192 – Five Orange Seeds (7)
A word so short that it is difficult to call a single word, no, just one letter.
When the simple alphabet was mentioned by Holmes, Watson could keenly sense that the atmosphere in the room had changed quite a bit.
If an outsider who knew nothing had heard this, she might have thought that Holmes was simply spitting out the alphabet and telling a riddle.
But unfortunately, none of those gathered in the room at this moment understood the true meaning of M that Holmes uttered. Yeah, there wasn’t.
Watson was able to realize that even the Americans in front of him understood to some extent the true meaning of the words spoken by Holmes.
However, Inspector McDonald, who had not yet fully grasped the situation, opened his mouth as if he was embarrassed.
“Now, just a moment, Mr. Holmes. If it’s M…… Isn’t this the mysterious hitman that Jefferson Hope was talking about? “You may have thoughts, but putting that information in front of the American people—”
“Lieutenant Macdonald, you were the one giving us that secret in the first place. And don’t worry, the reason these American friends came here from across the Atlantic included some investigation into M’s stronghold.”
In response to Holmes’s point, Inspector McDonald belatedly covered his mouth, but in fact, there was no major problem. As Holmes said, the two Americans nodded slightly even though they were nervous. I instinctively realized that even if I tried to hide or deny it, it was just a meaningless fuss.
Of course, Inspector Macdonald’s mistake could not be fully blamed. Most people with common sense would probably make similar mistakes.
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As Inspector Macdonald said, no investigation has been conducted since then regarding M, the so-called heinous criminal who is said to be a criminal consultant, the contractor visited by Jefferson Hope.
Although Holmes had warned him in advance, Inspector Macdonald, still young and burning with a sense of justice, urged his superiors to investigate based on Jefferson Hope’s report that had been handed over to the police.
However, the result was literally inaction.
Rather, as Holmes had hinted, the higher-ups treated Jefferson Hope’s testimony as nothing more than the criminal’s nonsense and even ridiculed Inspector McDonald.
In fact, this inaction may have been a common sense response. At least for those who had nothing to do with crime, it was difficult to imagine anyone working as a crime consultant in this city full of criminals.
If someone who knew nothing had heard this, they might have been treated as an idiot who misunderstood popular fiction and reality.
However, in the face of such a shocking response from superiors, even Inspector McDonald realized through professional experience that there was something unusual, just as Holmes had warned, and he had no choice but to reluctantly remain silent.
No matter how nonsense it may seem to ordinary people, the lack of response from the higher-ups to this extent is as if there was some invisible external pressure at work.
In the case of Inspector Lestrade, he had already experienced something similar a few years ago, so he stayed silent from the beginning as advised by Holmes. However, he also vaguely acknowledged that part of Holmes’ ‘hypothesis’ was true.
However, this was ultimately a problem within London or within the UK.
At least Inspector Macdonald thought so, so he could not help but be astonished at Holmes’s reaction when he revealed this to the Americans and at the reaction of Holmes, who seemed to know that the Americans knew this.
Holmes, as usual, neatly ignored the inspector’s reaction and focused on the Americans. He raises the corners of his mouth, making no secret that he is the one dominating the conversation here.
It was actually like that. Holmes was convinced.
The only person who could catch the teacher was himself. This was the fate between him and his teacher, and it was a natural thing. Above all, the existence of M was bound to be known in other countries due to the scale of the crime, but he was the first and almost the only person to know that M was James Moriarty.
It was clearly an unsuitable emotion at such a moment, but thinking about it made Holmes feel a small sense of joy once again. Perhaps it was an irrational and religious experience that she did not like.
Although she was not a religious person, this fateful relationship allowed Holmes to enjoy a joy close to her religious joy.
However, because they seemed calm on the outside, the Americans looked at each other carefully and opened their mouths as if nothing had happened.
“… Well, it’s not a secret that no one can ever find out, so I’m not that surprised.”
“I was surprised, Tom? Maybe they were doing something similar to us. Hey, anyway, it’s amazing, girl. No, detective. That’s right, chasing down KKK members was secondary, and I originally came to follow M’s traces.”
“Hey, Huck!”
“Tom, you are so cautious. You weren’t like this when you were young, but did that change when you got married? But my friend, you have also experienced Holmes’s skills. In my opinion, at least he is someone who will be a collaborator in this work. At least that’s how I felt.”
“… “Nothing good will come out of the report.”
Holmes, who had been listening to Sawyer and Finn talking for a while, broke off the conversation and opened his mouth.
“I know that M is not just active in the UK, but was Pinkerton so close to the US that he even went on a business trip overseas?”
