My Dearest Holmes (5 page)

'It is here,' she said, 'I am sure of it. It has a hollow sound. Listen.'

I listened, and then, motioning her aside, inspected the back panel myself for a spring or a catch. There was none. Meanwhile Miss D'Arcy, who had moved round to the back of the desk, was searching from the other side. At once, she gave a cry of satisfaction.

'Here! Look, Dr Watson. There is a spring at the side, at the corner. This must be it. Now we have only to find out how to--'

Even as she spoke, the back panel shot out at her touch upon the spring, so that it protruded sideways from the desk. With a startled exclamation, Miss D'Arcy fumbled behind it and withdrew a small piece of paper, neatly folded. She opened it with trembling fingers, looked at it for a moment, then handed it to me.

It was, as we had expected, the certificate of Maurice Kirkpa-trick's birth. His mother was named--the surname her maiden name, Kirkpatrick, the Christian names Maria Constance Louise. The space for entry of the father's name and occupation had been left blank.

I am afraid that my first reaction was one of embarrassment for my friend. I was ashamed of having inadvertently discovered his origins in this manner, and a guilty blush stole to my face. When I looked across at Miss D'Arcy, however, I quickly recovered myself. She had sunk into the chair, white to the lips.

'My dear Miss D'Arcy,' I cried, rushing to her. Tray do not take it so hard. Sit back now, there. Let me get you some brandy.'

I ran to the door and shouted for some brandy, which the footman brought. In answer to his anxious enquiry, I dismissed him hurriedly with orders to get a cab as quickly as possible.

I held the glass to Miss D'Arcy's lips, and it seemed to revive her a little. I took her hand, which was cold as ice, and tried to chafe some warmth back into it.

'Please, my dear Miss D'Arcy,'I said, 'please, I beg of you, take a hold of yourself. All will be explained, I promise you. It cannot be quite as bad as you think. I am sure she did not mean deliberately to deceive you, but only to spare you pain. You must believe it.

'There,' I continued as I saw the colour begin to steal back into her cheeks, 'take another sip. That is better. Now, listen. I have ordered a cab. We must return to Baker Street at once. If anyone can sort out this tangle with the greatest discretion in the shortest time, it is Sherlock Holmes.'

Our journey back to Baker Street was certainly in contrast to our drive to Camberwell Grove, for we sat in absolute silence, each occupied with our own musings. Two thoughts occurred to me in quick succession; the first irrelevant at this stage, the other ignoble under the circumstances:

I had forgotten to make an examination of the window sill, to ascertain how Kirkpatrick had reached the first floor room; and I was going to have to expose my acquaintance with that gentleman to the searching questions of Sherlock Holmes.

--
IV
--

W
E FOUND Mr Sherlock Holmes busily engaged in cross-indexing his reference book, a pile of newspapers on the floor beside him. He looked up when we entered, a smile of satisfaction playing across his ascetic features.

'Ah,' he said as Miss D'Arcy handed him the certificate. 'So it did not take you long to find it. It is just as I expected. I have taken the precaution of ascertaining the young gentleman's address--I have not been idle in your absence, you see; Kensington is not overpopulated with young Mr Kirkpatricks--so we can move on quickly to the next stage of our investigation.'

'The gentleman in question nearly beat us to the goal,' I said. 'He apparently tried to burgle Miss D' Arcy's house this morning, and I presume it was this certificate that he was after.'

It always gave me the greatest pleasure to be able to surprise Holmes. For a moment he regarded me with a look of pure astonishment. Then he chuckled, and rubbed his hands together.

'Dear me,' he said, 'this case gets more and more intriguing! Pray take a seat, Miss D'Arcy--I do beg your pardon. Now, suppose you let me have the story of this interesting burglary.'

He listened in silence as Miss D'Arcy told him of the morning's discovery. He had completely recovered his composure, and his heavily-lidded countenance betrayed nothing of the excitement of which I knew this expression to be a sign. The smoke curled quickly from his pipe and hung in the air between us and him. Not even at the mention of my acquaintance with Miss Kirkpatrick's son did he display the least sign of outward interest.

