Sherlock Holmes and the Element of Surprise , livre ebook

Andrews UK - Taylor James

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52 pages

English

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When two prison guards are found beheaded in the barren countryside surrounding Her Majesty's Prison at Wormwood Scrubs, Inspector Lestrade seeks Holmes' singular powers to determine how the murders could have been committed in separate locations with the only footprints being those of the murdered guards themselves. With Doctor Watson at his side, Holmes sets out on this new adventure and uncovers deeper mysteries still; mysteries that will not only test the detectives' powers of observation and deduction, but his skepticism of the paranormal as well.

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Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	06 août 2012
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781780922690
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0274€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Title Page
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
The Wormwood Scrubs Enigma
By J. Andrew Taylor

Publisher Information
First edition published in 2012 by MX Publishing
335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive,
London, N11 3GX
www.mxpublishing.com
Digital edition converted and distributed in 2012 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
© Copyright 2012 James Taylor
The right of James Taylor to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not of MX Publishing.
Cover design by www.staunch.com

Acknowledgements
Grateful acknowledgment to the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. for permission to use the Sherlock Holmes characters created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Map elements used by permission. Old Towns Books and Maps @ www.oldtowns.co.uk

Dedication
Dedicated to my wife and children.
Thanks to my elder brother Stuart, who has been my “Mycroft” throughout this venture.
Special thanks to my niece Aleeya for being the first to read (and love) this book.

Introduction
{Being an exact reprint of a manuscript found in a collection of documents willed to one James S. Watson, great-grandnephew of JOHN HAMISH (JAMES) WATSON M.D. , in whose own hand the original is penned.}

