195 – Lone Star (3)
An explosion that no one but one person dared to predict.
No matter how skilled a person is, just as he cannot come to his senses for a moment in the face of a sudden blow, the people present also froze in front of the unexpected explosion. And, following human instinct, everyone turned their gaze towards the direction from which the explosion was heard.
This was clearly a fatal mistake for those planning to attack.
However, they were mostly low-level people that James Moriarty could literally use as a tool, in the back alleys and streets of London, and anywhere else, so even such mistakes could not be noticed.
Because the distance was quite close, the wind generated by the explosion instantly struck them. It wasn’t enough to cause anyone to get hurt or fall, but it was enough to make Watson, who was walking, momentarily cover his face with his arms and take a half step backwards.
“What are you doing, come to your senses! Watson, you too! “Bite, let’s bite quickly!”
Even in this situation, Watson was barely able to come to his senses by the shouts of Holmes, who playfully treated him like a hunting dog.
It was absurd, but it was not new since Holmes had already treated him by comparing him to various animals. Above all, it was truly Holmes-like to play pranks even in such a critical situation.
Immediately following Holmes, who was running towards the thugs who were distracted by the explosion, Watson secretly pulled out his pistol and punched the man who hesitated.
Of course, before that, Holmes put his foot on the ground, flew up, and kicked the head of what appeared to be a leader holding a dagger.
At that point, everyone seemed to have come to their senses and belatedly tried to run away in the face of aggressive violence, but it was pointless resistance. Although they were not as good as Holmes or Watson, the Americans also subdued those who tried to run away by punching them or immediately skillfully pulling out a pistol and shooting them in the ankles.
The street thugs, who were energetic at first, tried to run away in humility in front of the leading force, as was their habit.
You can’t blame them. Some may laugh at it and say it’s ungentlemanly behavior, but it’s best to run away from an opponent who throws a flying kick like a fairy, or from a witch who breaks your jaw with one random punch, gives you dental treatment, and sends you straight into the river. It was.
The crisis facing us was resolved as easily as a lie. While Watson was wiping the drool from the man she knocked down for the second time on her pretty palm as if it was dirty, on the lapel of the unconscious man, Sawyer, who had somewhat figured out the situation, opened her mouth.
“What kind of sudden explosion is this…?” ….”
“What should we do better than that, lady? Looks like he knows something? “Then, do you have any next plans?”
“Of course. It’s all within the expected range, so there’s no need to worry. However, we must move quickly.”
“What are these guys going to do?”
All the street thugs were lying unconscious on the floor, as if a morning market had opened and fishermen were displaying freshly caught seafood on their stalls. The man who had been shot in the leg was groaning awkwardly, but Watson, seeing the look in Holmes’ eyes, lightly hit his head, knocking him unconscious, and stopped the bleeding.
Seeing that, Sawyer quietly distanced himself from Watson, as if he was indeed a scary person contrary to his appearance, and Huckleberry Finn asked Holmes.
But Holmes silently nodded toward the ship where the explosion occurred. Huckleberry Finn, who checked the place, fell silent as if he immediately understood what it meant.
In fact, anyone who saw that scene could know the answer. As if he had been waiting in advance, Inspector Lestrade was approaching this direction, accompanied by officers, unable to hide his annoyed expression.
No matter how much a man still believed in serving social justice, going out late at night was not a pleasant experience.
“Inspector Lestrade, you must have arrested everyone you mentioned, right?”
“Yes, yes, whose orders are you not going to follow, Miss Holmes? “Anyway, why did that ship explode?”
“It’s not a major issue, because there wouldn’t have been anyone inside anyway. First, arrest all of these guys. Of course, you may not know anything, but I recommend increasing the intensity of the interrogation as much as possible until someone rescues you.”
“… “I definitely get the feeling that there’s something going on in London these days.”
While Inspector Lestrade grumbled and ordered the officers below to arrest the unconscious thugs one by one, Holmes quietly pulled the collar of Watson, who was watching in a daze, and quickly disappeared into the darkness, leading the rest of the group.
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden action, but they didn’t ask out loud. Watson originally knew that Holmes was that kind of person, and the two Americans also sensed that this strange detective had something up his sleeve.
