[Sherlock Holmes] The Legend of the Nightingale

(Nightingale's Diary)

In this way, Holmes and I joined hands to escape the doctor's surveillance.As soon as we came out of Colonel Haight's house we couldn't help laughing.

"Want to go to the witchcraft store now?" I asked.

"Of course not." Holmes' tone sounded as if I shouldn't have asked. "The missing individuals are all residents of the village. Ask the locals for information first. The more information the better."

During this week, we learned about the general situation of the village and the town through the colonel, and also got to know several villagers.We walked around the village, and our first acquaintance was a coachman named William.Holmes talked to him first about the weather, then about sickness, about cures, about herbs, about witchcraft, and then...

"I have a piece of advice for you, Mr. Holmes, but you'd better not tell it," said the coachman in a low voice. "You have a low fever. You can go to Mrs. Cunningham's witchcraft shop and ask for any medicines. She may Where is the spirit?"

"Are many people looking for her?"

"Can't say much, but not less."

"Why can't you tell it? If she is so effective, it shouldn't be a bad thing."

"Ah, there are some things you must not know. Strange things happened to her."

William looked left and right, saw no one was around, and repeated Colonel Haight's story with embellishment.Holmes looked a bit dumbfounded, but he still listened to it.

"Do you believe she did it?" I asked again.

"It's hard to say, miss. After all, there is no evidence. But then again, they witches always have a way, and we can't find it."

Holmes asked again if there was anyone who had a lot of contacts with Mrs. Cunningham, and the answer was the businessman Stoke, because every time he had a money transaction, he went to the witch to ask for a spell to help him get rich; and Marianne, she The child is weak and sick, she went to the witch to prescribe medicine; and the old girl Greta, she wanted to learn witchcraft...

"Very well, thank you. Very interesting." Holmes listened to the coachman's enthusiastic introduction with difficulty. "As for your suggestion, I'll think about it. Speaking of which, I have few people to talk to here except old friends."

"Then you can go to the country tavern. The country gentlemen are usually there."

Saying goodbye to the coachman, we were both a little speechless.

"Now we can only go to the tavern he mentioned." I said, "Look for those country gentlemen. I think educated people can speak better."

The tavern is not far from here.We'll be there in a moment.The space inside is not large, but it is fully utilized. The tables and chairs are placed tightly, and it is a bit strenuous to walk back and forth.The boss, a slick, red-faced man of great size, stood behind the counter.Most of the customers were dressed in casual clothes. Holmes and I were dressed in urban gentleman and lady attire, which inevitably attracted many people's attention as soon as we entered the door.Holmes took off his gloves and took off his gloves. I also took off my hat. Under the gaze of so many eyes, I felt that I didn't know how to move my hands.

"Good morning, is this Mr. Holmes from London?" A man stood up from the table.

"Exactly," replied Holmes, walking straight up to the gentleman who had greeted him.I followed closely. "It must have been Colonel Haight."

"Yes. The news got around three days before your arrival." The squire shook hands with Holmes. "Who is this?"

"Angela Nightingale, my student."

The squire introduced both of his tablemates.He himself was Angle Murray, and his companions were Robert Stevenson and Carl Gray. All three were young and promising local gentlemen, but the latter two responded relatively coldly.After a polite exchange of pleasantries, we put the topic on track.

"We don't have much to do here that would attract the attention of a London detective. If we had to look for one, it would probably be Mrs. Cunningham's business," said Morrie.I looked at Holmes, who was still mild and unsurprised.

"You have a quick mind, Mr. Murray, but I'm only here on vacation. I won't take any cases during this time. Although I don't deny it, I'm also curious about what you just said."

Gray sneered. "Do people from London talk like this?"

Stevenson gave him a push.Holmes noticed it all, but remained calm.

"I don't know much about it," Morrie said sincerely, "but I was there when Little Jack was found. The police said he was strangled and had fingerprints on his neck. They Said it was most likely done by a woman."

This passage caught the attention of the whole tavern.People started whispering.Morrie, a little embarrassed, lowered his voice.

"The case has not been solved yet. There are also no people who were missing before."

"Is anyone in the village suspected?" I asked.Judging from Holmes's expression and manner of speaking, he does not intend to publicly admit that he intends to investigate this matter so early, so it is better for me to ask.

"It's hard to say. People in the village are very familiar with each other. It's hard to imagine that the criminal will be someone close to us. The rumors about Mrs. Cunningham have never stopped, but the police station cannot convict people out of thin air."

"Do you all know the missing people?"

"Not only do we know each other, but we are also old friends at home, and we meet often," Stevenson said.

