I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Brighton's summer breeze is a gift from the blue ocean, blowing slowly with the singing of seagulls, letting all the anxiety and boredom go away with the wind, and everyone's face is full of comfortable laziness.

Peixiang and Mycroft were walking on the pebbled beach. This was the second morning they visited Sidott's mansion.

"Sherlock left yesterday afternoon. It is said that he is going back to London for business and will return in a few days."

Mycroft helped Pei Xiang tidy up the ribbon on the hat that was blown away by the wind, with a smile on his face:

"It seems that your estimate of the three days is not quite accurate. Sherlock did not associate Mr. Green and Mycroft."

Pei Xiang is not willing to admit defeat, and she is full of confidence in the future consulting detective:

"Mike, it's too early to say these things, maybe early tomorrow morning, Sherlock will show up with a surprise."

"I hope so," Mycroft pretended to nod sincerely, "but I am also full of confidence in my performance, Doris, are you partial to Sherlock?"

"That's obvious, my dear Mr. Holmes. For the past two years, Sherlock has been Klaus's most sincere and kind-hearted friend."

This topic obviously did not interest Mycroft, and he changed the subject calmly:

"We all guess, Doris, that Leon Sydot left no record books abroad, but has some important information firmly in his mind, and returned to England with a scandal that could prove it. Then, in order to prove our conjecture, should we do something to expose the cunning Sir Sydotte?"

Sure enough, Pei Xiang was distracted, or rather, she liked to indulge Mycroft's "narrow-mindedness", so she followed his new topic to discuss.

"When I was admiring those collections yesterday, I was thinking that Sidot has wandered around the European continent for so many years. It is impossible to recall everything he knows clearly. It must be recorded in some form. , as a reminder. For example, if there is a scandal that happened 15 years ago and it still has bad influence, Sidot must always remember it if he wants to successfully threaten the person involved through this scandal. cause and effect."

Mycroft and Pei Xiang had the same idea, so he went on to say:

"Well, the time, place, cause, and the people involved, what they said, and how the evidence he possessed is to the point. In the whole context, there may be very small things involved. Once you remember wrongly or get it wrong If he is mixed up, his threat will be greatly reduced. If there is only one thing, it is indeed very easy to be firmly remembered. However, he is in the luxurious and noisy romantic circle every day, and has seen too many ridiculous things , and very greedy, wanting to hold many handles in his hands. Therefore, he has to find a way, as an auxiliary means, to help him grasp everything accurately."

Pei Xiang glanced sideways at the man beside him: "Mike, I know you have an excellent memory. Can you remember many long-standing details without any written records or auxiliary means?"

Mycroft didn't hesitate much, and nodded slightly: "As long as it is meaningful to me, I can remember it clearly."

Pei Xiang sighed enviously, and then continued to analyze the behavior of ordinary people:

"Sidot may have recorded it in words, but that method is not very reliable, because it may be lost at any time, or found and destroyed by some people. In that case, he will lose his source of wealth and life-saving talisman. 'Efforts' will be ruined. If I were Sidot, I would definitely try to find a more perfect means of secrecy."

"You're not Sydotte, my dear," muttered Mycroft disapprovingly.

Pei Xiang touched his finger with a smile, and continued:

"You told me earlier that Sidot painted day and night before returning to England, and then, before anyone saw his work, let a merciless fire destroy his work during that time. I probably guessed that Sidot should rely on his excellent graphic memory talent to draw all the events recorded in writing, and then remember them in his mind. When he confirmed that he would not forget, he put Those written records were burned along with the drawings."

"Yes, I also have this guess." Mycroft nodded, his eyebrows stretched because of the intimate gestures of the people around him.

"Doris, since accepting this task, I have been thinking about Sidot's experience and personality, and I have come to the same reasoning conclusion as you. I think that his serious illness was probably caused by forcefully remembering There are too many things, and I exhausted my energy for a while, and then I fell ill."

Pei Xiang took a deep breath: "Then, now let's go back to the question you raised at the beginning, that is, we have to find a way to prove that your and my inferences are correct. As long as it is confirmed that Sidot did not leave written records in Europe On the mainland, at the same time, those physical evidences are hidden by his side, so he has no threat."

Mycroft smiled slightly, and his tone was affirmative: "Doris, you have a solution."

