[Sherlock Holmes] The Legend of the Nightingale

(Nightingale's Diary)

When it was Dr. Watson's turn to be on duty, in order not to put aside his work, he chose a way to get the best of both worlds: let Meili go to the clinic with him.Holmes and I were alone in the house at this time.As long as the progress of the case is too slow, he will start to turn all kinds of inexplicable ideas, and sometimes he even knows it is a detour - such as this time.

"I wish Watson would take her out and about instead of sitting in the clinic all the time," I said, looking out of the window. "She's not as stable as she appears. Last night she said she had a tightness in her chest."

"She needs to have her heart checked." Holmes' blank look at first made me think he hadn't heard, but he answered anyway.

"It's also possible that the house smells too strong," I said. "Can I have a pipe, please?"

"Sorry, no."

"Watson has never smoked a cigarette since Meili came in."

"That's fine."

I fell helplessly on the sofa. "When there is no case, I think it is too calm, so I need to take medicine. When there is a case, I need to think and smoke. It scares me."

"Thank you for your concern."

Just when I didn't feel like talking any more, Holmes changed the subject

"Want to play a game?"

"what?"

"Honestly, it's a bit of a pushover."

"You speak first."

"Take that brooch."

"Stop kidding. We don't know where they are."

"I will tell you."

"What?! You already found it?"

"The carpet search of the Baker Street squad is very different from the exhaustion of the people in Scotland Yard." Holmes raised his hand to support the armrest of the sofa, a bit like a pianist putting his hand on a grand piano. "Of course, No surprises this time."

"Old lines, only one chance."

"No, that's not what I mean." Holmes smiled. "I mean, the brooch may not be able to get back, but you are safe."

"The problem is that the matter can be concluded now. If these two people are caught, the police will find physical evidence on them, and then let Mr. Moore identify the book seller, and they can be convicted."

"In theory, it is. But I want to be more complete."

"Er...you don't want to go through Scotland Yard?"

"I thought you knew my style."

"But if we take the evidence away..."

"That's very simple. They'll find it again," said Holmes in a low voice. "We've done it before. Put a claim in the paper, and it'll come sooner than Scotland Yard."

"Then explain to me what we are doing when we take turns on Meili's shift?"

"Don't worry. It's a two-handed preparation, and I don't know when the children will be able to do it, or if it will be done." Holmes' tone was as if to calm a frightened horse.

"Okay. If that's okay with you, I'm fine. Any plans?"

"Even Watson need not always obey my orders."

I took a deep breath.

"Are there any precautions?"

He thought for a moment, raised his pipe and made a toast to me:

"Remember to bring a gun."

My first reaction was the only way I could think of.

After Irene left the UK, Iris moved out of the aristocratic residential area of ​​St. John's Wood and changed to a more modest residence.Not only because of incompatibility, but also because she can't afford a house in St. John's Wood on her own income.Standing in front of the graceful Iris Adler, I lowered my head not daring to look at her, my forehead was covered with cold sweat.After listening to my euphemistic request, she squinted her eyes and laughed wildly, almost choking on her own smoke.

"What did you say? Want to learn how to make a man undress? Yes, I'm finally going to attack Mr. Detective, very good, very good, I will definitely help."

"Can you please not change my meaning? It's not a dress, it's a coat, it's a coat! And when did I say...and what does 'hands down' mean?"

"I'm sorry, dear Angela, but it's a matter of time. You won't be like those pretending ladies who sneer at common sense. Your detective is lovely, except for a little coldness— —” She poured me a glass of water understandingly, “—but you’ll talk about him later. Don’t worry, you know what I’m doing, and that’s all I can think of. What are you going to do?”

"Find a brooch," I said, "it's very important, and it must be worn by the other party. So—by extraordinary means."

"You guys are picking up pickpockets again?"

"Just to make it clear, that item didn't belong to them in the first place, so it's returned to its original owner."

"I almost understand." Iris slowly drew a circle in mid-air with a finger holding a cigarette, "Do you want to do it in the restaurant?"

