What abilities does Grayson have?

The next day, every newspaper published a large section of the so-called "Brixton Strange Case" news. In addition, some even wrote special editorials. Some of the information was unknown to me. I still have a lot of newspaper clippings about this case. Now I am excerpting some of them and attaching them below:

The "Daily Telegraph" reported: In the history of crime, there is no more bizarre tragedy than this. I don’t know what the murderer’s motive was, but he wrote the vicious word ‘revenge’ in German on the wall. It can be seen that this is the work of exiled political prisoners or socialist parties. There are many sects of socialist parties in the United States. The deceased was apparently chased here because he violated their internal laws, and was eventually brutally murdered... This report briefly mentioned the past German secret court cases, mineral spring cases, and Italian cases. After the Carbonari Party case, the Marquess of Branvilliers case, the Malthusian case and the Ratcliffe Highway murder case, it ended with advice to the government, suggesting that foreigners in the UK should be closely monitored in the future.

"The Standard" commented: When the Liberal Party was in power, such horrific atrocities often occurred because of unstable public sentiment and ineffective government measures. The deceased was an American gentleman who had been living in London for some weeks. During his lifetime, he lived in Mrs. Charpentier's apartment in Torquoi, Camberwell. He was traveling to England with his private secretary, Mr. Joseph Stangerson. After bidding farewell to their landlady on the 4th of this month, they went to Euston Station to take the express train to Liverpool. Someone saw them on the station platform at that time, but their whereabouts are unknown since then. Patrol officers later discovered Mr Reber's body in an empty house on Brixton Road, a few miles from Euston station. How he got here and how he was killed remain a mystery. Stengerson's whereabouts are still unknown. It is reported that the famous detectives Lestrade and Grayson of the Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the case at the same time. It is believed that the case will be revealed soon.

The "Daily News" reported that this is undoubtedly a political case. Many people were deported to our country because of the tyranny of governments across the continent and their hatred of liberalism. If we didn't investigate their origins, we would think they were all law-abiding citizens. There is a very strict "law" among these exiles, and anyone who violates it will be killed. In order to find out the situation of the deceased during his lifetime, his secretary Stan Jieson must be found. The deceased's residence in London has been investigated clearly, and significant progress has been made in the case. It is reported that this is the result of Mr. Grayson of the Metropolitan Police Department being good at handling cases.

Holmes and I read these reports over breakfast, and Holmes seemed to find them quite amusing.

"I told you, no matter what the situation is, the credit always goes to Lestrade and Grayson."

"The case is not over yet. "

"Well, what does it matter? If the murderer is caught, of course it is because they handled the case well; if the murderer runs away, they will say that they have tried their best, but... ...No matter what, they are the ones who gain, and others suffer. Even if they do nothing, there will be people who will praise them. There is a saying in France - although a fool is stupid, there are even dumber fools who will cheer for him. ."

While we were talking, we suddenly heard a burst of chaotic footsteps in the corridor and on the stairs. I couldn't help shouting: "What's going on?"

" This is the Baker Street investigation team." After Holmes finished speaking in a serious manner, six street children rushed in, all of them were ragged and dirty.

"Stand at attention!" Holmes shouted loudly. When the six little tramps heard the command, they immediately stood in a row like six little clay figures.

"In the future, just let Wiggins come up and report alone, and the others will wait on the street. Wiggins, have you found it?"

A child replied: " Not found yet, sir."

"I guess you haven't found it yet. Keep looking until you find it." Holmes gave each of them a shilling. "Okay. Come on, go down and continue looking. I'm waiting for you to give me the good news." Holmes waved his hand, and the children slipped downstairs like a nest of mice.

Then their shrill noises resounded in the street.

Holmes said: "These little guys can go anywhere and find out everything. They are very clever and as sharp as a needle.

However, no one organized them. "

"You hired them for the Brixton Road case, right? "I asked.

"Yes, I just want to clarify one question, but it will take some time. ah! We're about to hear some new news! Look, Grayson is coming toward us on the street. Judging from the happy look on his face, he must have something to show off to us. Look, he stopped. That's him! "

After the doorbell rang loudly, the detective with the good hair quickly went up the stairs three steps at a time and broke into our living room.

"Dear Friend," he exclaimed, in spite of Holmes's indifference, holding his hand tightly, "congratulate me quickly! I've got this case all figured out. "

Hearing what he said, Holmes showed a look of anxiety.

"You mean you have solved the case? asked Holmes.

"Yes!" Man, it’s true, I caught the murderer! "

"What's his name? "

"His name is Arthur Charpentier, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. "Grason rubbed his fat hands proudly and said arrogantly while puffing up his chest.

