Sherlock Holmes: The Shadow From Beyond by Erik Branz Read Free Book Online

countenance of abject terror.
    “I had never before encountered such a condition in my entire practice, and now twice within twenty four hours! Madness!” Remarked Watson after tending to the vagrant’s corpse.
    “Strip him!” Holmes demanded to the constables who stood nearby with handkerchiefs over their noses to block the nefarious odor. They were not pleased at the detective’s command but did as ordered and soon after there is a pile of dirty clothes heaped besides the shriveled cadaver.
    A more thorough examination of Cowley’s property revealed a previously overlooked item, an amulet on a chain that had been hidden in the toe of the transient’s boot.
    “Why was this man not searched completely before being brought to his cell?” Holmes fumed as he held up the amulet for all to see. “Who is responsible Lestrade?”
    Lestrade looked over to one of the police cadets who shrank back. The cadet looked to his comrades for strength before replying in an embarrassed tone. “Well sir, he’s a grubby one he is. Smelling real bad and dirty and the like. Nobody wanted to touch him sir, especially within those tattered rags he wore. He seemed to have no possessions of interest on him when we first turned out his pockets and looked him over. We had hoped the morning bath would allow us to further examine his clothing after he had removed them himself.”
    The Inspector fixed the cadet with a stare that would curdle milk. The rookie quickly averted his gaze away.
    Holmes shook his head in contempt and pocketed the amulet as they left the cell. “It seems that Cowley was not as truthful as we’d hoped.” He stated to Watson on the ride back to Baker Street. “For other than making off with the bottle of port, he seems to have yanked this amulet off the dead corpse of Professor Harper before fleeing the scene.”
    “That would explain the discoloration and the bruising about his neck.” replied the doctor.
    “Exactly! Obviously not wishing to be charged as a burglar, Cowley hid the item in his shoe, and kept his mouth shut about it.”
    “But Cowley’s corpse Holmes, the mummified remains! How in blazes?” questioned Watson. “And what of the barred cell window and stone wall, on the second floor and at least twenty feet off the ground? What could have caused such damage at that height? The whole window area was blasted inward! No man could have scaled that surface, it is impossible!”
    “Surely the facts are strange Watson. I am still in the dark about how these deaths were inflicted as well as by either whom or what. We must quickly find those answers before the murderer claims another victim, the game is afoot!”
     
     

Chapter 10

    Bacon and Eggs
     
     
    Early that same morning after only a few more hours of sleep, the two flat mates were once again analyzing the facts of the case, this time over a steaming pot of strong coffee.
    Watson tackled his full breakfast with earnest, his appetite seemingly never satiated. Holmes meanwhile had not yet touched his meal, as all his attention was focused on Harper’s journal in hand. He lifted his eyes from the pages, looked over to Watson and quipped.
    “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach it seems, isn’t it old friend?”
    The good doctor simply replied by stuffing another forkful of baked beans into his eagerly awaiting mouth. Rarely did a meal make its way to the top of Holmes’ priority list while he was working on a case. His body had an appetite, but for a different repast. Instead of food he seemed to feed off fact and information as sustenance, with hearty amounts of pipe tobacco for dessert.
    “What’s it all about Holmes?” Watson asked between bites of Mrs. Hudson’s famous scrambled eggs. “Does Harper’s little book shed any light on our situation?”
    Holmes paused before answering. “Some very strange things in here old boy, much of it out of my normal areas of interest: spiritualism, occult, magic, necromancy, etc. All