207 – Falling (1)
From noble mtl dot com
“What’s wrong, Holmes?”
“… No, nothing happened. “Why are you doing this all of a sudden, Watson?”
“Huh? Ah… no… …. No, I guess I saw it wrong. Energy… “Is it because you’re nervous?”
Watson felt for a moment that the expression on the face of Holmes, who was sitting across from him, was unfamiliar. Because he wasn’t relaxed somehow, and he looked like he was being chased.
Of course, his friends were also people. Even in Watson’s eyes, he was a weirdo who succeeded in doing magical things without any hesitation and had the courage of someone who didn’t know what fear was, but he was also a human being who was surprised, nervous, and warm-hearted like ordinary people.
As Watson added later, perhaps Watson himself saw it wrong for a moment. Such an illusion was not unusual.
Even after the truth of the incident was revealed, Holmes, Watson, and others who stayed at Burlstone Manor for two more days began to go out in carriages, nervous as if they were personnel carrying out a secret operation.
Watson does not know exactly what Holmes did. He occasionally watched quietly as he gave instructions to Inspector Macdonald, or sent some correspondence to Mr. Mycroft, Holmes’s brother.
But Holmes would probably solve this problem. Watson vaguely thought so and trusted his friend.
Of course, fear and tension are physiological phenomena regardless of trust, so even Watson couldn’t help but feel a little anxious at this moment. Wouldn’t he be more like this if he were a friend who could think and foresee more things than even he himself?
Watson was able to sense that there was tension surrounding the mansion even after it was revealed that the strange murder case linked to the Valley of Fear was, ironically, the death of the attacker.
Of course, it was thanks to my friend’s warning, but even without that warning, there was definitely a strange atmosphere on the verge of danger that anyone with even the slightest sense would feel.
Although I could barely see his face for two days, I was able to see that Mr. Douglas, who may have been the original victim, had anxiety and fear on his face. Mr. Douglas thought Holmes’ warning was half-blown fuss, but now even he might sense there was something there.
However, contrary to that atmosphere, surprisingly, everything was peaceful. The warmth brought by the crisp British countryside weather made me enjoy the atmosphere of a vacation, as if I were claiming that it was a lie that a terrible murder had occurred here.
But even Watson was nervous. He was so nervous that he had less appetite than usual and could only eat a dozen simple sandwiches this morning.
Strangely enough, the maids in the mansion looked at Watson as if they were looking at a strange creature.
“What’s important is what we can do… There are limits, Watson. “First of all, I can help Douglas in some way until he leaves England.”
“… That’s an unavoidable problem. I don’t think you wanted to go that far in the first place, right? I heard he was going to change his identity, but if he lives like that… Hmm… …. “It seems like it would be bothersome in many ways.”
“Surprisingly, it’s not that difficult. Right now, if I put my mind to it, I can create a new identity and camouflage not only myself but also Watson and other people at the same time……. No, such an assumption would be meaningless in the first place. Because we won’t have to do that.”
“There’s no need to disguise yourself as a criminal or a dead person, right?”
“Yes.”
The carriage procession was getting closer and closer to the train station. However, as nothing happened despite his nervousness, Watson soon began chatting trivially with Holmes. In response to such a conversation with Watson, Holmes sighed as if he was annoyed, but gave consistent answers.
However, an attack occurred that broke the peace.
– Bang!
A gunshot rang out. Although he was somewhat prepared, Watson was startled and tried to stick his head out of the window, and Holmes grabbed his friend and pulled him back, shouting,
“You’re out of your mind, Watson! Just keep your head down! “The coachman drives the horse faster!”
Since Holmes had already given separate instructions before departure, the carriages began to drive roughly, somehow calming down the frightened horses.
Twice more gunshots rang out immediately after that, but fortunately they did not hit anyone.
“Miss Peony… “I guess not?”
“Watson, it’s a shame you don’t remember that wolf’s bullet. If she came forward, she honestly would have to be locked in a windowless house. Don’t worry too much, just think of it as anger. The train station is getting closer. If there are more people, it becomes more difficult to snipe.”
Watson felt a little uncomfortable for a moment from Holmes’ explanation or attitude, but he couldn’t care less. There was no time to worry about whether the attack targeting Douglas would continue.
