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

by Hugh Ashton

  “ You have some of it, Holmes, but by no means all,” laughed Sir Godfrey. “ Though I have to admit that you have been most smart in your deductions, there are one or two details where I think you can stand some correction.”

  “ I shall be happy to hear them,” commented Holmes pleasantly.

  “ First, you should know that your being here is the ultimate result of my plans, rather than of your abilities. I was well aware of the fact that you had discovered the Finsbury house, and that you were following my trail and activities in my guise as de Vries. It was inevitable that these operations would be eventually disclosed to the police, and the business would be shut down, even if I and Celia escaped arrest. Much as I may admire the Dutch and many of their ways, I have no wish to remove myself from England and live surrounded by a flat marsh for the rest of my days. Believe me, your reputation and what I have seen of your meddling methods, of which more anon, left me in no doubt whatsoever of the fact that sooner or later the police would be on my tail.”

  “ I am most gratified to hear your last words. And your response to my ‘ meddling’, as you put it ? ”

  “ As I said, it was to ensure that you and the Doctor here never again troubled my business. But maybe you will understand better if I explain from the beginning how this whole affair began.

  “ I have always been fond of gaming. Cards, dice, and indeed any game of chance have been an attraction for me from an early age. I married late, after having met my prospective wife in a casino at Monte Carlo. As you may guess from the way that we met, we shared similar tastes, and I found her to be an attractive and intelligent companion. Shortly after our marriage, I was posted to the Hague, as you are aware. As you rightly surmised, I fell into debt there as the result of my gambling, chiefly in the casinos in Belgium which I visited regularly, and I was at my wit’s end. Though I was not a poor man, it was impossible for me to lay my hands on the money that I owed without raising suspicion. The man Besselink first threatened me and Celia with physical harm, but I was easily able to convince him that this was no way in which to recover the money I owed to him.

  He therefore suggested, in a fashion which left me no alternative other than acceptance, the means of repayment that you have described. I was to take, under another name, a London house which would remain ostensibly empty. However, late at night the house would take on a new function, that of a gaming-house. I was informed that you had discovered the gaming apparatus—the roulette wheel, and so forth.” Holmes nodded his agreement. “ This was supplied to me by Besselink, with full instructions on how to operate it. I invariably acted as croupier on the occasions when the casino was open, in my character as de Vries. At the times when I was supposedly away from London, as you have probably surmised, I was wearing the beard and acting the part of a Dutchman. I chose to operate under an alias for a number of reasons, not the least because I am a tolerably well-known figure about Town, and it would place me at risk were I to be discovered, or even suspected of, operating such an establishment. The Dutch personality was one I found easy to adopt. My wife, as you have divined, brought her friends to gamble and she herself played at the tables, and appeared to win with sufficient frequency to encourage her guests.

  “ Supposedly in order to protect the reputation of the clients, but in reality to prevent me from being recognised, it was a rule of the house was imposed requiring everyone, including those staffing the establishment, to wear a mask. It was amusing, I confess,” and here he laughed unpleasantly, “ to view the friends of my wife, whom I knew socially, wager a small fortune on the turn of the wheel that I was controlling and lose it all.

  “ These times when the house was in operation coincided with the visits of the Friesland to London. It was impossible to trust any Englishman with the operations of the gaming house, since it is possible that they would recognise me, even in my disguise as de Vries. All my assistants, the waiters who served the champagne and so on, as well as the coachman who collected the customers and brought them to the house, were Dutch, and came and went on the Friesland. In that way, I was the only party involved who remained in England for any length of time, should the police, or some interfering investigator such as you, become interested in the affair.”

  “ I can imagine,” Holmes commented drily, “ that it was also the case that Besselink wished to keep watch over his investment, if I may term it such, which is why he sent his own men rather than relying on you to provide the help from local sources.”

  “ I fear that you may be correct there. I was constantly reminded—indeed, I still am—that my continued prosperity, such as it is, is the result of Besselink’s tolerance.” He shuddered, and his voice dropped. “ Indeed, I still cannot truly say that I am my own man, even though the original amount that I had owed has been repaid many times over.”

