“They are both very capable men in my opinion, Miss Hardwick,” I said. “And in their defense they were not privy to all the conversations and observations that passed over the previous fortnight in the house.”
“That is true I suppose, and modestly spoken, young man.”
“And in any case, there was another intelligent mind that I believe had come to the same conclusion as myself.”
“And who would that be, Mr. Holmes?” asked a genuinely perplexed Agatha Hardwick.
“Now it is you who are being modest, madam,” I returned. “I saw your face at the denouement of the case. I saw not shock, but perhaps sadness. I believe that you already had suspicions of your nephews.”
The lady looked long and hard at me and finally gave a deep sigh.
“It is true, Mr. Holmes,” she said. “Early on I knew that no one could have come from the outside in broad daylight, and I never seriously considered either Jane or Irene. That left only the boys.”
“But there was more to your thinking than that, was there not Miss Hardwick?”
“Yes, there was. After the Inspector, and yourself of course, had finished interviewing us, we were all talking in the library. Everyone seemed their usual self, but one time Jane mentioned what a terrible tragedy John’s death had been and I caught a malicious glee on George’s face when he thought no one was looking. I knew then that he must have done the deed. Once I had assured myself of that, I began thinking. I knew that Robert could do a very fair imitation of his cousin’s voice and it came to me how they had done it. Of course, I knew nothing of an imitation gem, but at that moment I was certain. The terrible look on his face haunts me. I believe that he is quite mad.”
“Why, Aunt Agatha, you are as much a marvel as Holmes,” cried Percy. “But I still do not understand why they made their attempt in broad daylight. Why not wait until the dark of night?”
“I can answer that, Percy,” I said. “Remember that this was a theft, and not a crime of murder. I spoke with Inspector Grey last evening, and he tells me that Robert has made a complete confession and that the imitation gem that George constructed was not ready until yesterday. It is true that they could have waited until night, but if they missed their chance for some reason, the diamond would be beyond their reach. Besides, George thought that the plan they had devised together was a foolproof one. And again, they would have succeeded if not for two circumstances for which they did not plan. One was the strong coffee that kept Sir John from his rest.”
“And the other?” asked Percy.
“Well, my presence, of course.”
“Of course, my friend. I do recall you pointing that out.”
“There is yet one more mystery, gentlemen,” said Jane Grafton. “Everyone seems to forget that the Spider Diamond is in the safe and now no one can open it.”
“That is true. The combination died with dear uncle,” Percy said sadly. “I suppose we will have to hire specialized workmen to force the door.”
“I hope they will not find it necessary to use explosives,” exclaimed Jane.
“You young people are all forgetting that George thought he knew the combination,” said Agatha Hardwick. “Had he not, this whole mad enterprise might never have occurred. Mr. Holmes, you say that Robert is telling all. Well, does he know the combination?”
“He says not, madam, and I believe him. It is pointless to admit involvement in all else and hold back that tidbit. He says that George alone knew it, or at least hoped he knew it. It is possible that George Hardwick hoped to yet swindle his cousin out of his share of the theft. Of course, we may never know now.”
“But come now, young man,” cried Miss Hardwick. “If George thought he had figured out the riddle, then you must have.”
“It is a thought Miss Hardwick, and riddle is the right word for it. Your brother told me himself he liked riddles. Perhaps, we should visit the music room and explore a theory that I have.”
This suggestion was passed by unanimous vote and we soon found ourselves at the scene of the previous day’s tragedy. The body had been removed, of course, and the murder weapon had been cleaned and put back in its proper place on the wall. I tripped the latch on the picture frame. The frame swung open and revealed the hidden safe.
