[Sherlock Holmes] The Legend of the Nightingale

(God's perspective)

When Hilda knocked on Mrs. Neruda's door, the violinist was sulking on the sofa and her maid was standing at the coat rack on the other side of the room.The guests' belongings were in the lounge, and an expensive coat hung on a hanger.Perhaps because of the violin, Holmes was quite gentle when he introduced himself.

"Good evening, Mr. Holmes." She got up from the sofa. "I have long known the name of London's detective. Is there any question?"

Holmes must have caught the sarcasm implied in her words.The suspect downstairs was a student of the London detective, but he didn't refute.

"A few simple questions. The necklace must have been kept elsewhere when it was stolen."

"Ridiculous," Mrs. Neluda sneered, "wouldn't you feel it if someone took the necklace off me? The necklace is in the jewelry box, on the dressing table."

"That's the crux of the matter." Holmes smiled. "Nightingale was only in the drawing room with his wife. But the jewelry box is on the dressing table, and anyone who has been in the drawing room can take it by hand-in theory. , I will not slander anyone. It is not so convincing if I have come with my wife. "

"It cannot be denied that she was still the first to know that she had a chance to take the necklace," Jones said.Faced with Holmes' sudden gaze, he hastily made a correction: "It does not represent my personal opinion. But let Miss Nightingale go to Scotland Yard to accept the investigation, and it will be over."

"Where was the maid then?" Holmes asked directly, ignoring Jones.

"Mr. Holmes, are you doubting Lisa? I can guarantee that she is loyal." Neluda glanced at the shocked maid.

"I didn't say that. It's just that if she was there, no one would dare to touch any property."

Neluda motioned for the maid Lisa to answer.

"After Madam took a break, Miss Nightingale asked me how the wine was mixed—everyone familiar with it knows that Madam only drinks that kind of wine. We went downstairs to look for the previous glass of wine, but we couldn't find it, maybe It was cleared away. Miss Nightingale was not with me after that. I prepared the wine in a decanter and went back to the lounge. By this time the necklace had been stolen."

"Really, the necklace should have been kept in a safer place."

"It's my fault." Lisa lowered her head, "Usually I keep Madam's jewelry after I take it off, but when I mentioned the wine, I forgot about it."

"Didn't you bring the wine with you?" asked Holmes casually.

"No. I was very dizzy at the time, and Miss Dolan took my cup away." Neluda replied.

"Well, let's get down to business," said Holmes. "Anyone who came upstairs during Lisa's absence was a suspect. But if no one came, there is only one explanation, madam, probably. You can't remember where you put your jewelry box."

"What did you say?" Neluda raised her voice. "Mr. Holmes, if you are only worried about Scotland Yard issuing a search warrant for your students, you don't have to worry about it."

"I just want to make things easier. Lisa," said Holmes, whose peripheral vision never left the trembling maid, "please look for another place in this room where the jewelry box may be stored. If you can't find it , we can only go to Scotland Yard for a body search—all nobles and celebrities, that is a huge project."

"Fortunately, none of the guests have left, and there are not many people who have been upstairs, so they can identify each other." Watson said a little funny, "Ask the doorman if anyone left during the period. If not, then the necklace Should still be in the house because the thief is afraid to ask to leave now."

"Doctor, I beg you to stop joking with him. This is simply impossible." Jones looked like he was about to cry.

Reluctantly, Lisa went to the dressing table and looked through the things on the table, and opened all the small drawers, but found nothing.She wandered around the lounge, trembling so hard that she could barely move.Jones had glanced at his pocket watch a hundred times and was covered in cold sweat.Although he didn't believe it, he still prayed that Holmes could conjure up the jewelry box like a magician.

Finally Lisa went to the coat hook and felt the pocket of Mrs. Neluda's fur coat.She gasped, and took out a square maroon velvet box from her pocket with some difficulty.

"My God!" Madam Neluda exclaimed, "You...you open it!"

Lisa opened the jewelry box.The dazzling light of emeralds is presented in front of everyone's eyes.Jones nearly dropped the watch in his hand.Only Watson, who was closest to Holmes, heard the detective let out a very soft breath.

"But it's impossible!" Mrs. Neluda pointed to the jewelry box for a long time before speaking, "How did you get there? This..."

Her suspicious eyes turned on Holmes for a long time, but she didn't finish her sentence, but turned to Jones:

"Officer, you have to find out. This is too weird."

"Ma'am, I would like to believe your words, but from our point of view, there is no need to investigate this matter." Jones said frankly, "The necklace is in your hands, it has not been stolen, and no one has committed a crime. Let us make a Record it, and you can go back to the business."

"Okay, thank you Mr. Police Officer." Mrs. Neluda managed to suppress the unknown anger.Nightingale's suspicion has been cleared and is now outside the scope of Scotland Yard's investigation.

