The Spider Web (A Sherlock Holmes Uncovered Tale Book 4)

by Steven Ehrman

  “You simply believe it, Mr. Holmes, so it must be true. Is that it?” asked a clearly skeptical Inspector.

  “It is only the first lie that Hudson told and I have little doubt I am correct. There are indications of black shoe polish on one end of the sofa and several other clues that it was made regular use of as a place for a man to recline.”

  “And what if Hudson simply denies it?” asked Grey. “Then what?”

  “Why, then, Inspector, we indulge in a bit of subterfuge.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You said there were two instances of him lying? What was the other?”

  “The lies are all connected together, Inspector, but I knew Hudson was not relating an accurate picture of his movements from the first. You have observed the bulk of the man?”

  “Of course,” said Grey.

  “Since I have arrived with Percy, I have noticed that the smallest exercise that Hudson engages in causes him to both perspire and to lose his breath. When Percy and I ran to the music room, Hudson was neither perspiring, nor was he out of breath, as he should have been if he had indeed just climbed the stairs, come down the stairs, found Sir John dead and immediately called for help. Indeed, when he was instructed to send a stable boy for the authorities, he came back short of breath and perspiring. It was simplicity itself to deuce that the man was lying about his prior movements.”

  “That is well thought out, Mr. Holmes,” said the Inspector, with genuine admiration. “But what did Hudson do in the music room if he did not call for help at once? Did he simply stand and gape at his fallen master?”

  “I believe that he did what he went into the room to do in the first place,” I said. “Once he saw the body he was at a loss, but to steel his nerves he helped himself to his master’s brandy, which had been his intention all along. Indeed, I smelled brandy on his breath as Percy and I passed him to go into the room. I think we will find that his nipping at the brandy of his master was as regular a habit as his clandestine naps.”

  “But surely he could have had the brandy first, returned to the drawing room, and then discovered the body and called out at once,” volunteered Percy. “That covers all the points you have raised, Holmes. It would mean that he fudged what happened before, but the body would still have been discovered at just after two.”

  “That is so,” said Inspector Grey, warming to the idea. “That would mean that the timeline I originally envisioned would still be correct. I believe that you have a tendency to imagine a bit more than actually exists, Mr. Holmes. Now admit it. Young Percy here has advanced an explanation for all that you have deduced.”

  “It explains all except for one item that I have repeatedly pointed out as an oddity that must be accounted for, Inspector,” said I, with a small smile. “What of the out of place brandy decanter?”

  “But we all agree that Hudson likely took a drink or two while he was in the room. Why should it matter where the bottle was found?” asked Grey.

  I saw Percy nodding vigorously in agreement, and even the stolid Chief Constable Grissom, who had silently returned, seemed satisfied that I was finally out of my depths.

  “Gentlemen, you are all forgetting the nature of the staff here at Hardwick Hall. I have seen Hudson in the exercise of his duties and he is an efficient butler, if nothing else. The only thing that could have caused him to misplace the brandy decanter is if he were under great mental distress. Imagine the situation. His master is dead and he has found him only through dereliction of his duties. Now, to someone not of his class the murder would certainly seem paramount in the order of importance, but to one such as Hudson, his reputation is of equal importance, if not greater. After all, his master is already dead, but reputation is still intact.”

  “Who steals my purse, steals trash,” murmured Percy, under his breath. The Inspector shot him an irritated look.

  “I still say that if he maintains his story we are up against it,” he said.

  “That is where the subterfuge comes in, Inspector,” said I.

  “What is your plan, young man?” asked Grey.

  “Simply follow my lead, Inspector, if Hudson should choose to maintain his fiction.”

  “So you ask to play a lone hand, Mr. Holmes?”

  “I confess it is a weakness of mine, Inspector,” I admitted. “Surely, I have earned this small indulgence.”

