The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (25 page)

‘Doctor Watson, it is good to see you again. I am glad you could come as this may interest you.’ Doctor O’Loughlin beckoned me to move closer to the examining table. I greeted him, ‘You remember Commodore Winter?’

The captain then introduced Futrelle and Miss Norton. O’Loughlin seemed perplexed by the presence of these two newcomers — especially the young woman — but said nothing.

‘Well then, back to work,’ said O’Loughlin. ‘Doctor Watson, I think you will agree that there is no doubt about how Mr Strickley died.’

Even from a distance, I could see the line of blood around the stoker’s throat. On closer examination, I saw that the wound was not deep. But there was a thin, red indentation that ran all the way around the neck. The colour of the face confirmed my conclusion.

‘This man was garrotted to death,’ I said.

‘Precisely,’ said O’Loughlin.

Holmes stepped forward to conduct his own examination. ‘Where was the body found?’

‘The kitchen staff found him in a sack in the potato store,’ Simpson interjected. ‘The poor chap’s foot was sticking out of the end of the sack. He...’ The young doctor was silenced by a disapproving look from the captain. ‘We believe he walked down the corridor with his killer, who somehow got him into the food storage area and did the deed.’

‘Did anyone see them walking together?’ Holmes asked.

‘No one we could find,’ the captain replied. ‘We are questioning the crew. Meanwhile, we are completely in the dark.’

‘Captain, I would like to examine the food storage area and the corridor from Strickley’s cabin.’

‘Certainly, Commodore. Mr Lightoller will assist you. And gentlemen, Miss Norton, I must remind you again, discretion is of the utmost importance. We are trying to keep the knowledge of this incident to ourselves.’

‘Of course,’ said Holmes. ‘We fully appreciate your many responsibilities as captain of this ship.’

I was relieved to see that the captain remained calm and in command of the situation, his mild outburst at breakfast being only a temporary indulgence. I had no doubt that this was a man who could remain strong and decisive through any ordeal.

But I found myself frustrated by our lack of progress in finding Miss Norton’s lost plans. And, beyond that, we were contending with
two unsolved murders and the aftermath of a political conspiracy. Yet, despite all this nefarious activity, I found my thoughts constantly returning to Miss Storm-Fleming’s dinner invitation. Why did she want to see me privately? Clearly, she knew more than she was telling. Did she have some information to convey about the plans, or one of the murders? I would soon find out.

T
HE
E
VENING OF
S
UNDAY
14 A
PRIL
1912

B
y seven o’clock the temperature on deck had dropped dramatically. It was nearly freezing, and most of the passengers had retired to the comfort of the ship below decks. Holmes, after assuring me that there was no more I could do this evening, had rushed off to continue the investigation on his own. After years of following Holmes’s methods, I knew that he could disappear for several hours — or days — and come back with amazing results. But I must confess, it always made me feel somewhat useless. In any case, we had arranged to meet at 11.30 in the smoking room. I would find out then whether or not he had made any progress.

I had time to spare before meeting Miss Storm-Fleming, so I wandered into the smoking room, which was on A Deck. There, I witnessed a most curious exchange between Captain Smith and Mr J Bruce Ismay. The two were engaged in what appeared to be a casual conversation. Having met Mr Ismay earlier, I decided that it would not be out of place to stroll up and pay my respects. The captain greeted me when I arrived.

‘Doctor Watson, good evening,’ he said cordially. ‘We were just chatting about the weather. Have you been on deck lately?’

‘Yes, just now. It certainly has taken a turn for the worse. Is this typical for this part of the Atlantic?’

‘It is fairly common. We are a fair distance to the north.’

‘But not to worry,’ said Ismay. ‘We are making very good time.’

I found this news far from pleasing, since time was our greatest impediment in recovering the plans.

Ismay then took a step towards me and looked about in all directions. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke in hushed tones.

‘Doctor Watson, I am glad we happened to meet this evening. I have not yet had the opportunity to thank you for your heroic efforts yesterday. Imagine, anarchists on board this ship! If it had not been for you and your companions...well, the outcome might have been disastrous.’

‘I must say, this voyage has been far more exciting than I had expected.’ Once again, my sense of humour got the better of me. ‘I realize that the White Star Line promises its passengers adventure, but I do not believe that this is what you had in mind.’

Ismay laughed politely. ‘No, certainly not. But I am also very glad to see that you are keeping your sense of humour after the ordeal you have been through. Have you recovered?’

I gave the question serious consideration. ‘Much to my surprise, I am feeling better than I have felt in months — perhaps even a trifle younger.’

Ismay seemed perplexed by my answer. But not the captain. There was a knowing look in the eyes of the old seaman.

‘In any event I would appreciate it if you would pass along my heartfelt thanks to your friends,’ said Ismay.

‘I will do that, sir.’

The captain echoed Ismay’s words of appreciation. He then turned
to his employer and abruptly changed the subject.

‘By the way, have you got that radio message which I gave you this afternoon?’

Ismay thought for a moment, then reached into his coat pocket. ‘Yes, here it is.’

Smith opened the folded piece of paper and read the message. ‘Thank you. I want to put it up in the officers’ chart room.’

‘Anything wrong, Captain?’ I asked.

‘No, no. Nothing really. There is just some ice ahead of us that we have to keep an eye on.’

He handed me the telegraph. It was from a ship called the
Baltic.
‘Have had moderate variable winds and clear fine weather since leaving. Greek steamer
Athinai
reports passing icebergs and a large quantity of field ice today in latitude forty-one, fifty-one North, longitude forty-nine, fifty-two West.’

I folded the message and returned it to the captain. ‘Is this anywhere near us?’

‘Nothing to worry about, Doctor. We will take all the standard precautions.’

