The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories Part IV

by David Marcum

  “And this letter that appeared today?”

  “Was found by me when I unlocked the desk this morning.”

  “I assume that you hold the only key?”

  “This key here on my watch-chain. To the best of my knowledge, there is no other.”

  Holmes requested that he be allowed to examine it closely, and, having received it from Harden, proceeded to scrutinise it through his lens. Having done so, he thanked Harden and returned it to him.

  “Do you not wish to see the letter?” Harden asked, and passed the paper, in its turn, to Holmes, who read through it.

  “There would appear to be some sort of implied threat here,” said Holmes. “Nothing explicit, but it seems to me that there is more than a hint that you should divorce your wife and return to America.”

  “That is precisely what those wretched boys told me as I was coming here.”

  “Then there is a definite link between the urchins and these letters. Not that I ever doubted that there was such a link, but this is proof positive. I have a spy in their ranks, however, and I hope to be able to tell you more about the origin of these letters shortly. For now, may I ask you to continue walking and showing yourself as much as possible. I sincerely believe that you are in no danger from these boys, though I appreciate that it is uncomfortable, or even painful, for you to expose yourself to their gibes. The more that you are mocked and persecuted, the more we will learn about those who are inflicting this upon you.”

  Harden sighed. “I will do as you request, Mr. Holmes, though as you say, it will be more than uncomfortable for me.”

  He left us, and Holmes leaped up from his chair. “We must act soon,” he said. “I fear the end-game is close at hand. The pawns have moved, and cleared the way for the more powerful pieces on the board.”

  “Why, whatever can you mean?” I asked. “Where are we going?”

  “Our first call will be at the back door of Harden’s house. Come.” He seized his hat and stick and swept out of the room, and I followed in his wake.

  We took a somewhat circuitous route to the Park, presumably to avoid Harden, and we were soon knocking at the kitchen door below the area steps, which was opened to us by a kitchen-maid, who stared at us with a look of astonishment on her face.

  “If it’s the master or the mistress that you’re wanting, then the door’s upstairs, and it’s one of the men who’ll be opening it to you, not me.”

  “My dear young lady,” Holmes answered her with his most winning smile, “it is the housekeeper with whom we wish to speak. If you would be so kind as to let her know that we await the pleasure of her company, I would be most grateful.” I observed a shilling change hands, and the maid disappeared in search of the housekeeper, who appeared some minutes later, introducing herself as Mrs. Bulstrode.

  “I am not sure, I must say, what a gentleman like you wants with me,” she offered.

  “It is a mere trifle, madam,” Holmes answered her. “I merely wish to know the name of the locksmith with which this household deals. I am sure that a fine housekeeper such as yourself knows all the tradesmen with whom the house does business.”

  “That would be Albert Finchley, on the Tottenham Court Road, sir,” she answered. “He’s really an ironmonger, but he does a bit of locksmithing from time to time, and any time we need a new key or a lock fixed or something like that, we go to him.” She suddenly seemed to become suspicious. “What do you want to know this sort of thing for?” she asked.

  Sherlock Holmes introduced himself.

  “I’ve read of you in the papers,” she said. “And you,” turning to me, “must be Doctor Wilson.”

  “Watson,” I corrected her.

  “Well, Mr. Holmes, there’s been no murders done here, so I’m sure I don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve a good mind to tell the mistress you’ve been here.”

  “Not the master?” Holmes smiled.

  “He’s all right, I suppose,” she admitted, “but I’ve been with Lady Julia’s family since she was a girl.”

  “There are reasons why I would like my visit here kept quiet, but I am not at liberty right now to tell you what they are,” Holmes said to her. “I will simply say that it concerns a personal matter that may cause some harm to your mistress if it is badly handled.”

  “I’ll take your word for it, sir, but if there’s any trouble, I know who you are and what you’ve been asking.”

  “One more question, if I may,” said Holmes, holding up a finger. “What is the name of Lady Harden’s lady’s maid?”

  “Why, that would be Lucy Jones, who’s also been with her since she was a little child.”

  “Thank you, that is most helpful,” Holmes informed her, tipping his hat. “And now,” as the area door closed, “we are for Mr. Finchley’s emporium.”

  Albert Finchley’s shop transpired to be typical of its kind, hung about with miscellaneous items, including a display of locks, and a notice informing customers that Mr. Finchley offered prompt and accurate key-cutting services.

  My friend introduced himself to Finchley, and enquired if he was the supplier of any items to the Harden household.

  “Why, yes. Mrs. Bulstrode, the housekeeper, has often sent orders to me, and I am happy to oblige. They pay good money, promptly, which is more than you can say for many nowadays.”

  “Your work for the house includes locksmith work?”

  The honest shopkeeper scratched his head as he searched his memory. “I can’t say that I have ever fitted a lock there,” he replied at length. “I’ve cut a few keys for the place, though.”

  “What was the last key you cut?”

  “Let me think. Yes, it was a small key, the sort you might use on a chest or a trunk. That was an odd one, though.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I wasn’t cutting from a key, but from an impression of a key in red clay.”

