The Mystery of the Governor's House.
Written by Timothy McElroy
I was in our sitting room on Baker Street waiting on my colleague Sherlock Holmes to return with our next case. All of a sudden Sherlock burst in his face red and sweat pouring down it. "Grab your coat quickly." he said "We must be off, time is of the utmost importance." I knew my friend Sherlock well enough to know that if he was this excited something important was happening, or about to happen, so without questioning I grabbed my coat and we both stormed out. There was already a carriage waiting outside. We got inside and Sherlock shouted at the driver "To the Governor's house and do not spare the whip."
"Now that we are on the way my dear Watson I can shed some more light onto our situation. It all started at about nine o'clock this morning. I had gone to Scotland Yard to visit Inspector Lestrade; when I over heard two gentlemen speaking about how the Governor had been receiving threatening letters from an unknown sender." I jotted down as much as I could but he was speaking so fast that it was terribly difficult to keep up. " The detectives at Scotland Yard had done their best to see if they could trace the sender but without any success. There were no seals or personally identifiable markings on it. When I found Lestrade I asked him if he knew anything of the threatening letters being sent to the Governor. He said that it had started about two days ago and that he had received four letters none in the same handwriting though." I was very puzzled by this, four letters all to the Governor and yet none in the same handwriting. Obviously we were dealing with someone who did not want to be traced. Sherlock continued to say that the only lead the police had was that they were all delivered by hand because the post man had no remembrance of delivering any letters of the sort. What also made this a very strange case was that it was so close to the Governor's birthday.
We finally arrived at the Governor's house only to find at least a dozen police on the front lawn. Holmes saw Lestrade and went over to him. "What happened here?" Holmes asked. "The Governor's been murdered!" Said Lestrade. "When did it happen?" Asked Holmes. "Sometime in the past two hours we believe." answered Lestrade. Sherlock rushed into the house to see the murder scene before any evidence was taken away. He approached the Governor's room to see the Governor dead in his bed. Holmes approached the bed slowly his eyes intently trained on the ground he was walking on looking for any footprints. He reached the bed and began to examine the Governor's body. He said to me " Watson this man was murdered by a blow to the head by a rifle but." "How do you know it was a rifle?" I asked. "See this impression on the floor it is of a rifle barrel. It is a deep impression as though the assailant had been using it almost as a walking stick." "I see now that you point it out to me." I said. "The assassin was a tall man I can tell by the size of the footprints and by the distance between the prints. Because of this I would deduce that we are dealing with a man of approximately six foot two inches tall. Also the man was left handed. I can tell because the foot prints are on the right side of the bed, obviously the assailant wanted to have his left side closest so that his strike would be more accurate." I thought to my self that it is amazing how he does this even thought I see it so often from him I never get used to it. "Take a look at the impression upon this seat cushion. See there that is the impression of a flask our assailant obviously carries a flask with him. Notice the window is open. The Governor would not have gone to bed with the window open not on this cold a night and especially not after receiving threatening letters. Do you see this pile of ash?" "Yes it do." I said. "Our assailant opened the window and smoked a cigar. He left the but of the cigar here in this corner. It was a Havana cigar. He also did not use a cigar holder and he bit the end off you can tell by the markings on the end of the cigar." Then Lestrade walked into the room. "What do you make of it Holmes. All that myself and my men can make of it is that he was murdered by a blow to the head. Sometime after he went to bed. The Governor usually goes to bed about nine and its eleven now." "Inspector your assailant is a tall man of about six foot two inches tall. He smokes Havana Cigars and does not use a cigar holder and also carries around a flask in his back left pocket." "Holmes you deduced all that in less than ten minutes my men and I have been here for an hour. I'll never get used to that." said Lestrade. "Tell me inspector who was the last person to see the Governor alive?" "Why I believe it was the man that has been planning the Governor's party. He was asking the Governor what he wanted for appetizers at his birthday dinner." "That is who I will speak with first."
After about an hour the party planner was brought to us. A Mr. Shawn Sanders, A half Irish Businessman who makes his living planning special occasions such as this. "Good evening Mr. Sanders." Holmes said. "Now you see Mr. sanders nothing is being blamed on you but since you were the last one to see the Governor alive we must question you." "I understand." said sanders. He was sweating quite a lot and was a bit shaky. He was obviously nervous about something which is understandable in light of what has happened. "So tell me Mr. Sanders how long had you been planning this party?" "For about a Month." he answered. "I see and in this period you became very well acquainted with the general didn't you." "Yes I did. I get to know all my clients." "Yes, But this one was different. You had never worked with someone as wealthy as the Governor had you?" "Why no but I don't see what that has to do with anything." "Tell me Mr. Sanders do you have a cigar on you?" "Yes." "Might I have one?" Sanders handed the cigar to Holmes. "I see you smoke Havana." "Yes, They are very fine cigars." "Indeed they are especially to someone who is about to come into a large sum of money as they are quite expensive as well." "Excuse me?" asked sanders in a puzzled manner. "Mr. Sanders would you stand up for me please?" "Certainly" he replied in a confused manner. "Tell me How tall are you Mr. Sanders?" "I'm six foot two. I don't see what this has to do with anything this is ridiculous I am getting out of here." "Sit down Mr. Sanders I wont have you going anywhere." Sanders sat down but only because to Police officers blocked the doorway. "I noticed something in your back pocket there Mr. Sanders what is it." "Why its just a flask of whiskey. Is there something remarkable about that." "Yes very, Inspector Lestrade here is your murderer." "What I don't see that this fellow has any motive how could he be the murderer." "Ah, But he did have a motive. As he spent more and more time with the Governor he found out where the Governor kept his money because the Governor was telling him he did not want anyone in his bedroom because of the Tan chest by the dresser. As that is where he kept his money. Tell me Inspector have you searched that chest?" "Yes and it was totally empty." "Exactly he went into the general's room on the pretense of changing the menu for the party but actually went to steal the Governor's money. But the Governor woke up while he was doing it so he had not choice but to kill him. He did not shoot the general because the shot would have been noticed so he hit him with the but of the rifle. He then took the Money and stormed out without anyone knowing anything about it." Said Holmes in a very excited tone. "Amazing, I would never have made the connection. Had it not been for you Holmes we might never have solved this crime. Take him away men!" As we walked out I asked Holmes whether or not he thought that Sanders would be found guilty. He replied "If he isn't found guilty than the judge and jury are as daft as a drunk after a night at a pub." So we caught a carriage back to baker street and that was the end of the mystery of the Governor's house.