Sherlock Holmes and the Discarded Cigarette (6 page)

Chapter 18

 

While climbing back up the carpeted stairs to Holmes late afternoon lit parlor I had a chance to think about what he had alluded to with Wells. Seeing Holmes seated with his head casually buried in the paper...realizing he wasn't really reading but only waiting for me to ask the obvious question.

“Holmes” I started “are you seriously considering the fact that not only does Druitt have a working time machine, but that he is somehow employing it to make fairly good forgeries.” “If so” I continued “that would mean that he has the ability to travel back and forth in time.”

I was waiting for my friend to put the paper down and break out in raucous laughter revealing that he had played some elaborate joke on me. “Not back in time Watson but forward” I could tell by the seriousness of his look that this was not some joke after all.

“But how can you be sure?” I asked suddenly feeling the need to be seated. “Up until recently I had a number of separate of leads I could have followed that might have lead to finding out where these mysterious paintings have come from.”

One by one Holmes listed them “One” he said as he raised the first long finger of his hand...”Druitt being at the lecture then after questioning Wells about his at the time theoretical machine...two” and up went a second finger “Mr. Wells confiding in us that he had...again at the time a set of mechanical drawings for his machine”

“Three” and the ring finger of his hand went up “the sudden appearance of the forgeries which at the beginning may have had nothing to do with Druitt having a time machine, but with more and more painting showing up proves that he does have use of a time machine now.”

“Four” and all of the digits of his hand were up “the ex Mrs. Wells being seen in the company of Druitt and the apparent exchange of a copy of the mechanical drawing for a...what I would think was a considerable sum of money.”

Five” and with that all five digits of his hand were up and as if to prove his point he spread all five out slightly “here is where all the previous facts are connected to this last one Druitt suddenly taking leave of his lodgings for a trip to the continent. Along with the usual luggage he was seen carrying a very large roll of paper...which we fatefully have to assume Watson was copy of Wells mechanical drawings for his machine.”

“Well I certainly agree with you Holmes and Wells that Druitt has to be stopped before he does irreparable damage to the art world, but even given that he is using a machine of some size how do we begin to locate him, let alone stop him?”

Here Holmes gave me a smile of some confidence “with the help of the Baker Street Irregulars” he answered. Here I must stop and explain who Holmes had just made reference to.

Chapter 19

 

About five years ago Holmes had been asked to help solve a rash of shop lifting and pick pocketing. The fact that the Metropolitan Police could not find any clues or even suspects to these crimes they had asked Holmes to bring his powers of reason and deduction into play to halt this disturbing trend.

Holmes had learned a very long time ago that to catch a criminal you have to think like one a look like one. It didn't take too long in disguise to find out there was a band of young boys, who through sheer financial and social necessity had been forced to turn to a life of petty crime.

When they were apprehended by Holmes and he realized they were not hardened criminals Holmes seeing an opportunity offered them a much more pleasant alternative to prison or the work house. I remember Holmes telling me of the moment the Baker Street Irregulars coming into existence.

Standing among the boys Holmes offered them a future. His exact words to them were “Gentlemen a consulting detective such as myself can only be in one place at any time. I need to have eyes and ears everywhere to watch and report on criminals and any criminal behavior.

The number of and the average age of the Baker Street Irregulars depended on the financial situation each of the boys found themselves in. At its smallest there were only about five boys aged from ten to fifteen years of age. At its largest there could be as many as twenty boys aged from ten to seventeen years of age.

The unofficial leader of the Baker Street Irregulars at this time was a lad called Peter Stockton. “Watson” Holmes directed me “make arrangements through my usual means that Peter is contacted and comes to 221 Baker Street as soon as he can. We have no time to lose.”

When Peter was in our company Holmes gave him a newspaper picture of Druitt with instructions that the Baker Street Irregulars were not to approach him or have any contact with, but were to come back to Holmes or myself if they had any knowledge of Druitt's location.

With Holmes extended eyes and ears now roaming the streets of London I hoped that Druitt would soon be spotted. Each afternoon one of us would rise from where we were seated in Holmes parlor in hopes of seeing a young lad come to the front door telling us our quarry had been spotted.

Holmes was about to give up with his method of finding Druitt and formally hand the matter over to the Metropolitan Police when we heard a soft knocking downstairs late one afternoon on the front door and Mrs. Hudson's voice answering the knock with “coming .”

We heard the door open there was a brief exchange of words then we heard her say “Up the stairs and knock before entering.” We noticed that the carpeted stairs were barely being tread on as they were being ascended which left us wondering as to the nature of our caller and the urgency of the information they were bearing

This time we heard the knock on Holmes front door “Come in” was Holmes answer as we both rose to greet our afternoon visitor. Expecting to see some slight built man or women come through the door instead our visitor was a ten year old boy named Tom who was part of Holmes Baker Street Irregulars.

The boy removed his cap and went straight into his message “Mr. Holmes we (of course meaning some of the other members of the Baker Street Irregulars as well) think we have seen the man you have been looking for.”

Ignoring me for a moment Holmes lowered his form down to the lads' level and asked excitedly “Where did you see him?” “Well sir” young Tom said as if to correct himself “we saw a man who looked like him and he was seen driving a team of Clydesdale horses pulling a large pulling a large wagon on Garret lane.

“What time was this?” Holmes asked the lad with the same enthusiasm a blood hound has when it picks up the scent of the prey. “Well it was early...about five o'clock in the morning or so we wanted to get to the bakery in time to see if they had any day old bread to give away”

Holmes cringed slightly when hearing about such needless poverty and I knew because of this that the Baker Street Irregulars would be paid well for this important lead.

