Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Jeweled Falcon and Other Stories by Gregg Rosenquist

Author:Gregg Rosenquist
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Victorian England, crime, murder, pastiche, traditional, canonical, ancient priceless statue, musical compositions, violin, 8th Earl of Rendlesham, riddle, kidnapping, burglaries, blackmail, trap, HG Wells
ISBN: 9781804240007
Publisher: Andrews UK
Published: 2022-04-07T00:00:00+00:00

The Adventure of Stonehenge in London

Holmes and Watson stumble upon a strange structure on the roof of a mansion in London, and somehow it relates to the missing 8th Earl of Rendlesham.

With the recent passing of the 9th Earl of Rendlesham, I am confident I can finally document a strange case that Holmes and I tackled early on in our careers as crime fighters. As the principles involved are now no longer with us, I see little harm in publicly addressing the case and revealing some of the sensitive secrets of Rendlesham.

In mid-1885, at about half past noon on a cloudy Monday afternoon, Holmes and I were summoned to the great mansion of Proudsmarch by Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard.

Proudsmarch was one of the tallest structures in London proper. Starting out as a modest castle dwelling for the 1st Earl of Rendlesham when he visited London, over the centuries its gothic architecture had been added to so that it resembled more a giant Frankensteinian church than a mansion. It had wings reaching out, pointing this way and that in no logical measure. It was rumored to have twenty-eight bedrooms, twelve bathrooms and a dungeon. Weird angles and strange shaped corners added a rather sharp feeling to the whole of the large structure but the height of it took my breath away. It was hard to believe that any form of human ingenuity could devise of such a thing. Holmes and I constantly traded quips about its odd presence whenever we passed Proudsmarch so it was a great day to be able to visit and see what it looked like inside. But the circumstance of our visit was a dire one.

The 8th Earl of Rendlesham had gone missing.

When we arrived, we found Lestrade waiting outside its gate.

“I’m glad you could come, Mr. Holmes,” Lestrade greeted.

“I hope I can be of service to the Yard, Inspector,” Holmes countered and shook his hand.

“We’ve been at this two days,” Lestrade began. “We’re flummoxed. I think we’ve gone as far as we can. We’ve interviewed the help as well as the people of the surrounding neighborhood and came up with nothing. We need your services desperately.”

“I understand, Inspector.”

Lestrade cleared his throat. “Two days ago, the 8th Earl of Rendlesham, Lord Riverworth, disappeared. He’s an old man and was bed ridden with consumption but somehow he left the building and is now missing.”

“Why wasn’t he at his dwelling in Rendlesham?” Holmes asked.

“He preferred living here at Proudsmarch. Apparently, he loved residing in London. His butler told me he thought passing his final days in the castle in Rendlesham was dark, cold and gloomy. Too depressing. The 9th Earl currently lives there but is on his way here.”

Holmes nodded. “Good. I will need to talk to him. Is there anything else I should know before I begin my investigation?”

“You are familiar with the missing seven Earls of Rendlesham?” Lestrade asked.

“Yes, of course,” Holmes answered.

“I’m not!” I protested, demanding an explanation.

Holmes turned towards me. “A strange thing occurs to every Earl of Rendlesham at the end of their lives, Watson.

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