56 – 80 Days of Bank Robbery (5)
His intellectual level was on the same level as that of a goldfish, but in other aspects he was looked down on by a goldfish.
That was the first evaluation Sherlock Holmes made upon seeing Jane Watson in front of her. Above all, the goldfish was better than that woman in almost every way.
At least the goldfish was cute, and she didn’t say anything in the fish tank, just following her instincts and babbling. She was much better than most of her idiots in that she had a level of behavior that suited her head.
Jane Watson also showed annoyance that was not commensurate with such an intellectual level. At first she thought about fainting, but she decided to ignore it for now.
If she had been a normal person, she would have solved it by administering a little physical treatment just enough to temporarily lose her memory, but her opponent was a witch.
She doesn’t know why she isn’t using magic even now. Holmes could not help but deduce that perhaps he was restraining himself because the price was quite serious. It wasn’t that rare.
The price of magic was different for each wizard and witch, and there were cases where the price was simple and sometimes even harmful to the person concerned.
Magic was originally the authority and ability of fairies, and the only people who could fully perform magic were the fairies who have now disappeared.
In the case of Holmes himself, thanks to inheriting a little of his ancestors’ blood, he was able to perform simple magic tricks without compensation, but compared to wizards and witches, even this was like holding a pistol and fighting a long gun.
Watson, who was jumping up and down with her fuss, was suspicious that she was actually trying to catch her opponent off guard. If she were a thoughtless man, she might have been mesmerized by Watson’s bouncing breasts without even realizing it.
However, it was a bit of luck for Holmes himself. At least Jane Watson seemed quite simple and easy to handle, and her meaningful words came out of her mouth right away.
“Oh, that…” That’s not the point! All… “Are you really a thief?”
“… No, but isn’t that a stupid question? It’s rare to find someone who describes themselves as a thief, Watson. To clear up any misunderstandings, I am here to investigate a bank robbery involving Mr. Fogg.”
“… Ah, I guess you’re from Scotland Yard? It’s fascinating, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a female investigator! Oh, I… She definitely didn’t mean to be rude…….”
Holmes had no choice but to admit that Jane Watson was a good person, even if she was a bit lacking in intelligence. Of course, she said only a few words at most, and it would be more accurate to say that she was simple-minded rather than good in believing that she was right.
If I were to make an excuse for Watson, Holmes’ confident attitude seemed far removed from that of a thief who had been caught stealing, and above all, the reasoning that Holmes showed a moment ago seemed like an expert, so it could be said to have been an inevitable misunderstanding.
Did such a naive reaction cause him to feel a rare sense of remorse? Of course it wasn’t like that.
However, for Holmes, who prided herself on being an investigative advisor, it felt humiliating to be misunderstood as a foolish Scotland Yard, so she immediately corrected Watson’s misunderstanding.
“Not the police. “I am an investigative advisor who has stepped forward to resolve this matter.”
“… Detective…… Are you talking about it? Wait a minute, so this is illegal investigation and trespassing, no, that’s right! “Who are you, Mr. Fogg’s mansion? Wait, listen!”
Of course, that was it. Holmes walked inside with great strides, ignoring Watson, and only then did Watson, who had even changed his tone of voice to become comfortable with Holmes, who was belatedly following her, come inside with her.
“It’s hot.”
“So we have to get out quickly!”
“You are not an acquaintance or relative of Phileas Fogg, so what right do you have?”
“Ah… no! That’s the same thing from the beginning! And I am originally an acquaintance of Mr. Fogg.”
“It means there is no relationship.”
Holmes, who began to quietly look around the house and observe, sbastarded. Of course, I still ignored Watson’s reaction and began to carefully observe what I could see.
It may have been unfortunate for Phileas Fogg, but thanks to a strange coincidence, it was clear that he would be suspected of being a bank robber in the future.
I wasn’t really interested in why he made such a strange bet. However, it was clear that he went out in a hurry to place a bet.
It was cold inside since it had been empty for several days, but the fact that they even forgot to turn off the gas lamp and leave was proof of this.
There was a good chance that it would take 80 days at best for Mr. Fogg to return, so he could not have been a colossal waste. Holmes, who values efficiency, quietly turned off the gas lamp first.
This was enough punishment for trespassing into Mr. Fogg’s mansion without permission. Then, in order to conduct a full-scale investigation, he took off his coat and casually threw it nearby.
Watson, who was still trying to protest against the suspicious entity, was momentarily speechless upon seeing it.
‘Is he a pervert? ‘How can you cut your legs so shamelessly?’
It was a reasonable decision for Watson. He thought he was simply wearing a suit because of his men’s coat or legs sticking out from under the coat.
But the outfit inside the coat was truly a sight to behold. I even liked the fact that his vest was draped over his hips like a short skirt. Of course, a skirt that short could never have existed in Watson’s imagination, but the outfit of the woman in front of him was reminiscent of a skirt. He almost thought it was a petticoat or underwear.
