105 – Body Thief (4)
Is this really true?
Jane Watson couldn’t help but be troubled as she went to the morgue, pulling a cart with her friend Holmes, dressed as a corpse, lying on it.
Of course, there was no reaction from the indifferent friend Holmes, who was lying as if he were truly dead under the white cloth covering the corpse.
To be honest, it was such an amazing performance that even Watson felt a little afraid. Even at first glance, Watson, who had handled numerous corpses as a medical student, found it difficult to tell whether a person was dead or alive unless he felt the pulse.
‘You’re not really dead, are you, Holmes?’
Good Jane Watson couldn’t help but instinctively worry about her friend. Of course, he only did it on his own.
It was clear that if he said something stupid again, he would be scolded by Holmes.
Although Watson was groundlessly criticized by Holmes for being dull, he had a certain learning ability. No, rather, Watson himself was clearly an outstanding student.
Of course, I had to admit that Holmes was a special friend. Because Watson was not a person who denied and envied the abilities of outstanding people.
However, Holmes’ attitude towards himself was often a bit too much.
‘I’m also a medical student who has learned a lot! There is no problem if you graduate right now! ‘Holmes should be nicer to me, he graduated from a prestigious university!’
No matter how much he thought about it, his friend often seemed to forget that Watson himself was a medical student. As Watson, he couldn’t help but feel truly unfair. Rather, considering the amount of knowledge he learned, Watson himself was clearly a top 1 professional talent.
He just postponed graduation for various personal reasons, and even if he worked as a doctor, no one would say anything.
Of course, Jane Watson could not readily tell anyone the reason. When he graduated, he would most likely serve as a military doctor for a while, which would likely mean he would have to part ways with Professor Moriarty for a while.
These days, there are many cases where troops are dispatched to various parts of the world. If you are unlucky, you may find yourself in a situation where you have to go to a place like Afghanistan and work there for a year or two. If you are even more unlucky, you may get caught up in a war.
Watson had no interest in British politics because she couldn’t vote in the first place, but that didn’t mean she didn’t even read newspapers. As a joke, the British were waging war against all countries and peoples around the world as if they were trying to achieve a record.
I didn’t like that.
From noble mtl dot com
Although Holmes may already know, Jane Watson herself clearly had feelings for Professor Moriarty.
She was not ashamed of herself. Rather, from her first meeting, like a knight in a fairy tale, she helps herself in her troubles without any compensation, is intelligent, and above all, her heart falls for a handsome man who suits her own tastes from his appearance. It was strange not to embrace it. She was a celibate, so she didn’t have to try an affair, and she was wealthy!
Of course, Watson herself was clearly not a philistine person. Even if she became Jane Moriarty, she never intended to blow away Professor Moriarty’s entire fortune as a dividend.
She received only brief and occasional help, but she also had plans to build her fortune and home with Professor Moriarty and make her family prosper.
Isn’t that true even for Holmes?
Of course, Watson had enough sense not to say such an inference out loud. Is she a witch? The thought that her relationship with Holmes might become strained if she readily revealed that fact stopped her.
It’s unfortunate, but since their relationship has been going on since her childhood, isn’t it possible that Holmes has had a crush on Professor Moriarty for longer than she has?
If it weren’t for the story involving her, she might have cheered because she thought it was truly romantic.
Perhaps the reason Watson did not readily ask Holmes about this was because she was afraid that he might become her enemy. Or, she thought she was a bit cowardly, but she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to strike first by leaving Holmes behind, who had yet to admit the truth.
But she couldn’t help it.
As the first sentence of Jane Austen’s famous novel states, there are numerous competitors trying to turn a handsome, wealthy, single person into a married man.
James Moriarty, whom Watson knew, could not be an exception to this. Isn’t there not only Holmes but also the maid who always stays by Professor Moriarty’s side?
‘There are too many competitors.’
But I also wanted to protect my friendship with Holmes.
‘After I get married, even an affair will be tolerated, right? ‘Because it’s Holmes, it’s just a brief deviation.’
