Detective Bennet [Comprehensive novel]

Doubt?

Certainly not.

Sherlock agrees with Kelsey very much.

Not only because of Kelsey's appreciation and affirmation of him, but also because of Kelsey's blunt statement of "I am the best in my heart" self-confidence, which made his dear Jerry seem to be coated with a layer of light.

No one thinks they are the best.

Every time Sherlock looks in the mirror, he sees a nearly perfect person in the mirror.

He is sharp and intelligent (there is no doubt about it), cold and calm (in fact, he is superb in acting), humorous (unfortunately, he has not had much time to be perceived by outsiders), and has a strong will (he has the awareness of not being afraid of falling into the abyss).

However, Sherlock only showed a smile, restrained and low-key without excessive boasting.At the moment, he only expressed affirmation to Kelsey succinctly, "Yes, you are very correct, I have no doubts and fully agree."

Just agree.

Kelsey's praise ended perfectly in Sherlock's approval.

At this time, in the early morning hours of London, there were only sporadic carriage wheels rolling on the streets.Just like the calm and windless sea, the waves are calm.

But anyone who has been out to sea knows that there are undercurrents and turbulent currents under the calm sea surface, and it is unknown when a stormy sea will engulf people.

Like Lestrade, about to be swallowed up by endless investigations.

A dismembered body was found at the Velic derelict house.After autopsy, the unknown lady died of arsenic poisoning and was cut into several pieces after death.

Judging from the knife skills, the dismemberment criminal has no medical background.The incision is not smooth, and it takes two or three cuts to break off a piece of flesh and blood.

In this way, it is impossible to determine the age, gender and occupation of the murderer. He may be any adult who can hold a kitchen knife.

Taking into account the characteristics of the place where the body was thrown out, and the production time of the candy wrappers placed on the site.Both the murderer and the deceased may be related to the residents who were demolished by the subway more than 20 years ago.

In the past half a month, Lestrade has been tracing the traces of the residents who moved out more than 20 years ago.

Don't ask if there is any result.

Asking is like looking for a needle in a haystack and getting nothing.

The newspapers kept urging:

"Question, when will Inspector L solve the case?" ", "Gamble, at the time when the next lump of bird droppings will fall, Detective L will be about to solve the case", "From the shadow of the past drawn from the dismemberment case, Detective L called on the old residents to provide clues for the demolition of Baker Street".

All right.Not all media are useless.

Some newspapers published notices of assistance in the investigation, looking for residents near the abandoned houses more than 20 years ago.Those people are asked to come to Scotland Yard to provide one or two clues if they have any clues after seeing the news.

The bad news is that so far there hasn't been a single useful thread.

"Inspector, here comes Mr. Holmes."

Agent Carter knocked on the office door and sighed for two seconds for the Inspector.

Lestrade had just inspected from outside, and the chair was still warm. I wonder if Sherlock will let him set off immediately to investigate elsewhere.

As soon as he heard the knock on the door, Lestrade immediately changed from lying corpse to sitting upright.

The detectives of Scotland Yard, even if they did not find a clue, would never show fatigue in front of the devil.

Lestrade said immediately, "Mr. Holmes, it has been almost half a month since the body of the unknown woman was dug up. Do you have any clues about her identity? Just like in the past, apply some kind of magic, and you will be able to find out soon." What."

Lestrade didn't know which answer to expect.From the detective's point of view, of course I hope to have clues; from a personal point of view, I also hope that the devil can be deflated.

No matter whether he answered affirmatively or negatively, facing Sherlock who was sitting across the desk, he couldn't choose the correct option from this usually stern expression.

very good.Lestrade comforted himself, he was still the detective who couldn't understand the devil, and he was not polluted by devil thinking at all.

And he couldn't help silently slandering why devils can only rely on their eyes and expressions to communicate with each other. Does he really want to ask this science aloud?

Sherlock had a panoramic view of Lestrade's expression, and immediately guessed what he wanted to watch and what he was slandering.

Who said face-reading communication is unscientific?He can give examples of people who are proficient in this skill.Even without Kelsey, Mycroft was pretty good at it.

At that moment, Sherlock pointed out that Lestrade had adjusted his sitting posture on purpose, and he also spoke in a tone of consideration for him.

"Inspector, if you are tired, you might as well relax your body a little bit. We are all familiar with it, you can be more casual, and there is no need to force yourself to sit upright."

Lestrade: Ahhh!The image he worked so hard to maintain was shattered.Sherlock's words can't be regarded as friendly, there is really no need to point them out on purpose!

Lestrade tried to smile, and began to wonder whether the devil's ability to read faces was not what he knew, but clairvoyance?Sherlock looked through the wall before entering the door, and saw him slumped on a chair?