I looked at my watch and discovered that there were only five minutes remaining before I was to meet Miss Storm-Fleming.

‘Please excuse me, gentlemen. I have an engagement in the restaurant.’

‘I will be there soon myself,’ said the captain. ‘The Wideners are honouring me with an invitation.’

‘It was a pleasure to see you again, Doctor Watson,’ said Ismay. ‘I hope the rest of the voyage will be a little more relaxing for you.’

I arrived to meet Miss Storm-Fleming five minutes late, taking pride in the fact that I was only slightly short of breath. Fortunately, she had not yet arrived and I had time to compose myself.

‘There you are! My apologies for my lateness.’

Miss Storm-Fleming was wearing the same red evening gown she had worn at our dinner party on Wednesday evening.

‘I must say that you are looking most delightful tonight.’

‘Thank you, Doctor Watson. But you have seen this old thing before.’ She smiled, then held out her arm. ‘Shall we find our table?’

Some distance away, I saw Moriarty standing next to the model of the
Titanic.
I was surprised to see that he was not dressed for dinner. The colonel was talking to one of the ship’s junior officers. He appeared to be excited about something, and from time to time looked away from the unfortunate young man and glanced about the room. Upon seeing Miss Storm-Fleming and me, he abruptly abandoned his conversation and stepped hurriedly in our direction.

‘Doctor Watson, Miss Fleming, have you seen the captain? I need to speak to him urgently.’

‘I saw him in the smoking room not ten minutes ago. Why, Colonel, what is the matter?’

‘A most annoying thing has just happened. Someone has broken into my cabin.’

‘What! Do you have any idea who may have done it?’

‘No, none at all. I had been out for a stroll on the deck and returned to my cabin to prepare for dinner. The door was unlocked, which surprised me since I was sure I had secured it before leaving. I assumed, at first, that a careless stewardess was responsible. But when I opened the door I discovered that the room was in complete disarray. The mattress was overturned and my clothing was scattered about.’

‘Was anything missing?’ asked Miss Storm-Fleming.

‘I do not think so. Apart from a little cash and some inexpensive jewelry, I keep all of my valuables in the ship’s safe. Everything seems to be there.’

‘I am very sorry, Colonel,’ said Miss Storm-Fleming. ‘You do not
expect that kind of thing to happen on a ship like this.’

Moriarty nodded, and it appeared for a moment that he was about to walk away. But instead he turned to me and spoke softly.

‘Pardon me for asking, Doctor, but I heard a rumour that Miss Norton’s cabin was broken into earlier in the voyage. Do you know anything about that?’

‘There was a burglary in Miss Norton’s cabin on Thursday night. The worst part of it is, the villains also broke into the adjoining cabin, where an old woman was sleeping. They tied her up, but she was not harmed.’

Moriarty raised his eyebrows, but Miss Storm-Fleming did not look surprised.

‘Villains? There was more than one intruder?’ Moriarty asked.

‘The captain investigated. It appears that two men were involved.’

‘And was anything taken?’

‘I do not believe so...nothing of importance, anyway.’

I had played poker long enough to know that I had some talent for bluffing. Moriarty appeared to believe me. He had said nothing about the break-in that took place in my cabin. Did he know? Had he, in fact, been the intruder? And was he being truthful about the burglary, or was his story intended as a red herring to divert suspicion from himself?

‘This is most peculiar, Doctor. I wonder whether there is any connection between the two incidents?’

‘I do not know... Tell me, Colonel, did anyone know that you would be away from your cabin?’

Moriarty thought for a moment. ‘No one that I know of... Although, I did run into our German friend, Baron Von Stern, on deck. He began talking about my late brother. He seemed to think that I should write a biography. While I have no interest in such a thing, I did not see any harm in discussing it. It passed the time as we strolled along the deck.’

‘How long were you together?’ asked Miss Storm-Fleming.

‘Perhaps half an hour. Why? Do you suspect the baron?’

‘Not at all,’ said Miss Storm-Fleming. ‘I just wondered whether someone might have seen the two of you and taken advantage of the opportunity.’

‘Well...if you will excuse me, Doctor, Miss Storm-Fleming, I must make my way to the smoking room to see the captain.’

‘He is expected here shortly,’ I said. ‘He has a dinner engagement.’

‘Then perhaps I will meet him on his way — thank you.’ He nodded to each of us as he left.

The dining room was already full of people, but the head steward had reserved a quiet table for us at one side of the room.

‘Doctor Watson, is it not shocking about the colonel? And your friend, Miss Norton! What
is
going on?’

‘I am sure I do not know... And you left out the small matter of a murder.’

‘Two murders, if my information is correct.’ She studied my reaction.

‘You have heard about Strickley, then?’

‘Is that his name? I just heard about a body being found down below. How did
you
find out about it?’

‘The captain asked me to help the ship’s surgeons perform the post-mortem.’

‘And I know something else – there was some kind of disturbance on deck last night after your mysterious disappearance. Passengers who tried to walk there were turned back by the crew — something about an electrical problem.’

Stunned by this admission, I decided to confront her.

‘Miss Storm-Fleming, just who are you? You are not an innocent widow, that is for certain.’

‘That may be true. But I am your friend, and I am in trouble. I have no idea whether they will believe my story about Bishop once we reach New York.’

‘I am not sure that I believe your story either...not that I think you killed Bishop. But I saw you from the squash-rackets court – you were not walking with Bishop, you were following him.’

Miss Storm-Fleming’s eyes were open wide and beginning to fill with tears. She put her hand on my arm.

‘I had personal reasons for following him... I cannot tell you about that now. But I need to know what is going on. You are in the middle of something, I can tell... I need to know that you are on my side, and that you will help to clear my name.’