By this time we had sparked a big discussion in the tavern, with many people jumping in and vying to give us their scoop.Only then did we realize that what we had heard about Mrs. Cunningham was only one-tenth of the legend.Some people say that she uses juice made from frog eggs for beauty treatment; He has lived for 400 years, and has always relied on the blood of children and girls to keep his youth forever.

"Stop joking, look at Mrs. Cunningham's age, is that called eternal youth?!"

"If she's really four hundred years old, she's already considered youth!" The person who caught the flaw retorted angrily.

Holmes and I exchanged glances.This situation is not too unexpected for him, and I already feel that it is out of control.

"I kind of want to see that witchcraft shop," I said. "I'd love to know what a witch looks like."

The three squires looked at each other.Morrie was a little embarrassed. "If you must go, you'd better let Mr. Holmes go too. Regardless of whether this matter has anything to do with her, it is not a peaceful place after all."

Holmes snapped his fingers. "Yes, I will go with her. This girl has caused me enough trouble. If she can still cause trouble in the secluded country, I should send her back."

In order to solve the case, I silently accepted this evaluation.

As we were leaving the tavern, someone caught up and stopped us.As soon as I turned around, I could smell his alcohol.

"Mr. Holmes, please wait a moment. I have something very important to tell you," he said solemnly. "What they say is not true. The real murderer is the old lady Maria. She tried to cure her child." , listened to the witch's suggestion, and used the blood of a child to make medicine... Hey, no, she hasn't been to the town for the past two months, so it's not her. That's the nagging Greta... See what I'm saying What, yes, I remembered, it was actually the gentleman-looking Calgary, who sometimes went to that witch by himself in the middle of the night..."

"Thank you very much, but we don't want to know who the murderer is now. If you are so sure, please go directly to the police station and report the crime. Oh, and, do the people in the village not allow children to go to Mrs. Cunningham's shop?"

"Basically not allowed." The man froze for a moment, then replied. "Those things happen and everybody helps each other watch over the kids."

"That is to say, if anyone saw the children going to that store, would they definitely stop them?"

"It will definitely. Oh, but people may not always see it. Do you see the mountain over there?" The villager pointed to the small hill to the north of the village. "It is also possible to go around the town by taking the mountain road from there. The mountain is not big, but it is a little closer than taking the main road. We may not be able to meet this."

Holmes thanked me, managed to cut him off, and continued walking in the direction of the town.This is a silent road. When he thinks, he only knows to go straight ahead, his eyes are fixed in one direction. Sometimes I need to intervene properly to prevent him from bumping into the people coming in front.I silently summed up the information about Mrs. Cunningham and came to a conclusion about her.What the villagers call a "voodoo shop" is actually a pharmacy.She should be a quack-like character, who knows a few herbal medicines, and can handle headaches and brain fever. If there is a serious illness, it is better not to ask her to die.Witchcraft props or something should be a gimmick.

"What do you think?" I asked Holmes after he had fallen irrevocably on the side of the road.

"Didn't the question I asked him just now give you any hints?"

"I'm thinking, it's impossible for the children to go to the town without meeting acquaintances. So they may have been taken away by someone, and they are the ones who feel reassuring when they see the children by their side. People." Thinking of this, I suddenly shuddered. "So it was the residents of the village who committed the crime?"

Holmes took a deep breath. "You don't have to be so surprised. Kidnapping is often committed by acquaintances, and it is easier to succeed. But there is another problem. If it is the same person every time, everyone will notice it, just like noticing that they have all been to witches. like an art shop."

"You think it's kidnapping? A gang?" I thought about it. "Maybe it was a group of people who took turns taking the victims to the witchcraft shop and trying to get them out."

"I can only say that it is possible. Children and young women are indeed the main targets of kidnapping. Now we have information only that they have been there, not missing in the store."

I felt instantly confused.Looking at my troubled look, Holmes said lightly, "Don't be so anxious. There is still an important person I haven't seen. Some things may not be concluded until I see her. Do you have any research on witchcraft?"

"I'll do research on witchcraft! It's for physics students and chemistry students to do research."

"Then we can learn more this time."

Holmes took the gloves out of his pocket, put them on carefully, and smiled at me.

"What I said just now is not the truth, don't mind."

"Oh, that's all right. But I mean it. I'd like to see what a witch is."

I could see from his bright eyes that the sense of mystery also aggravated his curiosity.

The author has something to say: in the state of manic episodes when writing papers, and depressive episodes when not writing papers, it is like a dog.See for yourself Holmes calm down...