Sherlock swept Lestrade's sleeves, and the Inspector forgot to smooth out the creases, and showed clearly what he had just done.He couldn't bear to point out the details one by one, for fear of hitting people hard and finding no one to check the information.

Simply, Lestrade learned to change the subject:

"Thank you for your concern, let's focus on the facts of the case. By the way, have you made any breakthrough discoveries?"

Sherlock answered logically, "Of course, otherwise why would I come to Scotland Yard? Did I come to visit you specifically?"

"Lin's Medical Center."

Sherlock directly reported this important address, and found that Lestrade's eyes were confused, and he failed to hide the fact that he knew nothing about it.

"You should have the impression that after the autopsy, I pointed out some investigation directions. Please expand your search. These include hospitals. The victim has repeated bone injuries in front of him, and he always needs to see a doctor for injuries."

Sherlock directly pointed out that Scotland Yard's work efficiency is too low, "The victim's condition is considered special, and the doctor who treated her will have an impression to some extent, but you and your staff are too slow to find out."

"right."

Lestrade remembered to investigate the hospital, and he told Carter to investigate every hospital.

"According to the victim's financial conditions, it is impossible for her to go to an expensive hospital. I asked Carter to use this to screen. I have investigated [-] medical centers, but I haven't found any for the time being."

Lestrade didn't expect Carter to find clues anytime soon.

With Scotland Yard's shortage of police force, it would take at least several months for Carter and others to visit all eligible medical clinics in London, not to mention that many medical clinics have no case files.

It has only been more than 20 years since the United Kingdom began to regulate the medical system and legislate it.

Even the evaluation of doctors' professional qualifications has not yet been perfected, not to mention that there is no uniform standard for filing cases.Larger hospitals may have backups, but corner clinics can't be expected to remember patients from years ago.

"Mr. Holmes, I do not think it has anything to do with the speed of Scotland Yard's investigation."

Lestrade didn't think that Carter and the others were being lazy, and it was probably luck for Sherlock to find the clue. "There are too many corner clinics and pharmacies in London. No doubt you are in luck this time."

"Luck?" Sherlock didn't deny that there was an element of luck, but it was more about his thinking. "Inspector, you should realize that only the well-prepared can seize luck."

Sherlock immediately asked, "Have your subordinates investigated the Chinese medicine clinic? If they did, did they fully seek evidence from the Chinese medicine clinic? Did they only ask "15 years ago, did you receive medical treatment?" Have you ever had a paralyzed patient?" The answer was "No treatment" and he left. "

Lestrade's face stiffened, for Sherlock was right.He was also curious, "If you don't leave in that situation, what should you do?"

"Of course it is to try to shorten the length of the investigation."

Unlike Lestrade, Sherlock never foolishly thought that he alone could search all London medical clinics in a short period of time, and had to find other ways. "Inspector, you must have never personally experienced the wonder of bone setting in traditional Chinese medicine."

ha?

Lestrade was at a loss. This sentence has no beginning and no end. Could it be possible to find clues through experience.

Sherlock briefly stated that he sent a new client, Mrs. Hudson, in for a cast.

When I arrived at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center, I noticed one thing keenly—Chinese medicine practitioners in London have a lot of private communication activities, and they will gather from time to time for a few case debates, and most of them have the habit of recording medical records.

"The victim's legs and leg bones were repeatedly injured, and it is very likely to find an osteopath. Cases like hers may also appear in the exchange meeting."

Sherlock said a good way to shorten the investigation, "The efficiency of finding clues in the exchange meeting is much faster than running from hospital to hospital."

"You're not joking?" Lestrade couldn't believe it. "This kind of gathering is completely an internal communication. How could you invite Scotland Yard's agents?"

"It's actually not difficult."

Sherlock pointed out three fingers: "First of all, you have to be sincere and know some Chinese. Secondly, you have to have professional knowledge, and you have to know some medical skills. Finally, you have to be patient and participate in one game after another without feeling boring. "

Lestrade suddenly became very confident, not because he was confident that he could participate in the exchange meeting, but because he was very confident that he could give a standard answer.

"I can give you a 100% sure answer this time - I can't go, and all abilities are blocked at the first step of learning a foreign language. Mr. Holmes, your standard of not being difficult is wrong."

Sherlock blinked, sorry, he subconsciously gave the standard Kelsey agreed with.And there are too few people who pursue endless learning like them.

The sales volume of "Adventures in the Alps" in continental Europe is booming, and everyone knows that it is because of Mr. Tang who cracked the mechanism that they finally escaped.

Of course he needs to learn some Hua Guo dialect, who knows if it will be used in the next crisis.Don't be embarrassed if there are relevant reminders at that time, but you don't understand it.

Skipping these specific investigations, Sherlock said that in less than ten days, he went through layers of referrals, and finally found Lin's Medical Center.

