182 – A Study in Scarlet (7)
“Holmes, what happened?”
“Huh? Don’t you know, Watson? I thought you knew? “We are going to Master Moriarty’s house in London.”
The carriage carrying the police officers went ahead, and the carriage carrying Holmes and Watson followed. However, Watson, who had been forced to keep an uncomfortable silence as he left Baker Street, was not able to speak until long after the carriage had departed.
However, the frustrating feeling was not relieved. Instead, it became even more confusing. Watson couldn’t help but feel frustrated by Holmes’ incomprehensible behavior.
He may have been even more like this because of his friend’s calm attitude, as if he was teasing him.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. “Why are you going to the professor’s house?”
“Don’t worry. I know everything about your schedule. Because there is no need to waste anything. He travels regularly from Oxford to London, so he must be staying at his home right now. Of course, I’m not someone who goes out often. Oh, okay, Watson. “Don’t worry, I know for sure the teacher is at her home.”
“You’re not asking that!”
I didn’t bother to ask why Holmes knew all of Professor Moriarty’s detailed schedule. Because it wasn’t the cause of Watson’s confusion in the first place. However, Holmes only slightly raised the corners of his mouth as if to ask Watson to put the question into his mouth first.
In the end, it was Watson who she was disappointed with, so she sighed and continued her words.
“I don’t think it’s possible that the culprit was Professor Moriarty. Yes?”
“Because the teacher is a lazy person. It’s a little better than Mycroft, but it’s still lacking in exercise. Don’t worry, Watson. This is just… It’s a surprise gift from a student to his teacher. “Yes, I think that would be appropriate, Watson.”
“… “Weren’t we going to catch the criminal in the first place?”
“That’s a correct point, Watson. “I’m going to catch the criminal.”
“So…. No, that’s enough. I think I’ll just have a headache. “You’re not going to tell me why you brought that big suitcase, right?”
“That’s a reasonable decision, Watson.”
Watson eventually gave up on getting a proper answer from Holmes and shook her head. It was as if she were the performer running the show, and sometimes she enjoyed hiding the fact that her friends would reveal it.
However, Watson still wondered what heading to Professor Moriarty’s mansion had to do with catching the criminal.
Did Holmes possibly deduce that the criminal was staying in the mansion? But soon she shook her head, saying that even Watson’s conclusion was nonsense.
It was unlikely that the person whom Holmes was confronting with such a sense of duty, who was engaged in the so-called criminal torture work that Holmes does as an investigative advisor, would have direct contact with the client.
Above all, considering the way Miss Moran escaped from the carriage at night, it seemed difficult to apprehend the criminal even if he was hiding in Professor Moriarty’s home.
There were only four people heading to the mansion right away: the two police officers, Watson, and Holmes. No matter how much Watson thought about it, it seemed difficult to arrest Professor Moriarty with this many people.
I had a faint hope that I might have gotten a clue to catch Professor Moriarty, but I quickly deleted that hypothesis from my mind. If that was really the case, there was no way his friend could maintain such a light attitude.
Holmes’ current appearance was as if he was playing a prank on someone he was really interested in. This may not be an appropriate metaphor for this situation, but he really looked like a mischievous person trying to play a trivial prank.
When the carriage arrived at Professor James Moriarty’s London home, most people couldn’t help but panic.
Holmes’ visit was clearly an unexpected small blow.
Moran, who was officially welcoming an unexpected guest as the maid of Professor James Moriarty, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford, could not help but pause for a moment when she saw the police and Holmes standing outside the door.
Of course, Holmes didn’t forget to smile and shake Peony’s hand. Watson couldn’t help but feel nervous as he saw Moran’s wolf ears twitch and stand up stiffly as if greeting an enemy.
At first, Inspector Lestrade, who heard Holmes’ words and thought he was going to arrest the criminal, was also embarrassed when he heard the owner’s name from the manor’s maid and had no choice but to turn his head to Holmes.
Inspector Lestrade, who knew nothing, could not help but be embarrassed that the owner of the mansion had visited Professor James Moriarty, a prominent social figure and one who had recently contributed to the execution of the unsavory Thames Torso Killer.
Only Inspector McDonald looked at his senior’s actions in confusion, not knowing anything, and only then did Holmes open his mouth without any hesitation.