"Is this the end? Or does Mr. Inspector need us to go?"

Holmes took a coat of astonishing simplicity from the hanger.Naturally, he saluted as Madam Neluda walked past him angrily, and she ignored him, and he ignored hers.

"No, Mr. Holmes, it's just a misunderstanding. You can take Miss Nightingale home. This is her gun."

"Anyway, thanks for your help, Mr. Inspector."

Hilda Hopkins insisted on sending them out the gate before returning.When Holmes and Watson entered the hall, she was walking around explaining what had happened to her guests, apologizing in a hundred different expressions of regret for the accident of the evening, and seeing them off.Nightingale was still sitting in that position with her head bowed, almost making one wonder if she had moved at all.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Holmes, please come and solve my mess here at this time." Hopkins looked tired. This normally busy woman was as reserved as a prince and aristocrat only on the scene.It took a lot of effort to host this celebrity banquet, let alone her own birthday.Now that the situation has been disrupted, it's rare for her to be so calm.

"Happy to be of your service, Miss Hopkins."

"Angela?" Watson called out tentatively.It was so long before Nightingale looked up that the doctor almost thought she hadn't heard.

"She feels guilty, the kid," Hopkins said sympathetically. "It's not her fault at all. It's the violin player who can't even remember where he put his necklace."

Holding the brim of the tall hat in his hand, Holmes walked towards Nightingale with the dress hanging on his arm, with a calm expression.She got up from the table.

"It's over." Holmes put a hand on the edge of the table. "Although the details need to be discussed, the whole matter has nothing to do with you."

"I'm sorry," Nightingale whispered, "but..."

"Needless to say. Let's go back."

Holmes handed her the overcoat in his hand.

Hopkins said she can pick up the pieces on her own without help.Nightingale can go back to rest first, and return the dress later.The guests hadn't left yet, and some good-natured people were still lingering at the door.Holmes is dismissive of this kind of audience, so he is still relaxed under the eyes of everyone and whispering.When he walked down the door steps, his eyes suddenly flashed and he stared in a certain direction.

"What's the matter?" Watson felt the abnormal change in Holmes' attitude.

"Just now it seemed... no, maybe I misread it."

The detective never mentioned the matter again.The carriage was silent all the way, Nightingale looked out the window, Holmes lowered his head, not knowing whether he was awake or dozing off.Back at 221B, Nightingale ran upstairs to her room without changing clothes.

"What's up with her?".

"It's a shock. Not everyone can bear the pressure of thousands of pounds." Holmes took off his coat lightly and hung it on the coat hook. His voice was also very soft, maybe because he was tired, maybe because he didn't want to Let Nightingale hear.

"Shouldn't she be relieved now?"

"Remorse," said Holmes. "She cannot forgive herself."

"what?"

"She thinks that as a detective, she should be able to prove her innocence in such cases, and not to trouble us." Holmes picked up his nightgown from the sofa--no one knew when he left it there-- — "Leave her alone for a while. It's a good thing anyway."

"Good thing?!"

"She holds herself to a higher standard than before."

"Don't you forget she's just a 17-year-old girl." The doctor almost forgot about being tired.

"She doesn't usually do things like a 17-year-old girl, Watson. Since she has the ability to cause professional trouble, she should also act professionally at critical moments."

"If you ask me, the trouble is amateurish." Watson dropped the coat casually on the coat hook, and it fell again, so he had to pick it up again and hang it up carefully.

"I don't want to talk to her tonight," said Holmes, who had already changed into his pajamas and looked at the clock in the living room. It was three o'clock in the morning. "Well, this morning."

"You wouldn't do that...to her...I think she's having a hard time by herself right now."

Holmes fell on the sofa as if unconscious, closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his fingers a few times.He had dark circles under his eyes, his face was gray, and he looked like he had had an overdose—he was out the door before recovering from the injection.Needless to say, after seeing his performance, Watson already realized that he had said something wrong.

"You know if I talk to her now, I'm going to get mad at her?"

"Sorry." The doctor rubbed his eyes with one hand, "Maybe it will be fine tomorrow. I don't know if you noticed, but today she is wearing the crystal you gave her."

"Is that so?" Holmes got up from the sofa and went upstairs.

Holmes generally does not bother to observe women's jewelry when it has nothing to do with clues.Watson turned off the light in the drawing room, and went upstairs with a candle.

The author has something to say: I forgot to mention that a name similar to Neluda can be found in the book, and there was indeed a person in history. A similar name is borrowed here, and the story is similar to Nothing to do with historical figures, nothing to do, nothing to do~~~

Reasoning waste is starting to burn my brain again..._(:з」∠)_