When he straightened again he went to the mantle where he kept a loose collection of coins, scooping them up he placed the collection in Toms small hands. Looking at the bounty that he just received all the lad could muster was “thank you”.

“This reward is for you and the rest of the Irregulars for your excellent work. When you get back instruct Peter and the rest to continue to keep the man you have seen under continued surveillance. You are not to let him know he is being watched, but let me know if you have information as to his where about and any further activities.”

Chapter 20

 

When Tom had left to bring back the bounty he had received to the rest of the Baker Street Irregulars Holmes asked me “Watson what do we know about the area surrounding Garrett Lane and summers town Road in Camden town.”

I had to think a moment then remembering some of the work injury related patients who had come into hospital from that area. Closing my eyes and seeing the patients being off loaded by stretcher bearers from the ambulances and being taken into the hospital for care I recited from memory “shops, tanneries maybe an iron foundry and a few ware houses.

With that last bit of information Holmes eyes just lit up then with the joy any criminal might have when picking and opening a particularly challenging lock. In a broad gesture of his hands he asked me “Watson where would be the best place to store and operate a time machine from?” Hoping I was on the same trail that he was I guessed “A ware house?”

“Indeed...not only is it a convenient place to hide the machine and keep it away from prying eyes but also a very convenient and practical place to store original and forged works of art.

Over the next several days Holmes and I visited each the ware houses located in the area surrounding Garrett Lane and Summers town Road. Each in turn was removed from the list of possible hiding places because they were either occupied in some way, were too small and not suitable or were in a bad state of repair.

Except for the few which were employed and exhibited clues of their function, such as horse shoe prints and wagon wheel tracks most looked like they had not seen any use in sometime..

Chapter 21

 

It was our last place to visit that both Holmes and myself hoped our fortune would change. Burke & Wills Removals and Storage (proclaimed the faded ornate red letters painted across a pair of wide wooden vertically hung folding doors) had been located at the junction of Garrett Lane and Summers town Road in Camden town for some time.

When we first walked around we thought because of its state it too had been abandoned, it was Homes that first noticed that it was still in use. “Look Watson faint horse shoe and wagon wheel tracks leading into the ware house.”

I admit when I looked at the clues Holmes was pointing to I couldn't see any evidence, but when I shifted slightly to the right I could see what Holmes had spied.

“Now Watson it's time to find out who is making use of this ware house and why.” “I see there is an workman's entrance set in one of the vertical doors” knowing that I did not like to step out side the law he assured me “if you wish to remain outside while I enter you can keep watch and let me know if any one approaches.”

But knowing I was as curious as he was as to what might be inside I followed after him. Our progress to enter was only momentarily halted by the fact that the entry door was pad locked. Not even bothered by this inconvenience Holmes reached into one of his inner pockets of his coat and produced a set of fine set of lock picking tools.

Chapter 22

 

I should pause here for a moment to let the reader know that I found some of Holmes actions to be wrong such as his willingness to bend the truth and break the law (such as lie to the police, conceal evidence, burgle and house break) when it suited his purposes.

In these (Victorian) times, such actions were not necessarily considered vices as long as they were done by a gentleman for noble purposes, such as preserving a woman's honor or a family's reputation, or bringing a man like Montague John Druitt to justice.

I watched in fascination as Holmes manipulated the two fine picks inside the lock then watched and heard as the hasp dropped away from the body of the lock. We removed the lock, opened the door and quickly made our way into the ware house.

There was just enough light coming in from the over head weather stained sky lights which meant Holmes and I would not have unnecessarily attract any attention to our business by lighting a coal oil lamp.

As we walked around about the only things we observed would be the same sorts of things that would be seen in other ware houses. There were small and large wooden packing crates every where some by them selves and others stacked on top and beside each other. We had walked all around the perimeter of the building and now found ourselves some where in the middle.

I was beginning to think we had lost our last hope and was ready to share this thought with Holmes when he asked me a curious question “Watson do you happen to notice anything in particular about where we are standing right now?” The only obvious observation I could make was that we were standing on a packed earth floor.

Then pointing all around he said “It is an odd thing that this ware house has packing crates of all manner and description stored everywhere but look at the size of the area we are standing is bereft of crates.”

When Holmes paced out the dimensions of the area in question it was roughly about five feet in width and about fifteen feet in length. “You don't suppose?” I started then crouching down Holmes lightly touched what look like to be the impressions of two long pieces of pipe about five feet apart. Holmes looked up at me and replied “I believe it is.”

Still not ready to accept the fact we had found evidence of the time machine I tried to make reason of what Holmes had found by saying that the impressions were nothing more than the results of two long lengths of pipe that had been stored there for some time.

Holmes now himself a little doubtful about the apparent evidence got up and went to where the back or front of the machine would be bent down and dusted for what I thought were more impressions of the machines existence.

Getting up again then coming back to me he said a well proven statement “Watson again when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

“We have found where Wells time machine is being operated from,” as if to back up this incredible find Holmes then produced yet another discarded cigarette from the packed earth floor with the flair of a sleight of hand artist “this I believe will be prove to be the same brand of cigarette I found in Druitt's rooms if it matches the one I already have then all that will be left is for us is to apprehend the man who has lit and smoked both cigarettes.

Leaving the ware house and locking the workman's entrance then walking back to where we could find a hansom cab Holmes and I starting making plans to go back to the ware house very early the next morning and wait for Druitt's return.