Chapter 8

After being captured the prisoner suddenly turned into a puppy dog. It seemed he wasn't the rabid animal we came to believe. He smiled and hoped he hadn't hurt any of us in the scuffle; he even apologized for the moment of lapse when he grabbed me. He complemented me on my ability to hold my own against a man his size. "I suppose you guys are going to take me down to the station," the prisoner remarked to Holmes, "We can take my cab I suppose; if you loosen my legs I can walk down there for you. No use in you all having to drag me..." Lestrade and Gregson instantly looked at each other, this request being quiet bold of a man whom just tried to take us all on at once, but Holmes seemed to have no worry as he removed the towel from around the man's ankles. The man stood stretching his legs out and now as I looked at him, I could see just how powerful he was. Dark and sunburned, his face was filled with determination and energy that I could have seen before if it wasn't for him trying to grab me from behind.

"Lestrade and Greyson," Holmes spoke, "You had both come with me."

"I'll drive," Lestrade said moving to the door.

"You might as well come along to Miss Laura," Holmes spoke, the smirk on his face as he looked at me over his shoulder, "You've come this far being a busybody might as well be there in the end. And you and Greyson can bring down the captive as well..." I growled as I watched him walk out the door.

"He is so brilliant," the prisoner said watching Holmes go as well, "To figure all this out, what kind of man is he?"

"A man with a small heart and a big head that's filled with Air!" I growled angrily as we all walked out into the hallway, "Except for the small part that's filled with that tiny brain of his!" We exited the apartment and were soon standing in front of the man who would decide the fate of our seemingly polite prisoner. The official was a small and unemotional man who peered at us all from over his podium.

"The prisoner will face the magistrates in a week," the man said, with a voice just as unemotional as his face, "In the mean time is there anything you have to say Mr. Jefferson Hope? I must warn you that anything you say here is taken down and can be used against you in the court.

"I would like to say a great deal sir," our prisoner said with a gentle smile, "And I have no worries about saying any of it.

"I think you would rather save it for trial," Lestrade began but the man held up his hand.

"I believe sir that I may never be tried," he said, and then his dark eye fell on me, "Are you a doctor mame?"

"'Um no," I answered, blinking slightly in surprise, "I was a nurse to my father, but I wouldn't really call myself a doctor."

"Then do you know what an aortic aneurysm is mame?"

"A bulging out of the aorta which develops where the wall of the aorta has been weakened by high blood pressure or illnesses like syphilis or tuberculosis," I rattled off like a text book. It wasn't till I finished did I realize they were all looking at me funny. "I spent lots of time reading my dads medical books," I explained, "it's all we had to read sometimes!"

"Well you are one smart girl by my book," our prisoner said with a smile, which had to make me smile, "And yes, that's what I got. Years of living in the mountains with over-exposure and under-feeding have left me with a weak heart. But it doesn't matter now, my job is done. Of course I wouldn't feel right unless I was to leave you all with an account of what has happened. I don't want to be remembered as a common murderer scum."

"Do you think this condition is a danger to the man's health miss?" the official asked, looking to me.

"I'm not a doctor!" I protested again, and I could see a flicker of cold in the official's eye, "I'm not sure, you should have another doctor check it out, but from what I've seen of other cases, this type of weakening of the heart can be dangerous."

"In that case, we will be taking your statement now sir." I sighed happily as the old official moved his eyes off of me, taking the burden of his eyes off of me as well.

"If it pleases you sir I would like to sit down," the prisoner said as he took a seat on a near by bench, "This 'weakening of my heart' makes me quiet tired and does it quiet quickly." Seeing this man in pain hit a note within me and I sat down next to him.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked, ignoring the roll of my roommate's eyes.

"No mame, I'm fine for the moment thank you," our prisoner answered, his smile gentle once again, "But listening to what I have to say would be a great way to help me at this moment." He took a deep breath before continuing on to tell us his story. I later got a hold of Lestrade's notes so I could keep his words exact. "I have no doubt that you all don't care why I hated these men," he said, "I just wish you to know that they were guilty of the murderer of a father and his daughter and this crime had been to long ago for me to bring it to court. Over time I became the only one who knew they were guilty and I was determined to be judge, jury, and executioner.

The young lady I spoke of was to marry me but was forced to be married to the same Debber that you found and died of a broken heart. The wedding ring I took from her dead finger and I made a solemn vow that his last thoughts would be of the crime he committed and the reason he was being punished. I've carried it across two continents as I've chased the two criminals determined to have them die by my hand and my hand only. And if I was to die at this minuet I would have no regrets as my job is done I feel, they have died by my hand so there is nothing left for me to want or desire.

