A Criminal Carol by Claire Daines

Author:Claire Daines
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sherlock Holmes, mystery, crime, british crime, sherlock holmes novels, sherlock holmes short fiction
ISBN: 9781780929606
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2016
Published: 2016-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

Future Concerns

Moriarty looked about him for the Ghost of Christmas Present as the invisible clock began to strike twelve, and was grimly pleased to see that the Spirit had vanished - and not before time, either!

It hadn’t taken him long after Professor Beckett’s departure to decide that if three spirits were determined to pay him a visit, even the most devout priest wouldn’t delay them forever; he might as well simply get it over with. The first Ghost had been the dullest of the three thus far: Moriarty had absolutely no interest in reviewing his past, everything of importance already catalogued in his memory. Besides, the sanctimonious little prig changing form all the time was, to Moriarty’s way of thinking, merely showing off - you couldn’t tell him that a being that powerful couldn’t choose a single shape and keep it if it wanted to!

He’d been slightly more interested in seeing the present, thinking that a different perspective of his empire or of Holmes might be helpful, but he had been sadly disappointed in that, too. The second Ghost had been revoltingly cheerful when it first appeared, and laughed far more heartily than any sane person ought. And the visions he’d been shown... did the Spirit honestly think that Moriarty’s time on earth had been wasted? His donations to charity, his efforts to encourage reforms within society - ones that would actually work! - and he had always done his best to ensure that his employees and their families were provided for: fed, clothed, sheltered, even educated. If Holmes would only allow himself to see the harm that would ultimately be done by destroying Moriarty’s network, perhaps they could have reached a compromise. As for the means used to achieve said ends, that was ultimately between Moriarty and whatever Judgement awaited him after death.

Well, only one Spirit left now, thank God. Lifting up his eyes as the last stroke of twelve ceased to vibrate, Moriarty beheld a solemn phantom drifting towards him, dressed in a hooded black robe so that all he could see was one thin, almost skeletal hand.

“Good evening,” Moriarty greeted politely, as he had done with the other two, resisting the urge to carp by saying ‘Good morning’, which it most likely was. Moran would be pleased: Moriarty intended to spend most of Christmas Day in bed after this. “The Ghost of the Future, I presume?”

The folds of the Spirit’s hood contracted for a moment, as if it had nodded, but said nothing.

“Well, lead on, then.” He heartily wished that the Ghosts could have dispensed with all the melodrama, but at least this one seemed to be a Spirit of few words.

The phantom turned silently and drifted away, with Moriarty following, the Spirit’s shadow almost seeming to carry him along in its wake. He had to admit, this spectre intrigued him far more than any other he’d seen. What kind of world would it show him?

***

“All that I have to say has already crossed your mind.” Two men sat facing each other in an unfamiliar sitting room.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.