victoriously looked at Holmes. He said: “While we are having the main motive – the brilliant – and only two suspects, I want to make our bet a little more difficult. You should figure out the killer in 30 minutes. Do you agree?”
“Thirty minutes?” racked his head Holmes. “This is absurd.”
Smile lit Lestrade’s face.
“So, Mr. Holmes! The bet is not acceptable for you?”
“Absolutely! Not acceptable! As for me, one minute will be enough!”
Holmes made a sign to switch the light on, slightly push away shocked Lestrade and came across the room to the table. He stood before dead Raffit, bowed and began to watch his glass-like eyes.
“What are you doing?” Lestrade was really knocked out by Holmes’ manipulations.
“I look at his eyes,” Holmes murmured in answer. In some seconds he turned to the inspector with a smile on his lips. “So, my dear, where is my money? 50 pounds. I have won the bet!”
“What?..” Lestrade was confused. “Why? You know who is a murderer?”
“Yes, I do. I have seen the killer in the eyes of the dead”, Holmes said still smiling and got out his pipe.
Lestrade was standing still confused. Then he laughed, shaking his finger:
“Ha-ha! I know what you mean! You mean this foolish fairytale about the eye of the victim makes a picture of the killer! This is a bull shit!”
“Picture of the killer on the eye cornea? Yes, it’s all foolish fantasy,” nodded Holmes. “You are right! Even though should this miracle be a real one you would never see the killer cause the victim didn’t see him. Raffit sat with his back to him,” Holmes smoked his pipe. “I mean different. Watch the eyes of Raffit! And you will read the name of the killer in them!”
Lestrade suspiciously looked at Holmes. He came to Raffit and was staring at his eyes for a while.
“Nothing at all is written on them,” said he finally.
“Well, this is what my deduction method is!” Holmes kept on smoking. “I just see what you do not see…”
I also had a look at dead eyes of the businessman, but did not see anything. At some moment it seemed to me there was a mist image of some head in the big pupil of the dead eye. Some forehead, some awful ugly face, short cut hair… I felt a chill and turned away.
ANSWER:
And here is an explanation that Holmes has told us:
“There is no any image in the eye-pupil of the dead person! It is a medical fact! But I mean something different! The main moment of our case is that Adams entered the room when it was light there. As for Pries, he came in there when the light was over. What does indicate the moment of the murder? Only one object can indicate this moment. This object is an eye-pupil. Raffit was killed quickly and his death came fast because of quick strike in his brain by sharp object, and his pupils remained the same as they were at the moment of the death. They remain big as they could be in the dark room. If the pupils are small – it means that the murder happens in the light room. But his pupils are big. When I saw it I understood that the murderer is Pries, the servant, who entered in the dark cabinet and decided not to share the price of the brilliant with his partner. He took Adams’ dirk and killed the businessman as if it Adams did it. That’s all, my dear Inspector. So I earned my money in the honest battle.”
Lestrade had a morose look. He was standing looking down at his nails, keeping silence… As it turned out later he was sure the killer was Adams just because of the dirk, which belonged to him.
When we left the house Holmes smiled and did push me in the side:
“Study, Watson, to earn easy money. I have made 50 pounds for just one minute of work!”
3. Mystery Murders
“You know, dear Mr Holmes, very strange, mystery murders take place sometimes,” said inspector Lestrade. His voice sounded seriously. It looked like he knew what he was talking about. Holmes and me altogether with Lestrade were sitting before the fireplace at our Baker Street apartment. There was raining outside, but inside we were having a nice “weather” of our cozy dark room along with sipping warm brandy.
Holmes was smoking his pipe and looking at the fire asked:
“As far as I understand you are talking about MYSTERY murders?”
“Right,” answered Lestrade. “In my practice I have some cases which could not be explained by regular way. Only by mystery.”
“Very interesting,” said Holmes. “And what cases do you mean?”
“For example there is one strange case that took place over here at Baker Street long before you moved here. About 25 years ago.”
Lestrade paused for awhile and then continued:
“Just imagine, my dear friends, some gentleman got out of home at 13th day of the month and a brick hit his head. Foolish death! Rare one! But in a month, back again at 13th day, another man was killed by the same way! What do you think about such wonderful cases?”
“It’s unbelievable!” said I. “This is a tragic coincidence, or…” I confused and did not finish my thought.
“Or it is fantasy,” Holmes finished for me. “Isn’t it, my dear Inspector?”
“Of course not! You may find the details of these cases in old papers in the library. Various papers wrote about that. And I researched both of these cases.”
“Really?” Holmes turned to Lestrade. “And what was the final report?”
“Actually… There was no any report. Every one took it as force major, coincidence. Tragedy cases without any human participation.”
“If it is not so hard for you, my friend, could you tell us about that a bit more?” asked Holmes.
“Well, for sure. Some Walter Thomson was first who died. He worked in the Geographic Society magazine. His body was found in some hours. And a brick near by. As we discovered there were construction works on the roof of the house No 169. By the night all the bricks were packed in the set, but it was raining and the water broke the set of bricks. One brick did slide to the edge of the roof, fell down and hit the head of this Thomson. As I said the date of the day was 13th. They said the weird power was involved – the house is on the former place of executions.
But the official report was taken as a tragic natural reason. In one month, at the 13th day too, it was raining again. Retired colonel Chasey left the house for the club. His wife Rosa was seeing him off, she was right at the doorway when thunder and the lightning took place.
As she said the lightning did strike the same bricks set on the roof and one brick flied up then down and hit Chasey. This hit was so strong that his
