Chapter Text
1900, Baker Street 221B
The public loves mysteries. When they can attach a fascinating or impossible attributes to it they love it even more. At first, the newspapers referred to it as a "mysterious murder". Then "senseless" and "cruel" – which could be said about every murder after all. The journalists were also trying to involve the readers in helping the Scotland Yard and searching for the then believed culprit. Then one of the people involved talked to the journalists and they – in their hunt after sensations – started to refer to it as the “mystery of the locked salon” which was gravely mistaken. I should point out that my friend, Sherlock Holmes, stated straight at the beginning that it was not a mystery of a locked room rather the opposite.
Nonetheless the readers were devouring every piece of information in the newspapers with great interest... It all happened exactly a decade ago and in my opinion it would be appropriate to explain some of the peculiarities of the case now. I might have changed the names of the main protagonists in my recounting though an attentive reader will soon make the connection to the true story.
“Looks like a new case, Holmes,” I said when I saw a gentleman, an aristocrat without a doubt, leaving a brougham. At that time I was very curious that such a rich gentleman – as it appeared at first sight – would be ready to leave his residence and come to the Baker Street to discuss the matters – whatever it may be – with Holmes personally. As it turned out the rich gentleman’s behaviour wasn’t that aristocratic (and if we are going into details – he himself wasn’t that rich at that moment).