Wow! This is a really long chapter but there was no way I could split it.

It is the story of the day that Victor disappeared, told almost entirely from Eurus's POV.

Sixty-Three

It was a crisp, autumnal day, bright with golden sunshine but with a sharp edge to the wind, when Mr and Mrs Trevor drove up to the front of Musgrave Hall in their ancient Datsun Cherry. The rear passenger door flew opened and Victor – Redbeard – jumped out, wearing his ubiquitous red and blue tartan Mackinaw jacket, dark grey trousers and wellington boots, with his red bandanna tied around his neck and a black eye patch over his right eye. Eurus was waiting by the front door and she waved to the Trevors as they drove away.

'Hello, You-ros,' Victor grinned. 'What are you doing here?'

'Waiting for you,' she replied, at which Victor gave a quirky grin.

'Why? Where's Yellowbeard?' he asked.

'He's finishing his breakfast so we need to be quick.'

'Quick at what?' Victor queried.

'Come with me and I'll show you,' Eurus exclaimed and ran off in the direction of the fake grave stones.

Victor watched her go then turned and looked toward the house, torn between curiosity about what Eurus wanted to show him and wanting to find his friend. Curiosity won the day and he ran after Eurus's retreating back, into the long grass in amongst the grave stones, where Mr Holmes and his ride-on mower couldn't get to.

He caught up with her behind the stone dedicated to Nemo Holmes - Sherlock's favourite of all the stones, for some reason. She was crouched down, as though hiding, so he crouched down, too, so they were both hidden from the view of anyone who might be passing or glancing out through one of the windows of the house.

'What have you got there?' Victor asked, as Eurus pulled something out of the grass that had grown up around the base of the stone. She lifted it up and he saw it was a small, pink backpack, the sort that girls like Eurus used to take their bits and bobs to school.

'It's a packed lunch,' Eurus replied.

Like most young children, Victor had an insatiable appetite and, even though he had not long since had breakfast, the idea of a packed lunch was guaranteed to pique his interest.

'Whose packed lunch?' he asked.

'It's yours, if you play the game,' Eurus replied.

'What's in it?' he asked.

Eurus opened the backpack and held it out to him so he could see inside.

'There are some sandwiches left over from our picnic at the beach, yesterday, and a slice of Dundee cake. That's from the picnic, too. I managed to grab it before Mycroft did. There's the last two Hobnobs – I managed to get them before Mycroft, too – and an apple and a banana. And a bag of cheese and onion crisps.'

Victor was pretty impressed with all that but was immediately aware that a vital ingredient was missing.

'No fizzy pop?' he asked.

'No, sorry. We're not allowed fizzy pop. Mummy says it's just pure sugar and a waste of money.'

'What's wrong with pure sugar?' Victor queried.

'I don't know,' Eurus shrugged. 'But Mummy says that if you're thirsty, you'll drink water.'

'Is there any water in that backpack?' Victor wondered.

'No, but you won't need it. Where you're going, there's plenty of water.'

'So, where am I going? And why do I need to take a packed lunch? And what's this game you want me to play?'

'Come with me,' Eurus exclaimed, 'and I'll show you.'

Victor was hooked. He didn't even think twice when Eurus closed up the bag, slung it on her back, jumped up and ran off in the direction of the beech wood that marked the boundary of the Holmes's property. He jumped up and ran after her.

When Eurus came to the beech wood, she didn't go in under the trees but skirted round the edge. Victor had never been to this part of the grounds before. If he and Sherlock played here, it was usually inside the wood, where they would gather up any long, thin branches that had been blown down by the wind and build dens shaped like tee-pees. So, this was virgin territory for him and all the more exciting for it.

Eventually, Eurus came to a stop at a point between the wood and a thicket of bushes and she turned to face him, wearing a conspiratorial grin.

'Alright, so what's the game?' he asked, flopping down on the path to get his breath back after all that running.

'It's a treasure hunt,' Eurus replied, sitting down, too, although she didn't seem remotely out of breath.

'Oh!' Victor exclaimed. 'So, what's the treasure?'

'You are!' Eurus cried, barely able to contain her excitement.

'Me?' Victor asked, looking rather puzzled. 'How does that work? You're not going to bury me, are you?'

'Don't be silly!' Eurus giggled. 'Of course, I'm not going to bury you. You are going to hide and then I'm going to give Sherlock…I mean, Yellowbeard…a puzzle and when he solves the puzzle, he will come and find you.'

