The Final Tales Of Sherlock Holmes - Volume 4 by John A. Little

Author:John A. Little
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sherlock holmes, mystery, crime, british crime, sherlock holmes fiction, sherlock holmes novel
ISBN: 9781787051485
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2017
Published: 2017-06-07T00:00:00+00:00

Holmes pushed hard against one of them, to no effect. Then the glass appeared again, and he spent several minutes examining the pair and the plinths upon which they rested majestically, their yellow eyes staring blankly above the heads of the fascinated crowd.

‘Miaow, miaow,’ came from some wit at the back.

‘What are their names, eh? Holmes and Watson?’ This fatuous comment was uttered by a scruffy, well-known lackey from the Herald, a newspaper that made the Daily Mail read like the King James Version of the Bible.

‘That’s put the cats among the pigeon,’ shouted another wag.

‘It’s enough to make two cats laugh.’

Holmes ignored the crowd entirely.

‘How could they have been moved all the way over here?’ I asked Lestrade.

‘That is what we will have to find out,’ he replied. ‘Hopefully Mr Holmes ...?’

‘At least two strong people, with some sort of transportation,’ replied the man himself, standing up. ‘Each of whom was above average height, wearing brown leather gloves and grey trousers. Can we get rid of this mob, Lestrade? I wish to examine the street.’

Jasper produced his Scotland Yard badge of office and called out: ‘All right, that’s enough. Just move along now. Go to your homes. Else you will be had up for disturbing the peace.’

Most of the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving a few wide-eyed stragglers on the far side of the road.

Holmes sank onto his knees and stretched his body along the gutter, glass to eye, fingers spread over the ground, muttering to himself about dust and shoes and tyres.

‘But why go to all this trouble? That’s what I would like to know,’ I wondered aloud.

‘Presumably this is the miraculous trick of your intruder,’ Lestrade said. ‘He or she must be one of the two clowns who are responsible. Or it may be a warning of some kind. As Lily says, black cats do mean bad luck.’

Holmes sprang back up onto his feet and dusted down his trousers.

‘Damnation! Too many idle neer-do-wells hanging around to find out anything useful from the street itself. Lestrade, you can arrange for the two statues to be taken back to their rightful abode. Before that, I would like to see the entrance to the Carerras factory over in Mornington Crescent and speak to the nightwatchman. We can take the Underground. Watson, you do not need to come with me. I shall report back to you later on.’ Despite a faint regret that I would not be joining Holmes on his investigation, I must admit I was only too happy to avoid the dreaded twopenny tube and get back to the warmth and comfort of our sitting room, where I could anticipate my regular daily visit from Sherlock Junior.

‘These are for you, old friend.’

Holmes returned to our room in the early evening, waking me up from a fireside doze by placing a packet of Black Cat cigarettes gently upon my lap.

‘Get back, you bloody towelhead! Take that! What the blazes? Oh, thank you, Holmes. Most thoughtful. Hah! Black Cat, eh? Are they gone? Have you made any progress?’

‘The feline pair are now back in their rightful place.

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