The Druid of Death - a Sherlock Holmes Adventure
Page 18
After another glance in my direction, Holmes said, “I grant you that the evidence is circumstantial, but on the surface it does seem rather convincing, does it not? What does your man say for himself?”
“He admits to being in debt,” said Thornton.
“And how does he explain the money?” asked Holmes.
“He refuses to say where the money came from.”
“Curious,” said Holmes. “A simple explanation might free him, but he allows himself to be arrested instead.
“Did anyone else have access to the dagger?”
“Many people did,” replied Thornton. “The night before it was discovered missing we had a small gathering at the house to celebrate my wife’s birthday.”
“When you say ‘small,’ exactly how many people are we talking about?”
“There were four other couples, but they are all above suspicion.”
“No one is above suspicion, Lord Thornton. People will do the most unexpected things for reasons that defy any type of rational explanation. May I ask where the dagger came from and where it was kept?”
“My father was an officer in the army during the first Opium War, and he brought the dagger back from China. He would never say exactly how the weapon had come into his possession, and since he’s been dead for seven years, I suppose we’ll never know how he came by it. However, he was inordinately fond of it to the point where he had a special wooden holder constructed in order to display the dagger. He always kept it on his desk. Since his passing, I have done the same.”
“Interesting,” said Holmes. “One is always curious about the provenance of such items, and whether they actually belong to their owners.”
“What are you suggesting?” asked Thornton angrily.
“I am merely pointing out that we know precious little about the object in question. While it has been in your family for these many years, there may be others who believe that the dagger is rightfully theirs.”
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law,” replied Thornton.
“If you are going to quote legal axioms, at least quote them correctly,” said Holmes.
“I beg your pardon?”
“The actual saying is that ‘possession is nine points of the law’ and if you wish to trace that maxim to its Scottish origins, they hold that ‘possession is eleven points of the law and there be but twelve.’ But we are digressing.
“The people at your soiree, friends and business acquaintances?” asked Holmes.
“All close friends of long duration, and I would be willing to swear that none of them took the dagger.”
At that point, there was a knock on the door. “Yes, Mrs. Hudson?” asked Holmes.
Poking her head inside the door, she announced, “Inspector Lestrade is here to see you, Mr. Holmes.”
“By all means, show him up.”
I could see that Holmes was enjoying the idea of Lestrade in the same room with Thornton. “Are you sure this is wise?” I whispered after Thornton had turned to the door.
“We are all civilized,” replied Holmes. “Good afternoon, Inspector. What brings you here today?”
As soon as Lestrade had entered the room, he caught sight of Thornton. “I have questions about a case,” replied the Inspector.
Looking at Thornton, Lestrade said, “Lord Thornton, may I remind you that I am the investigating officer on your case. Any concerns that you have should be addressed to me. There’s no need to involve Mr. Holmes, here.”
“I told you that Johnson was innocent, but you arrested him anyway,” replied Thornton. “I will not stand idly by while there is a grave miscarriage of justice.”
“I did not arrest Mr. Johnson,” replied Lestrade evenly. “I merely detained him at the Yard so that I could question him. He has answered all my questions satisfactorily. His story has been verified, and he has been released.”
“Well, Inspector,” said Thornton, “have you recovered the dagger?”
“Not yet,” replied Lestrade, “but I have my best men working on it.”
“By the way, Inspector, may I inquire as to what occasioned your visit to Mr. Holmes?” asked Thornton.
“That’s police business. Another case entirely,” replied Lestrade.
“Inspector, I shall give you a limited time to recover the dagger.” Turning to my friend, he continued, “Mr. Holmes, if the dagger is not in my possession by that time, I should like to retain you to ascertain its whereabouts.”
“Let us cross that bridge when we come to it, Mr. Thornton. I have your card. Here is mine. Should anything else about the dagger or the theft occur to you, please inform Inspector Lestrade. Should the need arise, I will consult with him.”
“Thank you, Mr. Holmes,” he said, shaking my friend’s hand. Looking at myself and then Lestrade, he said, “Dr. Watson, Inspector, a good day to you both.”
After he had left, Holmes looked at Lestrade and said, “Another case entirely? Prevarication hardly suits you, Inspector.”
“I had to tell him something Mr. Holmes. The man has been making my life miserable. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he had something to hide himself.”
“So you have come about the dagger?”