  “When was this?”

  “About a week ago, I would say, sir.”

  “And who was the person with whom you dealt on this occasion.”

  “One of the maids. Pretty little thing. She game her name as Lucy, but I never did get her last name.”

  “That is most helpful, Mr. Finchley.”

  We returned to Baker Street. It was clear that Holmes had observed some items which had escaped my notice, but I was completely at a loss as to what they might be.

  On our arrival at 221b, Mrs. Hudson informed us that Wiggins had arrived. “I didn’t want to send him upstairs to your room, sir,” she told Holmes, “so he’s waiting in the kitchen with Cook.”

  “Send him up, Mrs. Hudson, send him up,” replied Holmes, seemingly in excellent humour. “Well, Wiggins, what have you for me?” he asked, when the leader of the Irregulars appeared, clutching his cap in his hands. “Sit in that chair, won’t you?”

  “Thank you, sir,” Wiggins answered. “I did it all myself,” he said, with an air of some pride. “I went round to behind the house, and there was about twenty lads there all waiting just round the corner. I asked them what they were waiting for, and they said it was for the man who was going to tell them what they should shout at the gentleman when he came out.”

  “I see,” said Holmes. “And you offered to shout along with them?”

  “One of the lads who was there the day before had fallen sick, so there was a space for me, they said. I wasn’t going to take any of their money away from them.”

  “What was the pay?”

  “Five shillings for the day, and there were twenty of them exactly. I counted them.”

  “Five pounds a day?” I interjected. “Whoever is behind this has long pockets.”

  “I think we knew that already,” Holmes said, a trifle impatiently. “Go on, Wiggins.”

  “Well, sir, this man came al
ong. Gentleman, I should say, really, because he was a bit of a swell. He was a tall thin man, and spoke sort of funny. I think it was an American accent, but I couldn’t be sure of that. He had a funny little moustache, and was dressed in a flash kind of way, with a large sparkling tie-pin.”

  “Excellent, Wiggins. Anything else?”

  “Yes, sir, his boots seemed a bit strange. They had pointed toes and shiny metal fittings on the toes.”

  “And what did this ‘swell’ have to say to you?”

  “He told us that we should shout that the gentleman should leave his wife and go back to America.”

  “Did he say why you were to do this?”

  “No, but one of the lads with me said that it was some trouble with another woman. Another said it was trouble with money. Sorry, sir, but I was unable to find out.” Wiggins appeared a little dejected at his failure.

  “Never mind, Wiggins, you have done excellently. Better than I had hoped. So you received your five shillings?”

  “I did, sir.”

  “And here are another five to go with them.”

  “Why, thank you, sir. Will you want me to join the group again tomorrow?”

  Holmes smiled. “I do not want to deprive you of your five shillings, but be warned that this opportunity of earning easy money will not continue for much longer. Please continue with the work. If you discover anything new, please let me know as soon as possible, but do not feel that you must continue with daily reports. Thank you, Wiggins.”

  I let Wiggins out of the house, and returned to Holmes, who was chuckling. “It is Leman, all right. Wiggins has given us an excellent description, down to the boots, which are of the type worn in the western part of the United States.”

  “And he has subverted the maid of the lady of the house to assist him in his nefarious schemes?”

  Holmes furrowed his brow. “I have yet to be wholly convinced of that,” he said. “A few details seem to argue against that supposition.”

  “Then how did Lucy, the maid, come by the impression of the key? Are you suggesting that she removed the key from Harden’s watch-chain and took the impression? How would she be able to accomplish that?”

  “I do not believe that she removed the key or that she made the impression. She was given the clay containing the impression of the key, and orders to have a duplicate key to the desk cut.”

  “By Leman?”

  Holmes shook his head. “By another.”

  “But if not by Leman, by whom? Another one of the household?”

  “I cannot be certain at present, but I have my suspicions. Much depends on the past history of the players in this little drama.”

  “Harden has told us of his part in all of this, has he not?”

  “He has told us what he considers to be relevant, yes, but in cases such as this, an observer from outside may be better placed to judge the relevancy of events. I believe there is more to this business than we have been told.”

  “And how do you propose to accomplish the discovery of this additional information?”

  “I believe you may be of great assistance here, Watson.”

  “I?” I enquired incredulously.

  “Yes, indeed. You were kind enough to inform me of Harden’s identity the other day when we first encountered him. Your reading of those sections of the newspapers that I typically ignore may well prove to be a great benefit. For example, what were Lady Julia’s romantic inclinations before she took up with Harden? Were they ever reported by the Press?”

  “Yes, indeed. She was engaged, in fact, to another American, who died some time back. Now that I come to recall some of the details, he was from the same state as Harden.”

  “And perhaps moved in the same social circles?” Holmes mused. “It is not without the bounds of possibility that they were acquainted. Watson, can you recall the name of Lady Julia’s previous fiancé?”