I put my hands to the dial and drew a deep breath. I had a series of numbers in my head. I tried them in the order of most likely to least likely, and on the ninth attempt I heard a sharp click on the final number and I pulled the door open. A cry went up from those in the room behind me. I stepped back and Jane Grafton eagerly pulled the contents of the safe into view. The safe held only a simple wooden box of humble construction. There was no lock on the box and Jane Grafton laid it on a table next to the desk. She glanced about the faces surrounding the box, and slowly lifted the lid. A gasp went up from those assembled as the contents of the box were revealed. Instead of the stunning Spider Diamond necklace, there was only a single slim envelope in the box.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Percy swore under his breath and rushed back to the safe.
“It must be in here,” he cried, as he pawed the steel interior of the safe. “Perhaps, there is a hidden chamber or false bottom.”
“I think not, Percy,” I said. “I believe this envelope was all that the safe was protecting.”
I had pulled the envelope from the box and waved it in the air as I spoke.
“Then George must have stolen the diamond after all,” cried Jane Grafton. “He must have secreted it somewhere. Perhaps, even unbeknownst to Robert. We must search the conservatory.”
Agatha Hardwick nodded dumbly at the turn of events and Percy was running his fingers through his hair in some distress.
“Mr. George Hardwick never opened the safe,” I declared, with confidence.
“How can you be so certain, Holmes?” asked Percy, as he struggled to master his emotions.
“The smashed imitation gem tells us that. Had he managed to open the safe, and stolen the diamond, he would have simply switched them. Since he smashed the imitation gem, in order to mask its existence, we can deduce that he never found the diamond.”
“Then, where is the Spider Diamond, Mr. Holmes?” asked Jane.
“Half a moment, Holmes,” said Percy. “Just how did you divine the combination to the safe?”
“Ah, that,” I said with a chuckle. “Your uncle told me.”
“What?” cried Percy. “Why, Holmes, you mountebank. Here I thought you had done something clever and uncle had given you the combination all along.”
“Calm yourself, Percy,” said I. “Your uncle told you the combination, as well. Indeed, he gave it to Mr. George Hardwick, also.”
“Young man, are you quite yourself?” asked Agatha Hardwick. “Surely, this cannot be true. Why would John have told you, a stranger, the combination to his safe?”
“Sometimes when one knows a secret it gives pleasure to give hints of the secret,” said I. “Sir John was a man of that type. Percy, do you recall your uncle speaking of the queen’s golden jubilee?”
“Of course. It was just after he had had his spell. Brought on by you, Holmes, I might add.”
“But do you recall what we were talking about just previous to that?”
“No, I’m afraid I do not.”
“Thankfully, I have a better recollection of events. You had asked Sir John about what might happen if he forgot the combination. It was only then that he spoke of the queen.”
“Of course, Holmes,” said Percy. “I remember now. It did seem a bit of a non sequitur, but the old boy had just had a bad shock. I put it down to that.”
“Sir John was an able man who had been through much danger in his life, and though I had shocked him with my assertion about the picture I believe that he was quite in control of his faculties when he spoke. I had thought at the time that he was merely changing the subject, but upon reflection it occurred to me that he was giving a clue, for his own amusement, about the combination.”
/> “And it had something to do with Queen Victoria?” asked Jane Grafton.
“Precisely. Percy had a valid point about the combination. To write it down is dangerous, but it must be something memorable or perhaps it might be forgotten over time. The obvious solution is to associate the combination with a famous date. The reference to Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee was Sir John’s way of reminding himself, and playing a joke on us, about what the combination was.”
“”I see,” said Percy. “So you deduced that the answer was the date of the queen’s Golden Jubilee.”
“That was one possibility. There were three dates that I judged might be in play. The queen’s birth, her ascension to the crown, and the future Golden Jubilee. The actual combination turned out to be 50-18-87. The fifty years of her reign and the year in which it will take place, God save her.”
“But how did George arrive at the same conclusion, Holmes?” asked Percy. “We were alone with uncle when he made his odd statement.”
“Not quite, Percy. Your cousin George walked in just as Sir John was finishing his statement. Doubtless, he had heard all of it outside the door before he came in. He is a clever fellow and he likely came to the same conclusion I did as it pertained to the combination. Pity such a mind was soured by greed.”