Looking sheepish, Lestrade said, “I do need your help Mr. Holmes. When we had the butler down at the Yard, he admitted that the money had been given to him by Thornton’s wife. When I braced her about it, she admitted loaning Johnson the money and begged me not to tell her husband. You may make of that what you will, but I was rather impressed by the man’s nobility.”
“That’s all well and good, Lestrade, but what have you learned concerning the theft?”
“That’s the problem, Mr. Holmes. All of Thornton’s guests and their spouses were together the night of the theft. No one remembers anyone leaving the room for any length of time. Three of the four couples are better off than he, and the remaining couple isn’t wanting for anything, either.”
“So, we have a stolen dagger that was taken at an unseen time by a person or persons unknown,” said Holmes.
“That about sums it up,” said Lestrade.
Turning to me, Holmes smiled and said, “Watson, perhaps I was mistaken in my initial assessment of the crime. There may be something of interest here yet.”
“So then you’ll help me, Mr. Holmes?” asked Lestrade.
“Indeed. I shall also try to be as discreet as possible. After all, you know how much those thieves from the spectral realm hate being disturbed.”
I saw Lestrade redden slightly, but since he was in need of my friend’s help, he remained silent.
What none of us failed to realize at the time was just how prophetic Holmes’ words would prove to be.
Praise for Richard Ryan’s Holmes’ tales
“The Vatican Cameos”
Winner of the Underground Book Reviews ‘Novel of The Year - Readers Choice Award.’
Winner Silver Medal in the Readers’ Favorite book award contest.
“[‘The Vatican Cameos’ is] an extravagantly imagined and beautifully written Holmes story.” - Lee Child, NY Times Bestselling author and the creator of Jack Reacher
“Once you’ve read ‘The Vatican Cameos,’ you’ll find yourself eagerly awaiting the next in Ryan’s series.” - Fran Wood, What Fran’s Reading for nj.com
“Richard T. Ryan’s The Vatican Cameos is an excellent pastiche-length novel, very much in the spirit of the original Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.” - Dan Andriacco, author of a host of Holmes’ tales as well as the blog, bakerstreetbest.com
“Loved it! A must read for all fans of Sherlock Holmes!” - Bits about Books
“Richard Ryan channels Dan Brown as well as Conan Doyle in this successful novel.” - Tom Turley, Sherlockian author
“If you enjoy deeply researched historical fiction, combined with not one but two mystery/thriller stories, then you will really enjoy this excellent Sherlock Holmes pastiche.” - Craig Copland, author of New Sherlock Holmes Mysteri
es
“A great addition to the Holmes Canon. Definitely worth a read.” - Rob Hart, author of the Ash McKenna series
“The Vatican Cameos opens with a familiar feel for fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes stories. The plotting is clever, and the alternating stories well-told.” - Crime Thriller Hound
“A masterful spin on the ageless Sherlock Holmes. Somewhere I’m certain Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself is standing and cheering” - Jake Needham, author of the Jack Sheperd and Inspector Samuel Tay series
“The Stone of Destiny”
“Sometimes a book comes along that absolutely restores your faith in reading. Such is the ‘found manuscript of Dr. Watson, ‘The Stone of Destiny.’ Exhilarating, superb narrative and a cast of characters that are as dark as they are vivid ... A thriller of the very first rank.” - Ken Bruen, author of “The Guards,” “The Magdalen Martyrs” and many other novels, as well as the creator of the Jack Taylor character
“Somewhere Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is smiling. Ryan’s ‘The Stone of Destiny’ is a fine addition to the Canon.” - Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times Bestselling author of “What You Break”
“A wonderful read for both the casual Sherlock Holmes fan and the most die-hard devotees of the beloved character.” - Terrence McCauley, author of “A Conspiracy of Ravens” and “A Murder of Crows”
“Full of interesting facts, the story satisfies and may even have you believing that Holmes and Watson actually existed.” - Crime Thriller Hound
“Ryan’s Holmes is the real deal in [‘The Stone of Destiny.’] One hopes the author is hard at work on the next adventure in this wonderfully imagined and executed series.” - Fran Wood, What Fran’s Reading for nj.com
Cover
Front matter
Title page
Publisher information
Dedication
The Druid of Death
Introduction
Preface
Epigraph
Chapter 1 — London, 1899
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Back matter
Author’s notes
Acknowledgements
Coming soon from MX Publishing: The Merchant of Menace
Introduction
Chapter 1: London, 1906
Praise for Richard Ryan’s Holmes’ tales
“The Vatican Cameos”
“The Stone of Destiny”