'Well, well,' he murmured when Miss D'Arcy had finished. 'This really is a very interesting development. I must admit, I had not anticipated this. This certificate, the existence of a son, yes--but that he should take the risk of breaking into his mother's house in broad daylight, not knowing, Miss D'Arcy, that you were not at home...He was looking presumably for this certificate, as you say--I think, by the way, that it would be safest if I kept hold of it for the moment. Presumably also, he undertook this search with his mother's consent. He was standing
behind
the desk, you say; it sounds as though he knew exactly where to look. If he had not been disturbed at that precise moment, he would have taken what he came for and been off out of the window with no one any the wiser.

'Well, we have been lucky, and he unlucky this morning. Now, the question is, why was this certificate needed so urgently? It must have a direct bearing upon the nature of the trouble into which the said young man has fallen.'

His eyes assumed the vacant, dreamy expression which they always carried when his mind was racing.

'But why should Maria not come back herself for the certificate?' interrupted Miss D'Arcy. 'Why send her son to break into the house, when she could have walked in herself through the front door?'

'Oh, that is easily answered,' said Holmes with a dismissive wave of his pipe. 'She did not want to run the risk of encountering you, or any member of the household. There is obviously some secrecy attached to the matter, over and above the fact of her son's existence.'

Miss D'Arcy bit her lip, thought for a moment and then said in a low voice, 'Mr Holmes, I am not at all sure that I can justify asking you to continue this investigation. I can see it now in the light of an unwarranted intrusion into Maria's private affairs. If she has kept the existence of her son from me for so long, I am sure she would not want me to pry into whatever trouble has caused him to summon her to his aid like this. Perhaps it would be wisest and most honourable after all if I waited as she has asked me to do, and let her explain the matter to me in her own time.'

Holmes listened meekly enough, but his eyes, narrowing to bright slits, betrayed his desire not to abandon the chase now that he found himself to be hot on the scent. He laid his pipe aside and placed his fingertips together.

'You are my client, Miss D'Arcy,' he said, 'and it is certainly your right to forbid me from pursuing the case further if you wish. But I would urge you to think carefully before coming to that decision. Mr Kirkpatrick is obviously in some trouble, and it is by no means certain that his mother will be able to help him; whereas we, if we can discover the nature of his trouble, may be able to do just that. His rather desperate and surprising attempt at burglary this morning indicates that there is some fear that his birth certificate will fall into the wrong hands, thus escalating some form of crisis. To my mind, this points to only one possible state of affairs--blackmail.'

Miss D'Arcy seemed extremely shocked by this assertion. I was myself surprised, but being used, after so many years, to my friend's rapid trains of thought and startling deductions, I tended to underestimate the effect on the uninitiated. 'Blackmail!' she repeated, in great confusion, leaning forward in her chair and fixing her gaze on my friend's face. 'But who--why?'

'Well, Miss D'Arcy, that remains to be seen; though I think I can deduce it without too much trouble. However, I shall require proof, and I shall require authorisation from you that I continue the investigation. If you agree, Miss D'Arcy, I would advise you to remain discreet, and return home for the present, leaving the next stage to me. When I have all the information I need, I shall wire you and we can meet to discuss how best to proceed in the matter. I am sure you will agree that it is better not to involve the police at this stage.'

He had completely cast aside his languid manner, and spoke rapidly, with urgent gestures of the hands. I could tell he was anxious to be allowed to pursue the case.

Miss D'Arcy also seemed much agitated. She hesitated only fractionally before saying, 'Well, if things are really as you say, Mr Holmes, then--yes, I think you had better continue your investigations. But what do you intend to do?'

Holmes relaxed visibly. 'I intend to call on Mr Maurice Kirkpatrick,' he said airily. 'And I think--yes, I
think
I shall take Watson with me, since he is already acquainted with the gentleman.'

