[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

Henry Deckard dead?

As early as when she saw the crowd crowded in the alley and the busy figure of the police, Mary realized that it was not good.And when Inspector Lestrade confirmed that it was Henry Deckard himself who died, Mary's heart became very heavy.

They came to ask for clues, and now, the only key character who survived after being poisoned died before them, which inevitably makes people think of the motive of killing people.

Holmes was also surprised, but he was much calmer than Mary: "What's going on?"

Detective Inspector Lestrade: "Like Sikes, went mad before he died, and the witness is over there - Hey! Get out of the way, you guys."

After the inspector spoke, several young policemen moved away from the blockade. Mary stood at the end of the blockade, and at a glance she saw another long red hair belonging to Miss Morstan.

"Morstan!" Mary hurried over with her skirt in her hands.

The red-haired Irish girl's face was extremely pale, her brows were furrowed, and she was a little out of control when facing the police's questioning.When Mary walked forward, she just heard the young police officer say impatiently: "I'm asking you something!"

Watson immediately became unhappy: "How can you talk to a lady in such a tone?!"

Officer: "How do I—er, Dr. Watson."

Everyone in Scotland Yard has seen the behavior of Sherlock Holmes, and John Watson, a friend and colleague he brought over suddenly in the last case, is kind, good at talking, and polite to everyone. Loved by the vast majority of police officers.

Seeing Doctor Watson's angry face, the young police officer was immediately discouraged: "I'm not, uh, doctor, I'm not..."

Mary: "Okay."

Knowing that he was reluctant to let her sweetheart be wronged, Mary smoothed things over in a timely manner: "There is no progress in the case now, and the key people are still... Everyone is very upset. You have to understand the police officers, doctor."

Young police officer: "I'm sorry, Miss Mary."

Mary: "Don't apologize to me, you're not being rude to me."

"I'm sorry, Miss Morstan," said the police officer guiltily, "I'm just a little impatient, please don't take it to heart."

"It's okay." Morstan shook his head.

When did you see Mary Morstan look like this?A bold Irish girl who roams the streets, in Mary's eyes, can do almost anything.Not to mention Dr. Watson, Mary felt a little distressed when she saw her friend's face was pale, and she was even speechless.

She held Morstan's hand and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"

Miss Morstan raised her eyes, looked at Mary's calm eyes, and finally couldn't hold back anymore.

The always strong girl bit her lips tightly, and the tears still couldn't stop covering her green eyes.Watson hastily produced his handkerchief, and Miss Morstan did not refuse him this time.

"Why, why is this happening," she covered her cheeks with a handkerchief, "Last night, last night was fine! Henry, he, he actually—"

In the middle of speaking, Miss Morstan burst into tears.

Mary was silent.

Henry Deckard and Morstan worked together in Hamp's factory, and they were naturally very good friends.Irish workers had low status in London and were often discriminated against.The sudden death of friends who supported each other is unbearable for anyone else.

But there was no time to grieve for Miss Morstan now.

"We have to find the murderer," Mary said earnestly. "As long as the culprit is not found, there will be no peace in the Whitechapel neighborhood. Henry is already the second death, and we must stop the murderer."

"It's a personal grievance now." Watson added in a low voice.

"I...I know."

Morstan took a deep breath and forced himself to separate from his grief: "What do I need to do?"

Mary: "What happened before we came?"

Morstan: "After I came back last night, I gave Henry an ultimatum. I said that if you don't tell the truth, Holmes will come to ask you in person tomorrow. He begged me not to, but I ignored him. Henry didn't answer this morning. Appeared, Dawson and I came to look for him, we knocked on the door for a long time but no one responded, Dawson thought that Henry was drinking again and kicked open the door, but he didn't expect..."

Mary frowned.

From this point of view, the time of the accident should have been that night.And it is very likely that Morstan's ultimatum forced Henry Deckard to take measures, or... the person behind the fact that he desperately concealed, took measures.

To this day, they still don't know why Henry Deckard was poisoned while investigating James Moriarty.But escaping a catastrophe does not mean that he will be safe forever. One murder failed to silence him, but it happened a second time. This is enough to prove that Henry really knows something.

It's a pity that with his death, no one can be sure what secrets he holds.

"We will do our best to find the murderer," Dr. Watson promised solemnly. "Miss Morstan, I ask for your condolences."

"Please tell me if there is anything I need to do."

Anyone could see how sad Miss Morstan was, but she still held back her emotions: "Henry still has family members, I didn't save his life, at least I can give his family an explanation."

