Sherlock Holmes in 2012: TIMELESS DUEL by Mohammad Bahareth Read Free Book Online

be any better blabber-mouth to divert all unwanted attention onto a trail that would lead nowhere. Lost in such thought, Irene didn’t notice the two men approach the bench, nor had she noticed the carriage that had pulled in the laneway.
    She just had time to lift her gaze to one of the men and see the white handkerchief he placed on her mouth and nose before passing out.

 
    The man woke up, his body lying under a tree, aching all over. He looked around, sat up, brushed his coat and passed his hand through his blond hair. He had been knocked down and now only remembered entering the park ... and then nothing. He heard the bell of the church pealing eleven o’clock and began to worry. Although feeling a little dizzy from the bump on his head, he looked around him to get his bearings. He made his way to the bench and sat on it. He put his head in his hands, and elbows on his knees he swore under his breath. Who could have known about their meeting? “The wench must have talked,” he muttered under his breath.
    Having regained a bit of his strength, the man got up and rushed out of the park. He was in no way looking forward to reporting this incident to the professor. He’d still be waiting for me and when I tell him what’s happened, it’ll be the death of me, he thought.
    When Mrs. Hudson opened the door to Dr. Watson three days after Sherlock had departed for parts unknown, Watson saw his answer deepening the lines of her face. “He hasn’t returned then?” he asked superfluously.
    “No, Dr. Watson, he hasn’t, I’m sorry to say.”
    Watson walked in the hallway while Mrs. Hudson closed the front door. “Would you mind if I took a brief look around his room; it would perhaps tell us something about his whereabouts at this time-or his intentions?”
    “By all means, Doctor. You know him better than anyone, I should think, and if you should find an answer as to where Mr. Holmes has gone, all the better.”
    Something in what Mrs. Hudson had said just then had caught Watson’s attention. He hung his hat and cane on the portmanteau and made his way up the stairs.
    “I’ll bring you some tea, if you like,” Mrs. Hudson called after him before he reached the upper landing.
    “Yes, thank you, Mrs. Hudson, that would be welcome-a cup of tea always warms one’s heart to the task at hand,” Watson replied from over his shoulder.
    As soon as he reached Holmes’s table, Watson rummaged through the papers and folders. When he found what he was looking for, he looked through the notebook anxiously until he stopped at the page where Holmes had recorded the telephone number he wanted.
    Mrs. Hudson entered the room at that moment, a tray with a teapot and a cup in her hands.
    “Ah, Mrs. Hudson., thank you,” Watson said to her, taking the tray from her and depositing it on the table. “Would you mind if I used your telephone?” he asked then.
    Looking up at him a bit surprised, Mrs. Hudson replied, “Of course not., come with me; I’ll show you where it is.” As the two of them went down to the landlady’s apartment, she added, “Is there someone you know to telephone and who would know where Mr. Holmes has gone?”
    “Yes, Mrs. Hudson, I believe the person I am about to telephone will be able to answer our query readily enough.”
    They went through Mrs. Hudson’s parlor and she stretched an arm toward the device sitting on her desk. “Please, Doctor, have a seat”—she indicated the chair beside the table—”I’ll be in the kitchen, if you need me,” and walked away through the door.
    Watson sat down, picked up the ear-piece and waited for the operator to answer the call.
    “Yes, Miss.,” Watson said hesitantly, “I would like you to connect me with Mr. Mycroft Holmes at the Ministry of Defense.”
    “Right away, sir., and who should I say is calling?”
    “Doctor Watson.”
    He waited somewhat impatiently until he heard the familiar voice saying, “Ah, my dear Doctor, what an unexpected and