A/N: I don't own anything Sherlockian, except Kathryn. Please R/R:
criticisms and flames are welcome. Enjoy!
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Chapter 8- Interview With the Accused
We walked down a narrow corridor, which lead into the offices of all the detectives of the yard. At the end of the corridor, there was a wide spiral staircase, where we met up with Kathryn and Gregson. The four of us then went down the stairs and continued down several progressively narrow flights of stairs, until we reached the prison level. There were many rows of prison cells, filled with men of various degrees of filth. We continued to walk along the passage until we came to Holmes's cell. Under the circumstances, Holmes was unusually clean compared with his fellow inmates. He had been pacing, alone, in his cell, but when he saw us, he stood facing us wearing an amused expression on his face.
"Ah, Lestrade, I see that my friends have come to honour me with a visit." He said with a sparkle in his eye. "What brings you to my very humble abode?"
"A have some questions I need to ask you," replied Kathryn, the sharpness of her eyes betraying the seriousness of the situation.
"We'll be over there if you need us," Lestrade cut in. "Come, Gregson, we have other things to do." The two detectives made their way out of the prison cells, but still stayed just within earshot.
"I am glad to find you in such good spirits." I remarked.
"Considering what I've been through today, I'm very surprised at my mood, but there you have it. I know I'm in good hands," said Holmes, eyeing Kathryn with an expression I have never seen him use before.
"I will do my best, but I will need your help," replied Kathryn, with a smile, "Why did you go to Julia Stamford last night?" she asked, turning serious again.
Holmes paused at this question, as though considering how to answer. He finally replied quietly, "I will not try to deceive you, as I know that you will easily see through it. I know you too well to do that, old friend.
"As you know, my brother, Mycroft, deals with many government affairs. Sometimes he asks me to help him with some of these problems. Last week, he asked me to take on an assignment for him.
"Several years ago, during the time that the late lamented Professor Moriarty was still in the land of the living, there had been several plans made to construct a sonar detection system using electromagnetic waves in Germany. It was still in the developmental stage, and no one could make the device work. The mathematics involved was too challenging for anyone to solve.
"The problem eventually came to Moriarty. He worked on it for several years and eventually straightened out all of the knots of the formula. After the professor's death, the solution was lost to the world- that is, until now. About a month ago, the government received intelligence that the lost formula was found once again. The bad news was that it was in the hands of Moriarty's second in command, Colonel Moran, who was still on the run. When the government discovered that Moran had returned to London using one of his many aliases, my brother came to me to ask if I could track down Colonel Moran and recover the plans.
"After two weeks of inquiries, I had discovered that Julia Stamford had been staying for the past three months at the Oxford Street establishment, still in the company of Moran, and more importantly, that the plans were in her possession. I talked to her brother, your friend, Watson, Peter Stamford, to ask for his help. We agreed that if Miss Stamford would consent, I could arrange for them to talk and reunite, perhaps in return for the plans.
"On the night of the murder, I left Watson to pay a visit to Miss Stamford and negotiate the terms. At first, she was adamant, but after a while, I managed to work out the transaction. I managed to determine that she was becoming lonely and homesick. Moran, whom she had loved, was with her less, and she often had nothing to do. She eventually discovered that he was with another woman. This broke her heart, and in revenge, she planned to rid herself of him. She longed to see her brother for at least one more time to explain her actions in the past before she left, but feared that he would not want the same thing. Before I left that evening, we had made an agreement. She would give me the plans, and I would bring her brother to her. She also planned to help me arrest Moran.
"With the deal done, I left to report to Mycroft with the success. Little did I know that it would turn into such a failure. I had been so close to my goal, and now it slipped once again beyond my grasp. That is the reason why I was so distressed this morning. When I arrived at the crime scene, I discovered something very disturbing. I observed that the rooms had been rearranged to make it seem that I was the perpetrator. You will remember, Granger, that I told you as such. I made a quick examination of the premises and discovered no clue as to whom the real murderer was. The scoundrel who managed to pull this off was very clever and did a great job. The use of my jack-knife as the murder weapon was an especially devilish touch."
As Holmes had been speaking, Kathryn was looking at him all the while, her startlingly green eyes becoming piercing and introspective. It was as though she was reading his mind to see if he was telling the truth. With his account complete, she now asked:
"Do you have any inclination as to who the real perpetrator is?"
Holmes rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, before replying, "There is only one man capable of doing such a thing, although I was surprised at his ingenuity in handling this case. The only man who would have been able to pull this off, and have a motive to do it would be Colonel Moran. "
"Why do you think so?" asked Kathryn, ignoring my audible gasp.
"I saw one of Moran's informants following me in a disguise on my way to Miss Stamford's lodgings last night," replied Holmes. "I managed to lose him, but I'm certain there were more of them lurking about in the shadows."
"Hmm, well, thank you for your information, Holmes," Kathryn said, a smile appearing on her face, "I think this case will be a hard shell to crack, but with a little luck, you'll be out of jail in less than a week. I think we have done enough for tonight, Doctor," she continued, turning to me, "Tomorrow we shall start early and ask what Holmes's brother makes of all this."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Holmes commented sceptically, "Mycroft is solely devoted to his job. He won't tell you anything if he thinks it might endanger the British government, no matter how small."
"He is your brother, Holmes," admonished Kathryn sternly. "You have too little faith in your family and friends. I will make him help, somehow."
