001 Beginnings
"I-I'm sorry, Professor," The lackey stammered, afraid to look up at the man sitting behind the desk.
"I take it that you have failed?" the voice replied, with reptilian calm.
"Yessir. The coppers was tipped off, they was. Some bleedin' detective chap. Disguised as a fisherman, he was. Dunno how he did it. But he knew exactly which dock we was bringing the goods to. I got away, but they got almost all our boys."
The anger simmered beneath the voice's unnatural calm. "I do not suppose you heard his name before you took flight?"
"I did, sir: Sherlock Holmes."