It was mid-morning, and Briggs managed to rouse himself from a fitful sleep. He splashed water from the basin on his face and grabbed an open whiskey bottle for a long pull of liquid. He grimaced as the cheap whiskey burned a path down his throat on the way to its final destination in his bloodstream.

He needed a story, he needed to come across something he could write about and then sell to one of the papers, something beyond society news or the police beat. He would never get outside the confines of his present situation unless he could re-capture stories that made headlines. He was too old and jaded to start over again on the bottom rung of the ladder, but he had angered too many men who were now in positions to make decisions. He needed to produce something undeniable, something that would push old scores aside in favor of increased sales and circulation.

He dressed, grabbed his satchel and walked out the door, down the stairs and out into the street. First, a cup of tea, then he would change his fishing charts because if he wanted better stories, he needed to start working in more productive waters.

He bought a copy of The Times and grabbed a cup of tea at the nearby street vendor. Scanning the paper, he noted the usual blasé headlines: Scotland Yard investigates Hartlington's Brokerage House, a young man found dead at the waterfront near Albert bank, "IIex" ridden by Arthur Nightingall won the Grand National, an expansion of the Great Western Railway via the Cornwall line had been finalized…

Bored with the paper, he glanced over at the front page headlines of the other major London papers that lay in stacks about the ground in front of the newsstand, when his eye was caught by the rack of booklets, short tales, and magazines. There, next to some penny dreadfuls, were several of Dr. John Watson's short stories about his adventures with Sherlock Holmes. He reflexively reached into his satchel for his copy of the Doctor's latest effort, only to find that it was missing. He pulled his bag around in front and searched for the small booklet, just to confirm its disappearance.

"Do you want a Sherlock Holmes story mate?"

Briggs blinked into focus and realized that the newsstand clerk was speaking to him.

"Sorry - what did you say?"

"I asked if you wanted a Sherlock Holmes story, as your sittin' there staring at them," said the busy shopkeeper. He managed to make two sales and holler prices at bystanders all while talking with Briggs.

"No…no, not at all," replied the Badger.

"Sure? you might want to read the latest as Holmes allows the cad to get away - not very common for him - that'll be one guv," as the shopkeep passed a paper on to another customer.

"Allows him to get away?" thought Briggs. What on earth would compel the detective to do such a thing?

The newsman in him suddenly required an answer: "alright, I'll have the latest story."

Mission in hand, he walked the few blocks up to Bloomsbury Square where he could sit outside on a bench and enjoy the air, sun, and parade of people while reading. He struck a Lucifer, lit a cigarette, and started to read the tale of "A Case of Identity." He told himself to push through the poor writing and to examine the facts of the tale, and within those facts, find the "why and how" in Holmes' motivation.

The young woman in the story, Miss Mary Sutherland, lived at home with her mother and step-father, Mr. James Windibank. Her father had been a successful plumber but had passed on several years prior and his widow eventually sold his business for a nice sum. Enter the new man in her life, Mr. Windibank, who married the well-off widow.

Mary Sutherland had an inheritance of approximately 100 pounds annum from an uncle in New Zealand and supplemented it by working as a typist. She gave her mother and Windibank money as compensation for her living at home. Mr. Windibank did not want to lose this supplemental income, for it was more significant than the expense of her living at home, so he invented a scheme to break her heart and discourage her from future romance.

With the assistance of his wife, he decided to disguise himself and portray a prospective suitor to Miss Sutherland. The Gasfitters Union sent tickets to their yearly ball, out of respect for her departed father, to Miss Sutherland and her mother. This is where the young lady was to meet her step-father in disguise, masquerading as a Mr. Hosmer Angel. He made a favorable impression on the young woman and shortly after that they reached an understanding. A date for the wedding was set at St. Savior's Church.

However, the scheme had gone too far, Mr. Windibank/Mr. Angel could not actually marry Miss Sutherland, so the cad left the young woman standing at the altar.

Shortly thereafter, she employed Mr. Holmes to find out what had happened to Mr. Angel. This of course was done, as Mr. Holmes quickly put the clues together and confronted Windibank, who he allowed to run off.

Mystery solved, Holmes decided not to tell his client the truth about Mr. Hosmer Angel's identity but simply advised Miss Sutherland to forget about him and move on. He takes this action despite his knowledge that she had pledged to remain faithful to Angel for ten years! A promise extracted by Angel before his proposal knowing that she would stay true to her word.