There was a carriage nearby, as if it had been waiting in advance. The coachman was a very large and fleshy man, and through his appearance, Watson was able to tell that it was Holmes’ older brother, Mycroft Holmes.
“Let’s move quickly, Mycroft.”
“… By the way, I have also driven a carriage in my life.”
Mycroft said a word indifferently, but surprisingly, he began to drive the carriage skillfully. The carriage ran at a fast speed, and the time was not as long as I thought.
The place they arrived was a shabby building that looked like it could be used as a warehouse. Holmes quickly looked around and herded them inside, and only then did Watson realize that the inside was not a warehouse but a hiding place prepared for someone.
“It looks like it ended safely, Mr. Holmes. Ah, welcome, everyone.”
Inside the hideout where they could hide for a few days, Inspector McDonald welcomed them. While Holmes greeted him with a nod and collapsed into the armchair as if he was tired, Sawyer and Finn cautiously opened their mouths while watching Mycroft Holmes.
“If it’s a hiding place, does that mean we should stay here?”
“That’s right. Fortunately, I’m quick to notice. You should stay for about three days. After that, we, to be exact, Mycroft, will send you two safely to the United States through a ship prepared in advance. “Don’t worry about safety, it’s at least one of the safest places in London.”
“… “It’s a place where I had a lot of trouble with my brother, so you can stay here with peace of mind, gentlemen from New World.”
When the name of Mycroft Holmes was mentioned, a sign flashed across the two Americans’ faces that they knew the other’s identity.
Holmes secretly admired their resourcefulness, but did not show it. I just secretly boasted about this safe place to Watson.
It wasn’t necessary, but I wanted to show off that there were several hiding places that I could boast about in Watson’s records, which might one day be made public.
“Watson, unfortunately we can’t stay in this luxury hotel, but luckily there are a few more places like this in London, so don’t feel too bad.”
“How on earth did you prepare a place like this? What’s safer than that… That’s right? I mean… “You know.”
“Luckily. I trust my brain and Mycroft’s brain. “My brother cooperated in earnest, and more than anything, no matter how much of London they control, they cannot control everything that happens in London.”
“What was that explosion anyway, Sherlock? “I don’t remember receiving any reports that there was a bomb.”
Microft Holmes’ question was the question that most people in the room had. In that potentially dangerous situation, the two Americans had to break out in a cold sweat as they belatedly thought that the ship they might have been on might have sunk with them.
However, Holmes casually sipped the carbonated water provided in a corner and opened his mouth.
“Oh, that? You don’t know because I hid it, Mycroft. It was a time bomb, but I deliberately rigged it to explode a little faster for the show. “If you interrogate the sailors who were arrested in advance, some will confess that they were instructed to blow it up during the voyage.”
“Ha, Sherlock. “There is no need to explode just because there is a bomb.”
“They personally gave me a bomb as a gift, but it wouldn’t be polite if I didn’t open it. Isn’t that right, Mycroft? Rather than that, I would like to ask what we Americans think. How do you feel about the British farewell?”
“…… “He is a heinous guy, whoever his opponent is.”
“I agree, Huck.”
Holmes nodded his head in response to his satisfaction.
“I’m glad that you seem to have a good sense of the danger of the person we’re up against. From this, you understand that proper cooperation with Pinkerton is necessary, right? I found some information through Mycroft… “Really, the two of you will be in a position to properly move Pinkerton.”
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The two Americans lightly shrugged their shoulders as if they were no longer surprised by Holmes’ answer. But now we needed to have more confidence that we were on the same boat.
Huckleberry Finn opened his mouth.
“So? Now that we’re running towards a common goal, shouldn’t we let the other person know? Only the lady knows… No, I don’t think so. Anyway, who was the first enemy you met?”
Holmes sighed as if he was thinking for a moment.
The two Americans and Inspector McDonald waited nervously for Holmes, and finally, Holmes uttered the name as if he was savoring it.
To Watson, his friend’s reaction strangely seemed like someone bragging.
“Moriarty. Professor James Moriarty. A man who is also my teacher, a figure like the Napoleon of criminals, a man we must stand against for peace and justice in the United States and Europe, and my… “He is a villain who must be fought against with all his might.”