"15 years ago, Lin's Medical Center admitted a paralyzed patient. The age, gender, and condition of the patient Megan were all consistent with the victim."

According to medical records, Meghan was paralyzed with a broken spine after an accidental fall from a staircase.

Because of the urgent medical treatment, she lost her voice after taking folk remedies, and her daughter Nancy reported all related illnesses.

His throat was injured, but the autopsy didn't find anything.

Since the deceased was decapitated, the head was boiled to remove the flesh.All the organs and tissues in the vocal part of the neck and mouth were lost, and the condition of her throat could not be determined.

Besides, the doctor who treated Megan was old and returned home. Fortunately, his apprentice still remembered some old things.

Megan is a widow with only daughter Nancy.At that time, Nancy was about 16 years old, and the mother and daughter were not in a good financial situation, but they had to go to the hospital many times.

Nancy can't afford another caregiver, and Meghan is mentally unstable.

From time to time, she wanted to get out of bed while her daughter was out at work. Even if she tied her up, there would always be omissions, resulting in repeated bone injuries.

"The old doctor's medical skills are superb. Under Megan's repeated tossing, she can still make her legs look normal. The medical center also taught Nancy some massage techniques, which are specifically aimed at preventing muscle atrophy."

Sherlock pointed out that this is consistent with the autopsy. "Obviously, Nancy should have been carefully cared for. At the autopsy, Meghan's leg was in good condition and did not shrink."

After listening to it, Lestrade felt that the word Megan sounded familiar.

"I recall that you visited Baker Street before, and recorded that some parents and children had a very good relationship. Among them was a pair of mother and daughter, and the widow Megan lived with her daughter. Oh! This is a match."

"Congratulations, you finally came to your senses. I thought you forgot that hasty stroke."

Sherlock came to Scotland Yard to find out Nancy's whereabouts. "20 years ago, Meghan and her daughter left Baker Street due to demolition and rented a house elsewhere. 15 years ago, they went to Lin's Medical Center for treatment. According to records, they lived near the hospital at the time, but they moved out after living there for a year."

It is still not 100% sure that the unknown female corpse is Megan.

Only the skeleton remains of the female corpse's head, and no one else can identify it until the facial image is restored.Also, Nancy must be confirmed whether her mother is missing.

"It was not easy to find Nancy. I have already asked the residents around the hospital. In the past 14 years, no one knew about Nancy's movements."

Sherlock gave two options, "First investigate the family members who reported the disappearance four or five years ago. In addition, you can consider publishing the newspaper to find someone, but you must be careful."

Lestrade nodded. This is a dismemberment case, and the murderer and Meghan's mother and daughter are likely to have a deep hatred.

Newspapers have reported the news of the discovery of body parts in the abandoned house, and now it is pointed out that the body of the unknown woman is most likely Megan. It is hard to say whether Nancy will be targeted by the murderer.

"Then I'll start with the informant first, but I can't have too much hope. There are too many people who are not used to looking for Scotland Yard, but are used to looking for private investigators."

Lestrade called Carter to ask him to rummage carefully, and looked at Sherlock who had not yet left, "Mr. Holmes, do you have any instructions? Do you want to go to the archives together to help?"

Sherlock looked at the sky, "Please follow me to Montague Street. The message left by Mr. Bennet, the portrait will be available at seven o'clock tonight. You can take it back and make a few more copies, so that you can find the deceased according to the picture. .”

Kelsey took over the task of reshaping the appearance of the skull, but did not stop the work he had taken over before, assisting the foundation in investigating the use of orphanages, girls' schools, etc.

Sherlock has been investigating outside again.Even though they live only one street apart, the time when the two return home is uncertain, and they cannot exchange news at any time.

You can only leave a letter and make an appointment.

Night, seven o'clock sharp.

Kelsey heard a knock on the door on time.

"Good evening, both of you."

Kelsey opened the door. "The heads you want are in the living room."

Before Lestrade could point out Kelsey's ambiguity, he took a deep breath as soon as he entered.

At the end of October, it gets dark early.

The kerosene lamp in the living room was dim.Three lifelike human heads, wearing wigs, are fixed on the stand.It looked like three half-dead people, with empty eye sockets, all staring at the door.

You can almost imagine that scene.

In case someone comes uninvited, after prying open the door in the middle of the night, facing the three heads, the stimulation will cause the heart to stop suddenly.

Kelsey smiled and asked, "Detective, are you satisfied with what you see?"

Lestrade: He suspects that the two devils are deliberately trying to trap him, but there is no evidence.

Lestrade pretended to be calm, and pointed to the eyes of the three heads, "The heads have eyebrows, eye sockets, and eyelashes, why don't they have eyeballs?"

Sherlock's voice sounded behind Lestrade.

His tone was faint, "Inspector, haven't you heard the legend of the finishing touch in the East?"