  “ That is often the way with men such as Besselink. One may never break free of the chains that bind them, however hard one tries.” Holmes gave an enigmatic smile at this, but I was at a loss to understand his meaning.

  “ An epigram that applies equally to you at the moment, Holmes,” replied the other. “ You may somehow have escaped the ropes that bound you, but you are as much in my power as if you were still tied hand and foot.”

  Holmes shrugged. “ As you will. And at what point did the works of art enter the picture, if I may put it that way ? ” he asked.

  “ I think you have already determined that for yourself, have you not ? Naturally, there was nothing so vulgar as cash changing hands within the Finsbury Park house. Instead, each of the gamblers had an open line of credit, of which they invariably took full advantage. It was my task, in my character of de Vries, to make appointments with these ladies at regular intervals and either to collect the money that they owed, or else to deliver the money that was owed to them—though the latter hardly ever took place in practice, as you may imagine. Of course, all such dealings had to be carried out in the form of cash—if they were transacted as bank drafts or any other form of transfer, the gamblers’ secret activities would instantly become apparent.”

  “ And naturally,” Holmes broke in, “ it was impossible for them to lay their hands on such large sums of cash as I presume we are discussing, and accordingly you suggested that the family treasure should be given to you in lieu of cash, and substituted with a forgery ? ”

  “ You have it exactly.”

  “ Including, naturally, the diamonds and the van Dyck painting that you yourself have sent to Holland.”

  To my amazement, and that of Holmes, Sir Godfrey threw back his head and laughed heartily. “ Fear not. They are still in this country,” he told us.

  Holmes appeared to be astounded. “ I can swear that the painting that you gave me to examine was a modern reproduction and that the diamonds in the brooch were not genuine stones.”

  “ You are perfectly correct in those assumptions.”

  “ Then how— ? ” Sherlock Holmes appeared perplexed by Sir Godfrey’s words.

  “ They were by way of being something of a test of your abilities. Thanks to Dr. Watson here, your reputation has gone before you, and I could be reasonably certain that one of my victims would employ your services at some time in the future. I confess that I was sceptical as regards your abilities, but even so I determined to set you a little test, or to be more accurate, two little tests—the painting and the brooch. I arranged for a substitute van Dyck to be created—”

  “ —by the man Visser,” broke in Holmes.

  “ Yes, that was the name he went by when he was in this country. I suppose I may congratulate you on your perspicacity. In any event, you passed the tests with flying colours, and thereby sealed your doom. From the time that you determined the false provenance of the van Dyck, and questioned my servants regarding it—oh yes, I was well aware of your activities in that area—I knew it would only be a matter of time before you discovered the Finsbury house and de Vries, and quite possibly even the Friesland and her involvement in the b
usiness.

  “ From then on, it was a matter of leading you into the trap prepared for you. The little dance that I led you round London, Doctor, and all the other little parts of the comedy we played in Finsbury, were all designed ultimately to lead you here.”

  To say that I was stunned by this information would be an understatement. I had had no idea that we had been walking around London, supposedly on the track of this villain, but in reality, dancing to his tune. Holmes, on the other hand, seemed as unconcerned as if the conversation we were holding was merely concerned with the weather.

  “ And what happens next ? ” he asked our captor.

  “ Why, I go to Rotterdam, of course. We are already on our way, as you have no doubt observed.”

  I confess that I had not been conscious of the fact that the Friesland had now left the dock, but now that it had been mentioned, I looked out of the cabin window to discover that we were now travelling down the Thames towards the North Sea.

  “ So you see, Holmes, that there really is nothing you can do,” said Leighbury. “ As soon as we are out of sight of land, I will give orders for you and the Doctor here to leave the ship over the rail. You will be given every assistance to leave.” He regarded Holmes and myself with a singularly unpleasant smile.

  “ You are making a mistake,” Holmes told him in a level tone.