Chapter One
Having myself been preoccupied with domestic concerns as well as a fledgling private practice, I had seen very little of my friend and one-time roommate Sherlock Holmes since clearing up the affair of The Red Headed League a month prior. I had assumed that these two reasons alone were to blame for our sporadic visits. Later, I learned from Holmes himself that, had I somehow found the time and occasion to call on him, he himself would probably not have been reached at our old quarters on Baker street, being there so seldom himself as of late.
Having also been both friend and comrade to Sherlock Holmes for nearly nine years, I had grown accustomed to his unannounced vanishings as well as to being made to wait until after the fact to know the reasons behind said vanishings. One such occasion occurred on the 2 nd of November 1890. That morning, I received an urgent summons from one of my patients living very near Baker Street. It was not a difficult case after all, and by mid-morning, I found myself within walking distance of 221b. With a temperate morning, a blank appointment register and a sudden urge to check up on my friend, I made a slight course correction toward my old rooms.
I was just reaching for the bell to ring up Mrs. Hudson when suddenly, the door flew open and someone came careening through the door and bowled into me, nearly sending me hurling down the stairs.
“I say! What’s all this then?” I demanded curtly, while trying to regain my legs.
A familiar face stood staring dumbfounded and ashamed back at me from under a crop of unkempt and disheveled hair.
“Please forgive me Doctor. I didn’t expect.....” Inspector Lestrade said, sheepishly while nursing a bruised shoulder.
Having regained my composure, as well as being more curious than angry, I forced a smile and nodded my forgiveness. “Nor did I expect you Inspector. I came by to see about Holmes also. I assume he is in?”
“Not a chance. Blast him!” Lestrade almost shouted while glaring up at the sitting room window. “He’s not been reachable for a fortnight. Mrs. Hudson either knows nothing of his whereabouts or is covering for him. Either way, I don’t know when he shall return.
Looking me straight in the eyes, he asked, “Do you know where I can find him?”
“Inspector,” I replied half-feigning disappointment, “The facts that I am here and have already asked you if he was in should have told you that I know no more than yourself.”
To my utter surprise, I believe that I actually saw the man “deflate”. He sighed heavily and stood there rubbing the uncharacteristic two days of growth on his chin. “I must apologize again Doctor. I’ve not been sleeping at all well lately and haven’t been up to my mark these past weeks.”
“I could prescribe something to help you rest.” I offered.
“No. Thank you all the same, but I cannot be hampered further by opiates.”
“I understand. At least let me prescribe a glass of bingo from Holmes’ Liqueur cabinet. I‘m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
He was about to refuse when I stopped him by holding up my hand and saying, “Doctor’s orders.”
Smiling at this, he rang the bell. Mrs. Hudson opened the door and before seeing me, said to Lestrade, “I’ve told you Inspector.... Oh! Hello Doctor. I didn’t know he was with you.”
“It’s quite alright Mrs. Hudson. I came by to see Holmes and ran into the Inspector at the door.”
Lestrade saw the humor in this and chuckled under his breath.
“As I told him, Mr. Holmes isn’t here. Hasn’t been since a fortnight before all saints day.”
“So I gather. Mrs. Hudson, I’ve walked some distance today and the old wound and I are shall we say, (here I patted my leg for sympathetic effect) in disagreement again. Do you think Holmes would mind his old roommate resting for a few minutes in his sitting room?”
A sly grin came over her round Scottish face. “Ack! Doctor. You know as well as I that Mr. Holmes still considers these rooms yours as well.” She opened the door wider and stood aside. “Come through, I believe you know the way. You start a fire and I’ll get some tea.” She went off, humming to herself as if happy to have someone to care for in Holmes’ stead.
I set to work at once. Being that the coal scuttle also contained Holmes’ cigars, I temporarily moved the cheroots to get at the coal and piled a few lumps into the fireplace. I lit them and promptly I was, once again, sitting before a warm and inviting fire in that familiar old hearth at 221b Baker Street.
Mrs. Hudson came in with the tea and set it out for us. We drank it in relative silence until I noticed Lestrade eyeing Holmes’ decanters of spirits. After filling my pipe from the Persian slipper and smoking in silence for a while, I got up and went to the spirit cabinet. “Brandy Inspector?”
“A flash of lightening if it’s there.” He answered a little too eagerly.
I poured myself a brandy and him his gin and returned to the fire.
Handing him his glass, I said. “Bite your name in on this glass and tell me what has you in such a state of agitation as to need Holmes so desperately.”
“Don’t misunderstand me Doctor.” He said, recovering some of his usual ego. I’ve just come across a case that Mr. Holmes, being an amateur detective and all, may find useful in furthering his training.”
I choked back a laugh. I lied and blamed it on Holmes’ tobacco being stale.
“Mr. Holmes,” he continued with a suspicious glance in my direction, “being well on his way to achieving notoriety in his hobby could be of some usefulness to the force; primarily now of all times.”
He turned introspective at this and drained his glass in a single draught.
“What do you mean ‘Primarily now‘?” I inquired.
“As you recall Doctor,” he began as he got up and took the forgivable liberty of pouring himself a second glass, “The Metropolitan Police Force has grown to well over thirteen thousand men and the crown is moving us from Whitehall Place, into our new headquarters near the clock tower at Westminster.”
“Of course. I had forgotten.”
“You may have forgotten Doctor but I assure you, every hoodlum, every dinger picking pockets on Fleet Street and every filch in Greater London remembers, and they all seem to be taking advantage of the inescapable and predictable chaos that has been ‘The Yard’ during our lagging to our new roost by month‘s end.”
Lestrade was becoming agitated again. He gulped the draught of his gin and shot a glance at the door. “Where is that man? I should have an all points search placed on him and have him brought in.”
I chuckled and raised my glass of brandy toward him in an attempt to calm him some.
“Somehow,” I replied, “I believe that if Holmes were to go to ground, neither Scotland Yard, nor even I, myself would know of his where-a-bouts.” ( Little did I appreciate my own sooth-saying until almost four years later .)
Lestrade saw the absurdity in his statement and conceded. “Of course, you are right Doctor. I’m just grateful that your friend is on our side of the dock.”
“And all of London and most of the continent as well, Inspector.” I added.
Finding myself intensely interested in hearing about this new case, yet feeling apprehensive about discussing it without Holmes present, I throttled my curiosity and moved the conversation toward more mundane affairs. We talked for half an hour in such a manner, then bid each other farewell and went our separate ways. I to my home and Lestrade (I presume) back to Whitehall.
As I exited onto Baker Street, I too looked back up at the now darkened windowand wondered aloud, “Where have you gotten off to Holmes?”

Chapter Two
Later that evening, while Mary and I were returning from enjoying the new Lutz & Sims mus