Mary: "This is to ask—"

Holmes: "Watson!"

The detective's voice came from Henry Deckard's room: "Please come in and check the situation."

Looks like an autopsy is in order.

Mary glanced at Morstan: "Don't go in."

Thinking of her friend's death, the Irish girl showed a sad expression again.She grabbed Dr. Watson's handkerchief tightly: "I'll wait for you outside, Mary, you..."

"how?"

"Get ready." Miss Morstan took a deep breath, and suppressed anger burst out of her bright eyes, "The scene inside is ugly."

"..."

And when Mary approached Henry Deckard's room, she felt that Morstan's phrase "the scene was ugly" was simply too euphemistic.

The young police officer who followed them in changed his face when he saw blood all over the place.When he saw clearly what Mr. Holmes was staring at, he simply covered his mouth and nose, pushed away Inspector Lestrade who also entered the door, and rushed out.

Inspector Lestrade shook his head helplessly: "Novice."

After speaking, he looked at Mary: "Are you okay, Miss Mary? Do you want to go out to get some air?"

Mary covered her mouth and nose with a veil, and forced herself to speak: "I'm fine."

It's not that she has never seen dead people. Captain Carter was headshot in the face after revealing the identity of Professor Moriarty. Blood and brains were scattered all over the floor, which did not cause Mary Bennet to panic, but Henry Deckard's death The state is really...

Blood, blood everywhere, but not in the blood that Captain Carter and Sikes had died.Dried bloodstains stretched from the door of the room to the bedside, intermittently spreading across the floor like an abstract painting.Mary didn't see where the wound was at first, until she noticed that the corpse covered with white cloth had a finger exposed, the nails were cracked, the flesh was broken, and the bones were almost visible.

There were bloodstains all over the floor, which were sharply ground by his fingers.

"Watson," Holmes looked up, "I need your help."

It's time for the doctor to step in.He walked forward, put on his gloves and lifted the white cloth, and a more tragic situation was displayed in front of everyone: Like Sykes, Henry Deckard also scratched himself with wounds all over his face, not only that, his throat and abdomen Also bloody.

Especially the abdomen, where a gash had been opened, and viscera and blood stained a large part of the ground.Just now, the young police officer couldn't stand it until he realized that Holmes lifted the white cloth and the filth he saw was intestines.

"sky."

Even Watson, who had undergone professional training and had been to the battlefield in person, didn't look too good: "How could it be like this?"

"Cause of death?" asked Holmes.

"He is," Watson paused, and said with difficulty, "he scratched his belly and crushed his own internal organs before he died."

Mary couldn't take it anymore.

She turned her back, walked to the corner of the room, and took five or six deep breaths in a row before suppressing the desire to vomit and fear to the bottom of her heart at the same time.

"Are you all right, Miss Mary," Inspector Lestrade asked, "or go out first."

"I am fine."

Mary suppressed her nausea and asked, "Did Henry die after going mad?"

Watson, who was squatting in front of the corpse, thought about it, and wiped it along Henry Deckard's neckline like Holmes did last time, but there was nothing but blood.

The doctor looked up at the detective opposite.

Holmes didn't speak, but stood up straight away.The thin gentleman walked around the room, carefully inspecting every detail, and finally stopped on the kerosene lamp by the table.

He oiled the lamp and took out the unburned oil wick inside.

He put the oil wick in front of him and sniffed it: "It's the ignited devil's heel."

really.

The last time Henry Deckard was poisoned, he inhaled the ignited devil's heel.There was no powder on his body, so it seems that this time it will still be the case.

"Poisoned again?"

Inspector Lestrade was puzzled: "It's fine once, this thing smells so bad, how could there be a second time?"

Holmes: "This also means that he may not have been poisoned."

Inspector Lestrade: "It could be anything other than being poisoned. Could it be him—"

The detective said half of what he said, and immediately came to his senses.

"My God," Rao Inspector Lestrade couldn't help showing an unacceptable expression, "he set the devil's heel on fire by himself. Does he want to commit suicide?"

"Maybe it's used as a hallucinogen," Holmes said calmly. "The devil's heel itself has only a hallucinogenic effect. I have tested it myself. Just inhaling the burning gas of the devil's heel will not make people crazy."

Then, this applies to the conclusion after the detective tested it himself last time.

"If Henry died of madness," Mary calmed down and turned her head from the corner to continue, "there must be other influencing factors that caused this result."

Indoor case down in an instant.

