SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 1
04/01/2018 14:39
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 2
04/01/2018 14:39
A t 221B Baker Street we find Holmes just as Dr Watson’s note had described him: listless, unresponsive,
oblivious to all around him.
“He has not resorted to the needle as yet,” whispers Watson. “My plan may keep him from it,” indicating the
newspaper clippings in his hand.
“A tightrope walker at the Royal Italian Circus fell to his death... Foul play suspected... What do you think, Holmes?”
No answer.
“‘Society Burglar strikes again’... Hmm, a series of burglaries... Six such over the period June 2nd to June 17th... On July 1st, the
seventh occurred at the home of Sir Sanford Leeds... As in the others, no sign of extensive search by the thief and only one
piece of jewellery involved... Victims elsewhere at the time. Here’s a complete list of the particulars, Holmes, if you’d care to
read it.”
Silence.
“Ah, here’s a puzzle... A hansom picked up a fare at its regular stand... The passenger spoke up when he realised that they were
heading in the wrong direction but got no answer... Oh, my... The cabbie was dead, still sitting upright in his seat, a knife in his
back!... A bobby managed to halt the vehicle... Around the cabbie’s neck was a pouch containing thirty Roman coins, denarii.”
“The stupid fools!” exclaims Holmes. “If they had allowed the horse to proceed, it would have led them to the scene of the
crime! Let me see that, Watson!”
Watson hands him the clipping and casts a self-satisfied smile in our direction.
As Holmes, his enthusiasm restored, occupies himself with the clipping, the doorbell rings.
“I beg you for your help, Mr Holmes,” entreats a tall, bespectacled young man, identifying himself as Gerald Locke.
“Three days ago, Guy Clarendon was found murdered at Halliday’s. It’s preposterous, but Miss Frances Nolan has been
charged and is being detained at Old Bailey.”
“I was just about to bring the matter to your attention, Holmes,” says Watson, waving another clipping.
“I cannot believe that she is capable of murder. Even of such a scoundrel as Guy Clarendon.”
Case Three
The Mystified Murderess
4 July 1888
h 1 h
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 1
04/01/2018 14:39
h 2 h
“Scoundrel?” asks Watson. “I’ve only heard very good things about the younger Clarendon. Scion of a wealthy family, an
accomplished batsman for the West London Cricketeers, a ranked fencer in international competition—”
“He was a bounder! Very fond of cards and strong drink and he associated with some rather low East End types. His father
had all but disinherited him. I tried to warn Frances that he was only after her money, but to no avail.”
“Frances and Loretta Nolan,” says Holmes, suddenly stirring to life, “the surviving heirs of Sir Malcolm Nolan, founder of the
Aberdeen Navigation Company. Sir Malcolm and Lady Nolan were killed when an avowed anarchist, one Zagreb Yoblinski,
threw a bomb into their carriage, mistakenly thinking it carried the Duke of York. Loretta Nolan, aged 4 or 5 at the time,
was also in the carriage. Miraculously, she was uninjured. Yes, the gory details of the assassination as well as those of the
disposition of a considerable estate were well documented in the newspapers. Mr Locke, you are the suitor for Miss Nolan’s
hand, are you not?”
“Yes,” he admits.
“Why was Miss Nolan charged with the murder?”
“Ah, well ....” Locke hesitates. He seems very uncomfortable and removes his spectacles, wiping them as a cover for his distress.
Finally in a low, resigned voice he answers, “She was discovered over the body with a pistol in her hand.”
Holmes nods, takes up the clipping of the cabbie’s death again and turns a deaf ear to Locke’s renewed protestations of Miss
Nolan’s innocence. “I’m sorry, Mr Locke,” he says finally, cutting him off, “but I cannot personally take your case. Another very
pressing matter has come to my attention.” He goes to retrieve his hat, adding, “You can rest assured, however, that I could not
leave you in better hands,” and then he is gone.
“Ah ... well, Mr Locke,” sputters Dr Watson. “You must excuse... Ah... That is.... As Holmes suggested, we will spare no pains to
get at the truth. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I...I... I’m sure I don’t,” says Locke, sounding rather unconvinced.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 2
04/01/2018 14:39
h 3 h
15 SE
W e find Kenward Olick’s widow doing laundry. She is
a hard-faced woman who looks older than her years.
She refuses to talk to us.
Nor will her neighbours. In fact, we can find out nothing
about Olick which might help us in tracking down his killer.
16 SE
W
iggins, disguised to the point of being almost
unrecognisable, meets us by prearrangement at the
corner of Penton Place and Kennington Park Road.
“Leach is what Porky said he was, a dealer in stolen goods.
He looked at me funny when I mentioned Clarendon. Said
he didn’t know him.”
21 SE
C laude Kilgore is a very smooth customer. He admits to
knowing Clarendon but has no idea who Calvin Leach
is, or so he says.
24 SE
A s we arrive at Mr Paige’s, he opens the door wide open
for us.
“Mr Smith, I presume? Come in. As agreed upon on the
phone, I’ve prepared the rental contracts for the month of
September, which is a wonderful month in Hertfordshire. I
see you’ve come with friends”
“Errr...” begins to mumble Wiggins, attempting to stop the
dizzying flow of words from Mr Paige. “Actually...”
“You’re hesitating? I understand. It’s the reputation of the
people in the north. Listen, since you’re renting for the
whole month, I’m ready to make an effort. The woman who
was supposed to take the house for the end of August never
came to sign the lease, and I’m ready to add two weeks at the
end of August for the same price. Is that agreeable?”
“But...”
“You’re still hesitating? Let me tell you about St Albans, Mr
Smith, and you’ll be convinced that it’s the perfect place to
spend your vacation. The air is energising, and...”
“I’m not Mr Smith.” Wiggins finally manages to place
between two breaths from his interlocutor, “We...”
“Ah, forgive my mistake, sirs. As you’ve surely understood,
the house is booked until the end of September, but the off-
season is simply sublime, and...”
“We’re not here to rent anything. We...”
“Not here to rent? Not here to rent! Sorry, sirs, I don’t have
time to deal with you. I’m waiting for a client.”
At that very moment, three knocks sound at the door, and
Mr Paige rushes to open the door while pushing us out of it.
“Mr Smith, I presume? Come in. As agreed upon on the
phone, I’ve prepared the rental contracts for the month of
September.”
As the door closes behind us, we hear Mr Paige continue
his pitch.
“September is a wonderful month in Hertfordshire...”
85 SE
W hen we enter the pharmacy, a small bell rings, making
a man wearing a white blouse of questionable
cleanliness appear behind the counter. Holding a vial of Dr
Saari’s elixir in each hand, he asks us what we want.
“We’re looking for information about various types of
narcotics.”
“We don’t do that sort of product yet. We only opened a
short time ago, and we aren’t known by many doctors in
London yet. If you want information, go to Gould & Sons.
They’ve been open for long enough, they’re bound to be
able to answer your queries better than us.”
SE AREA
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 3
04/01/2018 14:39
h 4 h
SW AREA
2 SW
O ur hope to sidle into the Societies Club and corner
Langdale Pike alone is a vain one. Luck is with us,
however, for Pike is expounding upon the very subject in
which we are interested. We take our place on the fringe of
the group gathered about him and listen.
“Alas, dear friends, the ‘Terrible Twins’ are no more. Poor Guy
Clarendon, cut off in his mischievous prime. Poor Loretta
Nolan. She must be desolate. The loss of a kindred spirit who
would willingly pour champagne down the front of Lady
Leeds’ new Paris gown solely for her amusement must be a
burden more difficult to bear than the loss of a lover.”
“I thought they were lovers,” says someone in the crowd.
“Dear me, no. Outwardly, they did make an excellent
couple. He, tall, handsome, from a monied family. She,
beautiful, an heiress in her own right. It could have been
a match made in heaven. It was, however, a match made in
more infernal regions. They were the brothers Grimm, not
Romeo and Juliet.”
“Then could Frances Nolan’s claim that she and Clarendon
were lovers be true?”
“It is hard to credit, isn’t it. But I believe she claimed that they
were in love, not lovers. There is a vast difference and in that
difference lies the rub.
“Guy Clarendon had been all but disowned by his father,
a father who had grown tired of hushing the scandals and
paying the gambling debts. Loretta Nolan had managed
to fritter away a considerable fortune in three short years.
How were the ‘Terrible Twins’ to proceed with extravagant
merrymaking when they were so out-of-pocket?”
He suddenly breaks into peals of laughter. “You surely
remember the 200 cabs filled with 200 beggars they sent
to the Richmond May Day Soiree a year ago Ha, ha. The
congestion and confusion were so great that none of the real
guests could gain entrance before midnight. Delicious!
“But such elaborate pranks cost a pretty penny and
I’m afraid Guy and Loretta were fresh out of pennies,
pretty or otherwise. Enter sister Frances. A sweet lady,
by all accounts, but dull of feature, dull of form and, for
Clarendon’s and Loretta’s purposes, dull of wit. However,
her inheritance was still quite intact and that was the real
target of Clarendon’s affections.”
As the conversation shifts to the ‘Society Burglar’ centering
more on the foibles of the victims than anything else, we leave.
5 SW
A t the London Library our friend Lomax has a ready
answer for our question.
“The Mesmer-Braid Institute was founded in 1874 as an
asylum for the mentally disturbed. It was named after the
18th century Austrian physician, Anton Mesmer, who first
discovered a technique whereby he could induce a quiet,
trance-like state in a patient. Because Mesmer ascribed
certain mystic qualities to the process, which he called
mesmerism, he was largely discredited during his lifetime.
In the 1840’s, Dr James Braid, an Englishman, became
interested in Mesmer’s work, refined the process and
renamed it hypnotism.”
8 SW
W e meet Mycroft in the Strangers’ Room of the
enigmatic Diogenes Club. “Mr Holmes, we’re
helping your brother on the Guy Clarendon case.”
“The Clarendon murder?” Mycroft Holmes seems baffled.
“After reading of the case of the dead cab driver with the
Roman coins around his neck, I thought ‘surely, Sherlock is
hot on the trail of this one.’ The case reeks of Moriarty, and
Sherlock never misses a chance to catch Moriarty with his
guard down. I can’t imagine that he would have time for the
Clarendon case also.”
Wiggins, blushing with shame, admits, “You’re right; your
brother is investigating the cabbie with the coins. We’re
doing this on our own. Do you have any information that
might help us?”
“No, I can’t say as I do. All I know is what I read in The Times,
and there is not enough information presented there for me
to formulate any theories.”
We apologise for the intrusion and excuse ourselves.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 4
04/01/2018 14:39
h 5 h
12 SW
M r H.C. Hardinge is more than happy to talk to us
about the theft of his wife’s emerald bracelet.
“Although I do not know what information I can give you.
We were guests at a small dinner party at the home of Otis
Richmond. We arrived back home sometime after midnight.
As my wife was putting away her finery, she noticed that
the bracelet was gone from her jewellery box. Recalling
the theft a few nights before at the Baker residence, we
summoned the police.”
“All the servants were questioned?”
“They have all been with us a number of years and I have
not the slightest suspicion of any of them, but, yes, the
police questioned them quite thoroughly. All were in bed
asleep when we arrived home and none heard anything
untoward. ”
“Nothing else was taken?”
“There are quite a number of valuable pieces in my wife’s
jewellery box and nothing else was taken. Nothing else in
the room was even disturbed.”
“Yet you are positive that it is not just misplaced?”
“My wife actually put it on as she dressed, but decided
against wearing it. I saw her put it back in the box.”
“Where does she keep the box?”
“Her dressing table has a special compartment in the side of
it. The box fits it rather neatly.”
We thank Mr Hardinge for seeing us and we leave.
13 SW
A s is often the case, agitation reigns in the offices of
Scotland Yard. While trying to avoid agent Pearse
who is rushing down the corridor, we’re literally pushed into
the office of a certain inspector Herberts.
“... totally, Mr Kilgore, you must... One moment... Excuse-me,
sirs, what’s going on? Come on, get out, don’t you see that
I’m on the phone?”
Confused, we apologise and exit the office. We quickly head
to the office of Inspector Lestrade.
“It is a useless enquiry,” says a harried Inspector Lestrade.
“Look, Frances Nolan claims not to have known that
Clarendon was residing at Halliday’s, yet she proceeded
directly to his room. She fired a shot from a derringer, in the
room where Clarendon was found dead, shot with a small
calibre pistol. No, the lady is unquestionably guilty.”
15 SW
W e leave the manager’s office at Halliday’s Private
Hotel knowing little more than we did when we
entered. He is too upset over the police quarantine of
Clarendon’s room to be of much help. Fortunately, the day
clerk is a much less excitable fellow.
“The gentleman registered under the name of Clarence Guy
on the 29th of May. He was given a front room on the third
floor. Two days later he asked to be moved to Suite 205.
