The Mammoth Book of New Sherlock Holmes Adventures - Mike Ashley [256]
“Sherlock,” cried the large man as soon as he saw my friend, “we were expecting you.” It was Holmes’s brother Mycroft, the wizard of Whitehall. Holmes was clearly delighted, if not surprised, to see his brother, who introduced us to the tall man, who was Lord Eversden, the distinguished Foreign Secretary.
When we had all sat down, Lord Eversden looked at Holmes and said: “Your brother has told me that Orman Pasha has been to consult you regarding the tragedy that has taken place in my house. It is no exaggeration to say that this matter is fraught with danger, as I believe Orman Pasha, who is highly regarded in British Government circles, has informed you. We welcome your involvement and I wish to assure you that my house and staff are at your disposal.”
“Thank you, my lord,” replied Holmes, “I should like to begin by making an examination of the house.”
We all followed Holmes up the staircase and Lord Eversden showed us the spot in which the body had been found. Holmes knelt to the ground and examined the carpet minutely, then asked, “Which way was the body lying? Were the feet pointing towards or away from the staircase?”
“They were pointing towards the staircase,” replied Lord Eversden, “and his head was lying just next to the small side table by the entrance to the room.”
Holmes stood up. “Now, my lord,” he said,” can you recollect where everyone was standing when you and Orman Pasha arrived here?”
Lord Eversden thought for a moment. “Colonel Yusufoglu was kneeling beside Simeonov between him and the bedroom door. Mr Leonticles was standing some feet away beyond Simeonov’s head.”
“In other words, he was standing where Simeonov could not see him?” asked Holmes.
“No, Simeonov would not have been able to see Leonticles from where he was lying,” replied Lord Eversden, “Count Balinsky and Baron Nopchka arrived after the Pasha and I did, and they stood looking over our shoulders at the dreadful sight.”
“Thank you, Lord Eversden, your comments are most illuminating,” said Holmes, “Now I would like to examine Mr Simeonov’s bedroom.”
We entered the bedroom and Holmes made straight for the window. “Was the window closed when you came upstairs?” he asked Lord Eversden.
“As far as I can recollect, although I did not enter the room, but I could see the window from the corridor. Only Nopchka and the Colonel went in, carrying Simeonov’s body.”
Holmes opened the wardrobe, which proved to be empty, then dropped to the floor and looked under the bed. He reached with his arm under the bed and pulled out a small and very old Gladstone bag.
“Did this belong to Simeonov?” he asked.
“Yes, it was all the luggage he had,” replied Lord Eversden.
Holmes placed the bag on the bed and opened it. It appeared to contain nothing but clothes and the usual paraphernalia of a visiting guest. Suddenly Holmes looked up at the window and froze. The expression on his face was so startling, that we all followed his gaze, but I, for one, could see nothing out of the ordinary.
“What is it, Sherlock,” cried Mycroft, “what was there outside the window?”
Holmes quickly recovered his composure. “Nothing,” he said, “Just a sudden movement, probably a bird.” He closed the bag and replaced it under the bed. We next went to the bedrooms of all the other guests, but there was nothing to be gleaned from those either.
After an examination of the outside of the house and of the grounds, where Holmes searched in vain for any signs of footprints, we returned to the drawing room, where we all sat down, except for Holmes, who remained standing beside the fireplace.
“Lord Eversden,” he began, “it is my desire to meet the diplomats who were your guests two days ago, but, before I do so, I would like to have an assessment of their characters and backgrounds by yourself and my brother. To begin with, Orman Pasha. Of course, I have already made his acquaintance and he struck me as an able and honest man. You