However, her legs were clearly exposed, and no matter how you looked at her, she was only wearing stockings, not pants, or rather black tights like those worn by ballerinas.
The line of the pelvis and the beautiful legs of the legs were naturally revealed. The woman in front of her was taller than Watson himself, and her long legs made her fit in. In fact, she was a pretty person no matter what she wore.
However, Watson, who possessed the moral sense of an average Victorian who judged it immoral even to expose only one’s ankles, could not help but be horrified by the pervert who was wearing clothes so outrageous that not even a street prostitute would dare wear them.
Holmes himself was just dressing up casually to move around comfortably, but Watson couldn’t help but blush as if he was embarrassed and have complicated thoughts about this suspicious and unfamiliar woman in front of him.
In fact, Holmes also had similar thoughts when looking at Watson, so neither party can blame the other.
Still, Watson came to his senses belatedly and tried to give a final warning to Holmes, who was pacing around suspiciously while looking at the floor. However, I had no choice but to stop for a moment as Holmes continued to speak harshly.
“That’s all well and good, Watson. “If you kick me out like this, what are you going to do with the money I gambled on?”
“Now… Wait a minute, what does that mean… What?”
“I bet a lot of money that Phileas Fogg would win. But did you know what? You must have heard the rumors, right? “There are rumors that Mr. Fogg is currently a suspect in the Bank of England robbery.”
“That… Such a stupid rumor… “What does this have to do with this?”
At that moment, even Watson, no matter how dull, thought of the worst assumption. But since it was a matter of her life, he wanted to deny it for now. No, it wasn’t even his wife. He was the one who did not want to recognize the problem itself.
Of course, Holmes, who values efficiency, did not wait for such circumstances and briefly told the truth.
“Soon Mr. Fogg will be identified as the suspect and arrested.”
“… Oh…… Ah…… !”
Watson shouts that she must repel the suspicious person who broke into her mansion for the sake of Mr. Fogg, one of her life’s benefactors, but Jane, a gambling addict who is about to gamble with her life’s fate, I stopped her like this.
At that moment, Watson’s entire body lost strength and he fell halfway to the floor without realizing it. In fact he had a certain premonition from the beginning.
Suspiciously fast enough for Watson to hear the news, rumors that Mr. Fogg had a similar appearance to the culprit of the bank robbery and inferences that he had suddenly made a strange bet began to spread in people’s mouths. .
I don’t know how Scotland Yard works. However, with such rumors spreading, there was no way Mr. Fogg would not be investigated as one of the suspects.
Then what about the bet?
Watson suddenly felt goosebumps all over his body and pain in his lower abdomen. It’s over. Everything is over.
The senses and intuition that he had experienced countless times at the racetrack were informing the gambler Watson.
The familiar feeling of being driven to defeat, and the futile hope that one tries to deny even though one knows it. The despair that everything might really end this time, and the slight joy and anticipation that comes from it.
The 80-day trip around the world plan that was the basis of the bet had also been confirmed by Watson. The elaborate plan was literally a plan that required everything to move quickly.
Could Mr. Fogg avoid or refuse to comply with a police investigation simply because of a bet?
And in a situation where the stake has already been placed, is there any room for canceling or taking into account the bet due to such an unexpected event?
From noble mtl dot com
‘It’s over…’ …. It’s really over. Father, I’m sorry. Actually, this time… I risked everything for my father’s pension… …. Still… My heart is pounding strangely because I think it might really end… Actually, isn’t that a good thing? Now that it’s like this…… As expected from Professor Moriarty-‘
But I couldn’t give up hope yet.
Only then did Watson have no choice but to raise his head again and focus on the suspicious woman in front of him. It was truly believable to see her examining the floor like an expert, ignoring Watson.
Originally, those who gambled gave meaning to everything. Watson had no choice but to have a reasonable doubt as a person who gambles like that, whether the woman in front of her is actually the one who will save her.
“Over there—”
“After all, Phileas Fogg is not the culprit.”
“Ah! That… Yes? As expected, I lived! “He lived, father!”
“…… The culprit at the scene was left-footed. But Fogg is right-footed. “He is slightly different in height, and above all, his gait and mannerisms are completely different.”
If he had investigated on his own, Sherlock would have remained silent.
But she pretended she wasn’t and she liked showing off, and at the right time, there was a goldfish next to her showing her funny reaction, so she continued her explanation to Watson as if she was talking to herself.
Of course, Watson the goldfish’s reaction itself gave Holmes quite satisfaction.
If it weren’t for Watson’s next words, everything would have been fine.
“Amazing! Ah…. Come to think of it, I don’t know the name yet. That… “But he’s really amazing. As I said before, he’s just like Professor Moriarty!”
“… “What now?”
