Sherlock Holmes in Something the Cat Dragged In by Lyn McConchie Read Free Book Online

chair and spoke to the shivering man who leaned against the wall eyeing us.
    â€œLord Northgate’s papers. How did you take them, and who helped?”
    Brand drew himself up. “No one helped me, Mr. Holmes. They was having a big party, I slipped in an’ I got upstairs. I hid in that room where he’ve all them toy soldiers. He had a couple’a friends come there with him, showed them the papers and where they was, and once they was gone and the house quiet, all I had to do was open that box and take them. Didn’t cost me but two er three minutes,”
    That disposed of the possible dishonest servant. But… Holmes asked the question I was thinking.
    â€œHow did you know about the papers, Brand?”
    That brought a long-winded explanation that boiled down to the following: a gentleman approached Brand claiming to be a friend of Lord Northgate; they shared common interests, he said, and a large wager was at stake. The gentleman had explained that they played a game, he, Northgate, and several others. They used toy soldiers and pretended to attack and defend various countries. Northgate had developed a strategy that he boasted could not be beaten. All that was required was for Brand to enter the house, find the papers, and bring them to the gentleman. Brand would be very handsomely paid for this, and would risk little since the papers were of no actual value. Even if he were caught with the papers, he was more likely to be tossed down the steps by the servants than be charged with theft.
    Holmes looked at him. “Although the papers were of little intrinsic value, they may involve us in another war. I tell you, the death of every man who may be caught up in such an event would be on your head.”
    Brand cringed, panting in his anxiety. “I know, I know now. Jeb Siddons heard sommat and he told me. I went back to the gentleman and said that as the papers wasn’t what he’d said they was, I should have more money. An’ he shot me! I only got away because I were standing by the window an’ I jumped out and ran. I bin hiding this past two days and I hear as Jeb were knifed. You gotta help me, or I’ll be next.”
    â€œWhat do you know of a detective and Lord Northgate?”
    â€œThey come looking. I was told by the man as employed me, he said the gentleman were at Jeb’s place when they came in and the lord, he said, ‘You, I know you!’ And the gentleman hit him. Must’a had something in his hand ’cos he didn’t hit that hard, but the flash cove, he dropped like a stone. Jeb, he clobbered the detective and he put them in the shed a whiles. The gentleman, he went away, then come back and him and some man Jeb never met afore carried the lord out. Gentleman said as how the police didn’t know him but this cove did, and he couldn’t take the risk.”
    â€œSo we can add murder to any charges,” Lestrade said, his tone deadly.
    â€œNo, no!” It was the squeal of a rat. “Jeb told me m’employer didn’t go to kill the lord, like. Said he’d just hold him awhile until he got the papers away to someone who’d pay for them. Said it was a nuisance, but his usual method had gone astray, an’ it was taking time to set up another route.”
    â€œWhat did you think he meant by that?” I asked.
    â€œI dunno, mebbe the police took up someone, mebbe whoever it were got cold feet. I dunno, I swear on me muvver’s grave!”
    â€œYour mother,” my friend said delicately, “is in excellent health and employed at a certain establishment in Finchley.”
    Brand stared at us. “I dunno nothing more,” he said flatly. “He tricked me, Mr. Holmes, told me them papers wasn’t nothing valuable, now I got a hole in me arm and the whole place is looking fer me, me mate’s dead, and I never got half the money I were promised fer them papers.”
    â€œYou know one thing