Further Notes From the Dispatch Box of John H Watson MD (The Dispatch Box of John H Watson, MD)

by Hugh Ashton

  “ Including the van Dyck painting which you were examining,” I added.

  “ By Jove, Watson ! That is correct. I wonder if any other artworks or heirlooms that may have been disposed of or substituted in the same manner also have such a connection ? ”

  “ The diamonds that Sir Godfrey mentioned to you ? ”

  “ There may well be a connection with the Amsterdam diamond trade, of course. If we are to examine the possessions of these families, I am confident that we will discover a Dutch connection in all the cases.

  “ The second point of which I am aware is that these women are all married to significantly older husbands, as far as I am aware. I will be interested to discover under what circumstances the couples first met each other.”

  “ You suspect something ? ”

  “ Gambling, Watson, is not a habit that comes to one of a sudden, at least not on the scale that we suspect here. My belief is that these women have a history of frequenting casinos, and of partaking in games of chance, and I would be hardly surprised were it to transpire that they met their future husbands at a watering place such as Monte Carlo or Deauville.”

  “ Come, this is something of a strain on the imagination.”

  “ Nonetheless,” he replied, seemingly a little nettled, “ I would be much astonished should none of these marriages prove to have originated under such circumstances.”

  “ I am guessing that you wish me to investigate the matter ? ” My words were half in jest, but Sherlock Holmes took me at my word.

  “ I believe that this type of matter is more in your line than mine,” he replied. “ Maybe you can renew your acquaintance with the estimable Mr. Plumley at the Post. I am sure that he will be delighted to let you look through the files of the reports relating to such matters.”

  “ And meanwhile, how will you be engaged ? ”

  “ I shall be making discreet enquiries related to the works of art and so on owned by the families of those whom I observed last night in Finsbury. I think we may be sure that we will find a common thread there, related to the Netherlands.”

  I have to confess that the thought of searching through many years of society pages did not fill me with any great sense of anticipation. I foresaw many weary hours of searching through dusty files attempting to locate and pick out a few nuggets of gold from a pile of useless ore.

  However, the task proved to be significantly easier than I had feared. Plumley, the editor to whom we had spoken earlier, informed me that an ingenious system of filing, using numbered tags, would allow me to search easily for the details of the three ladies whom Holmes had observed. He enquired of me how we had fared on our expedition to Hampstead, but I was as non-committal on the subject as I felt was possible without overstepping the bounds of politeness.

  In the event, it took me a little more than three hours to discover what I needed to know, rather than the three days or even longer that I had been expecting. When I returned to Baker-street bearing the fruits of my labours in my notebook, it was with a certain sense of triumph. Sherlock Holmes was fulsome in his congratulations.

  “ You have surpassed yourself, Watson,” he told me. “ I certainly was not expecting such a speedy and complete result. So,” throwing himself into his favourite armchair and stretching out his arms above his head, “ tell me all that you have discovered.”

  “ It is exactly as you prophesied,” I replied. “ In every case, the happy couple commenced their acquaintanceship at a watering place in which a casino is located. Monte Carlo, as you surmised, and one or two others in France. By the by, I do not think that I deserve credit for the speed of my researches.” I proceeded to provide Holmes with an account of the system used at the newspaper, to which he listened with interest.

  “ A system which would definitely appear to be of value,” he commented. “ One day, when there is no urgent press of business, it may be of some interest for me to reorganise my Index along the lines that you have just described.”

  “ And what of your researches ? ” I asked him.

  He smiled ruefully, and shook his head. “ I regret to say that they have not proceeded at the same speed as did yours. I have, however, ascertained that in at least two cases a valuable work by a Dutch Old Master is hanging on the walls. There does indeed appear to be some kind of connection.”

  “ I can understand why you are reluctant to call in the police, since the exposure of these activities would undoubtedly cause a great scandal in society. But I see no reason why we should not in some sense take the law into our own hands and put a stop to this business ourselves.”

  Sherlock Holmes folded his hands behind his head once more and looked at me steadily. “ I can hardly believe what I am hearing,” he said to me, smiling. “ Is this the John Watson that I know, the defender of law and order ? You are now proposing an act which would put us beyond the law ? ”

  I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I responded. “ It would not be the first time that such has occurred,” I reminded him. “ Do you not believe that there are times when such action is justified ? ”

  “ You know very well that I am prepared to overlook the niceties of our legal system from time to time. However, I feel that at the present moment it would be premature for us to act in this matter. We could certainly, as you suggest, put a stop to the operations of this gang, at least insofar as the gambling house is concerned. We could possibly even prevent them permanently from restarting the scheme. It would seem unlikely, though, that we could trace either the missing artworks, or the mastermind who has organised this operation. I need time, and data, before proceeding further.”