Hearing this, Holmes breathed a sigh of relief and smiled again.

p>

"Please sit down and smoke a cigar. He said, "We would like to know how you solve the case. Can I give you some whiskey and water?" "

"Just have some," Grayson said. "I've been exhausted these past two days. You know, although this is not very physical work, it is very stressful for the mind. You know the hard work involved, Mr. Holmes, we all work with our brains. "

Holmes said solemnly: "You have given me the prize. Why don't you tell us how you solved this case gratifyingly? "

Grayson sat down in the armchair and smoked his cigar proudly. Suddenly, he patted his thigh happily and said:

"Reis That fool Chuide was so funny. He thought he was so smart, but in the end, he was all wrong. He was still running for the whereabouts of Stan Johnson, and that guy was like a child who hadn't been born yet and had nothing to do with the case. I bet he's found the guy by now. "

At this point, he laughed triumphantly until he almost couldn't breathe.

"How did you find the clue? "

"Well, let me tell you, Dr. Watson, although this is absolutely confidential, we are our own people and can talk. The first step in solving this case is to find out the origin of this American. Some people will place an advertisement and wait for insiders to report, or for relatives and friends of the deceased to report. But I don't. Do you remember the hat next to the deceased?

“Remember,” said Holmes, “that I bought it from the hat shop of John Underwood and Sons, 229 Camberwell Road. "

When Grayson heard this, he became very frustrated. He said: "I didn't expect you to notice this. Have you ever been to that hat shop. "

"No. "

"Ha! Grayson was relieved, "No matter how small the possibility is, you can't let this opportunity go to waste." ”

“Nothing is insignificant to a great man. "Holmes said as if he was quoting someone's wise words.

"Then I went to the shop owner Andewu, and I asked him if he had ever sold such a hat. They checked the sales book and soon found out that the hat had been bought by a Mr. Reber who lived in the Charpentier Apartments in Torquoi. In this way, I found the address of the deceased. "

"Beautiful, well done! "Holmes praised in a low voice.

"Later, I went to Mrs. Charpentier's place," Grayson continued: "I found that her face was pale and she looked very uneasy. Her daughter was also at home - a very pretty girl. When I talked to her, her eyes were red and her lips were trembling, which I noticed. So, I started to get suspicious. Mr. Holmes, you know how happy you feel when you find the right clue.

I asked: 'Have you heard about the assassination of Mr. Reber of Cleveland, your former tenant? '

"Mrs. Charpentier seemed to be too excited to speak. She just nodded. And her daughter couldn't help but shed tears. The more I watched, the more I felt that they must know something.

"I asked 'What time did Mr. Reber leave here for the car?' '

"'Eight o'clock,'" she kept swallowing, trying to suppress her excitement, "his secretary, Mr. Stangerson, said. There were two trains to Liverpool, one at nine. It's fifteen o'clock, the first bus is eleven o'clock, and he's on the first bus. ''Is this the last time you see each other? '

"The woman suddenly became pale when I asked this question. After a long time, she told me that it was the last time, but her voice was mute when she spoke, which was very unnatural.< /p>

"After a moment of silence, the girl spoke. She was calm and spoke clearly.

"She said: 'It's useless to lie, mother, let's, let's confess to this gentleman. We later met Mr. Reber.'

"' May God forgive you! ’ After Mrs. Charpentier shouted, she stretched out her hands and fell on the back of the chair, ‘You have harmed your brother! '

"'Arthur will also let us tell the truth.' The girl said firmly.

"I quickly said: 'You'd better tell me the whole situation. , don't hesitate. I think you still don’t know how much information we have. '

"'It's all your fault, Alice!" her mother shouted to her, then turned to me and said, "I'll tell you all, sir. Don't think I'm anxious because of him. What does it have to do with this murder case? He is innocent. What I am worried about is that in the eyes of you or others, he seems to be suspicious, but this is absolutely impossible. His noble character, his His career and past can all prove his innocence.'

"I said: 'You'd better tell me all the facts and believe me. If your son is really innocent, he will be fine. of. '

"After she sent her daughter out, she continued: 'Sir, I didn't want to tell you at first, but my daughter has spoken out. There is no other way, so I have to tell you everything, nothing at all. No reservations. '

"'That's right! ’ I said.

"'Mr. Reber has been staying with us for almost three weeks. He and his secretary, Mr. Stegerson, came to Europe for a trip. I found that each of their boxes had a Copenhagen label on it. It can be seen that That's where he came from. Stegerson was a quiet and reserved man; but his master was very bad, completely different from him. He was rough in words and obscene in his behavior. The uncle was so drunk that he didn't wake up until twelve o'clock the next morning. His attitude towards the maids was even more disgusting. The most disgusting thing was that he also used this kind of behavior. He treated my daughter Alice more than once. Fortunately, my daughter was young and ignorant. One time, he actually pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. He was so lawless. Even his secretary called him shameless and inhumane. ''But why do you have to endure this? ’ I asked, ‘You can throw him away at any time if you want. '

"Mrs. Charpentier's face turned red when I asked her. She said: 'It would have been better if I had rejected him from the beginning. But the terms he offered were too tempting. They every The rent is one pound a day, so I get fourteen pounds a week, not to mention it is the off-season when there are few guests. I am a widow and my son is serving in the navy, which costs a lot, so I really can't bear to miss this income in vain. I just tried my best to endure it. It wasn't until this time that he made too much noise, and I drove him away. That's why they moved away.'