During his stay here he had only two visitors that I am aware
of. One was a most disagreeable chap. He was very large,
had a thick walrus moustache and a prominent scar down
his cheek. He arrived on the lst of June, the very day of Mr
Guys, that is Mr Clarendon’s, move. He simply came in, sat
down in the lobby and waited. I kept an eye on him but, I
must admit, I was reluctant to ask him his business. Twenty
minutes or so later, Mr Clarendon came down from his
room. As he passed, the big man yanked him aside. I’m sure I
detected fear on Mr Clarendon’s face and was about to send
one of the boys for a bobby when Mr Clarendon signed me
that all was well. After a few minutes of conversation, they
left together. I never saw the man again.
“His other visitor, who came by quite frequently, was a very
striking woman. She was quite fashionably dressed and she
had a most distinctive laugh, very full and deep. I have no
idea who she was.”
“Tell us about the morning of July 2nd.”
“It was about 9 o’clock when a woman entered. She was
rather plain-looking and I would not have noticed her but for
the fact that she came in the front door, looking neither left
nor right, and proceeded directly to the staircase. Normally
non-residents are not allowed to pass without first stopping
at the desk. I was on my way to intercept the woman, when
I was buttonholed by Mr Ramsay. He’s a guest of long
residence and a chronic complainer and he would not let
me go. It couldn’t have been 30 seconds later when there
was a woman’s scream. I dashed up the stairs to the second
floor where the hallway was full of inquisitive guests. They
directed my attention to Room 205 and said they heard a
faint bang before the scream. There I found the body of Mr
Clarendon and the aforementioned woman. She was lying
in a swoon in the centre of the room with a smoking pistol
in her hand. I revived her with some whiskey found in the
room. When she came to, she was totally disoriented. She
had no idea where she was or what she had done. When she
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 5
04/01/2018 14:39
h 6 h
saw Clarendon’s body she gave out a small cry and let go of
her pistol as if it were red hot. I took her to a nearby vacant
room and had the police summoned.”
At our request, the clerk calls a sleepy bellboy to show us
the suite. On our way to the room we discover that the lad
has just shifted to day duty after working nights. Enquiring
further, we learn that the front doors are locked at 10 p.m.,
so that any guests or visitors must be let in by the night staff.
Clarendon, leading a most exemplary life, was always in his
rooms before 10.
The constable on guard lets us into the 2-room suite and
oversees our tour. The sitting room walls are papered in a
subdued floral pattern. The ceiling is covered with yellow
plaster. The constable indicates the entryway to the bedroom
as the place where the body was found. There is some blood
on the carpet. A larger stain had apparently been made by
the spilled contents of a shattered wine glass lying nearby. In
the centre of the sitting room, some 15 feet away are small
flecks of yellow plaster.
A search of the sitting room yields nothing much in the way
of personal items. In the top desk drawer, however, we find a
folded bank statement from Cox’s:
We wander into the bedroom. In the closet there are but two
shirts and three pairs of shoes, one of them a pair of canvas
fencing shoes dyed black. In the dresser there is the usual
assortment of underwear and shirts. Loosely tossed in the top
drawer is a black wool sweater and a pair of black trousers.
“Not much of a view,” comments Wiggins, looking out of
the open bedroom window. The brick wall of the building
across the alley is dreary indeed. Even the ivy vines which
wind up the trellis and cover the back wall of Halliday’s are
dusty and cheerless.
Getting into the corridor of the hotel, a maid is being
lectured by a man with a scathing and nasty attitude who
lets out a wave of reproaches.
“And you should know, Miss, that I will talk about it to the
manager.”
“Such an offhandedness in a first-class establishment is
totally unacceptable.”
“Yes, Mr Ramsay. Very well, Mr Ramsay.”
We slip away...
19 SW
D r Trevelyan is an athletic looking man, and everything
about him, his movements and gestures, is very
precise. His eyes are piercing and vivacious, and seem to
read the depths of your soul. It is ever-so-slightly disturbing.
He drops himself into the chair behind his desk, fiddles with
his pocket watch and asks how he can help us.
“We understand that you dined with Frances Nolan on the
evening of July 1st.”
“Yes, that is correct. We dine every Sunday. Her sister
Loretta has been under my care for some ten years, first at
the Mesmer-Braid Institute and then in private practice.
I meet with Miss Frances weekly to keep her informed of
her sister’s progress. Let me say that it is difficult to believe
that Miss Frances committed this deed. She has a quiet,
unassuming personality. One might describe her, albeit
unkindly, as mousy. An act of such direct confrontation
would not be at all in keeping with her character.”
“Are she and her sister close?”
“They lead very different and separate lives. Miss Frances
lives a quiet life, while Miss Loretta’s is wild and flamboyant.
Frances stays at home. Loretta never misses a party. Their
individual laughs illustrate their differences. Frances’ is
timid, no more than a titter. Loretta’s laugh is deep and
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 6
04/01/2018 14:39
h 7 h
resounding, totally uninhibited. For her part, Miss Frances
loves and cares for her sister as a parent would a child. Miss
Loretta, well, she often seeks refuge with her sister and loves
her as much as she is capable of love.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
21 SW
A man, dressed as if he had stepped from the pages of
The Tales of Arabian Nights, curved scimitar and all,
bars our entrance to Loretta Nolan’s home. Only when it is
established that we are not tradesmen collecting for goods
or services are we allowed to pass.
We enter the parlour to find Miss Loretta reclining on large
silk pillows clad in a costume similar to her servant, that is,
a man’s Arabian outfit. To add to the motif, long swatches of
brightly coloured material are draped about the room on red
cords. By appearances we might have entered a Pasha’s tent.
“Enter and be recognised,” she commands, lifting her head
from the hookah on which she is puffing.
It must be our look of total disbelief which causes her to
break out with peals of deep, unrestrained laughter. When
we do not respond, except perhaps to shift from foot to foot
to indicate our discomfort, her laugh abruptly dies and her
mouth pauses in a pout.
“Ohhh. You do not wish to play. Very well.” She is suddenly
on her feet and flying around the room, whisking away the
cloth. Plopping down in a chair that was hidden by the
material, she tells us to state our business.
“You do not seem at all upset by Mr Clarendon’s death and
your sister’s arrest.”
She takes a long moment to answer, staring off into
nothingness.
“Guy was fun to be with... my sister, she is an innocent
among the lions.”
Before we can ask a question, she rises and calls her butler. “I
believe I will be going out this evening, Randall.” She sweeps
out of the room, leaving us standing alone.
22 SW
E ntering his laboratory, we are initially unable to locate
H.R. Murray in his maze of chemical paraphernalia,
file cabinets and boxes, until Wiggins notices a faint snore
coming from the far corner. We walk over and find him
hunched on his desk, asleep with a pile of criminal reports
and chemistry notes as a pillow. Wiggins taps him on the
shoulder; he jerks upright and his white hair and the white
papers mingle in a temporary flurry around his head.
“Hello? What? Oh my where... oh, yes. It’s you, Higgins! I
must have dozed off. What are you up to today?”
“It’s Wiggins, sir, and we’re looking into the Clarendon
murder.”
“Clarendon? I had just finished that report when I fell asleep.
Let’s see, number 301...301... “ He rummages through his
pile of papers, although we wonder how a report he’d just
written could be anywhere but on top. “Ah, here it is, 301,
Clarendon, Guy. Not much, I’m afraid. A hole in the shirt
where a small calibre buffet passed into the body...extensive
blood powder burns, indicating a close-range shot... ah,
here is something interesting. On the lower part of the shirt
I found traces of alcohol. Wine, to be exact. I have a good
nose, and I believe it was an inferior quality Italian Red. I was
in Italy in ...”
We tip-toe off and miss his lecture on the chemical qualities
of finer wines.
24 SW
N ancy Judd is an attractive widow in her mid-thirties.
“I was just starting to come out again into the world
after my husband’s death and now this happens.”
She goes on to tell us that the pendant stolen from her is very
old, a family heirloom.
“It belonged to my great-great-grandmother and has been
passed down to me. I hoped to give it to my daughter.”
We find out that Mrs Judd was out on the evening of the
theft, and that even though she kept it in the toe of an old
shoe, the burglar knew right where to look for it.
25 SW
B essie Dearth wields her cane in mock illustration of
what she will do to the thief if he ever comes within her
range. She has a great deal of sauce for a woman of her years.
“My husband, God rest his soul, gave me that necklace on
our 50th wedding anniversary and woe betide the blighter
who took it, I say.”
“Ma’am, you were out on the evening it was stolen?”
“Yes. I attended a masked charity ball at St. Mary’s for the
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 7
04/01/2018 14:39
h 8 h
benefit of unwed mothers. Wouldn’t be surprised if the
scoundrel was responsible in that direction too! ‘Society
Burglar’, indeed! The fellow’s of the lower classes, take
my word!”
“Do you keep your jewels locked up?”
“No, I don’t, but I keep them well-hidden, or I thought I did.
They were in a box made to look like a copy of Dickens’ Great
Expectations on a bookshelf amongst other books. Hiram, my
late husband, thought of that. But the thief went right to it”
“No thought that one of the servants might be responsible?”
“There’s only Sybil, my housekeeper, and Sarah, my maid,
and both accompanied me to the Ball.”
We make a contribution to the Unwed Mothers Fund and
take our leave.
27 SW
O n the evening of the theft, Bradford Lewin and his
wife were at a reception at Buckingham Palace for
the new head of the China Legation. They arrived home
after midnight, hungry, and rang for the butler to serve up
some cold cuts. While partaking of their midnight snack,
Mrs Lewin discovered that a pair of ruby earrings was
missing. They noticed nothing else out-of-place — no sign
of a search, that is — and none of the servants had heard
anything suspicious.
30 SW
S ir Sanford Leeds expresses his hope that his wife’s tiara
will soon be recovered.
“It is a valuable piece, to be sure, but more than that, my
wife has been under a doctor’s care since its theft and just
yesterday took up a room at St. George’s Hospital. She is even
more overwrought than when young Clarendon poured
champagne down the, ahem, bodice of her Paris original at
the Richmond’s party on the 20th past. Which, come to think
of it, was the last time she wore the tiara.”
“Where was the tiara kept?”
“In the bottom drawer of the bureau, under some of my
wife’s, ahem, more frilly garments.”
“Were there signs of extensive search, drawers left open, that
sort of thing?”
“No, the burglar knew right where to look, it seems.”
“You were not at home, correct?”
“That’s correct. My first night out since the Richmond’s
party. Down with the flu, what. Still not in top form but
couldn’t miss the old regiment’s annual wing-ding.”
“Thank you, Sir Sanford. We wish Lady Leeds a speedy
recovery.”
“Recover the tiara and she’ll come right around!”
31 SW
S ir Francis Clarendon is a severe old man deeply
disappointed in his only son.
“He was a wastrel and a ne’er-do-well! Only a month or so
ago, I gave him 5,000 pounds and told him it was the last
he’d see of my money. I hoped the shock would bring the
boy around, make him realise that he had to settle down and
carve out a life for himself. Enough of this shilly-shallying!
The gambling, out to all hours of the night with that wild
woman, he was breaking his poor mother’s heart.”
“Wild woman? Who do you mean?”
“That Nolan girl.”
“Frances Nolan?”
“No, no, that sister of hers, that Loretta.”
“You mentioned gambling. Do you know with whom your
son gambled, or who might have wanted to kill him?”
“No, I’m sorry. He told us nothing. He only came around
when he needed money, and since I’d told him there would
be no more money, I’d hardly seen him. Just breaking his
mother’s heart, he was.”
Gertrude Clarendon sits sobbing in the corner, her heart
breaking indeed.
“Don’t waste your tears on him, Gerty. He wasn’t worth it!
So saying, his own eyes begin to mist over.
We quietly take our leave, and the butler follows us out the
front door. “Maybe I can help. Master Guy was a wild one,
but he wasn’t all bad.”
“Please, we’d appreciate any help.”
“About five weeks ago, I noticed a man hanging about, a very
formidable-looking character. He had an ugly scar down the
side of his face and was dressed rather carelessly, which is
what attracted my attention. He just did not belong, if you
know what I mean.”
“Did he approach the door or did you see him with young
Clarendon?”
“Neither. He just walked up and down the street for most
of the evening. I was certain, however, that he had a special
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 8
04/01/2018 14:39
h 9 h
interest in the house. Late that night, or rather early the next
morning, for I remember hearing the hall clock chime three
times, I heard a clatter in the house and came to investigate.
I’m a very light sleeper and I was on my guard anyway
because of the man with the scar. In any case, it was Master
Guy, and he was in a terrible state. He was all battered and
bruised and there was a fresh cut on his forehead. I asked
him point-blank who had done it to him. He didn’t answer
directly, just told me that I should forget about it and not to
mention it to anyone.”
“This may be a big help. Thanks.”