  “ There is one aspect of this matter which I do not understand,” I said. “ We know that there are nights when Sir Godfrey is not in Town, but Lady Celia does not go to gamble. What is the reason for this ? ”

  “ I can think of many reasons,” he replied. “ For example, she may have no access to ready cash or even to the credit that she needs to make her bets on the cards or dice or roulette wheel or whatever game of chance is played there. It may be that the husbands of her companions are in London, and they are unable to join her, and the gang feel that it is not in their interests to open up the establishment for one or two gamblers alone. There may be a minimum number of customers, for want of a better term, below which the game is not worth the candle. As a third explanation, I might offer the idea that the true master of the operation is not in London continually, and that the casino only operates when he is present. Indeed, now I come to consider the matter more fully, I feel that this last explanation is the true one.”

  “ How is that ? ”

  “ There must be some method for the gang to remove the valuable items which they have received—the paintings and so on out of the country to Holland. That is, of course, if our assumptions regarding the ultimate destination of these works of art are correct. Since the items in question are of a very high value—indeed, in the case of the paintings we can say that they are priceless—I consider it to be unlikely that they would be entrusted to mere minions. The leader of the gang would wish to take personal charge of them. We were discussing the possibility of a ship’s being involved a few days ago, were we not, and I now believe that this is the solution to the conundrum. De Vries is travelling back and forth between the two countries on a ship, and while he is in Holland, the gaming-house does not operate.”

  “ I follow your reasoning, but fail to see how this helps us. Do you now believe that this Mr. de Vries is that leader ? ”

  “ It is possible. Bear in mind, though, that we have yet to ascertain whether he resides permanently in London or not. However, that is a relatively easy matter to settle. I venture to suggest that if he is known to come and go, and the periods of his presence in London coincide with the activities of the house in Finsbury, we can confidently assert that he is indeed the leader, at least for this end of the business.”

  “ Then the matter is easily solved ! ” I exclaimed.
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  “ In a highly unsatisfactory manner,” retorted Holmes. “ The method of deduction that I have just described, though it would almost certainly lead to a correct conclusion regarding the gang and its leadership, would require much time and effort before we could be certain of its success or failure. No, as I see it we have two courses of action open to us. The first of these is one that you mentioned earlier—that we call in the police and we put a stop, even if only temporary, to the activities of this gang. But I fear that de Vries, if indeed he is the leader, would undoubtedly slip through the police net and continue his activities elsewhere at some other time. We have seen already that he is a cautious man, and is not without a certain cunning in his operations.”

  “ And the other course of action that you are considering ? ”

  “ Is simply to continue what we have been doing. That is to say, keeping watch on the house in Finsbury as well as on de Vries. I suggest that tonight we reverse our roles. I wish you to keep an eye on the house, and I will attempt to follow our Mr. de Vries, though from what you say he may prove to be a somewhat more slippery fish than others we have followed in the past.”

  I prepared myself for another cold night of watching and waiting. Holmes had instructed me to wait outside the house until any visitors had departed, and I therefore paid off my hansom cab some distance away from the house and walked the last two hundred yards or so to the same place where Holmes and I had previously kept watch. As I waited, I observed the same carriage as previously pull up, and four female figures alight from it, one of which was carrying a flat square package, of about two feet on a side. As Holmes had mentioned to me, all appeared to be wearing some kind of mask which hid their faces, but at least two of the party were recognisable by me, even in the darkness. As before, they ascended the steps to the front door, which was opened from within, and the carriage pulled away as they entered the building. A dim light was visible in the fanlight above the door, and even this was soon extinguished, giving the impression that the house was unoccupied. I settled myself down as comfortably as I could in the shadow of a tree on the far side of the road, and found myself hoping that the road did not lie on the beat of a policeman, since I did not relish the prospect of explaining my presence to an officer of the law. I believe that I only remained awake, for I was deathly tired, on account of this concern regarding my questioning and even possibly my arrest. I dared not smoke, for fear that the lighting of a match or the glow of tobacco might alert others to my presence, despite the heavy night mist that was thickening almost visibly. I therefore stood huddled in my overcoat, silently shivering, alone with my thoughts. I was startled out of my reverie by a heavy hand on my shoulder, almost causing me to jump in the air with fright. I whirled around, ready to face my attacker.

  “ Not so fast, Watson,” hissed a well-known voice.” I am delighted to see that you are still awake, at any rate.”

  “ Holmes ! ” I ejaculated. “ How long have you been here ? ”

  “ Quiet,” he admonished me. “ Though we can be reasonably certain that no one is listening, it behoves us to take no unnecessary risks in this matter. I have been here for the last half hour at least, amusing myself by watching your fidgeting. I observed a certain drowsiness in your manner, and determined that you should not sleep.” I could see his teeth flash white in the darkness as he smiled at me.

  “ Then de Vries has not come here ? ” I asked.

  “ On the contrary. I followed him here.”

  “ I have seen no-one enter the house other than the patrons of the establishment, if I may term them so. How could he have arrived ? ” I objected.

  “ He is, as we had suspected, not without some cunning aspects to his nature. He did not enter the house by the back door. Indeed, his carriage never even entered this road, but took a route behind the house, stopping by the river. He walked along the path by the side of the river and let himself into the house through the back door. I have every expectation that he will use the same route for his return, so let us wait for him at the point where his carriage dropped him earlier tonight. On the other night when he led you that little dance around the streets of London, I have little doubt that he slipped out of the back door of the Chalk Farm house and made his way to Finsbury, where he used the same method of entry as tonight.”