No matter how many couples in England are not religiously faithful and there are countless cases of infidelity with each other, the witch knocked on the door of the morgue with thoughts that were out of the range of normal people.
If Holmes had known this, he might have been angry at Watson for being arrogant, regardless of the reason, but unfortunately, Holmes was not a witch and had not mastered mind reading, so he still played the dead man and remained silent.
The dead are silent.
“Watson? “What—no, what have you been carrying at this time?”
“Senior McFarlane, ah, Senior Petz was also on duty? What can I say, it’s a donated body as usual. Professor Knox asked me to bring it to you.”
The person who opened the door and came out was Watson’s own senior, Wolf MacFarlane, assistant to Professor Robert Noksu, who was in charge of the anatomy classroom at the University of London and was in charge of the cadavers.
And beyond the door, Fetz, MacFarlane’s friend and Professor Knox’s assistant, was also shining.
Thanks to Professor Knox, who was more resourceful than other universities, the University of London always had a variety of bodies coming into the morgue.
McFarlane blinked his eyes as if he was momentarily taken aback by the appearance of an unfamiliar body that even he, the assistant, did not know, but then opened the door as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
“What are the relevant documents?”
“Professor Knox always has it, so why are you doing this?”
“… Yes. “Anyway, can I do a quick check?”
“… “I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Since he had already spoken to Holmes, Watson gently lifted the cloth and showed Holmes’ pale face to MacFarlane and Petz.
Then, as if they had heard an example, the two men coughed and gestured with their hands to tell Watson to quickly cover up.
It was a time when various superstitions, unfounded superstitions, and fanaticism were rampant. Moreover, in places where corpses are handled and medicine is a business, there are many cases where irrational jinxes or beliefs are believed, and even the medical department here was reluctant to accept the corpse of a young woman.
Just as there are many anecdotes about people who died young appearing as ghosts, especially women who died young, the two men who worked as assistants for a long time were also still obsessed with such superstitions.
“I’m sorry, Watson. Damn it, why are you a young woman? Nox, no matter how many corpses that bastard lacks, what on earth did he get?”
“She may be unlucky, but she is truly beautiful. It’s a pity.”
“Shut up, Petz, you dead body bastard! “What a shameful thing to do!”
“Stop talking nonsense, McFarlane, you bastard! When Watson hears it, he misunderstands! “Why am I a corpse-digger, you corpse-digger!”
“… Hmm, I’ll leave it alone for now. I hope you both have a hard time.”
Watson quietly placed Holmes in a corner and went outside. It was clear to him that at least no one had any suspicions about her.
However, as soon as he came out, Watson felt relaxed and could not help but sigh deeply.
Actually, my concerns about Holmes were not as great as I thought. Anyway, I had faith that he would take care of it.
More than anything, I had to go back to Professor Knox’s lab soon and work with Holmes.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand why Watson needed to do something like this and investigate Professor Knox.
Of course, after hearing about the Suicide Club and hearing Holmes’ confident remarks, I felt a little suspicious of Professor Knox.
The medical school always had a shortage of corpses, but thanks to Professor Knox’s resourcefulness, many legitimate corpses were brought in here.
But what if they weren’t actually legal?
‘Holmes said he saw a suspicious body last time. Now that I think about it, I also vaguely remember seeing strangely dead bodies from time to time. Still, is it really necessary to dress up as a corpse?’
With a sigh, Holmes explained that a surprise attack was necessary because if they were to be visited by the officers, they would know in advance and prepare for it.
But no matter how much you think about it, wouldn’t it be okay to just sneak into the office?
Watson could not hide such thoughts.
Could it be that Holmes likes to secretly receive attention by doing shows and stunts on purpose, just like actors do?
But Watson quickly shook his head. I thought that my beautiful friend, who always had a cool-headed and cold expression, couldn’t possibly do that.
Jane Watson briefly got closer to the truth, but she soon drifted away again.