35 SW
A brief discussion with the master of ceremonies at
Buckingham Palace allows us to learn that the reception
in honour of Mr Bailijun was a great success, and that no
notable incidents came to pass to cast a pall over the evening.
A bit dismayed, we catch the chance to watch the show
of the guard change, always impressive with martial rigor
and precision.
39 SW
O tis Richmond is a round little man possessed of
boundless energy and good will. He does not seem at
all put out at being victimized by the ‘Society Burglar.’ His
tremendous wealth may have something to do with that.
“A mere trinket, a bauble. I replaced it for my wife the next
day. Now, I do feel for some of the others, however, the
sentimental value and all.”
In answer to our questions he tells us that he was out on
the evening of the theft and nothing was disturbed but the
jewellery box lying right on top of the dressing table.
48 SW
C ornelius Oldwine is tall and thin, about 30 years of age
and thoroughly bored with everything around him,
which at the present moment happens to be us.
“Poor old Guy. He could be such fun.”
“Would you tell us about the incident at your country estate
last March when Loretta Nolan jumped into a fountain?”
“It wasn’t much, really. Someone, I don’t recall who, dared
Loretta to jump into the fountain, it being March and quite
chilly. She did them one better. She dove in and swam
to the centre column. Absolutely dreadful sculpture, by
the way, swans and mermaids and whatnot. It rises some
10 or 15 feet high. She climbed it — the woman is part
monkey, I do believe — and dove in. Then it seemed to
be the thing to do, everybody took the plunge. Guy was
the only one who actually climbed the fountain though.
Half my guests came down with sneezes and Loretta
caught pneumonia.”
“Her sister came to fetch her?”
“Is that who that woman was? I’m sure I was introduced, but
I don’t recall.”
50 SW
R oger Baker greets us in his residence’s living room.
“At first I thought it must have been one of the
servants. Questioned them thoroughly, believe me. After all,
there was no sign of a search and nothing else was disturbed.
It really wasn’t until Hardinge and Richmond were robbed
and the papers referred to us as the victims of the ‘Society
Burglar’ that I was certain it wasn’t... You wouldn’t, by any
chance be able to recommend a good housekeeper and
valet, would you?”
57 SW
L ady Leeds’ doctor tells us that his patient isn’t in a
state where she can speak to us. She is apparently very
affected by the theft of her tiara, and needs to rest.
63 SW
T he air at the Olympia could be qualified as electric.
The director, Mr Casey, a small round man in a
striped costume, can’t stop waxing eloquent about Milo
de Meyer.
“His show is truly remarkable. He manages to submit to his
will the most sceptical of spectators.”
We follow him through a maze of hallways where all the
theatre's staff seem to have congregated, almost getting
knocked over by an oriental column being carried by two
stagehands. Arriving in front of Milo’s loge, he knocks on the
door and doesn’t wait for an answer before going in.
“Mr de Meyer, you have visitors.”
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 9
04/01/2018 14:39
h 10 h
things in my shows, there are certain drugs which may help
a subject to enter a state of hypnosis. These are mainly light
sedatives, available with a prescription. There, I think I’ve
given you the rough outline about the art of hypnosis. Since
you have no further questions, I’ll ask if you could kindly let
me return to my meditation, as I have not yet finished my
preparation for tonight’s show.”
We leave the hypnotist to his astral voyage and exit the theatre.
87 SW
O utwardly, the Keene & Ashwell pharmacy looks
rather modest. A narrow door in a dirty coloured wall,
between two imposing buildings. But once the doorway is
crossed, the establishment is of an exemplary cleanliness
and is bigger than it looked on the outside.
We wait in line, behind an old man hunched over his cane
rubbing his own back, and an extremely pale young man.
The young man is struck with a violent coughing fit as
he presents his prescription to the pharmacist. After the
old man gets his mustard poultice, we can finally ask our
questions.
“Many of our customers ask for all sorts of products. We’re
only authorized to administer light narcotics and sleeping
aids, not strong drugs. You should try to discreetly inquire at
Squire & Sons, I’ve heard it said that they are much less strict
about the laws regarding those.”
We leave the establishment at the moment when a man with
a strong limp enters. We hold the door for him, for which he
is most grateful.
When we enter, Milo de Meyer seems to be meditating on
the floor. His legs are crossed in the lotus position, his eyes
closed, his index finger and thumb on each hand forming a
circle, he chants a soft melody.
“Ah, he’s in a trance. Sorry, sirs, but when he’s in that state, it’s
almost impossible to wake him. I’d suggest you wait, but he
can remain like that for hours...”
As we hesitate to wait like this until he awakens, Milo de
Meyer opens his eyes wide.
“Good day sirs. My astral body just happened to be floating
over Mr Casey when you approached him, and I’ve
interrupted my meditative voyage to reembody myself.
So, you’re looking for information about hypnosis. Let me
tell you, good sirs, that it’s a very precise practice, which
isn’t linked to any science, but which nonetheless remains
governed by precise rules.”
Before we can even begin to ask questions, Milo de Meyer
starts a very instructive speech about hypnosis.
“First off, hypnosis can be used on anyone. But a subject who
is psychically weakened will of course be easier to manipulate.
The first step consists of focusing the attention of the subject
on a specific element, fixed and regular: it could be the flame
of a candle, or the motion of a pendulum. Once the subject
is hypnotised, you can make them do many things, but never
something that their moral values reject or that their physical
capabilities do not allow them. The subject would faint when
faced with the contradiction between what you ask of them
and what their subconscious imposes on them. In all cases,
the subject will not remember what they might have done
in their hypnotised state. Although I don’t need to use such
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 10
04/01/2018 14:39
h 11 h
1 NW
T he housekeeper informs us that Mr Davenport is at
his office.
12 NW
A t Dr Mason’s home we meet a rather garrulous
landlady who seems to think that we are also of the
medical profession. She begins a nonstop monologue about
her bad back and how it pains her in the summertime.
’Course it also pains her in the autumn, winter, and spring. It
takes no little time before we find out that Dr Mason is not at
home but at his office.
18 NW
S am Parsons, at Parsons & Son Toy Shoppe shows us a
miniature hansom without a driver and says, “It came
from ‘you know who’.”
29 NW
T he trip to Wilfrid Robarts’ home is not a total loss, for
Wiggins anyway. Although Robarts is not home, the
next-door neighbour, a lovely young lady, is. We tell Wiggins
we will meet him at Trafalgar Square while he stays to make
her acquaintance.
32 NW
“D r Trevelyan, you say? I know him, but he pretty
much never visits our establishment. With his
clients, he probably goes to the pharmacies of the nicer
neighbourhoods instead, like at that cad Taylor’s store.”
35 NW
A t the Royal Italian Circus we spy Constable Shook
scratching his head, pondering his notebook. When
he sees us, his face brightens.
“So Mr ’Olmes is interested in the case, is ’e?”
Without our reply, Shook launches into an explanation
of the facts of the case, becoming, before very long,
hopelessly entangled.
“’Ere now,” he stops himself, “let’s take you around to the
various suspects and let’s see what we see.” So saying,
he starts off toward a rotund man, telling us that he is the
ringmaster, Gregory Shepard. “’E ain’t a suspect, as such, but
’e seen it all ’appen.”
At the Constable’s behest, Shepard explains the “accident.”
“It is all inconceivable! Klaus Wallinden was the best in
the world on the tightrope. But last week, he was hesitant,
tentative, his footing unsure. He went back to the rosin box
several times. Then just as he was walking out for his finale
— he balances a chair on two legs on the wire and performs
a handstand on it — he slipped. The chair was in his hands
and because of it he missed the wire. Everything should have
been fine because of the net, but it gave way as soon as the
chair and Klaus hit it.”
“Thank you, Mr Shepard,” says Constable Shook. When we
are out of earshot, he adds, “The net didn’t just ‘give way,’
as Shepard says. It was rigged with a very tricky knot made
to come loose when any weight ’it it. Now let’s go talk to
Guzzoni. ’E and Wallinden ’ad a row two days before.”
We are not alarmed when we come upon Luigi Guzzoni
throwing knives at his shapely wife, for that is his occupation
with the circus. We do become slightly alarmed, however, by
the look in his eyes when we mention Klaus Wallinden’s name.
“I hated the man, I tell you. He’s a snake! I didn’t kill him but
I wish I had!”
As we hurry away, Shook explains that Guzzoni had accused
Wallinden of showing too much attention to his wife,
Seraphina. Considering the look of sadness in Seraphina’s
eyes it may have been true, although Wallinden, we are told,
denied it.
Another who seems to have believed the accusation is
Wallinden’s fiancée, Carmen Albuera. We meet her as she
rehearses with her horse troupe. The four horses, abreast
of each other, trot around the perimeter of a ring while
Carmen, standing in the centre, controls them with a single
lead attached to all four bridles. With a quick flip of the wrist,
NW AREA
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 11
04/01/2018 14:39
h 12 h
the lead detaches itself and the four horses split off into four
directions, ending in front of her, rearing.
“There is no sadness in my heart. He treated me badly with
that pig, that cow, that, that Puta!”
She refuses to say anything more, in English anyway, and we
proceed on.
We come across Hercule LeMouche, a trapeze artist. He is
arguing with the boss roustabout over some fine point of
rigging. Despite LeMouche’s insistence of his expertise in
rigging, the roustabout goes away unconvinced. Before we
speak to him, Shook informs us that LeMouche, who had
just joined the troupe, had an argument with Wallinden over
billing, each disparaging the other’s talents and resorting to a
vile name-calling match.
“He was second rate. A poseur. Yet, I must stand behind him,
sacrebleu!”
Shook tells us, as we walk away, that all three, Guzzoni,
Albuera, and LeMouche were seen watching Wallinden that
fateful night.
“Expecting something, do you think?”
“What’s that singing?” we ask as the sound of a drunken
melody reaches us. The words are slurred and it is difficult to
tell if the song is happy or sad, so often does the tempo shift. As
we get closer to it, however, it is easy to tell that it is in German.
“Ah, that would be Albrecht ’Ube. A sad case, so I’m told.
’E used to be even greater than Wallinden, invented the chair
balancing thing that Wallinden used in ’is act, but used to do
it with just one leg on the wire. Somewhere along the line ’e
began to ’it the bottle and you can’t walk no wire all ginned
up like. A few months back, Wallinden hired ’im as a go-’n-
fetch-it, sort of. Did odd jobs and the like. Totally off the
sauce, ’e was, ’til the other night.”
As we peek into the dressing room, we see Hube, very
unsteady on his feet, standing over a tub, washing what
appears to be Wallinden’s costumes. With one hand he
pours in more soap flakes while with the other he hoists a
bottle of whiskey to his mouth. Setting the bottle down on a
nearby table, he again commences to sing.
Constable Shook goes back over the case once again in
complete detail. When he is finished, he looks to us for
our opinion.
“Constable,” says Wiggins, “I think there is an arrest to
be made.”
38 NW
D espite the strong Asian accent of the person who
speaks to us, we manage to understand that Mr
Bailijun is in a reunion for the day and that it will be
impossible for us to meet him today.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 12
04/01/2018 14:39
h 13 h
42 NW
N othing seems to be able to pull Holmes out of the
melancholic mood in which he was when we left.
“I’ve much to do before nightfall, Wiggins. I won’t be able
to spare you much time. The first thing to do is verify Miss
Frances Nolan’s version of the facts. Mr Locke’s attitude
clearly involves jealousy towards Clarendon. If Miss Nolan
is in love with Clarendon, it seems completely absurd for her
to kill him. If she didn’t pull the trigger, then who did? An
examination of the crime scene could surely give you clues.
Don’t hesitate to make a sketch of the scene, it often helps
in thinking.”
“And of course there’s the question of the motive. Who
would want to eliminate Clarendon and Frances at the
same time? As it’s of course the death sentence that awaits
Miss Nolan for her so-called crime. It’s all I can give you for
leads at the moment, gentlemen. Now, I’ll have to let you
go, as urgent business awaits me.”
72 NW
T he name John Taylor is written in large golden letters
on the pharmacy’s windows. The interior of the store
is as clean as the exterior. John Taylor, busy in the middle
of a pile of papers in his office at the back of the pharmacy,
quickly answers our questions.
“Sorry sirs, our clientele doesn’t have access to the use
of psychotropes and other powerful narcotics, at
most some light sedatives. My pharmacy has the best
reputation of all of London. Not like those charlatans
at Leath & Ross; if you want my opinion, with their
clientele, they’re probably specialised in drugs of all kinds
instead of medicine.”
95 NW
W e enter Hyde Park through its north entrance, near
Tyburn’s tree. On this beautiful July day, the little
tree-lined paths are travelled by a varied crowd of hurried
men or mothers walking with their children. We drifted
through the park looking for clues as to where Miss Frances
could have woken up, and our feet lead us to the side of the
lake, around which we go. Without more clarification, it’s
impossible to find the bench she spoke of.