  The Inspector frowned, yet he ordered Grissom to find Hudson and return with him without another word to me. Presently, the Chief Constable ushered the portly butler into the room. Hudson seemed to have had time to gather his wits about him, and his former frightened appearance had disappeared to be replaced by his placid servant demeanor. He did not sit as the others had and Grey did not ask him to.

  “Yes, sir,” he said to the Inspector.

  “Now, Hudson, it has come to my attention during the course of my investigation that you have been less than forthright with me as to your movements today.”

  “It has been my desire to give as accurate account as I am able, Inspector,” replied Hudson.

  “Now, my man, we have come to believe that you were in the music room earlier than you have stated, and that while there you indulged in your master’s brandy. Now what say you?”

  The butler seemed a bit perturbed. “I do not know what you are speaking of, Inspector.”

  “Then you deny that you have deliberately misled us?”

  “I strongly deny it, sir. I had nothing to do with Sir John’s foul murder.”

  “I do not allege that you are involved in any crime, Hudson,” said Grey. “But I will have straight answers!”

  Grey punctuated this last statement with a sharp blow from his fist on a table at his side. Hudson was startled at the vehemence from Inspector Grey, but he made no move to answer. Instead, he remained stiffly standing with an impassive expression on his face.

  “Now, Hudson, this simply will not do,” I said. “We have testimony from two of the gardeners that you were observed in the living quarters between one and two, when it is forbidden for the staff to do so.”

  For the first time, I thought I detected fear in the man’s face.

  “That is right, Hudson,” I continued. “You were observed in the dining room at that time.”

  I saw the slight look of fear on Hudson’s face replaced by a look of cunning superiority.

  “That is simply untrue, sir,” he said. “Bring these men in front of me and I will call them liars, if I must. I was most certainly not in the dining room.”

  “Of course not, Hudson, as you habitually sleep on the sofa in the drawing room at that time!” I accused.

  But, but,” he stammered.

  “Come now, Hudson. The gardeners saw you and will testify to it. You have not actually committed a crime as of yet, but if you persist in obstructing this investigation the penalty will surely be a heavy one,” I said.

  “Well, out with it man!” barked Grey, and Hudson actually jumped at the harsh words.

  “I meant no harm, gentlemen. I swear it,” said the now cringing butler. He was running his fingers through his hair and looking from man to man, as if attempting to find an ally who would understand his pain. He found no succor in our group, and he turned back to the Inspector.

  “Very well. I admit that I have not been entirely forthcoming.”

  It was an understatement, but Grey was willing to pass on that for the moment. He gave an impatient gesture and Hudson continued.

  “It is just as Mr. Holmes said. As the master takes his rest during that hour, I have gradually come to indulge in the habit myself.”

  “Give us a complete account of your movements, Hudson,” said I. “And pray be as exact to time as possible.”

  “Yes, sir. Well, after the midday meal I found my way to the drawing room before the family left the dining room. The high back sofa allows me privacy. The household is very regular in their habits and no one ever comes into the drawing room during that hour. At I should say a quarter of the h
our I decided to go into the music room to…well…”

  “Yes, yes,” said Grey. “We know full well why you went in there.”

  “As you say, sir,” said Hudson, in an abashed manner. “I went in and closed the door behind me before I noticed the body of my poor master.”

  “Half a moment,” I cried. “By which door did you enter the music room?”

  “Why, the connecting door with the drawing room, sir.”

  “And was the door closed before you went in?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And the door to the library? Was it open or closed?”

  “Why, it was closed as well, sir.”

  “But if the door to the drawing room was closed how did it come to be bolted later?” demanded Grey.

  “I am sorry, sir,” said Hudson, as his eyes dropped towards the floor. “I was quite out of my mind. I bolted the door to deflect any attention to the drawing room. I was afraid if anyone found out I had been asleep in there, it would implicate me in the death of the master.”

  “This is most serious, my man,” said Grey. “You have tampered with the scene and changed it in a material way, but let us forget that for the moment. Proceed with your story.”