“It seems there was a misunderstanding. We came here to catch the criminal, but there is no criminal here yet. Miss Moran, Mr. Moriarty… Can you tell me that your disciple came to visit after a long time? You wouldn’t turn down a visit from your special child, would you? “I added that.”
“…… “I will ask my master, Miss Holmes.”
It seemed like a normal conversation to others, but Watson couldn’t help but tremble slightly when he realized that there had been a silent gunshot for a moment.
There was an uncomfortable silence. Even if the other person refused or accepted, it was bound to be uncomfortable either way. Watson regretted for a moment that it would have been better if he had not followed.
However, Sebastian Moran soon came back down and ushered her uninvited guests into her drawing room as her guests.
After a while, Professor James Moriarty, looking no different from usual, entered the drawing room.
But Holmes was satisfied that one side of his teacher’s smile had hardened slightly, perhaps because of his unexpected gift. Above all, it was impressive that he looked less neat than usual, as if he had not expected a guest’s visit.
“… Holmes, and Watson. There… I think I saw you last time, Inspector Lestrade. And that person-“
“Oh, this is Inspector McDonald, Mr. Moriarty.”
“This is Professor James Moriarty. By the way… No matter how much you, Holmes, suddenly let me… “I don’t know why you came.”
“When did something like that become necessary between you and me?”
“… So, there must be a reason why you brought these gentlemen to visit me, right?”
In response to James Moriarty’s question, Holmes nodded his head and smiled.
“Arresting the criminal… Because I need the professor’s cooperation. Oh, I guess I should explain, right? Maybe… “You don’t know what’s going on.”
“I don’t know how to mind read, so I guess I have no choice but to not know.”
James Moriarty knew that Holmes had started to get involved in the case of a client who had recently come to him.
Why did this child, who was slowly explaining things we already knew to each other, get involved, as if he was proudly presenting to himself right in front of us?
That alone was quite interesting. Could it be something Mycroft Holmes felt instinctively?
So, unlike the original offer of only the amount of money he received, he unusually sent Moran to the Bakers to receive a ring instead.
Since the request itself was already completed, all the client had to do was leave for the United States a few days later as planned.
But maybe the last one failed. No, it failed.
He could make up for it now, but for now, Moriarty decided to participate in his beloved student’s play and pretended to listen.
“― Rache, you can see that the phrase revenge is literally a trick, a red herring to ward off the hounds. Didn’t the U.S. Embassy say from the beginning that all of the victims were Americans and that they were not affiliated with any political beliefs? “Yes, Inspector Lestrade.”
From noble mtl dot com
“Yes, yes. Just a wealthy man from Utah—”
“Utah. We Brits are often ignorant about America, but it’s also quite an interesting place. It is the home of a religious group called Mormonism. I don’t know if that’s still the case these days, but in the early days, decades ago, it was said that women’s issues were quite messy. “Because it is a polygamous religion.”
“… So, Miss Holmes said that the criminal and the victims were… Are you saying it has something to do with some strange religion? In that case, investigate immediately—”
“No, you don’t have to. I’m already planning to go to the US instead. Right, Watson?”
“… What?”
Most people, including Watson, had no choice but to question Holmes’ unexpected travel declaration as if they had heard nonsense.
Only Moriarty watched her student’s antics with the corners of her mouth raised sarcastically.
“Oh, sorry, didn’t I tell you? But don’t worry, the preparations are already done. Like this… You also brought a suitcase. More than anything… “It looks like the coachman has finally arrived.”
Holmes then placed the suitcase he had brought here on Professor Moriarty’s desk. Almost immediately, the doorbell rang, signaling someone’s visit.
“A coachman?”
“Yes, Professor. The coachman. I already called the professor’s house. “Miss Moran, shouldn’t you go downstairs?”
Moriarty was silent for a moment. But she soon shrugged her shoulders and said to Moran.
“Peony. As Holmes said… Please guide the coachman here.”
“… “Yes, master.”
Watson could tell that there was some hesitation in Miss Moran’s actions. After a while, a tall, middle-aged coachman came into the parlor, and she seemed nervous as she saw the men staring at her and tried to look around for a moment.
However, because Holmes urged him to help carry the luggage first, the coachman hesitantly moved towards the suitcase.
At that moment, Holmes, who had handcuffed the coachman at a speed so fast that even Watson or Moran could not properly recognize him, shouted triumphantly at Moriarty.
“Introducing, everyone. “I am Mr. Jefferson Hope, the person responsible for this murder!”
