From W. Y. Traveller: Mrs. Hudson solves a crime
Mr Sherlock Holmes and his close friend and confidant Doctor John Watson were surprised one day in December by a visit from Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard.
"You weren't expecting me?" He asked, seeing their joint expressions of surprise. "But I received a telegram demanding my presence at 221B immediately?"
"That was from me, Inspector."
"Mrs Hudson?" Holmes looked with some bemusement to their diminutive landlady who stood, arms crossed, in the living room doorway. "What reason have you to request Inspector Lestrade's company? You have not been caught up in some crime I hope."
"Oh there has been a crime alright. Sit!" She shooed Lestrade onto the sofa, and gestured Holmes and Watson to their respective armchairs. "I have gathered you all here today, because there has been a crime committed against my very person."
"A crime?" Doctor Watson exclaimed. "My dear Mrs Hudson, are you alright? What happened?"
"My wedding ring has gone missing." This she declared with all the severity expected had it been the crown jewels to go missing. It might have been comical, had her expression not been so very dour, and all three men wisely kept silent. "Now, I have brought you all here because I believe I know who has done it.
"My first suspect, of course, was Mr Holmes."
Holmes straightened in his chair. "Why me?"
"Mr Holmes since you have been living here, you have shown a decided disregard for my possessions. Seventeen broken teapots, two burnt rugs, and my best coat, gloves and scarf all destroyed in the interests of your cases!"
He slumped. "I suppose you have a point. But I would never think to steal your wedding ring!"
"No, not steal," she agreed. "Even those things you have destroyed, you have made efforts to replace. But I would not put it past you, if you needed it for the sake of a case, to borrow my wedding ring.
"However," she continued, turning now to Doctor Watson, "At the time my wedding ring went missing, between 2 and 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, for I always take it off when I am baking mince pies, Mr Holmes was not in the flat. Doctor Watson, on the other hand-"
"You cannot think that I stole it," Doctor Watson bristled. "What cause would I have?"
"To aid Mr Holmes, of course." She went to his desk, upon which his chequebook lay. "I noticed yesterday evening, when I came to clean away the dinner, that your chequebook was out. Usually Mr Holmes keeps it safe for you, and when I quickly looked within I saw that you had filled out a cheque just two days ago. The imprint left behind revealed quite a hefty sum - gambling again, Doctor? No doubt Mr Holmes has helped supplement your rent instalment this month, and so you owed him a favour, no matter how morally objectionable you found it to be."
Watson spluttered incomprehensibly for a few moments. "Well that's not-"
"But still, that didn't make sense," Mrs Hudson cut across him. "For you were in the living room, and called me up to bring you some tea at about half past 2. There was no way you could have taken the ring from the kitchen table without me noticing. You may however, have been working as a distraction whilst the theft took place.
"I was drawn again to consider Mr Holmes. He had said he was away on a case, yes, but was it really true? So I went and asked Wiggins. For the price of a few mince pies, he told me that you had spent the morning at Scotland Yard and exited with none other than-" she turned to the man in question, "-Inspector Lestrade."
Lestrade laughed nervously. "Really, what reason would I have to-"
"For the case!" Mrs Hudson exclaimed. "Whatever case it is the two of you are working on! The three of you have conspired. Wiggins told me that whilst Mr Holmes went to Whitehall, Inspector Lestrade came to Baker Street. Now, Inspector, you didn't even ring the bell. So my guess is that you were there for a less than respectable reason. You waited on the street until a signal from Doctor Watson through the window alerted you to my presence upstairs, and then you used the opportunity to enter through the front door - which Mr Holmes had either left unlocked or given you the keys to - went to the kitchen, and stole my wedding ring. Am I correct?"
Lestrade, Holmes and Watson all looked to one another - and promptly broke out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Mrs Hudson demanded. "Am I wrong? Or have you already lost the ring?"
Holmes, still chuckling, explained, "You are completely right, and I must admit an utter admiration for your skills of deduction! Yes, we did take your ring. Watson acted as a distraction and I told Lestrade what to do."
"Hmmph." She crossed her arms again. "Then what exactly is so funny?"
"There was just one point on which you were mistaken." He went to the desk and picked up Watson's chequebook. "Watson has not been gambling. In fact the "hefty sum" you mentioned - which yes, now I look, can be read from the imprint on the page below - was for a Christmas gift."
"A Christmas gift?" Mrs Hudson exclaimed. "That is quite the amount for a Christmas gift! Whoever is that for?"
Watson stood, pulling a box from his pocket. "It's for you, Mrs Hudson, from all three of us."
"For me?" She took the box warily and opened it up, revealing a glinting ring within. "Oh! It's beautiful!"
"And here's your wedding ring," Lestrade added, holding out the item in question for her to take. "I had plans to drop it back this evening, say I had found it at the front door or something of the like. We only needed to know your finger size."
"We had aimed to surprise you for Christmas," Watson concluded ruefully. "Hence the subterfuge!"
Mrs Hudson blushed. "Oh. Oh dear. And there was me accusing you all of thievery! I am ever so sorry."
But Holmes was beaming at their landlady with evident pride. "Mrs Hudson it does me great joy to see your deductive prowess. Perhaps I ought to start inviting you on some of my cases!"
"Or some of mine," Lestrade smiled.
Watson went to wrap her in a hug. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Hudson."