II
Two days after I had sent the letter to Henry Desailles, I woke up to find my friend finishing a most abundant breakfast, and strolling swiftly about the room with a cup of coffee and a biscuit in his hands. His eyes shone again – with that glimmer that was so frequent when his mind was working full on – and his mouth hummed a joyful made-up melody.
"Come in, Watson," he welcomed me with a loud, happy voice. "I was just about to go for a stroll!" he added with a smirk.
The faint guilt I had felt since sending the letter, vanished instantly at the sight of that cheerful version of Holmes. I had heard the mailboy call from my room and I was satisfied his new state of mind was a consequence of my plan.
"I thought I heard the mailboy's voice," I said glibly.
"And you are right!" he almost screamed. "Finally, my methods shall be put to the test again!"
"So I gather you have just received a letter or telegram?"
"Telegram," he answered. "Two actually; let me read them for you."
"Two?"
"Yes. Good news don't come alone, you know," he said as he waved two envelopes in his hand. "Naturally, I opened the one with the Royal stamps first."
"Royal stamps!" I said slightly alarmed.
"Quite. Apparently the son of an Under-Secretary of State is lost… again! Remember Lord Greenstone's older son? A boy of seventeen; we found him partying with some friends after having every man in Scotland Yard looking for him for two days. That brat! I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Now this one…" he said holding the envelope with commonplace stamps in his hand.
"Wait, Holmes," I interrupted. "You're not suggesting you're taking no notice of Lord Greenstone's telegram? I'm sure the boy has learnt his lesson!"
"I'm merely going to explain politely that I'm currently engaged in a most remarkable case, which requires my full attention," he said smiling.
"But you aren't!" I screamed.
"Well, why don't you hear this before you make any further comments?" he said as he unfolded the second telegram. "I wouldn't miss such a case for the world!"
I was concerned about sending Holmes on a fool's errand, at the time his abilities were required by an Under-Secretary of State; and yet, I was eager to hear what Desailles had come up with to excite my friend's mind to that extent.
"Dear Mr Holmes," he began to read, "I'd be much obliged to you, if you should come to my house at once and give me your advice after the remarkable discovery I made in one of my rooms. In a nutshell, the door was bolted on the inside and – after my servants and I forced it – we found…" here Holmes paused to allow me a guess.
"A dead body!" said I.
"That shouldn't be remarkable, Watson. How many cases like that have we had already? No, it's a lot trickier than that," he said and he continued reading the telegram, "… we found a huge pool of blood on the floor, and smears in most of the walls. We also found the window with the shutters on, which left us puzzled about how did the dead man (the blood is enough to assume he's dead) and his killer leave the room. And they couldn't have escaped by the chimney, for it's impossible to climb; plus, that's the only place where we found no trace of blood. The only two foreign objects present in the room were a golden watch (over the night table) and an ace of spades (at the bottom of the fireplace). I also noticed some footmarks on the gravel just under the window, but they could have been left by anyone who needed fresh air; besides, the window's shutters are so heavy that it's fairly impossible for anyone to have gone out that way, using a trick to close the window. Unfortunately, the room is upstairs and far to the right, so none of the fifty guests I had last night would have heard anything. You see, Mr Holmes, my position is a desperate one; the police are demanding explanations which I cannot produce; so I hope you can find the time to visit me and I'll show you everything you need to see. Yours sincerely, Frank Stanley."
I took the envelope to check the sender's address. It was Skyway Manor, some miles to the south by the Brighton road. I had asked Desailles to summon Holmes somewhere far from our residence, so that his journey were a long one; but now I found myself making rough calculations to determine how much time he was to waste before realising that the case was a plant.
"I know Skyway Manor by sight," he said, "I will be there in half an hour."
"But Holmes, why don't you go to Lord Greenstone first?"
"Did you not hear the story? I want to see that golden watch at once!"
I was about to confess my plan to him, but he just wouldn't let me speak. His excitement with the case and his impatience towards my every comment were such that I was unable to find the courage to tell him.
"The case seems to be a most extraordinary one. Too bad the solution is rather obvious, but not so is the trace of the murderer," he said as he walked to the door.
"Holmes!" I said before he was away.
"What!" he shouted indignantly.
"You forget your hat," I said after a pause.