Victor gave that idea some consideration then said,

'So, why do I need a packed lunch?'

'Well, it is quite a hard puzzle so it might take Yellowbeard quite a long time to find you.'

'How long is a long time?' Victor wanted to know, not impressed at the thought of staying hidden for too long.

'It might take him a couple of hours,' Eurus guesstimated.

'Oh, that's going to really boring!' Victor groaned. The idea of doing nothing for any length of time was a non-starter.

'No, it won't,' Eurus assured him, reaching inside her backpack again. 'I brought you this.' She pulled out a neatly folded copy of the Beano, Victor and Sherlock's favourite comic. Dennis the Menace was their favourite character, along with Gnasher, his dog. 'It's this week's copy, too,' Eurus added. 'The paper boy brought it this morning. Sher...Yellowbeard hasn't even seen it himself!'

'Oh, brilliant!' Victor exclaimed. His copy hadn't yet been delivered when he left home that morning so this was like getting an exclusive private view in advance of everyone else. He reached out to take the comic but Eurus moved it out of his reach.

'First, you have to hide,' she insisted. 'Then I'll give you the comic. And the packed lunch.'

'OK, where am I hiding?' Victor demanded, jumping up and looking round. He really couldn't wait to get his nose stuck into that comic.

'Over here,' Eurus replied, standing up, re-shouldering the backpack and walking over to the thicket of bushes. She got down on her hands and knees and began to crawl, threading her way between bases of the bushes, and Victor followed, winding his way through, too. After a moment or two, Eurus came to an abrupt halt and Victor looked past her to see why she had stopped. Right in front of them, flush to the ground, covered in moss and almost hidden in the long grass, was the top of a curved stone wall. Beyond it there appeared to be a dark shadow.

'What's this?' asked Victor, clearly intrigued.

'Have a look and see,' Eurus replied.

Victor crawled up alongside Eurus and they both put their hands on the top of the wall and looked over and…down into the dark interior of a well.

'Wow,' said Victor, in a voice filled with awe and wonder. 'That is so cool!'

'Yes,' Eurus agreed. 'And, best of all, nobody knows it's here. This is our secret.' She didn't actually stipulate who she meant by 'our' and Victor, mistakenly, thought she meant him and her. 'So, all you have to do is climb down into the well…'

'What?' Victor wasn't expecting that.

'You just need to climb down into the well…'

'How?' Victor queried, leaning forward and peering down into the well, again. 'It looks pretty deep.'

'Oh, it's easy-peasy,' Eurus assured him. 'I've done it loads of times. There's a rope, you see.'

'A rope? Where?'

'Back there,' Eurus replied, pointing back the way they had come, through the bushes. 'There's a rope tied to one of the trees and curled up on the ground. All we have to do is pull the rope through the bushes and drop the end down the well. Then you can climb down.'

'But what about the water? There's water in there, isn't there?' Victor was not yet sold on the idea.

'It's not very deep,' Eurus assured him. 'It only comes up to my knees so it won't come over the top of your wellies. Look, I'll show you, if you like.'

'Alright. Show me,' Victor challenged.

Eurus removed the backpack and laid it on the ground then turned around, still on all fours, and pushed her way back through the bushes, with Victor not far behind. When they broke out into the open air, she jumped to her feet and crossed the path between the bushes and the wood, coming to a stop beside one of the beech trees.

'Look,' she said, pointing to the base of the tree.

Sure enough, encircling the tree trunk, low down, close to the ground, was a thick piece of old chandler's rope, strong and weathered, and tied in what Victor recognised from the cub scouts as a full hitch knot. It was one of the first knots that Akela had taught him to tie.

Eurus reached around behind the tree, pulled out the loose end of the rope and began to drag it across the path towards the thicket of bushes. As she went, the rope snaked out in her wake, unwinding smoothly from where it was all coiled up, behind the tree.

'You'll have to help me!' Eurus exclaimed. 'This rope is really heavy!'

Victor grabbed hold of the rope and between them they dragged it through the bushes until they were back at the retaining wall of the well. They draped the loose end of the rope over the side and lowered it, hand over hand, down into the depths of the well until they heard it hit the water with a little splash then they carried on feeding the rope over the stone rim until it wouldn't go any further because it was fully unwound.

