177 – A Study in Scarlet (2)
It had already dried up and become part of the wall for a long time, but it was clear that someone had intentionally carved suspicious words into the wall.
Even the color had already deteriorated to a color close to brown over time and was hanging with the dust on the wall, but none of those watching it knew that it was written in blood.
Not only Holmes, but also Watson, was a person who had seen countless bloodshed through his studies to save people, and even Inspector Lestrade, regardless of his skills, had encountered numerous corpses in London.
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Unlike Holmes, who stood in front of the wall and looked up with a smile as if he was interested, Watson, who unconsciously approached Holmes’ side, had no choice but to cross the neckline.
It was probably due to a little fear. It wasn’t because there was any immediate danger.
However, just as Watson often gets nervous without realizing it when he encounters a sign that could suggest danger, Watson also had no choice but to do so when faced with a word whose meaning he did not know.
I could only keep my eyes fixed on the wall. Watson’s small brain, which lived with Holmes and tried to imitate Holmes’ methods, was able to immediately tell that the person who wrote it was very tall.
No one present could see the writing on the wall comfortably. Even Holmes, who was slightly taller than the likes of little Inspector Lestrade, had to raise his head slightly.
But it wasn’t just because of that. No matter how giant the opponent was, it was not a big threat to Watson.
Although he lost his memory, didn’t his past self fight against werewolves along with Holmes? To be exact, it was mixed race.
The reason Watson got excited without knowing it, and if Holmes had not been concentrating on a certain thought, he would have told Watson not to get excited, was because of the very existence of the writing.
Although he would not admit it to himself, it was a sign that Watson, a risk lover, would face greater danger.
In fact, this was the same for Inspector Lestrade, who was glaring at the wall with a thoughtful gaze from the side.
Coincidentally, a common opinion was emerging in the minds of the two people. It was not a simple murder case.
It was revenge filled with utter resentment, or a huge political conspiracy!
“Rachel….”
“Revenge… ….”
Unlike Holmes, who was silent, Inspector Lestrade and Watson spoke different words at the same time, and the two looked at each other as if asking what they were saying.
“… Revenge, Miss Watson? You probably didn’t mean to write the name Rachel? My sense tells me that her killer must have something to do with this girl named Rachel, or he’s trying to get her revenge on her.”
“Hmm…. That… But Rache means revenge in German, right? Wealth… It must be bloody revenge from some terrible anarchist or secret society, right? Ha… ha…… Uh… “Perhaps, just because we were involved in the investigation, we too will be exposed to that blade.”
“Both of you, please stop thinking stupid things. And Inspector Lestrade, please think about all the criminals you may have missed before you can be sure of your own intuition.”
But according to Holmes’s opinion, the fools’ conversation did not last long. For Holmes, it was no different from torture to listen to the conversations of idiots who had the same or similar level of miserable intelligence.
Of course, I couldn’t help but be quite surprised inside. It was certainly surprising that Watson knew a little German. If she had known, she would have cried again, saying they were making fun of her, but in Holmes’s opinion, she believed that Watson had and could use some knowledge in a field that was not related to her because she had witnessed an ape using a tool. Because it was the same feeling.
Hearing the two people’s dumbfounded looks as if they needed an explanation, Holmes stepped away from the joy and excitement he had been enjoying for a while and sighed.
“You certainly weren’t trying to find a woman named Rachel just by the name, were you, Inspector Lestrade? Even if you say yes, please say no, because I don’t really want to hear such stupid things. “If the culprit really used Rachel, there would be hundreds or thousands of Rachels walking around in London right now.”
“That… So does that mean Miss Watson is right?”
“Surprisingly, Watson wasn’t wrong. Rache. There is no doubt that it is plural in German. Above all, as the often obscene Watson would expect, similar marks were left by anarchists near Austria a few years ago.”
“Wh… also! That… “What do you mean by surprising, by the way, Holmes?”
“… The important thing is that whichever answer is correct is useless.”
Ignoring Watson’s point, Holmes continued his explanation.
