From goodpenmanship: Sherlock Holmes investigates an orphanage.


"Do you mean to tell me, Holmes," I exclaimed, "that the subject of your investigation is a real-life Fagin?"

"I assume you are making a literary reference," Holmes said, lifting an eyebrow, "and literature is your department, not mine." He waved a delicate hand. "But if by your allusion, you mean to inquire whether the subject of my investigation is using street urchins to steal from wealthy individuals and pocketing the ill gotten gains, then yes. He pretends to run a charitable organization which provides a respectable upbringing to orphaned boys, but if you examine carefully those urchins which he adopts, they are invariably known for their nimble fingers. It is hardly an original notion, but then again, the quality of crime in London has depreciated noticeably in the years since Moriarty's death. Still, it has proved a tolerably interesting affair."

"But who is the client?" I pressed. "I have seen no visitors in your consulting room for several days."

"Nor would you have, Watson. It was Peter of the Irregulars who first put me onto the scent, and he took great care to approach me on the street, under the guise of relieving me of my valuables. Naturally, the general ruckus caused by my berating him and retrieving my stolen property provided admirable cover for a private conversation. That he chose this method of communication made it clear how serious he believed the matter to be; it appears that one or two of the boys being used in the larceny were not orphans at all until Mr. Daniels took an interest. Yet I have nearly all the threads gathered into my hand. There remains one more crucial fact that must be ascertained before I can take any determinate action."

"Extraordinary, Holmes!"

At that very moment, the doorbell rang.

Holmes smiled very slightly. "Indeed, I do believe that here is my answer now." He rose to his feet. "Would you care to come with me, Watson, to see the culmination of this affair?"

"With all my heart, Holmes," I answered readily, rising to my feet.

"Then bring your revolver, dear fellow. Just in case."


A/N: Must. Finish. Challenge. Must. Finish. So. Close…