First of all it was no easy task to fallow them as they had the money to travel and I did not. When I finally arrived in your fair city, I was, plain to say, broke. I had to find work and since transportation came natural to me so I turned my hand to being a cabby man. I would keep all the tips along after paying to the boss in the front office. There wasn't much money for my self but I scrapped by. My biggest problem was figuring out where everything was in this city. I had to look to a map and after a while I soon could remember where the main hotels and stations were.

It took me a while to discover where the two men were staying, but I asked and asked and found that they were staying across the river in Camberwell. Now I had them at my mercy, I looked nothing as I had back when we had last met and with my beard I knew that they wouldn't ever be able to recognize me. I would fallow them around every opportunity I got and I knew that they would be mine. I would fallow them in my cab or on foot but it was better in the cab as they couldn't escape me. Of course this meant that I could only collect money in the early morning and late at night as my days would be filled with fallowing the men. I started to fall behind with my employer but I didn't care, I had them in my hands and it was only a matter of time before I could finally attack.

But they were smart too; I don't think that there was ever a time that they were alone. They would always be together and never go out ever nightfall. For two weeks I drove behind them but never once did I see them separate. Debber was nearly always drinking but Strangerson was not to be caught sleeping. I watched them and my only fear was that my heart might burst too early and leave my job undone. I was driving up and down the street one day as I saw a cab drive up to the door of where they were staying. As I saw the luggage come out I felt physically ill even more as I saw them get in the cab. I fallowed them, fearing that they were moving to another place to stay. At the station I fallowed them inside and I found them arguing. Seems Debber still had some business in town, yet Strangerson wanted to leave immediately. As Strangerson argued intelligently, Debber burst off swearing and reminded his companion that he was a paid servant. Finally the secretary gave up and informed Debber to meet him at the Halliday's Private Hotel which Debber agreed to do before he left the station. Finally I had them where I wanted them, alone and unprotected! Together they were strong but separated they were no longer protection one another and so my plans formed in my mind. I had the key to a place on Brixton Road had been lost by a man, whom had been looking after the place, in the back of my carriage. It was claimed the same evening but that gave me enough time to make a copy of the key. Now I had a place in which to do the crime but getting Debber to the house was the real problem.

Once leaving the station, Debber stopped by two liquor stores. Staggering now, he hailed the cab in front of me-"Our prisoner paused as he began to cough. I quickly got up and got him a water from a near by water cooler. "Thank you mame," he said thankfully, "I waited for about an hour before I heard the sounds of struggling inside. Then the door flung open and Debber and a young man I had never seen before came running out. Debber was caught by they young man and kicked into the street. "I'll teach you to insult an honest girl!" the boy cried as he thrashed Debber with a stick of some sort. Debber staggered to my cab and jumped in. He ordered me to drive him to the Halliday's Private Hotel.

When he jumped into my cab you wouldn't believe the happiness that my heart at that moment. I almost feared that my heart would burst right there. But I held it together thinking and weighing my options, thinking maybe I should taking him right out into the country with no one around. But Debber's constant need for a drink once again took over and I was ordered to stop at the first liquor store. I did and he was a long time, nearly closing time for the store before he came out. He ordered me to wait and I would have gladly waited a week because I was determined not to let him escape my grasp once again. I was not prepared to kill him in cold blood. No, there would be no justice in his death if there wasn't something more to it. My years of traveling in America, I had once been working as a Janitor at New York College. One day the professor was lecturing on poisons and he showed his students one that he called South American arrow poison, one so strong that even one grain would mean instant death. I spotted where the bottle was kept and I placed the poison in with a similar looking group of pills. I was determined to use this method as it was much less messy or noisy as shooting through a handkerchief.

It was growing near to one and the night was wet and blustery. But as bad as it was outside, I was joyous because if any of you have ever wanted something so bad, longed for it as long as I have, then you would understand what I felt at that moment. My hands were shaking, my temples were throbbing, and for that one moment I swore I could see my sweet Lucy and her old father staring at me as clearly as I see you all now. I could see Lucy's sweet smile as beautiful as the young miss here, if I might be so bold."

"It's alright," I answered with a blush the shade of an apple. He smiled giving me a sort of wink and again I ignored the roll of Holmes's eyes.

