Prompt from Stutley Constable - A length of rope.
The length of rope was thick but short, with one end evenly sliced and the other much rougher, as if it had been cut by some serrated edge. A knife, most likely, but he could not rule out it having been caught on a rough piece of metal. The thickness of the rope suggested it may have been used on a boat, and he knew very well the docks were rife with metal edges sharp enough to leave dangerous cuts. It was damp, but with the recent rain, it was impossible to know whether that was further evidence it had come from the docks, or whether it had simply been caught in the rain like the rest of London.
Watson sighed. He'd take it to Holmes. They couldn't rely on his amateurish efforts, not with a woman's life at stake.