my team of editors who have done an excellent job in assisting me in this endeavor.
Gloria Lawler
Joseph M. Lawler
Elaine Kuffa
Megan Kuffa
Ted Merli, Jr.
Also Available