"I guess, you have a solution, otherwise you wouldn't let me participate. Those subordinates of yours really lack some progress in disguise and acting."

"No, dear, please get involved. Not only do you need your disguise and acting skills, but I also need your reasoning and conclusions as evidence. You see, I didn't tell all the things I guessed at the beginning. You actually want to verify my thoughts again through your thinking process, which is a very reliable means of verification."

Pei Xiang shook his head, and said in a rather helpless tone: "You have the time, why not test and verify it yourself, I think, if you are willing to take action, the matter can be perfectly resolved long ago."

Mycroft showed a distressed expression, and he confessed:

"Doris, action is not my strong point. I like to sit in the room and listen to reports, then analyze and draw conclusions, and then give guidance. If I run back and forth, dealing with various people, just like Sherlock now Same. Well, as a side note, I guess my brother didn't go back to London, but was hanging out in some tavern in Brighton looking for the colonel's son. I'd find it hard to do that, and I'd I would rather let other people think that my ideas are absurd."

Pei Xiang was blunt: "Mycroft, I have to say, you are too arrogant."

Mycroft didn't take this evaluation as an accusation, on the contrary, he felt a little happy because Pei Xiang saw his essence clearly.

"Everyone has some shortcomings, and I have been trying my best to overcome them. You see, whenever things involve too much, I will not be completely indifferent. Just like this time, after I made this analysis, some big people are not very Believe me, they are determined to find out all of Leon Sidot's cards."

"You didn't try to convince them?" Pei Xiang frowned.

"I can't be convinced. They are all outstanding people who cherish their feathers and cannot tolerate any stains on their reputations."

There was obvious mockery in Mycroft's voice when he said this:

"Actually, let me say that they are more concerned about the scandalous content held by Leon Sidot than the leak of the location of the military base. Who knows if they are in that mysterious record book?"

"I think, well, my dear, you're a bit of a spectator, but you've come to Brighton anyway."

"Doris, keep a little harmless hobby for me."

Mycroft chuckled and shook his head, with a helpless tone: "If it was just a personal scandal, I wouldn't bother with it, just let them find out by themselves. But unfortunately, this Sidote is wrong. Getting a military secret by mistake, I'm going to have to work harder."

Pei Xiang burst out laughing, she couldn't help joking the man beside her:

"It's hard for you, my dear Mycroft, you have sacrificed so much for your beloved England. Feel it? The Brighton sea breeze would probably be proud to have found your hair. Because here Before, except for a few places such as London, other corners of the British Isle did not have this honor."

"Doris, you guessed my mind wrong this time," Mycroft sighed with feigned regret, but his eyes were very gentle, "I don't feel embarrassed at all now, I even hope to put The office was moved from London to Brighton because here, I got a very precious friendship."

Pei Xiang thought this was a bit cute, and smiled with crooked eyebrows.

The two walked for a while, picked up a few beautiful pebbles and shells, and then returned the same way.

"Mycroft, I've been forgetting to ask you, what's the name of the colonel's son?"

"Original name was Oliver Sinclair. As for his current name, I don't know."

"Any clues as to where he's hiding?"

"There have been some reports, but the people below are a bit stupid. After several rounds, people ran away. The longer the time, the smaller the chance of catching people."

"Then Sherlock..."

"I'll have someone follow him. There's no danger. Don't worry, Doris, he's got a gun with him."

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows: "Are you sure Sherlock can find someone?"

Mycroft made no secret of his approval of his brother:

"Doris, from the perspective of action ability, Sherlock has shown that he is different since he was a child. He has an excellent mind and is willing to prove some things himself. It's a breeze."

While the Holmes couple were chatting and admiring the sea in the morning breeze, Sherlock Holmes finally discovered the hiding place of the wanted criminal through various clues.

In fact, when Sherlock first arrived in Brighton, he noticed all the unusual things about Sidot's house.He had inquired about the reason for Leon Sydot's constant need for protection, and had heard a twisted tale.

According to Sir Sidot and his relatives and friends, Leon Sidot fell into an inappropriate love affair when he was young. For this reason, he was heartbroken and even went away.But it also caused trouble for himself.

The girl's brother thought that Sir Sidot had killed his own sister, and was jealous of his father's respect for Sir Sidot, so he vowed to kill Sir Sidot himself to avenge his revenge.

