The Case of the Ivory Comb

A/N- This is my first multi-chaptered fic. Enjoy! And please review.:)

Thanks again to KCS, Chewing Gum, and Westron Wynde- I'm a whole hearted admirer of your works (that includes all three of you) and your encouragement means a lot to me. And Susicar- don't worry, English isn't my first language either, and I appreciate it a lot that you took the time and effort to review.

No offence is implied to anyone of any racial group in the following chapter.Thought I would stress that,just in case.

Disclaimer- Sherlock Holmes, Watson et al are all creations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm just playing with them for a while…

Chapter Two: The Captain's Tale

"You were correct in all of your deductions, Mr. Holmes, save one- I have two daughters. One is my own daughter Beatrice, who is twenty-eight now. She was but nine when I enlisted in the Navy and went away to China. After her mother died, she went to a boarding school in Wales. Upon graduation, she lived with her aunt in Wales for five years, before coming to Ceylon to live with me."

"The other is Rosaline. She is, in fact, my stepdaughter- the daughter of my late second wife, a Ceylonese woman. She is barely eighteen- a dark-eyed, fiery lass quite unlike her mother. She speaks both her native tongue and English quite well. In her younger days, she was looked after by an Ayah, while I took it upon myself to teach her reading, writing, and the rest. Rosie is a sweet girl, Mr. Holmes, if rather unorthodox in her manners. She has quite a temper, but she would never, ever, harm anyone- I am sure of that."

The captain paused, and then looked at my brother and me rather fiercely, as though daring us to contradict him. When neither of us did, he drew a deep breath and continued.

"There are many British families living in Ceylon, and in the naval base at Trincomalee, but we are shunned by most of them because of my marriage to a Ceylonese woman. Consequently, we do not usually attend social gatherings, even when we are invited. My daughters do not mind this in the least. Beatrice attended many parties and balls when she was living in Wales, and she, as she puts it, 'has had enough to last a lifetime.' Rosaline, on the other hand, prefers the company of her family and Nature to that of her peers."

"One day Mrs. George Duncan, the wife of a good friend of mine, invited us all to a small dinner and dance to be held at their house in Kandy. I was inclined to refuse at first, but it occurred to me that Rosie was nearly eighteen now, and it was time she made her debut into society. Hence, I asked her if she would like to attend. To my surprise, she agreed. So it happened that the three of us journeyed to Kandy the next day, to attend the little gathering. It was there that we first met Major Atkinson."

"He was a fine man, only three-and-thirty in spite of his rank. He had just arrived from England, and was quite dashing in his uniform. The girls at the party swooned over him, (so said my Beatrice), but it was Rosaline that caught his eye. He danced with her for most of the night, and when we were preparing to leave, he came up to me and said he would hope to call on us soon, as he would be visiting his brother in Trincomalee the following week."

"I was surprised, but not altogether pleased at this new acquaintance. All fathers feel a little protective of their young daughters, especially when the mother is not there to advise their naïve children. I was half hoping that the major would not come, and that his would merely be a passing fancy."

"But the Major was as good as his word, for he appeared on our doorstep the very next Monday. Afterwards, he became a regular visitor at our house. He often took my daughters out riding or for a walk by the beach. I say 'daughters,' but, of course, he was most interested in Rosie, and he soon became fast friends with her. To Beatrice, he was quite polite, but never more than a casual acquaintance."

"One day, Beatrice and I both journeyed to Kandy to see the Duncans. Rosie was a little unwell, so we left her at home. When we returned, it was almost nightfall. While Beatrice went upstairs to change into her dinner clothes, I went to my study. Presently, there was a soft knock at my door, and Rosaline came in.

" 'Father,' said she, softly, 'Major Atkinson proposed to me to-day'."

"I was speechless."

" 'When?' I asked of her.

" 'In the afternoon, when you were both out.'"

" 'And what was your answer?'"

" "I said I would tell him to-morrow,'" she replied.

" ' Do you not love him, lassie?'"

" 'I honestly do not know, Father,' she said thoughtfully. 'I have always regarded him as a friend, nothing more."

" 'Well, then, dear, think carefully, do as your heart says, and remember that I will stand by you, no matter what your decision will be.'"

She embraced me then, and nothing more was said of the matter that night."

"Then, on the following day, we were seated around the breakfast table when one of our maids rushed into the dining room."

" ' What is it, Karunawattie?'" I demanded of her.

" ' It's the major, sir," she said, gasping for breath. 'He and his brother were found dead this morning.'

"We were all struck numb at the news. Rosaline sat petrified for a minute, then crumpled into her chair and dissolved into silent tears. Even Beatrice turned very pale and rushed out of the room."

"As for myself, I could scarce believe the blow that had fallen upon my dear little daughter, for I knew that in her heart, she had cared for him. I tried my best to comfort her, but she would not listen, and she ran upstairs and shut herself up in her room, where she remained till sunset."

"In the afternoon, a pair of constables came to call."

" 'Is Miss Rosaline in?'" asked one of them.

" 'She is very ill, sir, and is confined to her room,' I replied. " 'May I know why is it that you wish to see her?'

" 'We have received intelligence that Major Atkinson came to visit her yesterday, before his unfortunate death. We need to ask her a few questions regarding what happened between her and Major Atkinson yesterday."

" ' In that case,' said Beatrice, coldly, " I beg that you will come later, sir, for my stepsister cannot entertain visitors at the moment."

"The constables bowed reluctantly, and were on the verge of leaving when one of them turned back and held out something to me in his hand."