"Not your fancy hangout. A saloon at best."

"Pay attention to the wording." She raised her eyebrows, "what occasion I appear on determines what I will wear. Don't even think about dressing like a street kid like you."

"Ha, but I wasn't planning to... wait, what are you wearing?"

"Yes." Iris tapped the cigarette ash twice steadily, "Of course you can't let you do this kind of thing. I'm more sure."

"This matter has nothing to do with you." Seeing her lightly making a decision, I was a little confused, "This is a case we have taken over, and it may be very dangerous. You just need to tell me what to do."

"Simply put it this way, it's useless to tell you, because you can't learn it, but it's just a matter of effort for me. I haven't asked a man for money, so what's the problem? Well, time and place."

She held out a slender hand.I took out a note and put it in her palm, and she held out another.I looked at her in surprise.

"Didn't it mean it's very dangerous?" There was a shrewd look between her brows and eyes, "Bring it here."

I took the gun out of my pocket and put it in her hand.I knew it couldn't be that easy.

"It's not too much to ask." She looked at the revolver in 360 degrees, and opened the bolt casually, "My sister's things are relatively easy-you have maintained them well, and it seems that carrying them is not just for courage."

"Be careful, the bolt will go off as soon as you touch it."

"I know. I almost killed someone with it two years ago. The accuracy is okay."

"Its performance is quite brilliant?"

"At least it was like this before it got into your hands."

"..."

Once inside the tavern, we found a table in the corner and sat down.Iris smelled of alcohol and cigarettes, and looked charming. When she sat down on the chair, the eyes of the surroundings followed her.I was wearing a gray overcoat with the brim pulled down and sat across from her.

"Old and young people diagonally across from you, one of them will be wearing that brooch."

"Honey, do you know that you look like a student doing nothing?"

"Ok?"

"I mean you dress like a boy."

"Don't interrupt. It's a bit difficult to implement the plan when two people are present. It's best to try it separately."

"Is it father and son?"

"do not know."

"Easy. Get yourself a glass of beer. If you can't drink it, just pretend. They only drink alcohol in this kind of place." Iris stood up like a cat stretching, and whispered in my ear, "and, when necessary There is a look of being unprofessional."

"What do you mean?"

She didn't have time to answer me, and went straight to the dangerous table.I summoned up all my strength and asked the waiter for a glass of beer.The place was really unremarkable, and as Iris leaned seemingly casually on the edge of their table, at least three tables were whistling at her.I couldn't hear what they were saying, because Iris used to lower his voice, resulting in an ambiguous timbre effect.I can only rely on the cover of the wine glass to observe their demeanor and movements-I can't get myself drunk because I am too engrossed in watching.

Wearing glasses is a bit of a shame in this place, and I could barely see the young man chatting with Iris, while his elderly partner sat next to him just drinking.After a while, they asked for a deck of cards, and the young man dragged Iris to sit between them. The old man suddenly got up and left the table, and walked towards the door, as if bored.I almost had to applaud her.The two of them played poker for a while, during which all kinds of wine were delivered non-stop.Judging by the color, Iris was drinking all kinds of wine, and she herself had been carefully and slowly competing with a glass of beer.Not long after, the young man probably got a little hot from drinking too much, and got up to take off his coat. Iris helped him take off the coat from behind him. The young man stopped her attempt to find the coat hook, and only let her Put your clothes on a nearby chair.But this time should be enough.She said something to the young man, and he got up and went out.At this time, she shook her head slightly at me from a distance:

The brooch is not with the young man, it is with the old man.

I made a gesture of pressing down, signaling not to worry.Soon the old man came back, but the young man didn't follow, I guess he was out to sober himself up.The old man began to ask Iris clearly and loudly to stay away, they had no money for her.

Things are not good, she should withdraw.But Iris chatted with the old man indifferently, as if he didn't feel the other party's dissatisfaction at all.Both stood up, and the atmosphere was tense.I don't even know when I stood up from my seat, my heart was in my throat, and my whole chest was hot.If he is against her, it's over, and it's time for me to go all out again.

