by Cavan Scott
“But when did you give him the note?” I asked, before realising. “When you shook his hand so vigorously. Of course.”
“The note contained the address we suspected to be the headquarters of the Lodge…”
“Lye Close…”
“And instructions to look for a monocle, which I would leave on the street outside the correct building.”
“Well, I’ll be blowed…”
“Of course, I had no idea what we would find. So, in case everything went wrong, I instructed our friends in blue to raid the Lodge at midnight sharp, which they did… more or less.”
“Which is why you tried to keep Redshaw and Melosan talking.”
“Of course, when I wrote the note, I had no idea that you would be under the knife or that I would be suspended like a bird in a cage.”
“Yes, about that. Broadcasting my failures as a man and a husband…”
Holmes waved my complaint away. “I would have said anything to delay the inevitable and give Hegarty’s squad the time they needed to burst in.”
“But you had no idea they were coming, or that Hegarty could find enough honest policemen to mount a raid.”
“You are not the only man who likes a flutter, Watson.”
“You gambled with my life, and never thought to tell me what you were planning… again.”
“Hegarty was insurance, that is all. A back-up plan. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but it did and for that I apologise. Nobody’s perfect, Watson.”
“Not even you?”
Holmes considered this. “I am the damned, after all.”
I rubbed my chest where the scalpel had rested. “I believe you.”
We sat in silence for a moment. “So all this,” I finally said. “All this madness…”
“Was part of Sutcliffe’s plan to discredit Redshaw and the others, a trick that went horribly wrong.” Holmes stood and perused the bookcases. “Tavener was right. If some of the texts in this library are anything to go by, the League have performed rituals and magic for generations, whatever Redshaw claimed about Inspector Tovey’s ‘mumbo-jumbo’. Sutcliffe saw an opportunity to exploit both the League’s superstitions and their worship of Warwick.”
“Providing the perfect spell.”
“One thought that they would have done some research of their own, discovered that Sutcliffe’s rites were a load of hogwash.
But he played to their hubris, and they swallowed it all. They were so desperate to retain power at any cost that they believed every word he said. Little did Sutcliffe know how far they would take it; the murders, the babies… Mrs Nell has been bleating her innocence to all and sundry, not that anyone believes her. It turns out that she was arrested for her past crimes, by Inspector Hawthorne no less. He was going on a description given by Lord Redshaw, who realised what a boon a baby farmer would be for the ritual. Nell was given a choice; face the noose, or procure innocent blood for the League. She chose the latter.”
“So when Sutcliffe found out that they meant to go through with it all…”
“He must have panicked, trying to stop what he had started. First he steals the ring and then the wig, without which they would be unable to perform the rite he had created.”
“Unaware that Tavener had relics of his own.”
“Then he attempts to have Lord Redshaw killed. From what we have seen tonight it is obvious that Redshaw is the true power here, not Tavener. But you saved him, Watson, because no matter what I said in the cage, you are a good doctor.”
I thought of Sutcliffe jumping into the carriage with me, asking if Redshaw would live.
“With Warwick’s birthday approaching, Sutcliffe returned to his original plan, taking the story to Lacey in the Admiral’s Club.”
“Unaware that Lacey was in on the conspiracy.”
“How else could the League have kept so many atrocities and scandals from the papers?”
“But Lacey didn’t have a tattoo, like the others.”
“Because Sutcliffe was unaware he deserved one.” Holmes found the book he was looking for. “Here we go – Punter’s Travels in Japan, a more recent edition than Sutcliffe’s. Unfortunately, Punter didn’t recount the true story of Izanami and Izanagi, but he does delve into some fascinating criminal history.”
Holmes brought the book to the reading desk and, checking the index, flicked it open to a page that featured photographs of men’s forearms, each with its own tattoo.
“Traditional Japanese tattoos from the Edo period,” Holmes explained, reading the caption, “used to brand criminals.”
“Criminals?”
“I suspect that Sutcliffe told Redshaw and his cronies that they were badges of honour or power…”
“Just as he told them that fumeiyo meant good health rather than disgrace.”
Holmes closed the book. “Of course it worked, in the end. The League of Merchants is no longer Worshipful. Not even Lacey will be able to sweep this ignominy beneath the carpet. Their sins will be the talk of the city.”
* * *
How wrong Holmes was. The League was disbanded, that much is true, but the true nature of their crimes was never made public. The following day, after we had resided as guests of Mrs Mercer once again, we were greeted by an unexpected figure in the lobby of the Regent Hotel.
Mycroft Holmes had come to Bristol after all.
We were ushered into Mrs Mercer’s office, where Mycroft laid down the law. The true details of the case could never be known. The Worshipful League of Merchants’ interests spread far beyond Bristol. There were red faces in Whitehall, who wished for the scandal to go away.
