Well, here is the next chapter. The plot is beginning to unravel now. :) PLEASE REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!
I leaned back in the hard wooden chair and eagerly waited for the mysterious Thomas Gregory to begin his narration.
Mr. Gregory leaned forward and rocked himself back and forth as if extremely nervous. He began in a shaking voice,
"Well, Mr. Holmes… and Dr. Watson," He added quickly, catching my eye before resuming, "There is not much to tell, but what I will attempt to carefully divulge every fact."
Holmes rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Can you please get to the point, Mr. Gregory?"
Our visitor cleared his throat and took a deep breath before continuing,
"It began only a fortnight ago." He mysteriously stated, moving his gaze downwards towards the floor, as if in a trance.
There was a significant pause in the young man's narration much to Holmes' frustration.
"What began a fortnight ago?" The detective prodded, impatiently.
Mr. Gregory's head snapped back up and he fixed his eyes on Holmes as if suddenly remembering what he was supposed to be doing.
"The first message appeared on my bedroom window."
"What sort of message?" Holmes inquired.
"A cipher, I suppose, though not one I nor my brother have ever seen or heard of before." Mr. Gregory answered.
"Did you copy the message down?" My companion asked the young man.
Our visitor nodded his head.
"Of course." He reached into his left pants pocket. "I have it right here."
Mr. Gregory rose from the sofa and walked over to Holmes, before handing the detective a small slip of paper. Holmes glanced at the paper for a moment and then looked up.
"Were there any other messages after this one?"
"Yes. There were."
"How many more?" Holmes questioned.
"Five." Mr. Gregory answered. "I have copied down every single message. The first was found on the outside ledge of my bedroom window written in white chalk. My elder brother, Edward and his wife, Catherine, whom I live with in our deceased father's estate, Haddingfield Park in Gloucester, both discovered the second message on the left side of our sundial out in our garden. It was most likely written with the same white chalk as the first. The third, a maid found, scrawled with what seems to have been black ink, on the door leading to the servants' quarters. Edward happened upon the fourth, written with candle wax on the front walkway leading to our home. Just this morning, I discovered the fifth message, inscribed across the top of our door… in blood. Underneath the cipher was a message in regular English that read, 'Thirteen days.'"
Holmes was deep in thought when Mr. Gregory ended his story and inhaled deeply from his pipe before exhaling a ring of grey smoke in the air. The blazing fire crackled as we sat in silence and I subtly jotted down a few notes. Our visitor anxiously awaited Holmes' response to his puzzling account.
A few moments later, Holmes spoke,
"When were the messages first noticed?"
"Each message was found every day for the last five days, including today." The young man answered as he returned to his seat, sitting back down in an uncomfortable fashion, crossing and uncrossing his legs, before leaning forward nervously.
"What do you think it all means, Mr. Holmes?"
My companion, who had been observing the first message for the past few minutes, at last looked up from the paper.
"Where are your copies of the other four, Mr. Gregory?"
Thomas Gregory reached in the same pocket the first paper had come from and took from it, four scraps of paper.
"Here they are, sir."
I left my seat and walked over to Mr. Gregory, retrieving the papers from him and delivering them to Holmes. I stood silently next to my friend as he carefully perused them, and read them over his shoulder.
Holmes finished scanning the messages and set them down in his lap.
"I am assuming I may borrow these for my investigation, Mr. Gregory?"
"You may, sir, most assuredly! Am I correct in believing that the 'Thirteen days' message is a death threat, Mr. Holmes?"
Holmes paused before replying, "With a case, like this, Mr. Gregory, anything is possible."
He nodded to me, signaling that the interview has come to a close and that I must lead our visitor out. I stood up as Holmes spoke,
"I will begin working directly and will be sure to inform of any significant progress. If any further of these messages or any messages at all, are found, notify me immediately as they might help with solving your case. Take extreme caution with anything you do, as we do not know what or who exactly you and your brother are dealing with."
Our visitor abandoned his seat on the sofa and walked over to Holmes.
"I certainly will, sir. I am very grateful for your help."
He extended a hand to Holmes for the second time that evening and to my utter astonishment, my companion shook the young man's hand.
"How much do I owe you for your services, Mr. Holmes?" Mr. Gregory asked. "I can pay, this very moment, if you desire me to do so."
Holmes stopped him before saying, "I do not desire any pay at all, my dear sir. My profession, itself, is pay enough for me."
"Alright then." Our visitor said, looking slightly relieved.
Holmes turned to me in his seat.
"Dr. Watson, would you be so kind as to lead Mr. Gregory out?"
I nodded in response and motioned for the young man to follow me, exiting the room leaving the detective in deep thought, the messages lying haphazardly in his lap.
REVIEW! :) The contents of the cipher messages will be revealed in chapter 4 and you will also get to read Holmes' and Watsons' deductions concerning Mr. Gregory. Don't forget to review, dear readers! 3
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