  “ That being ? ”

  “ You are assuming that you will be in a position to give orders that will be obeyed.”

  “ Have you any reason to believe otherwise ? ”

  “ Most assuredly.” Without warning, Holmes lunged for the revolver on the desk, but was unable to prevent Leighbury’s hand from closing on it first. However, Holmes’ powerful grip prevented the baronet from raising the weapon, much less using it, and the two men strained against each other’s strength as Sir Godfrey called loudly for assistance. “ Pieter ! Jan ! ”

  The two Dutchmen who had escorted us to the cabin burst through the door, and Holmes instantly released his grip on Sir Godfrey’s wrist, causing it to fly up in the air, still holding the revolver, and involuntarily to pull the trigger, sending a shot through the ceiling. The sudden report caused all in the room to freeze, save for Holmes, who turned towards the two seamen with a friendly smile.

  “ Do you speak English ? ” he asked them.

  One shook his head, but the other replied, “ A little.”

  “ Please fetch the captain of this ship.”

  “ You are in no position to demand anything,” objected Sir Godfrey.

  “ I am requesting, not demanding,” Holmes corrected him. He turned back to the sailor. “ I believe that Mynheer Besselink will be interested in what I have to tell your captain.”

  At the mention of Besselink, the sailor’s formerly wooden countenance changed. “ Very good. No tricks,” he warned Holmes as he left the cabin.

  “ There will be none. I give you my word,” Holmes assured him.

  The four of us, Sir Godfrey, the Dutch sailor, Holmes, and myself, stood in an awkward silence until the seaman returned with the ship’s captain, a stocky Dutchman, with a pipe in the corner of his mouth.

  “ Well ? ” said the latter to Holmes in excellent English. “ The famous Sherlock Holmes. Under most circumstances, I would be pleased to see you. Under the current circumstances, my feelings are mixed. You have business with me, I believe ? ”

  “ Indeed I do. Pray, have the goodness to feel inside my coat here, and retrieve the paper you find there. I would do it myself, but I fear that a movement of that type might well disturb Sir Godfrey, and cause him to let off that pistol with which he is playing.”

  The captain looked at Holmes strangely, but followed Holmes’ request, removing an envelope, opening it, and studying the paper inside. He glanced from the paper to Sir Godfrey’s face, and then back again, an expression of concern growing on his own countenance.

  “ What the devil is that paper, Holmes ? ” enquired the baronet.

  “ It is, as the captain is discovering, a full statement of your accounts, including the money paid in by a Mynheer de Vries to the account of Sir Godfrey Leighbury. Money, the existence of which, I believe, was never communicated to Besselink.”

  “ Where did you lay hold of that paper, in God’s name ? ”

  “ My friend Sir David Abrahams was of great assistance to me.”

  “ The banker ? ”

  “ The same. He and I have an acquaintance, and I thought it provident to discover some of the facts of the matter through him.”

  “ You d____ blackguard ! ” barked Sir Godfrey, raising the revolver, and aiming it at Holmes. A quick command from the captain, and the baronet’s arm was seized and twisted behind his back by one of the sailors, causing the baronet to utter a cry of pain, and drop the gun.

  “ That is nearly fifteen thousand pounds you have stolen from us,” the captain accused Leighbury.

  “ I computed the total at fourteen thousand, eight hundred and seventy-two pounds, twelve shillings and eleven pence,” remarked Holmes pleasantly.

  “ Thank you,” answered the captain, with a thin smile. He turned to Sir Godfrey. “ That money will be repaid to us as soon as we return to London.”

  “ That will not be possible,” mumbled the baronet.

  “ Why not ? ”

  The other looked at the floor, and uttered in a voice so low that I had to strain my ears to make out the words, “ I have lost it all at Newmarket.”

  “ U stomme dwaas ! You stupid fool ! Now I see your losses listed at the bottom here,” and he waved the paper before him. He regarded Sir Godfrey with a look of contempt. “ You will continue your journey with us, as planned,” he informed him. “ Whether you will reach Rotterdam or not, I have yet to make up my mind.” The other blanched at his words.

