The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories Part IV

by David Marcum

  As always, I must first express my gratitude as a whole to the authors - or “editors”, if you will - of these new narratives from Watson’s Tin Dispatch Box. Once again, you answered the call graciously and effectively, providing some truly excellent adventures that didn’t previously exist.

  In particular, I’d like to thank the following:

  My wife Rebecca and my son Dan. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They have been wonderful throughout, especially during what has been a really crazy and often stressful year. I am truly blessed.

  And then a really incredible group people who made this book such a pleasure:

  Steve Emecz - Once again, you were 100% positive throughout the entire process, never even thinking twice when the idea of more of these volumes first surfaced.

  Bob Gibson of staunch.com - Graphic artist extraordinaire, who always made it exactly right. [Sadly, Bob passed away during the final editing of this book. He will be greatly missed.]

  Roger Johnson and Jean Upton - Wonderful people, and always supportive. Both of them were perfect hosts and tour guides during my second Holmes Pilgrimage to England in 2015 during the launch of the first volumes of this series. I can never thank them enough for so many things.

  Bob Byrne –Sherlockian, scholar, friend, and a great person with whom I can bounce ideas or share frustrations.

  Derrick Belanger - From his initial dive into this world, his skill has grown and grown. A Sherlockian, writer, and excellent provider of advice and feedback. Thanks friend!

  Marcia Wilson - I first wrote a fan letter to her in 2008 - where has that time gone? I’m the number one fan of her work and very happy to know her.

  Denis O. Smith - My favorite pasticheur. I’m so happy that I was able to track him down. What a treat to not only have more new Holmes stories by him, but to now be able to have him as a friend as well.

  Andy Lane - A really nice guy who always answers the call and writes great stuff too. I was very fortunate to meet him in person in London in 2015, and he made a wonderful host at Simpson’s for Steve Emecz and me. Thank you very much!

  Dan Victor - I read his first Holmes novel in the early 1990’s, and reached out to him as a stranger for the original MX anthology. Since that time, we have become regular correspondents and friends, and I always look forward to hearing from him.

  Mark Mower - One of the contributors to the first MX collection, and now a seasoned visitor to Watson’s Tin Dispatch Box. I really appreciate the friendship.

  Nick Utechin: His mother and my mother were both Rathbones, so we already had that in common. I was just happy to be able to email a Sherlockian legend. Then he gave me an incredible behind-the-scenes tour of Oxford - how can I ever repay that?

  Steven Rothman, editor of the Baker Street Journal – For all that you do. I still hope to convince you to completely embrace pastiches one of these days...

  Lyndsay Faye - Thanks for giving me some great advice - not once, but several times. Some I followed, some I couldn’t, but I appreciate all of it.

  Brian Belanger - You came to the party late, but really stepped up wonderfully, and I look forward to working with you more in the future!

  Chris Redmond - Creator of the awesome sherlockian.net, Sherlockian scholar, and someone who joined me in some great back-and-forth discussions over the past year.

  And last but certainly not least, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Author, doctor, adventurer, and the Founder of the Sherlockian Feast. Present in spirit, and honored by all of us here.

  Once again, this collection has been a labor of love by both the participants and myself. Everyone did their sincerest best to produce an anthology that truly represents why Holmes and Watson have been so popular for so long. This is just another tiny piece of the ongoing Great Holmes Tapestry, which will continue to grow and grow, for there can never be enough stories about the man whom Watson described as “the best and wisest... whom I have ever known.”

  David Marcum

  January 6th, 2016

  The 162nd Birthday of Mr. Sherlock Holmes

  Questions or comments may be addressed to David Marcum at

  thepapersofsherlockholmes@gmail.com

  Dedication

  This volume is dedicated to

  Bob Gibson

  who passed away during

  its final preparation.

  This was one of the last MX projects

  in which he participated.

  Bob was involved in designing most

  of the covers for MX titles, and his

  enthusiasm and professionalism

  will be greatly missed.

  Foreword (1)

  by Steven Rothman

  Not everyone loves Sherlockian pastiche. Many readers find the sixty canonical stories sufficient. Good for them.

  Others need as much Sherlock Holmes as they can possibly read - plus more Holmes to watch, Holmes to listen to on those long drives, and perhaps a videogame Holmes to fill the dozy hours. Sherlockian parody followed almost as closely on the heels of the birth of the Canon as Jacob did Esau with the earliest parody, “My Evening with Sherlock Holmes”, appearing in 1891, the same year as “A Scandal in Bohemia”. Pastiche is parody’s only slightly younger sibling: the earliest known example, “The Late Sherlock Holmes”, was published in 1893.

  It is almost as if the world realized that however much Conan Doyle produced, there would never be enough Holmes to satisfy. Is this the greatest compliment ever paid to a writer? Quite possibly. Many popular writers have imitators, but only a very few can claim to have given birth to an industry. (Yes, there is Tarzan and Conan - and perhaps, other than Sherlock, characters’ names should end in –an to earn worldwide affection. But do either the Lord of the Jungle or the Lord of Cimmeria hold the same place in as many hearts as the Lord of Baker Street?)

