87 – The Baker Street Trouble (3)
‘That’s fun.’
On the train returning to his home near Oxford, James Moriarty was lost in his thoughts, recalling his last conversation with Mycroft.
Like Holmes’ older brother, Mycroft Holmes was already prominent in the government despite his young age.
It was a big reason why politicians who received bribes found the right place to tip off, but he also knew that he was already intertwined with several British government intelligence agencies.
It was expected that he would soon take on the role of head or advisor to national investigative and intelligence agencies that would be officially established by the British government, so his former student was clearly one of the most important figures in the British government.
He is still limited to an advisory role due to his age, but considering the various information and materials Mycroft Holmes handles, the last words he added were bound to sound meaningful.
“Now that I think about it, Professor Moriarty, I have a rather interesting matter… “It was discovered in connection with the professor’s property.”
“My property?”
“It is an informal method in any case. I apologize if I was rude. Still, it’s quite interesting.”
“Can you tell me what it is, Mycroft?”
Microft calmly opened his mouth as he calmly downed the refreshments, as if he were having an everyday conversation. Of course, his gaze as he looked at Moriarty was shining as sharply as his own sister. It seems as if he will see through Moriarty’s intentions no matter what reaction he gives.
“Actually, Sherlock told me that he saw a rather interesting painting in your study.”
“A picture? Oh, I think you’re talking about a painting by Greuze. I had a hard time finding it because he’s an artist I personally like. It’s a shame, but it’s a fake. Of course, this would be natural in my situation. With a professor’s salary, the best you can do is decorate a fake to look like the real thing. Are you snobbish? “I’m sorry if I disappointed you.”
“… It’s a disappointment, it’s not. “Professor Moriarty, you are definitely the furthest thing from a snob than anyone else, aren’t you?”
There was silence for a moment. It lasted less than a second, but the silence was bound to be prolonged as both men observed each other.
“So? “What do you want to say?”
Moriarty opened her mouth. She was acting to look nervous. Of course, it was good to see how Mycroft received it. Showing things was sometimes important.
Mycroft calmly opened his mouth again to Professor Moriarty, who hid his nervousness, as if he had been caught by a book.
“Excuse me, please…” I discovered illegal tax evasion and wanted to tell you. It is well known among bankers in the City of London that you are a great investor. Still, I hope that you, as a public servant, will pay your taxes as faithfully as possible.”
“hahahaha…….”
Pretend to smile without any reason. And Moriarty answered, pretending to wipe his sweat as if she was secretly nervous.
“I’m sorry, Mycroft. Of course… I guess if you have money, everyone gets a little… You dream of a little deviation. Also, it probably won’t be a huge legal problem, right? “If Mr. Gladstone were to be held responsible for similar charges right away, wouldn’t we be able to hold him accountable?”
“Well, that’s right. “If it were to be a legal issue, it could be raised, but it was such an artificial tax evasion that it is difficult to even pursue it.”
“… Still, it’s a shame that something like this was discovered by my former student. “As a professor, I won’t do that again, I promise.”
“I believe in the professor’s morals and conscience. Actually, Sherlock is always trying to convince me of a hypothesis about the professor, but if it continues like this… “I can’t help but be suspicious.”
“Hypothesis…. It’s a hypothesis……. This is quite an interesting story since I am a mathematician by profession. Still… I can prove it… “It’s meaningless without it, isn’t it?”
“…… Yes that’s right. Then go in carefully, Professor. “I hope we have another pleasant meeting next time.”
“Me too, Mycroft. “Holmes, let’s sit together next time.”
It was an ordinary conversation.
But it was definitely an enjoyable conversation for Moriarty. As he organized his thoughts, he was certain of one thing.
All of this was a game between him and Holmes, and sooner or later a new horse would appear on Holmes’ side.
It felt a little late. However, it is safe to say that the fact that Mycroft Holmes dared to open his mouth to him meant that he had discovered at least some possibility in Holmes’ hypothesis.