She then bade Holmes goodnight and walked out with a swift step, leaving me to run after her.
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Chapter 8- Interview With the Accused
We walked down a narrow corridor, which lead into the offices of all the detectives of the yard. At the end of the corridor, there was a wide spiral staircase, where we met up with Kathryn and Gregson. The four of us then went down the stairs and continued down several progressively narrow flights of stairs, until we reached the prison level. There were many rows of prison cells, filled with men of various degrees of filth. We continued to walk along the passage until we came to Holmes's cell. Under the circumstances, Holmes was unusually clean compared with his fellow inmates. He had been pacing, alone, in his cell, but when he saw us, he stood facing us wearing an amused expression on his face.
"Ah, Lestrade, I see that my friends have come to honour me with a visit." He said with a sparkle in his eye. "What brings you to my very humble abode?"
"A have some questions I need to ask you," replied Kathryn, the sharpness of her eyes betraying the seriousness of the situation.
"We'll be over there if you need us," Lestrade cut in. "Come, Gregson, we have other things to do." The two detectives made their way out of the prison cells, but still stayed just within earshot.
"I am glad to find you in such good spirits." I remarked.
"Considering what I've been through today, I'm very surprised at my mood, but there you have it. I know I'm in good hands," said Holmes, eyeing Kathryn with an expression I have never seen him use before.
"I will do my best, but I will need your help," replied Kathryn, with a smile, "Why did you go to Julia Stamford last night?" she asked, turning serious again.
Holmes paused at this question, as though considering how to answer. He finally replied quietly, "I will not try to deceive you, as I know that you will easily see through it. I know you too well to do that, old friend.
"As you know, my brother, Mycroft, deals with many government affairs. Sometimes he asks me to help him with some of these problems. Last week, he asked me to take on an assignment for him.
"Several years ago, during the time that the late lamented Professor Moriarty was still in the land of the living, there had been several plans made to construct a sonar detection system using electromagnetic waves in Germany. It was still in the developmental stage, and no one could make the device work. The mathematics involved was too challenging for anyone to solve.
"The problem eventually came to Moriarty. He worked on it for several years and eventually straightened out all of the knots of the formula. After the professor's death, the solution was lost to the world- that is, until now. About a month ago, the government received intelligence that the lost formula was found once again. The bad news was that it was in the hands of Moriarty's second in command, Colonel Moran, who was still on the run. When the government discovered that Moran had returned to London using one of his many aliases, my brother came to me to ask if I could track down Colonel Moran and recover the plans.
"After two weeks of inquiries, I had discovered that Julia Stamford had been staying for the past three months at the Oxford Street establishment, still in the company of Moran, and more importantly, that the plans were in her possession. I talked to her brother, your friend, Watson, Peter Stamford, to ask for his help. We agreed that if Miss Stamford would consent, I could arrange for them to talk and reunite, perhaps in return for the plans.
"On the night of the murder, I left Watson to pay a visit to Miss Stamford and negotiate the terms. At first, she was adamant, but after a while, I managed to work out the transaction. I managed to determine that she was becoming lonely and homesick. Moran, whom she had loved, was with her less, and she often had nothing to do. She eventually discovered that he was with another woman. This broke her heart, and in revenge, she planned to rid herself of him. She longed to see her brother for at least one more time to explain her actions in the past before she left, but feared that he would not want the same thing. Before I left that evening, we had made an agreement. She would give me the plans, and I would bring her brother to her. She also planned to help me arrest Moran.
"With the deal done, I left to report to Mycroft with the success. Little did I know that it would turn into such a failure. I had been so close to my goal, and now it slipped once again beyond my grasp. That is the reason why I was so distressed this morning. When I arrived at the crime scene, I discovered something very disturbing. I observed that the rooms had been rearranged to make it seem that I was the perpetrator. You will remember, Granger, that I told you as such. I made a quick examination of the premises and discovered no clue as to whom the real murderer was. The scoundrel who managed to pull this off was very clever and did a great job. The use of my jack-knife as the murder weapon was an especially devilish touch."
As Holmes had been speaking, Kathryn was looking at him all the while, her startlingly green eyes becoming piercing and introspective. It was as though she was reading his mind to see if he was telling the truth. With his account complete, she now asked:
"Do you have any inclination as to who the real perpetrator is?"
Holmes rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, before replying, "There is only one man capable of doing such a thing, although I was surprised at his ingenuity in handling this case. The only man who would have been able to pull this off, and have a motive to do it would be Colonel Moran. "
"Why do you think so?" asked Kathryn, ignoring my audible gasp.
"I saw one of Moran's informants following me in a disguise on my way to Miss Stamford's lodgings last night," replied Holmes. "I managed to lose him, but I'm certain there were more of them lurking about in the shadows."
"Hmm, well, thank you for your information, Holmes," Kathryn said, a smile appearing on her face, "I think this case will be a hard shell to crack, but with a little luck, you'll be out of jail in less than a week. I think we have done enough for tonight, Doctor," she continued, turning to me, "Tomorrow we shall start early and ask what Holmes's brother makes of all this."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Holmes commented sceptically, "Mycroft is solely devoted to his job. He won't tell you anything if he thinks it might endanger the British government, no matter how small."
"He is your brother, Holmes," admonished Kathryn sternly. "You have too little faith in your family and friends. I will make him help, somehow."
She then bade Holmes goodnight and walked out with a swift step, leaving me to run after her.