A/N: Hello everyone! Many thanks to moonshine, who is the only one who has
reviewed so far. You follow the clues very well. Once again, I do not own
anything Sherlockian, except Kathryn and the now deceased Julia. Enjoy!
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Chapter 5- 243 Oxford Street
The bed and breakfast at 243 Oxford Street was indeed a dreary and ominous place in sharp contrast with its bustling surroundings. Located on the corner junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street, the house would be an ideal place to observe the oddities of mankind. With the everyday commotion of people from all classes, this was one of the busiest places in London. Its own appearance, however, made it a very unattractive house in contrast with the colours of everyday life. Its long eaves, Gregorian style, and dun coloured façade mirrored the sky above it, which seemed eternally, grey with clouds. Lestrade and I waited patiently on the paved steps leading to a large, oak door as Holmes and Kathryn headed down the street in an examination of the surroundings.
When Holmes had declared himself satisfied with the examination of the outside, Inspector Lestrade led us into the lodgings. The inside was in complete contrast, with rich, vibrant colours in the small, yet grand hallway. We went up a narrow flight of stairs that creaked loudly as we walked upwards and went through a plainly furnished corridor to the room of the murder victim.
We stepped into a small, well-proportioned room. The surroundings were cosy and comfortable, and although the room was sparsely furnished, the inner dimensions created the illusion that it was very full. All of the furniture was of a lavish style and very ornate. There was a large Oriental rug in the centre of the bare wooden floor in front of the fireplace, and this, combined with the vivid paintings adorning the wall, showed the quality of the lodging. On top of this stood a small coffee table with legs carved in the shape of a lion's claw made of a high quality mahogany. In the right corner stood a small oriental sofa made of a periwinkle blue silk. A door facing us was left slightly ajar and led into the separate bedroom. Next to this was a chest of drawers made of a solid oak with four compartments and two sliding panels.
All of this I noticed later, but when we entered the room, all of our attentions were directed to the body splayed out in a pool of blood on the floor before us.
I had only heard of Julia Stamford once from Holmes, and never had the chance to meet her face to face when she was alive. Holmes had always told me that Julia was beautiful, but on looking upon her face now, I could see that this clearly was an understatement. She had long, golden-blonde hair that sparkled in the sunlight. Her watery blue eyes were half-open, with a look of anger and surprise as though looking at the evil murderer behind us. Her pale pink lips were slightly parted, almost as though she was about to utter the name of her assailant.
Holmes was now examining the body, his eyes darting this way and that, trying to find some clue as to the identity of the murderer. Once satisfied, he went around to the bureau in the corner and examined both the outside and the interior.
"Were there any signs of robbery?" he asked.
"No," replied Lestrade quickly, "nothing seems to be missing."
"Hmmm, I wouldn't be so sure." Holmes commented, and then continued his search. For half an hour, he paced around the room, gazing and examining every single inch of the room. The casual observer would see that he was scrutinising everything with care, but I, who knew him so well, could tell that he was not being as thorough as usual. He then whispered something in Kathryn's ear, and then she started to walk around the room, glancing around. At one point, she stopped, frowned, and then kneeled down to scrutinise some more, before rising again with a look of satisfaction on her face.
"I think we have learned all that we can here," concluded Holmes when the inspection was complete, "I will make some inquiries, and if you would call tomorrow morning, I have no doubt that I will be able to assist you. I thank you for bringing this case to my attention, Lestrade, as this is certainly has several singular elements."
"Your welcome, Mr. Holmes," replied Lestrade, bemused. "This case completely confounds me. Before you leave, would you like to interview the servants or the landlady?"
"No, I don't think that will be necessary, Lestrade," insisted Holmes, "I can do more to solve the case elsewhere. I bid you good day." He then strolled out without another word, leaving Kathryn and myself in his wake rushing to catch up with him.
"I think I will go and make a few inquiries now," said Holmes, after a few minutes of silence, "No, no, you need not come with me. It is purely reconnaissance or I would not dream of leaving without you. Why don't you be a good gentleman and show Miss Granger around London?"
I consented, and so Kathryn and I hailed a cab, while Holmes continued to wander onward onto Regent Street.
"Holmes has been acting very oddly today," I commented.