"What happened next? '

"'I was relieved when I saw him leaving in the car. My son is on vacation now. But I kept these things from him because he is not only grumpy, but also loves his sister very much. They After moving away, I quickly closed the door. But, God, someone called the door again. It turned out that Reb was back. He drank a lot and looked very excited. My daughter was sitting in the room when the guy barged in and said that he had missed the train. Later, he dared to suggest to Alice that she should run away with him in front of me.

He said that my daughter has grown up and no one can care about her. He also said that he has plenty of money and does not need to worry about me as an old woman. He said that as long as my daughter comes with him immediately, she can enjoy happiness like a princess. Poor Alice was so frightened that she kept avoiding him. But the guy grabbed my daughter's wrist and pulled her out. I screamed in fright. At this moment, my son Arthur came in. I don’t know what happens next. All I heard was a chaotic shouting and scuffling sound, which frightened me so much that I didn't even dare to raise my head. When I looked up later, Arthur was standing in the doorway holding a stick and laughing. Arthur told me that the villain would never trouble us again. He also said that he would go out and follow the bad guy to see what he would do. After saying this, he put on his hat and ran into the street. The next morning we heard that Reb had been murdered. '

"The above is what Mrs. Charpentier said to me personally. Although she gasped and paused for a while while speaking, and her voice was so low that I could hardly hear it, I still took down all her words. It's not bad at all."

After yawning, Holmes said: "This is indeed very interesting."

Grason continued: "Xia Peng. After Mrs. Jie finished speaking, I saw the key to the whole case, so I stared at her with a look that is effective for women and asked her when her son returned home.

"'I don't know. ’ she replied.

“‘Not clear?’

“‘It’s really unclear. He has the key and can open the door himself. ’

“‘He came back after you fell asleep?’

“‘Yes. ’

“‘What time did you go to bed.’

“‘About eleven o’clock. ’

“‘So, your son was out for at least two hours.’

“‘Yes. ’

“‘Is it possible to go out for four or five hours?’

“‘It’s possible. ’

“‘What did he do during these hours?’

“‘I don’t know. ’ When she answered this, her lips turned white.

“Of course, that’s it, there’s no need to ask anything else. I took two police officers to find Lieutenant Charpentier and arrested him.

< p>When I patted him on the shoulder and warned him to follow us honestly, he said unscrupulously: "You arrest me because you think I am related to the murder of that bad guy Reb." We haven't reported it to him yet. It is even more suspicious that he mentioned it himself."

"It is indeed suspicious," said Holmes.

"At that time, he was still holding the big stick that his mother said he used to beat Reb. It was a very strong wooden stick."

"What do you think happened?"

"Well, that's what I speculated. He chased Reb to Brixton Road and then got into an argument. During the quarrel, Reb He was hit hard, maybe right in the heart, so even though he was beaten to death, no scars were left. Because it rained heavily that night and there was no one around, Charpentier dragged the body. The empty house. And the candles, blood stains, writings on the wall, rings, etc. were just his tricks to fool the police." Holmes pretended to praise him and said: "Well done! Sen, you are really making great progress. It seems that your future is not far away."

Grason said proudly: "I thought I did this job fairly well. The young man claimed that after chasing him for a while, Reb found him, so Mr. Reb got into a carriage and escaped, and he had to go home. On the way home, he met a man who had been on the ship. This old colleague had been with him for a long time. But when I asked him where the old colleague lived, he couldn't tell me. I think the plot of this case is very consistent. Chuide, he made a mistake from the beginning. I don't think he can do anything. Hey! Cao Cao is here."

The person who came in was indeed Lestrade. While we were talking, he went upstairs, and then he came into the house. His usual self-satisfied and confident look was gone, replaced by him who looked flustered, sad, and disheveled. He became embarrassed and at a loss when he saw his colleague. It was obvious that he came to seek advice from Holmes on something.

He stood in the middle of the room, fiddling with his hat in his hands. Finally, he said: "This is indeed a very bizarre case, simply incredible."

Grayson said proudly: "Do you really think so, Mr. Lestrade? I knew you would I think so. Have you found the secretary, Mr. Stegerson?" Lestrade said with a heavy heart: "The secretary was assassinated at the Halliday Hotel around six o'clock this morning. ”