“What do you mean by that, Miss Holmes? “Isn’t this an important message left by the criminal?”
“So, it means it’s a ploy to make you think that way. At least there was no reason to rush to avoid the name Rachel before even using it. Looking at the scene, it looks like he left in a hurry, but at least he was relaxed at the time of writing this. Look at the footprints here, inspector. “I always suggest to Mycroft that he train his officers to have these skills, but it seems he has not been accepted.”
In response to Holmes’s point, Lestrade tried hard to look at the floor and glared intently at it to prove that he could see the traces that Holmes was talking about, but in his eyes, it was just like an ordinary floor.
Holmes continued speaking without even looking at him, as if he had not even expected anything from him.
“If he had been an anarchist or associated with a secret society, Watson, if he had been the threat you so desperately hoped he would be, he would not have graffitied something like this on a wall in a corner like this in the first place. If they do these assassinations, it’s to make it public, to warn someone. Just looking at this incident, if I hadn’t come right away, would the London police officers have found it? At least they would have concluded that it was a natural death and handed the body over to the morgue. Do you agree, Inspector Lestrade?”
Lestrade did not answer. But that was the answer to Holmes’ question.
As if there was nothing more to look at on the wall, Holmes began to look around the scene again, and was able to find an old gold ring near the back of the door.
However, he did not necessarily reveal this.
Inspector Lestrade and his escort were smoking cigarettes outside, waiting for the two men. Holmes quietly told Watson to be quiet, covered his mouth with his finger, and put the gold ring in his pocket.
Watson was a little surprised at first, but she had confidence that Holmes was not the person who would steal at the scene, so she pretended not to know and followed her, and that was the end of the scene verification.
After confirming a few matters with Inspector Lestrade, Holmes came again in a carriage called Watson. Soon the carriage carrying the two ladies began to move.
“Where are you going?”
“Luckily, there was a police inspector patrolling the area at the time. “I have something to ask you, so I’m going to visit you.”
“Patrol?”
“Didn’t I tell you, Watson? The criminal was so relaxed that he even wrote the word revenge on the wall in blood at the scene. But in the end, we had to leave the scene in a hurry. So much so that I even lost my precious ring. “It must have been an unexpected patrol.”
Then, Holmes took out the ring he had kept in his pocket and showed it to Watson. As they sat facing each other in the carriage, Watson was able to get a closer look at the shiny ring between Holmes’s thumb and index finger.
It was an old gold ring. In the face of the passage of time, the sparkle has died down a bit. However, it seemed as if it had been well maintained and there were no signs of cracking.
More than anything, the size was impressive.
“It’s for women.”
“… “I guess so.”
Agreeing with Watson’s opinion, Holmes began fiddling with the ring on his palm in silence for a moment.
Because Watson could not understand the intention, he had no choice but to ask back carefully.
“… “Is it because Holmes wants a ring too?”
“… “What kind of stupid thing are you trying to say again, Watson?”
Watson, who was a little afraid of Holmes stopping for a moment and turning his gaze to him, had no choice but to clear his throat and try to lighten the mood. For a moment, I felt as if I could sense even a little bit of life in Holmes’ question.
“Ah… no… …. It just doesn’t mean anything. That… Anyway… “Unless you live as a celibate, everyone wants to receive a ring like this at least once.”
“That’s stupid. The institution of marriage is nothing more than a bondage created by idiots. Well, if someone asks, I might think about it at least once……. No, that’s stupid. “By the way, it’s probably not a ring used by a married person.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was old even on the inside. If you are married, the inside of the ring is usually kept on your finger for a long time, so it is relatively clean. “This ring hasn’t been on anyone’s finger for a long time.”
“… “Then is that woman named Rachel dead?”
“Watson, don’t even be stupid. Of course, it could have something to do with the dead woman. And this guy can be used as bait to lure her opponent. “Anyway, I hope the inspector we’re visiting is a little less stupid.”
However, Watson could tell that Holmes’s hopes had been cruelly dashed through his conversation with the visiting inspector and through Holmes’ colorful criticism of his stupidity.