They told Sherlock that Sir Sidot's first wife was killed by mistake because of this, and it also caused Sir Sidot's youngest daughter Lucy to disappear.

In short, Sir Sidot's enemy is a vicious person, and he has never given up the idea of ​​killing Sir Sidote these years. It sounds like the other party has gone crazy, and even fell into a terrible fantasy.

"The criminal angered his biological father to death, and he himself was burdened with great crimes, but he was unwilling to recognize the reality. He completely transferred the resentment in his heart to the innocent Sir Sidot. Over the years, his existence has been Like a shadow under the sun, it has been following this knight, and at the same time, it has also brought a lot of trouble to the Sidot family."

Sherlock was skeptical about the veracity of this story, so during the two days waiting for the arrival of the Greens, he was already trying to investigate the case back then.

After the Greens appeared in Brighton, Sherlock found that it was difficult for him to catch the flaws of the liars with only daily observation and verbal probing, so he simply decided to change his thinking and look for clues from old events.

Therefore, he locked the investigation target on the wanted criminal hiding in the dark.

When Sherlock Holmes concentrates on one thing, he must make progress quickly.

"Good evening, Oliver Sinclair!"

A tall and thin young man paced out of the shadows, and greeted the wanted criminal Oliver Sinclair in a low voice under the startled gaze.

Oliver Sinclair was very alert, and almost as soon as the intruder's voice fell, he rushed to the window, preparing to escape.

"If you want to continue the stalemate with Leon Sidot, run away! Mr. Sinclair, after that, you will watch him achieve great success, have children and grandchildren around his knees, and finally live a peaceful life. And you, And your family, but you will always be wronged, humiliated, and slandered by the world."

Such a ruthless and desperate description prevented Oliver from fleeing, but he was still vigilant, ready to attack this unexpected guest at any time.

"Who are you? Do you know the truth back then?"

"Yes, yes, Mr. Sinclair, I know the grievances suffered by the Sinclair family, and I am willing to prove some things for you. Can we have a good talk?"

In front of the moonlit window, Oliver Sinclair's lips trembled slightly, his dark brown sunken eyes were wide open, and he stared closely at Sherlock Holmes, speaking in a sharp and harsh tone:

"How do I know if you are sent by that old bastard Sidot? Why, he finally couldn't bear it anymore and was scared? Willing to use these words to trick me and make me relax? Heh, how much will he give you? Let You do this vile business of selling your soul?"

Sherlock raised his hands, indicating that he had no intention of actively attacking.

"Mr. Sinclair, if I were someone sent by Leon Sidot, I wouldn't talk to you so much at all. I would take a gun and shoot directly. I believe that if there is a person in this world who wants you to die immediately , it is definitely the great painter. He is not only afraid of you killing him, but also afraid of you telling the story of the year. So, Mr. Sinclair, if he or his confidants discovered your hiding place, you would have been arrested Killed, instead of giving you a chance to sneak out a revolver like you are doing now."

Oliver Sinclair stopped touching the gun, and the suspicion in his eyes dissipated a lot...

Half an hour later, Sherlock and Sinclair sat on opposite sides of the same table and began to speak tentatively.

"Mr. Sinclair, I think, you should know that Leon Sydott has recently encountered a great joy, that is, he has found his daughter."

Sinclair sneered, the laughter was hoarse and vicissitudes, full of cold sarcasm, but there was a trace of guilt hidden deep in his eyes.

"God always takes care of that hypocritical old bastard, but it is a good thing that the girl can grow up healthy. Although I am a bastard, I never thought of attacking innocent women and children. What happened back then was my fault." Wrong, after I personally kill Sidot, I will confess my guilt."

Sherlock's eyes flickered slightly, and he said following Sinclair's words:

"Yes, if I didn't know that what happened back then was a manslaughter, I wouldn't be so polite to you. I would think that as long as I talk to you a little more, show you a little more sympathy, it would be an insult to my personality .”

Oliver Sinclair's expression relaxed a little.

Sherlock continued to explain his purpose:

"I know Mason Sidot. He has always believed that Mrs. Lucy Green is a fake. He hoped that I could expose the female liar. However, after contacting Sidot's family, I found out more Mystery, also heard some hidden things before.