  “If I remember correctly, it was a Mr. Jonathan Eddoes, whose father likewise owned tobacco plantations.”

  “We are drawing the threads together, Watson.” Holmes rubbed his hands together, thereby signifying his satisfaction. “A few more answers from Mr. Harden, and I think it will be to our advantage to speak also with Lady Harden, and I believe we will then have all the answers.”

  “I am still in the dark,” I confessed. “Although there would appear to be some connections, I cannot string them together into a connected whole.”

  “No matter,” my friend told me. “All will become clear. I think we must talk once more with Mr. Harden.” He dispatched Billy with a message to Harden, informing the latter that we would be calling upon him later that day.

  On arrival at Harden’s house, we were admitted by a footman. “Would it be possible,” Holmes asked him, as he took our hats and sticks, “for me to speak briefly with the maid Lucy before you tell Mr. Harden we are here?”

  The footman showed a little surprise at this request, but agreed to let us speak to the girl, who arrived, a little flushed and excited.

  “I’m not in any trouble, am I, sir?” she asked Holmes.

  “By no means,” he assured her. “You have been in Lady Julia’s service for some time?”

  “I’ve been with the family since she was a babe in arms, sir.”

  “And you were acquainted with Mr. Eddoes, when she was engaged to that gentleman?”

  Her face took on a sad cast. “I was indeed, sir. He was a real gentleman, and I thought that Lady Julia’s heart would break when he died of the fever that carried him off. She was lucky that Mr. Harden was such a good friend of Mr. Eddoes, and was able to help her forget him.” She paused and appeared to collect herself. “Not that Mr. Harden isn’t a gentleman in his own right, you understand, sir, but there was something about Mr. Eddoes that was kind of special, for all that he was an American.”

  “Thank you, Lucy.” I saw some silver change hands. “You have been most helpful.”

  “This way, sirs.” The footman, who had been standing at a discreet distance, ushered us into a room that was plainly the study.

  “Aha! We have the famed roll-top desk before us,” Holmes exclaimed when the servant had retired. He whipped his ever-present lens from his pocket and bent to examine the lock. “A simple lock,” he remarked. “Hardly worth going to the trouble of duplicating the key. Even an amateur such as myself could open this in seconds.”

  He had just straightened up, and returned the lens to his pocket when Harden entered.

  “Any developments?” he asked. “Is this urgent? I am due at my Club in less than half an hour.”

  “It will not take long,” Holmes told him, “but I felt it better to talk face to face. Firstly, I believe that you were acquainted with Mr. Jonathan Eddoes. Was he one of those who witnessed your wager?”

  “I knew him well. Indeed, he was the man with whom I made that infamous wager. You may be aware that he was engaged to be married to Lady Julia. When he died, it fell to me to console her for her loss.”

  “And the result of your consolation was your present marriage,” Holmes remarked drily.

  “What do you mean by that, sir?” Harden’s tone was indignant.

  “There was no hidden meaning behind those words, Mr. Harden, I assure you. I have more questions. Have you ever been acquainted with a certain Joshua Leman?”

  At the mention of this name, Harden’s face grew dark. “A rogue and a rascal. He was no friend of mine, though Jonathan - Eddoes, that is - had some acquaintance with him. I believed him to have cheated at cards, and refused to admit him to any gathering hosted by myself.”

  “Would he have known of the wager?”

  “Certainly I never informed him of it.”

  “One last question, which is somewhat personal, but I would be obliged if you could see your way to answe
ring it. What are the financial terms of your marriage?”

  “I really think that is no business of yours, Mr. Holmes.”

  “I believe it to be very much my business. It is most germane to the problem currently at hand.”

  “Very well then. I am, as you are aware, possessed of considerable wealth. My wife brought no dowry with her - nothing except her good name. I may tell you in confidence that her family, though one of the oldest and most noble in the land, is in a state of penury.”

  “I was already aware of that fact,” said Holmes, “though few others are.”

  “My money has helped to restore the family fortunes. As I mentioned in our previous conversation, His Grace, her father, is concerned about my history of gambling. One of the conditions of my marriage to his daughter was that, should the marriage at any time be dissolved, as he threatened it would be should I relapse into my previous bad habits, I would forfeit a large sum of money, to be given to Julia.”

  “I see,” said Holmes simply. “Thank you very much for your frank answer.”

  “Will that be all?”

  “It is all,” Holmes told him. “Again, my thanks.”

  We left the house, with Holmes in high good humour. “I have it all, now, Watson, other than one piece of the puzzle, which I expect to discover shortly.”

  “But if it is Leman, as seems evident, why are there no demands for money?”

  “He is playing a long game. Stop, and wait.” He caught hold of my arm as we were about to turn the corner of the square where Harden’s house was located. “Ha! There he goes!” He indicated Harden, who set off at a brisk pace in the direction of Pall Mall. Almost instantly, a group of street boys, among whom I recognised Wiggins, clustered around him, clamouring loudly, though it was impossible to make out their words. “And now,” he said, as the cortège swept around the corner, “for Lady Julia.”