The read was a fast one, and it didn't cost Briggs more than a few cigarettes and his breakfast hour to finish the tale. It read as a fiction thought Briggs: perhaps Watson simply creates these stories?

Disgusted, Briggs got up and thought to head off to the pub and have a pint. As he walked across Southhampton Row towards his appointment with a glass of porter, he failed to notice the abrupt change in the environment. The serenity of the square and its green grass, lovely lines of trees, and the pastoral feeling was replaced ever so quickly by paved streets, tall sooty brick buildings, the crash and dash of people and coaches, and the omnipresent cacophony of the city.

"So it all ended with Holmes refusing to tell her the truth about her step-father," said Briggs to nobody at all.

The Badger noted the road repair crew and walked around the men, equipment, and holes as they attempted to improve the condition of London's streets. The clanging of their picks and heavy thud of their tamps snapped his concentration and increased his overall degree of annoyance.

Vexed about the story, he strode the several remaining blocks in a state of mind that gave no notice to time or distance. He called for a whiskey and a porter and sat at a table in the corner, immediately pulling a notebook from his satchel and scribbling out questions.

Why did Holmes refuse to tell the women the truth? She said that she promised to remain faithful to the fiancé for ten years…why leave her on the hook to a fictional lover?

Why allow the step-father to get away with it?

Why did Watson write the bloody story if it would reveal the identity of the wronged woman?

He took out the story and flipped to the ending.

"What exactly did Holmes say to justify not telling his client the truth?" he thought.

"If I tell her she will not believe me. You may remember the old Persian saying, 'There is danger for him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion from a woman.'"

"Why would she not believe him," thought Briggs? Holmes could produce evidence that would show her something beyond his opinion.

Did Holmes think that Miss Sutherland was delusional? Or was it merely the influence of love on her disposition that made her delusional in his mind?

Suddenly, Briggs had another thought entirely.

Holmes is not married. There has never been gossip about him being linked to a woman romantically. There are statements in Watson's previous stories that show Holmes did not think much of women; perhaps Holmes felt that she deserved it?

"Hmmm," thought Briggs, "that would be interesting."

But the story also indicated that Holmes was furious at Windibank and that he thought the fraud was one of the cruelest tricks ever brought before him. He was clearly upset with the circumstances and thought little of Windibank.

The question as to Holmes's motivation was troublesome, and the answer would require additional information thought Briggs.

"But why did Watson publish the story and lay the poor woman's misfortune bare to all of London?"

It was one thing for a newspaper to report on misfortunes suffered because that was news, and there was no relationship between the reporter and the subject. But it was quite another thing for Watson to publish embarrassing circumstances that may ruin a woman's future prospects mused Briggs.

But what if Watson had thought this through, and realized that the story would cause Miss Sutherland embarrassment if the circumstances were widely known.

Briggs froze as a thought jumped into his head. No, it was more of a conclusion. He drank his glass of porter and wrote a response out to one of his questions.

What if Watson's story used false names to protect Miss Sutherland?

That had to be it.

So, Watson profits from the tale and the poor client must live on in melancholy and uncertainty as to the fate of her fiancé, never knowing that her lover was really her step-father in disguise.

But, if she read "A Case of Identity," then she may very well have put two and two together, for the similarities would be very obvious to her. Then, having gained the answers she had sought from Holmes, a confrontation with her traitorous mother or step-father (if he managed to show his face to her again) would no doubt have followed, during which she may have asked the question voiced by all victims: "why?"

Briggs was not a gentleman, but he understood that behavior, not clothing and money, are what define a gentleman. His displeasure grew as he considered the probability of Miss Sutherland having to confront her mother and step-father alone, particularly since she had employed men to act as her agents in the matter. Neither Holmes nor Watson acted as gentlemen in failing to disclose the truth, and then for leaving her to manage its discovery of her own accord.

"Poor girl, she would have been horrified if she had discovered the truth by reading this story," said Briggs.

"Horrified… but what else?" thought Briggs.

That's it - her feelings and the aftermath realized Briggs. How did Holmes's actions impact her! His motivation becomes a mute point because the focus should be on the consequences of his actions. No one will care what motivated his decision after they read about the tragic girl who was wronged by her family and her detective.

That's it - this is his story.