4 WC
D r Trevelyan’s manservant greets us at the door
bedecked in apron and carrying a broom. As he tells
us that Dr Trevelyan is at his office, a street cat attempts to
dodge into the house. With a swipe of the broom worthy of
a professional cricketer, he sends the cat flying back into the
street and meowing away.
5 WC
A t the Central Carriage Stables we enquire after the
cabbie found stabbed to death a few nights before.
“I never seen the like,” says an old duffer, shaking his head.
“Kenny was a right ’nough fellow. But kept pretty much to
’isself, ’e did.”
“What was his name?”
“Kenward Olick.”
“What area did he work?”
“Oh, down around the Tower, mostly. George Street, down
in there.”
13 WC
A fter waiting nearly two hours, we are finally shown
into Hiram Davenport’s office. He apologises for the
delay with a somewhat suspect sincerity and we take our
seats and ask our questions.
“Yes, I am Frances’ solicitor and Loretta’s too, although I am
less help in that direction since she came of age.”
“You handled their father’s estate?”
“That’s correct. Their father left them equal shares in his
one-third share of the Aberdeen Navigation Company. I
administered that bequest in the form of a trust fund until
each girl came of age. Since then I have tried to do my best
to advise them.”
WC AREA
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 13
04/01/2018 14:39
h 14 h
“With one-sixth of a share of Aberdeen Navigation Company,
they must be very wealthy.”
“Frances is, to be sure, but Loretta saw fit, much against my
advice, I might add, to liquidate her stock. I’m afraid her
financial situation is not all it could be.”
“When was the last time you saw Miss Nolan?”
He seems lost in his thoughts for a moment, then he says
“Well, I met Miss Frances last month. She was in the company
of Dr Trevelyan, the doctor of Miss Loretta. Miss Frances
wanted him to become her sister’s guardian, if anything were
to happen to her. Miss Frances seemed absent-minded, her
eyes were staring off in the distance… I thought it odd at the
time, but when I learned that she blacked out later that the
day, I assumed she had sunstroke.”
“Would you describe the meeting.”
“We were in the middle of our discussion when I was called
away on other important business. I begged their indulgence
and stepped out of the office. I was gone, oh, 20 minutes.
When I got back, Miss Frances had a very strange look in
her eyes, said thank you very much, nice to see you again, or
something to that effect and left.”
14 WC
“B oth Loretta Nolan and Guy Clarendon have had
complaints filed against them,” says Disraeli O’Brian,
after digging up their files, “although neither of them has ever
been arrested. Miss Nolan has been cited twice for public
drunkenness; they both have been involved in some unusual
pranks, but the victims have never pressed charges.”
“And what can you tell us about the deaths of Frances and
Loretta Nolan’s parents?”
Opening a dusty binder with the date 1861, he flips a few
pages and tell us about the results of the investigation:
“Zagreb Yoblinski was obviously punished for his crime. The
conclusion at that time was that he was mentally unstable.
He acted on his own and the investigation stopped there.”
17 WC
A t Somerset House we find that the will of Sir Malcolm
Nolan left his entire estate to his widow Margret.
If she should precede him in death, then the estate was to
be equally divided between his two daughters, Frances
and Loretta. The estate included a one-third share in the
Aberdeen Navigation Company. The will of Frances Nolan,
dated on June, says that, in the case of her incapacitation, her
sister's legal guardian will become Dr Trevelyan.
22 WC
A t Cox’s we find that Guy Clarendon’s activity at the
bank was sporadic, with deposits rather infrequent
before June 12th.
29 WC
W e ask Dr Mason if he could determine the cause of
Frances Nolan’s strange blackouts.
“I examined her thoroughly and found nothing physically
wrong with her. She could not recall receiving a bump on
the head. She did not complain of dizziness. I told her that
perhaps she was just overtired and prescribed rest. It remains
a complete mystery to me.”
34 WC
G erald Locke is not very helpful to our investigation. Not
because he does not wish to be, but simply because he
has no information to impart.
37 WC
P hysically, Wilfrid Robarts is anything but impressive.
He has jowly cheeks that give him a hangdog
expression, a large bulbous nose and a thinning scalp. Yet he
has a vigorous manner and a degree of intensity that is very
compelling.
“I’ve met with Miss Frances and she wishes me to take the
case. I, however, am reserving judgement until I can speak to
her in a room with some sunlight.” As he speaks this last, he
taps the monocle in the palm of his hand.
“Then we shall see.”
“What would lie your defence?”
“Oh, have no fear. If I take the case, I will think of something.”
We have no doubt that he will!
38 WC
T he numismatic expert at the British Museum informs
us that Roman coins can be easily purchased from
any number of coin shops or private collectors.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 14
04/01/2018 14:39
h 15 h
“Do you think I might be able to see her? I’d like to take
her spectacles and a book or two; she is so fond of reading,
you know.”
66 WC
G etting into the Squire and Sons pharmacy, a strong
smell of camphor immediately pours into our nostrils.
We approach the counter and notice that it seems to directly
emanate from the employee standing behind.
“Hello sirs. What can I do for you?”
“We’re looking for information about the various types of
more commonly used narcotics.”
“Narcotics you say? It’s not a usual subject in my
establishment. You should try to ask questions at the Keene
and Ashwell pharmacy.”
We thank him and hurry to leave, before our uprising
heaving turns into nausea with unfortunate consequences.
46 WC
W e talk to Miss Frances’ maid Grace, who tells us that
on the evening of the 1st, Dr Trevelyan was at the
Nolan home until 10 o’clock.
“After Dr Trevelyan left, Miss Frances asked for a cup of cocoa
and I brought it to her. As I came up the stairs to retire, the light
in Miss Frances’ room went out. The hall clock below struck
the half hour, that would be 11:30. I did wake up in the middle
of the night — actually it was almost morning — I thought I
heard something. I listened for a time but heard nothing more
and dozed off again. I arose at 7:30, completed my toilet by 8
and went downstairs to prepare Miss Frances’ breakfast. No
sooner was I in the kitchen, than I heard the front door open
and close. I saw Miss Frances walking down the street.
“I didn’t know what to think when I heard the news, except
not to believe it. Miss Frances wouldn’t harm anyone,
especially Mr Clarendon.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 15
04/01/2018 14:39
h 16 h
13 - 14 EC
A s we arrive near the Tower of London, we call a cab
driver who stops in front of us.
“Come on, hop on good sirs. Where should I drop you off ?”
“We simply wish to speak to you about Kenward Olick, did
you know him?”
“No, I didn’t know him much and didn’t try to get closer
to that guy. If you want my opinion, what happened to him
wasn’t happenstance considering the shady types he used to
hang around with.”
After a brief discussion, we don’t learn anything else.
19 EC
O n the opposite side of the customs administration
building proudly stands St Mary Church.
26 EC
A t the Aberdeen Navigation Company we enquire as to
Frances and Loretta Nolan’s connection to the firm.
“Their father, Sir Malcolm, left each of them a one-sixth
share. But those shares carried with them no voting
privileges. In other words, the ladies were entitled to all
profits and dividends but had no say in the running of the
company. Several years ago, as soon as she came of age, Miss
Loretta divested herself of her stock, sold it back, in fact, to
the original partners.”
30 EC
M r Ellis’ secretary informs us that he is on assignment
in Europe and will be there for many weeks.
35 EC
W ell, the Clarendon murder looks fairly open and shut,”
says Quintin Hogg. “Not your typical murderess, I
admit, but there you have it.”
36 EC
O ur interview with Edward Hall is very short. He knows
little of the Clarendon murder, but, with his connections,
he is able to arrange an interview with Frances Nolan.
Confined in a drab holding cell at the Criminal Court,
Old Bailey, she is the picture of misery. Her eyes, her most
attractive feature in an otherwise plain face, hold a great deal
of confusion and disbelief at her present situation.
“I don’t remember anything except seeing Guy’s body across
the room and the pistol in my hand, I screamed and I must
have fainted. I didn’t even know that he was at Halliday’s and
I’ve never been there before. And why would I shoot him?
We loved each other! We planned on getting married next
year, his father promised him that he would get the church of
Canterbury for our wedding!”
Wiggins goes to her to calm her down.
“Now let’s take it one step at a time. What is the last thing
you remember before the room at Halliday’s?”
“Going to bed the night before. On Sunday evenings Dr
Trevelyan dines with me at my home. My sister Loretta
is under his care and these weekly meetings involve her
progress. Well, the doctor and I have become friends over
the years. Dr Trevelyan left at 10 o’clock. At 11, my maid
Grace prepared a cup of cocoa for me. I drank it and read in
bed for a short time, then went to sleep.”
“How long have you known Guy Clarendon?”
“I first met him at the country estate of Cornelius Oldwine in
March. There was a party of some sort and my sister climbed
a 15-foot fountain and dived in. She caught pneumonia, and
I had to go fetch her home. Guy was at the estate.”
“And he immediately began paying court to you?”
“No, in fact, he didn’t seem to notice me. I was quite
surprised some weeks later when he came. It was a lovely
afternoon, May 10th. He apologised for his impertinence at
coming without an appointment and asked permission to
come back again. We began seeing a good deal of each other,
went for carriage rides, picnic lunches. He declared his love
for me and asked my hand in marriage.”
EC AREA
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 16
04/01/2018 14:39
h 17 h
“How were your provisions concerning your and your
sister’s inheritance in case of… let’s say in case of
incapacitation?”
“I am the legal guardian of Loretta. In case something
happens to me, our solicitor, Hiram Davenport, will manage
our affairs, as it was when we were children.”
“How do you explain your presence at Halliday’s?”
“I... can’t. It’s just like the other times.”
“You’ve had previous occurrences of memory loss?”
“Yes, twice in the past two weeks. The first time I found
myself sitting on a bench in Hyde Park. The second time
occurred a few days later. I was going to Lambeth Walk, to
get some information concerning a house where my sister
and I were planning to stay for two weeks on a vacation
away from the city. That was the last thing I remember until
I woke up at Waterloo Station. I consulted my doctor, Dr
Mason, and he was quite puzzled. He prescribed rest.”
“Where did you acquire the pistol?”
“I’ve never seen it before, even though the police assured me
that it was mine.”
“One last question. What is Gerald Locke to you?”
“Gerry is an old, dear friend. I’m afraid we’ve had a falling
out of late. He said some very unkind words about Guy.”
Edward Hall catches up to us on our way out. He tells us that
he has asked Wilfrid Robarts to take Miss Nolan’s case.
“He’s young but has already gained quite a reputation. Mark
my words, he will be knighted some day.”
38 EC
A t Bart’s Sir Jasper Meeks tells us that Clarendon was
shot at very close range with a small calibre pistol.
“I received the body at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. I would
judge that he had been dead anywhere from four to ten hours.”
52 EC
“O h, ’course I knew Clarendon. He and his lady friend
stopped in from time to time. They were usually on
their way to Kilgore’s Gaming Parlour, or comin’ back from
it,” says Porky Shinwell.
“What’s Kilgore’s Gaming Parlour?”
“Ha, ha, it’s a nice little place down in the southeast,
frequented by swells and toffs. The coppers been tryin’ to
close it down for years but Kilgore knows when they come
within three blocks.
“Clarendon was into him for a sizeable sum, or so it was said
— 7,000 pounds was the figure I heard. Got to the point
that Kilgore wouldn’t allow him in his place. I understand
Clarendon didn’t take too kindly to that. Almost caused a
row until Kilgore’s right hand man, Gus Bullock, stepped
in. Clarendon backed down. I don’t blame him none. Gus
is a mean character right enough. There’s a joke about
Gus. Somebody once said he’d like to see the customer
who gave Gus that scar. He was told, so would the fellow’s
widow. Ha, ha.
“Anyway, Kilgore made it clear that he expected the money
and there were bad feelings all around. Then maybe a month
or so later, Clarendon shows up all smiles, and he and
Kilgore gettin’ on like brothers. Figure Clarendon must have
paid him back. Then Calvin Leach steps into the picture.”
“Who’s Calvin Leach?”
“Well, rumour has it that Leach deals in what you might
call ‘stolen property.’ Square dealer, too, give you one-half
the value of the article. Now Calvin Leach don’t usually
associate with the likes of Claude Kilgore, but there it is.
Leach, Kilgore and Clarendon meeting late at night just as
thick as, uh, fog. Ha, ha. The meetings continued on and
right up until, well, the night before Clarendon’s death.”
“Did these meetings take place at the Raven ant Rat?”
“Well, won’t say they did and won’t say they didn’t. Will say,
though, everything I told you is as true as if it was written
in the Good Book. Now we been standin’ here jawin’ and I
don’t hear nobody orderin’ a pint or nothin’. What’ll it be?”
68 EC
S tanding in front of the Gould & Sons pharmacy, we
find the door closed. A sign states that the nearest
open pharmacy is Squire & Sons, at 66 High Street.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 17
04/01/2018 14:39
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 2
04/01/2018 14:39
04/01/2018 14:39
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 2
04/01/2018 14:39
A t 221B Baker Street we find Holmes just as Dr Watson’s note had described him: listless, unresponsive,
oblivious to all around him.
