Young Sherlock Holmes_ Fire Storm - Andrew Lane [29]
‘The bloke with the beer belly? He came out and just stood here. Didn’t look happy. Looked like he’d tear someone’s head off as soon as talk to them, in fact.’
‘Where were you?’
Matty indicated a pile of crates on the other side of the alley. ‘When I heard him coming I hid there. He wasn’t exactly keeping quiet. There was curse words he used that I’d never heard before.’
‘So what happened?’
‘He stood there for a few minutes, then his friend came out.’
‘Marky,’ Sherlock confirmed.
‘Yeah, him. He grabbed the other bloke by the arm and said something to him. Next thing I knew they were both heading off down the alley.’
Sherlock nodded. ‘I managed to persuade Marky that, with Harkness’s blackmail material gone, the town was going to become a very unfriendly place for them to be. I think they’ve decided to try their fortunes elsewhere.’
‘Where to now?’
‘Let’s go home,’ Sherlock said.
‘I ain’t got a home, apart from the narrowboat.’
‘I meant Holmes Manor.’
Matty shook his head forcefully. ‘I don’t like that housekeeper,’ he said, ‘and she don’t like me. If you don’t mind, I’d rather stay here.’
‘I think,’ Sherlock said, ‘that you’ll find Mrs Eglantine’s influence over the Holmes household will diminish rapidly within the next hour or so. I’m sure you’ll find yourself welcome at the manor from now on.’ He glanced critically at his friend. ‘Well, if you dust yourself off and comb your hair, you will.’
With Matty perched behind him on Philadelphia’s back, Sherlock cantered along the familiar roads towards Holmes Manor.
‘Do you think I could get something to eat when we get there?’ Matty called over Sherlock’s shoulder.
‘I think that can be arranged,’ Sherlock called back.
It took about half an hour to get to the manor house, and when they turned in through the main gate and headed up along the drive to the house Sherlock could feel Matty tensing behind him. Bypassing the front door, he trotted around to the stables and left the horse in the care of one of the grooms.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I’m eager to see this matter closed.’
He entered through the main door, Matty behind him. The shadowy hallway seemed empty, but he knew that appearances were deceptive.
‘Mrs Eglantine!’ he called.
A part of the shadows detached itself and stepped forward. The temperature in the hall seemed to drop by ten degrees. ‘Young Master Holmes,’ said a voice in a tone so cold that icicles could have formed. ‘As you seem so determined to use this house as a hotel, coming and going when you please, perhaps you ought to be paying for the privilege of staying here.’
‘I would expect the quality of the housekeeping staff in a hotel to be considerably better than here,’ he rejoined.
The expression on Mrs Eglantine’s face didn’t change, but Sherlock felt the atmosphere in the hallway become even colder.
‘Make your quips, child,’ she hissed. ‘Enjoy them while you can. Your time in this house is limited.’
‘If you are expecting your friend Josh Harkness to do something about me, you are going to be disappointed. Mr Harkness is in custody, and won’t be getting out in a hurry.’
‘You are lying,’ she said through clenched teeth, but Sherlock could tell that she was suddenly on the defensive.
‘I never lie,’ he said simply. ‘I leave that to people like you.’ He paused for a moment, working out his next move. ‘Please tell my aunt and uncle that I wish to talk to them in the dining room.’
‘Tell them yourself,’ she said. Her voice could have cut glass.
‘You are the servant here, not me. Pass on my request. Do it now. Please be so good as to ask Cook for a plate of sandwiches and a jug of lemonade as well. My friend and I are hungry and thirsty.’
The housekeeper stared at him with an expression on her face that indicated that she was re-evaluating him, and didn’t like what she was discovering. She turned and disappeared into the shadows.
‘Come on,’ he said to Matty. ‘Let’s get ready.’
He led the way across the hall to the dining room. It struck him that he could have chosen