Fortunately, there were no further attacks, perhaps because the carriages were divided into several carriages and moved separately as suggested by Holmes.
After entering the station, I was waiting at the designated location, keeping an eye out for the surroundings, when Inspector MacDonald came rushing up to me.
“Fortunately, the Douglass left safely as suggested by Mr. Holmes. “I first called the officers and gave them an order to look for the attacker.”
“The latter will probably be difficult, Inspector McDonald. He doesn’t seem to be very good at shooting, but it’s impossible to search the wide streets of Suss*x with just a few officers. Unfortunately, for now… “It should be meaningful that the target escaped safely.”
“I see. By the way… As you predicted, the opponent is truly a scary person. Teacher’s… “If your opinion is right, doesn’t that mean you’re doing this even though you don’t have any resentment?”
“What… …. “Ordinary people wouldn’t understand.”
But I can understand.
Holding back his words, Holmes nodded his head.
Soon after that, Holmes and Watson returned to Baker Street, and there were no new raids along the way. The peaceful days seemed to continue as no new clients arrived or Professor James Moriarty’s new plot began.
On the third day after Watson returned to Baker Street, he began to organize the letters addressed to them, recording their leisurely experiences.
Then, when he saw a letter, he seemed puzzled and called Holmes, who was quietly contemplating next to him. Strangely enough, since his return, Holmes has become less talkative, as if he is preoccupied with something.
“Look at this, Holmes! There’s no sender’s address, but a letter arrived? It simply says, In front of Miss Holmes and Miss Watson.”
“… Check it out, Watson.”
Watson carefully opened the letter with an envelope cutter and checked its contents. However, the moment Watson saw the content, he burst into laughter without realizing it.
Holmes looked at Watson’s reaction as if he was strange, and Watson showed the letter to Holmes to prove that he was not strange.
“No, someone sent me something strange as a prank, look!”
Watson couldn’t see that his friend’s expression turned dark for a moment after checking the letter and that he was biting his lip. He burst out laughing again at this unexpectedly funny prank, even though he had never had anything to laugh about.
– What should I do about this, Mr. Holmes? What should I do with this! (Dear me, Miss. Holmes. Dear me!)
There was only one sentence written in the letter, which we did not know who sent.
“… Also.”
“Huh? “What did you say, Holmes?”
But Watson could not ask Holmes any more. Immediately after that, someone rushed to Baker Street and it turned out to be Inspector McDonald.
“We’re in big trouble, Mr. Holmes! “This is terrible!”
Inspector Macdonald screamed in horror as if he had just seen a ghost, and began to relate what had happened.
Even Watson couldn’t help but be surprised when he heard this. In addition, he was able to understand the meaning of the strange and funny letter that had come to them.
Lt. MacDonald informed us that Mr. Douglas was officially swept into the sea by a wave last night while on a sailing ship. He was unable to bring Douglas back from the sea, so he literally couldn’t even find his body.
The ship’s crew, other passengers, and even the police who briefly investigated the incident concluded that it was an unfortunate accident, but Inspector Macdonald seemed to instinctively realize that it was someone’s trick.
“… What should I do, sir? “I thought I had beaten him to the punch, but I can’t even imagine how I can deal with this great evil!”
“… Calm down and go back, Inspector McDonald. You can’t undo what has already happened. But the time will come, for it is my destiny to deal with him.”
However, Watson could see Holmes’ hands shaking as if he was feeling guilty as he said that. Therefore, even Watson, who was usually criticized by his friends as being oblivious, had no choice but to remain silent.
Even as Inspector Macdonald disappeared in a fuss and Holmes sighed deeply and covered his head with his still trembling hands, Watson did not dare to voice his terrible thoughts.
But Jane Watson was clearly a braver and more just person than anyone recognized by Holmes. He was also Holmes’ companion and friend.
So Watson quietly opened his mouth as if trying to deny it.
“I… Holmes. Radish… Of course it’s stupid… Also really… It’s a bad idea, but… But… No, right? That… yes?”
In normal times, you might have been criticized for not being able to even utter a proper sentence. If Watson had reacted that way, he would have felt relieved and would have felt guilty for doubting his friend.
But Holmes sighed.
“No, that’s right, Watson. “What you think.”
“That… No way!”
“I knew it would be like this. I stood by. No, I… “It would be no different from killing Douglas.”