  One of those who can never get enough Sherlock Holmes, certainly in written form, is the father of this continuing series of volumes, David Marcum. Marcum knows in his soul that Holmes is where the heart lies. This is the fourth volume of pasticherie that Marcum has conjured into being - cajoling stories from a wide range of authors, both old hands and those new to the Sherlockian game. And all offered to the world by MX to help preserve Undershaw, the house that Sherlock built, as it is being prepared for its bright new life as a school. “Lighthouses, my boy!” as Holmes said to Watson in “The Naval Treaty”. So here is to the bright future of Sherlockian pastiche. Start reading!

  Steven Rothman

  Philadelphia, 12 February 2016

  Foreword (2)

  by Richard Doyle

  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle built Undershaw using the very latest building ideas for his family home. As I said years ago, “I do not believe that Undershaw should be preserved in aspic, but lived in and laughed in.” It is excellent news that after so many battles Stepping Stones School is returning life and joy to the original home. Great Uncle Arthur believed in education and embraced change. He will completely understand the need to improve and develop Undershaw for its new use whilst appreciating the effort being made to retain original elements in the heart of the building.

  It is an added bonus that when school timetables allow, modern Doylian and Sherlockian scholars may at last be able to access Undershaw for writers’ workshops and open days.

  It is my privilege to have the opportunity to thank Steve Emecz, David Marcum, and the many dedicated and generous Authors who have made this remarkable and growing collection of New Sherlock Holmes stories, supporting Undershaw, possible. The Conan Doyle family are pleased to have been able to lend support to this noble cause.

  Having read and felt the passion and joy that the many authors plainly experience from these amazing characters, it seems fitting to quote Great Uncle Arthur from his forward to The Lost World
:

  I have wrought my simple plan

  If I give one hour of joy

  To the boy who’s half a man,

  Or the man who’s half a boy.

  Thank you all for continuing his “simple plan”.

  Richard Doyle

  January 2016

  Undershaw

  An Ongoing Legacy for Sherlock Holmes

  by Steve Emecz

  Undershaw Circa 1900

  The authors involved in this anthology are donating their royalties toward the restoration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former home, Undershaw. This building was initially in terrible disrepair, and was saved from destruction by the Undershaw Preservation Trust (Patron: Mark Gatiss). Today, the building has been bought by Stepping Stones (a school for children with learning difficulties), and is being restored to its former glory.

  Undershaw is where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many of the Sherlock Holmes stories, including The Hound of The Baskervilles. It’s where Conan Doyle brought Sherlock Holmes back to life. This project will contribute to specific projects at the house, such as the restoration of Doyle’s study, and will be opened up to fans outside term time.

  You can find out more information about the new Stepping Stones School at www.steppingstones.org.uk

  Additional Foreword

  A Word From the Head Teacher of Stepping Stones

  by Melissa Farnham

  Last Friday I walked through the front door of Undershaw to see the tireless work that has gone into restoring this wonderful home. A home that is soon to become the heart of Stepping Stones School.

  As our student body grows, we are ready to embrace the gifts that such a building will bestow upon us. A building that inspired one man to share and change so many peoples’ lives with his wisdom and creative thinking.

  Over the last decade our school has changed and redirected so many young people; now is the time that we must expand and offer high quality and enriched facilities to ensure the best starts in their young lives. We are excited to see the outdoor spaces develop in a way that offers sports and social spaces for the young people to develop core skills for their future, along with specialist rooms to enhance their levels of engagement to in turn open their creative minds.

  We are now embracing a local community that supports and recognises the wonderful young people that attend our school. The backdrop of Undershaw brings together a diverse group of people, young to old, academics to creative individuals, and so much more.

  Sherlock Holmes

  Sherlock Holmes (1854-1957) was born in Yorkshire, England, on 6 January, 1854. In the mid-1870’s, he moved to 24 Montague Street, London, where he established himself as the world’s first Consulting Detective. After meeting Dr. John H. Watson in early 1881, he and Watson moved to rooms at 221b Baker Street, where his reputation as the world’s greatest detective grew for several decades. He was presumed to have died battling noted criminal Professor James Moriarty on 4 May, 1891, but he returned to London on 5 April, 1894, resuming his consulting practice in Baker Street. Retiring to the Sussex coast near Beachy Head in October 1903, he continued to be involved in various private and government investigations while giving the impression of being a reclusive apiarist. He was very involved in the events encompassing World War I, and to a lesser degree those of World War II. He passed away peacefully upon the cliffs above his Sussex home on his 103rd birthday, 6 January, 1957.