"Mr. Sinclair, you may have noticed that I have some irresistible curiosity in my nature, and I found something that made me suspicious, especially...these things involved the reputation and lives of many people. I I can no longer stand idly by. So, through some contacts, I investigated the events of the year, and tried every means to find out the identity of your father, Colonel Sinclair."

Hearing Sherlock mention Colonel Sinclair, Oliver Sinclair's eyes flashed with obvious regret.Most of his face was hidden in the thick beard, but Sherlock could still see that this man's face was distorted by pain, which was a kind of extreme sadness.

Such strong mood swings softened Sherlock Holmes' sharp eyes slightly.

"Mr. Holmes, have you found out the details of the case back then?"

"Yes, according to the record in the case file, you stole the plan of the Military Engineering Institute and sold it to spies, causing the country to suffer losses. After the incident was exposed, they found you, and the evidence is convincing. Sink, who has fought bloody half his life Colonel Lai died suddenly on the spot because he couldn't bear the bad news."

This narrative made Oliver Sinclair jump up immediately, and he roared sadly:

"That's false! That's a false accusation! A false accusation! It's Sidot, that shameful coward and liar who is framing me. He hates my father and our family. He is a jackal through and through! He is a poisonous snake!"

Sherlock immediately changed to a more peaceful and soothing tone, gently comforting the emotional Oliver Sinclair, and asked him to tell the truth about the year.

With Sherlock Holmes' deliberate guidance, Oliver Sinclair reveals all the ins and outs.

At the end of the story, the distressed man wailed:

"At the beginning, I didn't know that the person who framed our family was Leon Sidot. I just felt, felt that I couldn't just be arrested and sentenced, so I ran away. After the wind died down, the more I thought about it, the more I thought about it. Feeling that something was wrong, he began to investigate the real culprit.

"Oh, in fact, there is no need to investigate specifically, because there are too few people who can be suspected. Mr. Holmes, I later found some useful clues, which proved my innocence and Sidot's suspicion. However, I At that time, I didn't trust the investigation department anymore, and I really wanted to take revenge myself...before... I never complained to myself."

"Before?"

Sherlock Holmes keenly grasped a doubtful point, his eyes were burning:

"You mean, you have expressed your grievances through some channels, just recently?"

"Yes, I tried." Oliver Sinclair nodded with a wry smile.

"I found that Sidot seems to want to repeat the old tricks and exchange some big scandals that he has mastered in exchange for honor and benefits. You know, I have almost no other goals in life these years, just to watch Sidot's every move , maybe, I know him better than anyone else. So, whenever he has such a despicable move, I guessed it."

Sherlock nodded hurriedly, silently urging Oliver Sinclair to continue.

"I feel very indignant, Mr. Holmes. I feel that Sidot can no longer be deceived by this method. So, I temporarily put aside the idea of ​​​​revenging myself, and wrote to the old comrades of my father or their descendants. letter."

"Who are they?" Sherlock Holmes asked seriously.

Oliver Sinclair hesitated, and named several respectable gentlemen.

Sherlock's thoughts turned quickly, and he immediately began to draw a diagram of the relationship between people in his mind.

Oliver Sinclair didn't know what Sherlock was thinking, and he continued to tell his story.

"I told them the truth back then. Unfortunately, it may have been too long, or they didn't believe me as a rebellious son. I waited for a long time, but I still didn't see Sidot being punished, not at all. He even found Missing daughter..."

In the end, Oliver Sinclair was almost talking to himself, and he gritted his teeth to express his dissatisfaction.

"Oh, sure enough, my initial thought was correct. It is better to rely on myself than anyone else. I must avenge myself, avenge my father, my sister, and the Sinclair family!"

The hateful wanted criminal fell into painful emotions, and the observer Sherlock Holmes finally sorted out the personal connections behind several surnames.

Age, background, military merit, party affiliation, position... Even though some people have retired and returned to the countryside to support their old age, their descendants and nephews are still active in the London social circle.

——If one or two of these people are willing to reverse the case for the Sinclair family, then they are willing to rely on and trust the investigation channel...

——Private scandals, selling military secrets, threats?

——The Green couple who have been looking for many years but have heard nothing, and recently appeared out of nowhere...

At a certain moment, Sherlock Holmes's young face showed an unusually rich expression change.

"Mr. Sinclair, you should probably be more patient," he muttered to himself, with a half-smile, "after all, it's not easy for some people to move. It's an interesting discovery!"