" 'This was found on the shore, near Major Atkinson's body,' he said. 'Do you recognize this, sir?'"

"I took one look at it, and my blood ran cold. It was a comb, Mr. Holmes, an ivory comb- just like the one my Rosaline used."

The captain turned away, momentarily overcome by emotion.

I whistled softly.

"Quite interesting," said Mycroft, who had been listening intently. "Pray continue, my good captain. What happened after they left?"

"The constables returned the following day. Rosie was still pale, but she answered their questions as best as she could. She insisted that the comb was not hers, that she had had a similar one, and that she had lost it two days ago. In response to a query, she told them of the Major's proposal to her, but refused to answer any questions as to where she had been between the time of his leaving and the time of our arrival."

"Indeed!" I exclaimed. "And why was that?"

"I asked her, but she would not tell me, Mr. Holmes."

"Tut, tut! This rather complicates matters. Have any charges been brought forth against your daughter as yet?"

"Not yet, but I have reason enough to believe that the police will do so. No other evidence has been found so far, and already there are rumours spreading at the naval base that she killed the major, and his brother died of shock upon learning the news."

"Ah, yes- the brother. Tell me, Captain, what were your family's relations with Mr. Atkinson?"

"We only met him once, Mr. Holmes, when the Major invited us to his house for tea. He was two years younger than the Major- a tall, thin man, with a sallow face. He was a planter, and owned a few hundred hectares of land in Nuwara Eliya. He was a man of few words, and was not as amiable as his brother was towards us."

"Did the brothers have any living relatives, in Ceylon or in England?"

"No, they were orphans, Mr. Holmes. The Major told me as much."

"There is one thing I wish to clarify, Captain White," interrupted Mycroft. "Other than the fact that her comb was found near the body, what reason could anyone have for believing that it was indeed your daughter who committed the crime?"

The captain flushed a deep red He fidgeted in his chair, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Two days before this incident," he said, slowly, "one of my neighbours has seen the Major conversing with my daughter in the garden of his home. The Major had said something to my daughter, and she had become very angry with him .At first, he had tried to placate her, even catching her wrist at one point, but she had retaliated with an angry retort, which had incensed the Major. A violent quarrel had ensued between the pair of them. His brother had appeared on the scene soon afterwards and tried to resolve the situation, to no avail-indeed, she had railed at him as well. At length, she had stormed out of the garden in a fury. When I questioned her about it, she said there had been a minor disagreement, but that they had resolved it later onwards."

All at once, it became clear to me why the captain was so agitated, and the true extent of the scandal that could be caused, were the Captain's daughter to be convicted.

"So they are under the impression that the Major's attentions were-shall we say, unwelcome to your daughter, and that she murdered him for this reason?"

The captain nodded, not meeting my questioning gaze.

"But that seems scarcely credible."

"It's a lie, Mr. Holmes, a blatant lie!" cried the Captain, springing to his feet, his eyes flashing in anger. "They would not even dream of suspecting her, were she a British girl or even a European. They are only latching on to her because of the colour of her skin!"

"Pray calm down, my dear Captain," I said soothingly to the officer. "Mycroft, if you would come this way, please."

My brother and I left the anguished Captain in the sitting room, and went on to my bedroom for a little private consultation.

"Well, what do you make of it, Sherlock?"

"I am not convinced that the girl is innocent, but I am not entirely convinced of her guilt either. It seems to me that there are other forces at work here."

"Precisely," said my brother, crisply. "Had I more details, I would have certainly be able to concoct a sound theory, but I have none, and in any case, we require proof. And that, brother mine, is where you come in. I fear a trip to Ceylon is in order for you."

"It certainly does seem that way," I remarked dryly. "Although I am most curious to know how you came to be involved in the matter."

Mycroft sighed.

"The Captain came to meet me at the Diogenes Club early this morning. Fortunately, he did not know that I was employed in government service. He had heard that I helped people with their little problems, and that I would be most discreet in such matters, and he wanted me to help him acquit his stepdaughter. Of course, I immediately knew what could happen, were the girl to be prosecuted. The coloured stepdaughter of a white naval officer being responsible for the deaths of two white men- the press would have a thing or two to say, that I could wager. I can only wonder that the Foreign Office did not pay more attention to this case. In any case, I told him that I could do nothing without more details, and therefore I referred him to you. He was a little reluctant at first, but I managed to convince him in the end."

"And a pretty little problem it is, Mycroft. Two deaths, hardly any circumstantial evidence, a prime suspect with a flimsy motive and a flimsier alibi, and a potential international scandal into the bargain!"

Mycroft cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Do you mean to imply that you do not wish to take on the case?"

"No, indeed. In fact, I shall be glad to do so. This is, I believe, very much in my line of work."

"Very well, then. Now, unless you have anything further to discuss, Sherlock, we shall rejoin our guest in the drawing-room."

When we returned, the captain was noticeably more composed than before.

"Well, Captain White," I said, resuming my seat, "your case is a most interesting one. I shall be happy to look into the matter."

The captain's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, sir," he said, gratitude and relief in his honest face. "I am not a very wealthy man, as you and your brother have noted, but I will see to it that you are rewarded justly if only you can help my daughter."

"We shall see, Captain White." I said, rising, as my guests rose. "I believe that the HMS Ceylon leaves Liverpool at ten o'clock on Monday. I shall be glad to accompany you to your home in Ceylon, if you wish it."

"Oh, most certainly," cried the Captain.

"Then it is settled. And now, good day to you both, for I believe I have some preparations to make for my journey."