"Yes, I observed that as well," replied Kathryn pensively. "There is something peculiar that is surrounding this case. However, let's not worry ourselves about it for the moment. I haven't been in London for quite a while and you promised to show me around."
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Chapter 5- 243 Oxford Street
The bed and breakfast at 243 Oxford Street was indeed a dreary and ominous place in sharp contrast with its bustling surroundings. Located on the corner junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street, the house would be an ideal place to observe the oddities of mankind. With the everyday commotion of people from all classes, this was one of the busiest places in London. Its own appearance, however, made it a very unattractive house in contrast with the colours of everyday life. Its long eaves, Gregorian style, and dun coloured façade mirrored the sky above it, which seemed eternally, grey with clouds. Lestrade and I waited patiently on the paved steps leading to a large, oak door as Holmes and Kathryn headed down the street in an examination of the surroundings.
When Holmes had declared himself satisfied with the examination of the outside, Inspector Lestrade led us into the lodgings. The inside was in complete contrast, with rich, vibrant colours in the small, yet grand hallway. We went up a narrow flight of stairs that creaked loudly as we walked upwards and went through a plainly furnished corridor to the room of the murder victim.
We stepped into a small, well-proportioned room. The surroundings were cosy and comfortable, and although the room was sparsely furnished, the inner dimensions created the illusion that it was very full. All of the furniture was of a lavish style and very ornate. There was a large Oriental rug in the centre of the bare wooden floor in front of the fireplace, and this, combined with the vivid paintings adorning the wall, showed the quality of the lodging. On top of this stood a small coffee table with legs carved in the shape of a lion's claw made of a high quality mahogany. In the right corner stood a small oriental sofa made of a periwinkle blue silk. A door facing us was left slightly ajar and led into the separate bedroom. Next to this was a chest of drawers made of a solid oak with four compartments and two sliding panels.
All of this I noticed later, but when we entered the room, all of our attentions were directed to the body splayed out in a pool of blood on the floor before us.
I had only heard of Julia Stamford once from Holmes, and never had the chance to meet her face to face when she was alive. Holmes had always told me that Julia was beautiful, but on looking upon her face now, I could see that this clearly was an understatement. She had long, golden-blonde hair that sparkled in the sunlight. Her watery blue eyes were half-open, with a look of anger and surprise as though looking at the evil murderer behind us. Her pale pink lips were slightly parted, almost as though she was about to utter the name of her assailant.
Holmes was now examining the body, his eyes darting this way and that, trying to find some clue as to the identity of the murderer. Once satisfied, he went around to the bureau in the corner and examined both the outside and the interior.
"Were there any signs of robbery?" he asked.
"No," replied Lestrade quickly, "nothing seems to be missing."
"Hmmm, I wouldn't be so sure." Holmes commented, and then continued his search. For half an hour, he paced around the room, gazing and examining every single inch of the room. The casual observer would see that he was scrutinising everything with care, but I, who knew him so well, could tell that he was not being as thorough as usual. He then whispered something in Kathryn's ear, and then she started to walk around the room, glancing around. At one point, she stopped, frowned, and then kneeled down to scrutinise some more, before rising again with a look of satisfaction on her face.
"I think we have learned all that we can here," concluded Holmes when the inspection was complete, "I will make some inquiries, and if you would call tomorrow morning, I have no doubt that I will be able to assist you. I thank you for bringing this case to my attention, Lestrade, as this is certainly has several singular elements."
"Your welcome, Mr. Holmes," replied Lestrade, bemused. "This case completely confounds me. Before you leave, would you like to interview the servants or the landlady?"
"No, I don't think that will be necessary, Lestrade," insisted Holmes, "I can do more to solve the case elsewhere. I bid you good day." He then strolled out without another word, leaving Kathryn and myself in his wake rushing to catch up with him.
"I think I will go and make a few inquiries now," said Holmes, after a few minutes of silence, "No, no, you need not come with me. It is purely reconnaissance or I would not dream of leaving without you. Why don't you be a good gentleman and show Miss Granger around London?"
I consented, and so Kathryn and I hailed a cab, while Holmes continued to wander onward onto Regent Street.
"Holmes has been acting very oddly today," I commented.
"Yes, I observed that as well," replied Kathryn pensively. "There is something peculiar that is surrounding this case. However, let's not worry ourselves about it for the moment. I haven't been in London for quite a while and you promised to show me around."