“That is all well and good, young man,” said Miss Hardwick, with a sniff. “But it does not tell us where the diamond is does it?”
“Perhaps the envelope will tell us,” said I. “It is addressed as you can see.”
I again held the envelope aloft so that they could inspect it. I laid it back upon the table. It was addressed in a clear masculine hand and read:
Sasha Vimshim
229 Estella Street, London
Percy and Miss Grafton looked at the name and were obviously unaware of the person. Jane broke the seal on the envelope and handed it to her aunt. Miss Hardwick looked at the name with a puzzled air. Jane Grafton pulled out a single sheet of paper from the envelope. They scanned it for a few moments and handed it to me. It was only a few sentences
My dear,
You were ever my favorite so I write to you to make certain that someone knows my secret. The Spider Diamond lies hidden in my favorite dark suit. It was the safest place I could imagine.
Jane and Percy stared at each other.
“Could it really be in one of uncle’s suits?” cried Percy. “Jane, come with me please.”
With that the pair raced from the room and I could hear them dashing upstairs. Irene Stuart examined the letter and shook her head and spoke for the first time since we had entered the music room.
“Mr. Holmes,” she said. “I cannot believe that John would do such a thing. It is too reckless.”
“Just like a man,” declared Miss Hardwick.
“Are you familiar with the name?” I asked her.
“No,” she said shaking her head slowly. “George never made many lady friends. And I certainly cannot recall a Russian among them.”
“You believe the lady is Russian?” I asked.
“Sasha is certainly a Russian name, young man.”
“Perhaps, but it is odd that he would write the letter and yet never send it.”
After some minutes Percy and Jane returned to the music room with sullen expressions.
“Uncle John has a dozen dark suits, but none of them are hiding a diamond necklace,” said Percy, as he flopped down into a seat. “After all this and now the diamond is missing as well. I shall lose my mind, Holmes.”
“Calm yourself, Percy. There is hope yet.”
“Mr. Holmes,” cried Jane. “Do you mean that you understand this bizarre missive?”
“I feel that I must point out yet again your uncle’s love of riddles.”
“What’s this nonsense of riddles, Holmes?” asked Percy. “Surely our next step is to find this woman and discover all she knows. Perhaps she already has the diamond.”
“I do not believe that the woman exists.”
“And why not, Holmes?” demanded Percy. “Have you heard the name before?”
“Well, yes and no.”
“It must be one or the other, young man,” said Miss Hardwick.
“Say rather that I have seen it in another form, madam. The name Sasha Vimshim is an anagram for Miss Havisham from Great Expectations.”
“Do you mean the woman who wandered about in the wedding dress?” asked Irene Stuart.
“The very same, and Estella was her adopted daughter. Additionally, 229 could be interpreted as twenty to nine, which is the time that Miss Havisham insisted that the clocks be set to.”
“So, this Sasha Vimshim does not exist?” asked Percy.
“Miss Havisham waits for someone who does not show up. I believe that your uncle was likewise saying that this person will not show either.”
“All right then, this Sasha person is a blind,” said Jane Grafton. “But what of the note itself. I tell you, Mr. Holmes, the diamond is not in any of uncle’s suits, dark or otherwise.”
“The note is also a riddle. I believe that I know where the diamond is secreted. I will follow my theory to its conclusion, if that meets with everyone’s approval.”
The group gave their hardy assent and I walked to the wall with the collection medieval weapons. I drew one of them down.
“Why, Holmes, that is the murder weapon,” said Percy.
I ignored his outburst as I examined the iron bands on the weapon. I gave a twist and I felt the top half begin to oscillate. I twisted the top off and found a hollowed out section. Putting my hand out, I tipped the bottom section over and a necklace slid into my palm. It was a necklace of humble silver construction that was not otherwise noteworthy, were it not for a sparkling diamond in the center.