“Are you looking around? Well, it wasn’t until recently that we finally got the clue. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Pinkertons are a legal gang that will do anything they ask for money, but for the sake of social reputation, their main job is catching robbers. Well, there’s no need to explain, right?”
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that because the land is so large, it’s a good place for robbers to operate.”
American Finn shrugged his shoulders at Holmes’ blunt answer.
“However, most of them were clumsy, and sometimes there were difficult ones who used their brains to calculate escape routes. However, in the past few years, we have become so troublesome that we have to seriously dispatch agents for a long period of time… “It increased more rapidly than expected.”
Although he still felt skeptical about revealing what they had done, Sawyer added as if he had no choice when his friend opened his mouth.
“… Some people have successfully fled abroad, and above all, we have even discovered that a significant portion of the funds were laundered by homegrown gangs in New York and elsewhere. Rather boldly… “We even uncovered those who acted as Pinkerton agents and participated in the work.”
“Thanks to this, bombs fell on us as if a beehive had been thrown. On the contrary, there is a high possibility that the secret agents who could not be found remain in the office, so the higher-ups are suspicious and fighting with each other. “This opportunity was met with a political fight, causing an uproar.”
“The person who managed to find the clue was the British M. No matter how you look at it, it seemed like he was running a fairly large gang even within the UK, so he secretly asked the UK for cooperation in the investigation… Perhaps it was similar to what happened to us, but there was no response. So I was dispatched, ultimately. Of course, if we get caught, it could turn into a diplomatic issue between the two countries, but in the first place, we are not a country, but private businesses.”
“Then how were you going to handle it? Pinkerton could have acted as radically as he wanted in the United States, but it would have been difficult unless he received cooperation from England, right?”
Tom Sawyer looked at Inspector MacDonald’s reaction to Holmes’ question, but Huckleberry Finn answered first.
“When dealing with gangsters, you often use other bad guys, girl. I was lucky enough to learn that the ruined KKK’s liaisons were trying to enlist M to deal with their traitors, so I decided to secretly investigate M’s whereabouts. Then, I tried to secretly provide support to his gang and hostile guys.”
“… “It is difficult to overlook what you just said as a matter of protecting public order in the UK.”
“Lieutenant, please calm down. Because it was one of the options being considered, and one of the last resorts. Rather, it is surprising that the British side has let go of these gangs and entities that we are so wary of even in the United States. Or rather, maybe he extended his handshake because it was his home base?”
“That’s great.”
Holmes, who heard part of the incident, briefly expressed his impressions.
Watson could tell that it was Holmes’s sigh of sincere admiration. He pretended not to know, as he often did when faced with a wonderful mystery. Fortunately, the Americans and Inspector McDonald seemed to think it was a perfunctory response.
However, Inspector McDonald, who was hearing this, seemed embarrassed and intervened.
“This…” I don’t understand, sir. Ah… Anyway, the criminal is still having an impact even in the United States? Buy… “It doesn’t make sense in common sense!”
“Sometimes there is common sense that goes beyond our reason. And genius criminals often expand their power by shattering that common sense. “Do you know a man named Jonathan Wild, Inspector Macdonald?”
In response to Holmes’ calmly asked question, Inspector Macdonald shook his head as he watched, and Holmes continued speaking as if he had not expected anything.
“This is why we often have to record and teach the history of crime. About 100 years ago, he was quite famous, no, he was a major criminal who was shaking London at the time. Officially, he was respected as a good man who caught other thieves and helped maintain public order, but in reality, he was a vicious criminal who led the largest gang in London, colluded with various criminals, and even dragged in some politicians. Of course, in an instant, due to a foolish mistake, one of my sins was revealed and I became the dew of the execution.”
“I’m ashamed of how shallow my knowledge is. But why tell that story now… ?”
“It means that a century later, we are dealing with a little more, or at least a major criminal who has grown in a way that is unprecedented in European history. Of course, I was the first to notice him. Because he was a mission given to me. It seems like even Pinkerton couldn’t give an accurate evaluation of M right now, so I’ll tell you something. The plan Pinkerton is considering will fail. Because there is no gang in England against M.”
“… What does that mean, girl? Uh… hmm… …. An ordinary girl might not know much about the life of gangsters, but they are like beasts who will eat each other if given the opportunity. “A little external support, if not, money…”
“No one in the British police will admit it, but at least some time has passed since the entire criminal group in the UK followed only one person. This means you’re not just dealing with a fairly large group of criminals, you’re dealing with a huge criminal kingdom. “In that respect, cooperation is definitely necessary, isn’t it?”
Even the two Americans had no choice but to remain silent for a moment, as if they had just heard nonsense in Holmes’ answer.
