The Case of the Baffled Sherlock
Chapter 2
I looked to Lady Giles who stood before me. Sherlock looked at her with a sharp look in his eyes whilst she introduced herself to us.
She was a woman with greying auburn hair, with traces of her youth still upon her face. A small smile graced her features as she curtsied to Holmes and myself. "Hello, Mr. Holmes. I've heard many things about." She turned to me. "As yourself Dr. Watson, you have a small bit of acclaim a few specific circles."
Holmes seemed to have found something about her to gain his confidence in her abilities, which still remained unknown. We once again stood outside of the Grant residence. The smell of decay was strong, as Mr. Grant had not been removed. It was a smell which none of us reacted strongly to.
Lady Giles moved to the entrance. She entered and we followed after her. I saw now that there was lanterns set about the room. All three of us set out to light them. I frowned briefly before I focused upon Giles. She was moving her eyes through out the room before turning to my companion and myself. She walked toward us.
"Mr. Holmes." said she. "I have heard you have seen this when it wasn't so decayed. What can you tell me? You have had time to ponder this." She frowned briefly. "Was I misinformed?"
Holmes shook his head and spoke. "I have indeed been thinking and I need to see Mr. Grant's body once more before I divulge any of my conclusions." said he. Holmes moved toward the body of Mr. Grant. Holmes moved the body before he seemed to be satisfied with his brief investigation. He turned to us, Lady Giles and myself who held our backs to the door, when he spoke clearly of his deductions.
"I believe that Mr. Grant was a victim a wicked cult of heathens. For what reason, I cannot say yet, as Ackermann met with me before our meeting. He told me that there has been little success into translating the runes but I can meet other conclusions from the events." He waved his hand to the area over the room in which the sphere of violence around us. "The lack of blood was one of my first clues to the ritual which may be taking place at this very moment or at least to its motives."
He moved to Mr. Grant's body and gently positioned his mutilated head to the side to reveal the left side of his neck. There from what I could see from our small distances were two deep puncture marks. Lady Giles moved closer and I followed soon enough. Upon closer viewing, I was astonished to see faint marks in an elliptical pattern around the two deeper ones that did penetrated the flesh. Holmes let Grant's head lye on the ground and began to speak.
"Blood has always been associated with life and these two marks cause me to believe that someone mimicked a vampire." He looked closer to the arms and pointed to the wrists. "Mimicked as I believe Mr. Grant was bled dry by his arms." He stood up. "It would take a considerable time bleed him as you may know but what puzzles me is how there is no trace an any other blood from the body visible in the room." He turned to Lady Giles. "You seem to be less astonished then I was my first time viewing this question. Do you have knowledge to how it was done, Lady Giles?" He asked her.
Lady Giles nodded. "I have several suspicions but first continue, dear sir. I will no doubt have reached my own conclusions after I your own and compare to my own."
"The heart has been as symbol of love and also life but let us not forget truth from the old Egyptian myths of the weight of soul being within it. From the marks, there has to be some tie in to mysticism. Dark mysticism. What they plan with the heart, I cannot say once more but I can conclude one thing. If the symbolic draining from that of a vampire, it can be thought that the perpetrators may have followed other rules to the creatures.
"As you recall, Watson, Miss. Grant informed us that aside from herself and her brother that there are only two more residents in this home, a maid and Mr. Rochester. Rochester is the assistant of Mr. Grant who was boarding in the room adjacent to Grant." Holmes eyes were shining by now. He suddenly moved to show faint imprints from the bruised flesh of Grant.
"The maid, Miss. Lucille Right, was visiting her mother on a holiday so her involvement is unlikely. Mr. Rochester on the other hand was in town, he was the one last seen exiting this home and if you are familiar with the legends, they speak that vampires may only enter if invited. Mr. Rochester has not been seen or heard of since Mr. Grant's death." Holmes moved to the desk.
"Mr. Grant, I believe was preparing for a small business transaction as his instruments lay about the floor from the desk. I cannot tell you who may have done this but I have made the assertion that Mr. Rochester did partake his companion's death, whether, knowingly or not. Either Mr. Rochester is an accomplice or he is another victim in this mystery"
Lady Giles was listening intently and I still remained silent as I waited for her to speak. Holmes had drawn out many solved thread but Lady Giles seemed to be the link to the answer to the questions. She did not speak immediately but moved toward the desk and moved her eyes over the marking engraved upon it. "I see." she whispered tersely.
She turned to us. "Gentlemen, I have a question for you. Do you believe in Providence?" I looked startled, as did Holmes. It was an unexpected question. Both he and I asserted. "I would see to it that you carry a symbol of your faith for a small amount of time."
She smiled and turned to Holmes. "I thank you for your observations, something has been brought to my attention at the moment." Her face turned serious for the moment and we looked upon her intently. "These runes read as is followed, please excuse any awkward phrasing but some of these words and phrases do not translate easily in English." said she. She looked upon the markings and spoke.
"The destroyer of the slime, the apes of the west and east, to him we offer the blood of the ape warrior. The truth of it shall come from sight and in sight. The soul," She frowned briefly, "will be brought to sacrifice…." She stopped frowning but looking at us gravely.
"Your assertions were correct Mr. Holmes in this being a blasphemous act of Evil. It is only that whoever did this did not finish here. This is incomplete. The rhythm in this is off in the native tongue, most likely an original incantation and not one from passing through the centuries. There is talk about immortality from the offer of a sacrifice; Mr. Grant was only the beginning."
"The vampire symbolizes immortality but through death, do you mean to say that whoever is doing this may seek a type of vampire immortality but of that as a human? One evidently believes themselves a vampire." I said.
Lady Giles nodded. She looked about the room. "I cannot say how they did enter though without further research. I shall conclude this investigation, Gentlemen, with my colleagues. You may both rest assured that we shall resolve this." She stated.
Holmes looked startled. "I have been contacted to solve this as well, Madam." Lady Giles cut him off in his protest.
" You may find work through Miss. Grant but I will be working for the most part alone, Mr. Holmes." She stated. Holmes and I exited thereafter and spoke outside the building.
"This is most puzzling Watson. I will speak to several people on this matter. If Lady Giles wished for us to be startled by her reading and lured away by her assurances of success, then she is most mistaken."
I looked to him mirthfully. "You will not let her complete this?" I asked knowing the answer. "She appears to know where to begin."
"Yes but I withheld information from Lady Giles. I myself have seen Mr. Rochester, but only after did I realize it was he when I went out to visit Miss. Grant. If we may find him we may find our culprit." From that we headed to find Officer Ackermann to inform him of this development and of that with Lady Giles.
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Regina looked out the window toward the two figures. Why had Mycroft involved his brother in this case? Did he wish to revive his family's position in the Council? Mycroft had only been spared the position as a field Watcher due to his rise in the government. Regina frowned and set about to locate the Slayer.