The Crimson Fog by Paul Halter & John Pugmire (trans)

Author:Paul Halter & John Pugmire (trans) [Halter, Paul & Pugmire, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: detective, locked room, mystery, Sherlock Holmes rivals, SSC
ISBN: 9781491244234
Google: 7KpMnwEACAAJ
Amazon: 1491244232
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
Published: 2013-01-15T20:41:48.413000+00:00

14

Above the treetops, the baleful light of the moon turned everything pale. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and went round to the front of the house to knock on the main door. Hopkins opened it. Without uttering a word, he showed me into the lounge.

The assembled household looked at me as if I were a ghost, but not Superintendent Melvin, who regarded me with amusement.

Not feeling very proud of myself, I sat down on a chair with my head down and waited. The moment of the great discovery had arrived.

It was the superintendent who spoke:

‘Please raise your head, inspector, so that people can see you better.’

‘Inspector?’ exclaimed Luke in a strangled voice. ‘But I thought—.’

‘I think you ought to know him. He was born in Blackfield. Weren’t you, Inspector John Reed?’

There were exclamations from all sides:

‘John! Oh, John!’ exclaimed Rose.

‘John Reed. Well I’ll be damned,’ said the major, letting his pipe fall to the ground.

‘It was stupid of me not to have grasped the situation right away,’ continued the superintendent. ‘John had often spoken to me about Blackfield and the strange Morstan business, which he hoped to clear up one day. When I found out he’d been on holiday since the beginning of the week, I immediately made the connection with the mysterious Sidney Miles. John is one of our best detectives; you’ve probably read about his exploits in the newspapers. Not only does he rarely make an error in his deductions, but he’s very effective in the field. Quite often, in certain notorious areas of London, when a dangerous criminal needs to be taken from his lair, we have to disguise ourselves. There again, there’s no one better than John. And, on top of it all, he’s as agile as a monkey, and has no equal—.’

‘Thank you, chief. You’re too kind,’ I said, looking round the assembled household.

Rose seemed thrilled to bits, which didn’t sit well with her husband, who smiled grimly—apparently just as jealous as in the past. The major was torn between anger and pride. As for Eleanor and Nellie, it was impossible to guess their feelings.

‘What’s all this about, John,’ grumbled the major. ‘Why all the play-acting? To think I asked you to play the role of an inspector…. You must have been laughing inside.’

‘At the time of your brother’s murder, I was already thinking of going into the police. I wasn’t really interested in medicine. I’ve always loved mysteries, and a particularly perplexing one had happened right there in my village. I tried to carry out my own modest investigation at the time. Do you remember how many times I asked you questions, Rose?’

Rose nodded and smiled, under the wrathful eye of her husband.

‘My efforts were in vain, of course. My father died a few months later, and I never returned to Blackfield until now.’

‘I liked your father very much,’ said the major. ‘He would be proud of you, John, if he were still alive.’

I was moved by his words, and gave

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