'Right', said Victor, gazing down into the well again, 'how do I climb down the rope?'

'Watch me!' Eurus exclaimed. Pulling off her shoes and socks, she straddled the rope, with one foot either side, took a firm hold of it with both hands, leaned back until the rope was taut, then walked her feet over the side and began to abseil, backwards, down into the hollow space defined by the rough stone circle. Victor, leaning with both elbows on the edge, gazed down solemnly, watching her go.

Eventually, Eurus made it to the bottom and stood knee deep in the water, looking up and grinning broadly.

'See! It's easy!' she cried.

Victor was still unconvinced.

'That's all very well but what about climbing out again?'

Eurus rolled her eyes and sighed but grasped the rope again and began to climb back up, hand over hand, whilst walking up the wall until she reached the top. Then she pulled herself up the last few inches and sat on the rim with her feet dangling inside the well.

'That's how it's done,' Eurus declared. 'Now you try.'

Victor was faced with a bit of a dilemma. He really wanted to read that Beano and eat that packed lunch but he wasn't keen on even climbing into the well, let alone spending a couple of hours in there, while Yellowbeard tried to find him. But Eurus had just climbed down there and back up again and he wasn't going to be outdone by a girl. And a girl who was a year younger than him, at that. With a degree of trepidation, he stood on the ring of stones, just as Eurus had done, straddled the rope, took hold of it with both hands and braced his weight against the tension as he began to abseil down the inside of the wall.

'Keep your legs straight,' Eurus advised, 'so your feet don't slip. That's it, right. Very good. You're doing really well, Redbeard!'

Step by step, grip by grip, Victor went deeper and deeper into the well until he heard a swish as his foot broke the surface. He placed one foot in the water, then the other and stood at the bottom of the well.

'See, I told you it was easy,' Eurus hooted.

'I haven't climbed out yet,' Victor cautioned.

'Well, you don't need to practice that, do you? When Yellowbeard finds you, we can help you climb out.'

'I suppose so,' Victor replied, though he didn't sound very sure.

'Right, I'm going to drop my backpack down to you,' Eurus announced. 'Make sure you catch it. If it goes in the water, the Beano will get wet.'

Victor did not need any further encouragement. The safety of the Beano was paramount.

Eurus lowered the backpack as far down the wall as she could reach, holding one of the shoulder straps with one hand, at full stretch.

'Ready?' she called.

'Ready!' he called back.

She dropped the bag and held her breath until she heard a 'whumf' as Victor expelled air, catching the bag against his chest.

'Got it!' he shouted.

'Well done!' Eurus shouted back. 'Right, I'm just going to pull the rope up…'

'What?'

'I'm going to pull the…'

'Yes, I heard what you said but why?'

'Why what?'

'Why are you going to pull the rope up?'

'So I can hide it behind the tree again.'

'Why do you need to do that?'

'Because if it's stretched across the path, it'll give away your hiding place. It'll be too easy. It'll spoil the game.'

'Oh…well…alright then…I suppose,' Victor acceded, reluctantly.

Eurus began to haul up the rope, pulling it over the edge of the well and letting it curl up on the ground beside her. It took a while because the rope was very long and quite a bit of it was also very wet, now, but eventually the loose end snaked over the stone edge and flopped on the ground. Eurus put her hands on the rim of the well and looked down to see Victor looking up.

'Are you OK down there?' she asked.

'Erm…sort of.'

'Why 'sort of'? What's the matter?'

'It's dark down here. How can I read the Beano in the dark?'

'I put a torch in the front pocket of my backpack.'

'Oh, OK!' Victor replied, brightly. That You-rus was clever. She'd thought of everything.

'Right, I'm going to hide the rope,' Eurus explained, 'and then go and tell Yellowbeard the puzzle. You stay quiet, down there. Don't give yourself away…'

'Hang on a minute!' Victor yelled.

'What?'

'Where am I supposed to sit?' he queried. 'I can't stand up all the time, can I?'

Eurus sighed. Boys were so dumb. You had to tell them everything!

'If you look behind you, there's a ledge just above the water. You can sit on it.'

'Ah!' replied Victor, turning around and spotting the ledge, jutting out from the wall, just clear of the water. 'Alright, I've found it!' he called back.

'Right. Is there anything else you need to know before I go?' Eurus asked, rolling her eyes, impatiently.

'No, I think I'm alright now. Just tell Yellowbeard to find me as quickly as he can, will you?'