We were sworn to secrecy, as was Inspector Tovey, who could never explain the true story of how he had lost an eye. He would be rewarded in time, and given a new post in London alongside Inspector Lestrade, investigating cases that other policemen would not touch. I never discovered what happened to Nelson Powell and Marie Redshaw. They vanished, hopefully to start a new life together. Harold Clifford sold his business and moved away with Anna and their new-born daughter, also to start afresh, far from his past.
As for Lye Close, Mycroft confided to us that it would be demolished, the temple filled in. It would be as though the little street had never existed, other than as an anomaly on old maps of the city.
Holmes brooded all the way back to London. Soon he would be on a boat back to France, and I was not to see him again until he walked into my surgery one fateful evening looking pale and drawn and told me of a man by the name of Professor James Moriarty. Once more, as terrible events overtook us, Sherlock Holmes would keep me in the dark.
But did I mind? No, not really.
After all, as the man reminded me himself, nobody is perfect.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cavan Scott is the author of Sherlock Holmes: The Patchwork Devil, published in 2016, which was described as “an intriguing puzzle” by Publishers Weekly and as “a thrilling tale” by Sci-Fi Bulletin. He was also a contributor to Titan Books’ anthologies Encounters of Sherlock Holmes and Associates of Sherlock Holmes. Beyond the world of Arthur Conan Doyle, he has written over ninety books and audio dramas including the UK no. 1 bestseller Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space—The Escape. He has written for such popular series as Doctor Who, Star Trek, Vikings, Torchwood, Warhammer 40,000, Pathfinder, Judge Dredd and Highlander. Find out more by visiting www.cavanscott.com, or follow him on Twitter @cavanscott.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, thanks to historian Eugene Byrne for first bringing the curious discovery of Edward Colston’s body to my attention. It’s found in Latimer’s Annals of Bristol, if you fancy a read.
Thanks also to George Mann, for bouncing the plot around on a walk around sunny San Diego and back at home; to my editors Miranda Jewess and Gary Budden for poking holes in the self-same plot to make sure it worked; to Titan’s wonderful publicists Lydia Gittins and Philippa Ward for working so hard on this and The Patchwork Devil; and to my brilliant
agent, Jane Willis for being, well, brilliant.
And, as always, thanks above all to Clare, Chloe and Connie for all their love and support in the writing of this book. You make it all possible.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE PATCHWORK DEVIL
Cavan Scott
It is 1919, and while the world celebrates the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Holmes and Watson are called to a grisly discovery.
A severed hand has been found on the bank of the Thames, a hand belonging to a soldier who supposedly died in the trenches two years previously. But the hand is fresh, and shows signs that it was recently amputated. So how has it ended up back in London two years after its owner was killed in France? Warned by Sherlock’s brother Mycroft to cease their investigation, and only barely surviving an attack by a superhuman creature, Holmes and Watson begin to suspect a conspiracy at the very heart of the British government…
“Scott poses an intriguing puzzle for an older Holmes and Watson to tackle.” Publishers Weekly
“Interesting and exciting in ways that few Holmes stories are these days.” San Francisco Book Review
“A thrilling tale for Scott’s debut in the Sherlock Holmes world.” Sci-Fi Bulletin
TITANBOOKS.COM
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE THINKING ENGINE
James Lovegrove
It is 1895, and Sherlock Holmes is settling back into life as a consulting detective at 221b Baker Street, when he and Watson learn of strange goings-on amidst the dreaming spires of Oxford.
A Professor Quantock has built a wondrous computational device, which he claims is capable of analytical thought to rival the cleverest men alive. Naturally Sherlock Holmes cannot ignore this challenge. He and Watson travel to Oxford, where a battle of wits ensues between the great detective and his mechanical counterpart as they compete to see which of them can be first to solve a series of crimes, from a bloody murder to a missing athlete. But as man and machine vie for supremacy, it becomes clear that the Thinking Engine has its own agenda…
“The plot, like the device, is ingenious, with a chilling twist… an entertaining, intelligent and pacy read.”
The Sherlock Holmes Journal
“Lovegrove knows his Holmes trivia and delivers a great mystery that fans will enjoy, with plenty of winks and nods to the canon.” Geek Dad
“The concept of an intelligent, self-aware Thinking Engine is brilliance itself.” The Book Bag
TITANBOOKS.COM
SHERLOCK HOLMES
GODS OF WAR
James Lovegrove
It is 1913, and Dr Watson is visiting Sherlock Holmes at his retirement cottage near Eastbourne when tragedy strikes: the body of a young man, Patrick Mallinson, is found under the cliffs of Beachy Head.