"Yes they were there alright; all the way up till I pulled into Brixton road," the prisoner continued, "There one around and there was hardly any sound but the pouring rain. As I looked into the back I found Debber huddled in the back, finally succumbing to a drunken sleep. As I told him to get out he suspected nothing, most likely figuring we had reached the hotel. He didn't say a word as he fallowed me down into the garden and up to the door. I had to carry him as he staggered most of the way and once inside he complained of the darkness. But soon he could see clearly as I lit the candle and asked him if he knew my face. In that moment I saw his face pale and his drunken eyes grow fearful. He shrunk away from me in true fear as I walked forward, he indeed knew me and as I began to remind him of his terrible deed he done he pushed himself more into a corner. He begged for his life but he knew it was useless and that is when I pushed the box on him. I ordered him to take one and let god decide if he would live or die. He still prayed for mercy but I pulled out my knife and once again ordered. He took and swallowed a pill with me fallowing in the same. We stood there in the dim candle light waiting to see which one of us would see the soon the coming sun. But I wasn't disappointed as I saw the pain in his eyes, and my smile couldn't have been happier as I held Lucy's wedding ring in front of his face. It wasn't long, as the poison worked and he seized then fell heavy on the floor. I turned him over with my foot and checked his pulse. There was none.

All the while, in the intenseness of the moment, my nose had started to bleed but I hadn't noticed it. I don't know what ever came over me to write what I had on the wall, maybe it was a mischievous idea of setting the police on the wrong track. I felt so light hearted and I remembered a German being found in New York with the same word written above him. I guess what had puzzled the New Yorkers might as well puzzle the Londoners. After finishing my work I walked back to my cab and found that still no body was about on the street. I had driven some distance before I discovered that I had lost Lucy's ring. I had reached up to my pocket where it normally was kept and was thunderstruck as I realized the last remaining memento I had of my love was gone. I drove back and left my cab in a side street. I went back to the house, ready to do anything but lose that ring, but I arrived just a little too late as a police officer was already on the scene. I quickly pretended to be drunk as not to put suspicion on myself.

That was the end of Drebber, now all I had to do was do the same for Strangerson. I already knew where he was staying and I hung about there all day, but once again I must have aroused suspicion as Strangerson never appeared outside his room. I think he became worried as Drebber failed to appear when he was supposed to. But he couldn't protect himself from me for too long as I was already forming plans. I found out which window was his and I took advantage of some ladders that had been lying in the street. The next morning, I made my way into his room just at the crack of dawn, waking him with the same coldness that I had shown the other man. I reminded him of his crime as well as told him of the death of Drebber. It was most enjoyable to see him turn deathly white as I described the death of his former companion. I gave him the same opportunity as Drebber but instead of taking the chance of safety, he sprang from his bed and tried to attack me. In self-defense, I stabbed him once in the heart.

There is not much else to say as I returned to the city in hopes that I would soon earn enough money to return to America in which I could live out my days until I died alone to join my family in the sky. I picked up my cabby business once again but I was approached by a shabby youngster who informed me that a man had asked for me directly at 221b Bakerstreet. I went there expecting no harm and the next thing I knew I was fighting with you gents, and then this pretty young lady threw me to the floor with great power I might add. I don't know of many ladies who could pick me up over their shoulders and toss me to the floor so hard. I must admit it was a great feat."

"Well we are still working on if she is a lady or not sir," Holmes sneered. He let out a yelp as I pinched his leg although I'm sure he would never be able to prove it as I quickly took my innocent stance once again. For the most part Lestrade and Gregson seemed not too impressed with the tale of our prisoner's daring endeavor, figuring his story no better then the other common criminal. But I was indeed wrapped up in the tale as was Holmes from what I could tell. There was a silence as he finished talking and Holmes's rather rude comment which was shortly filled with the sounds of Lestrade's pencil scraping away at the paper. "There is only one more question that I would like to be clear on," Holmes spoke again, "Who was your accomplice who came for the ring which I advertised?" The prisoner smiled and winked at my roommate with a near joking way.

"I can tell you my secrets my dear boy," he said looking around at us all, "But I don't have any wish to get anyone else into trouble. I saw you advertisement and I thought it might be a trap. My friend volunteered to go and see and I think you'll agree that he did it most smartly.

"No disagreement's here sir," Holmes answered, a smile of his own on his face.

"As much as I would like to chat all day," Lestrade interrupted coldly as he placed the pad of paper into his pocket, "On Thursday the prisoner will face the court and you, Sherlock Holmes and Laura Galahad, will be required to attend. Until then he will be placed in police custody-"

"May I speak once more inspector?" I asked standing. Lestrade rolled his eyes but nodded. I turned to the prisoner and took a deep breath before beginning to speak my final thought.

"Mister Hope," I said in a half serious but gentle tone, a small smile on my face, "I hope that in the end you do find your heaven, with them, because in truth, in my life I wish that I will find a love as true as yours is to your Lucy."

"I'm sure you will Miss Laura," Hope told me as he was guided away by the officers, a smile on his face as well, "Thank you."