Eurus promised she would and, takin hold of the wet end of the rope, began to crawl back though the bushes, dragging it behind her. It took quite a while to return the rope to where she had found it and, when she got it there, she couldn't wind it up as neatly as before. This was the first time she'd done this part of the plan on her own. Previously, when they had practiced getting in and out of the well, Uncle Rudi had been there to help. He had made light work of coiling the rope. But she made sure it was out of sight from the path and that the grass at the foot of the tree concealed the rope tied around it. Now all she needed to do was go back to the house and sing the song.

ooOoo

Sherlock finished scraping the last spoonful of breakfast cereal from his bowl and stuffed it into his mouth then dropped his spoon into his bowl with a satisfying clatter.

'Can I get down now, Mummy?' he asked.

'You can…but you may not,' Maura Holmes replied, blithely.

Little Sherlock pursed his lips irritably. He'd been caught out again, being imprecise.

'Please may I get down?' he huffed.

'Yes, dear boy, you may,' his mother replied, with a self-satisfied smirk.

Sherlock slipped off his chair and ran from the kitchen, making a beeline for the back door which led out into the cobbled rear yard of Musgrave Hall. He grabbed his wellies from beside the back door and sat on the step to tuck his trouser cuffs into his socks and pull on his boots. Then he ran along the back of the house, up the side and round to the front where he shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand and peered up the driveway, searching for the first sign of Victor's parent's car trundling towards the house.

He was still waiting, several minutes later, when Eurus appeared from the direction of the grave stones, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

'What are you smiling about?' Sherlock asked his sister. There was something about her smile that he couldn't quite put his finger on but it made him instantly suspicious.

Eurus stopped in front of her brother, clasped her hands behind her back and began to sing.

'I that am lost, oh, who will find me

Deep down below the old beech tree?

Help succour me now; the East winds blow.

Sixteen by six, brother, and under we go.'

On hearing the opening words of the song, Sherlock's rosy cheeks blanched as the blood drained from them and his heart stuttered then plummeted into his stomach. Whatever Eurus and Uncle Rudi had been discussing in his study last Sunday, which involved Redbeard being taken to a Secret Place, it certainly was not intended as a treat for him - his uncle had made that perfectly clear by his threatening words and behaviour after he dragged him out of his hiding place. And, whatever it was that they had planned, it was happening right now.

'Where is he?' Sherlock gasped. 'Where have you taken him?'

Eurus was surprised by how quickly Sherlock had cottoned on to the game. He seemed to get it straight away. This was very promising.

Since last weekend, at Uncle Rudi's house, she had been thinking a lot about the puzzle embedded within the song and she thought she understood it, now. Sherlock wasn't as clever as she was, she knew that, but if he had understood the point of the game just from the opening lines of the song, maybe he would solve the puzzle really quickly and they could go and find Redbeard in the well before he had even eaten his packed lunch – though, in her heart of hearts, she knew that he had probably started tucking into that the moment she left him on his own. Eager to move the game along, she sang the next verse,

'Be not afraid to walk in the shade

Save one, save all, come try

My steps - five by seven, Life is closer to Heaven.

Look down, with dark gaze, from on high.'

Since she'd had time to really think about things, the clues in the song were very clear…

Be not afraid to walk in the shade

Don't hesitate to push through the thicket of bushes.

Save one, save all, come try

Well, that was self-explanatory.

My steps - five by seven, Life is closer to Heaven.

Look down, with dark gaze, from on high.

She wasn't sure about the 'steps' bit – she didn't really think that crawling on her hands and knees counted as 'steps' – but the next part was obvious…if Sherlock was at the top of the well, he would be closer to Heaven than Redbeard, in the dark, at the bottom, so he'd have to look down 'from on high' to see his friend.

But Sherlock's reaction to the second verse was disappointing. He didn't seem to get it at all. Neither did he appear to be very excited about the game. In fact, he looked rather upset.

'Where is he, Eurus?' he demanded. 'Tell me where he is!'

No clues, Uncle Rudi had said. All she could do was sing the song in the hope that he would listen to the words and solve the puzzle.

'Without your love, he'll be gone before.

Save pity for strangers, show love the door.

My soul seek the shade of my willow's bloom

Inside, brother mine – Let Death make a room.'

Eurus smiled encouragingly at Sherlock, willing him to focus on the words and recognise the song for what it was – a puzzle to be solved.