The dead man’s father, a wealthy businessman, engages Holmes to prove that his son committed suicide, the result of a failed love affair with an older woman. Yet the woman in question insists that there is more to Patrick’s death. She has seen mysterious symbols drawn on his body, and fears that he was under the influence of a malevolent cult. When an attempt is made on Watson’s life, it seems that she may be proved right. The threat of war hangs over England, and there is no telling what sinister forces are at work…
“Lovegrove has once again packed his novel with incident and suspense.” Fantasy Book Review
“An atmospheric mystery which shows just why Lovegrove has become a force to be reckoned with in genre fiction. More, please.” Starburst
“A very entertaining read with a fast-moving, intriguing plot.” The Consulting Detective
TITANBOOKS.COM
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES
James Lovegrove
A spate of bombings has hit London, causing untold damage and loss of life. Meanwhile a strangely garbed figure has been spied haunting the rooftops and grimy back alleys of the capital.
Sherlock Holmes believes this strange masked man may hold the key to the attacks. He moves with the extraordinary agility of a latter-day Spring-Heeled Jack. He possesses weaponry and armour of unprecedented sophistication. He is known only by the name Baron Cauchemar, and he appears to be a scourge of crime and villainy. But is he all that he seems? Holmes and his faithful companion Dr Watson are about to embark on one of their strangest and most exhilarating adventures yet.
“[A] tremendously accomplished thriller which leaves the reader in no doubt that they are in the hands of a confident and skilful craftsman.” Starburst
“Dramatic, gripping, exciting and respectful to its source material, I thoroughly enjoyed every surprise and twist as the story unfolded.” Fantasy Book Review
“This is delicious stuff, marrying the standard notions of Holmesiana with the kind of imagination we expect from Lovegrove.” Crimetime
TITANBOOKS.COM
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE SPIRIT BOX
George Mann
German zeppelins rain down death and destruction on London, and Dr Watson is grieving for his nephew, killed on the fields of France.
A cryptic summons from Mycroft Holmes reunites Watson with his one-time companion, as Sherlock comes out of retirement, tasked with solving three unexplained deaths. A politician has drowned in the Thames after giving a pro-German speech; a soldier suggests surrender before feeding himself to a tiger; and a suffragette renounces women’s liberation and throws herself under a train. Are these apparent suicides something more sinister, something to do with the mysterious Spirit Box? Their investigation leads them to Ravensthorpe House, and the curious Seaton Underwood, a man whose spectrographs are said to capture men’s souls…
“Arthur Conan Doyle was a master storyteller, and it takes comparable talent to give Holmes a second life… Mann is one of the few to get close to the target.” Daily Mail
“I would highly recommend this… a fun read.” Fantasy Book Review
“Our only complaint is that it is over too soon.” Starburst
TITANBOOKS.COM
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE WILL OF THE DEAD
George Mann
A rich elderly man has fallen to his death, and his will is nowhere to be found. A tragic accident or something more sinister? The dead man’s nephew comes to Baker Street to beg for Sherlock Holmes’s help. Without the will he fears he will be left penniless, the entire inheritance passing to his cousin. But just as Holmes and Watson start their investigation, a mysterious new claimant to the estate appears. Does this prove that the old man was murdered?
Meanwhile Inspector Charles Bainbridge is trying to solve the case of the “iron men”, mechanical steam-powered giants carrying out daring jewellery robberies. But how do you stop a machine that feels no pain and needs no rest? He too may need to call on the expertise of Sherlock Holmes.
“Mann clearly knows his Holmes, knows what works… the book is all the better for it.” Crime Fiction Lover
“Mann writes Holmes in a eloquent way, capturing the period of the piece perfectly… this is a must read.” Cult Den
“An amazing story… Even in the established world of Sherlock Holmes, George Mann is a strong voice and sets himself apart!” Book Plank
TITANBOOKS.COM
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE ARMY OF DR MOREAU
Guy Adams
Dead bodies are found on the streets of London with wounds that can only be explained as the work of ferocious creatures not native to the city.
Sherlock Holmes is visited by his brother, Mycroft, who is only too aware that the bodies are the calling card of Dr Moreau, a vivisectionist who was working for the British Government, following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, before his experiments attracted negative attention and the work was halted. Mycroft believes that Moreau’s experiments continue and he charges his brother with tracking the rogue scientist down before matters escalate any further.
“Succeeds both as a literary jeu d’esprit and detective story, with a broad streak of irrever
ent humour.” Financial Times
“Deftly handled… this is a must read for all fans of adventure and fantasy literature.” Fantasy Book Review
“Well worth a read… Adams is a natural fit for the world of Sherlock Holmes.” Starburst
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