Doctor Watson's Casebook by Patrick Mercer

Author:Patrick Mercer [Mercer, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery, Historical, Thriller & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Genre Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense
Amazon: B00HDT35TO
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Published: 2013-12-15T11:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six, Realisation.

That cut across the shoulder sent my mind reeling back, reeling back to when the same shoulder had last been swollen and aching. By the time I got back to 221b, my neck and collar bone were sore as hell and my face a blotchy bruise, but otherwise I was sound. Well, sound in body, but my mind was absolutely elsewhere. As Bowler rattled me back to my lodgings the wheels were cushioned by the horse dung on the road for most of the time, but whenever an iron tyre ground on grit or tarmacadam, I jumped off my seat, sick with pain. I got out and thanked him, but in as abject a state of nervousness as I could remember, whilst every detail of that monstrousness in the desert pricked my mind. Why, even as I put my foot on the metal rung and prepared to step down, a hundred screaming fanatics seemed to bear down upon me, hoots and yells filling the air. I expected more pain, blood and destruction at the hands of bhang-crazy Ghazis, only to find myself in the midst of a crocodile of ten year olds from Saint Botolph's all chanting their catechism whilst on the way to the swimming baths. Damn me, I was in a state, so I scuttled past Mrs Hudson, slammed my door shut, ripped off most of my clothes and dragged the top sheet and pillow over my head. I was exhausted. Exhausted by the pain, exhausted by the humiliation, exhausted by having to cudgel my brain with Bowler and Alyisha - but mercifully this didn't stop me from sleeping.

Even then though, my sleep held demons. Every time I moved I dreamt that another bullet had thumped into my shoulder blade and this set me off twitching and dodging in my dream world so that I got little, proper rest. Finally, Ayoob Khan's guns were hammering so hard in my ears that I woke, twisting as I jerked upright, letting out a little cry of pain as the bombardment turned out to be only a salvo of knocks on the door.

"Sir, Doctor Watson, sir, can you hear me? Are you alright?" I wrapped the coverlet around me and stumbled across to the room to let Mrs Hudson in. Now, I'd like to say that there was the light of concern in her eyes and, in her own chilly way, `I suppose there was, but she was so used to seeing me like this, she was so used to visits from the blackest of black dogs, that she'd become inured. "Oh, you've taken-one-on have you sir?" she recognised the symptoms and knew the cure. "Right, I'll just close your curtains and let you get some rest. I'll tell Mister Holmes not to disturb you and unless you call, I'll only be back when I've got your breakfast tray." She walked over to the window, closed out the night and in the darkness I could just see her running a stern eye over me, rather as she might a scullery maid with her monthlies.

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