Come on, Sherlock! she thought. Think! Just think!

But instead of thinking, he was panicking. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, his mouth was turned down at the corners and his lips were quivering as he tried so hard not to cry.

'Please, Eurus. Just tell me where he is!' he whimpered and then emitted a great howl of anguish and burst into floods of tears.

At the sound of Sherlock's wailing, the front door flew open and Daddy came striding from the house. Eurus stepped back, guiltily, knowing she was responsible for her brother's distress but only because of a terrible misunderstanding on his part. She had done this for him, as a means of mending their friendship and, once he realised that, he would see that this was a brilliant game designed specifically with him in mind and full of all the things he liked best – a puzzle, a treasure and a hunt. Then he would thank her for it. But, right now, he was beside himself.

'Hey, hey, hey? What's the matter?' Mr Holmes cooed, going down on one knee and taking his sobbing son into his arms.

'She's taken him!' Sherlock hiccoughed. 'She's hidden him away.'

'Who? Who has she taken? Eurus? Who have you taken?' asked Siger.

Eurus gazed at her father with large luminous eyes and wondered what she should do now. Uncle Rudi's instructions had been very clear. Just keep singing the song, over and over, as many times as necessary, until the puzzle was solved. So that's what she did.

'I that am lost, oh, who will find me

Deep down below the old beech tree?

Help succour me now; the East winds blow.

Sixteen by six, brother, and under we go.'

Her father stared at her, with a puzzled frown. He clearly didn't get it either and he was quite clever – a lot cleverer than Sherlock, for sure. Eurus began to wonder whether this game had been such a good idea after all but she couldn't stop now. She kept on singing.

'Be not afraid to walk in the shade

Save one, save all, come try

My steps - five by seven, Life is closer to Heaven.

Look down, with dark gaze, from on high.'

The more she sang, the louder Sherlock cried and Mr Holmes knew that he must break this cycle of cause and effect.

'Alright, Eurus, please stop singing, now,' he said, quietly. 'You're just upsetting your brother.'

But Eurus couldn't stop. If she stopped, the game was over before it had even begun and all their planning – her and Uncle Rudi – would be for nothing. And she and Sherlock would still not be friends. So, she carried on.

'Without your love, he'll be gone before.

Save pity for strangers, show love the door.

My soul seek the shade of my willow's bloom

Inside, brother mine – Let Death make a room.'

Siger Holmes was aware that his daughter could be very stubborn at times. If she got an idea into her head, it could be hard to shake it. But she had never been so openly defiant before. It was quite disturbing to see her standing there, singing this ridiculous song, apparently oblivious to or uncaring about the detrimental effect it was so obviously having on her favourite brother. He wondered what was behind this sudden change in attitude? And he still hadn't found out what the 'he' was that Eurus had hidden. One of Sherlock's toys, perhaps? His pet rock, maybe? Sherlock was very fond of his pet rock, even though it was just…a rock.

Meanwhile, Eurus had finished the third verse of the song and was starting on the first verse again.

'I that am lost, oh, who will find me

Deep down below the old beech tree?

Help succour me now; the East winds blow.

Sixteen by six, brother, and under we go.'

And Sherlock was not just crying, he was screaming and covering his ears with his hands.

'Eurus, stop singing, this very minute!' Siger ordered, in his sternest voice. But Eurus continued, regardless, going straight into the second verse.

Siger lifted Sherlock into his arms and stood up.

'Go to your room, young lady!' he exclaimed and stalked off, into the house, taking Sherlock with him.

Eurus stood alone outside and her voice began to falter. There was no point singing if there was no one here to listen. She thought about what her father had just said – Go to your room. If she did that, Redbeard would be stuck down the well even longer, maybe even all day. She couldn't let that happen. She made a decision and ran into the house, in her father's wake.

By the time she caught up with him and Sherlock, they were in the scullery, next to the kitchen, at the back of the house where Mummy had been washing up the breakfast things. Mummy and Daddy were both fussing over Sherlock, trying to calm him down, but without much success. However, they had managed to wheedle out of him that the 'he' in question was Victor.

'Did Victor arrive already?' asked Mrs Holmes. 'I didn't hear the car.'

'No, but you were in the kitchen. You wouldn't hear a car from there.'

'Perhaps we should ring the Trevors and see if they've left yet?'