“He has not resorted to the needle as yet,” whispers Watson. “My plan may keep him from it,” indicating the
newspaper clippings in his hand.
“A tightrope walker at the Royal Italian Circus fell to his death... Foul play suspected... What do you think, Holmes?”
No answer.
“‘Society Burglar strikes again’... Hmm, a series of burglaries... Six such over the period June 2nd to June 17th... On July 1st, the
seventh occurred at the home of Sir Sanford Leeds... As in the others, no sign of extensive search by the thief and only one
piece of jewellery involved... Victims elsewhere at the time. Here’s a complete list of the particulars, Holmes, if you’d care to
read it.”
Silence.
“Ah, here’s a puzzle... A hansom picked up a fare at its regular stand... The passenger spoke up when he realised that they were
heading in the wrong direction but got no answer... Oh, my... The cabbie was dead, still sitting upright in his seat, a knife in his
back!... A bobby managed to halt the vehicle... Around the cabbie’s neck was a pouch containing thirty Roman coins, denarii.”
“The stupid fools!” exclaims Holmes. “If they had allowed the horse to proceed, it would have led them to the scene of the
crime! Let me see that, Watson!”
Watson hands him the clipping and casts a self-satisfied smile in our direction.
As Holmes, his enthusiasm restored, occupies himself with the clipping, the doorbell rings.
“I beg you for your help, Mr Holmes,” entreats a tall, bespectacled young man, identifying himself as Gerald Locke.
“Three days ago, Guy Clarendon was found murdered at Halliday’s. It’s preposterous, but Miss Frances Nolan has been
charged and is being detained at Old Bailey.”
“I was just about to bring the matter to your attention, Holmes,” says Watson, waving another clipping.
“I cannot believe that she is capable of murder. Even of such a scoundrel as Guy Clarendon.”
Case Three
The Mystified Murderess
4 July 1888
h 1 h
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 1
04/01/2018 14:39
h 2 h
“Scoundrel?” asks Watson. “I’ve only heard very good things about the younger Clarendon. Scion of a wealthy family, an
accomplished batsman for the West London Cricketeers, a ranked fencer in international competition—”
“He was a bounder! Very fond of cards and strong drink and he associated with some rather low East End types. His father
had all but disinherited him. I tried to warn Frances that he was only after her money, but to no avail.”
“Frances and Loretta Nolan,” says Holmes, suddenly stirring to life, “the surviving heirs of Sir Malcolm Nolan, founder of the
Aberdeen Navigation Company. Sir Malcolm and Lady Nolan were killed when an avowed anarchist, one Zagreb Yoblinski,
threw a bomb into their carriage, mistakenly thinking it carried the Duke of York. Loretta Nolan, aged 4 or 5 at the time,
was also in the carriage. Miraculously, she was uninjured. Yes, the gory details of the assassination as well as those of the
disposition of a considerable estate were well documented in the newspapers. Mr Locke, you are the suitor for Miss Nolan’s
hand, are you not?”
“Yes,” he admits.
“Why was Miss Nolan charged with the murder?”
“Ah, well ....” Locke hesitates. He seems very uncomfortable and removes his spectacles, wiping them as a cover for his distress.
Finally in a low, resigned voice he answers, “She was discovered over the body with a pistol in her hand.”
Holmes nods, takes up the clipping of the cabbie’s death again and turns a deaf ear to Locke’s renewed protestations of Miss
Nolan’s innocence. “I’m sorry, Mr Locke,” he says finally, cutting him off, “but I cannot personally take your case. Another very
pressing matter has come to my attention.” He goes to retrieve his hat, adding, “You can rest assured, however, that I could not
leave you in better hands,” and then he is gone.
“Ah ... well, Mr Locke,” sputters Dr Watson. “You must excuse... Ah... That is.... As Holmes suggested, we will spare no pains to
get at the truth. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I...I... I’m sure I don’t,” says Locke, sounding rather unconvinced.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 2
04/01/2018 14:39
h 3 h
15 SE
W e find Kenward Olick’s widow doing laundry. She is
a hard-faced woman who looks older than her years.
She refuses to talk to us.
Nor will her neighbours. In fact, we can find out nothing
about Olick which might help us in tracking down his killer.
16 SE
W
iggins, disguised to the point of being almost
unrecognisable, meets us by prearrangement at the
corner of Penton Place and Kennington Park Road.
“Leach is what Porky said he was, a dealer in stolen goods.
He looked at me funny when I mentioned Clarendon. Said
he didn’t know him.”
21 SE
C laude Kilgore is a very smooth customer. He admits to
knowing Clarendon but has no idea who Calvin Leach
is, or so he says.
24 SE
A s we arrive at Mr Paige’s, he opens the door wide open
for us.
“Mr Smith, I presume? Come in. As agreed upon on the
phone, I’ve prepared the rental contracts for the month of
September, which is a wonderful month in Hertfordshire. I
see you’ve come with friends”
“Errr...” begins to mumble Wiggins, attempting to stop the
dizzying flow of words from Mr Paige. “Actually...”
“You’re hesitating? I understand. It’s the reputation of the
people in the north. Listen, since you’re renting for the
whole month, I’m ready to make an effort. The woman who
was supposed to take the house for the end of August never
came to sign the lease, and I’m ready to add two weeks at the
end of August for the same price. Is that agreeable?”
“But...”
“You’re still hesitating? Let me tell you about St Albans, Mr
Smith, and you’ll be convinced that it’s the perfect place to
spend your vacation. The air is energising, and...”
“I’m not Mr Smith.” Wiggins finally manages to place
between two breaths from his interlocutor, “We...”
“Ah, forgive my mistake, sirs. As you’ve surely understood,
the house is booked until the end of September, but the off-
season is simply sublime, and...”
“We’re not here to rent anything. We...”
“Not here to rent? Not here to rent! Sorry, sirs, I don’t have
time to deal with you. I’m waiting for a client.”
At that very moment, three knocks sound at the door, and
Mr Paige rushes to open the door while pushing us out of it.
“Mr Smith, I presume? Come in. As agreed upon on the
phone, I’ve prepared the rental contracts for the month of
September.”
As the door closes behind us, we hear Mr Paige continue
his pitch.
“September is a wonderful month in Hertfordshire...”
85 SE
W hen we enter the pharmacy, a small bell rings, making
a man wearing a white blouse of questionable
cleanliness appear behind the counter. Holding a vial of Dr
Saari’s elixir in each hand, he asks us what we want.
“We’re looking for information about various types of
narcotics.”
“We don’t do that sort of product yet. We only opened a
short time ago, and we aren’t known by many doctors in
London yet. If you want information, go to Gould & Sons.
They’ve been open for long enough, they’re bound to be
able to answer your queries better than us.”
SE AREA
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 3
04/01/2018 14:39
h 4 h
SW AREA
2 SW
O ur hope to sidle into the Societies Club and corner
Langdale Pike alone is a vain one. Luck is with us,
however, for Pike is expounding upon the very subject in
which we are interested. We take our place on the fringe of
the group gathered about him and listen.
“Alas, dear friends, the ‘Terrible Twins’ are no more. Poor Guy
Clarendon, cut off in his mischievous prime. Poor Loretta
Nolan. She must be desolate. The loss of a kindred spirit who
would willingly pour champagne down the front of Lady
Leeds’ new Paris gown solely for her amusement must be a
burden more difficult to bear than the loss of a lover.”
“I thought they were lovers,” says someone in the crowd.
“Dear me, no. Outwardly, they did make an excellent
couple. He, tall, handsome, from a monied family. She,
beautiful, an heiress in her own right. It could have been
a match made in heaven. It was, however, a match made in
more infernal regions. They were the brothers Grimm, not
Romeo and Juliet.”
“Then could Frances Nolan’s claim that she and Clarendon
were lovers be true?”
“It is hard to credit, isn’t it. But I believe she claimed that they
were in love, not lovers. There is a vast difference and in that
difference lies the rub.
“Guy Clarendon had been all but disowned by his father,
a father who had grown tired of hushing the scandals and
paying the gambling debts. Loretta Nolan had managed
to fritter away a considerable fortune in three short years.
How were the ‘Terrible Twins’ to proceed with extravagant
merrymaking when they were so out-of-pocket?”
He suddenly breaks into peals of laughter. “You surely
remember the 200 cabs filled with 200 beggars they sent
to the Richmond May Day Soiree a year ago Ha, ha. The
congestion and confusion were so great that none of the real
guests could gain entrance before midnight. Delicious!
“But such elaborate pranks cost a pretty penny and
I’m afraid Guy and Loretta were fresh out of pennies,
pretty or otherwise. Enter sister Frances. A sweet lady,
by all accounts, but dull of feature, dull of form and, for
Clarendon’s and Loretta’s purposes, dull of wit. However,
her inheritance was still quite intact and that was the real
target of Clarendon’s affections.”
As the conversation shifts to the ‘Society Burglar’ centering
more on the foibles of the victims than anything else, we leave.
5 SW
A t the London Library our friend Lomax has a ready
answer for our question.
“The Mesmer-Braid Institute was founded in 1874 as an
asylum for the mentally disturbed. It was named after the
18th century Austrian physician, Anton Mesmer, who first
discovered a technique whereby he could induce a quiet,
trance-like state in a patient. Because Mesmer ascribed
certain mystic qualities to the process, which he called
mesmerism, he was largely discredited during his lifetime.
In the 1840’s, Dr James Braid, an Englishman, became
interested in Mesmer’s work, refined the process and
renamed it hypnotism.”
8 SW
W e meet Mycroft in the Strangers’ Room of the
enigmatic Diogenes Club. “Mr Holmes, we’re
helping your brother on the Guy Clarendon case.”
“The Clarendon murder?” Mycroft Holmes seems baffled.
“After reading of the case of the dead cab driver with the
Roman coins around his neck, I thought ‘surely, Sherlock is
hot on the trail of this one.’ The case reeks of Moriarty, and
Sherlock never misses a chance to catch Moriarty with his
guard down. I can’t imagine that he would have time for the
Clarendon case also.”
Wiggins, blushing with shame, admits, “You’re right; your
brother is investigating the cabbie with the coins. We’re
doing this on our own. Do you have any information that
might help us?”
“No, I can’t say as I do. All I know is what I read in The Times,
and there is not enough information presented there for me
to formulate any theories.”
We apologise for the intrusion and excuse ourselves.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 4
04/01/2018 14:39
h 5 h
12 SW
M r H.C. Hardinge is more than happy to talk to us
about the theft of his wife’s emerald bracelet.
“Although I do not know what information I can give you.
We were guests at a small dinner party at the home of Otis
Richmond. We arrived back home sometime after midnight.
As my wife was putting away her finery, she noticed that
the bracelet was gone from her jewellery box. Recalling
the theft a few nights before at the Baker residence, we
summoned the police.”
“All the servants were questioned?”
“They have all been with us a number of years and I have
not the slightest suspicion of any of them, but, yes, the
police questioned them quite thoroughly. All were in bed
asleep when we arrived home and none heard anything
untoward. ”
“Nothing else was taken?”
“There are quite a number of valuable pieces in my wife’s
jewellery box and nothing else was taken. Nothing else in
the room was even disturbed.”
“Yet you are positive that it is not just misplaced?”
“My wife actually put it on as she dressed, but decided
against wearing it. I saw her put it back in the box.”
“Where does she keep the box?”
“Her dressing table has a special compartment in the side of
it. The box fits it rather neatly.”
We thank Mr Hardinge for seeing us and we leave.
13 SW
A s is often the case, agitation reigns in the offices of
Scotland Yard. While trying to avoid agent Pearse
who is rushing down the corridor, we’re literally pushed into
the office of a certain inspector Herberts.
“... totally, Mr Kilgore, you must... One moment... Excuse-me,
sirs, what’s going on? Come on, get out, don’t you see that
I’m on the phone?”
Confused, we apologise and exit the office. We quickly head
to the office of Inspector Lestrade.
“It is a useless enquiry,” says a harried Inspector Lestrade.
“Look, Frances Nolan claims not to have known that
Clarendon was residing at Halliday’s, yet she proceeded
directly to his room. She fired a shot from a derringer, in the
room where Clarendon was found dead, shot with a small
calibre pistol. No, the lady is unquestionably guilty.”
15 SW
W e leave the manager’s office at Halliday’s Private
Hotel knowing little more than we did when we
entered. He is too upset over the police quarantine of
Clarendon’s room to be of much help. Fortunately, the day
clerk is a much less excitable fellow.
“The gentleman registered under the name of Clarence Guy
on the 29th of May. He was given a front room on the third
floor. Two days later he asked to be moved to Suite 205.
