Mike Ashley - The Mammoth Book of New Sherlock Holmes Adventures

I remembered his words of the previous evening. "You said the tiger did nothing in the morning, Holmes."

"And he did not. We established quickly enough that Vittoria was killed before being placed in the cage, but that still meant the murderer had to open the cage to do it. Opening the cage of a strange tiger, only just arrived with its trainer would be a highly dangerous undertaking. The fact that the tiger did nothing to attract attention meant that the person who opened the cage was no stranger to him. The trainer could be ruled out. He only just arrived the night before and would hardly have had a motive for killing Vittoria. But Edith Everage saw you, Philip, along with Milly, playing with the new tiger yesterday morning. That was probably no more than an hour or two before the murder. The tiger knew and remembered Milly."

"This whole thing is ridiculous!" Philip insisted. "The tiger cage was outside of our tents, in full view. How could Milly or anyone else have killed Vittoria and placed her body in there without being seen?"

"The cage may have been in full view, but it was covered with canvas. I would guess that Milly lured Vittoria out there to see the new tiger. Once under the canvas for a better look, Milly stabbed her in the throat before she could scream, then opened the cage and pushed her in. You told us, Philip, that you had an extra key to the cage in your tent."

"Why would she do it? What was her motive?"

"The Everage woman told me you were fond of both of them. Jealousy has led to more than one murder. Of course Milly planned to pin the crime on Everage, which is why she came to us impersonating Vittoria."

I asked a question now. "How did you know, Holmes? After all, you deduced our client was Vittoria and then canceled out your own deduction."

"I was deceived, Watson, until we pulled Vittoria's body from the tiger cage and I noticed her tiny feet. The woman who called on us in London had feet as big as yours, as you must have noticed. Foot sizes don't change overnight, so I knew it was a different woman. When Philip and Charles and others assured us the body was Vittoria's, that meant it was an impostor who'd

visited us. I asked myself who it could have been, and the answer was obvious. The impostor had to be Vittoria's killer, or a close accomplice. We learned that the extra key to the tiger cage was kept in Philip's tent, where Milly Hogan also stayed. And we learned that Philip and Milly were playing with the new tiger yesterday morning. Milly had been an actress, performing at the Lyceum Theatre in London. And Milly had reason to be jealous of Vittoria. Such a motive made it unlikely that you were involved, Philip. If the two of you were close enough to plot a murder, she would have had no reason for jealousy in the first place. I also felt certain that if you had wanted to kill Vittoria you would have done it away from the circus grounds so as not to harm business. And surely you would not have insisted Diaz's death was accidental if you were party to a plot to link the two deaths as a double murder."

It was later, on the train back to London, after Milly Hogan had confessed, that I remarked to Holmes, "We never did meet Vittoria, the Circus Belle."

"No," he agreed. "But we met Milly Hogan twice, and in my profession I find a murderess more fascinating than a Circus Belle."

By late 1886 Holmes's caseload was increasing substantially, allowing him to be more selective in the work he took on, and this occasionally made him rather cavalier to those clients whom he felt were wasting his time. Some of these cases Watson did not write up, either because they seemed trivial or because Holmes wished to keep his clients' details confidential. Occasionally certain incidents were later remembered and one such case was "The Darlington Substitution Scandal"which Holmes refers to in "A Scandal in Bohemia". This case has been highly problematic to restore and even now the story may not be complete. Holmes was reminded of the case by his use of a fire alarm to unearth items of value, but it transpires it wasn't fire but a similar cause for alarm that helped Holmes resolve the matter.

Sherlock Holmes and I returned late one evening to our Baker Street rooms after spending some time in the realms of Wagner. My friend was still singing Siegfried's horn call even as we let ourselves in through the door of 22 lb. His recital was interrupted somewhat abruptly by the appearance of Mrs Hudson at the foot of the stairs. She was wearing a long grey dressing gown and appeared to be quite perturbed.

"You have a visitor, Mr Holmes," she whispered with a kind of desperate urgency. "He refuses to leave until he sees you. He is most insistent."

"Is he?" said Holmes, "Then we had better oblige the gentleman. Off to bed with you. Friend Watson and I will deal with the matter."

She gave an understanding nod, threw a brief smile in my direction and disappeared behind her door.

The visitor was a short, burly figure of some sixty years. He possessed a high, bald forehead, a shiny face and fierce blue eyes. He almost ran towards us as we entered our sitting room. "At last," he cried.

Holmes gave a gentle bow of the head in greeting as he flung off his coat and scarf. "Had his Lordship taken the courtesy to arrange an appointment he would not have had to wait over two hours to see me – the cigar butts in my ashtray indicate the length of time."

"You know me?"

"It is my business to know people. Even in this dim light it is not difficult to recognize the Queen's minister for foreign affairs, Lord Hector Darlington. Now, pray take a seat and tell me about the theft."

Lord Darlington dropped open-mouthed into the wicker chair. "Who has told you?"

Holmes gave a brief chuckle. "A brandy night cap for us all, eh,Watson?" he said, before replying to his Lordship's question. "You would not be here alone at this time of night if your errand concerned government business. Therefore, it is a private affair which brings you to my door. A very private affair if the official police are not to be involved. It is well known that you are an avid collector of priceless paintings and possess a very rich collection. It does not need Sherlock Holmes to deduce that the matter on which you wish to consult me concerns your paintings or more likely one of your paintings. The matter is urgent and so therefore it relates to loss rather than damage. Ah, thank you Watson." He retrieved a brandy from the tray and took a sip.

Lord Darlington shook his large head in disbelief. "By Jove, you are right, sir. If only you can unravel the mystery as easily as you have guessed at its nature, I will be in your eternal debt."

Holmes raised an admonishing finger. "I never guess. It is an impractical pastime. Now, if you would be so kind as to familiarize me with the facts of the matter, I may be able to shed some light on your particular darkness." So saying he sat back in his chair, both hands cradling the brandy glass, and closed his eyes.

Lord Darlington cleared his throat and began his narrative. "As you rightly stated, my passion in life is art and over the years I have built up what I believe is an enviable collection, one of the finest private galleries in Europe. It is not for their financial value that I treasure my canvases, you understand: it is for their beauty and power, their vivid interpretation of life."

"Quite," remarked Holmes dryly.

"Recently I took possession of a seventeenth-century painting by Louis de Granville, his 'Adoration of the Magi.' It is the most magnificent painting."

"Louis de Granville – didn't he die very young?" I said.

His Lordship gave me a brief smile. "Indeed. He died of consumption at the age of twenty-seven. There are only thirty known canvases of his in existence and 'The Adoration' is regarded as his best. I was so fortunate to acquire this wonderful painting."