176 – Scarlet Study (1)
The address that Inspector Lestrade gave was a strange place. London was a big city, so there were sometimes strange places that even people who had lived there their whole lives didn’t know about.
But at the same time, this huge city was also a very cramped place. Paradoxically, because this city was the heart of Europe and a huge place, it soon became crowded with people. If you include the number of poor people, whose existence is difficult to know in detail, it was difficult for anyone to give a clear answer as to how many people were living in London.
London was full of people, with every street full of criminals, beggars, and prostitutes. Naturally, this environment was a good place for someone to create a huge kingdom, a huge kingdom of criminals.
Considering how oversaturated London is, the place Holmes and Watson headed to was definitely a strange place. It was a strangely quiet place in London, which was crowded with many buildings and people.
Of course, such a place itself was definitely not impossible. However, it was such a strange place that even Holmes, who was quite knowledgeable about the geography of London, only found out about the existence of such a place today.
“Sure… “There is a reason why Mycroft entrusted this case to me.”
“… We still don’t know exactly what happened. Except the person died.”
Watson carefully opened his mouth to Holmes, who was muttering as he looked at the desolate scenery outside the carriage. But Holmes shook his head at his friend’s perhaps valid doubts.
“First of all, Watson, I give you 1 point for not jumping to conclusions. Good posture. Oh, I’m not kidding. Because I’m serious.”
“… So what do you want to say?”
“I have to take into account the fact that Mycroft brought this to me. Lucky… Yeah, I got lucky. We have made great progress in our work. It’s a good sign that Mycroft has finally grown suspicious and started to cooperate seriously with my work. Of course, even before that, my brother would have had his own concerns. “Even people like our clueless Inspector Lestrade who can’t see the big picture because they’re busy running around in the field can predict that there’s something out of the ordinary among London’s criminals.”
“… But you said that’s part of it.”
“It’s unfortunate because you are such an amazing person. If I hadn’t had that fateful meeting with the teacher, and if it hadn’t been my destiny to reveal the teacher’s identity, it would have taken several more years to get closer to the truth. In the future, I may have to devote more than half of my time working as an investigative advisor. Although it is possible to infer at a common sense level that a person leading a fairly large organization has emerged among criminals, it is difficult to conclude that they all follow just one person… In fact, it’s hard to believe based on common sense. In that respect, as expected, the teacher is amazing. “He’s a man I can recognize.”
Watson felt for a moment that Holmes, who said that, was like a girl talking about a fateful love. However, he did not necessarily say this out loud. Holmes, who seemed to have rarely noticed Watson’s feelings, continued his explanation.
“Anyway, the reason why Mycroft brought this case to me is because it is unique. Watson, you may be disappointed, but the truth is that most crimes are downright boring. “It’s a terrible truth, and I hate to admit it, but it’s the cruel truth.”
“What does that mean again?”
“This means that most crimes are simply an extension of the lives of ordinary people. The same goes for murder. Of course, there are also vicious people. Even so, you can stab someone on the street and commit robbery, clumsily give someone poison to get more of your inheritance, or kill someone in a fit of rage over a petty argument, and that’s it. But look where we’re going. “Isn’t it bizarre?”
“… Therefore-“
Watson continued speaking after gathering his thoughts for a moment to avoid being teased by Holmes.
“You mean the location is unusual, right?”
“Okay. Of course, it could be a coincidence. We’ll have to check the body, but since Inspector Lestrade didn’t say how he died, it’s highly likely that he was poisoned. “Whether the body was moved to a remote location in London, or whether they went there and killed him, the important thing is that it is a remote location and there are no witnesses.”
“… “I understand the former, but I still don’t know the latter, right?”
“I think Scotland Yard are petty people, but I think they at least do a good job of catching petty criminals. You can be good at ignorantly searching for people and asking questions. “If they could do that, Mycroft wouldn’t have ordered me to take the case.”
“… “Holmes, you think Professor Moriarty was involved.”
“There was no need to use a special method. However, he is a powerful person who can provide such a murder location. Well, at any rate, it’s a story that only the two of us can talk about. “Watson, if you talk about our ‘hypothesis’ in public, you will be sued for defamation by the teacher, and your life will be ended by the bribed jurors.”
“…… That… “That’s not bad either?”
“… Watson?”
“Wow! Ah… No, it’s nothing!”
“… Okay.”
Holmes pretended not to know his friend’s twisted s*xual preferences. Fortunately for him, the uncomfortable silence did not last long as the carriage soon arrived at its destination.
Holmes and Watson arrived at the scene where a mysterious murder occurred. It was a strangely desolate place with few decent buildings around, and there was only one old building that could have been used as a warehouse to welcome them.
“Luckily you arrived quickly.”
Inspector Lestrade, who was waiting for the two ladies, greeted them. Of course, the case itself was more important to Holmes than his greetings, so he gave a half-hearted greeting and entered first.
Because it looked like the arrival of a high-ranking person, Inspector Lestrade’s escort, who knew nothing, looked at Holmes as if surprised, but she opened the door first and went inside.
Watson followed his friend while watching her, and the two soon came face to face with the body lying on the floor.
Because it was still midday, the inside of the old warehouse could be seen with the naked eye through the old glass window. But Watson had to endure his discomfort.
It wasn’t just because there was a corpse inside. The warehouse had not been maintained for a long time, so it was full of dust and a bad smell, so much so that it was doubtful whether the owner existed.
“It looks like Scotland Yard has finally got it right. Isn’t that right, Inspector Lestrade?”
Unlike Watson, as soon as Holmes saw the body, he smiled and opened his mouth like someone who discovered a fun toy.
Lestrade could not help but frown at this meaningless sound.
“What do you mean?”
“I have always emphasized through my superiors that the preservation of the scene is necessary for a proper investigation. “It looks like the incident has been preserved.”
“… We always do our best, Miss Holmes. As I already told you at home, the first witness almost didn’t touch anything immediately after discovering it. “It is the same.”
“Come on, Watson! “Come now, this is not the time to be pretentious, Watson, I need your help.”
Ignoring Lestrade’s words to defend his job, Holmes bowed his head in front of the corpse, looked at it, and called Watson.
Although Watson did not admit it to himself, when he faced the corpse, or more precisely, when he faced the dangerous task, his heart began to beat wildly without his knowledge.
Soon, a temporary autopsy conducted by the two ladies was carried out while Inspector Lestrade and the police officer watched.
It was indeed a sight difficult to see in London, or indeed anywhere in Europe.
But at the same time, it was also the work of experts.
Holmes and Watson took turns examining the dead middle-aged man, fear literally stuffed into his face.
He was a man with a slight beard, but he was rather thin, and judging by his clothes, he was quite wealthy.
Watson thought to himself that he might be a robber seeking money, but he did not say it out loud. It was the right choice.
Holmes must have compared Watson’s intelligence to that of a goldfish.
Watson looked at the stiffness of the body for a moment, checked the smell of his breath, and opened his mouth to Holmes.
“You will be poisoned. “He thought it might be a heart condition, but there were no signs of that.”
“As expected. “It must be an alkaloid, right?”
“… “I’m not an expert on poisons, but maybe.”
“I see. But it doesn’t matter how you killed him. “I will take a look at the scene.”
From now on, it was Holmes’s job, so Watson got away from the body and walked towards Inspector Lestrade.
As soon as my friend’s work began, it led to an unusual discovery.
“That’s fun.”
Holmes, who saw the welcome message on the wall in the corner, unconsciously smiled brightly and muttered like a girl who spent happy times with her teacher in her childhood.
Rache.
A mysterious letter was written on the wall in someone’s blood.