During his stay here he had only two visitors that I am aware
of. One was a most disagreeable chap. He was very large,
had a thick walrus moustache and a prominent scar down
his cheek. He arrived on the lst of June, the very day of Mr
Guys, that is Mr Clarendon’s, move. He simply came in, sat
down in the lobby and waited. I kept an eye on him but, I
must admit, I was reluctant to ask him his business. Twenty
minutes or so later, Mr Clarendon came down from his
room. As he passed, the big man yanked him aside. I’m sure I
detected fear on Mr Clarendon’s face and was about to send
one of the boys for a bobby when Mr Clarendon signed me
that all was well. After a few minutes of conversation, they
left together. I never saw the man again.
“His other visitor, who came by quite frequently, was a very
striking woman. She was quite fashionably dressed and she
had a most distinctive laugh, very full and deep. I have no
idea who she was.”
“Tell us about the morning of July 2nd.”
“It was about 9 o’clock when a woman entered. She was
rather plain-looking and I would not have noticed her but for
the fact that she came in the front door, looking neither left
nor right, and proceeded directly to the staircase. Normally
non-residents are not allowed to pass without first stopping
at the desk. I was on my way to intercept the woman, when
I was buttonholed by Mr Ramsay. He’s a guest of long
residence and a chronic complainer and he would not let
me go. It couldn’t have been 30 seconds later when there
was a woman’s scream. I dashed up the stairs to the second
floor where the hallway was full of inquisitive guests. They
directed my attention to Room 205 and said they heard a
faint bang before the scream. There I found the body of Mr
Clarendon and the aforementioned woman. She was lying
in a swoon in the centre of the room with a smoking pistol
in her hand. I revived her with some whiskey found in the
room. When she came to, she was totally disoriented. She
had no idea where she was or what she had done. When she
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 5
04/01/2018 14:39
h 6 h
saw Clarendon’s body she gave out a small cry and let go of
her pistol as if it were red hot. I took her to a nearby vacant
room and had the police summoned.”
At our request, the clerk calls a sleepy bellboy to show us
the suite. On our way to the room we discover that the lad
has just shifted to day duty after working nights. Enquiring
further, we learn that the front doors are locked at 10 p.m.,
so that any guests or visitors must be let in by the night staff.
Clarendon, leading a most exemplary life, was always in his
rooms before 10.
The constable on guard lets us into the 2-room suite and
oversees our tour. The sitting room walls are papered in a
subdued floral pattern. The ceiling is covered with yellow
plaster. The constable indicates the entryway to the bedroom
as the place where the body was found. There is some blood
on the carpet. A larger stain had apparently been made by
the spilled contents of a shattered wine glass lying nearby. In
the centre of the sitting room, some 15 feet away are small
flecks of yellow plaster.
A search of the sitting room yields nothing much in the way
of personal items. In the top desk drawer, however, we find a
folded bank statement from Cox’s:
We wander into the bedroom. In the closet there are but two
shirts and three pairs of shoes, one of them a pair of canvas
fencing shoes dyed black. In the dresser there is the usual
assortment of underwear and shirts. Loosely tossed in the top
drawer is a black wool sweater and a pair of black trousers.
“Not much of a view,” comments Wiggins, looking out of
the open bedroom window. The brick wall of the building
across the alley is dreary indeed. Even the ivy vines which
wind up the trellis and cover the back wall of Halliday’s are
dusty and cheerless.
Getting into the corridor of the hotel, a maid is being
lectured by a man with a scathing and nasty attitude who
lets out a wave of reproaches.
“And you should know, Miss, that I will talk about it to the
manager.”
“Such an offhandedness in a first-class establishment is
totally unacceptable.”
“Yes, Mr Ramsay. Very well, Mr Ramsay.”
We slip away...
19 SW
D r Trevelyan is an athletic looking man, and everything
about him, his movements and gestures, is very
precise. His eyes are piercing and vivacious, and seem to
read the depths of your soul. It is ever-so-slightly disturbing.
He drops himself into the chair behind his desk, fiddles with
his pocket watch and asks how he can help us.
“We understand that you dined with Frances Nolan on the
evening of July 1st.”
“Yes, that is correct. We dine every Sunday. Her sister
Loretta has been under my care for some ten years, first at
the Mesmer-Braid Institute and then in private practice.
I meet with Miss Frances weekly to keep her informed of
her sister’s progress. Let me say that it is difficult to believe
that Miss Frances committed this deed. She has a quiet,
unassuming personality. One might describe her, albeit
unkindly, as mousy. An act of such direct confrontation
would not be at all in keeping with her character.”
“Are she and her sister close?”
“They lead very different and separate lives. Miss Frances
lives a quiet life, while Miss Loretta’s is wild and flamboyant.
Frances stays at home. Loretta never misses a party. Their
individual laughs illustrate their differences. Frances’ is
timid, no more than a titter. Loretta’s laugh is deep and
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 6
04/01/2018 14:39
h 7 h
resounding, totally uninhibited. For her part, Miss Frances
loves and cares for her sister as a parent would a child. Miss
Loretta, well, she often seeks refuge with her sister and loves
her as much as she is capable of love.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
21 SW
A man, dressed as if he had stepped from the pages of
The Tales of Arabian Nights, curved scimitar and all,
bars our entrance to Loretta Nolan’s home. Only when it is
established that we are not tradesmen collecting for goods
or services are we allowed to pass.
We enter the parlour to find Miss Loretta reclining on large
silk pillows clad in a costume similar to her servant, that is,
a man’s Arabian outfit. To add to the motif, long swatches of
brightly coloured material are draped about the room on red
cords. By appearances we might have entered a Pasha’s tent.
“Enter and be recognised,” she commands, lifting her head
from the hookah on which she is puffing.
It must be our look of total disbelief which causes her to
break out with peals of deep, unrestrained laughter. When
we do not respond, except perhaps to shift from foot to foot
to indicate our discomfort, her laugh abruptly dies and her
mouth pauses in a pout.
“Ohhh. You do not wish to play. Very well.” She is suddenly
on her feet and flying around the room, whisking away the
cloth. Plopping down in a chair that was hidden by the
material, she tells us to state our business.
“You do not seem at all upset by Mr Clarendon’s death and
your sister’s arrest.”
She takes a long moment to answer, staring off into
nothingness.
“Guy was fun to be with... my sister, she is an innocent
among the lions.”
Before we can ask a question, she rises and calls her butler. “I
believe I will be going out this evening, Randall.” She sweeps
out of the room, leaving us standing alone.
22 SW
E ntering his laboratory, we are initially unable to locate
H.R. Murray in his maze of chemical paraphernalia,
file cabinets and boxes, until Wiggins notices a faint snore
coming from the far corner. We walk over and find him
hunched on his desk, asleep with a pile of criminal reports
and chemistry notes as a pillow. Wiggins taps him on the
shoulder; he jerks upright and his white hair and the white
papers mingle in a temporary flurry around his head.
“Hello? What? Oh my where... oh, yes. It’s you, Higgins! I
must have dozed off. What are you up to today?”
“It’s Wiggins, sir, and we’re looking into the Clarendon
murder.”
“Clarendon? I had just finished that report when I fell asleep.
Let’s see, number 301...301... “ He rummages through his
pile of papers, although we wonder how a report he’d just
written could be anywhere but on top. “Ah, here it is, 301,
Clarendon, Guy. Not much, I’m afraid. A hole in the shirt
where a small calibre buffet passed into the body...extensive
blood powder burns, indicating a close-range shot... ah,
here is something interesting. On the lower part of the shirt
I found traces of alcohol. Wine, to be exact. I have a good
nose, and I believe it was an inferior quality Italian Red. I was
in Italy in ...”
We tip-toe off and miss his lecture on the chemical qualities
of finer wines.
24 SW
N ancy Judd is an attractive widow in her mid-thirties.
“I was just starting to come out again into the world
after my husband’s death and now this happens.”
She goes on to tell us that the pendant stolen from her is very
old, a family heirloom.
“It belonged to my great-great-grandmother and has been
passed down to me. I hoped to give it to my daughter.”
We find out that Mrs Judd was out on the evening of the
theft, and that even though she kept it in the toe of an old
shoe, the burglar knew right where to look for it.
25 SW
B essie Dearth wields her cane in mock illustration of
what she will do to the thief if he ever comes within her
range. She has a great deal of sauce for a woman of her years.
“My husband, God rest his soul, gave me that necklace on
our 50th wedding anniversary and woe betide the blighter
who took it, I say.”
“Ma’am, you were out on the evening it was stolen?”
“Yes. I attended a masked charity ball at St. Mary’s for the
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 7
04/01/2018 14:39
h 8 h
benefit of unwed mothers. Wouldn’t be surprised if the
scoundrel was responsible in that direction too! ‘Society
Burglar’, indeed! The fellow’s of the lower classes, take
my word!”
“Do you keep your jewels locked up?”
“No, I don’t, but I keep them well-hidden, or I thought I did.
They were in a box made to look like a copy of Dickens’ Great
Expectations on a bookshelf amongst other books. Hiram, my
late husband, thought of that. But the thief went right to it”
“No thought that one of the servants might be responsible?”
“There’s only Sybil, my housekeeper, and Sarah, my maid,
and both accompanied me to the Ball.”
We make a contribution to the Unwed Mothers Fund and
take our leave.
27 SW
O n the evening of the theft, Bradford Lewin and his
wife were at a reception at Buckingham Palace for
the new head of the China Legation. They arrived home
after midnight, hungry, and rang for the butler to serve up
some cold cuts. While partaking of their midnight snack,
Mrs Lewin discovered that a pair of ruby earrings was
missing. They noticed nothing else out-of-place — no sign
of a search, that is — and none of the servants had heard
anything suspicious.
30 SW
S ir Sanford Leeds expresses his hope that his wife’s tiara
will soon be recovered.
“It is a valuable piece, to be sure, but more than that, my
wife has been under a doctor’s care since its theft and just
yesterday took up a room at St. George’s Hospital. She is even
more overwrought than when young Clarendon poured
champagne down the, ahem, bodice of her Paris original at
the Richmond’s party on the 20th past. Which, come to think
of it, was the last time she wore the tiara.”
“Where was the tiara kept?”
“In the bottom drawer of the bureau, under some of my
wife’s, ahem, more frilly garments.”
“Were there signs of extensive search, drawers left open, that
sort of thing?”
“No, the burglar knew right where to look, it seems.”
“You were not at home, correct?”
“That’s correct. My first night out since the Richmond’s
party. Down with the flu, what. Still not in top form but
couldn’t miss the old regiment’s annual wing-ding.”
“Thank you, Sir Sanford. We wish Lady Leeds a speedy
recovery.”
“Recover the tiara and she’ll come right around!”
31 SW
S ir Francis Clarendon is a severe old man deeply
disappointed in his only son.
“He was a wastrel and a ne’er-do-well! Only a month or so
ago, I gave him 5,000 pounds and told him it was the last
he’d see of my money. I hoped the shock would bring the
boy around, make him realise that he had to settle down and
carve out a life for himself. Enough of this shilly-shallying!
The gambling, out to all hours of the night with that wild
woman, he was breaking his poor mother’s heart.”
“Wild woman? Who do you mean?”
“That Nolan girl.”
“Frances Nolan?”
“No, no, that sister of hers, that Loretta.”
“You mentioned gambling. Do you know with whom your
son gambled, or who might have wanted to kill him?”
“No, I’m sorry. He told us nothing. He only came around
when he needed money, and since I’d told him there would
be no more money, I’d hardly seen him. Just breaking his
mother’s heart, he was.”
Gertrude Clarendon sits sobbing in the corner, her heart
breaking indeed.
“Don’t waste your tears on him, Gerty. He wasn’t worth it!
So saying, his own eyes begin to mist over.
We quietly take our leave, and the butler follows us out the
front door. “Maybe I can help. Master Guy was a wild one,
but he wasn’t all bad.”
“Please, we’d appreciate any help.”
“About five weeks ago, I noticed a man hanging about, a very
formidable-looking character. He had an ugly scar down the
side of his face and was dressed rather carelessly, which is
what attracted my attention. He just did not belong, if you
know what I mean.”
“Did he approach the door or did you see him with young
Clarendon?”
“Neither. He just walked up and down the street for most
of the evening. I was certain, however, that he had a special
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 8
04/01/2018 14:39
h 9 h
interest in the house. Late that night, or rather early the next
morning, for I remember hearing the hall clock chime three
times, I heard a clatter in the house and came to investigate.
I’m a very light sleeper and I was on my guard anyway
because of the man with the scar. In any case, it was Master
Guy, and he was in a terrible state. He was all battered and
bruised and there was a fresh cut on his forehead. I asked
him point-blank who had done it to him. He didn’t answer
directly, just told me that I should forget about it and not to
mention it to anyone.”
“This may be a big help. Thanks.”
35 SW
A brief discussion with the master of ceremonies at
Buckingham Palace allows us to learn that the reception
in honour of Mr Bailijun was a great success, and that no
notable incidents came to pass to cast a pall over the evening.