  “ You cannot do this ! ” he protested.

  “ I can if I so desire. I am master of this ship, and my word is law here. I believe that Mynheer Besselink will have no objection to the removal of a traitor.”

  “ But my wife ! ” fairly wailed the other. “ What is to become of Celia ? ”

  “ That is a question you should have asked yourself before commencing your treachery.” The captain faced Holmes and myself. “ And now I am faced with the question of what to do with you two.”

  “ May I be permitted to make a suggestion ? ” asked Holmes in a courteous tone. The other nodded. “ Since it is clear that Sir Godfrey is no longer to be trusted to run the operation, which has now obviously run its course, there would seem to be little point in disposing of Dr. Watson and myself in the manner originally proposed by Sir Godfrey, other than that of pure revenge. You do not strike me as being the kind of man to indulge himself in that way, captain.”

  “ There is some logic in what you say,” replied the Dutchman.

  “ Therefore, I propose that you provide us with a boat for us to make our own way to land. Sir Godfrey we will leave to your sense of justice. Naturally, when we reach the coast, I will inform the authorities that the Friesland is to be watched, and should she endeavour to enter a British port in the future, her crew will be subject to arrest and detention.”

  “ And my wife ? Celia ? ” repeated the hapless baronet, who now seemed to have lost all his spirit.

  “ We will inform her of what has occurred, and she can arrange things as she sees fit,” Holmes answered him.

  The captain bowed slightly to Holmes. “ I agree. As you say, this race is won, and we cannot take it further. The roulette wheel and all the associated apparatus are on board here, and will never be seen again in England. In any event,” he smiled, “ it will be a relief for me not to have to endure your English beer again. I have no objection to bidding a final farewell to your country in that regard, at least.”

  “ May I enquire of the fate of the artworks that were delivered to you and have made their way across the sea ? ”

  “ That I do not know,” replied the captain. “ They are delivered to Besselink,
and after that, they become his affair, not mine. Come, let us to the boat. You and the Doctor can row a few miles ? Jan, Pieter.” He gave an order in Dutch that I took to be orders to guard Sir Godfrey.

  Once out of the cabin, the captain turned to Holmes. “ I could not say it in front of that man or my seamen, but it would have gone against my nature to throw you and the Doctor into the sea. It is my pleasure to be able to assist you.” So saying, he had one of the ship’s boats prepared for us, and provided us with water and some food, as well as a map and compass. “ You are here,” he said, pointing to the chart. “ The tide is on the ebb, so I would recommend this course, and you should make land somewhere near here,” with his finger on the town of Gravesend. “ That is, of course, if you are not fortunate enough to be spotted and picked up by another ship.”

  The boat was swung overboard, and the captain sent a seaman down the ladder, both to help us into the boat, and to point out the workings of our small craft before ascending again and casting us adrift.

  Holmes and I spelled each other at the oars on our tedious journey towards land. It was a matter of some hours before we reached land—a mudbank some two miles from Gravesend, as the tide had carried us in an unintended direction, and both Holmes and I were fatigued by the events of the previous hours, followed by the hard manual labour at the oars. Indeed, Holmes seemed to be in a condition where it was necessary for me to assist him on the road towards the town. We had refreshed ourselves a little with the water and the bread and Gouda cheese that the Dutch captain had provided for us, but I felt in need of greater sustenance, and it was with relief that I espied the sign of a wayside inn.

  On entering the saloon bar, however, we were unceremoniously ejected, and ordered in no uncertain terms to take ourselves to the public bar. Once there, I caught sight of myself in the mirror behind the bar, and forced myself to look at Holmes with as dispassionate an eye as I could manage. I had to admit that neither of us presented an attractive sight. After lying on the floor of the Finsbury house, our journey on the floor of the carriage, and our subsequent adventures, including a tramp through the mudflats, we presented an appearance of which many tramps would have been ashamed.