The four looked at each other, and Sherlock Holmes immediately turned to look at Lestrade the next moment: "The witnesses are Dawson and Morstan?"

Lestrade: "Yes."

Holmes: "Ask them if Henry Deckard has been to the sewer recently. And your people have obviously stepped up patrols and set up a blockade. Have you seen any traces of someone breaking into the underground sewer?"

Detective Inspector Lestrade immediately turned around, leaning most of his body out of the door: "You guys, yes, I'm just talking about you, come here!"

Taking advantage of this time, Mary saw Holmes walk to the bedside, and hid a thing that looked like a notebook under the quilt into her bosom.

Mary: "..."

Not only did Sherlock Holmes, who stole the evidence, not feel ashamed at all, but he met Mary's eyes directly.She glared at him, and the detective looked matter-of-factly.Holmes' light-colored eyes were clear and calm, as if he was asking Mary: What's the matter, why are you staring at him?

Inspector Lestrade stood in front of the door and asked a few words, then looked back at Holmes in the room: "The blockade has not been torn down, and Henry Deckard has been with the Irish workers recently, and nothing has been found. abnormal."

Mary: "Last night Morstan gave Henry Deckard an ultimatum, saying that if he doesn't confess again, Holmes will come to interrogate him in person today."

Holmes frowned upon hearing this, "Did she say that?"

Watson: "Miss Morstan is also kind, please don't—"

Holmes: "A good intention cost his friend his life, Watson! If I need a fair visit, why don't I ask Morstan to deliver another souvenir directly! Why rush out early in the morning, as if to As in raiding Henry Deckard?"

Watson: "Everyone is dead, what else do you want?"

"Everyone is dead!"

Hearing this, the detective seemed a little annoyed.

With a flick of his hand, he paced back and forth in the room: "If Henry Deckard died because Mary Morstan informed him in advance, do you think Morstan himself would let him go? He obviously could not die! The clues to the case And it won't break—'everyone is dead'?"

Holmes repeated Watson's words, and laughed a few times as if mockingly: "It is right to keep you away from this case, Watson, love has completely gone to your head!"

"Holmes!"

Mary: "Okay!"

Why are the two still arguing? Mary interjected immediately: "Do you think Morstan doesn't realize this? Don't treat the lady as a fool, especially since she's wandering the streets. She knows better than you about hiding secrets and being cornered." mentality. Instead of arguing indifferently here, it is better to look for clues, what should we do next?"

Holmes closed his eyes and exhaled impatiently.

Fortunately, when he opened his eyes again, the detective's mind returned to a calm state.

He looked up at Mary: "Come with me, and Lestrade, and take a team of policemen to the 'altar' in the underground sewer."

Finally, I was able to see the so-called "altar" with my own eyes.

Although Mary had been thinking about it for a long time, she couldn't get excited at all when someone died.

If Captain Carter and Sykes were people Mary never knew, and their life trajectory had almost nothing to do with her, so they didn't cause much trouble to Mary after death, then Henry Deck was completely different .

The Irish workers were Miss Morstan's friends and family, and of course Mary's too.Like other Irish youths, Henry Deckard was lively and enthusiastic, and he liked to drink but never made trouble.I have always been grateful for Holmes and Mary's help, and I respect her sincerely.

Such a person has come to such a terrible end.

Mary glanced at the body, covered her mouth again, and looked away.

"Let's go," Inspector Lestrade sensed her emotion, "Stop thinking about it, Miss Mary, and let's get this matter over with as soon as possible."

Mary nodded. She was just about to leave the corner of the room, but just took the first step, and the corner of her eyes caught the mottled reflection.

and many more.

reflective?

She stopped suddenly, returned to the corner of the room, and squatted down.

"Mr. Holmes?"

Without looking back, Mary shouted, "Come here and have a look."

There were some reflective substances in the corner of the wall, and Mary squatted down to see the details: it seemed to be some dried mucus, which was almost invisible mixed with the blood.

She stretched out her hand, wanting to feel what it was, and just before Mary's fingertips touched the mucus, a long and powerful hand stretched out from her shoulder, grabbing Mary's wrist.

"Hold still," said Sherlock Holmes vigilantly, "you have no gloves."

"……sorry."

Holmes made no reply. He rubbed his white-gloved fingertips against the wall to wipe off the dried slime.

"You said that traces of dried slime were found on the walls of the altar," Mary asked. "Is this the slime?"

"I can not confirm."