A bit dismayed, we catch the chance to watch the show
of the guard change, always impressive with martial rigor
and precision.
39 SW
O tis Richmond is a round little man possessed of
boundless energy and good will. He does not seem at
all put out at being victimized by the ‘Society Burglar.’ His
tremendous wealth may have something to do with that.
“A mere trinket, a bauble. I replaced it for my wife the next
day. Now, I do feel for some of the others, however, the
sentimental value and all.”
In answer to our questions he tells us that he was out on
the evening of the theft and nothing was disturbed but the
jewellery box lying right on top of the dressing table.
48 SW
C ornelius Oldwine is tall and thin, about 30 years of age
and thoroughly bored with everything around him,
which at the present moment happens to be us.
“Poor old Guy. He could be such fun.”
“Would you tell us about the incident at your country estate
last March when Loretta Nolan jumped into a fountain?”
“It wasn’t much, really. Someone, I don’t recall who, dared
Loretta to jump into the fountain, it being March and quite
chilly. She did them one better. She dove in and swam
to the centre column. Absolutely dreadful sculpture, by
the way, swans and mermaids and whatnot. It rises some
10 or 15 feet high. She climbed it — the woman is part
monkey, I do believe — and dove in. Then it seemed to
be the thing to do, everybody took the plunge. Guy was
the only one who actually climbed the fountain though.
Half my guests came down with sneezes and Loretta
caught pneumonia.”
“Her sister came to fetch her?”
“Is that who that woman was? I’m sure I was introduced, but
I don’t recall.”
50 SW
R oger Baker greets us in his residence’s living room.
“At first I thought it must have been one of the
servants. Questioned them thoroughly, believe me. After all,
there was no sign of a search and nothing else was disturbed.
It really wasn’t until Hardinge and Richmond were robbed
and the papers referred to us as the victims of the ‘Society
Burglar’ that I was certain it wasn’t... You wouldn’t, by any
chance be able to recommend a good housekeeper and
valet, would you?”
57 SW
L ady Leeds’ doctor tells us that his patient isn’t in a
state where she can speak to us. She is apparently very
affected by the theft of her tiara, and needs to rest.
63 SW
T he air at the Olympia could be qualified as electric.
The director, Mr Casey, a small round man in a
striped costume, can’t stop waxing eloquent about Milo
de Meyer.
“His show is truly remarkable. He manages to submit to his
will the most sceptical of spectators.”
We follow him through a maze of hallways where all the
theatre's staff seem to have congregated, almost getting
knocked over by an oriental column being carried by two
stagehands. Arriving in front of Milo’s loge, he knocks on the
door and doesn’t wait for an answer before going in.
“Mr de Meyer, you have visitors.”
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 9
04/01/2018 14:39
h 10 h
things in my shows, there are certain drugs which may help
a subject to enter a state of hypnosis. These are mainly light
sedatives, available with a prescription. There, I think I’ve
given you the rough outline about the art of hypnosis. Since
you have no further questions, I’ll ask if you could kindly let
me return to my meditation, as I have not yet finished my
preparation for tonight’s show.”
We leave the hypnotist to his astral voyage and exit the theatre.
87 SW
O utwardly, the Keene & Ashwell pharmacy looks
rather modest. A narrow door in a dirty coloured wall,
between two imposing buildings. But once the doorway is
crossed, the establishment is of an exemplary cleanliness
and is bigger than it looked on the outside.
We wait in line, behind an old man hunched over his cane
rubbing his own back, and an extremely pale young man.
The young man is struck with a violent coughing fit as
he presents his prescription to the pharmacist. After the
old man gets his mustard poultice, we can finally ask our
questions.
“Many of our customers ask for all sorts of products. We’re
only authorized to administer light narcotics and sleeping
aids, not strong drugs. You should try to discreetly inquire at
Squire & Sons, I’ve heard it said that they are much less strict
about the laws regarding those.”
We leave the establishment at the moment when a man with
a strong limp enters. We hold the door for him, for which he
is most grateful.
When we enter, Milo de Meyer seems to be meditating on
the floor. His legs are crossed in the lotus position, his eyes
closed, his index finger and thumb on each hand forming a
circle, he chants a soft melody.
“Ah, he’s in a trance. Sorry, sirs, but when he’s in that state, it’s
almost impossible to wake him. I’d suggest you wait, but he
can remain like that for hours...”
As we hesitate to wait like this until he awakens, Milo de
Meyer opens his eyes wide.
“Good day sirs. My astral body just happened to be floating
over Mr Casey when you approached him, and I’ve
interrupted my meditative voyage to reembody myself.
So, you’re looking for information about hypnosis. Let me
tell you, good sirs, that it’s a very precise practice, which
isn’t linked to any science, but which nonetheless remains
governed by precise rules.”
Before we can even begin to ask questions, Milo de Meyer
starts a very instructive speech about hypnosis.
“First off, hypnosis can be used on anyone. But a subject who
is psychically weakened will of course be easier to manipulate.
The first step consists of focusing the attention of the subject
on a specific element, fixed and regular: it could be the flame
of a candle, or the motion of a pendulum. Once the subject
is hypnotised, you can make them do many things, but never
something that their moral values reject or that their physical
capabilities do not allow them. The subject would faint when
faced with the contradiction between what you ask of them
and what their subconscious imposes on them. In all cases,
the subject will not remember what they might have done
in their hypnotised state. Although I don’t need to use such
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 10
04/01/2018 14:39
h 11 h
1 NW
T he housekeeper informs us that Mr Davenport is at
his office.
12 NW
A t Dr Mason’s home we meet a rather garrulous
landlady who seems to think that we are also of the
medical profession. She begins a nonstop monologue about
her bad back and how it pains her in the summertime.
’Course it also pains her in the autumn, winter, and spring. It
takes no little time before we find out that Dr Mason is not at
home but at his office.
18 NW
S am Parsons, at Parsons & Son Toy Shoppe shows us a
miniature hansom without a driver and says, “It came
from ‘you know who’.”
29 NW
T he trip to Wilfrid Robarts’ home is not a total loss, for
Wiggins anyway. Although Robarts is not home, the
next-door neighbour, a lovely young lady, is. We tell Wiggins
we will meet him at Trafalgar Square while he stays to make
her acquaintance.
32 NW
“D r Trevelyan, you say? I know him, but he pretty
much never visits our establishment. With his
clients, he probably goes to the pharmacies of the nicer
neighbourhoods instead, like at that cad Taylor’s store.”
35 NW
A t the Royal Italian Circus we spy Constable Shook
scratching his head, pondering his notebook. When
he sees us, his face brightens.
“So Mr ’Olmes is interested in the case, is ’e?”
Without our reply, Shook launches into an explanation
of the facts of the case, becoming, before very long,
hopelessly entangled.
“’Ere now,” he stops himself, “let’s take you around to the
various suspects and let’s see what we see.” So saying,
he starts off toward a rotund man, telling us that he is the
ringmaster, Gregory Shepard. “’E ain’t a suspect, as such, but
’e seen it all ’appen.”
At the Constable’s behest, Shepard explains the “accident.”
“It is all inconceivable! Klaus Wallinden was the best in
the world on the tightrope. But last week, he was hesitant,
tentative, his footing unsure. He went back to the rosin box
several times. Then just as he was walking out for his finale
— he balances a chair on two legs on the wire and performs
a handstand on it — he slipped. The chair was in his hands
and because of it he missed the wire. Everything should have
been fine because of the net, but it gave way as soon as the
chair and Klaus hit it.”
“Thank you, Mr Shepard,” says Constable Shook. When we
are out of earshot, he adds, “The net didn’t just ‘give way,’
as Shepard says. It was rigged with a very tricky knot made
to come loose when any weight ’it it. Now let’s go talk to
Guzzoni. ’E and Wallinden ’ad a row two days before.”
We are not alarmed when we come upon Luigi Guzzoni
throwing knives at his shapely wife, for that is his occupation
with the circus. We do become slightly alarmed, however, by
the look in his eyes when we mention Klaus Wallinden’s name.
“I hated the man, I tell you. He’s a snake! I didn’t kill him but
I wish I had!”
As we hurry away, Shook explains that Guzzoni had accused
Wallinden of showing too much attention to his wife,
Seraphina. Considering the look of sadness in Seraphina’s
eyes it may have been true, although Wallinden, we are told,
denied it.
Another who seems to have believed the accusation is
Wallinden’s fiancée, Carmen Albuera. We meet her as she
rehearses with her horse troupe. The four horses, abreast
of each other, trot around the perimeter of a ring while
Carmen, standing in the centre, controls them with a single
lead attached to all four bridles. With a quick flip of the wrist,
NW AREA
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 11
04/01/2018 14:39
h 12 h
the lead detaches itself and the four horses split off into four
directions, ending in front of her, rearing.
“There is no sadness in my heart. He treated me badly with
that pig, that cow, that, that Puta!”
She refuses to say anything more, in English anyway, and we
proceed on.
We come across Hercule LeMouche, a trapeze artist. He is
arguing with the boss roustabout over some fine point of
rigging. Despite LeMouche’s insistence of his expertise in
rigging, the roustabout goes away unconvinced. Before we
speak to him, Shook informs us that LeMouche, who had
just joined the troupe, had an argument with Wallinden over
billing, each disparaging the other’s talents and resorting to a
vile name-calling match.
“He was second rate. A poseur. Yet, I must stand behind him,
sacrebleu!”
Shook tells us, as we walk away, that all three, Guzzoni,
Albuera, and LeMouche were seen watching Wallinden that
fateful night.
“Expecting something, do you think?”
“What’s that singing?” we ask as the sound of a drunken
melody reaches us. The words are slurred and it is difficult to
tell if the song is happy or sad, so often does the tempo shift. As
we get closer to it, however, it is easy to tell that it is in German.
“Ah, that would be Albrecht ’Ube. A sad case, so I’m told.
’E used to be even greater than Wallinden, invented the chair
balancing thing that Wallinden used in ’is act, but used to do
it with just one leg on the wire. Somewhere along the line ’e
began to ’it the bottle and you can’t walk no wire all ginned
up like. A few months back, Wallinden hired ’im as a go-’n-
fetch-it, sort of. Did odd jobs and the like. Totally off the
sauce, ’e was, ’til the other night.”
As we peek into the dressing room, we see Hube, very
unsteady on his feet, standing over a tub, washing what
appears to be Wallinden’s costumes. With one hand he
pours in more soap flakes while with the other he hoists a
bottle of whiskey to his mouth. Setting the bottle down on a
nearby table, he again commences to sing.
Constable Shook goes back over the case once again in
complete detail. When he is finished, he looks to us for
our opinion.
“Constable,” says Wiggins, “I think there is an arrest to
be made.”
38 NW
D espite the strong Asian accent of the person who
speaks to us, we manage to understand that Mr
Bailijun is in a reunion for the day and that it will be
impossible for us to meet him today.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 12
04/01/2018 14:39
h 13 h
42 NW
N othing seems to be able to pull Holmes out of the
melancholic mood in which he was when we left.
“I’ve much to do before nightfall, Wiggins. I won’t be able
to spare you much time. The first thing to do is verify Miss
Frances Nolan’s version of the facts. Mr Locke’s attitude
clearly involves jealousy towards Clarendon. If Miss Nolan
is in love with Clarendon, it seems completely absurd for her
to kill him. If she didn’t pull the trigger, then who did? An
examination of the crime scene could surely give you clues.
Don’t hesitate to make a sketch of the scene, it often helps
in thinking.”
“And of course there’s the question of the motive. Who
would want to eliminate Clarendon and Frances at the
same time? As it’s of course the death sentence that awaits
Miss Nolan for her so-called crime. It’s all I can give you for
leads at the moment, gentlemen. Now, I’ll have to let you
go, as urgent business awaits me.”
72 NW
T he name John Taylor is written in large golden letters
on the pharmacy’s windows. The interior of the store
is as clean as the exterior. John Taylor, busy in the middle
of a pile of papers in his office at the back of the pharmacy,
quickly answers our questions.
“Sorry sirs, our clientele doesn’t have access to the use
of psychotropes and other powerful narcotics, at
most some light sedatives. My pharmacy has the best
reputation of all of London. Not like those charlatans
at Leath & Ross; if you want my opinion, with their
clientele, they’re probably specialised in drugs of all kinds
instead of medicine.”
95 NW
W e enter Hyde Park through its north entrance, near
Tyburn’s tree. On this beautiful July day, the little
tree-lined paths are travelled by a varied crowd of hurried
men or mothers walking with their children. We drifted
through the park looking for clues as to where Miss Frances
could have woken up, and our feet lead us to the side of the
lake, around which we go. Without more clarification, it’s
impossible to find the bench she spoke of.
