The Mystery of the Consecutive Murders
"Watson, is that a knock I hear?" asked Sherlock Holmes as he polished his pipe.
"I do not hear it," I replied. I shut my eyes to sharpen my own hearing.
"Well, do hurry," sadi Holmes, " We wouldn't want our guest waiting."
I stood up from the fireplace and walked down the stairs of 221b Baker Street, London. Indeed there was an urging knock on the wooden door that became louder and louder was I shuffled down the seventeen steps of the stair.
"Yes," I thought as I opened the door and allowed the great man make entrance, "It is one man."
I was still amazed by Sherlock Holmes' abilities to predict the future as the large man tipped his black hat and opened his mouth to speak in a low, hused voice.
"There has been murder." said the man who I now recongnize as Inspector Lestrade of the Metropolitan Police.
I, shocked myself, lead the enormous man up the stairway and to Holmes as quickly as I can. Before we could enter, we heard Sherlock's voice.
"Ah, my good friend, Inspector Lestrade," said Sherlock from inside the room, "I assume you need my assistance for some picticular reason. Let me guess, murder?"
"Why Holmes, that is right. How did you know?" asked the baffled inspector.
"Quite simple. I listened to Dr. Watson here rush down the stairs to open the door. He went quite fast that his footsteps sounded quite loud. After I heard the door open, I heard another mass enter. After I few seconds I could hear heavier footsteps, this time two of them, rush even quicker than Dr. Watson before. Thus I conclude that something important must have happened to make you make haste up the stairs. "
"And how did you know it was Inspector Lestrade?" I added.
"Why Watson, it was merely simple. I know only one man who is this sturdy and who would have made the floor below creek so much."
I, once again, was appalled at his acute hearing and deductive reasoning.
"Good then. Now that that is settled, we need you again Holmes. There has been murder of two of my men." said that inspector. "This time at the edge of the city."
"And how did they die?" asked Sherlock Holmes, puffing another dark cloud of smoke from his already blackened lungs.
"We don't know," said the inspector, " That is the problem. We were at the house of Mr. Faber to carry himself away. He died of scury and we know that because his teeth were falling out as we picked him up. His private doctor also said that he was complaining about hingey elbows although this was weeks ago. My men just dropped there dead in the kitchen."
Sherlock's expression altered ever so slightly. His eyebrows showed the faintest hint of interest as another swampy cloud of tobacco traveled down his windpipe, down to his lungs, spreaded its putrid decay, and escaped; itself unscathed, but its victim diseased with an unknown but deadly sufferance as he said, pondering, "Very interesting indeed."
"Here are the suspects I have interviewed outside the house." said the inspector after a long spell of silence as he handed the papers withdrawn from his pocket. It was crumpled but fairly new.
"Well then," said Sherlock Holmes, "Watson, get us two horses. We will need them to make the trip to the edge of the city. Also, we will be grateful for the presence and company of you, Inspector Lestrade."
"Well would he have to walk? I can get three horses. The poor man shouldn't have to walk all that way." I pointed out.
The inspector opened his mouth to say something but was interuptted by Holmes.
"Watson, Watson, Dr. Watson. When will you ever learn to be more observant? As you can see, the inspector as travel from the very edge of the city to here. Now if you would look at his footwear? Are they but a little dusty? If he had walked here, then they would be filthy. And look at this suspects list! Why it is all crinkled yet the case was recent. Look here now," Sherlock pointed to the inspector's pocket, "Is that not where the legs bend to ride a horse? Thus on a horse, the trip is a tad bumpy. Bumpy enough to make the paper crumple in his own pockets!"
With that he left the house smiling.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
We entered the house without difficulty and found it just fine with the help of the inspector who had already been here. The house doors and windows were all open and we easily entered. Inside I saw an attractive woman who was dressed like a nurse. Sherlock had a great interest in her, probably because of her fineness. She was packing her things and looked ready to leave.
"Why must you leave so soon Ma'am?" asked Holmes with great interest.
"There is nothing for me anymore. I have no one to take care of anymore. I must find another job to support my family. I must be on my way now," There were slight tears in her eyes but I was not sure. I felt sorry for this woman and wished I could help her.
"Well in the will of Mr. Faber's, you have gained plenty from the old man.You will get all of his wife's jewelry and most of the valuables in the house." said the inspector.
"Oh my heavens! Why, I can live on that much and still be able to take care of my family! This is wonderful! Thank you, Thank you!" The nurse was overjoyed.
"Yes but first we have to solve the death of my two men. Then I can get to your portion of Mr. Faber's estate." At this the nurse stopped jumping with laughter.
Holmes all this time was obversing the nurse. How I wish Holmes would focus on the real case here! He must not wander off on some dream of the stunning beauty before his eyes.
"Where did you say the men died?"Sherlock said out of the silence.
"Over here, by the sink."
Sherlock walked over to the sink. He opened the cabinets and looked here and there. Then he slammed the door under the sink and starting cursing and mumbling to himself. Then he held out his hand and shook the nurse's. He said, "It was nice to meet you. It is a pit that we will not be seeing each other often."
I was disgusted by Holmes' affection with this woman. He must focus!
"For you are under arrest of murder of three men, Mr. Faber and the inspector's two men." said Sherlock as he whipped out his hand-cuffs and tightly put them on.
"Wait this is obsurd. You have no evidence that this woman did anything!" the inspector exclaimed.
"Let me explain to you then, inspector. As you have told me, the private doctor of Mr. Faber said he complained about hingey elbows. This is a sign of scury. As we all know, afluent old men have nurses to take care of them and buy their needs. Well obviously someone was keeping anything that contained vitamin c in it to be part of Mr. Faber's diet. Thus his teeth were falling out. But this was not the cause of his death. Even without an autopsy I can tell you. I can also tell you what your men died of. It was Hydrogen Sulphide. H2S, we shall call it, can come from sewage and one good wiff of this poison can instantly kill you. When your men searched for edvidence, they accidently opened a door which contained their death. We now can stand here and breath normally because all the doors are open and the H2S is all gone. How did the H2S get here? Someone had to have reversed the pipe in the sink to allow the H2S to seep into the kitchen. To do this you must have a wrentch of some sort. How if you look, there are many marks on the pipe of the sink. This happens when someone weak tries to fix their sink piping. When I shoke the nurse's hand, I was making sure that she was the same person that adjusted the piping and put it back. Her motive was clear, money from the will."
"That is excellent Holmes! Now the mystery is solved!" said the inspector happily as he took the nurse who was now silent. "But if it came from the sewers, why couldn't we smell it?"
"That is easy to answer. The posion, H2S, is so powerful that it can paralyze the sense of smell altogether thus relying on smell is not enough. Now Watson and I must be on our way. Good day to you inspector, Good night to you, miss."