'Yes, good idea,' Mr Holmes agreed.

Mummy Holmes went off in the direction of the front hall to use the phone, passing Eurus on the way.

'Eurus, have you seen Victor? Sherlock seems to think you've kidnapped him or something,' she asked.

Kidnapped? She hadn't kidnapped him! How ridiculous! He came of his own volition! Honestly, grown-ups could be so annoying at times. Eurus folded her arms across her chest and frowned, making it abundantly clear what she thought of such a stupid notion. Recognising that Eurus was in a major sulk, Mummy simply tutted and shook her head, continuing on her way to call the Trevors. Once she was out of sight, Eurus sprang back into action and trotted through the house to the scullery, where Daddy was wiping Sherlock's face with a cold, damp flannel, cooling him down after all the hysterical crying.

The moment Sherlock set eyes on Eurus, he pushed the flannel away and climbed down from the chair on which he was standing, next to the scullery sink. He walked over to his sister and took her by both of her hands.

'Eurus, please,' he begged. 'This puzzle is too hard. I'm never going to solve it. Please, show me where Redbeard is.'

She looked into his eyes. Her brother had no time for her these days, not since Victor became his best friend. But here he was, holding her hands and talking to her so nicely. He hadn't spoken to her this nicely for weeks. She so wanted to tell him where Redbeard was but she could see Uncle Rudi's face, in her mind's eye, gazing down at her so earnestly. And she could hear him saying,

'Oh, no! No clues! That would spoil the game completely! Promise me, Eurus, that you will not give him any clues at all, even if he begs!'

And even though she wanted more than anything to make Sherlock happy again, she just could not break the promise she had made to her uncle. Ans so, in the absence of any other course of action, she began to sing again…

'I that am lost, oh, who will find me

Deep down below the old beech tree?

Help succour me now; the East winds blow.

Sixteen by six, brother, and under we go.'

'They're not answering. They must be on their way,' came Mrs Holmes's voice just ahead of her appearance in the scullery doorway, where she stopped dead and stared at the tableau that greeted her – her husband standing by the sink, looking aghast, her youngest son standing in front of his sister, about to burst into tears again, and her daughter standing in front of her brother, singing a very annoying little song.

'He's here, Mummy, I know he is. And Eurus has hidden him somewhere for me to find and the clues are in the song but I don't understand the song.'

And he broke down and sobbed once more.

ooOoo

By lunchtime, it was abundantly clear that the Trevors must have dropped Victor off at Musgrave Hall that morning and gone off somewhere else for the day. So, Victor was here on the property but only Eurus knew where. At various times, each of the family members had begged and begged for her to tell them where he was but she wasn't talking, apart from to say,

'The answer is in the song.'

The song that made no sense.

She sang it all through lunch, to the point where Sherlock couldn't bear it any longer. He jumped up from the table and ran off into the grounds, dressed in his pirate hat and carrying his little wooden sword, shouting,

'Redbeard! Redbeard!'

Around mid-afternoon, after the whole family had been searching the house, the grounds and all the outbuildings for more than half the day, Eurus started to refer to Victor as 'Drowned Redbeard', which sent them all scurrying off to the lake, scouring the shore line – Siger and Mycroft even went out in the little rowing boat – but all to no avail. Victor was nowhere to be found.

It was at that point that Maura decided there was nothing for it but to send for Rudi. He would sort it out. He always did. That very nearly caused a full-blown argument between Mr and Mrs Holmes – a very unusual thing indeed, since Mr Holmes so rarely went against his wife's wishes…

'What can Rudi do that we haven't done already? She knows where he is!' Siger insisted.

'We can't make her tell us. We can't make her do anything!' Maura retorted. 'But Rudi is so very good with her. He will persuade her to take us to him, if anyone can.'

While they waited for Rudi to arrive - like the cavalry, riding in to save the day - they sent Eurus to her room but she could still be heard, throughout the house and its immediate surroundings, singing at the top of her voice by the open window, driving them all to distraction with that awful, repetitive dirge.

It was late afternoon when Rudi Vernet swept up the driveway in his chauffeur-driven Daimler, closely followed by a number of other vehicles – all with blacked out windows - and drew up in front of the house. He stepped from the staff car and strode toward the front door just as Maura came running out and threw herself, sobbing, into his arms.