  “Yes, sir. Well, as I say when I saw the body I was stunned. I knelt by the body and made certain that he was past hope. I did not quite know what to do. Had I raised the alarm it would have been apparent to all that I had been slack in my duties. I took a bit of a nip of brandy, to gather my thoughts.”

  I noticed Percy smirk at the efforts of Hudson to portray his drinking to the shock of the situation.

  “I would imagine that you took several drinks to steady your nerves, Hudson,” I suggested helpfully. Hudson brightened visibly.

  “That is just so, sir. I am not a tippler by nature, but I was nearly in a swoon. I lost track of the passage of time and I was quite shocked when I realized by the clock that it was already just after two by the time I was myself again.”

  “And it was at that time that you raised the alarm and began your pretense?” asked the Inspector.

  “Just as you say, sir,” replied Hudson ruefully. “I have shamed my family. Thank goodness father did not live to see this day.”

  “Enough of that, my man,” scoffed Grey.

  “Inspector, is it possible that my scandalous behavior can be kept quiet? If so, I promise I will leave the service of the Hardwick’s on my own. I would be humiliated if I were dismissed.”

  “Hudson, this matter cannot be swept under the sofa,” said Inspector Grey. “It is possible that you may yet find yourself in the dock for your actions, but I doubt the Hardwick’s will be in any mood to accommodate your feelings. Now, out with you.”

  Hudson took his dismissal with what pride that still remained within him, and began to leave.

  “Just one more question, Hudson,” I said. “With the Inspector’s permission, of course.”

  “Be quick about it, Mr. Holmes,” he said. “I do not believe that I can abide this man’s presence much longer.”

  “You can be assured of my brevity, Inspector,” I said. Grey seemed dubious of my promise, but said nothing. “Now, Hudson, what I want to know is if you broke a glass while you were in the music room.”

  “Certainly not, sir,” he replied.

  “And yet broken glass was found in the room.”

  “Yes, sir, but it was not of my doing.”

  “Could it have happened earlier in the day?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Why are you so certain?”

  “Because the hour of the midday meal is when special attention is paid to the downstairs living quarters. The music room was certainly thoroughly cleaned during that time, and any broken glass would have been swept up.”

  “Very good, Hudson,” I said. “You may leave.”

  With a sigh of relief, the butler waddled out of the room.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “That is a thoroughly disagreeable creature,” observed Grey. “I am surprised that he survived as long as he did in Sir John’s employ.”

  “I would imagine that Sir John, like many great men, believed that he was a good judge of a person’s nature,” I said. “He likely was fooled by the son because the father was such as a faithful servant. Blood does not always tell, of course, and besides, it is my impression that Hudson has been a good butler despite his other faults.”

  “Perhaps,” mused the Inspector. “But are we any closer to solving the case now then we were before? There is a gnawing in my gut that tells me that, perhaps, the culprit is some tramp who has long since escaped the scene.”

  “I think that highly unlikely, Inspector,” I said, with what I hoped was confidence. “I believe, as I have said, that Sir John’s assailant was known to him.”

  “That’s all very well, Mr. Holmes, but it is not your neck that will be wrung if this case is bungled. Sir John was an important man. Should his killer elude the hangman, I fear it is my own head that will be placed in the noose.”

  “Inspector, I can see that you are deeply concerned and if it will assuage your mind I can tell you that I know who has killed Sir John Hardwick,” I stated.

  “What?” cried Grey and Grissom in unison.

  “Are you quite serious, Holmes?” asked Percy.

  “I assure you I am in earnest,” said I calmly.

  “Then, out with it, Mr. Holmes,” said Grey. “I confess I have been impressed with your faculties, but if you have solved this dark mystery than you have exceeded even my hopes.”

  “Inspector, I know the culprit, but I prefer not to name the person at this moment.”