'But Holmes, my dear fellow,' I interjected, 'what is he going to think, if I turn up at his house with you? What excuse am I going to give? I have never visited him at his home before. He'll think the whole thing very suspicious.'

'Tut, Watson, he won't
know
that it is I,' said Holmes with a mischievous sparkle in his eye. 'You certainly didn't think I was going to introduce myself as Mr S. Holmes, consulting detective on the trail of his missing mother? No, no, my dear Watson, we are going to use a little imagination here, a little finesse. However, Miss D'Arcy,' he continued, turning to our client, 'the best thing for you to do is, as I said, to return home. You may rest assured that I will be in touch as soon as I have proof of the matter in my hands.'

'Very well, Mr Holmes,' said Miss D'Arcy reluctantly. 'I leave the investigation with you. But do you really think that blackmail is at the root of it?'

'My dear lady, I am sure of it! What other explanation is there? Believe me, Miss D'Arcy, there is no more unscrupulous figure in our society than the blackmailer; this is why we must be on our guard, and proceed with the utmost discretion. The safety and happiness of at least two people depend upon it.'

'Three people,' said Miss D'Arcy, with a sudden bitter expression.

'Quite so. Three. Maybe four. But be patient, Miss D'Arcy. Good day to you.'

Still she hesitated, as if wishing to say something more. But after a moment she murmured, 'Good day Mr Holmes. Good day, Dr Watson, and I thank you for your kindness and your sympathy this morning,' and left the room. We heard her footsteps on the stair, and the closing of the front door.

'Well, Watson,' said Holmes, leaping to his feet the minute she had left and beginning to pace the room, rubbing his hands together gleefully, 'this is all very exciting, is it not? This case certainly exhibits some singular features. Would you not say so? I am glad, by the way, that Miss D'Arcy found you so supportive. I can always trust you to take care of that department. And now for the next stage...'

'Now look, Holmes,' I interrupted sharply, feeling that such innuendos were in very poor taste, especially under the circumstances, 'I really must set you straight on all this. The way in which Miss D'Arcy found me supportive was not at all the way you imply. Heaven knows why you insist on propounding this fantasy about my susceptibility to women; but if you cannot see that Miss D'Arcy is--well, a confirmed spinster, then your powers of perception are considerably less than they're made out to be.'

Holmes stood in front of me with his hands in his pockets, a maddening expression of pure delight upon his face.

'My poor dear boy,' said he, 'you do underestimate me, don't you? I do assure you that I have a full and accurate grasp of the situation. There is really no need for you to lecture me about it. As for your effect on the fair sex--well, my dear Watson, you surely cannot deny they seem to find you attractive. Except for Miss D'Arcy, of course. Now, where is the inaccuracy in my stating the obvious? Hmm?'

I clenched my teeth in frustration. It was at times like this that I most regretted the exaggerated boasts with which I had for some reason felt it necessary to regale my friends at around the time of my meeting with Holmes. What could I say? That I suspected his full and accurate grasp of the situation to be the result of his morning's research, since I had seen no evidence of it earlier? I knew he would have no hesitation in calling my bluff, and in turning the situation to his own advantage.

'Anyway, Watson,' he continued, strolling jauntily around the room with an annoying spring in his step, 'since you're so anxious to set me straight on matters of which I am ignorant, perhaps you would care to give me a little resume of your acquaintance with Mr Maurice Kirkpatrick. I must say, it really is a lucky chance, your knowing him. Now, what do you think? Would he be surprised, for instance, at your turning up at his house in the company of a smart young companion, proposing an afternoon on the turf? Or would he perhaps prefer to make the acquaintance of an older gentleman of private means and aesthetic temperament? Which shall I be, Watson? In either case, I think that a certain air of decadence would fit the bill, don't you agree?'

This kind of teasing made me even more uncomfortable, being nearer the mark of accuracy. I felt my complexion change, and crossed hurriedly to the window to regain my composure.

'Tell me first,' I said, as coolly as I could, 'just why you think he is being blackmailed?'