Tales From the Deed Box of John H. Watson MD

by Hugh Ashton

  “I can conceive of no other explanation at present.”

  “Nor I. It would seem to expose Sir Roderick and his confederates to considerable risk of detection, given that they will be busy on two successive nights, but as I remarked earlier, there are no doubt reasons that are unknown to us at present, and quite possibly likely to remain so, as to why Sir Roderick selected this method of operation.”

  “What will be the future developments in this case?” I asked.

  “As a result of the report that I presented personally to the Prime Minister yesterday evening, we can expect to seethe resignation of Sir Roderick Gilbert-Pryor announced in the press either this evening or tomorrow morning. The Prime Minister was instantly convinced of the urgency of the situation and arranged a meeting with Sir Roderick immediately I left Downing Street. Given the delicate state of relations that currently pertains between this kingdom and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this is without doubt the wisest course of action, as it is essential that Sir Roderick’s successor be appointed as soon as possible.”

  “It seems you have done a great service to the nation,” I replied. “Are you not concerned, though, that Sir Roderick will seek some kind of revenge upon you for the harm you have done to his reputation?”

  “I am certain that such will be the case. He has made the acquaintance of one of the confederates of the late Professor James Moriarty, a certain Dr Juliusz Sommerfeld of the University of Krakow. It is to be feared that the union of two such extraordinarily talented and yet perverted minds may make it inconvenient to stay in London for the next month or so. I therefore propose that we take a true vacation this time, somewhere far from the attentions that are likely to be visited on me by these true gentlemen. Have you anywhere in mind? You mentioned Deauville, I seem to recall.”

  “I must confess, Holmes, that I have long desired to see the Great Pyramids of the Pharaohs in Egypt.”

  “And why should we not do so?” enquired Holmes in reply.

  “The expense, Holmes, the expense,” I objected.

  He smiled at me. “The Prime Minister was kind enough to offer me some compensation in return for the small service that I rendered to him. Naturally, I declined the honour of appearing as Sir Sherlock Holmes, but he was kind enough to fall in with my suggestion that I be allowed to retain the proceeds of Sir Roderick’s enterprises that we collected the other evening. I am happy to say that the amount is quite considerable, and will be sufficient for us to travel to Egypt in the kind of style to which you and I are unfortunately little accustomed. It will make for a pleasant change of air, and I look forward with pleasure to continuing my research on the hidden meanings of some of the hieroglyphic symbols in the temples there that have so far eluded scholars.”

  -oOo-

  The singular nature of this story, where Dr Watson has in this instance failed to protect the identity of the major protagonist by a pseudonym, would seem to indicate that Holmes and Watson indeed feared an attack by Sir Roderick Gilbert-Foyle, possibly with the assistance alluded to by Holmes, and were reserving this account for possible publication in the event of such an outrage. This, of course, is borne out by Dr Watson’s original statement quoted at the beginning of this story, and is given further support by the following written in a different hand on the final page.

  “I, Sherlock Holmes, do hereby declare and attest that the account above written by John Watson MD, is a true and accurate description of my doings and associated events in the town of Falmouth, in the County of Cornwall, in July 1897. I hereby give my hand and seal,” and then follows an almost illegible signature, of which the first word can be seen to commence with an S, and the second with an H. There is a witness, with the name printed as “Mrs M Hudson”, and the occupation given as “householder”, and a signature in blue ink, in an obviously feminine hand, below Holmes’ signature. The date is given as September 1897, from which we may conclude that Watson used some of his time in Egypt to pen this account of his and Holmes’ adventure, making a fair copy on his return.

  About the Author

  Hugh Ashton came from the UK to Japan in 1988 to work as a technical writer, and has remained in the country ever since.

  When he can find time, one of his main loves is writing fiction, which he has been doing since he was about eight years old.

  As a long-time admirer of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, Hugh has often wanted to complete the canon of the stories by writing the stories which are tantalizingly mentioned in passing by Watson, but never published. His latest offering of three such stories brings Sherlock Holmes to life again.

  More Sherlock Holmes stories from the same source are definitely on the cards, as Hugh continues to recreate 221B Baker Street from the relatively exotic location of Kamakura, Japan, a little south of Tokyo.

  If you enjoyed this book, look for Hugh's other books:

  Beneath Gray Skies

  At Sharpe's End

  Red Wheels Turning and

  Keiko's House

  All available at Smashwords.com and other fine booksellers.

  If you have questions or constructive comments, feel free to contact Hugh at HAshton@inknbeans.com