'Oh, Rudi! Thank God you're here! I can't tell you what an awful day it's been. A child is missing and we're sure Eurus knows where he is but she just won't say. She won't talk at all. She just keeps singing this dreadful song, over and over! And now she's calling him Drowned Redbeard! Please, you must talk to her. Please!'

Rudi comforted his sister, patting her gently on the back and reassuring her that he would 'deal with this', while Siger stood by, feeling helpless and useless and surplus to requirements. In the distance, Sherlock could be heard calling, calling, again and again and from Eurus's bedroom window came the endless refrain of the ritual. In the meantime, the occupants of the blacked-out vehicles had disembarked and lined up in front of the house, awaiting their orders.

Rudi Vernet gently eased himself out of his sister's embrace and, taking her by the shoulders, gazed earnestly into her eyes.

'I'll see what I can do,' he said and moved away from her, towards the front door.

'I'll come with you,' said Siger, turning to lead the way.

'No, no,' Rudi replied. 'You've tried already and been unable to persuade Eurus to divulge where she's hidden Redbeard. I may or may not be any more successful but I will try.' He looked past Siger to Maura, standing in front of the house. 'Best you take care of your wife and leave this to me,' he remarked before turning and heading toward the stairs.

Eurus recognised the sound of her uncle striding along the narrow corridor that ran down the middle of the entire length of the house on the top floor, which used to be the servants' quarters in the 'grand old days', as Daddy called them. She heard him stop outside her door but he didn't knock or come in straight away. Instead, she heard him open the airing cupboard door and, a few moments later, close it again. Only then did he tap at her door and open it.

When he entered, she was sitting on her bed, beside the open window. She looked up and her expression changed to one of such relief that he was almost touched. But only almost.

'Well, child,' he said. 'It seems you were right. They can't work it out, can they?'

'No, Uncle Rudi!' Eurus exclaimed, tearfully. 'I even gave them a clue…only a little tiny one…but they still didn't get it.'

'Ah, you mean 'Drowned Redbeard'?'

'Yes! I thought if I gave them a little tiny clue, they might be able to work out the whole thing but they thought I meant the lake. I forgot that no one knows about the well but you and me.' She was utterly bereft. It had been a very stressful day for her as well as everyone else, seeing her plan to win back Sherlock's favour go utterly awry.

'Don't worry, my dear. I have the matter in hand. You remain here and keep singing - they might get the message, one never knows – and I will go to out secret place and retrieve the treasure. All will be well.'

He smiled so winsomely and patted Eurus on the head then turned and exited the room, leaving Eurus relieved beyond words that this nightmare was nearly over.

By the time Rudi reached the ground floor, his expression had changed to one of grim determination as he approached Siger and Maura Holmes.

'Well?' Maura implored. 'Did she tell you?'

Rudi shook his head, with a regretful frown.

'I'm afraid not, my dear. It was a vain hope that she would. After all, you are her parents. If she wasn't prepared to tell you, she would hardly tell me, would she? I think my time here will best be served organising my men to conduct a thorough search of the area…'

'Shouldn't we call the police?' Siger interjected.

'Not yet,' Rudi insisted. 'These men are highly trained MI6 operatives. They are far more practiced at this sort of operation. If anyone can locate the boy, they can…'

'The police have dogs, tracker dogs!' Siger retorted. 'Surely, they would be best qualified to find a missing child?'

'In the interests of discretion, I think we should let my men try first,' Rudi replied, with a dismissive wave of his hand in Siger's direction. 'We wouldn't want the tabloids to get a whiff of this, would we? Not if it can be avoided.' He smiled his lizard smile and walked away, looking utterly incongruous in this rural setting, dressed as he was in his three piece tweed suit and brown Oxfords.

Siger really could not care less if the tabloid newspapers got hold of the story. All he wanted was for Victor to be found, safe and sound, and preferably before his parents, in their innocence, came to collect him. But Rudi was already talking to the MI6 agents he had brought with him. Siger glowered at his brother-in-law's back, with clenched fists and gritted his teeth, then turned to Maura and said,

'That's it. I'm going to do what we should have done hours ago. I'm calling the police…'

'No!' cried Maura, running to him and grasping him by the arms. 'Not yet. Let Rudi's men try. Please!'

Siger looked down at his wife's pleading face and lost his resolve.

'Oh, alright,' he capitulated. 'I'll give them two hours. If they haven't found him by then, I'm calling the police.' Then he turned and stomped inside, heading for the stairs, to go and plead with Eurus once again to tell him where Victor was.