  “Now listen to me, young man,” began Grey. “If you know something that I do not, you are obliged to tell me. This is a capital case, you know.”

  “Inspector, this crime was shrewdly planned. It was not a crime of opportunity. While I, Sherlock Holmes, know who the killer is, it might not convince a jury, as of yet. Should we accuse too early, we will alert the culprit of our suspicions. I wish to make the accusation at the proper time so as to push aside all attempts at pretense.”

  “If you mean by that, Mr. Holmes, that the person will deny it, I can assure you that the accused almost always denies the crime unless they are caught red handed,” said the Inspector.

  “But don’t you see, Inspector, that if the killer is presented with a case strong enough in a flourish, the facade they have prepared may fall for all to see?”

  “What I see, Mr. Holmes, is a young man playing a game when murder is a serious business. Someone committed premeditated murder today.”

  “Not premeditated, Inspector,” I returned. “The fact that the safe was the target, and one other matter, tells us that.”

  “But you said the safe was a mere blind, Holmes,” said Percy.

  “No,” I replied. “I said that the window was a blind. The culprit was after the Spider Diamond.”

  “But how do we know that the Spider Diamond is, or was, even in the safe?” asked Grey.

  “I cannot be certain that the diamond is in the safe, but I can tell you that the culprit believed it to be there, and took a long chance in order to steal it.”

  “Mr. Holmes, I believe that most of this is mere surmise,” said Grey. “I am beginning to believe that I have misjudged you. Well, that is my mistake. What say you, Grissom?”

  The stolid Chief Constable seemed reflective. He rubbed his chin before answering.

  “The young man is unorthodox for certain, Inspector,” he began. “And I was not sanguine about his being of aid to us when you first suggested he join the interrogations, but it cannot be denied that he has given us insights that we would not have had without him.”

  “But the high handedness of this amateur is maddening,” said Grey with some venom.

  “Of that I heartily agree,” said Grissom, with a rueful smile. “But in for a penny, in for a pound, as my father was apt to say. Let us give him his head, as it were.”

  “I s
till say that upon reflection I have been mistaken in asking his help,” said Grey grimly. “Professionals, such as ourselves, can solve this alone.”

  Grissom was shaking his head as the Inspector spoke. “Even now you do not see it, Grey. As a man who has been around horses all of his life, I can put it like this. Grey, you and I are workhorses. We are trained and reliable, and we will pull as heavy a load as is required of us, but young Holmes here is a thoroughbred. Could he handle the day to day drudgery of police work that you and I do every day? I think not, but he can run the quarter before we are out of the gates. Would you allow pride to stand in the way of accepting his help? I do not believe that you are of that sort, Grey. Am I mistaken?”

  It was a long speech for the older man and as he spoke he had seemed to grow in stature as the Inspector had shrank in measure. The Inspector thought for several minutes before he answered.

  “Very well, Chief Constable,” he said formally. “I know the difference between having strong will and pigheadedness.” For a moment Grey spoke to Grissom as a student does to his headmaster. It was a strange reversal of roles for the proud Inspector and the humble Constable. When he resumed speaking, Grey addressed me. “I will allow you to proceed as you see, fit Mr. Holmes. However, I do ask that if you find that whatever additional evidence you seek does not materialize that you entrust me with what you know. I will then decide if it is enough to proceed with or not. Is that not fair?”

  “It is more than fair, Inspector,” said I. “I have no desire to see the person who killed Sir John escape justice because of my reluctance to act with haste. I assure you that you will know all I know before the day is out.”

  “That is well said, Mr. Holmes. Now, Grissom if you will accompany me, I believe that I will speak to the family again. Would you make certain that the staff, besides Hudson, is not holding back something valuable?”

  “Yes, sir,” replied Grissom. “Oh and, Inspector, Miss Hardwick has asked if the staff may resume their duties. They have not been permitted to have access to the living quarters since the crime was discovered.”