Both myself and Holmes travelled back to London. I looked at my pocket watch.
"Good heavens Holmes!" I exclaimed. "We only have 12 hours left before Von Galore unleashes his threat."
"There is no need to worry Watson, I think I've worked out the truth behind Vincent's little game."
"you do?" I asked.
"I can promise you that Ronan is not in any danger."
"But Holmes the note" I said as I showed him the note saying ROB."
"I think I know the truth about that as well" Holmes remarked. By coincidence we passed the police station where we heard a shout from Lestrade."
"Holmes, Watson, come here!" As Lestrade asked we parked the carriage and walked over to Lestrade. He was smiling heavily. "We caught him Holmes."
"Vincent Von Galore?" I asked.
"Not him, Harrison" Lestrade announced. We caught him and his carriage and he confessed to the crimes of burning down houses and stabbing Ronan Benedict."
"I would like Ronan Benedict to come here immediately" Sherlock demanded. "I think he deserves the truth about what has happened to him." Sherlock then handed over the card with Ronan's address that he had given us on the day he met us. Lestrade nodded and walked away. He came back about half an hour later with Ronan Benedict.
"I take it you have solved this mystery?" Ronan asked.
"Yes but I think we should speak to Harrison ourselves first don't you?" With that the four of us took two carriages and headed towards the prison where O'brackley was being held. The prison was a dark gloomy place with little light. Harrison was just sitting there on the damp stone floor.
"What the hell do you want?" Harrison asked angrily.
"I am about to tell you the truth about what happened on the night you stabbed Ronan." Sherlock replied. Ronan glared at Harrison angrily but Harrison showed no remorse.
"Explain then Holmes your deductions." Ronan demanded.
"When I first met you it did seem like I was about to encounter a strange case even before you began to tell me about Vincent." Sherlock said.
"But how could you tell?" Ronan questioned.
"It does seem reasonable that one member of Vincent's pack killed your father and it does seem logical that Vincent sent Holland to kill your mother but what attracted my attention was the fact that you were stabbed to begin with."
"What do you mean?" Ronan asked.
"You told us that apart from your drink, you and your mother ate practically the same things to eat."
"That is correct."
"If that is the case why bother to try and murder you at a separate time. Wouldn't it be easier to kill you along with your mother? Why poison the wine your mother only, why not poison the food that you both ate instead." Ronan starred at Holmes.
"But instead Vincent decided to kill you after this incident. What a strange decision. Unless we have miss interpreted the facts."
"You mean that this note…" I began.
"That's the thing Watson, just because the note said ROB doesn't mean it means Ronan Oswald benedict. It could be Rob all by itself, short for Robert."
"But we don't know anyone called Robert, Holmes"
"It could be that the first 2 letters of the note means the first 2 letters of the target's first name and that the last letter means the first letter of his last name."
"But that still implicates me." Ronan shouted.
"Or it could mean that the first letter of the note means the first letter of his first name and the last 2 letters of the note mean the last 2 letters of his last name." Silence rung out. "That was the correct way to view the letter wasn't it Harrison?" Harrison nodded.
"But Holmes, we don't know anyone who has a name like that either." I said.
"We don't?" Sherlock chuckled merrily. "Watson who do we know with a surname that begins with OB."
"The only person I can think of that fits that criteria is Harrison O'brackley."
"You see Watson Dick is short for Richard and Dick Brackley's real surname is O'brackley meaning that ROB didn't mean Ronan Oswald Benedict but Richard O'brackley."
"In that case how come Harrison stabbed the wrong person?" I asked.
"I forgot what the code meant." Harrison replied simply.
"That's it!" Ronan yelled angrily. "I went through hell and back all because you just forgot a code."
"I have just one more question for you Harrison, how are these notes delivered?"
"Nothing special, Vincent writes the target on a piece of paper and then gives it to Holland who in turn gives it to me."
"There was a boy in your father's works called Daniel Broadhurst I believe." Holmes asked Ronan. "That would explain why Vincent used the term ROB instead of DBR."
"Grrrrrr…." Harrison growled.
"Well Watson only one thing to do now. Take down Vincent Von Galore and his last remaining henchman."