Having deployed his men to search the lakeside, the out buildings, and the grounds adjacent to the house, Rudi set off, purposefully, in the direction of the woods with his own small team of three agents.

ooOoo

When Rudi returned to the house, an hour later, looking rather dishevelled and a lot less composed than previously, Siger was waiting by the front door. He didn't even bother to ask if there had been any development. He could see by the absence of a small, red-headed boy that the search was still on-going. During the afternoon, thick, dark clouds had rolled in from the coast, covering the whole sky, and large, fat raindrops were beginning to fall. Rudi made a detour to his Daimler to collect his ubiquitous umbrella then approached the front door of the house, now devoid of Siger Holmes, who was at that very moment on the phone, dialling 999 and asking for the police.

Rudi passed him in the hallway and made his way back up the stairs to the second floor.

Eurus was sitting on her bed, not singing. She had stopped singing not long after Rudi left, seeing no point in continuing, since none of the family were capable of solving the riddle and Rudi had gone to rescue Victor anyway. She heard him come along the corridor and like before, heard him stop, open and close the airing cupboard door then knock and open hers.

She looked up, wearing a hopeful smile but it froze on her lips when she saw her uncle's grim expression.

'I'm so sorry, my dear! I was too late!' Rudi gasped, in apparent despair. 'The sluice gates must have opened. The water in the well had risen. I'm sorry to say, you were correct. Redbeard has drowned.'

Eurus's eyes grew round in shock and horror. How could this be? The water had been only up to her knees this morning. And it had only just begun to rain. So why would the sluice gates open? Rudi had explained to her, weeks ago, that that only happened when the level of water in the lake got too high and the well was required as an over-flow reservoir. That's why it had been dug out there by the wood, rather than close to the house. But what did this mean for Redbeard?

'Where is Redbeard now?' she asked.

'Oh, don't worry. I've taken care of things,' Rudi replied, conspiratorially, perching on the edge of the bed and talking rapidly, in a hushed whisper. 'I've replaced the cover on the well and hidden the rope. No one will find it. You're safe.'

'But…but…' Eurus couldn't quite get her head around this. 'But what about Victor? Where is he?'

'Why, he's in the well, of course.'

'But…but…' Words failed her. She could not conceive of a situation where Victor was still in the well but Uncle Rudi had replaced the cover and hidden the rope. 'But how will he get out, if you've done all that?' she asked.

'He can't get out, dear. He'll never get out,' Rudi stated, bluntly. 'He's dead.'

Eurus knew what 'dead' was. She had seen 'dead things' before – rabbits shot by the game keeper, mice that the cat brought in, occasionally, and baby birds that fell out of nests in the Spring, all naked and helpless and doomed. But, in her mind, they had always been 'dead things' because she had never seen them 'alive'. Dead was their default position. How could Victor be dead? He was a living, breathing person, with a name and a family and she'd only been talking to him this morning...

But Rudi was speaking again.

'Say nothing, my dear. He will not be found. It will just be a mystery that no one can solve. Eventually, people will forget about him. He was, after all, only a village boy. No one of consequence.'

'But…but…'

'But nothing!' Rudi retorted. 'It's too late for 'buts'. This is just an unfortunate accident. No point blaming yourself, even though it was your fault.'

'What? My fault?' Eurus gasped. 'I only did what you said…'

'What I said? What do you mean?' Rudi asked, looking askance.

'The puzzle was too hard. I said it was too hard but you said 'No clues'!'

Rudi gave a snort of derision and shook his head, vehemently.

'I'm sorry, my dear, but that is simply not true. You must have misheard me. I never said 'No clues'.'

Eurus was aghast. How could he say that? She distinctly remembered him saying 'No clues' and he had even made her promise. But she could hear voices coming along the corridor – Daddy's voice and another voice she didn't recognise.

'Remember,' Rudi insisted. 'Not a word. Not a single word about the well. Your life may depend on this. Say. Nothing.'

And he jumped up from the edge of the bed, just as the door opened and Daddy came into the room, closely followed by a policeman in uniform, complete with a tall, domed hat.

'Now then, young lady. What's all this then? If you know where your brother's friend is, you really must tell us. This had gone beyond a joke. We need to know what you've done with him.'

Eurus gazed up at the policeman with huge, round eyes and said absolutely nothing.

ooOoo