  Dr. John Watson

  Dr. John Hamish Watson (1852-1929) was born in Stranraer, Scotland on 7 August, 1852. In 1878, he took his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of London, and later joined the army as a surgeon. Wounded at the Battle of Maiwand in Afghanistan (27 July, 1880), he returned to London late that same year. On New Year’s Day, 1881, he was introduced to Sherlock Holmes in the chemical laboratory at Barts. Agreeing to share rooms with Holmes in Baker Street, Watson became invaluable to Holmes’s consulting detective practice. Watson was married and widowed three times, and from the late 1880’s onward, in addition to his participation in Holmes’s investigations and his medical practice, he chronicled Holmes’s adventures, with the assistance of his literary agent, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in a series of popular narratives, most of which were first published in The Strand magazine. Watson’s later years were spent preparing a vast number of his notes of Holmes’s cases for future publication. Following a final important investigation with Holmes, Watson contracted pneumonia and passed away on 24 July, 1929.

  Photos of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson courtesy of Roger Johnson

  The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories

  Toast to Mrs. Hudson

  by Arlene Mantin Levy

  Dear Martha Hudson, I hold up my glass

  ‘Cause I’m new to the Canon and all that it asks.

  I have searched for the essence of your complex nature

  You sure hold the award for best facilitator.

  Many a story highlights you who does serve

  But what other traits do I need to observe?

  There is cleaning, and tea time, and breakfasts you do

  But what of the credits that a toast is now due?

  You are landlady, housekeeper, cook to be sure

  You are comforting, tolerant, and sweet to the core.

  You provide them with sanctuary and you they do trust

  Sometimes you’re even asked to move Holmes’s self bust.

  So... a toast to the woman who tolerates more

  Than a grand monthly stipend slid under her door.

  A toast to the guardian of 221b Baker Street and

  protector of the two gentlemen on the upper floor...

  Mrs. Martha Hudson

  The Tale of the First Adventure

  by Derrick Belanger

  It was with exciting news that I hurried to 221b Baker Street one late autumn afternoon. I had just received an unexpected patient, and the man came with information about my dear friend Sherlock Holmes. The man, a Mr. Zenas Cooper, had arrived at my doorstep supporting his back with a well-worn wooden cane. He had injured himself in the process of lifting a large trunk of clothing, and was afraid he had caused serious damage. His brother, Tobias Cooper, a regular patient of mine, had recommended Zenas see me before his long ride back to Devon. After a few tests, I could see that my initial diagnosis, that Mr. Cooper had strained his lumbar, was accurate. I assured the man that while the pain and discomfort were debilitating, if he rested and stayed off of his feet, he would be healed within a week’s time.

  Mr. Cooper was a good twenty years my senior. A large man with ruddy cheeks, wispy white hair, emerald eyes, and a jolly laugh, he was in good spirits despite his situation and said he felt blessed that his wife had packed his cane on his London sojourn to visit his brother. Just as he completed his visit and I assisted the man to the front door, he paused and asked in his booming voice, “Say... I think... no, no, I’m sure it is a coincidence.”

  I inquired as to what the gentleman was puzzling about.

  “You wouldn’t happen to be the same Dr. Watson who wrote that story in Lippincott’s?... The Sign of the Four, I believe it was called.”

  I assured him that I was, and the man let out such a bellowing laugh that for a moment I thought he had become Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Present. “My good man,” he started, “you tell Master Holmes, for he will always be Master Holmes to me, that Mr. Cooper still remembers the good turn he did for me, and that I am and will eternally be grateful.”

  I asked the man whatever Holmes had done for him, and his face brightened to an even warmer shade of red. “Why, Master Holmes saved my marriage, the lad did. Bright boy. Exceptional, really. The top student I ever taught in my first year class. Suppose with Master Holmes, it’s hard to say how much I taught him and how much he taught me. I could tell you m
ore, but I am afraid I have a train to catch. Please do give Master Holmes my kind regards, and ask him about the good turn he did for Mr. Cooper. You’re Dr. Watson, after all. You’d want his telling of the events if you see fit to turn the tale into one of your publications. I’m sure I’d miss some of the important details for it was so long ago, but that Master Holmes, with that brain of his, even though he was just eleven at the time, I’m sure he remembers every detail.” And with a wink, he hobbled off down the steps to his awaiting taxi. I assisted the man into the cab, and no sooner had his left then I hailed one myself, for with this information, curiosity had seized me. Mr. Cooper had been my final patient for the day, and I knew Mrs. Watson was visiting a friend for the afternoon and wouldn’t return until early in the evening. I just had to see Holmes, had to know about this mystery he’d puzzled out at such a young age.

  As the hansom pulled up in front of 221b Baker Street, I nearly leaped out of the cab. I found the door to my friend’s residence unlocked and practically flung it open. Fortunately, Mrs. Hudson was not at home, for I’m sure she would have scolded me for not knocking before entering. Not tarrying a moment, I bounded up the seventeen steps to Holmes’s sitting room as fast as my legs could carry me. When I was almost at the top of the stairs, a sharp jolt of pain shot through my left leg, which still suffered from a wound I’d received from a Jezail bullet in the Afghan War. I gave out a holler, winced, and cursed myself for my over-ambition. Using the railing of the stairs, I supported myself and limped up to the door of the first floor rooms. I didn’t bother knocking, but with a swift turn of the knob swung the door wide and found Holmes in his armchair, reading over several papers with a magnifying glass.