“The Spider Diamond necklace!” shrieked Jane Grafton. “You’ve found it.”
“Holmes, how did you know?” asked Percy, as the ladies crowded around me, cooing over the gem. I extricated myself from the group and laid the necklace on Sir John’s desk and turned to face everyone.
“Come now, young man,” said Miss Hardwick. “You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. I know pride when I see it. Please enlighten us as to how you managed to discover the hiding place of the diamond.”
“It is merely another riddle of your brother’s, Miss Hardwick. In the letter, Sir John mentions a dark suit. The dark suits in a deck of playing cards are spades or clubs, both of which can be found on the estate. The gardening staff, of course, have spades in abundance, but clubs was of more interest to me. Percy, do you recall my bringing to your attention the fact that the club in question was of recent manufacture?”
“I do recall, Holmes.”
“I believe that Sir John used the woodworking and metallurgy tools in his laboratory to manufacture this club with its hollowed out center. He placed the necklace in it and hid it in plain sight on the wall with the other genuine medieval weapons. The dark suit he spoke of was simply his club.”
“But why the safe at all then?” asked Jane Grafton.
“It was a mere blind,” I replied. “With the safe in the room, everyone would assume that the diamond lay within. It was brilliantly thought out. It saved the diamond. Unfortunately, it did not save the life of the owner, but then the diamond has a dark past.”
The reminder of the death of Sir John cast a pall over the room. I suggested a walk on the grounds for all. Irene Stuart and Agatha Hardwick both begged off, but Jane and Percy were agreeable. We soon found ourselves strolling in the greenery of the estate, warmed by the sun.
“Holmes, I must say that you have been an absolute topper in this matter,” said Percy as we walked. “You certainly did put the scare up everyone when you began to tear apart the alibis.”
“Indeed, Mr. Holmes,” said Jane. “I thought for a moment that you were going to accuse us all.”
“Everyone except me, of course,” said Percy with a laugh.
“I am afraid Percy that for a short time you were my c
hoice of suspects,” said I.
“What?” cried Percy. “But, Holmes, you were my alibi. We were in the village together.”
“But we were not my friend. We were separated for more than enough time for you to return to the hall and come back to pick me up. Of course, you would have had to use the horse roughly to do so, but then the horse was lathered when I next saw, you was it not?”
“But I explained that, Holmes.”
“A very poor explanation, Percy. I would wager that it would break down under examination. No, you were a very likely killer.”
“So you believe I could have simply driven up to the house, walked in, and killed poor uncle? I know you believe the gardeners would pay no attention to denizens of the household, but surely it would be a long chance to walk the grounds so boldly.”
“It would take a minimal amount of preparation to do so Percy. First you would have to tie up the carriage some distance from the hall. I noticed the horse hesitated at the last fork before we came back that day, as if it was accustomed to going that direction. This morning I explored about a bit and found a spot where someone has been in the habit of tying off a horse and carriage. I am not boring you I hope, Percy?”
Percy merely shook his head in amazement.
“Then would come the simplest part of the charade. With a simple dark coat, a tweed hat, and a spade, anyone might be taken as a gardener. Our friend Hinckley demonstrated that. Such a person might have walked right up to the music room windows, unnoticed.”
“Now, I realize that you are speaking in jest, Holmes, but what would have been my motive? Uncle was leaving nothing to me in any case, whether he married or not.”
“You could have struck the blow to save the inheritance of one you were in love with, Percy. Say, someone like Miss Grafton, for instance.”
I gestured at the lady and for a moment both Percy and she seemed in shock. Percy finally broke the tension with a hearty laugh.
“I surrender, my friend,” he exclaimed. “Why did I believe our secret was safe from you? It is as you say. Jane and I have come to an understanding and we have been in the habit of surreptitiously meeting around the estate.”
The Spider Web (A Sherlock Holmes Uncovered Tale Book 4) Page 14