That's what he said, but Sherlock Holmes' expression became extremely serious: "We must go down and have a look."

But this time, it is no longer limited to the adventure of two people.

Inspector Lestrade ordered several young, strong and experienced detectives to follow him into the underground waterway.Coupled with the fact that there are dozens of people behind the police force, even if they directly bump into the cult organization holding the ceremony, they probably won't suffer much.

This is Mary's first foray into London's underworld.

In 21st century literary, video game works, Victorian underground London has always been a dirty and mysterious place.If it involves murder, the murderer must have stayed underground; if it involves ghosts, the stinking sewer is also a breeding ground for countless evils.According to legend, London's underground waterways extend in all directions, and the newly built subway system is as complicated as a huge and terrifying underground labyrinth.

Many rumors say that once you get lost in the underground sewer, don't even think about getting out.

The real London sewer is better than the rumors and Mary's imagination, but it is also limited.

With the help of the detective, she carefully climbed down the ladder and stepped on the wet ground.The first thing Mary did after landing was to cover her mouth and nose with her cuffs—even a handkerchief couldn't cover the choking and rotten smell.

But perhaps because of the large number of people, the underground waterway is not as gloomy as Mary imagined.Especially under the premise that Holmes has already gone through it once, with the detective leading the way, they move forward very fast.

"Sir," said Mary, trotting all the way to catch up with Holmes, who was striding forward, "I think Dr. Watson is not malicious, and he is by no means an irrational person."

Holmes sneered: "He was dazzled by love. He mistakenly thought that I would be furious because of the death of the clue character, so I would reprimand Morstan."

Mary: "Can't you?"

Holmes glanced sideways at Mary, which was very obvious: Do you think I will too?

"As you said, Miss Mary," he explained indifferently, "Morstan knows better than you and me what it looks like when a person who hides a secret is driven to a dead end, but she still has to inform the other party in advance of the fact that the secret is about to be revealed." .Didn't Morstan himself realize that she was the one who forced Henry Deckard to death? If she could, why bother me."

"Doctor Watson also came out of kindness," Mary insisted. "I believe he will be able to figure it out when you go back."

"I wouldn't argue with him over such a pointless matter."

Holmes frowned, as if he didn't understand why Mary wanted to help the two reconcile: "They are both adults, I have a sense of proportion."

Mary: "..."

yes!

If it weren't for the shadow of death weighing on her heart for a long time, Mary would have to tease—a proper adult would not be kicked out by the apartment manager.If it weren't for Mrs. Hudson and Dr. Watson being angel-hearted, and Mr. Holmes's destructiveness when thinking about experiments at home, I'm afraid it would be the same result if he found another ten apartments.

However, Mary knows what it means to accept as soon as it is good.

After confirming that Holmes wasn't angry, she felt relieved: "Could the slime on the wall have something to do with the altar? It really looks like the traces of snails or other mollusks."

"If it is the same kind of mucus," said Holmes, "it is sufficient proof that Henry Deckard was here before his death. But I shall have to analyze it to be sure."

This is true.

Mary nodded: "Where is the altar?"

Holmes: "Almost there."

Under the lead of the detective, a group of people turned into a narrow road.The ground became more and more muddy, and the air became more and more humid.After Mary's nose got used to the foul stench from the ground, it seemed that it was nothing.

It's just that the maid outfit used to enter the Whitechapel area may be scrapped. Mary doesn't want to go back to Aunt Blow's laundry with her stinky clothes.

Holmes took the lead, and after going through the narrowest path, the underground waterway gradually became wider. They continued to go deeper, and when Mary felt that they were about to come to an end, Sherlock Holmes stopped suddenly.

"Sir?" Mary asked.

A moment of silence answered her.

"We are a little late," said Holmes.

"what?"

Sherlock Holmes stepped out of the way.

What appeared in front of Mary was a ruined wall, the stone pillars collapsed, the walls collapsed, and the spacious hall was completely destroyed. Only the triangular frame on the ground was covered by sand, gravel and mud, reflecting the cold water under the water stains. shine.

——The altar has been completely destroyed by people.

The author has something to say: Watson: I hope that this sensible adult will not play the violin in the middle of the night, put away the used experimental materials by himself, and never borrow my cigarettes until the ammunition is exhausted. Thank you so much!

Do you smell the gram?Do you feel the san value floating!The plot that Jiang Hua has been waiting for for a long time is getting closer! !I've been planning a follow-up plot since I first wrote Devil's Heels! 【Suddenly Excited.jpg】