Of course I didn’t feel like I was being cowardly. Because in order for his beloved student to fight against what he had created, he should have used any and all means.
From noble mtl dot com
Above all, Moriarty already had a close relationship with several people in the government, so he was part of the community.
Can Mycroft, who is trusted by the government and will soon become the government itself, be able to fully deal with this himself?
Unfortunately, many politicians and government officials will not want it.
‘Well, Holmes, I’m sure the boy will show his best.’
It was a game that Moriarty had no choice but to win anyway.
It was natural because he was a villain. Unfortunately, Holmes still seemed completely oblivious to it.
Unless the boy was a fool, he would have realized that he could at any time throw away his life for the sake of winning.
But will she be able to end her victory by miraculously destroying London and her own organization?
As a villain, all you have to do is run away. With his own brain and body, he could start over anywhere. Of course, no matter where I went, there was no longer any need to start from scratch.
In any case, if he was really cornered, he could just die.
Of course, this was only possible under the premise that he was a villain. In order to do that, Holmes, the child, had to prove the hypothesis first.
Moriarty, who returned to her mansion with such expectations, saw the faces of Holmes and Moran and couldn’t help but feel a slight migraine.
Without asking too much, I could tell because Moran and Holmes had already done similar things several times.
Fortunately, he had to be relieved that both his study and his personal study were safe this time.
“Both of them…” …. No, that’s enough.”
But she did not feel the need to stop her.
As long as her own space was safe, it would have been fun to watch the two people fight. Of course, Moriarty could not understand why those two girls continued to fight, which was not a fight full of life.
Of course, Moran’s fight to stop Holmes from secretly searching her mansion to find evidence of her was likely enough, but in Moriarty’s view, there was more to the emotional rift in the fight between the two than that. There was.
She didn’t think deeply. I didn’t feel the need for it and thought it was just a matter of not liking each other’s constitutions. It was probably a good thing for Moriarty himself.
Instead, Moriarty made a different suggestion.
“Holmes is having a hard time, so let me buy dinner tonight. “Prepare peonies and let’s go to London.”
“London… Is it, master?”
“Okay, there are a lot of good restaurants on Baker Street, so let’s go there. Holmes, that’s where you have to go sooner or later, right? “Did you say Wiggins, your contact person?”
“…… “Make sure you don’t turn down the invitation, sir.”
Holmes tried to answer calmly to the words of Professor Moriarty, who talked about matters related to her casually, as if everyone knew.
It was quite predictable. I knew from the beginning that that man controlled the huge network of poor people in London.
But it was a strange feeling. It had to be a plan that the villain might interfere with, but when he thought that he was always paying attention to him, he didn’t feel so bad.
Of course, it may have been because of that wolf secretly glaring at him from the side. Holmes casually laughed at Peony and returned to his room.
‘If anyone sees you, they’ll think you’re going out on a date.’
Moriarty, who was dressed in a normal suit and prepared to go out, looked at Moran and Holmes and only thought to herself.
No matter what they thought, there was no need to say it out loud.
I could understand the case of peonies. After realizing Moran’s feelings, he had been giving her some room to put it to good use.
Unlike usual, Moran was wearing an ordinary dress rather than a maid’s outfit. Except for the wolf ears exposed on her head and the tail visible out of her skirt, Moran was dressed in a flashy manner that would have made her look like a rich girl. The mood was broken by her uncontrollable joy and the wagging tail.
Although she was said to be a maid, Moriarty himself took good care of her salary, so it was not surprising that she had one or two clothes like that.
What was surprising was Holmes. Of course, I thought she would wear it the same as usual, but she was wearing an unusually ordinary dress.
Is there some strange competition between Peony and Gossip, gossiping with each other behind closed doors? Or, I thought it might just be a provocation towards Moriarty himself.
When I thought about it, that was more accurate. Holmes was mocking and provoking himself just by his appearance.
Indeed, thinking of her as a worthy adversary, Moriarty headed toward Baker Street with her two women.
Because it was originally famous as a wealthy village, it was also a place with many fancy restaurants.