  I followed Holmes by the side of the house along the riverbank until we came to another road.

  “ This is where the carriage dropped him earlier, and from where I expect him to make his departure. We will wait here. Did you observe anything of interest this evening ? ”

  I informed Holmes of the package that I had seen carried by one of the ladies who had entered the house.

  “ Do you feel that this could be a work of art ? ” he asked me.

  “ It is perfectly possible.”

  “ In which case, I consider it absolutely essential that we follow him away from here tonight. If he is in possession of a priceless work of art, I think it is unlikely that he will wish to keep it in his house, and he will feel it necessary to take it out of the country as soon as possible. This may be the vital element that leads to the satisfactory resolution of this case. It is essential, though, that he be totally unaware of our presence.” He pulled out his watch and announced the time without so much as a glance at its face. “ If events proceed as they have in the past, I estimate that we have less than an hour to wait.”

  I could not contain my curiosity, and asked him how he had been able to ascertain the hour in the dark, without even looking at his watch.

  “ On occasions like this, I carry a timepiece which has been adapted for the needs of the blind, whereby the crystal can be lifted on a hinge, allowing my fingers to feel the position of the hands. It is invaluable under the kind of circumstances in which we find ourselves at present, when it is necessary to remain unobserved. But hark ! What do we have here ? ”

  As he spoke, I perceived a carriage making its way towards us through the mist. “ It is the carriage that de Vries used ? ”

  “ Assuredly. Excellently spotted, Watson. Yes, indeed, it is stopped now in the same place where de Vries left it.”

  “ How do you propose to follow him ? ”

  “ Our cab is waiting around the corner. As before, when we see our mark, I want you to alert the driver, and come with the cab to where I am waiting. We will then follow at a discreet distance, though I fear at this time of night it will be difficult to trace our quarry unobserved.”

  It was no warmer than it had been, and my self-control was stretched to the limits to prevent me from stamping my feet to keep them warm. However, the knowledge that Holmes was by my side was at once a comfort to me and a spur to my determination to stay awake. It was I who first spotted a tall figure, dressed in an opera cloak and wearing a silk hat, making its way along the riverside to the waiting carriage. As it approached closer, I observed the beard which I had seen the previous night, and noted that a package, seemingly the same that I had observed earlier being carried by one of the female patrons of the casino, was tucked under its arm. I pointed out the apparition to Holmes.

  “ Yes, it is he,” he whispered. “ Go now, and alert the cabbie.”

  I moved swiftly and as unobtrusively as I was able to the spot that Holmes had earlier indicated to me where our conveyance was waiting, and instructed the driver to move off slowly and silently. We had gone a few yards before it came to me that a familiar sound—that of the horse’s hoofs—was absent, and the rattle of the wheels that is usually associated with this mode of transport was likewise missing. As we passed the point where I had left homes waiting, we slackened our pace a little, and Holmes joined me in the carriage, without our having stopped. I remarked on the relative silence of our journey.

  “ I provided our driver, whom I have used on several similar occasions before this, in advance with instructions and the necessary resources to make our travel as silent as possible. Maybe the mist and fog that have so providentially appeared would hide u
s from sight, but in streets as nearly deserted as this, the sound of another vehicle would carry and would alert our friend. A few bags of bran tied around the feet of the horse, and a little careful lubrication of the wheels and springs of the cab, appear to have worked wonders, do they not ? ”

  I agreed, and peered out of the windows to determine our direction of travel.

  Holmes noticed my interest. “ If my suppositions are correct, we are heading towards the docks. I hardly think that he will wish to keep this painting or drawing, or whatever it may prove to be, in the country for longer than is necessary, and he would be foolish to take the risk of transporting it on a public ferry.”

  It appeared that once again Sherlock Holmes had deduced correctly. A little before the dock area, the carriage that we were following stopped, and its passenger descended. Homes immediately rapped on the roof of our vehicle, signalling to the driver to halt. “ Do not bother to wait,” he instructed our cabbie, passing him a number of coins. “ You have done a good job tonight, and I may require your services once again in the near future. I will be in contact. When you leave, ensure that you are not seen by the carriage that we have been following. I expect it to turn and return to the centre of Town very soon.”

  “ Just as you say, Mr. Holmes,” replied the driver, touching his hat as he started his uncannily silent hansom cab on the journey home.

  “ Now, Watson,” Holmes said to me softly. “ Keep to the shadows, and do your best to keep silent.”

  Even in the dim light, it was easy to distinguish our quarry as he walked towards the quayside where a small tramp steamer was moored. At its stern fluttered an ensign, which I recognised as that of the kingdom of the Netherlands. De Vries made straight for the ship, and we could see now that he was carrying the package with him. He walked up the gangplank onto the deck of the ship, where he was met and greeted by a man who was presumably a member of the ship’s crew, and the gangplank was immediately drawn up after him.