4 WC
D r Trevelyan’s manservant greets us at the door
bedecked in apron and carrying a broom. As he tells
us that Dr Trevelyan is at his office, a street cat attempts to
dodge into the house. With a swipe of the broom worthy of
a professional cricketer, he sends the cat flying back into the
street and meowing away.
5 WC
A t the Central Carriage Stables we enquire after the
cabbie found stabbed to death a few nights before.
“I never seen the like,” says an old duffer, shaking his head.
“Kenny was a right ’nough fellow. But kept pretty much to
’isself, ’e did.”
“What was his name?”
“Kenward Olick.”
“What area did he work?”
“Oh, down around the Tower, mostly. George Street, down
in there.”
13 WC
A fter waiting nearly two hours, we are finally shown
into Hiram Davenport’s office. He apologises for the
delay with a somewhat suspect sincerity and we take our
seats and ask our questions.
“Yes, I am Frances’ solicitor and Loretta’s too, although I am
less help in that direction since she came of age.”
“You handled their father’s estate?”
“That’s correct. Their father left them equal shares in his
one-third share of the Aberdeen Navigation Company. I
administered that bequest in the form of a trust fund until
each girl came of age. Since then I have tried to do my best
to advise them.”
WC AREA
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 13
04/01/2018 14:39
h 14 h
“With one-sixth of a share of Aberdeen Navigation Company,
they must be very wealthy.”
“Frances is, to be sure, but Loretta saw fit, much against my
advice, I might add, to liquidate her stock. I’m afraid her
financial situation is not all it could be.”
“When was the last time you saw Miss Nolan?”
He seems lost in his thoughts for a moment, then he says
“Well, I met Miss Frances last month. She was in the company
of Dr Trevelyan, the doctor of Miss Loretta. Miss Frances
wanted him to become her sister’s guardian, if anything were
to happen to her. Miss Frances seemed absent-minded, her
eyes were staring off in the distance… I thought it odd at the
time, but when I learned that she blacked out later that the
day, I assumed she had sunstroke.”
“Would you describe the meeting.”
“We were in the middle of our discussion when I was called
away on other important business. I begged their indulgence
and stepped out of the office. I was gone, oh, 20 minutes.
When I got back, Miss Frances had a very strange look in
her eyes, said thank you very much, nice to see you again, or
something to that effect and left.”
14 WC
“B oth Loretta Nolan and Guy Clarendon have had
complaints filed against them,” says Disraeli O’Brian,
after digging up their files, “although neither of them has ever
been arrested. Miss Nolan has been cited twice for public
drunkenness; they both have been involved in some unusual
pranks, but the victims have never pressed charges.”
“And what can you tell us about the deaths of Frances and
Loretta Nolan’s parents?”
Opening a dusty binder with the date 1861, he flips a few
pages and tell us about the results of the investigation:
“Zagreb Yoblinski was obviously punished for his crime. The
conclusion at that time was that he was mentally unstable.
He acted on his own and the investigation stopped there.”
17 WC
A t Somerset House we find that the will of Sir Malcolm
Nolan left his entire estate to his widow Margret.
If she should precede him in death, then the estate was to
be equally divided between his two daughters, Frances
and Loretta. The estate included a one-third share in the
Aberdeen Navigation Company. The will of Frances Nolan,
dated on June, says that, in the case of her incapacitation, her
sister's legal guardian will become Dr Trevelyan.
22 WC
A t Cox’s we find that Guy Clarendon’s activity at the
bank was sporadic, with deposits rather infrequent
before June 12th.
29 WC
W e ask Dr Mason if he could determine the cause of
Frances Nolan’s strange blackouts.
“I examined her thoroughly and found nothing physically
wrong with her. She could not recall receiving a bump on
the head. She did not complain of dizziness. I told her that
perhaps she was just overtired and prescribed rest. It remains
a complete mystery to me.”
34 WC
G erald Locke is not very helpful to our investigation. Not
because he does not wish to be, but simply because he
has no information to impart.
37 WC
P hysically, Wilfrid Robarts is anything but impressive.
He has jowly cheeks that give him a hangdog
expression, a large bulbous nose and a thinning scalp. Yet he
has a vigorous manner and a degree of intensity that is very
compelling.
“I’ve met with Miss Frances and she wishes me to take the
case. I, however, am reserving judgement until I can speak to
her in a room with some sunlight.” As he speaks this last, he
taps the monocle in the palm of his hand.
“Then we shall see.”
“What would lie your defence?”
“Oh, have no fear. If I take the case, I will think of something.”
We have no doubt that he will!
38 WC
T he numismatic expert at the British Museum informs
us that Roman coins can be easily purchased from
any number of coin shops or private collectors.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 14
04/01/2018 14:39
h 15 h
“Do you think I might be able to see her? I’d like to take
her spectacles and a book or two; she is so fond of reading,
you know.”
66 WC
G etting into the Squire and Sons pharmacy, a strong
smell of camphor immediately pours into our nostrils.
We approach the counter and notice that it seems to directly
emanate from the employee standing behind.
“Hello sirs. What can I do for you?”
“We’re looking for information about the various types of
more commonly used narcotics.”
“Narcotics you say? It’s not a usual subject in my
establishment. You should try to ask questions at the Keene
and Ashwell pharmacy.”
We thank him and hurry to leave, before our uprising
heaving turns into nausea with unfortunate consequences.
46 WC
W e talk to Miss Frances’ maid Grace, who tells us that
on the evening of the 1st, Dr Trevelyan was at the
Nolan home until 10 o’clock.
“After Dr Trevelyan left, Miss Frances asked for a cup of cocoa
and I brought it to her. As I came up the stairs to retire, the light
in Miss Frances’ room went out. The hall clock below struck
the half hour, that would be 11:30. I did wake up in the middle
of the night — actually it was almost morning — I thought I
heard something. I listened for a time but heard nothing more
and dozed off again. I arose at 7:30, completed my toilet by 8
and went downstairs to prepare Miss Frances’ breakfast. No
sooner was I in the kitchen, than I heard the front door open
and close. I saw Miss Frances walking down the street.
“I didn’t know what to think when I heard the news, except
not to believe it. Miss Frances wouldn’t harm anyone,
especially Mr Clarendon.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 15
04/01/2018 14:39
h 16 h
13 - 14 EC
A s we arrive near the Tower of London, we call a cab
driver who stops in front of us.
“Come on, hop on good sirs. Where should I drop you off ?”
“We simply wish to speak to you about Kenward Olick, did
you know him?”
“No, I didn’t know him much and didn’t try to get closer
to that guy. If you want my opinion, what happened to him
wasn’t happenstance considering the shady types he used to
hang around with.”
After a brief discussion, we don’t learn anything else.
19 EC
O n the opposite side of the customs administration
building proudly stands St Mary Church.
26 EC
A t the Aberdeen Navigation Company we enquire as to
Frances and Loretta Nolan’s connection to the firm.
“Their father, Sir Malcolm, left each of them a one-sixth
share. But those shares carried with them no voting
privileges. In other words, the ladies were entitled to all
profits and dividends but had no say in the running of the
company. Several years ago, as soon as she came of age, Miss
Loretta divested herself of her stock, sold it back, in fact, to
the original partners.”
30 EC
M r Ellis’ secretary informs us that he is on assignment
in Europe and will be there for many weeks.
35 EC
W ell, the Clarendon murder looks fairly open and shut,”
says Quintin Hogg. “Not your typical murderess, I
admit, but there you have it.”
36 EC
O ur interview with Edward Hall is very short. He knows
little of the Clarendon murder, but, with his connections,
he is able to arrange an interview with Frances Nolan.
Confined in a drab holding cell at the Criminal Court,
Old Bailey, she is the picture of misery. Her eyes, her most
attractive feature in an otherwise plain face, hold a great deal
of confusion and disbelief at her present situation.
“I don’t remember anything except seeing Guy’s body across
the room and the pistol in my hand, I screamed and I must
have fainted. I didn’t even know that he was at Halliday’s and
I’ve never been there before. And why would I shoot him?
We loved each other! We planned on getting married next
year, his father promised him that he would get the church of
Canterbury for our wedding!”
Wiggins goes to her to calm her down.
“Now let’s take it one step at a time. What is the last thing
you remember before the room at Halliday’s?”
“Going to bed the night before. On Sunday evenings Dr
Trevelyan dines with me at my home. My sister Loretta
is under his care and these weekly meetings involve her
progress. Well, the doctor and I have become friends over
the years. Dr Trevelyan left at 10 o’clock. At 11, my maid
Grace prepared a cup of cocoa for me. I drank it and read in
bed for a short time, then went to sleep.”
“How long have you known Guy Clarendon?”
“I first met him at the country estate of Cornelius Oldwine in
March. There was a party of some sort and my sister climbed
a 15-foot fountain and dived in. She caught pneumonia, and
I had to go fetch her home. Guy was at the estate.”
“And he immediately began paying court to you?”
“No, in fact, he didn’t seem to notice me. I was quite
surprised some weeks later when he came. It was a lovely
afternoon, May 10th. He apologised for his impertinence at
coming without an appointment and asked permission to
come back again. We began seeing a good deal of each other,
went for carriage rides, picnic lunches. He declared his love
for me and asked my hand in marriage.”
EC AREA
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 16
04/01/2018 14:39
h 17 h
“How were your provisions concerning your and your
sister’s inheritance in case of… let’s say in case of
incapacitation?”
“I am the legal guardian of Loretta. In case something
happens to me, our solicitor, Hiram Davenport, will manage
our affairs, as it was when we were children.”
“How do you explain your presence at Halliday’s?”
“I... can’t. It’s just like the other times.”
“You’ve had previous occurrences of memory loss?”
“Yes, twice in the past two weeks. The first time I found
myself sitting on a bench in Hyde Park. The second time
occurred a few days later. I was going to Lambeth Walk, to
get some information concerning a house where my sister
and I were planning to stay for two weeks on a vacation
away from the city. That was the last thing I remember until
I woke up at Waterloo Station. I consulted my doctor, Dr
Mason, and he was quite puzzled. He prescribed rest.”
“Where did you acquire the pistol?”
“I’ve never seen it before, even though the police assured me
that it was mine.”
“One last question. What is Gerald Locke to you?”
“Gerry is an old, dear friend. I’m afraid we’ve had a falling
out of late. He said some very unkind words about Guy.”
Edward Hall catches up to us on our way out. He tells us that
he has asked Wilfrid Robarts to take Miss Nolan’s case.
“He’s young but has already gained quite a reputation. Mark
my words, he will be knighted some day.”
38 EC
A t Bart’s Sir Jasper Meeks tells us that Clarendon was
shot at very close range with a small calibre pistol.
“I received the body at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. I would
judge that he had been dead anywhere from four to ten hours.”
52 EC
“O h, ’course I knew Clarendon. He and his lady friend
stopped in from time to time. They were usually on
their way to Kilgore’s Gaming Parlour, or comin’ back from
it,” says Porky Shinwell.
“What’s Kilgore’s Gaming Parlour?”
“Ha, ha, it’s a nice little place down in the southeast,
frequented by swells and toffs. The coppers been tryin’ to
close it down for years but Kilgore knows when they come
within three blocks.
“Clarendon was into him for a sizeable sum, or so it was said
— 7,000 pounds was the figure I heard. Got to the point
that Kilgore wouldn’t allow him in his place. I understand
Clarendon didn’t take too kindly to that. Almost caused a
row until Kilgore’s right hand man, Gus Bullock, stepped
in. Clarendon backed down. I don’t blame him none. Gus
is a mean character right enough. There’s a joke about
Gus. Somebody once said he’d like to see the customer
who gave Gus that scar. He was told, so would the fellow’s
widow. Ha, ha.
“Anyway, Kilgore made it clear that he expected the money
and there were bad feelings all around. Then maybe a month
or so later, Clarendon shows up all smiles, and he and
Kilgore gettin’ on like brothers. Figure Clarendon must have
paid him back. Then Calvin Leach steps into the picture.”
“Who’s Calvin Leach?”
“Well, rumour has it that Leach deals in what you might
call ‘stolen property.’ Square dealer, too, give you one-half
the value of the article. Now Calvin Leach don’t usually
associate with the likes of Claude Kilgore, but there it is.
Leach, Kilgore and Clarendon meeting late at night just as
thick as, uh, fog. Ha, ha. The meetings continued on and
right up until, well, the night before Clarendon’s death.”
“Did these meetings take place at the Raven ant Rat?”
“Well, won’t say they did and won’t say they didn’t. Will say,
though, everything I told you is as true as if it was written
in the Good Book. Now we been standin’ here jawin’ and I
don’t hear nobody orderin’ a pint or nothin’. What’ll it be?”
68 EC
S tanding in front of the Gould & Sons pharmacy, we
find the door closed. A sign states that the nearest
open pharmacy is Squire & Sons, at 66 High Street.
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 17
04/01/2018 14:39
SHJR_C1_Book_03_EN_040118.indd 2
04/01/2018 14:39