"I warn you, miss, I don't like being rude to women."

Many people had already paid attention to the movement here, but the other party's sudden increase in volume finally attracted all the eyes in the tavern.I remembered that their plans were not going well at this time, and they must be very angry. If they are not professional (it seems that they are not professional), it is easy to get irritable at this time, because trivial matters get out of control.

"Sir, if you don't like your son flirting with women at the wine table, you should discipline him earlier. If not, don't teach him to be prudish."

God, let her say a few words less, I can imagine her winking when she speaks!

At this time, Iris turned slightly sideways and winked at me.I suddenly remembered what she said just now: You should look like you are not doing your job properly.

Oh I see.There is actually another way to make men take off their coats, and it is more reliable.But I really didn't want to do this unless I had to, so I shook my head desperately at Iris.She just shrugged her shoulders while talking: "Whether you like to do it or not, there is only one way."

At the same time, the dangerous man dropped a vulgar remark coldly.

There is only one chance.Instinctively, I took off the feminine hat and coughed heavily, successfully attracting some people's attention.Iris was unmoved, and her opponent turned impatiently to look at me.

"Sorry, sir," I said, "but you insulted my friend."

This is the most ridiculous provocation of my life.It's not just a matter of looking for trouble.The other party looked to be in his 60s, but he was burly and out of breath.I need to look up to see his face, but I can't.It took me a while to find myself shrugging my shoulders involuntarily, in a defensive stance.Iris lit a cigarette behind him and looked at us with relish.

"Want to fight, girl?" my opponent snorted. "Go home early, this is not where you should be."

"Don't even dare to hit a little girl?" I continued.

"are you crazy."

It is rare for a person to see this kind of scene anywhere in the whole of England. A girl under 20 provokes a big man in a tavern and fights. A little white rabbit barks its teeth at the bloodhound.

"Are you kidding me?!" The opponent was genuinely offended, and I knew it was downright insulting to him.I finally relaxed enough to smile, clenched my fists, and raised them to my chest:

"You have the ability to speak ill of a woman, but you don't have the ability to fight?"

I tore off my overcoat three times and twice, and threw it on a nearby table, inevitably covering several spectators.I don't know the elegant opening style of Sherlock Holmes.There was an uproar in the audience, and even a few ruffians whistled.The other party also threw the coat behind him.Iris caught it without much effort.The task is completed, the question is how to clean up this mess.

"I didn't hit women, I just taught children," he said. "Little one, don't trip over your skirt."

I swallowed.

"Please leave me the tooth, sir. Do anything else."

Before I finished speaking, I was picked up, not beaten, but thrown out.I hadn't figured out when he came close as I banged my head on a table and smashed glasses and plates in my face.A cold liquid dripped from the top of his head to his face, probably the wine on the table.Holmes' words flashed through his mind: The brooch may not be taken back, but you should not have any accidents.

"It's a piece of cake," I heard my opponent say.Iris came running to help me up, maybe to get off the dress before anyone noticed.The ankle was broken, but fortunately, it did not bear weight and was not injured.The heavy perfume smell of Iris makes me a little dizzy.She handed me my coat, and when she put her slender and delicate hands on mine, she quietly stuffed a hard and angular thing into my palm.I lowered my head and straightened my clothes, putting things in my pockets by the way.When the two of us left the tavern, Iris turned around and reprimanded the man pretending to be angry.

"Here's the thing, can you give me the gun back?" I said to her about five hundred yards from the danger zone.She parted her red lips slightly, and smiled inexplicably.

"Look, Angela, we touched their important things, and it won't be long before they are discovered. There are two of them, and even if we escape separately, we can keep an eye on one of them. You can't ask me to take equal risks with you Right? You take the brooch and leave the gun with me temporarily. Is there a problem?"

I never want to owe her a favor in my life.

The author has something to say: Ah, the turbulent week has finally passed!