Chapter Text
“Now will you tell me what happened?”
Holmes raised an eyebrow towards Watson. “Are you well enough?”
“I have been ‘well enough’ two weeks ago .”
“Read the papers.”
“The papers don’t tell the whole story.” When Holmes ignored him, Watson added, “I will be able to bear it, Holmes. How else am I supposed to write my narrative when I am missing parts of it?”
“You need not write about it.”
“I am curious, Holmes. Satisfy my curiosity at the very least.”
Holmes deliberated for a moment, then finally conceded. He drew a deep draught from his pipe and leant into his chair. “Very well, if that is what you wish. I’d spoken to Captain Moore and confronted him about Walker’s suicide.”
“Suicide?”
“He did not kill Walker—Walker killed himself. That was apparent to me the moment I stepped into the room. Walker is left-handed; I took note of it when I examined his desk—all his writing implements and important things are placed on the left-hand side. Which also explained the gunshot wound. It would be difficult for a right-handed person, but no such problem is presented with a left -handed person.
“Still, Moore was a blackmailer; albeit a low-grade one. I had an intimation that he would lead me to whoever tampered with the evidence. When I made a move as if to capture him, I met someone’s gaze in the crowd—the man I had expected to appear and who had watched us the entire time. As soon as he saw me looking at him, he fled.”
Holmes paused to refill his pipe and frowned at Watson taking notes. He refrained from comment, however. “I was not able to apprehend him, not until Lestrade came, and that is when I had gotten wind of what had happened to you.”
Watson hummed and nodded towards Holmes. “It is not your fault.”
“Indeed,” Holmes said, sounding completely unconvinced. “We caught our men. One was Moore himself, and the other was David Hall.”
That certainly explained plenty.
“He had visited Walker earlier that day, even earlier than his sister, but after Moore visited him. Oh, yes, Moore visited Walker as well—what did you think drove him to such a desperate action? He left evidence as well—evidence that Hall had conveniently found and tampered with.
“He saw the opportunity when he saw the cufflinks and the cigar ash in the living room, moving them to the bedroom and left the door unlocked. He moved the gun to make it seem like a murder, and lied to us about Walker’s handedness in an attempt to mislead us. He certainly didn’t think to rearrange Walker’s own things. After all was done, he left, let his sister find the body, and return to lead us to the conclusion that Moore had killed Walker.”
Watson mused on this explanation. “What happened to David Hall? And his sister?”
“He is in custody now. Let the jury judge his fate; though I do not believe he will have a very heavy sentence. As for his sister—she had nothing much to do with all this, except perhaps lying when I asked her about Walker.” Holmes waved the thought away.
"Has she visited yet? She has told me that her, ah, employer's family had let her go."
"Ah," Holmes murmured and waved his pipe. "That explains Mrs Turner taking her along to the country. That was before you awoke, and after I had explained everything to her. Though she still expects me to send her news of her brother.”
“You will send her something?”
“Perhaps. Or I could enlist you to do it.”
“Ah, you too must learn the ways to deal with the fairer sex.” Watson drew out some of his fancier stationery from his desk and handed it to Holmes. “You can start now.”
Holmes scrutinized the paper, pointedly placed it into his drawer and shut it with a definitive air. “Perhaps some other time, when I do have news. In the meantime, I will look forward to reading your, ah, romanticized version of the events, and leave all narrative deliberations to you.”